Cleric

by Gail Haris

All I’ve ever wanted was my freedom from my boastful and controlling father.

When I discovered he’s gambling away my savings at The Golden Halo casino on the muddy banks of the Mississippi River, I had no choice but to go there.

I’ve heard whispers about the eccentric man who runs it, his illusive identity as much of a mystery as what’s lurking in the shadowy swamps. He sounds more myth than man, but the moment I sit across from him, and he offers me a deal, it all becomes shockingly real.

To settle my father’s debt, the broody handsome stranger wants me to live with him for three months. I was ready to agree. Ready to give myself to him.

Until he told me the final piece of the arrangement...

I have to give him a child.

A steamy, modern loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.


Cleric is a novella with no cliffhanger and an HEA, but some scenes could triggering. It is intended for 18+ mature readers. The hero is morally grey.

Motorcycles, Mobsters, and Mayhem author event proudly presents The Mayhem Makers Series.
These standalone novels are brought to you by several bestselling authors specializing in writing twisted chaos. You'll get all the bikers, mobsters, and dark romance your heart can handle.
Follow us so you never miss a new release, as they can be added in at any time!

Genres: Romance, Dark

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 18, 2023

About the author

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Gail Haris loves blending romance out of life's everyday chaos. Stories filled with humor, steam, and moments of sweetness, along with suspense and twists.

Fueled by coffee and a wild imagination, Gail writes in a variety of genres including romantic comedy, romantic suspense, and new adult/coming of age romance.

Gail enjoys living in a small town in Southeast Missouri, and then taking adventures all over the world with her two fierce princesses and Boo Bear, who is her ultimate real-life book boyfriend.

When she’s not getting into mischief or scheming with her two girls, she’s busy coming up with crazy scenarios for her characters. Hopefully by following her dream, she can be an example to her daughters that their dreams can become a reality.

"Never stop believing in love, dreams, and yourself. And coffee…don’t give up on coffee and books."

Learn more at gailharis.com

Reviews

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What should feel wrong, feels so incredibly right."

Cleric by Gail Haris is part of The Mayhem Makers Series and OH. MY. GOODNESS!
WHERE'S MY COLD SHOWER????

Lani's father is a gambler. Trying to bring him home after an excessive night in The Golden Halo turns into something she never expected... and suddenly she signed a contract with the mysterious Cleric.

HOLY MOLY!
GAIL HARIS! YOU SHOULD’VE WARNED ME!
❤️‍🔥😍👏🥵

Well... now that I finished this short story I really need to take a deep breath. Trying to come back to reality. LOL
This book totally sucked me into this dark and dangerous world... and is it wrong that I want to stay there? 🤭
Okay, usually I'm not into dark romance... but I guess it was absolutely the perfect time for me. 🤷‍♀️
I DEVOURED THIS BOOK IN ONE SITTING! And I don't regret it! Nope! Absolutely not!

This sensual and dark love story of Lani and Cleric... a dark world full of danger and gambling and all those stuff... chemistry between two people who should feel any!
Awwwww!!!
WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY EXCITING MIXTURE OF DANGER AND LUST, ATTRACTION AND DARKNESS, FEELINGS AND FEAR.

Cleric totally got under my skin. Oh my... I even have some kind of sexy picture in my mind... 🤭🥵
And... all the things he does... you want to fear him, but at the same time you wanna fall in love with him... although he's not some kind of Prince Charming...
This push and pull between him and Lani. Longing and forbidding...
I'm absolutely done!
These two! OH MY!!
BE STILL MY BEATING HEART!!! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[Shannon Godwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, quick read. Lani has to work off her fathers debt by marrying a loan shark and giving him her baby. But what happens when you fall for the one person you shouldn’t? Very interesting

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paying a Debt

This was a fast-paced story of a dutiful daughter who has agreed to pay for her gambling father’s debt. The deal was she was not to get feelings for the man who was about to turn her world upside down. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans! What a great story.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word. Addicted. Or maybe I should use the word Compulsive? Because this was both.
A mortally grey Hero and a sassy Heroine push each other past their limits in this arranged marriage agreement.
I couldn’t get over the chemistry with these two and their heat. They held nothing back.
Lani knocked Cleric off his feet where he’d never saw coming. This was a deal that he thought would benefit only him for the agreed timeframe but against his will, it turned sour, or should I say, sweet. It was Fate working it’s plan against his will. He never stood a chance against Lani.

I highly recommend this short story.

[Denise Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick story loosely based off of Rumpelstiltskin - an arranged marriage to pay for her fathers debts, Lani is forced to give 3 months and a baby to Cleric in exchange for her fathers debts to be paid. Just her first marriage and first baby, to a cold hearted loan shark and business owner. No biggie right?

She hadn’t really come to terms with it but decided that it was worth it to free the debt for her dad, no matter how crappy of a dad he is. In this steamy tale, Lani falls for Cleric even though he told her not to romanticize their relationship. I love when a grumpy, tough as nails guy is brought to his knees by a sweet ray of sunshine kinda gal.

Gail doesn’t disappoint in her newest story that’s part of the Motorcycles, Mobsters, and Mayhem world - grab it today!

[Ashley Carr, LSoR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lani’s father had a problem with gambling and he racked up debt to Cleric. He made a deal with Cleric to offer Lani’s hand in marriage and the firstborn child of the marriage. The deal was not to get feelings involved, but Cleric was about to turn Lani’s life upside down. Will the relationship work out?

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleric was a fast paced novella that’s part of The Mayhem Makers series.

Cleric and Lani’s journey started out with an arrangement, but ended in a sweet happily ever after. Their interactions were entertaining with a dash of spice.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy hell! This book is hot! There wasn't a single part of this book that I didn't love. Perfection!

[Joy Avery Lovesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

Angst: 💔💔💔

Cliffhanger? ❌️

Do I recommend it? ✅️

Tropes: dark romance, fairytale retelling, Rumpelstiltskin, arranged marriage

All Lani ever wanted was freedom from her boastful and controlling father. When she discovered he was gambling away her savings at the Gold Halo casino, she had no choice but to go there. She'd heard people talk about the eccentric and illusive man who ran it. Cleric was a man shrouded in mystery. Lani was shocked by the deal he offered. To settle her father's debt, he wants her to live with him for three months. She was more than willing to agree to the deal until he told her he wanted her to get pregnant and give him the child.

This was another entertaining and intriguing addition to this series. I've only read a few of Gail Haris' books, and I have loved every one of them. This was a retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairytale. Part of the deal that was stuck involved Lani not developing feelings for the antihero. It was exciting reading the push and pull between them. Would they fall, and what would happen if they did? I spent the time in this short read on the edge of my seat, and it was the perfect Sunday read. I highly recommend it. This is my honest opinion, freely given.

[Micheala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copy received from the author. Voluntarily reviewing and all opinions are objective and my own.

I enjoyed this one. It isn’t my all-time favorite book but it kept me entertained and pulled me in quickly. Both characters were easy to appreciate and the plot was entertaining. I was quickly interested in this book but started to lose some of it after the marriage. There was a period where it felt slow. The third-act breakup made sense for the plot and I liked how it was resolved and some genuineness went into the relationship.

The three month timeline bugged me. Three months for Cleric to get her pregnant but anyone who’s tried before knows that sometimes it happens instantly; other times not. Contract should have been a year or something. Depending where she was at in her cycle, that’s only 2-3 solid attempts.

My other reason for the 4 stars rather than 5 was the force leading to the third-act breakup. There was no prior set up for this and felt very random and tossed in for convenience. This guy came out of nowhere… Her father doing that very thing would have made more sense considering her father was the purpose behind them even meeting.

All in all, good entertaining read. I really enjoyed the Rumplestiltskin twist.

[Amanda Anderson (Beauty.and.the.bookies) · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved him

What a great retelling. I think I loved Cleric more than Nick and thats saying something! The possessive nature in these two men are just unnatural and I am here for it. I do wish he killed her dad but hey, I guess that wouldve made Lani mad. LOL

[Shyla S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleric is Gail Harris' book in the The Mayhem Makers Series, which is a multi-author series.

This is a fast-paced story of a dutiful daughter who has agreed to pay for her gambling father’s debt to a very mysterious casino owner by signing a 3mth contract to marry him & giving him a baby. Their journey started out with an arrangement, but ended in a sweet happily ever after.

𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤/𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙚 = "Cleric" and Lani
𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 = No
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 = Yes.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚(𝙨) = Mafia ♥ Boss/Employee ♥ Arranged/Contract Marriage (to pay off debts) ♥ Grumpy H ♥ Novella (quick read) ♥ Dual POVs ♥ HEA
𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 = Language ♥ Sexual Content ♥ Violence/Murder/Torture ♥ Family drama/abandonment
𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 = 🔥🔥🔥
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[•Cici• Theory of A Dreamer Book Blog♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Ms.Haris's work many times before I always look so forward to picking up more of her books! As soon as this novella was announced it piqued my interest right away. I got right into this story. I so enjoyed it!

Lani and Cleric's journey captured my attention right from the start! Lani cares a lot, especially about her gambling father. The thing is though she's tired of it all. As she steps into The Golden Halo casino it has her world colliding with Cleric, the owner. Cleric can't turn away from Lani and with her father owing money, he asks Lani for an arrangement. Will Lani do this with Cleric and then go her own way?

I really liked how I got right into Lani and Cleric's journey quickly. I felt for Lani and everything she'd been through with her father. It isn't easy for her. Cleric was a man not to be crossed. I enjoyed the fact that when Lani came into his life he wanted to be around her. I didn't know how he and Lani would tackle their arrangement, things in their lives, and of course, their feelings. The chemistry between Lani and Cleric was so good!

I enjoyed getting into the Mayhem Makers world!

With Cleric, Ms.Haris has created a good and dark read that'll keep you turning the pages! I am so looking forward to reading what she comes up with next!


*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Enticing Journey Book Promotions / the author*

[Jennifer Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lani is a girl who always puts her irresponsible father first, and it's taken quite the toll on her. She knows she can't take anymore, but guilt is a powerful thing that's for sure, and it's because of her father's actions that has her on a new path she never saw coming. He has a gambling addiction which leads her to his favorite casino which puts her in the path of Cleric (the hidden owner). He's taken with her as she really does have a sunshiny outlook despite everything going on in her personal life so he makes a deal with her, come to work for him in order to pay her father's debt, and it stayed like that, well, that would be one thing, however, her father was willing to sacrifice her, so she ends up having to marry Cleric, and the terms were just awful. I grew to love Cleric, but I did take issue with the marriage contract, however you'll have to read the book to find out why. There's no doubt these two are straight fire together in the bedroom, and while Lani is definitely falling quickly, Cleric is doing his best to not get attached despite the fact that he is indeed getting attached LOL! I LOVED this story so much, especially the grovel on Cleric's part after Dani had had enough so she left in him the dust so yeah, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Lauren Luppino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It’s fast paced and easy reading. Which for me, personally, is good and bad. I liked that I could devour the book in just a couple of days, however I was left a little unsatisfied. I know this is intentionally a shorter book, but it just missed the mark for me in the following areas:

1. Minimal slow burn. This is an enemies to lovers, or something close to that, so I feel like the slow burn is necessary and definitely helps build the suspense for when they switch up.

2. The times where there are conflict are short lived and the way the conflict in the story is resolved is lackluster.

3. The editing wasn’t great. There was one part of the book where the FMC is narrating about something she knows and understands, then in the following page, says she continues to read the document in her hand and discovers that it says THE EXACT THING SHE HAD PREVIOUSLY SAID SHE KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS. It didn’t make sense. Also (nbd, but it did make me question my sanity), the back cover description on my copy says the name of the casino is “Gold Strike” but the name of the casino in the book itself is “Gold Halo” 😂

Overall though, I don’t regret reading it. It helped with my reading slump and was a nice palette cleanser between series/heavy books.

[tattyabbsreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick read and it was entertaining. The spice was spicing!

I do wish that the book was a little longer because I felt like there wasn’t enough time to gain attachment to the characters. Also, some scenes just abruptly ended and making me want to know more, which I guess is a good thing?

Lani (FMC) was a bold, sassy, and intelligent character. I loved her snarky remarks to the MC. Also the relationship between her and her farther was written in such a way that made you feel all her emotions as well. I really liked how she stood her ground to Cleric and didn’t immediately run back to him.
Cleric (MMC) was a broody, cocky, jerk, but also had a reason for such a sheltered heart. He was possessive but not controlling which is fantastic. His past made it clear why he was so guarded but also very protective over Lani. He had a filthy mouth but oof, I loved it.

Overall the book would be a 3.5/5 ⭐️ & a 3/5 🌶️. I would recommend this book to other readers who want a quick spicy read.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleric & Lanie

No one knows his real name but they do know him by reputation and fear him because of it. She is dedicated to her dad even with his addiction to gambling. She is way too trusting and pays a huge price (literally).

While Cleric doesn't share his emotions and doesn't do relationships, something about Lanie is different. Fighting his feeling is a losing battle. Learning more about her, he makes a really rash decision. Thanks to her dad...

He's dark and violent-feared by everyone. She's shy and sweet and well-liked by everyone. What a pair! Will they find a way to each other? No one knows him. Will he give up his secrets to get what he wants? Will she accept his lifestyle?

I enjoyed watching them grow in different ways. She grew stronger he grew more open. Steam enough to power Vegas, will it help them grow enough to find a life together?
Reviewed for Words Turn Me On.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this couple.

Lani has a deadbeat dad that is willing to put her up as collateral for his debts. Cleric finds out and hashes out a deal to make her his own.

So yeah. That’s it. What I didn’t expect is how sassy and forward Lani was! It was pretty refreshing. (Side note: there is an age gap, but it doesn’t even matter).

I enjoyed how Cleric was able to let down some of his guard and not only encourage his sexuality, but hers as well. I feel like their willingness to explore each other is what drew them together. Even if having a child was a goal, their chemistry was electric.

The mafia aspect was still there and I liked it. We didn’t need to know more (it is after all, a novella), but it also wasn’t ignored.

A sexy and fun read.

[Patricia Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truth for a lie

I wasn't sure what to expect from this new to me author but I am really glad that read this story.
I love this story. Cleric while he's ruthless also has a soft side but only his wife sees it. The couple together has strong ties that binds them together. Meaning that they will fight whoever needs to be fought to protect each other.
I loved the plot and characters within the story. The characters only added to the way that the story was written.
All in all, a very good book. I would recommend it to everyone. I can't wait to see if the author adds more to the Mayhem Makers.

[lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!!

I really enjoyed Cleric and Lani's story. Both had a horrible life growing up and unfortunately Lani is still living it. Lani has been betrayed by her dad so many times but the ultimate betrayal is when he sells her to get him out of debt. Lani will do anything for her father so she goes along with it. When she finally feels she might get a happy ending Cleric goes and hurts her. Now he has to her win her back before its too late. I truly enjoyed this book. I definitely recommend it.

[Callie LaBelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plotline: 3/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Tropes: M/F Romance; Arranged Marriage; Rumplestiltskin Retelling; Pregnancy; Mafia

Themes: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Spice Factor: 2.5
Enjoyment Factor: 3.5/5

Review: This is a short, fun, and spicy romance set with a mafia background, but it never really came up. I liked the characters; I just wish we had more of a story in the book. I loved the resolution; it gave me all the feels and the epilogue was fantastic. I just wish we had that same vibe throughout the book.

[Sharon A Shovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is everything I thought it would be with a few surprises! Family is everything. But how far would you go to protect or help? Would you say yes to an arranged marriage to a stranger and possibility to a monster? Lani is in that position. She has been helping her dad which seems like forever. A man by the name Cleric owns and runs a Casino. Lani loves her father so much that she does almost anything to help him even with his addictions. But when is too much too much? Will she do it?

[e s · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit fast but overall a good book

I thought the book idea and plot was good, there was a bit of stuff that wasn’t really necessary to the storyline like Mateo and his family story honestly.

However, I did find myself hoping for the book to be longer and explain more of the first year of marriage with them.

Overall, it could have been a bit longer but was a good short read anyway.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read by this author. Wow, she packs a lot into a 200 page book. Most reads by authors are 300 to 400 pages lately. I enjoyed this read Lani and Cleric, fantastic main characters. This was a mayhem type, mafia read with a fake relationship. I understand she writes a number of different troupes. Will definitely pick up another book by Gail.

[Brittany Reads Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting to say the least. I kind of wish it was more spicy than it was which I don’t think I’ve ever said about a book. Cleric and Lani are an interesting couple that start because her dad sold her to pay his gambling debts. I thought it was a good book just wish there was a little bit more spice to it!

[Tilya Eloff · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good.

This book... So freaking good. The chemistry between Cleric and Lani is off the charts, even when they want to avoid it. I absolutely loved this book. A must read for sure

[Carlie Drury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything I’ve ready by Gail and this was no exception. I’m a sucker for a morally grey man and even more so when there’s even a slight enemies to lovers vibe going on. Lani agrees to marry Cleric to pay off her father’s debt but neither her or Cleric count on catching feelings. This was a fun and steamy quick read!

[Tameka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleric is rich and skewed by his past. Lani is burdened by her addict father. Together, they're peace and happiness. How long can peace and happiness last once everyone knows the truth?

This was a good read. It had things that I thought were just fluff or a reiterating of what was already said, but overall, it was a good read. Happy reading! 🙋🏽‍♀️