“When you feel his allure, you will submit to his will.”Venai men have a power over women: they can compel our behavior. We don’t know where it comes from or how it works, but when we obey, we feel an otherworldly bliss. They call it allure.My blossoming ceremony, when I officially become a woman and experience allure for the first time, is supposed to be a celebration. Instead, it turns into a … celebration. Instead, it turns into a nightmare. Allure doesn’t work on me like normal women. It does something terrible, and when I can’t take it anymore, I run.
Defying a man’s allure could ruin me. People will call me a shrike. They’ll cast me out – or do much worse. Needing protection, I turn to the notoriously seductive Sir Cassian. He was there at my blossoming, and I could sense he was different too.
His help comes at a cost, one I find myself eager to pay: his dominance and passion unleash the bliss I’ve always craved. However, his desire to help me leads us down a dangerous road. Someone out there knows the truth about allure, and will kill to keep it secret.
Cassian and I can’t hide forever. To save our love, we’ll have to fight, even if that means paying the ultimate cost…
For a dark romantic adventure you can’t put down, read Allure today!
Publisher’s note: “Allure” is a dark romantic, paranormal thriller with erotic content, no cliffhangers, no cheating and a HEA. It contains material some may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
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This was fasinating I didn’t know what to expect and I could not put this down the very thought of men controlling the woman with their Allure from the mind alone hopefully to be claimed was so intriguing.
Inara was a force alone and different and with Cassian by her side these two are unbreakable I was so proud of them facing the dangers that most would fear and the lies mixed with truths it was an extremely dangerous situation.
I really liked the whole plot and the dialogue it was unique and addicting with never a dull moment and they just fit together so effortlessly the playboy and the different girl with alot of steamy moments that will have you swooning.
Inara had reached the age of her blossoming where she would choose a man that could become her future husband. Things didn’t go as planned and the allure that should have attracted her to a man repulsed her. She could hear what the men were thinking in her head and it frightened her. Cassian never had need to use his allure and Inara found peace with him. Sparks fly between them but when they try to discover why Inara is the way she is, others learn of their search and want them dead. Will they find a way to survive? Fast-paced read with LOTS of steam and plenty of drama. This is an action packed read but the chemistry between Inara and Cassian is off the charts hot. I loved it.
This is a great dark tale of a world where men used there “allure” or minds to woe and control women. Each girl has a ceremony called a blossoming after her 18th birthday where suitors use their allure on her and she picks one to make her a woman and they hopefully marry. Inara is different. At her blossoming, she hears what each man is trying to make her think and do and it makes her sick. So sick she runs out. She is found by a Knight, Cassian, he is the only one who doesn’t try to use his allure on her. She chooses him and they get to know each other. She explains how she feels and wonders if something is wrong with her because she hears the words. They take a “bonding trek” to a large town where scholars stay and try to find out what they can. This puts them both in danger. The powerful want the secret Inara and Cassian know about allure kept quiet. There are lots and lots of steamy consensual scenes. I loved the way this couple fell in love when it was not the norm.
Allure was much different from what I was expecting but that was a pleasant surprise. It’s set in the future with ways quite different from our own time. Inara isn’t like other girls which at times is a good thing and a bad thing. She is drawn to Cassian and for good reason. I really liked Cassian’s character. I found him to be very interesting. The book was well written and the plot very captivating. It kept me wanting to find out more. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
Very intriguing and interesting story! I wasn’t sure what to expect as I don’t usually read this type of story, but I’ve read some of Stella/Sansa’s books before and loved them so I gave it a shot. This book had a very unique premise and I must say I really really enjoyed it. The characters were strong and well thought out. I love the relationship between Cassian and Inara. It was beautiful watching them grow together and accept each other for who they were. He was very kind and respectful to her as she learned about herself and really blossomed under his love. I also liked the little twists thrown in and the suspense of what was going on with the allure and inquisitors. Definitely a great read to try!
An Amazing Tale!
“Allure” is a suspenseful tale with a unique storyline that is well-written, insightful and intriguing with twists that hold your interest to the last page. The main characters are well-developed, captivating and exciting. This is an amazing read and I highly recommend this tale.
I received a free copy of this book. This review was posted voluntarily
The world this story is based in was very well developed and interesting. The Allure was performed on women by men, mentally forcing them into a form of slavery with benefits. Cassian never used his Allure so when he went to Inara’s blossoming, she picked him. The story takes off from there and doesn’t stop. Something is always going on, new information is revealed, bonds are formed. This action-packed story is a page turner for sure and I recommend it to all who love sexy, hot men and strong women. I received an ARC and voluntarily left an honest review.
Cassian and Inara’s story is intriguing. Love how Cassian comes to Inara’s side and helps her with her problems. Love how he protects her and teachers her to hunt and defend herself.
Very interesting, fantastical story set in 8919. Inara and Sir Cassian begin their journey after Inara’s blossoming ceremony. But Inara is different and heard voices in her head from the men using allure in order to get her to choose them.
Undeniable ALLURE!
A bit of a warm up but WOW when it does the chemistry is explosive and the story had me quickly tearing through the dark twisted pages that where rather unique and definitely enjoyable with lots of intense edgy excitement. A fantastic undeniable read that definitely did an amazing job of earning five bright shiny stars.
I really enjoyed reading this splendid, somewhat dark fantasy romance that is set in a dystopian era that has a touch of romantic suspense & it is definitely worth reading. I found the plot to be well-written & extremely interesting with a patriarchal society in which women are compelled & owned by men. The two main characters (a young woman, Inara) & (a male knight, Sir Cassian) are strong-willed individuals with good chemistry that complimented each other. There is good support from the secondary characters.
There is: twists & turns, drama, intrigue, suspense, mystery, secrets, traditions, ceremonies, allure complement, inquisitors, assassins, adventure, action, domination/submission, BDSM, discipline, unusual abilities, verbal bargaining, compromises, threats, danger, confrontations, violence, brutality, accusations, death, friendship, contentment, steamy scenes, love & a happy conclusion.
Allure
Allure is the latest dark romance written by Sansa Rayne.
The main characters Kasian and Inara are both well written and incredibly endearing. The plot is punchy and fast paced, full of intrigue and passion.
Inara seems to be unique in her situation and Kasian, the unlikely hero in her story. The two battle their social norms to find a true common ground, although their road is filled with horrors and unanswered questions.
At times, I was truly on the edge of my seat and the ending did not disappoint! A brilliant read.
I will start my review with a warning that this book will not be for everyone as it is on the darker side of romance. The women are dominated by the men and are subject to punishment for disobeying. The women are kept submissive by the men by the use of “allure”. The book also contains some kinky sex scenes. If you have issues with these type books, I do not recommend this for you.
Inara has reached the age for her “blossoming” ceremony in which she will hopefully be able to find a husband. Inara’s reaction to the males allure is not what she had been told to expect by her sisters. Inara doesn’t feel their allure, she hears their voices in her head. Except for Cassian, she hears nothing from him. Cassian feels the need to finally take a wife, and he wants Inara, if she will have him.
When she flees her blossoming in terror, Cassian follows and offers his help, if she chooses him. Inara, desperate to escape the allure from the men that are there for her blossoming, accepts Cassian’s offer. But Inara is afraid to tell Cassian why she reacted the way she did. She is sure her response to allure is not natural, but if she tells Cassian, what will he do?
When Cassian convinces Inara to tell him the truth of what happened, he decides they should take a journey to a nearby city to find out if there is anything regarding allure or Inara’s reaction to it. And if they can’t find information, perhaps they will be able to find a scholar who knows about allure and possibly anyone else who is like Inara. Their journey turns perilous but they manage to get away and head for home trailed by assassins. Will they ever discover the secret of allure or will Inara have to hide who she is to avoid discovery?
This is the first book I’ve read by Sansa Rayne and I thought the book was good. It started out kind of slow but wasn’t long before it picked up. The chemistry between Cassian and Inara is off the charts, even though Cassian doesn’t use his allure on Inara. This book is not a cliffhanger and our characters do get a HEA.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This was different, in a very good way.
The time when the story occured and the way men controlled the women. All the different characters and their love for each other.
So many good things in one story.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book
This isn’t my typical book but I practically it and loved every single second of it. It was full of intrigue, dark, suspense and I fell in love with the premise of this book entirely. It started just a tad bit slow but then picked up the pace quickly and epically!!
What a stunning surprise! I loved this book. It turned out to be so much more than I anticipated. The story quickly captured all of my attention with its well crafted blend of suspense, action, drama, heat, emotion and danger. I really liked both Inara and Cassian. I thought that they worked beautifully as a couple and I loved the dynamic between them. I thought that this was a very compelling read that entertained you but also caused you to pause and think. This is my candid, volitional review.
I loved this book. It is different in the fact that the issues it presents are very similar to what’s going on today. The issue of women’s roles in society.
In this story men rule and women are virtually slaves to them. They have this power over women called “Allure” which makes them compliant to the males.
Inara is to have a ceremony called the Blossoming. She is presented to the men in hopes she’ll pick one to wed. But something is wrong. She can hear their thoughts and doesn’t like them. They are vile and it scares Inara. Cassian is a very handsome knight and never uses is “Allure”. He never has to because of his great looks. Inara freaks out and runs from her Blossoming ceremony. Cassian follows and makes an agreement between them. Cassian knows something is going on with her. They start falling for each other. Cassian helps her along the way. You see, Cassian never uses his “Allure” to control her. They go on an adventure that can potentially get them killed. See how everyone pulls together for the sake of the place they live. Secrets also emerge. All I can say is read the book and you won’t be disappointed. Also loved the ending.
This is a very different and interesting story. Inara is a majorly strong character that you will just fall in love with. She fights battles no one else even knows exist. Her shock at the blossoming was heart wrenching and terribly invasive. The Inquisitors were rather scary. Cassian is another character who sees the world differently than the majority of the other characters. I really liked all the twists. The ending was well done.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
First of all, let me say that I loved that this story was so unique. I haven’t read any other fantasy quite like it.
It’s a world where woman are more or less emotionally controlled by a man’s ALLURE – the ability to influence a woman’s emotions and free will, to a point. A mental kind of control that calms and soothes a woman but also manipulates her into feeling a certain way. Keeping her happy and obedient.
It’s a world I would very much enjoy jumping into and fucking things up in.
Let a man control how I feel and react to something? I don’t fucking think so!
Walk around with fetters on until I showed many years of obedience? I really don’t fucking think so!
Fetters definition: restrain with chains or manacles, typically around the ankles.
INARA
It’s her coming of age party, so to speak. She goes to the town centre and pretty much chooses who she wants to go home with…the catch? The men that have paid to be there all compete with each other by seeing who can influence her the most with their ALLURE.
However, Inara is different. Instead of being soothed by the ALLURE she can hear the men’s thoughts instead.
Things like “You want to suck my cock” and “Choose me, whore”. As you can imagine it scares the shit out of her and she freaks out and runs off.
When Cassian comes to her with an offer that she choose him and he won’t pressure her into anything with his allure, she jumps at the chance because (a) he’s hot AF and (b) she can’t hear his thoughts. Score!
But pretty soon she has to admit to him that *gasp* – SHE CAN DISOBEY A MAN! and that is a no-no for women in this world.
Instead of shunning her, he vows to help her figure out why she’s different.
CASSIAN
Cassian is a hot AF player (according to the women) , lol. He pretty much steals all of the women on their blossomings and then moves on to the next. Leaving both him and her satisfied. As you can imagine, this pisses off the other men in the village.
He thinks he ready to settle down now though and wants to do that with Inara. She seems a little different and he likes that. But he didn’t realise how different she was until he realises that she can go against a man’s will and allure.
Knowing that she could be in danger if anyone else finds out he offers to help her figure it out by travelling with her to the big library thingy in the city which is a few days travel away.
I liked Inara because she was all about the “fuck you!” to the man, ye ken? The way women are treated in this world is enough to piss me off good and proper, lol, so kudos to the author for that! My blood was boiling alright! And I was firmly cheering her on every time she did something “wrong”.
While I loved the world-building and the story was so unique, I didn’t feel any attraction to Cassian though. I mean he sounded hot but I didn’t feel the pull.
Sorry guys but I just didn’t connect with him.
SEX SCENES
There were some juicy scenes throughout the book with some BDSM and rope work but I just couldn’t get into them. You, of course, might disagree.
“Please, sir! I’m going…to come!”.“You’ve earned it…Inara. You have…permission.”“Oh, thank you!”I shout, letting my head fall backward. Carnal pleasure erupts with a force that robs my body of its strength. My arms and legs go limp, supported only by Cassian and the rope. Euphoria lifts me into a trance. I groan, helpless to resist. I can’t tell if my perception of time is changing or Cassian’s working his tongue faster, but every motion feels more and more intense. Hot blood pumps through me, amplifying every sensation until my orgasm reaches its peak. My wailing ceases, though my jaw still hangs open. Mind barely cognizant of reality, I don’t understand at first why Cassian isn’t lowering me to the ground. He adds more rope around my ankles, spreading my legs and pulling them up high until I’m hanging by all four limbs. “Ready for more, dove?” he asks, running his hand up my thigh. “Ancients…this is…insane!”Strained from holding my weight, my limbs immediately ache. “Then I guess you better make me come quickly,” says Cassian. He undresses slowly, allowing me to stare at his immaculate body, rather than think about my predicament. “Don’t look at me like that,” he says, stroking his mammoth cock. “You’re the amazing one. I could watch you hang there for hours.”
FINAL THOUGHTS on ALLURE by Sansa Rayne
So it’s like this. I enjoyed the story and the world that she created and I like how strong Inara was and the fight she had in her but I didn’t find it sexy. I couldn’t quite connect with Cassian and felt the sex scenes were missing something. If the book were just fantasy without the romance I think it would have been better.
So I’m going to give it 3.5 stars.
When I first started to read this book I was not sure I was going to like it. It took me a couple of chapters to really grab my attention. Once I started it I didn’t want to put it down. The book is not a fast pace read it starts out slow but picks up.
Inara was coming into women hood and it was time for her blossoming. At her blossoming the men are suppose to be able to Allure the women but Inara was different she didn’t feel things that the women of her race was suppose to feel instead she heard the words of the men. This frighten her as she knew it was not right but she freaked out and ran.
Cassian was always going to the blossoming and seem to leave with women but never agreed to marry them. So this time at Inara blossoming the men were not happy that he was there they wanted him gone. They wanted a change and thought that they might have a chance with Inara.
When it was time for Inara to get up on the stage and present herself she had a hard time. As she knew that the men were suppose to use their Allure on her and she was suppose to feel things but she did not. What she felt was nothing but she was able to hear everything that thought and that freaked her out. So when she ran from her blossoming the men started talking.
Cassian decided if he really wanted a chance with Inara that he would go after her and see if he could help her. Instead he ended up making a deal with her and her mother. What kind of deal did he make? He knew the town would be talking out her and how everyone would think she was shrike. So what happen did she really make a deal with Cassian and was it good for just him or for both of them.
This was a really good book even though I thought that it started out slow. I really like story line and where the story went.
I read this book as part of an ARC and received this book free for an honest review.