Counts of Eight (The Four Families Book 1)

Oh my gosh, Counts of Eight was simply breathtaking. Most of you probably already know how much I love dark romance. It’s one of my all time favorite genres, I just love it. When I learned about this new book in the genre but a new-to-me author a couple of weeks ago I immediately pre-ordered because it sounded right up my alley and I just had a feeling that I would really enjoy it. Now that I’ve read it I can happily say that the book exceeded my expectations because I loved it so much. I literally couldn’t stop reading. And this is why I finished the book in only a day and am already dying for the sequel that comes in September.

As I mentioned before this is one of my favorite genres to read so I’ve read my fair share of dark romance books. And I’ve got to say that Count of Eight wasn’t at all like I imagined it would be because of the story and especially the characters. I was very much happily surprised by this because it’s something I want from any book in any genre. I’m not going to explain the plot because I think you can get a better sense of it from the synopsis and I’m scared to give too much away but wow it was so good, people, SO GOOD!

Anya, Ezra and Nikolai were the main characters. Anya, especially, was in the spotlight the most. I loved reading about her. In the story she’s already the somewhat broken slave of Nikolai who obeys his every wish and command until Ezra arrived to be her newest dance partner. And Ezra? I adored him. Him and Anya were just perfection together. I loved their start, how they slowly grew closer and closer together and their chemistry as they danced. Just ugh, they gave me all the feels. Nikolai is kind of harder to explain. He’s definitely a villain, a monster even at times, but every now and then there would be this brief glimpse where he wouldn’t seem that bad, maybe even human. Although considering how the book ended I might have to rethink my statement there. He intrigued me though.

Reading new authors is always a shot in the dark but I’m very glad I gave this book and author a shot. The writing was absolutely wonderful. There are a few quotes I saved because they were just too beautiful and fascinating not to save. I will share some of them below. The sex scenes were also very well-written and so damn hot. I was practically on fire. So I’ve got no complaints in that department either. At all.

When I read dark romance I ususally go for authors like Pepper Winters or Skye Warren but I think I can definitely add Brynn Ford now to that list as well. I loved Counts of Eight and I’m so very excited (and kinda terrified) for the sequel, Dance with Death. I can’t wait to see what’s next for these characters.

Beautiful, heart-wrenching read between two dancers. Anya, the graceful ballerina, who had her life mapped out for her as a slave. Ezra, the next dancer her master, Nikolai, has chosen to be her partner in a deadly life.

Each must submit, but not whole submit. Each must mask their feelings and thoughts. Punishments abound as their desire for each other grows until their performance for the four families.

Towards the end, Nikolai’s POV chapter, quite different than what you began with and had me seeing him in “slightly” a different light until his mental wants “snap”….

One, two, three, four, five, six…….

Seven, eight….. ‘Til you Dance With Death

Anya’s thought, “Ezra is my sunshine after the snowstorm in my soul, a springtime thaw that makes the ice inside me a heavy puddle rushing desire through my veins.”
Two captive slaves. Two talented dancers. In a most dire life or death situation. Falling in love, while owned by the devil, a monster of an evil man. Very violent. Pain and torture. Humiliation and isolation. Very emotional. Very tense.
A very dark, very well told. The first book in this series.
A sharp cliffhanger. I’m off to read Book 2!

*First time reading author

The first thing I am going to say is heed the warnings. Brynn doesn’t back down with the story that she wants to tell. Counts of Eight is a dangerous, at times shows no mercy for the characters that are written, but can’t put down kind of book. As a first time reader I only had the blurb to go by so I had no idea what I was getting into. To be honest I am happy about that. So I won’t tell you much in my review. I want you to go into this blind like me. I will however tell you that this is a series to read, enjoy, embrace, and then sleep on.

Counts of Eight is a hard read, but I could not put down. I am a total fan of Brynn Ford for ever now.

The Four Families Book 1: Counts of Eight
Brynn Ford
Let me just say wow!!
The story plot alone will have u hooked.
I love reading Dark Romance.
This book will have u in your feelings.
This my first time reading from the author
I was not disappointed infact I was intrigued by the story content and the MC
What went through to survive was hard. Can’t wait to read book 2

This is such a great book It took me by surprise and I loved every single second of it.
Anya and Ezra are captives of Nikolais. Besides being his captives they are also dancers. Who would have ever thought that their lives would be held in the balance and determined by a huge performance. When Ezra comes in contact with Anua she has been broken completely by Nikolais and he just work to being down her walls. I dont want to give away anything about this book besides its amazing a a book that is different from any thing I’ve ever read. It’s also my first Brynn Ford book but it will not be my last

This captive book ripped me apart. How I’m still here? I don’t even know. I’m broken, not even kidding.
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Brynn Ford is a new to me author. This is such an intense, heartbreaking, emotional roller coaster. I had a vague idea of what the story was about from the blurb, because for once I actually read it, but diving in, I didn’t expect what I actually got.
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This book tore my heart out, not even kidding. I’ve read some high emotional and intense books, and this one? Is definitely a top 3. I’m in love with Ezra and Anya. Their story is dark, painful and is so captivating. Each character was beautifully written and developed, each have their flaws and so much depth after enduring what they do especially Anya having gone through more for longer.
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The plot is amazing. I knew this was a dark romance, but I didn’t know it was this gritty, dark and twisted. I loved the ride. I may not be able to function for awhile but it was well worth it. This world is new to me. I always love experiencing something new in books so this was great. I never knew there were this kind of slave which made me curious about the world so much more.
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I cannot wait to see where the story goes in the next book because that cliffhanger had me dead.

This is a new to me author and I will definitely be reading more. I really liked the writing style. The characters and storyline was fantastic, I was completely hooked from the start. I’ve read captive books before but this one is completely different. The cliffhanger has left me needing the next book straight away.
Highly recommend!

#arcreview #justreleased #countsofeight #netgalley .

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Counts of Eight – Brynn Ford Brynn Ford .

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Fair warning for the content of this book, it’s definitely confronting and harsh but it can happen in a crazy world of human traffick and keeping them as pets or slaves.

I can’t say I loved reading it because of the subject,
but it is very good and intriguing.
The way it is written; it sucks you in, you feel the despair and pain.

Nikolai; the ‘bad guy’ dark alpha basterd

Anya; his first, slave, stolen, strong, dancer.

Ezra; stolen time dance with Anya, naughty slave, friend

This book made feel all kinds of emotions and indeed as the author warned I wanted to throw my iPad away when I finished that cliffhanger
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Blurb;
All of my choices had been stripped from me except for one. Dance or die.

Three years ago, I was taken, stolen away, far from the world I knew, far from civilization. I became a slave, forced to serve one of the four families with my talent.

I’d been abused, battered, tortured in isolation. My master brought me men, partners for performance, but they failed to live up to the high standard of dance my master required.

Until one day, he brought me a new man. A blond-haired, green-eyed, dreamy new man who had no idea what was coming.

The men before him had disappeared. I presumed they were dead. I couldn’t afford myself the luxury of hoping they’d made it out alive because that would give me hope that I might someday do the same.

Hope was a dangerous thing and this new man’s spirit still thrummed with that electric spark of lightness. I would be the woman to strip that hope from him piece by tiny piece until he had none left. Only then could I control him, use him. Only then could I even consider the possibility of a predictable, complacent survival in this nightmare life.

And until that time came, I would make the only choice I was given the liberty of making.

Dance or die.

CONTENT WARNING: This book contains explicit sexual content, violence, and mature themes including scenes where consent is not sought or given. The author in no way condones such heinous acts.
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#bookreview #slave #dominanceandsubmission

Full review appeared at Reader’s Edyn on June 10, 2020

Anya is no longer living her life. She is merely surviving; doing what she has to so that she makes it through another day. Her dream had always been to become a principal ballerina and she was well on her way – until one fateful day when she was ripped away from the life she knew. Thrust into a dark world of brutality, the vileness of human trafficking, the relentless mental and physical abuse toward her and others, owned and ruled by a man who can only be described as a monster. She dares not hope for escape or any other kind of life outside of this one. Hope is dangerous and the punishments brutal. So for now, to avoid death, she dances. Although she will probably dance until she dies anyway. But her latest partner is like none she has encountered. Ezra kindles her spark – a flame she had let extinguish in the face of her horrific reality. That spark is a dangerous thing to have. But it also allows her to live again. Knowing her time is likely drawing to a close, she allows herself to get lost in Ezra and everything he represents – a life she could have had once upon a time. But even as her heart softens towards the rebellious dancer, the fear of their imminent demise is never too far from their minds. They have a performance to prepare for and once the curtain closes, so may their time together come to a tragic end.

Ezra doesn’t know what the he[[ has happened. Snatched away following a performance in Russia, he fails to completely grasp the seriousness of his new situation. A situation, he is told, that is also his new reality from which there is no escape. Ezra is now owned – a slave to Nikolai just as Anya is. He will not be broken, but as his rebellion causes Anya pain and abuse, he must fight to submit despite everything inside himself warring against the possession. The things he and Anya experience are made of nightmares. Things that couldn’t possibly be true, yet here he is in the middle of one. Determined to save the woman he is quickly coming to care for, he looks for any opportunity to escape. Wanting to provide Anya with anything she needs that is within his capability, he easily gives in to any desire she expresses despite the severe warning given to them by their Master. Refusing to believe their life is now in the hands of a madman, he still hopes for freedom and a life with Anya away from all of this horrifying sadism. But a beautiful night turns threatening, and it looks as if Ezra will lose Anya for good.

Nikolai – also known as the devil incarnate. He can and will do whatever he wishes. He takes what he wants and right out owns it in every way possible. He inflicts coerced pleasure and pain – but no matter how you slice it, it is abuse both physically and mentally. He’s hateful and evil and has no feelings or emotions what-so-ever. He’s damaged to the point that there will be no saving him. And even if he could be saved, he could never be trusted. He is the worst sort of human being ever. Or is he? Just when you think you have him figured out, the slightest snippet of the tiniest glimpse of humanity is revealed. Or maybe humanity is too big of a word to associate with Nikolai. Because anyone who treats people as he does – who does what he does to Anya – can’t have even the slightest shred of decency inside. Or can he?

Holy effing cliffhangers! What the actual eff just happened? I am brand new to dark romance. I may have read something at one time, but it did not make an impression enough for me to be able to recall it. But this … this twisted, jacked-up, edge of my seat, train-wreck in the making, disaster … I couldn’t get enough of it. And now I am wondering what the he[[ is wrong with me that I was so enraptured by such a demented read. I mean – sure – this kind of thing exists. We like to pretend that it doesn’t, but in reality, we know it does. It reminds me of the quote from The Greatest Showman – something like people don’t want to admit it, but they are fascinated with the exotic and macabre. It’s why they stare at it. It’s why – knowing I was headed straight for a disaster in the making – because yes, I did read the disclaimers and still I opted to read the book knowing how much I personally despise cliffhangers – I kept reading. Unable to look away. And now NPH is singing in my ear to “look away”. But no, I didn’t. And what’s more. I couldn’t. And beyond that, I won’t when the next book comes out. When is that, by the way? Because I need to reel myself in from that horrifying cliffhanger. What the he[[ kind of author does that to a reader? Oh yeah! One that knows her stuff. Because dang. I’m wrecked. I was so caught up in the misery that I didn’t even pay attention to picking out favorite lines or a vocabulary word as is my normal review custom. I mean this is something I do automatically and I just plain wasn’t capable of it while sucked into these pages.

Trigger warning – FIRST, you absolutely must read the disclaimers before reading this book/series. It isn’t pretty and for some, it will be impossible to stomach. SECOND There is abuse on several occasions – one instance even resulting in death – and r@pe; even kind of a double r@pe. This book is gritty and rough and graphic. It isn’t your average romance read. If that’s what you came for, then you will be sadly disappointed. I hated Nikolai and wished him nothing but death. I wished every single member of the human trafficking families a slow and painful death. They are nauseating people. Nothing about Nikolai and Anya was OK – yet Ezra and Anya provided the opposing light to Nikolai’s foreboding darkness. Somehow, even in this soul-crushing environment and against the worst sort of odds, a tale of a beautiful love was told. Ezra and Anya connected at the most fundamental level and became one another’s lifelines. In effect, they were each the reason for the other to survive another day; to push to keep going despite their precarious situation; not knowing if this day would be their last.; not knowing if they would have any time together beyond their performance. So they embraced what they could accomplish together, a comfort found in each other’s arms. Something so basic, but that had been denied to Anya for years. And Ezra could have continued to push back, but being a good person – something Nikolai could never aspire to be – he backed down to try and protect her. They were a beautiful couple born of tragedy and tiny triumphs that only they shared. A love that would span time and space even if separated, however unwillingly. And now, in the final scene of this first installment of what promises to be a whirlwind trilogy, their future is hanging on the brink of the edge of the worst possible scenario. A scenario that had me screaming well before it occurred for them to not allow certain things to take place. I knew it would happen and yet couldn’t look away. It was the worst reading experience of my life – knowing what words would appear and even still praying that they wouldn’t.

I don’t even know what else to say. I’m not sure I can take the emotional torment associated with a dark romance. And yet I crave more. I’m so conflicted. This book is going to sit with me for a long while. Likely until I can jump into the next book and hopefully attain a bit of peace following that gut-wrenching cliffhanger. And fricking Nikolai. Just when I was sure he was as evil as evil could ever possibly be – we get this tiniest of a tiny glimpse into what seemed like human emotion. I mean, WHAT? There is no redemption for him. Period. But it almost seemed like there could be. At one point I felt sorry for the douchenozzle. And promptly hated myself for it. Gah! Fricking mind-blowing hot mess! I still can’t quite wrap my head around all of it. And then I think – I shouldn’t want to wrap my head around it. It was seriously messed up. Yet here I am, arguing with myself again because I want to understand and my only hope of trying to get there is by finishing the series. I know it just as surely as I know I will likely be even more wrecked after the next installment. So here’s my bottom line. Dark romance is not for the faint of heart. It takes a particular kind of reader to enjoy such a twisted version of a love story. And I am beginning to believe that perhaps Nikolai was showing love in his own way despite how beyond backward his version is. If you read the disclaimer and this review and shudder over any part of it – and I’m not talking those delicious tingly shudders – then it’s more than likely not going to be a good match for you. If you want to see what dark romance is all about, then by all means. Check it out – but tread carefully. Those with delicate sensibilities are sure to run away screaming. And those that are a little bit twisted already – people like me – may find a new genre in which they find enjoyment.

Kindle version provided by Xpresso Book Tours/Author in exchange for an honest review.