Complete Innocence Boxset: a Dark Romance Trilogy

Marcus And Cora’s Mythology-Infused Journey Weaves A Dark Love Story Into A Suspenseful Read Set In New Olympus About Mobsters, Turf Wars, And Revenge. Marcus Grows Weary Of Waiting For Cora To Return, So He Takes Matters Into His Own Hands While Cora Works To Prove Herself A Strong, Independent Woman.

This is the Dark Romance Trilogy, or the Tales of Olympus series. It includes: Innocence, Awakening, and Queen of the Underworld. The series is plot-driven; books one and two end in cliffhangers.

From book one, Innocence:

Cora Vestian, nineteen, finally escaped the from home. She was raised off the grid by a rigid and overcontrolling mother who lectured about needing to protect Cora from the dangers of the world. She had kept Cora’s existence a secret to protect her, yet her own mother beat her and locked her away for days at a time.

Cora is the epitome of innocence when she makes her way from her remote farm to New Olympus without money or ID. She soon secures a nanny job. Bad luck seems to follow her, and when she finally makes friends and goes out, she ends up drugged and kidnapped. But she crosses paths with a handsome knight in shining armor, and her life soon becomes like a fairy tale.

Marcus Ubeli, thirty-two, is taken aback by Cora’s beauty when she enters his office, dirty and tattered. Her innocence reminds him of someone – and a debt is owed. He doesn’t do emotions and he isn’t going to start now, yet he can’t let Cora go. He is the perfect gentlemen with her, courteous and thoughtful. To everyone else, though, he is the cold Lord of the Underworld of New Olympus, a master manipulator and brutal crime lord in command of his own army, the Shades.

From book two, Awakening:

Four months have passed since Cora awoke in a hospital bed and overheard her husband’s words. His treatment of her after their wedding ceremony had nearly destroyed her. Her innocence is certainly long gone. But she finally thought they had a break though, and that the Marcus she fell in love with still resided somewhere inside the cold-hearted crime lord’s body. The unguarded words he had spoken in her hospital room to his second in command, Sharo, shattered that illusion.

Minus the bodyguards, Cora has a certain level of freedom now, so long as she behaves and performs her duties in the public eye. As for the bedroom, Marcus is often too busy to pay her much attention. Bereft of her dreams of true love and resigned to a loveless marriage, Cora is determined to make friends. She continues to volunteer with Maeve. Armand, her husband’s business partner, continues to hire her on occasion for modeling jobs and their friendship continues to grow. Cora makes a new friend of Olivia, who turns out to be a tech genius. Anna, a stripper, makes her way into Cora’s rather untraditional list of friends as well. Marcus might neglect her, but Cora is determined to keep herself busy and occupied in his absence.

Marcus is determined to keep order in New Olympus, even if that means neglecting his new bride until things settle down once again. She is a distraction, much to his chagrin. New Olympus depends upon him – it is a city with needs. Marcus learned that shutting everything down doesn’t work – it only invites unprincipled enemies in to fill the void. So he tries to satisfy the population by providing controlled indulgences while keeping his enemies at bay. He has been hard at work negotiating to bring in a new designer drug, but in the meantime the newest musical sensation, The Orphan, has been brought to town. Marcus has him for a two week engagement, headlining at his club, Elysium. The fans are ecstatic. Unfortunately, Marcus learns that The Orphan’s manager is an old acquaintance.

Years ago Marcus had rid New Olympus of the Titans, who now rule over nearby Metropolis. But AJ Wagner, a businessman affiliated with the Titans, has somehow wormed his way back in. Marcus has no choice but to allow AJ’s presence in the city for the duration of The Orphan’s contract. But with the big deal about to go down and an impending election, timing couldn’t be worse. Marcus’s philanthropy and businesses provide a nice cover for his nefarious activities, but the fragile nature of the dirty politics that his operations rely upon leaves an element of uncertainty.

From book three, Queen of the Underworld:

Two months have passed since Cora left her husband’s estate in the middle of the night. She had left word that she needed time alone to think and asked him to respect her wishes. For two months she and her new friend Anna have stayed with Olivia, having lots of girl time – and Armand often joins in as well. With his assistance, Cora has become an entrepreneur, beginning an event planning company and representing models. She no longer wants to be defined by her marriage to Marcus. At twenty, she is trying to figure out who she is and prove that she is a strong, independent woman. Although thoughts of Marcus have never left her, the nightmares of what led up to her leaving him still plague her, robbing her of the ability to sleep. She has yet to process what happened, but as time goes on, she begins to believe that she might have a future without him.

Marcus has given Cora two months. She had promised she would speak to him, but his patience has reached its limit. Cautious not to overwhelm her, he sees her at a gala. They don’t get that opportunity to talk things through, but he is not about to give up on his wife or his marriage. Things get complicated when Philip Waters demands payment for the confiscated shipment. Mayor Zeke Sturm has cut off all communication with Marcus, so he cannot arrange for its return, and hence cannot sell the goods and pay Waters. With the Titans in the background, salivating over an opportunity to get back into New Olympus, trust is at a deficit amongst the various players.

Marcus and Cora’s mythology-infused journey weaves a dark love story into a suspenseful read about mobsters, turf wars, and revenge. Both have transformed over the course of their courtship and marriage. Cora is no longer the timid girl who less than a year ago left her remote farm and learned about the outside world for the first time. And Marcus has developed an entirely new side, though he reserves it just for Cora. He is supportive and encouraging. His incredible patience gives young Cora the ability to choose him, to choose their marriage. Although he still is predisposed to act out on his possessive tendencies with regard to her, he is capable listening and learning.

While in book one the two dance around their feelings for one another under deeply emotional circumstances, in book two they fall into a pattern of denial and avoidance as they pursue their separate interests. Book three finds them even more distant as Cora remains in denial and the space the Marcus affords her leaves her unanchored. In the end, Marcus and Cora earn their happy ending. The prologue introduces several figures from the Beauty and the Rose series, whom the Ubelis meet at a gala.

Wow! Marcus and Cora’s dark and angsty story will leave you satisfied as the final book in the series comes to an end. The couple’s chemistry is incredible, and BDSM elements play a role. Their story is well-written. The plot is somewhat complex. It unfolds slowly, revealing surprises along the way. It takes place in the vivid world of New Olympus, which appears in other books by the authors as well. The characters are nicely defined. The story is written in third person. The POV alternates between Cora and Marcus, though book three has three brief chapters from Mayor Zeke Sturm’s POV and one in Armand’s. I rate this book 4.5 stars.