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Toxic Love Story
A standalone captive dark romance novel by USA Today Bestselling Author Nikita Slater.
She didn’t count on catching the eye of a monster…
Yasmin is flattered when she’s pursued by billionaire businessman, Volkan Kartel. He’s rich, powerful, and hot as Hades himself. Everything a girl could want.
He’s also a walking red flag who throws his money around to get the things he wants. He’s jealous, possessive, rude, and controlling. Which is why it’s best to break things off before they get too serious. Besides she’s too busy for a boyfriend with her university studies and her job.
Obsessed with the young student, Volkan uses brutal methods to deceive Yasmin into falling into his trap. He takes her to his home country of Turkey and marries her, permanently tying her to him.
Halfway around the world from her home, Yasmin must navigate Volkan’s secretive family and a husband who watches her every move. As danger closes in, she wonders if his obsessive love and her feelings for a monster are enough to survive the treachery surrounding them.
Toxic Love Story is completely standalone and not part of a series. This book is exactly what it says, a Toxic Love Story. It is a dark romance with scenes of sexuality and violence. Please read with caution.
She didn’t count on catching the eye of a monster…
Yasmin is flattered when she’s pursued by billionaire businessman, Volkan Kartel. He’s rich, powerful, and hot as Hades himself. Everything a girl could want.
He’s also a walking red flag who throws his money around to get the things he wants. He’s jealous, possessive, rude, and controlling. Which is why it’s best to break things off before they get too serious. Besides she’s too busy for a boyfriend with her university studies and her job.
Obsessed with the young student, Volkan uses brutal methods to deceive Yasmin into falling into his trap. He takes her to his home country of Turkey and marries her, permanently tying her to him.
Halfway around the world from her home, Yasmin must navigate Volkan’s secretive family and a husband who watches her every move. As danger closes in, she wonders if his obsessive love and her feelings for a monster are enough to survive the treachery surrounding them.
Toxic Love Story is completely standalone and not part of a series. This book is exactly what it says, a Toxic Love Story. It is a dark romance with scenes of sexuality and violence. Please read with caution.
406 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 21, 2022
171 people are currently reading
471 people want to read
About the author
Nikita Slater
84 books967 followersNikita's social media:
Website: https://www.authornikitaslater.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/slaternikita/
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Nikita Slater is the USA Today Bestselling Author of action-packed suspenseful romance. She writes dark romance, mafia romance, MC romance, fantasy shifter romance, and post-apocalyptic dystopian romance. She lives on the beautiful Canadian prairies with her son, her awesome dog, and her partner. She has an unholy affinity for books, wine, pets and anything chocolate. Despite some of the darker themes in her books (which are pure fun and fantasy), Nikita is a staunch feminist and advocate of equal rights for all races, genders and non-gender specific persons. When she isn't writing, dreaming about writing or talking about writing, she helps others discover a love of reading and writing through literacy and social work.
Website: https://www.authornikitaslater.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/slaternikita/
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/18531...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slaternikita/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nikit...
Nikita Slater is the USA Today Bestselling Author of action-packed suspenseful romance. She writes dark romance, mafia romance, MC romance, fantasy shifter romance, and post-apocalyptic dystopian romance. She lives on the beautiful Canadian prairies with her son, her awesome dog, and her partner. She has an unholy affinity for books, wine, pets and anything chocolate. Despite some of the darker themes in her books (which are pure fun and fantasy), Nikita is a staunch feminist and advocate of equal rights for all races, genders and non-gender specific persons. When she isn't writing, dreaming about writing or talking about writing, she helps others discover a love of reading and writing through literacy and social work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
November 21, 2022
The blurb sounded wonderful and I truly was looking forward to this. After reading it I felt really disappointed as I couldn’t relate to any of them. I found Yasmin very annoying and Volkan more of cardboard anti hero than the ones Nikita has written in her older books. The thing is I love an obsessed anti hero and when he is obsessed with the heroine and will do anything for heroine even if they are done in a nefarious way it doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is he has same or similar feelings for someone previously. It then for me takes out that feeling that heroine is unique because he has had those jealous obsessive and even love for someone else. For me that was a big turn off and that excitement I felt thinking Yasmin was special just fizzled away. The more I read about his feelings and his actions towards his previous obsession the more diluted I felt about his present obsession. With his previous love he was more of a beta and not an alpha. I can’t imagine her previous anti hero’s being so blah blah after what his previous love did. Yasmin and Volkan had sex but I felt no real connection between them and their interactions were not toxic but boring and repetitive. I wish I enjoyed this because at one point NS for me was one author that wrote true anti hero’s but you could feel the love and chemistry between her main characters. Unfortunately this book missed its mark for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2022
This story was all over the place for my taste.
✅Too much family meddling from the H side (brother, sister and sister in low). It felt forced and was so unnecessary. 🥴
✅The f falling in love with the anti-hero wasn’t believable. How could she develop feelings for someone so unstable? or live in fear with someone so unhinged? His jealousy and obsession crossed the mark into an abusive relationship. So, nope, her love didn't convince me.
✅I could have given a free pass to everything that happened on the island as such:
✅where she survives against all the odds falling into the sea.
✅The H change of heart, seriously? No character consistency. Who was that guy at the end? not the same insane and obsessed character we met in the first half of the book.
2 stars because I made it until the end.
.
✅Too much family meddling from the H side (brother, sister and sister in low). It felt forced and was so unnecessary. 🥴
✅The f falling in love with the anti-hero wasn’t believable. How could she develop feelings for someone so unstable? or live in fear with someone so unhinged? His jealousy and obsession crossed the mark into an abusive relationship. So, nope, her love didn't convince me.
✅I could have given a free pass to everything that happened on the island as such:
✅where she survives against all the odds falling into the sea.
✅The H change of heart, seriously? No character consistency. Who was that guy at the end? not the same insane and obsessed character we met in the first half of the book.
2 stars because I made it until the end.
.
November 24, 2022
2.5 stars
I was excited that I was getting a story that was mostly from the heroines perspective and we were getting some actual build up and dating…. I think this is what’s missing from the psycho hero romances we’ve seen over the past few years… why would a super hot, rich, virile man skulk in the shadows beating off or need to resort to kidnapping as his first option? He could easily just flash his smile and woo his woman, so why not try it the easy way first? That makes the most sense, and it has the added bonus of providing some character and relationship development and building actual TENSION. And that’s how this book starts out. I’m so here for it!! 🙌🏻
But unfortunately, besides the likable h, that’s where my praise ends.
I like a ruthless aggressive hero. And normally I love this author’s brand of alpha…. But this H? I struggled to find anything to like. He lacked self-awareness, self-control, and a sense of humor. And on top of that he had a violent, indiscriminate temper. He’d go all Hulk Smash at the tiniest provocation. And anyone in his way would bear the brunt of that violence including innocent people and the heroine.
I can forgive a hero A LOT of shenanigans, but I have to LIKE him. I need to be charmed, and this hero had no charm. So all the stuff I normal LOOOOOVE in my romance (jealous rages, dubcon/noncon, manhandling, manipulation…) it all made me cringe away because I didn’t like him and felt like he needed to be on medication. His complete inability to understand the heroine’s perspective made him seem either incredibly simple or in desperate need of medical intervention. 😬 I don’t want my hero losing his sh*t because he’s just suffering from an untreated mental health situation. That’s not sexy.
I was ready to bail around 50-60% - his irrational OTT behavior was just too much, but I pushed through to see how the author landed the plane…. And while I liked the hero a little more by the end, it wasn’t enough to save the book. He makes a complete 180 but it’s never explained why. He’s a completely unrepentant abusive delusional asshole for the majority of the book and all of the sudden all his problematic behavior just disappears. No discussion, no explanation… just all of the sudden he’s a nice guy. 🤷🏼♀️ okie dokie
Bottom Line? I liked the beginning and I liked the h, but the rest of this was just a big disappointment from an author I normally like quite a bit. 2.5 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW drama
- OM drama - but only because the hero was a paranoid nut job
- dubcon/noncon - the hero r@pes the heroine in a rage - he also drugs her and touches her - they have several sexual encounters where the heroine isn’t always a willing participant at first
- loads of manhandling, choking, etc
- the H hurts several innocent men for accidentally touching the h
- h is 22 - had sex 1 time years earlier
- H is 37 - he’s a widower and experienced but his sexual history isn’t really discussed
I was excited that I was getting a story that was mostly from the heroines perspective and we were getting some actual build up and dating…. I think this is what’s missing from the psycho hero romances we’ve seen over the past few years… why would a super hot, rich, virile man skulk in the shadows beating off or need to resort to kidnapping as his first option? He could easily just flash his smile and woo his woman, so why not try it the easy way first? That makes the most sense, and it has the added bonus of providing some character and relationship development and building actual TENSION. And that’s how this book starts out. I’m so here for it!! 🙌🏻
But unfortunately, besides the likable h, that’s where my praise ends.
I like a ruthless aggressive hero. And normally I love this author’s brand of alpha…. But this H? I struggled to find anything to like. He lacked self-awareness, self-control, and a sense of humor. And on top of that he had a violent, indiscriminate temper. He’d go all Hulk Smash at the tiniest provocation. And anyone in his way would bear the brunt of that violence including innocent people and the heroine.
I can forgive a hero A LOT of shenanigans, but I have to LIKE him. I need to be charmed, and this hero had no charm. So all the stuff I normal LOOOOOVE in my romance (jealous rages, dubcon/noncon, manhandling, manipulation…) it all made me cringe away because I didn’t like him and felt like he needed to be on medication. His complete inability to understand the heroine’s perspective made him seem either incredibly simple or in desperate need of medical intervention. 😬 I don’t want my hero losing his sh*t because he’s just suffering from an untreated mental health situation. That’s not sexy.
I was ready to bail around 50-60% - his irrational OTT behavior was just too much, but I pushed through to see how the author landed the plane…. And while I liked the hero a little more by the end, it wasn’t enough to save the book. He makes a complete 180 but it’s never explained why. He’s a completely unrepentant abusive delusional asshole for the majority of the book and all of the sudden all his problematic behavior just disappears. No discussion, no explanation… just all of the sudden he’s a nice guy. 🤷🏼♀️ okie dokie
Bottom Line? I liked the beginning and I liked the h, but the rest of this was just a big disappointment from an author I normally like quite a bit. 2.5 stars
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW drama
- OM drama - but only because the hero was a paranoid nut job
- dubcon/noncon - the hero r@pes the heroine in a rage - he also drugs her and touches her - they have several sexual encounters where the heroine isn’t always a willing participant at first
- loads of manhandling, choking, etc
- the H hurts several innocent men for accidentally touching the h
- h is 22 - had sex 1 time years earlier
- H is 37 - he’s a widower and experienced but his sexual history isn’t really discussed
November 26, 2022
This didn’t work for me. You know it’s a problem when you’re more interested in the situation with the ex wife and what their relationship must have been like than you are in the “relationship” between the H and h. That whole thing ended up being a bust too.
I think where this failed for me was the execution. I felt like I was being force fed everything. The h kept coming up with all these realizations about why he was the way he was, why he picked her, why he was doing these things. I wanted to draw my own conclusions by being shown. It isn’t impactful if you’re just being told.
I think had I gotten more to see him interact with others, aside from Henry which only furthered my point, in then beginning then I would have connected with him more. Once I saw him with his family I started to see a different side of him. Tbh I assumed that he was just so disconnected from reality and from everyone based on how he was in the first half of the book that I thought the way he acted with the h was his normal.
He prides himself on being in total control and when the h points out that he very much just flies off the handle he still is adamant that he’s in control. Which I think was the whole point, right? He didn’t realize just how out of control he was, that she made him until later but like, idk, it just wasn’t hot because how do we know he isn’t like this with everyone? I love seeing Hs snap because of how overwhelmed they are with their emotions that h provokes but in this story it just didn’t work for me. I got the feeling that he’s always been this way. No one in his life seems super surprised by his behavior 🤷🏻♀️. I couldn’t help but picture him as this raving lunatic who just choked out the woman he “loves” all while talking to the voices in his head…”I’m in control, I’m in control, I’m in control”. Lmao. I just wasn’t into his vibe. It was all just too irrational. Why some dude who is as smart and in control as he claims was so angry that the the woman, who had broken up with him, he kidnapped wasn’t swooning over him made no sense to me?!? Maybe had I had a baseline for his character prior to meeting the h I think it would have worked better for me? The end worked better for me because he finally had reason to be angry.
There were some cute j/p moments, like him getting angry about how sexy she looks in a dress only to have her point out that he was the one who choose it. There were times when she calls him out and you can see him really processing what he’s saying, I liked that too.
I think this would have worked as more a psychological thriller. She’s being drugged and choked and grabbed left and right but I didn’t feel her terror, didn’t connect to it as much as I wanted to. She spent more time trying to psycho analyze him and point out when she was being “Stockholm-y” than she did feeling terrified. From the get go I could tell she was a character that was going to be easy to manipulate but I just wanted more connection to that fear, like in books like Captive in the Dark. She was a bit out there herself though, there’s no acknowledgment from her that something is seriously wrong with him. It’s just his personality. 😂🤦🏻♀️
That ending was so freaking hokey. 😬😬
So overall some moments I really liked but I honestly just couldn’t peg down what she was trying to go for here and the execution and overall gestalt just didn’t work at all for me. Oh and it was boring 🫤🙃.
I think where this failed for me was the execution. I felt like I was being force fed everything. The h kept coming up with all these realizations about why he was the way he was, why he picked her, why he was doing these things. I wanted to draw my own conclusions by being shown. It isn’t impactful if you’re just being told.
I think had I gotten more to see him interact with others, aside from Henry which only furthered my point, in then beginning then I would have connected with him more. Once I saw him with his family I started to see a different side of him. Tbh I assumed that he was just so disconnected from reality and from everyone based on how he was in the first half of the book that I thought the way he acted with the h was his normal.
He prides himself on being in total control and when the h points out that he very much just flies off the handle he still is adamant that he’s in control. Which I think was the whole point, right? He didn’t realize just how out of control he was, that she made him until later but like, idk, it just wasn’t hot because how do we know he isn’t like this with everyone? I love seeing Hs snap because of how overwhelmed they are with their emotions that h provokes but in this story it just didn’t work for me. I got the feeling that he’s always been this way. No one in his life seems super surprised by his behavior 🤷🏻♀️. I couldn’t help but picture him as this raving lunatic who just choked out the woman he “loves” all while talking to the voices in his head…”I’m in control, I’m in control, I’m in control”. Lmao. I just wasn’t into his vibe. It was all just too irrational. Why some dude who is as smart and in control as he claims was so angry that the the woman, who had broken up with him, he kidnapped wasn’t swooning over him made no sense to me?!? Maybe had I had a baseline for his character prior to meeting the h I think it would have worked better for me? The end worked better for me because he finally had reason to be angry.
There were some cute j/p moments, like him getting angry about how sexy she looks in a dress only to have her point out that he was the one who choose it. There were times when she calls him out and you can see him really processing what he’s saying, I liked that too.
I think this would have worked as more a psychological thriller. She’s being drugged and choked and grabbed left and right but I didn’t feel her terror, didn’t connect to it as much as I wanted to. She spent more time trying to psycho analyze him and point out when she was being “Stockholm-y” than she did feeling terrified. From the get go I could tell she was a character that was going to be easy to manipulate but I just wanted more connection to that fear, like in books like Captive in the Dark. She was a bit out there herself though, there’s no acknowledgment from her that something is seriously wrong with him. It’s just his personality. 😂🤦🏻♀️
That ending was so freaking hokey. 😬😬
So overall some moments I really liked but I honestly just couldn’t peg down what she was trying to go for here and the execution and overall gestalt just didn’t work at all for me. Oh and it was boring 🫤🙃.
December 4, 2022
Uhhhhhh.....how to rate this.....2.36?
This was a miss for me. He sees the h in the back alley of the hotel she's working at and I guess wants her? 😂😂🤷
She is apparently the carbon copy of his dead ex wife who was pregnant with their child who also died. He's giving off red flags left and right and she breaks it off with him after a few dates. That apparently was the magic switch because he wanted her even more harderer!! Oh my! 😂
He waits fo her to graduate college before kidnapping her to turkey, then makes sure amp up the crazy when he has her in his clutches! Muhahah! 😐 he's constantly syringing her neck with drugs, grabbing her, hurting her....and she's giggling about how she's happy that he's giving her the drug syringe that puts her to sleep.vs the one syringe that paralyzes her 😬🙄🙄
She is constantly saying "no, NO volkan! No, dont! But holy shit, that thing you do with your fingers be dope yo" aka body betrayal in. Lordy be.....that shit was just trifling. My eyeballs got a workout, they rolled so much during those parts. Cuz he may be a psychotic, hulky mad asshole but you beat believe she's going to enjoy her sexy time 🙄🙄
That ending with more kidnappings and the craziness with the sister. Fucking jimminy Christmas......like....what?! Their mother should not procreate. Between the younger brother, the sister and volkan, she needs to stop making more Jeffrey dahmers okur!? 😂😂
But! I didn't dnf. I think I just wanted to see this through and see if the H changes (he doesmt), if he really felt like hes in love vs psycho behavior (he needs a strait jacket furreals), and if she falls in love back (she just needs some big D in her life I think).
Oh, that one part where she says imma abort your child if I ever get pregnant with your baby? Ugh. I had a disgusted visceral reaction to that. I'm pro-choice but in my romance books, I want them to be happy about a pregnancy 🤷👀💩
Anyhoo....maybe ill.drop.this down to a 1.34 star 🤔😬
This was a miss for me. He sees the h in the back alley of the hotel she's working at and I guess wants her? 😂😂🤷
She is apparently the carbon copy of his dead ex wife who was pregnant with their child who also died. He's giving off red flags left and right and she breaks it off with him after a few dates. That apparently was the magic switch because he wanted her even more harderer!! Oh my! 😂
He waits fo her to graduate college before kidnapping her to turkey, then makes sure amp up the crazy when he has her in his clutches! Muhahah! 😐 he's constantly syringing her neck with drugs, grabbing her, hurting her....and she's giggling about how she's happy that he's giving her the drug syringe that puts her to sleep.vs the one syringe that paralyzes her 😬🙄🙄
She is constantly saying "no, NO volkan! No, dont! But holy shit, that thing you do with your fingers be dope yo" aka body betrayal in. Lordy be.....that shit was just trifling. My eyeballs got a workout, they rolled so much during those parts. Cuz he may be a psychotic, hulky mad asshole but you beat believe she's going to enjoy her sexy time 🙄🙄
That ending with more kidnappings and the craziness with the sister. Fucking jimminy Christmas......like....what?! Their mother should not procreate. Between the younger brother, the sister and volkan, she needs to stop making more Jeffrey dahmers okur!? 😂😂
But! I didn't dnf. I think I just wanted to see this through and see if the H changes (he doesmt), if he really felt like hes in love vs psycho behavior (he needs a strait jacket furreals), and if she falls in love back (she just needs some big D in her life I think).
Oh, that one part where she says imma abort your child if I ever get pregnant with your baby? Ugh. I had a disgusted visceral reaction to that. I'm pro-choice but in my romance books, I want them to be happy about a pregnancy 🤷👀💩
Anyhoo....maybe ill.drop.this down to a 1.34 star 🤔😬
December 4, 2022
Stupid. After reading this book, there is only one word I can think of.
Honestly, I don't know what to make of this, as I've read Nikita Slater's books before. This is terrible. After finishing the book, I still don't know what was toxic about the love that wasn't there to begin with. I cannot even write a proper review that summarizes it.
For an antihero romance book marketed as such, Ms Slater's male lead Volkan is devoid of any redeeming qualities. In reality, this man is a psychopath who lacks personality and depth.
The main character Yasmin, an immigrant from India, is the antithesis of what a leading lady should be. Although she presents herself as an independent and free-spirited lady, in reality she lacks spunk and often appears weak, whiny, clueless, and unintelligent. In a nutshell, she lacks a strong backbone or other characteristics of strength. It was impossible for me to sympathize with or feel sorry for her throughout the entire book. The only thing I wanted from them was for them both to drink poison and put me out of my misery.
I won't even get started on the so-called romance or lack thereof. There's barely any romance or real intimacy, regardless of whether it was consensual or non-consensual. Because there were only a few and they were done sporadically with such poor quality that they were forgotten, they weren't worthy of mention. There are, however, many instances of Volkan talking like cavemen without regard to others' feelings.
Characters in the story were cardboard and served no purpose other than to add to the disaster. It is revealed the ex-wife's backstory, even though she does not appear in the story.
In this book, the storyline was scattered all over the place, and I just didn't care for it at all.
Failure to connect with characters of this magnitude is unthinkable.
It's terrible and extremely disappointing.
Honestly, I don't know what to make of this, as I've read Nikita Slater's books before. This is terrible. After finishing the book, I still don't know what was toxic about the love that wasn't there to begin with. I cannot even write a proper review that summarizes it.
For an antihero romance book marketed as such, Ms Slater's male lead Volkan is devoid of any redeeming qualities. In reality, this man is a psychopath who lacks personality and depth.
The main character Yasmin, an immigrant from India, is the antithesis of what a leading lady should be. Although she presents herself as an independent and free-spirited lady, in reality she lacks spunk and often appears weak, whiny, clueless, and unintelligent. In a nutshell, she lacks a strong backbone or other characteristics of strength. It was impossible for me to sympathize with or feel sorry for her throughout the entire book. The only thing I wanted from them was for them both to drink poison and put me out of my misery.
I won't even get started on the so-called romance or lack thereof. There's barely any romance or real intimacy, regardless of whether it was consensual or non-consensual. Because there were only a few and they were done sporadically with such poor quality that they were forgotten, they weren't worthy of mention. There are, however, many instances of Volkan talking like cavemen without regard to others' feelings.
Characters in the story were cardboard and served no purpose other than to add to the disaster. It is revealed the ex-wife's backstory, even though she does not appear in the story.
In this book, the storyline was scattered all over the place, and I just didn't care for it at all.
Failure to connect with characters of this magnitude is unthinkable.
It's terrible and extremely disappointing.
November 22, 2022
While I normally love pretty much anything Nikita Slater writes, this one just missed the mark for me. It's a good story but instead of an OTT alphamale (which she is great at delivering!), he came across more abusive than anything else for most of the story. Not in a good oh I hate to love him kind of way more like a I can see why she wants to get away from him so bad kind of way and it lasted 75-80% of the book. The relationship between them felt pretty forced and awkward to me.
November 20, 2022
Toxic Love Story by Nikita Slater is the story of Volkan Kartel and Yasmin.
Yasmin is a young collage student who is working to pay the bills. When she takes trash out of the place she is working out she ends up being seen by Volkan. Volkan is a dangerous man who always gets what he wants even if he has to make it happen. Yasmin is smitten with him at first but she soon starts to realize she is over her head and that Volkan is overly possessive so she tries to stop what is happening between them. This was an OVER THE TOP ALPHA deadly man hero (MY FAVORITE) with a strong sassy heroine. Loved it and I need more from this author.
Yasmin is a young collage student who is working to pay the bills. When she takes trash out of the place she is working out she ends up being seen by Volkan. Volkan is a dangerous man who always gets what he wants even if he has to make it happen. Yasmin is smitten with him at first but she soon starts to realize she is over her head and that Volkan is overly possessive so she tries to stop what is happening between them. This was an OVER THE TOP ALPHA deadly man hero (MY FAVORITE) with a strong sassy heroine. Loved it and I need more from this author.
November 23, 2022
I have loved every single book this author has put out but this bad boy takes epically amazing to a whole other level! This book is raw dark gritty and everything I needed and so freaking much more!! If you are looking for a dark story with an OTT man who is possessive and makes sure he gets what he wants by any means necessary then this baby is your jam!!! It certainly was mine!!! Brilliantly written!!
November 16, 2022
WOW & OMG, this is one of those stories that after starting you will want to flip to the last page to see how it is going to end. It is brilliantly written. Volkan Kartel meets Yasmin one night while she is taking out the trash in a restaurant she works at. For him it is an instant fascination and attraction. She is young and in college with her life mapped out. Regardless of her plans for her future, Volkan has different plans for her. I couldn't decide if I liked Volkan Kartel or did I detest him. And Yasmin, I kept thinking Volkan is so handsome and wealthy, wants to spoil her, why does she fight him? Although he does want to control her, and I mean CONTROL. This is a phenomenal book; Nikita Slater has written a masterpiece. It will have you asking yourself, what would you do? I loved the book and hated to see it end.
November 25, 2022
And it was going so well. WHY would the author make the h basically a newer, younger version of the H’s beloved dead wife? A wife who the H was JEALOUS AND POSESSIVE over, so way to make the h look special to the reader.
Seriously, you can give a hero a tragic backstory that doesn’t include an ex that he was obsessed with. I’d be almost ok with it if they didn’t resemble each other. But all that did was make me feel like the H got his replacement wife. Please author, go back to your Driven by Desire/Scarred Queen/Savage Vendetta days because those books were GOLDEN and this OW stuff is not fun at all.
Seriously, you can give a hero a tragic backstory that doesn’t include an ex that he was obsessed with. I’d be almost ok with it if they didn’t resemble each other. But all that did was make me feel like the H got his replacement wife. Please author, go back to your Driven by Desire/Scarred Queen/Savage Vendetta days because those books were GOLDEN and this OW stuff is not fun at all.
April 23, 2023
This was a book chosen by me for a buddy read.
While it wasn't my favourite, it was overall an OK read. My biggest issue was that it felt a bit forced - I'm not sure if Nikita Slater always writes non-con/dub-con, but it didn't come across as though she does.
While there were some good parts, a lot of the novel was just middle of the line.
While it wasn't my favourite, it was overall an OK read. My biggest issue was that it felt a bit forced - I'm not sure if Nikita Slater always writes non-con/dub-con, but it didn't come across as though she does.
While there were some good parts, a lot of the novel was just middle of the line.
March 26, 2024
Surprisingly so good that I wanted it to be longer.
Yasmin was a strong character, she fought well throughout. And Volkan’s obsession with her was everything>>
One thing which I just didn’t liked was resemblance with his ex-wife just didn’t sit right with me.
Yasmin was a strong character, she fought well throughout. And Volkan’s obsession with her was everything>>
One thing which I just didn’t liked was resemblance with his ex-wife just didn’t sit right with me.
December 4, 2022
Book Info:
Standalone
HEA 🥰
Third Person (Limited) Narrative and Multiple POVs mostly female POV👩🦳
Trope: F0rced Relationship, Age G@p
Sub-genre: Contemporary Romance❤️, D@rk Romance🖤
Category: St@lker, Ant!hero, Billionaire💵, C@ptive, OTT Po$$essive/Obse$$ive/Je@lous❤️🔥
Burn Rate: 38% Medium Burn
Spice: 🌶🌶
Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤
Editing: ✏️✏️✏️
I really wanted to love this book, and parts of it were good. On the surface, it has everything I would like in an MMC. Volkan is next level cr@zy. I usually love this. I'm also a huge fan of the trope and actually seek out this type of book, but I did find this one lacking.
As always, I will try not to give away too much of the plot. What I did like about the book was the FMC. She is a fighter for sure and I did like her. I also liked the MMC's next level posse$$ive ways. But I felt a level of disconnect with the book itself.
It could be the third person narrative or simply the author's writing style, but I didn't feel a connection with the story. I didn't think there was enough time given to build on the relationship and the turning points for the couple. The book forced it and it felt unnatural. The spice was mediocre to me and there wasn't enough of it to make the progression of their relationship believable. I didn't see enough swoon worthy moments from the MMC.
Also, one of the plot points in the book was completely unnecessary and left me wondering why it was in the book. This is where I will actually have to mention what I mean. The FMC is said to look like the MMC's ex wife. There is a story and huge plot point with the ex wife (no OW drama) but having our FMC look like her was pointless and almost took away from the MMC's love for her.
The ending was a surprise. I didn't see it coming so that was refreshing. Overall, I can see lots of people who would like this book. If you like the trope and love your MMC over the top for his girl, then this is worth a try. For me I thought it missed the mark.
Kinks and triggers: N0n-C0n, Dub-C0n, R0ugh $ex, $exual Ass@ult, Dru**ing💊, K!dn@pping, Br33ding🤰, C0ntr0lling Man💪🏻, R@pe (Main couple), An@l Play🍑, Overprotective, M3ntal H3alth Issu3s, Ch0king😮💨, St0ckholm, F0rced Org@sm🤯
Standalone
HEA 🥰
Third Person (Limited) Narrative and Multiple POVs mostly female POV👩🦳
Trope: F0rced Relationship, Age G@p
Sub-genre: Contemporary Romance❤️, D@rk Romance🖤
Category: St@lker, Ant!hero, Billionaire💵, C@ptive, OTT Po$$essive/Obse$$ive/Je@lous❤️🔥
Burn Rate: 38% Medium Burn
Spice: 🌶🌶
Darkness: 🖤🖤🖤
Editing: ✏️✏️✏️
I really wanted to love this book, and parts of it were good. On the surface, it has everything I would like in an MMC. Volkan is next level cr@zy. I usually love this. I'm also a huge fan of the trope and actually seek out this type of book, but I did find this one lacking.
As always, I will try not to give away too much of the plot. What I did like about the book was the FMC. She is a fighter for sure and I did like her. I also liked the MMC's next level posse$$ive ways. But I felt a level of disconnect with the book itself.
It could be the third person narrative or simply the author's writing style, but I didn't feel a connection with the story. I didn't think there was enough time given to build on the relationship and the turning points for the couple. The book forced it and it felt unnatural. The spice was mediocre to me and there wasn't enough of it to make the progression of their relationship believable. I didn't see enough swoon worthy moments from the MMC.
Also, one of the plot points in the book was completely unnecessary and left me wondering why it was in the book. This is where I will actually have to mention what I mean. The FMC is said to look like the MMC's ex wife. There is a story and huge plot point with the ex wife (no OW drama) but having our FMC look like her was pointless and almost took away from the MMC's love for her.
The ending was a surprise. I didn't see it coming so that was refreshing. Overall, I can see lots of people who would like this book. If you like the trope and love your MMC over the top for his girl, then this is worth a try. For me I thought it missed the mark.
Kinks and triggers: N0n-C0n, Dub-C0n, R0ugh $ex, $exual Ass@ult, Dru**ing💊, K!dn@pping, Br33ding🤰, C0ntr0lling Man💪🏻, R@pe (Main couple), An@l Play🍑, Overprotective, M3ntal H3alth Issu3s, Ch0king😮💨, St0ckholm, F0rced Org@sm🤯
November 14, 2022
It has been a minute since I’ve read and this was a perfect read to come back to… nikita slater slays it with her multi dimensional characters, her characterization of an anti hero, and a strong heroine. The plot kept me on the edge and the book picks up immediately. There’s brutality, there’s romance, there’s obsession and there’s sexy times that’s bowed up perfectly for an ultimate Nikita slater read.
May 16, 2023
3.25 ⭐️
okay.. i have a lot of mixed emotions about this couple. volkan was very very very toxic & possessive, not in a good way for a good 60% of the book. yasmin didn’t deserve what he put upon her one bit, but they ended up happy & he got his shit together soo.. definitely a very dark & twisted book though
okay.. i have a lot of mixed emotions about this couple. volkan was very very very toxic & possessive, not in a good way for a good 60% of the book. yasmin didn’t deserve what he put upon her one bit, but they ended up happy & he got his shit together soo.. definitely a very dark & twisted book though
November 15, 2022
Love reading Volkan and Yazmin story. At first you get a bit annoying with Yazmin even if though that is understandable for her reaction but still it got a bit on my nerves. But at the end you see how much this two have change and find a balance to get their happy ever after. Now I wish there is more to come I will definitely love to hear of their son when he is all grownup.
February 27, 2023
I liked this story. The characters were good and the heroine wasn’t bad at all. It was a bit funny now and again since the family is a bit off their rockers. Every single last one of them. Lol.
November 29, 2022
Overall, I liked the story. They meet when she is taking the trash out to the garbage dumpster at the hotel where she works in Canada. He is from Turkey. She refuses to tell him her last name because she says he is a stranger. He says when won't he be a stranger, she says 3 meetings at least 5 minutes long.
He asks her out to dinner and on the way back they run into two of her male roommates (she has 4 roommates total) and hero gets very angry. She says she doesn't want to see him anymore since he has a temper.
He is obsessed with her because she is the first woman to tell him no, repeatedly.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
She also looks very similar to his dead wife who died while carrying his son. She had an accident and fell into the water near the docks of his shipping company.
He lets her graduate college only because he knows how hard she studied and he doesn't want her to be unhappy. He arranges for her to have an internship in Turkey, but it was fake. On the way from the airport in London he has his driver drug her. So he kidnaps her. She refuses to cooperate so he drugs her again, this time with a drug that keeps her awake but paralyzed. She is terrified.
She tries to escape but hero's guards stop her.
She tells the hero she is scared and he does give her a little time before he r a pe s her. He doesn't like when she cries so he doesn't rape her again for a while.
He tells her she has to behave or she will just disappear and her family will think she is dead. Then he gets upset because for days she isn't "herself" and just nods and smiles and agrees with whatever he says. So then he tells her she can be "herself" and fight with him but the moment she does, he gets angry again.
He arranges a wedding for a month after she is kidnapped. She wants her family to attend and he finally agrees, since she is unhappy.
Hero refuses to use birth control and wants her pregnant so she will be happy and accept their life together. She tells him she is 22 and not ready for a baby. He doesn't care.
At the wedding, hero's brother and his wife try to get rid of her. Hero rescues her but think she left him willingly. (They tricked her and said they were driving her to the airplane for her honeymoon.) He leaves her on his private island because he is so angry and doesn't want to hurt her. But the brother ordered hired killers and she has to hide from the killers. She manages to kill 3 of them (she surprised them and used hairspray and lighters and ran one guy over).
Hero is sorry she almost died. Later on, hero's sister tries to kill her. She is insane and wants her brother to love her, not his wife. It turns out hero's sister killed his first wife too.
Hero and heroine live happily ever after. She learns how to be a pilot and gets her masters in archaeology.
He asks her out to dinner and on the way back they run into two of her male roommates (she has 4 roommates total) and hero gets very angry. She says she doesn't want to see him anymore since he has a temper.
He is obsessed with her because she is the first woman to tell him no, repeatedly.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
.
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
She also looks very similar to his dead wife who died while carrying his son. She had an accident and fell into the water near the docks of his shipping company.
He lets her graduate college only because he knows how hard she studied and he doesn't want her to be unhappy. He arranges for her to have an internship in Turkey, but it was fake. On the way from the airport in London he has his driver drug her. So he kidnaps her. She refuses to cooperate so he drugs her again, this time with a drug that keeps her awake but paralyzed. She is terrified.
She tries to escape but hero's guards stop her.
She tells the hero she is scared and he does give her a little time before he r a pe s her. He doesn't like when she cries so he doesn't rape her again for a while.
He tells her she has to behave or she will just disappear and her family will think she is dead. Then he gets upset because for days she isn't "herself" and just nods and smiles and agrees with whatever he says. So then he tells her she can be "herself" and fight with him but the moment she does, he gets angry again.
He arranges a wedding for a month after she is kidnapped. She wants her family to attend and he finally agrees, since she is unhappy.
Hero refuses to use birth control and wants her pregnant so she will be happy and accept their life together. She tells him she is 22 and not ready for a baby. He doesn't care.
At the wedding, hero's brother and his wife try to get rid of her. Hero rescues her but think she left him willingly. (They tricked her and said they were driving her to the airplane for her honeymoon.) He leaves her on his private island because he is so angry and doesn't want to hurt her. But the brother ordered hired killers and she has to hide from the killers. She manages to kill 3 of them (she surprised them and used hairspray and lighters and ran one guy over).
Hero is sorry she almost died. Later on, hero's sister tries to kill her. She is insane and wants her brother to love her, not his wife. It turns out hero's sister killed his first wife too.
Hero and heroine live happily ever after. She learns how to be a pilot and gets her masters in archaeology.
November 23, 2022
Nikita Slater is one of my favourite authors and Toxic Love Story sees her at her best, showcasing exactly why her books are a one-click for me. Slater is one of a short list that have me wanting to punch the male lead in the junk, throw my Kindle across the room in frustration and still leave me wanting more with every page whilst questioning what's wrong with me and why am I like this (joking - kind of). Before I get into the heavier stuff, let me just start by saying that this is exactly what the book title suggests: a toxic love story. There are a lot of triggers and darker themes throughout the book so consider yourself warned from the get-go. One of my (many) pet peeves is when someone gives a low review for a book because the themes aren't their cup of tea when warnings of the darker content are literally right there in the title. Hint - Google the word 'toxic'. The male lead is definitely an anti-hero who won't take no for an answer and is pretty much a giant walking red flag. If you're looking for something a little less dark or softer or you're not into male leads that show text book abuser behaviour (so huge trigger warning here), probably don't pick up a book called Toxic Love Story.
Told mostly from the heroine's point of view, Yasmin is a student studying archeology when she encounters a guest smoking in an out of bounds area in an alleyway behind the kitchen of the swanky hotel she works at. With that chance meeting, her life is irrevocably changed as Volkan forces his way into her life and sweeps her off her feet. What starts off as exciting soon evolves into something darker as her new beau shows himself to be extremely jealous, possessive and violent, especially towards anyone that comes near (or even looks at) Yasmin. While intensely attracted to him and dazzled by how enamoured he is of her, Yasmin breaks things off due to his somewhat erratic and dangerous behaviour. Just as she begins to think she's able to move on with her life, Volkan proves that he doesn't follow rules, won't take no for an answer and always gets what he wants, taking Yasmin against her will and informing her that they'll soon be married when he takes her home to Turkey.
Volkan is probably going to be pretty polarising for some readers, but to me, this is the magic of Nikita Slater. He frustrated me and while I thought there would be no way he could redeem himself, the author still managed to have me cheering for him on the sidelines by the end of the book. When she chose 'toxic' for the title, she wasn't mucking around. Volkan is a straight-up stalker completely and utterly obsessed with Yasmin from the moment he sees her. All of his emotions concerning her are to the nth degree, something for which he's completely unapologetic about. He makes Yasmin a bird in a very nice and expensive cage, isolating and manipulating her so he gets his own way and controlling every aspect of her life. He's violent (I'll point out here he doesn't beat her but is occasionally physical, leaving bruises, grabbing her neck, restraining her, being rough especially when he doesn't get his own way), manipulative and threatening with an explosive temper while completely adoring everything about her and making her the centre of his world and only priority. Other triggers/tropes include a bit of blackmail, dubcon, drugging, forced pregnancy (as in he wants to get her pregnant), kidnapping, forced captivity (she's in a foreign country surrounded by his family and guards) and manipulated into marriage. He's big, muscly and darkly handsome with the kind of confidence that only comes from being excessively wealthy and successful. All of this and I still loved him even though in real life, I'd want to set him and everything around him on fire.
There's a good sized age gap between Yasmin and Volkan - she's 22 and he's 37. He's Turkish and her family are from India and I loved how this was incorporated in at times throughout the story. While Yasmin's choices sometimes frustrated me as she wilted for Volkan pretty easily, I really liked her character. She still had a bit of a backbone and was pretty candid with how wrong the relationship was, including her love for Volkan, even going as far to categorise it as maybe being Stockholm Syndrome (which is probably was to a degree).
Inspired by a love of Turkish drama, the author takes the reader on a delicious ride filled with just the right amount of angst. While readers will join the dots on some of the story line reveals, the twists were a delight to read as Ms Slater perfectly pushes the envelope without taking it too far. The writing is great, the dialogue on point and the chemistry hot as Hades, as is the accompanying smexy times that are throughout the plot but don't take over the story line. The build up to the final chapters was fantastic to read and the epilogue at the end was sweet, ending the book on a super high note.
While I obviously emphasised the darker features of this book deliberately so readers know exactly what they're getting and don't grab it only to have a sook because of the particular tropes covered, finding it to be a ... *gasps and clutches pearls* ... toxic love story, I absolutely loved it. Nikita Slater is the queen of darker reads and I ate up every page. I loved the Turkish drama vibe, especially as a fan myself, and the fact that an irredeemable antihero still managed to be the good guy by the end - well, at least to me. This will be going in my Favourites folder and reread. It's a winner for me.
Told mostly from the heroine's point of view, Yasmin is a student studying archeology when she encounters a guest smoking in an out of bounds area in an alleyway behind the kitchen of the swanky hotel she works at. With that chance meeting, her life is irrevocably changed as Volkan forces his way into her life and sweeps her off her feet. What starts off as exciting soon evolves into something darker as her new beau shows himself to be extremely jealous, possessive and violent, especially towards anyone that comes near (or even looks at) Yasmin. While intensely attracted to him and dazzled by how enamoured he is of her, Yasmin breaks things off due to his somewhat erratic and dangerous behaviour. Just as she begins to think she's able to move on with her life, Volkan proves that he doesn't follow rules, won't take no for an answer and always gets what he wants, taking Yasmin against her will and informing her that they'll soon be married when he takes her home to Turkey.
Volkan is probably going to be pretty polarising for some readers, but to me, this is the magic of Nikita Slater. He frustrated me and while I thought there would be no way he could redeem himself, the author still managed to have me cheering for him on the sidelines by the end of the book. When she chose 'toxic' for the title, she wasn't mucking around. Volkan is a straight-up stalker completely and utterly obsessed with Yasmin from the moment he sees her. All of his emotions concerning her are to the nth degree, something for which he's completely unapologetic about. He makes Yasmin a bird in a very nice and expensive cage, isolating and manipulating her so he gets his own way and controlling every aspect of her life. He's violent (I'll point out here he doesn't beat her but is occasionally physical, leaving bruises, grabbing her neck, restraining her, being rough especially when he doesn't get his own way), manipulative and threatening with an explosive temper while completely adoring everything about her and making her the centre of his world and only priority. Other triggers/tropes include a bit of blackmail, dubcon, drugging, forced pregnancy (as in he wants to get her pregnant), kidnapping, forced captivity (she's in a foreign country surrounded by his family and guards) and manipulated into marriage. He's big, muscly and darkly handsome with the kind of confidence that only comes from being excessively wealthy and successful. All of this and I still loved him even though in real life, I'd want to set him and everything around him on fire.
There's a good sized age gap between Yasmin and Volkan - she's 22 and he's 37. He's Turkish and her family are from India and I loved how this was incorporated in at times throughout the story. While Yasmin's choices sometimes frustrated me as she wilted for Volkan pretty easily, I really liked her character. She still had a bit of a backbone and was pretty candid with how wrong the relationship was, including her love for Volkan, even going as far to categorise it as maybe being Stockholm Syndrome (which is probably was to a degree).
Inspired by a love of Turkish drama, the author takes the reader on a delicious ride filled with just the right amount of angst. While readers will join the dots on some of the story line reveals, the twists were a delight to read as Ms Slater perfectly pushes the envelope without taking it too far. The writing is great, the dialogue on point and the chemistry hot as Hades, as is the accompanying smexy times that are throughout the plot but don't take over the story line. The build up to the final chapters was fantastic to read and the epilogue at the end was sweet, ending the book on a super high note.
While I obviously emphasised the darker features of this book deliberately so readers know exactly what they're getting and don't grab it only to have a sook because of the particular tropes covered, finding it to be a ... *gasps and clutches pearls* ... toxic love story, I absolutely loved it. Nikita Slater is the queen of darker reads and I ate up every page. I loved the Turkish drama vibe, especially as a fan myself, and the fact that an irredeemable antihero still managed to be the good guy by the end - well, at least to me. This will be going in my Favourites folder and reread. It's a winner for me.
avoid
August 29, 2023Self note avoid
H is obsessed with the h, because she reminds him of his beloved dead ex.🙄
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
H is obsessed with the h, because she reminds him of his beloved dead ex.🙄
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 9, 2024
So I HAVE NEVER WRITTEN A REVIEW of a book before!!!!!!!
But this messy book needed one so badly that my hands ached badly to give it one.
So here we are.
The author could done better, because as she mentioned at the beginning of the book this story is “For my fellow lovers of Turkish dramas, Lakorns, K-dramas, telenovelas, soap operas, and all the incredible romantic dramas from around the world.” her words not mine!!
Then she messed up everything. The story was all over the place!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t get me wrong I have watched, stupid, toxic, and cliche everything.
From Thai lakorns to Kdrama to Turkish series.
I have my fair share of books that are not considered vanilla like Run Post Run, Hunting Adeline, Sophie’s Surrender…..etc.
But this book's male lead WAS NOT IT.
🔴first is the resemblance between the FL and his ex-wife!!!!!! Like what???????!!!!!! WH!!!
🔴he played it nice and smooth or so he thought by showing up everywhere after he just met her in the back alley of the hotel while the FL WAS THROWING THE TRASH!!!!!!
🔴Got more obsessed after she dumbed up his ass 😵💫😵💫😵💫 Love persistent take-no-for-an-answer kinda ML BUT THIS ONE AS I SAID PREVIOUSLY WAS NOT IT!!!!!!
🔴 He leads the FL to think he gave up on her or matter factly his obsession with her, but Boooooooom💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥 his just so cute and kind and generous of a psychopath to give her the opportunity to finish her last semester in college 🤡🤡🤡🤡
Bro who the hell you are?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can take your money and shove it up your A**.
🛑The author could've made it more interesting if she actually paid attention to the lakorns if she ever watched one!!!!!
If the hero has a damn Island he should just kidnap the FL to it!!!!!!! The mess in the book would've vanished 😕
Actually, besides the line of the story being so annoying, the ML obsession was SO OBVIOUS so when the ML insisted that he loved the FL WAS SO REDICULOUS!!!!!!!! Like boy shut uppppppppppppppppp
🔴 the resemblance of the FL TO THE ML’s ex-wife was not what bothered me, it was that the ML had a psychological problem and he needed serious help!!!!!!!
It is like when a mother loses her child and in some cases will be pinned on another child although she knows deep down that her child is gone. It is fine because after she gets the help she needs she will get better.
But no the author decided that it was okay for the ML's mental illness to hurt a young girl!!!!!!!!
But this messy book needed one so badly that my hands ached badly to give it one.
So here we are.
The author could done better, because as she mentioned at the beginning of the book this story is “For my fellow lovers of Turkish dramas, Lakorns, K-dramas, telenovelas, soap operas, and all the incredible romantic dramas from around the world.” her words not mine!!
Then she messed up everything. The story was all over the place!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t get me wrong I have watched, stupid, toxic, and cliche everything.
From Thai lakorns to Kdrama to Turkish series.
I have my fair share of books that are not considered vanilla like Run Post Run, Hunting Adeline, Sophie’s Surrender…..etc.
But this book's male lead WAS NOT IT.
🔴first is the resemblance between the FL and his ex-wife!!!!!! Like what???????!!!!!! WH!!!
🔴he played it nice and smooth or so he thought by showing up everywhere after he just met her in the back alley of the hotel while the FL WAS THROWING THE TRASH!!!!!!
🔴Got more obsessed after she dumbed up his ass 😵💫😵💫😵💫 Love persistent take-no-for-an-answer kinda ML BUT THIS ONE AS I SAID PREVIOUSLY WAS NOT IT!!!!!!
🔴 He leads the FL to think he gave up on her or matter factly his obsession with her, but Boooooooom💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥 his just so cute and kind and generous of a psychopath to give her the opportunity to finish her last semester in college 🤡🤡🤡🤡
Bro who the hell you are?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can take your money and shove it up your A**.
🛑The author could've made it more interesting if she actually paid attention to the lakorns if she ever watched one!!!!!
If the hero has a damn Island he should just kidnap the FL to it!!!!!!! The mess in the book would've vanished 😕
Actually, besides the line of the story being so annoying, the ML obsession was SO OBVIOUS so when the ML insisted that he loved the FL WAS SO REDICULOUS!!!!!!!! Like boy shut uppppppppppppppppp
🔴 the resemblance of the FL TO THE ML’s ex-wife was not what bothered me, it was that the ML had a psychological problem and he needed serious help!!!!!!!
It is like when a mother loses her child and in some cases will be pinned on another child although she knows deep down that her child is gone. It is fine because after she gets the help she needs she will get better.
But no the author decided that it was okay for the ML's mental illness to hurt a young girl!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2023
3.5 stars
I wasn’t sure whether to bump this up or down. This was definitely aptly described. Toxic is right. I don’t know that there was a great deal of love. Definitely some Stockholm syndrome. Volkan was absolutely an obsessed H. He had a love at first sight thing for the H. She was drawn to him but he was one giant walking red flag so she kept pulling away from him. So obviously kidnapping was in order.
I do adore a maddeningly obsessed H but Volkan rubbed me the wrong way. He was so detached in his treatment of h. He wanted to bend her to his will at any cost even if it hurt her. Now, ultimately, he never physically hurt her though it seemed touch and go at a couple moments. He brutally told her he’d hurt her if he had to. He was extremely uncompromising and it made him unlikable. Every time he tried to ease up - she justifiably lashed out and he’d double down on his brutish behavior. It was just frustrating.
His extreme behavior did flick off abruptly. I get it. He felt guilty and he fucking deserved that. His guilt should weigh like an albatross around his neck for years. This man should have groveled his ass off for his behavior but this isn’t that kind of story. So we get a life and death situation to gloss over his bad behavior and get instant forgiveness instead of a well deserved grovel. I fucking hate those shitty tragedy bandaids authors love to whip out instead of groveling. So fucking lazy. The h was in full Stockholm syndrome at this point so she was too brainwashed and traumatized to care.
Ugh. I love captive romance so it’s frustrating to see one go off the rails so hard. The author just never made me like H so I don’t want to forgive his fuckery.
Medium burn
Dead wife trope. He’s not too hung up on her but h apparently is her doppelgänger. Ugh.
No condoms
Dubcon/Noncon
No actual OM drama but H is violently jealous and doesn’t even want any men to speak to her or look at her.
No OW drama aside from dead wife
No cheating
No scenes with others
No separation once he kidnaps her. He stalks her for a bit after she dumps him in the beginning.
No cliffhanger
HEA
Safety - I’d call this relatively safe. I hate the dead wife trope but he wasn’t angsty about her.
I wasn’t sure whether to bump this up or down. This was definitely aptly described. Toxic is right. I don’t know that there was a great deal of love. Definitely some Stockholm syndrome. Volkan was absolutely an obsessed H. He had a love at first sight thing for the H. She was drawn to him but he was one giant walking red flag so she kept pulling away from him. So obviously kidnapping was in order.
I do adore a maddeningly obsessed H but Volkan rubbed me the wrong way. He was so detached in his treatment of h. He wanted to bend her to his will at any cost even if it hurt her. Now, ultimately, he never physically hurt her though it seemed touch and go at a couple moments. He brutally told her he’d hurt her if he had to. He was extremely uncompromising and it made him unlikable. Every time he tried to ease up - she justifiably lashed out and he’d double down on his brutish behavior. It was just frustrating.
His extreme behavior did flick off abruptly. I get it. He felt guilty and he fucking deserved that. His guilt should weigh like an albatross around his neck for years. This man should have groveled his ass off for his behavior but this isn’t that kind of story. So we get a life and death situation to gloss over his bad behavior and get instant forgiveness instead of a well deserved grovel. I fucking hate those shitty tragedy bandaids authors love to whip out instead of groveling. So fucking lazy. The h was in full Stockholm syndrome at this point so she was too brainwashed and traumatized to care.
Ugh. I love captive romance so it’s frustrating to see one go off the rails so hard. The author just never made me like H so I don’t want to forgive his fuckery.
Medium burn
Dead wife trope. He’s not too hung up on her but h apparently is her doppelgänger. Ugh.
No condoms
Dubcon/Noncon
No actual OM drama but H is violently jealous and doesn’t even want any men to speak to her or look at her.
No OW drama aside from dead wife
No cheating
No scenes with others
No separation once he kidnaps her. He stalks her for a bit after she dumps him in the beginning.
No cliffhanger
HEA
Safety - I’d call this relatively safe. I hate the dead wife trope but he wasn’t angsty about her.
November 21, 2022
This story comes out November 21, 2022. Yasmin Mahdi, she is twenty-two, and Volkan Kartel he is thirty-seven. Volkan Kartel he is fifteen years older than Yasmin Mahdi. She only date guys her age. Yasmin loved her family, her parents immigrated to Canada from India before she was born. She has an older sister Aisha they are several years apart. Aisha is a lawyer, volunteers at an animal shelter. Yasmin is a student at college taken a degree in she works for is in Archaeology, Yasmin also works at a hotel she meets, Volkan. They had words but Volkan want on a date after some clever thought or plans he made to get Yasmin as his girlfriend or should I say wife. Volkan Kartel was married before to Caria in a semi- arranged marriage. His parents are Karim and Narin Kartel. And also, his has a younger sister Defne, a brother named Demir, and sister-in law Zeynep. Volkan is a man that jealous, possessive, a beast that is trying to control Yasmin, thoughts, & actions. Yasmin thinks Volkan Kartel is a man with too much power, prosperous, privilege, just plainly successful; and controlling. You will love the roller coaster ride of the relationship between with Yasmin, and Volkan. This story is superb, superlative, stellar, and amazeballs, just an excellent novel to read. I really hope you enjoy this novel too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2022
Something new from Nikita!
I'm gonna be honest here. I wasn't expecting this book to be different. To have a new additional flavor to our usual Nikita Slater mix. My taste palette had been conditioned to her usual mix that when she added a flavor I usually don't enjoy, I was flabbergasted! Immensely! Mind-blown! I'm telling ya!
I wasn't sure if I still want to continue or tap out early. But I persevere. I push through and eventually still got rewarded by the end.
I respect the author stepping out of her box, her comfort zone to write more angst-filled, tension-inducing stories. I hope she finds more readers because she's the kind of author that gives Alpha men different flavors, all so delicious to devour!
Onto this book, it's different, yes, but I would say it's still a good different. In the end, the author still showed her true Nikita Slater theme. Volkan is the type of hero who bulldozes into his heroine's life with no remorse at all. No holds bar, no mercy. It's just the way he is and that's what I love most about his character here.
If you are on the fence with this book, you will never know if you will like it until you actually read it anyways, so go ahead and dive in! I dare you! 😏
I'm gonna be honest here. I wasn't expecting this book to be different. To have a new additional flavor to our usual Nikita Slater mix. My taste palette had been conditioned to her usual mix that when she added a flavor I usually don't enjoy, I was flabbergasted! Immensely! Mind-blown! I'm telling ya!
I wasn't sure if I still want to continue or tap out early. But I persevere. I push through and eventually still got rewarded by the end.
I respect the author stepping out of her box, her comfort zone to write more angst-filled, tension-inducing stories. I hope she finds more readers because she's the kind of author that gives Alpha men different flavors, all so delicious to devour!
Onto this book, it's different, yes, but I would say it's still a good different. In the end, the author still showed her true Nikita Slater theme. Volkan is the type of hero who bulldozes into his heroine's life with no remorse at all. No holds bar, no mercy. It's just the way he is and that's what I love most about his character here.
If you are on the fence with this book, you will never know if you will like it until you actually read it anyways, so go ahead and dive in! I dare you! 😏
November 26, 2022
I can’t recommend this book enough. Fans of the dark romance will not be disappointed. I’m mean, it’s in the title.
Besides great storytelling, smooth and reader friendly writing (y’all KNOW what I mean!), amazingly well developed characters, spicey enough to set my brain on fire, fantastic world building and an overall great read, one of the things I look forward to, and eagerly anticipate, when reading a Nikita Slater book is the growing tension in my gut. Feeling myself start to squirm in my chair, as I swipe to the next page. On the edge of my seat with anticipation.
What the heck is going to happen next?? I’m don’t know but, damn I’m there for it. Stop calling! I’m not answering, ‘cause I’m reading a new Nikita Skater!
Toxic Love Story was EVERYTHING! It was a dark romance lover dream com true. I freaking adore this author more and more with very book, story and novella she writes. I was amazingly lucky enough to get an arc from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving a review. I also, visit this authors page pretty much on the daily to not miss any new releases. Ever.
Besides great storytelling, smooth and reader friendly writing (y’all KNOW what I mean!), amazingly well developed characters, spicey enough to set my brain on fire, fantastic world building and an overall great read, one of the things I look forward to, and eagerly anticipate, when reading a Nikita Slater book is the growing tension in my gut. Feeling myself start to squirm in my chair, as I swipe to the next page. On the edge of my seat with anticipation.
What the heck is going to happen next?? I’m don’t know but, damn I’m there for it. Stop calling! I’m not answering, ‘cause I’m reading a new Nikita Skater!
Toxic Love Story was EVERYTHING! It was a dark romance lover dream com true. I freaking adore this author more and more with very book, story and novella she writes. I was amazingly lucky enough to get an arc from the author and I’m voluntarily leaving a review. I also, visit this authors page pretty much on the daily to not miss any new releases. Ever.
November 28, 2022
I think if you have never watched Turkish soaps you will never get this book 😅
This is basically Turkish soap on pages but without the dramatic stand off what lasts for 5 minutes. That's literally the most annoying thing watching those soaps. Honestly, like 20min they watch each other with dramatic music.
But yes, this book is not for those who wants some crazy AF guy to turn into big teddy bear. He does for her in his own way, he redeems himself his own way what was sufficient for me.
This is very much on the lines of Twist Me, Deadly Vows and Even If It Hurts.
And I am all about psychotic obsessive H. I hate when they change into some sappy shit but luckily here author kept him real and for a reason.
Why not 5 stars?
Because, most of it takes place in Turkey and I've been there and they are one extremely proud bunch of people about their coffee, tea, food, culture... Name it. But it absolutely lacked in this book.
🔸Do not read this book if you want some sappy redeemable finally found his morals H
🔸 H rapes h
🔸 Manipulation
🔸 Intimidation
🔸 Choking
🔸 Kidnapping
🔸 Not virgin h
🔸 Dead ex-wife and unborn child
🔸 Age gap
🔸 No cheating
🔸 No ow/om drama
This is basically Turkish soap on pages but without the dramatic stand off what lasts for 5 minutes. That's literally the most annoying thing watching those soaps. Honestly, like 20min they watch each other with dramatic music.
But yes, this book is not for those who wants some crazy AF guy to turn into big teddy bear. He does for her in his own way, he redeems himself his own way what was sufficient for me.
This is very much on the lines of Twist Me, Deadly Vows and Even If It Hurts.
And I am all about psychotic obsessive H. I hate when they change into some sappy shit but luckily here author kept him real and for a reason.
Why not 5 stars?
Because, most of it takes place in Turkey and I've been there and they are one extremely proud bunch of people about their coffee, tea, food, culture... Name it. But it absolutely lacked in this book.
🔸Do not read this book if you want some sappy redeemable finally found his morals H
🔸 H rapes h
🔸 Manipulation
🔸 Intimidation
🔸 Choking
🔸 Kidnapping
🔸 Not virgin h
🔸 Dead ex-wife and unborn child
🔸 Age gap
🔸 No cheating
🔸 No ow/om drama
February 6, 2023
So many red flags about this book but what I want to talk about is the poor Turkish and Turkey representation.
First of all, the male lead was annoying. He implied he was so jealous and controlling because he grew up in Turkey and it is normal for men to control women. IT IS NOT, PEOPLE. Except for a few eastern cities, Turkey is just like any European country. We are secular and democratic. Not to mention that Turkish women had their voting rights earlier than so many countries.
I know that most of the fault is in Turkish tv series. The reason that people watch those toxic tv series in Turkey is we find it different and interesting than what we are used to. For example all the abduction, weird cultural rules etc are so different that it draws our attention.
Also, he calls her küçük olan which means little one (technically) but it was literally so hard to read him call her that because we don't use küçük olan as a love word lol. It was ridiculous, küçüğüm (my little) would be so much better. It looks like the writer didn't even check the Turkish translation with a native Turkish speaker.
DNF at 20% because I physically couldn't read more...
First of all, the male lead was annoying. He implied he was so jealous and controlling because he grew up in Turkey and it is normal for men to control women. IT IS NOT, PEOPLE. Except for a few eastern cities, Turkey is just like any European country. We are secular and democratic. Not to mention that Turkish women had their voting rights earlier than so many countries.
I know that most of the fault is in Turkish tv series. The reason that people watch those toxic tv series in Turkey is we find it different and interesting than what we are used to. For example all the abduction, weird cultural rules etc are so different that it draws our attention.
Also, he calls her küçük olan which means little one (technically) but it was literally so hard to read him call her that because we don't use küçük olan as a love word lol. It was ridiculous, küçüğüm (my little) would be so much better. It looks like the writer didn't even check the Turkish translation with a native Turkish speaker.
DNF at 20% because I physically couldn't read more...
May 14, 2023
Ok so I have a soft spot for an obsessive H who railroads h into a relationship and inserts himself into her life. To clarify I enjoy it when it is done well.
This book had some good points that I liked. For one thing setting it in Turkey was interesting and made a nice change. I have only read one other romance book with Turkish culture so I did like that aspect.
What wasn't so good? I just didn't feel the connection between the H and h. As typical in these types of stories she started off hating him and eventually realised she loved him. However it just didn't work in this book. I'm fine with this type of H's obsessive "love" but I just don't buy the sudden reversal of feelings that the h had.
Nevertheless I did finish it and liked the epilogue so 3 stars.
This book had some good points that I liked. For one thing setting it in Turkey was interesting and made a nice change. I have only read one other romance book with Turkish culture so I did like that aspect.
What wasn't so good? I just didn't feel the connection between the H and h. As typical in these types of stories she started off hating him and eventually realised she loved him. However it just didn't work in this book. I'm fine with this type of H's obsessive "love" but I just don't buy the sudden reversal of feelings that the h had.
Nevertheless I did finish it and liked the epilogue so 3 stars.
January 23, 2024
I think if you have never watched Turkish soaps you will never get this book 😅
This is basically Turkish soap on pages but without the dramatic stand off what lasts for 5 minutes. That's literally the most annoying thing watching those soaps. Honestly, like 20min they watch each other with dramatic music.
But yes, this book is not for those who wants some crazy AF guy to turn into big teddy bear. He does for her in his own way, he redeems himself his own way what was sufficient for me.
This is very much on the lines of Twist Me, Deadly Vows and Even If It Hurts.
And I am all about psychotic obsessive H. I hate when they change into some sappy shit but luckily here author kept him real and for a reason.
Why not 5 stars?
Because, most of it takes place in Turkey and I've been there and they are one extremely proud bunch of people about their coffee, tea, food, culture... Name it. But it absolutely lacked in this book.
🔸Do not read this book if you want some sappy redeemable finally found his morals H
🔸 H rapes h
🔸 Manipulation
🔸 Intimidation
🔸 Choking
🔸 Kidnapping
🔸 Not virgin h
🔸 Dead ex-wife and unborn child
🔸 Age gap
🔸 No cheating
🔸 No ow/om drama
This is basically Turkish soap on pages but without the dramatic stand off what lasts for 5 minutes. That's literally the most annoying thing watching those soaps. Honestly, like 20min they watch each other with dramatic music.
But yes, this book is not for those who wants some crazy AF guy to turn into big teddy bear. He does for her in his own way, he redeems himself his own way what was sufficient for me.
This is very much on the lines of Twist Me, Deadly Vows and Even If It Hurts.
And I am all about psychotic obsessive H. I hate when they change into some sappy shit but luckily here author kept him real and for a reason.
Why not 5 stars?
Because, most of it takes place in Turkey and I've been there and they are one extremely proud bunch of people about their coffee, tea, food, culture... Name it. But it absolutely lacked in this book.
🔸Do not read this book if you want some sappy redeemable finally found his morals H
🔸 H rapes h
🔸 Manipulation
🔸 Intimidation
🔸 Choking
🔸 Kidnapping
🔸 Not virgin h
🔸 Dead ex-wife and unborn child
🔸 Age gap
🔸 No cheating
🔸 No ow/om drama
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews