“I wanted to play with you… punish you. But now, I want to ruin your world and turn it pitch black. Isolate you so you don’t have anything left except me. And remember, it’s your own fault.”* * * Isolation. Loneliness. Endless silence stretching into eternity.This is the personal living hell of police detective, Kuon Leiris.His punishment for ruining the Black Duke’s deal.But when nights come, it … Duke’s deal.
But when nights come, it gets worse…
Cruelty. Care. Brutality. Affection.
Constant mind games where he can do nothing, but give in.
Yugo pours his every corrupt desire into his prey, testing the limits of their twisted relationship.
Do you dare enter a dark world where safe-words don’t exist?
more
This is one of those books I almost can’t find any adequate words to describe. Part of me feels guilty for loving it so much.
This is a dark M/M read. Know that going in so if you have triggers, it’s not for you. However, if you love dark this definitely brings it. Nero Seal knows exactly how to bring dark, depraved and twisted. My favorite types of books are the ones I put down and question what I just read and this one hit that note perfectly. So many cringe-worthy moments and yet the book was so much more.
The character development on this was phenomenal. There’s no way to describe how much the author put into the characters. The depth is part of the reason I fell in love with the book so much. Nero Seal did an excellent job on world building, it was detailed and every scene felt real. The storyline flows flawlessly even when I wanted to cower under the covers the author pulled me in. I had to read it in one sitting; sleep was not a priority! I desperately need more.
5 stars for a dark, twisted, captivating read. Highly recommend!
First things first, please head the warning this book is NOT for the faint of heart, if captivity or rape is a trigger for you please don’t read this book and then give the author a low rating or bad review because you are being warned that bad things happen to Kuon, a young police detective, that is being held captive by Yugo aka The Black Duke, a criminal mastermind, and it wouldn’t be fair to the author who wrote an amazing story.
Now that I got that out of the way let me tell you that, new to me author, Nero Seal did an amazing job with this book. So much so that I never saw the ending coming, he had me guessing until the very end on what would happen and it totally blew my mind. This will not be a long review because I do not want to give anything away so just know that there is a LOT of sex, some of it non-con or dubious that quite possibly will have you cringing, and there is a bit of a love triangle, which had me scratching my head at times trying to figure out what exactly was happening because at this point there is Stockholm syndrome which had me rooting for Kuon and Yugo to find their HEA and then there is another guy, Mio, who pops up out of nowhere that loves Yugo and wants him for himself. Anyway, I cannot wait to read the next book in the series to see what happens after this crazy, crazy ending.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good DARK MM read. Happy Reading!
O. M. G. Wow! I don’t even know what to say to that. Dark and depraved this was a disturbingly amazing read! If you have triggers do NOT read this one. But if you can brave the demented then I highly recommend this one. Kidnapping, non con, and Stockholm syndrome fill these pages. And that ending! I repeat O. M. G. Brav-fucking-o! Where hell is book two?! I need it.
I’m not to sure what I think of this to be honest!? Poppy is in an abusive marriage, very abusive and no-one will help her so she’s stopped asking or trying.
She’s been married for 2 years when he commits suicide and that is when the elusive Ronan reappears.
It was a page turner although imo nothing major actually happened? There’s definitely attraction between the two and 100% there’s more going on than she knows about. There’s no denying that so I’m going to read book 2 to see what happens.
Fingers crossed….
Well I guess I really love dark romances, because this completely captivated me from page one. It was intense and I was crying almost immediately and cried through this book. I did not connect with Yugo, but I think that was the author’s point. I think he was so confused by his thoughts and what he was doing and how he was feeling that we were as well. I did not hate him…I yearned to know what made him tick. I love and adore Kuon and love his spirit. While there we many times I think I would have broke, he stayed standing and was quick to come back and was quick to lash out and try to protect himself. He was inspiring. I was on the edge of my seat the whole book and felt like I could imagine how Kuon was feeling, as it was such great writing. We end on a cliff-hanger, but even if it did not, I would have immediately picked up book two. This book series was recommended to me about a year ago, and I am just upset it took me this long to read it. Welp, onto the next!!
NO I CAN’T DEAL WITH THIS, I NEED TO KNOW! This is the first time I have read this author and when I was done with the book I cried, screamed, and threw things. I wanted to hunt Nero down to find out what happens next. I had never read a dark book before or one that didn’t end in an HEA and now I am totally addicted. I can’t get enough and I will be stalking him until I get the next book. How can you do this to me?
To anyone who likes dark romance and some serious mind fucking!
Warning:::: This book has multiple triggers for many because it has plenty of violence. DO NOT read if this is not your thing.
I really wanted to read this book as soon as I seen this was available on the multi author page because I had never read anything like it before. I was really interested in reading about a m/m stockholm syndrome story that involved a cop and a villian. Boy, was I in for a treat! This had a little bit of everything for me and I was completely knocked off my chair during certain parts.
I was drawn into this story right away with what happened since Kuon was kidnapped. I couldn’t help it. I had to figure out what would happen between these two. I read this book all in one go. The way the story unfolded was brilliant because I was right along with the characters. I felt what Kuon was feeling. I was so emotional while reading this. I pretty much cried most of the time reading this because it was so dark. But, what did I expect when I enter into a dark world? Well you bring the damn tissues, that’s what you do.
I feel like this was wrote beautifully, but I have a love and hate relationship with the story. I wish it would have ended differently but when your in a dark world and you don’t know certain things you normally would in the regular world… you make decisions based on what you think you know. You make decisions off of the temporary pain that you have and make it a permanent solution. Yugo and Kuon kill each other softly throughout the whole book. This is a twisted romance and not everything is as it seems.
I would love to find out more in the next book because I know that the story isn’t over. This may be a dark world that these characters live in, but some of them are more shady than others and I want to figure out their motives. I am also wondering what Yugo will do when he finds out what they have done as well. Betraying him is not something I would want to do.
A thin line
If you’re a fan of dark, depraved and dirty, then this is the book for you. Beware though, it ends on a humdinger of a cliffhanger and will take you on a twisted journey. Personally, I absolutely loved every bit of it and Yugo, so love him.
I never did like flowers and this book clinched it for me. I very much enjoyed the power struggles in this book but I do wonder if the captor has become captive. “Pain doesn’t lie.” And neither does the body. Kuon is taken on a life-alternating exploration by Yugo and he learns things about himself he never expected. It wasn’t all serious though psssshew-pssshhew, haha, and there were even a few tender moments. I feel so much for Kuon and I really dislike a certain someone. Yugo and Kuon captured my heart and I can’t wait to see how everything plays out.
A very dark and very emotional story – I was drawn in from the opening scene and held captive right up until I silently laid my shattered heart to rest during the closing – Okay fine I might possibly have been screaming and crying as I closed the pages on Kuon and Yugo.
I do not know if I am angry or heartbroken – this painful ache I have encompasses a few of the characters
Yugo has no true knowledge, or maybe I should say experience, of ,or with the actual act of true love – his beliefs are so warped that he believes he is in the right and what he is doing should create a bond between him and Kuon – he is playing so far out in left field I question not only his ego but his psychological state
Then there is Kuon – so strong yet so lost – he fights with everything he has to keep his heart and soul intact
This is a wonderfully developed beginning to a series I am so looking forward to reading – Love of the Egoist is one of those stories that truly brings the reader in allowing them to become a part of the story –
My heart broke for Kuon as well as for Yugo – and even some secondary characters (No spoilers) – I need book two now
This book is so amazing and so steamy but also it had heart. I cried for the hurt and sorrow they went through. They are characters you will love and love to hate. Nero Seal is one hell of an author.
This is a dark romance with a great storyline. It had me laughing and crying and was wonderfully written. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dark read!
This is a cliffhanger. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!!
Twisted!!
This book is dark from start to finish there’s no fluff amongst these pages just grit and harsh treatment..I loved that it wasn’t a love story not even close…I hope book 2 arrives soon the ending kinda crept up on me and left me needing more.
Love of the Egoist, is my first book by Nero Seal. Since it was a new to me author, I had some trouble getting into the story in the beginning. But after a chapter or so, I was totally hooked.
It’s a dark romance with a twist. Not for the faint hearted. It’s my first Stockholm-syndrome MM book, it was something new..that’s for sure. And not in a bad way 😉
However, I’m not sure what to think about Yugo…he was ruthless, arrogant, and cold hearted. Which, he should be because of his position as the Black Duke.
But when he started to soften towards Kuon, he didn’t think it was a crush or even love. I thought he acted a bit childish. He couldn’t understand why Kuon didn’t wanted to stay with him..
We don’t get to know much about either characters background or history. We get to know that Kuon works as an detective in the police force. And that he gets very obsessed with his work. He is a strong man both physical and psychic. But he is young, so he is a bit of an hotshot and overconfidence and that’s how he gets caught by Yugo’s men.
And of course it contains some really hot and steamy bedroom activities!
I tried not to get attached, and feel everything they felt. That’s the only way I can read a book like this. Tried to convince myself that these things don’t happen in real life. And it was easier this way.
This isn’t the kind of dark read where the villain has an ounce of good in him, where you think he is only a bad person because something bad happened to him when he was a child. Mommy/daddy issues, etc. And he was forced to do bad things. Where you think he only needs to fall in love with the right person and he would stop being a criminal. If you’re looking for that kind of book, look elsewhere.
This also isn’t the kind of book where someone would swoop in like a superhero and save the damsel in distress. Nope. Again, look elsewhere. There also wasn’t a damsel in the story. Kuon fought hard to save himself, his dignity and pride, and eventually his sanity.
Yugo’s fascination with Kuon was… well, fascinating. He demanded Kuon to obey him, but liked when Kuon defied him, challenged him. It was an amusing game to him. He did feel affection for Kuon in a twisted way. And despite this not being a romance book, there were some moments that were playful and lighter. The evolution of both Yugo’s and Kuon’s feelings was gripping and the author lured me into believing each possibility that surfaced in my mind about the outcome.
Yugo’s resurfacing, often times almost charming and boyish nature – even if he was a cruel animal – would have been endearing if I could just ignore what he did. That part of him reminded me of a cheerful child. And it made me realize that I didn’t know anything about him, other then how he behaved in Kuon’s presence. Same goes for Kuon. There was absolutely zero background story. What about their families, friends, colleagues? Yugo did have some dealings with other thugs, but only for a few paragraphs (which I didn’t mind, cause even that bored me, though it did raise some political questions in me, but I don’t care enough to investigate).
It took me some time to figure out what exactly was off about the writing style. Is there such a thing as too many adjectives? If so, this book suffered from that. I absolutely love when the author assaults my senses with detailed description: how it smells and feels, what the characters see; but maybe not the whole book and not every sentence (I might’ve highlighted a few), just in certain scenes. It was too much here.
I won’t bother with trigger warnings, it’s a dark book (and I mean DARK). And also not a romance. That’s all the spoiler I’m willing to give.
Wow! I loved it.
The author had perfectly shown us how Kuon sank into Stockholm-syndrome.
Yugo was the perfect “monster”.
I recommend this book if you wanted to read something dark, and not too long.
Cannot wait for the next book!
A serious mind game was played with me here and I honestly loved every second.
This was a race of emotion, turmoil, angst, and an OMG No Fu#%ing Way ending that crushed me. Damn.
Brilliantly written, dark and twisted, highly entertaining, absolutely recommended.
Not for the faint of hard. This is some non-con/dub-con content to the extreme.
Written so very well though and I can’t wait for the rest!
I don’t even know where to begin with my review. This is a truest case of Stockholm Syndrome I’ve read on a long time. I felt so bad for Kuon and I despise Yugo and then throw in that ending, gah…
Seriously I’m just freaking speechless. This book was freaking awesome in every sense of the word. It was dark, it was violent, it was heart pounding and breath taking. I love the depths of depravity it has. I love the characters, I freaking love the setting. I just love it! It has all the aspects that I absolutely need in a book.