“Bonnie and Clyde meets Kill Bill.” – Jenna, GoodreadsHis name is Beat, and I should hate him.Bound, blindfolded and bruised, I’m tied in his basement, waiting for the men who stripped me from clothes and humanity to collect his debt to them. Me.His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don’t.I’m not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I’m not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but … supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.
His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I’ve never seen his face, though I hear that it’s beautiful.
Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there’s a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.
His name doesn’t matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it’s his.
Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.
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This is one of my all-time top dark reads from one of my favorite authors!
This was the first LJ Shen book I read and I fell in love instantly. This book sucked me in and I ended up reading it in one sitting… and then insisting all of my friends read it as well. It’s a little dark and a little twisted, but in all the best ways. One of my top reads.
Just when I thought I’ve read all of Lj’s books, a friend recommended this little gem. What a book this was! I finished this amazing read last night and WOW… just freaking WOW! This was an edge-of-your-seat-crazy-as-hell-dont-want-to-sleep-the-suspense-is-killing-me kinda read!!! I don’t want to spoil one single bit of this EPIC read so all I’m going to say is that this is one HIGHLY recommended MUST read!
What an amazing story!! Another great book by LJ Shen!!
Action, passion and a lot of suspense that will keep you definitely hooked and want more.. this was definitely a very pleasant surprise.. I love LJ’s writing no matter what type of book or what is the story about she always give us strong characters that will definitely stay in our memory for so long.. love this book so much..
Well this book was a ride and a half, I haven’t read many books with this type of genre but it makes me want to devour this genre it’s awesome.
This book has you so intrigued from the very beginning, I wasn’t 100% sure which way this book was going to go and that’s what I loved about. It had so much going on and that’s what gets you reading.
This novel has everything from sex, drugs and violence that makes this novel truly awesome. There was some angst in there. It just had everything.
If you want a novel that has that bad boy, broken girl and amazing writing then you have to read this book straight away, I know I’ll be diving into this authors other books as soon as I can 🙂
I find this a little slow to get into I almost didn’t want to continue. I felt the hostage scene took way too long it dragged and made it very hard to get into. It starts to pick up when Beat and Prescott start fucking I thought it could be a manipulative move on her part to get her captor to trust her. This made it interesting I had to find out why was it just to get out of her situation.
With all the shit going down you’re left on the seat of your pants wondering what’s going to happen next, you’re eager to keep reading to find out.
This story ends well and it makes up for the slow start.
I really like the two main character, I felt their chemistry, their light and dark, their bad and good. They were meant for each other, to crawl their way out of their despair to find each other.
I was blown away by this book. It has it all. Tragic & Dark yet incredibly heartwarming. I gasped and flinched and cried and laughed or maybe cry smiled. I didn’t know what to expect and I was slayed. One of my favorite reads of this genre. But fair warning it’s not for the faint of heart.
Ms. Shen is a master at broken, unlikable characters. The blurb for this one compares this couple to Bonnie and Clyde, which is only partly accurate. This is a rough read, from beginning to end. The world that Prescott and Nate exist in is not pretty. One of my favorite things is that these broken, dirty, bone deep hurt people use words as their salve and salvation. It’s a romance I did not expect, and while I have a hard time relating, they are perfectly matched and I found myself wishing for their HEA.
A warning – if you cannot handle or are triggered by violence or sexual assault, take a pass on this one!
A nitpicky editing note: when did we start seriously using disorientated instead of disoriented? It’s jarring to me and feels like someone is being purposely silly when it is used. Breathe has an E on the end. One off I can see that these are typos or just missed, after three times it feels purposeful.
What a ride. Gripping, while you sit on the edge of your seat suspense. Finding love where you least expect it. A fast paced, twist and turn, gut wrenching kind of story. A must read. Be prepared to not want to put it down until the end, and even then you might not want to…
Jesus take the wheel!!!!
Just when I thought I couldn’t love LJ Shen more-I read THIS.
What. The. Hell. I have so many feels for this book it’s ridiculous. Highly detail complex characters (per usual:), an amazing twisty dark plot with shards of light, and two main characters with more chemistry than the periodic table! Gah! I was DYING over all the hot rough scenes! And the background, the history, especially Prescott….so well written and believable…how strong/witty/capable of a woman is Prescott? Can’t get enough of her writing, please put out books at a place of one a month, k?
IF YOU’RE GOING THROUGH HELL – KEEP GOING (WINSTON CHURCHILL)
This story was brutal. Brutally terrifying, but brutally beautiful all the same.
It’s dark and gritty from the very beginning. Very fast-paced. Everything is unpredictable, secrets unveil layer by layer, emotions run rampant and wild. Everything that happens is so dark and unbelievable that it almost sounds bizarre… yet it’s weirdly real. There’s so much emotion in every word written you can’t help but feel for two main characters: hot, dark, brooding and tortured hero looking for his place under the sun and a seriously amazing, strong heroine that will stop at nothing to keep the place under this sun that has her name on it – she wants revenge and she’s going to make sure she gets it. And through all they go through, they’ll manage to find something they both always feared to hope for, never expected, and certainly didn’t know they needed – someone to love them, someone to love.
“We come from darkness and go back to it when we’re done. Nobody lives forever, and everybody’s grave is equally as dark.”
The story is full of angst, sex, and deep emotions; packed with action and unexpected twists and turns. It’s everything I came to expect when reading one of L.J. Shen’s books, and yet it’s completely unique. I loved every word, every sentence, every paragraph, and every new chapter. This is one of those books you just. Can’t. Put. Down. Recommended read!
LJ Shen has become my immediate one-click author. Her poetic, musical prose enchants you, while the gritty, dark subject matter reaches for your gut….hard. This brings us to one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I give it 5 (10 if I could) beautiful, bloody stars!!
LJ Shen writes her female characters beautifully broken, and in Prescott’s case, you can add ruthless, abused, and poised like a snake ready to strike at those who have wronged her. She finds herself on the wrong side of Kingpin, Godfrey, and associates. Without spoiling it for you, the damage they have inflicted upon Prescott is life-altering and irreperable.
Enter Nate, a.k.a. Beat, a dark hero with a past just as tragic, and his own vendetta against a common enemy. LJ Shen paints a quiet, calculating machine that you can’t help but to fall head over heels in love, lust, and infatuation with.
Ignite the attraction between these two, paired with revenge, redemption, and a slim hope to lead a different existence. LJ Shen takes you on a detailed account of a war where she simultaneously has you watch the bodies pile up, and get plowed by the romance. Prescott and Nate make Bonnie and Clyde look like sophmoric amateurs.
Once you think you can’t hold anymore depravity in your head, Shen takes it to where you never saw it coming. To believe it, you NEED to read this book!
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
Hot damn what a wild ride!
There is a lot that happens in the story, it sucked this girl right in. It’s fast paced, action packed, heartbreaking, intense to the fourth power, and for sure heavy on the violence. I mean come on, the title of the book has the word blood in it. She’s not talking about a paper cut here, people.
I’m a fan of the dark side, so if you want light and fluffy, uh yeah, no. Don’t read this.
P.S. Dear Nate,
In the beginning I wanted to hate you, but like Chaka Khan sang “I feel for you, I think I love you.” *so swoony* Oh yeah, Cockburn is da bomb!
Love, me
Wow!!! I’m not quite sure how to write a review for this book. It was brutal, dark, dirty, gritty and everything in between. Yet, there was hope, joy, love, laughs and a second chance for the characters to live a different life without the need for revenge and destruction. This book was certainly unlike any other I’ve read before which made me finish this story in one sitting. It was that fantastic! Prescott was a strong female character; she definitely went through a lot at the hands of Sebastian, Godfrey and Camden. Camden loved her in his own very twisted way but karma is the best revenge when it comes to him. Nate, well you will know exactly how I feel about him when you read this story, which you definitely need to do if you enjoy a good mafia type story. No words are need when it comes to describing Nate’s character. This is not a lovely dovely type read, the characters are twisted and out for revenge, so if you love a good dark and dirty read this is the book you need to pick up. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next and in case you’re wondering this book is a standalone.
There are Passionate killers that feel anguish and guilt afterwards , beg and probably, maybe you’ll be spared – Camden Archer
There are killers that enjoy killing , turn off the enjoyment, probably, maybe you’ll be spared- Godfrey Archer
Then there’s dark, quiet switcher killers. They switch off, to them killing is a job to be done, so you can’t plead o their conscience or soul as they don’t have any – Nathaniel /Nate/Chris/Beat
And look at the irony , Prescott Burlington-Smyth has been assaulted by all three!
Godfrey raped her , abused her.
Camden seduced her , destroyed her.
Nate /Beat was used by her but she fell for him.
The story travels at breakneck speed, I didn’t lose interest even once. It’s basically a story about a broken girl looking for revenge and how she uses every weapon in her arsenal to exact it . There are certain loopholes in the plot but the action, hot sex , crazy funny one liners more than make up for it . So I’ll give it 4.5 stars.
I wish there were some chapters in flashback about her torture so we could relate more to her obsessive quest for revenge.
secondly , the fact that mighty Archers were so easily vanquished by her , was a bit superfluous.
Other than that it’s a perfect story . Very “vi keeland meets kl lynn” types !!!
I loved in particular, Leigh ‘s command of language. She has a very sharp witty brain and she easily plays with words that colour the story vibrant. Like how she describes falling in love of Nate .
Crashing. Not falling . Falling takes time. I’m thrown into whatever this is, crashing fast, hitting every goddamn branch of the Feelings Tree on my way down before hitting rock bottom with a chilling sound . Landing so hard, I leave a fucking dent in the shape of my heart.
The story is full of very slick lines, a huge refreshing change and I thoroughly enjoyed it !
Love, love this book. Just fabulous. Another I read several years ago but cannot forget. It’s time to read it again. It’s that good! Terrific strong bada$$ characters and a great storyline. Action, adventure and sexy romance. The sex Is so hot! Read twice!
I honestly had no clue what this book was about before starting it, but I’ve loved all of the other books by LJ Shen……and I definitely was not disappointed by Blood to Dust. There were so many twists and turns with Nate & Prescott’s story…..I’m still in a bit of shock over everything that happened. This is not your typical romance story – yes, there is plenty of hot & steamy scenes……but this book is full of darkness and it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. Some of the characters in this story are some of the most vile and vicious that I’ve read….but ultimately, good always will win over evil. I’m glad that Nate & Prescott were able to create something beautiful out of something so chaotic and dark.
Prescott Burlington-Smyth spent most of her early years with a silver-spoon highlighting her every move. Unfortunately, when she meets the wrong man, deep dark family secrets destroy her family, and she is left hidden in the shadows ready to retaliate when all the stars align. She knows deep down that she will get her chance.
Nate Vela was broken early. His time in the big house at a young age hardened his soul. He’s got nothing, and the underworld easily pulls him in. He knows what he is doing is wrong, but he has nothing to love, until she becomes his problem. She seeps underneath his skin and warms his cold young heart. Now he faces a whole new dilemma, save her and risk himself or ignore his deep desire and let her rot, the choice isn’t difficult if he follows his heart.
L.J. Shen’s twisted tale of two young souls lost in the grips of the Central California drug lords web tells a chilling story of survival after all faith is lost. Shen details the dirty little secrets of Prescott and her ugly involvement with the Godfrey family. Prescott’s story is one of innocence lost, and the struggle to empower oneself to regain and win over the injustices befallen a soul adrift. Shen’s interwoven story of Nate, the epitome of the socio-economically challenged class from birth whose self-worth could be placed in a thimble, only further depicts how the human condition grows when cared for properly. His growth from out of control and unfocused matures out of the realization he is worthy of another’s love. While Shen’s story is depicted through unconventional and unjustified law breaking order in the traditional sense, it does provide the hierarchical structure of the underworld’s power struggles and the rise to justice within the underbelly. Blood to Dust truly is the new age Bonnie and Clyde of the drug world.
Wow! Another Great dark read form L.J. Shen. She knows how to draw you in and keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the darkness of the story! This is such a dirty love story and will have your e-readers fogging up with the hotness. This is filled with so many emotions. If you like dark reads this one is a MUST!!!
Happy Reading Everyone!!
I’ll get right to the point here and say flat-out that this is an amazing story with awesome characters, so good I’ve read it more than once. I’ve read everything in the LJ Shen catalog and this is one of my favorites. It’s very different from her usual plot but it’s a fast-paced book with an intriguing premise and characters you shouldn’t like but can’t help loving.
Prescott Burlington-Smyth is the most badass, kick ass heroine ever written, better than any superhero. She grew up rich with an absentee mother and her corrupt politician father. The only good thing in her life was her brother, Preston, who was disowned by his parents at eighteen when he came out to his family. He disappeared shortly thereafter and finding Preston is the only reason Prescott has stayed in California because there’s nothing she wants more than to leave this life behind. A few years back, she fell in love with the son of her father’s business partner and she had no idea what she was getting into with Camden Archer.
He’s the son of organized crime boss Godfrey Archer and Prescott suffered unimaginably at his hands, first as his naive young lover and later as his captive. She managed to escape from him at one point, taking enough of his dirty money to disappear across the Atlantic and start a new life in New York City but her own father ratted her out the Archer. He begged her to come home because her brother was missing and she’d felt guilty leaving him at home when she moved to London with Camden, so she went back to California against her better judgment only to find Archer and his henchman waiting for her. Prescott is resourceful and managed to escape captivity. She collaborated with a local motorcycle club who had a drug territory beef with Archer’s organization. Camden, Godfrey and Godfrey’s right hand, Sebastian, were supposed to die that night, but Camden escaped while the others went to prison and they’ll never stop hunting Prescott. She survived on the streets of Stockton for a bit, selling drugs stolen from Archer in the failed massacre attempt but they’ve managed to find her once again.
Prescott is now being held hostage by two low-level soldiers. She sees an opportunity with Nate “Beat” Vela and tries to convince him that they should be allies. When that doesn’t work, she seduces him and her new plan is foolproof. Not only is she young and beautiful, Nate was recently released from prison and he’s a young guy full of testosterone who’s been denied female contact for years. His story is almost as sad as hers. Nate’s a good guy who went to prison for defending his mother from his viciously abusive father. He hasn’t had an easy life and he’d kill again in a heartbeat but Nate has standards and is only violent to those who deserve his wrath. It’s vigilante justice but Nate is a likable, sympathetic character and I was rooting for him the whole time.
They forge an alliance to seek vengeance on those who have wronged Prescott, with a specific plan to split up at a certain point and go separate ways. It has to happen so they can stay alive and out of prison, but they quickly develop feelings for each other and that could cost them everything. This isn’t a story for the faint of heart and it’s a nail-biter. This is one of those books you read through in one sitting because it’s impossible to walk away from for any length of time. There’s a lot going on and too much at stake, so this isn’t a casual read of a chapter here, a few pages there. This book hooks you right from the start.
The tension is almost unbearable in some parts and the sexual tension between these two is off the charts. It’s a very steamy read and the love scenes are some of Shen’s best. It’s a story of loss and suffering and redemption and it’s worth every minute of your time.