Sign on the dotted line… Bateman.
Lawyer acting on behalf of Mr. Whiskey
I stare at the letter I received attached to the contract in disbelief.
A one night stand who’s now blackmailing me—the daughter of a senator!
If he thinks he can extort anything from me with his perversions, he can think again.
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A moment of freedom in the restrained existence that is Carla Star’s life, has come back to bite her in the proverbial butt!
Her memorable one night stand is now blackmailing her into marriage and her world is now in turmoil! Cue the devious antihero that is Corton Whiskey.
This enemies to lovers storyline had me intrigued from the get-go and this really is another page turner from this author who revels in hero-heroine conflict and the darker side of romance.
Though on this occasion, for me, it didn’t quite reach it’s potential with what felt like a rushed, and at times inconsistent story.
“Whiskey” as a character never seemed properly formulated; I didn’t really get a feel for who this man was beyond his quest for vengeance, which I would have thought, through learning of Carla’s true nature would soften some, and we’d see some recognition of this in his actions, but it wasn’t well voiced.
Carla saved this book for me though, she was steadfast and strong willed enough that even in those times where she gave in to Whiskey she still maintained her dignity, despite some of their exchanges being decidedly mercurial and full of inconsistency.
Their chemistry however is not in question, and there are some spectacularly hot scenes to revel in throughout the story!
Their journey from hatred to love progressed well but with the unveiling of his motive behind the marriage, which was a little flimsy (I was just waiting for more?), their conclusion and reconciliation did fall a bit flat unfortunately.
A quick, enjoyable enough read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review.
Sign on the dotted line….
I, Carla Star, agree to marry you, Corton Whiskey, on the date supplied in the attached contract. In signing this document, I agree that I shall not, by any means, try to break this contract. I understant that if I do, the envelope held in escrow will be released to the parties identified within the contract, and I shall forfeit my right to the privacy currently afforded to me by the aforementioned Mr. Corton Whiskey.
Aubrey Bateman
Lawyer acting on behalf of Mr. Whiskey
I received this contract, hand-delivered, and I’m now staring at it in disbelief. Me, the daughter of a senator, is being bribed by a one night stand. If he thinks he can blackmail me with his perversions, he can think again.
This is a great addition to the Cocky Hero Club Series. I loved reading it and could not put it down. Here we meet Carla who for the first time in her life lets her hair down and has a one night stand. Little does she know at the time that this one time deal is going to come back to bite her in the butt big time. Whiskey is out for revenge and Carla is about to be his pawn. Carla is the daughter of a Senator so you can imagine how her life has been when everyone in the world loves to watch and gossip about a politician and their families. They need to be perfect. And life has never been easy for Carla. However that doesn’t keep her from being feisty and giving as good as she gets. She never in a million years saw the man she had the one night stand with coming back into her life with a contract that forced her to marry him. Whiskey is hot…..so smoking hot. I can totally see why Carla let her hair down and had that one night stand. But Whiskey is on a mission and for a year he want’s to be married to Carla. Then they can divorce and go their separate ways. However he will not tell her why or what is going one. I thought these two had some of the most amazing chemistry. I don’t even know that hot is a strong enough word to describe what these two have going one. I loved them. They are great characters on their own but throw them together and they are epic. I loved that they grew in this book. That hate just might turn to love and that the book is so good you will never ever be able to put it down. You do not want to miss this book.
5 RICH GIRL STARS!! So much love for this one!! Whiskey and Carla hit all my emotion buttons…I loved how feisty Carla was and how Sexy Whiskey is, but I would not expect anything less from T.L. Smith. I know when I pick her books up, I will get a 5 star read. Go ahead and 1-Click you will not be sorry.
When Carla let’s her hair down and has a one night stand she has no idea how bad it’s going to come back to bite her. Corton is on a quest for revenge and Carla is about to be his pawn. I loved Carla, she was definitely super sassy and the chemistry these two had seeped off the pages.
The Queen of Alpha-holes to heroes strikes again.
I loved this book. A great read.
Great leading lady who I knew would give as good as she got!
Cruel Beloved
Cocky Hero Club Series
T.L. Smith
I was really into this story and fell in love quite instantly! I fell in love with the characters and their banter! The story flowed very well and I didn’t want the story to end! There were a lot of emotions that I experienced throughout- anger, sadness, happiness. Very well done! Great job!
“The pure venom, it’s leeching out of her. She wants to swear at me, I know she does. Actually, I think if that perfectly perfect persona wasn’t firmly in place she would reach out and head-b*** me into the middle of next week.”
“It’s because you make me smile when I didn’t know I needed to.”
“When you smile, my heart does this stupid pitter-patter I didn’t agree to.”
“I didn’t love you straight away, I just knew I wanted you.”
“I’d give it all up to you. I want you to know that.”
This book is part of the cocky hero club series. This book can be read as a stand-alone. Corton and Carla have great chemistry. The plot for this book is simple and eyecatching. This book is a pageturner you won’t be able to put this book down.
Loved the story of Cotton and Carla! Their chemistry is off the charts and it’s TL Smith so you know it’s hot. Easy to read and not a bunch of unnecessary drama or angst. This book was awesome, 5-stars, for sure!
What do you get when you have a incredibly hot one night stand and a forced marriage?? You get
Cruel Beloved by T.L. Smith! I absolutely DEVOURED this book!! Whiskey and Carla have intense chemistry and while they don’t always like each other, it’s still very pallible. Their hate/love relationship is very intense!
But what’s so great about this story is the unique storyline that will captive you from the start. You will see how both Whiskey and Carla both evolve throughout this beautifully written story. Can they overcome all their obstacles to get to a happily ever after?
A 5 star must read!
This book is – IMO – not a very typical T.L. Smith story. However, it’s enemies to lover at it finest. You’ll find witty, feisty and bossy characters with great side-kicks.
When a book gives you so many mixed feelings (like anger, sadness and the need to scream or to punch something), that means to me the book got through to you. So, yes, it got me. It took some time to get used to the characters and to feel their chemistry/attraction, but once I got there, I couldn’t stop reading.
For my liking, this book could have been a little darker. Whiskey could have been a touch more cruel, even though he did a pretty good job to do this book title justice.
And I loved that you have been guessing, why Whiskey did what he did until the very end. T.L. Smith did a pretty good job here in keeping you captivated and dedicated to the story and its characters.
Cruel Beloved is a spicy, edgy and suspenseful drama that you surely don’t want to miss out!
You will not be able to put this one down! When a senators daughter, Carla Star, receives quite the contract In the mail, well shock would be a mild reaction. Always trying to please her father she decides on a wild night for herself but who knew that would change her path a year later. She is sent a contract to be married to Corton Whiskey, but why? Who is the mystery man she met the year prior and what does he really want? Corton thought he knew what he was getting into until this feisty red head changed that thought process. When secrets, lies, blackmail and high running emotions combine, sometimes it just might be the right recipe to finding yourself. This is absolutely fantastic from page one to the very end! Corton Whiskey is delicious and I loved how strong Carla is. Inspired by Cocky Bastard, this is part of the cocky hero club world, a collection of stories based off of the books by Keeland & Ward. A must read enemies to lovers !Told in dual POV
T.L Smith is one of my favorite dark authors, she is the best! So when I read she was part of this new serie I was on board and eager to read her story. It was a refreshing book, I had no idea what was going to happen next and kept me up at night waiting for the end. To say that now I’m craving Whiskey would be an understatement LOL. The chemistry between the characters is explosive and that love and hate relationship just hot! Different to what she usually writes but as I said a refreshing book and a perfect addition to this awesome Cocky Hero Club. 5-I want to get drunk with Whiskey-stars
loved Whiskey and carla
intense emotional beautiful broken love story
cant wait for more
What an amazing story. I loved Whiskey and Carla. After a night of amazing sex with a stranger, all she knows that it was the best night of her life and she will never see him again, that is until a year later she comes face to face with him and her father at a gala she’s forced to attend to uphold her father’s reputation.
The attraction and spark are there for sure, but Corton Whiskey is up to something and it can’t be anything good. He’s an enigma, he’s a protective alpha and is out for one thing and trying to figure that out will have your head reeling, he has a plan that involves Carla and for her to even agree to it, he has to blackmail her into doing the unthinkable to save her family’s stature. It’s only a year with him, how bad can it be? He’s controlling, he’s hot as sin, she hates him for doing this to her and the worst thing is she doesn’t even know what he wants from her.
Whiskey is a jealous man, he won’t let anyone take what’s his and Carla is his for now, but when the air begins to shift between them, will they be able to come clean with their feelings or will Carla continue to push Whiskey’s buttons?
He never saw her coming, she’s changed everything for him and he can’t lose her. What happens when Carla finds out the reason she’s in this predicament in the first place? Will she run or will she give in? I received a copy of this book.
This is another fantastic story which I devoured as soon as it hit my kindle. Carla and Whiskey had a one night stand a year ago, and now he is back to blackmail this rich girl senators’ daughter to marry him for a year as he is on a mission of revenge. Carla is so much more that the rich girl she is perceived to be, and this feisty character gives Whiskey a run for his money. This is a beautifully written story which is intense and with secrets, twists, and off the charts chemistry which all had me totally enthralled throughout this addictive page turner. I cannot wait to read more form this gifted author and highly recommend her work for all.
This super sexy, forced marriage romance between the senator’s daughter and a billionaire out for revenge will keep you enthralled!
Corton Whiskey has an agenda. Unfortunately for Carla, she’s just collateral damage.
They met in a bar. Carla decided to let loose one time in her life and it comes back to bite her. A year later and that one night stand is going to lead to a little blackmail and a whole lot of sexual tension.
Whiskey wants her as his wife for one year, then they can divorce and go their separate ways. He won’t tell her why, but he has no problem forcing her to do it.
She may hate Whiskey for what he’s done to her, but her body did not get the memo. Regardless of how much she tells herself she hates him, she can’t help but want to tear his clothes off. They just need to survive the year and not catch feelings. The only problem is, Whiskey never expected Carla to be irresistible.
The chemistry is off-the-charts HOTTTT! The sexual tension is at max level!! These two are incendiary. The hate makes for an explosive union, but it doesn’t take long for hate to turn into so much more. Whiskey and Carla both evolve throughout the story. Carla finds the strength to stand up for herself and obtain the life she wants. Whiskey makes peace with the past, so that he can embrace a future with the woman who stole his heart. The obstacles they overcome to be together make their HEA even sweeter. LOVED IT!
Carla and Whiskey were perfect to read about. They were both cocky and witty with their push and pull and banter back and forth. Their story had a few surprising moments and kept me glued to the pages.
4.5 stars
Cruel Beloved will hook you in right from the start and you’ll find yourself completely absorbed in the story, well that’s what happened to me.
Corton Whiskey and Carla Star meet one night and as far as she is concerned it’s a one-night stand, move right along situation, however, things aren’t quite the way it seems.
Straight up I have to give a special mention to a secondary character, Emma. She is outrageously fantastic in every way with her bold actions and sassy mouth. Onto the lead characters, Carla-she too is a feisty, strong woman who does have a backbone and I enjoyed when she stood up to Corton. I empathised with her but could see the chemistry between her and Whiskey was hot and bubbling. Now, Corton appears to be an arrogant rat and while he might be at times I felt for him because there was something going on behind why he’d blackmailed Carla… obviously! I didn’t like his tactics but I couldn’t hate him even though I tried, oh I tried.
There was a lot of emotions running throughout the story, everything from anger, sadness to happiness and shock. You definitely feel things with the characters and as stated it’s why I couldn’t dislike Corton. It’s one of the reasons for the extra half a star because this author really knows how to describe scenes and characters.
Another reason for the extra half a star is the terrific way the story flowed, I didn’t want it to finish and now would love a book based on Emma and Barry. I totally recommend this book to everyone who enjoys the enemies tho lover’s trope, especially as this has a twist.
T.L. Smith knows how to write alpha-holes and make you love them. In Cruel Beloved, Corton Whiskey is one of them.
Carla’s one night stand comes back to bite her in the butt one year later. Would she have done it if she knew it would lead to blackmail and a marriage she doesn’t want. All she has to do is sign the contract and her secret will be safe.
Whiskey is out for revenge and is willing to use Carla and the need to keep her secret to get it. He won’t tell her the reason until the end of the contract.
Will she agree? Will he stand by his word? Can she trust him?
I loved Carla and Whiskey’s relationship, even if it was forced and not what either of them wanted/expected. Their chemistry was HOT! They know how to get under each others skin and in the others pants. Whiskey for the most part was exactly what I expected for an alpha male, but he also had a softer side that was exposed when his feelings made a show.
Carla was fiesty, sassy and gave as good as she got. She didn’t let him control her, she made her own choices and it was refreshing to read.
Another brilliant read from T.L. Smith, one I refused to put down, one that hooked me from the start, one that shocked me in places, one that I would definitely recommend.
What can I say about this great Enemies to Lovers romance. It has to be one of my favourite tropes and I can honestly say you won’t be disappointed. As in the title this book is cruel, spiteful and just plain heartless.
Corton Whiskey is playing a game that only he and few know the reasons for. The main pawn Carla in his games knows nothing. Only that her life is being destroy by this calculating man. He’s motives remain his until the end. But by then they are playing an entirely new game. One that both hearts are beating for.
I had a lot of mixed emotions through this book. Anger, sadness and a pure need to scream and punch something. Carla is no pushover through this book, she stands her ground and pushes back just as much as Whiskey does. And although Whiskey is cruel, he had a living and kindnsifr to him. They say that hate is the closest thing to love. Well this shows this as totally true.
I totally recommend this emotion fuelled read that keeps you captivated and wanting answers. Right till the very end.