Cruel Sanctuary: An Enemies to Lovers, Dark Mafia Billionaire Romance (Wages of Sin Book 1)

I don’t read many mob filled books but this one grabbed my attention right away. And I fell for both Damon and Aislinn.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Aislinn Granville has been given an impossible task. Damon King is a self-made man. He’s also very sure of himself. I loved that the author let him tell us exactly who he is. I also liked that we get his impressions of Aislinn.

Loved the battle of wills. It had me looking forward to seeing who was going to break first. It’s also a story that teases and just causes questions to constantly pop into my head. Damon was very good at keeping both Aislinn and us off kilter. The suspense the author creates does the same and I don’t mind. Early on I became hooked and there was no way that I was putting this book down until I was done.

Besides the great main characters, the author has some secondary characters that I could picture actually existing. With all the things coming out in the news lately, they would fit right in. It was interesting to see which people had a conscience and which did not – especially when it came to those they love. I have to tell you that the ending had me screaming. But the worst part is that I have to wait over a month to find out if my questions get answered – I’m not a very patient person.

I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Cruel Sanctuary by Tara Leigh is book One in The Wages of Sin Duet. This starts the story of Aislinn Granville and Damon King.
Aislinn is in need of protection and not to happy about it. Damon is brought in to protect her, and there is a instant spark between the two. Damon is the dark anti-hero type man who is somewhat harsh at times to Aislinn. Since this starts their story there is another book that picks up where the cliffhanger leaves us, the next book is ‘Corrupt Savior’.

Damon King, his last name says it. King of the criminal underworld, with a thirst to make things right. He’s followed Aislinn for years without her knowing it and now finds her in the cross hairs of the most evil of people. So he takes her in to protect her, what he doesn’t anticipate is falling in love with her. There’s a lot of back and forth between them as Aislinn isn’t a sit down and take it kind of woman, she gives as good as she gets. This book is a Chess board of who’s playing who. And fair warning it ends with a bit of a cliff hanging so be prepared to read book # 2.

This was my first book by Tara Leigh and I really loved it! Damon is HOT!! Aislinn is a sassy spitfire that is in danger and Damon has been tasked to keep her safe but he has secrets that he isn’t telling her. I’m excited to dive into book two.

5 “Captor and Savior” stars

*ARC kindly provided by the author and I’m leaving an honest review*

Angsty
Passionate
Intense
Heartfelt
Emotional
Suspenseful
Dark romance
Gripping
Off the charts chemistry
Hot damaged alpha
Sassy Heroine
Amazing and unconventional love story

This book (and series) should read every dark romance and romantic suspense lover. I liked everything about this book and writing which just flowed and had me engrossed to the story from start to finish wanting to find out what happens next. I enjoyed every minute of it and never wanted it to end. The synopsis is just the surface of what it is about. It has so much depth, powerful, effortless (and at times dark) storytelling. I loved that it was written in dual POV so I know what both characters – Aislinn and Damon – were thinking at the specific time or moments. It was well developed, well written and well thought out. The author knew how to develop, create the storyline and make you fall in love with her words, plot and the characters demanding your attention. What I loved about this story is that we got to see an underground world – perilous, dark parts of the world filled with corruption, violence, betrayals and lies – not just an unconventional love story between the two main characters and their background. It was enjoyable read with so many twists and turns, while delivering an intense (dare I say maybe forbidden) and passionate romance / love story between Damon and Aislinn that I devoured in one sitting. It was steamy, dark and suspenseful romance. The characters are brilliant and so likeable.

Damon King is a fixer and a hacker. When problem occurs or mess is made he is the one who is called to solve them. He calls himself a devil, a king and Manhattan is his playground. He didn’t have an easy childhood and he fought to survive. Damon is also an enigma but so alluring. I was drawn to him immediately wanting to know more about him, his background and why he is the way he is. He carries a lot of guilt from his past. He doesn’t like to be vulnerable because in his world that means weakness. In my opinion, he may be a lot of things, but he is so complex and layered character – everything he did is in order to survive in this cruel world. He thinks he doesn’t deserve love. He is used to get what he wants. Damon is intelligent, calculated, cold, lethal, cruel, controlling, dominating, stubborn, mysterious, intriguing, charming, alluring but loving, caring, vulnerable, damaged, devoted.

Aislinn is a political strategist. She left her job to help her father’s political campaign. When the trouble appears her father expects Aislinn to get him out of it and to cover it up. His actions and greed put her in danger. I loved her immediately. She knows what she wants and what she stands for. She is strong (strong-willed), brave, a fighter, a survivor, moral, feisty, a spitfire, smart, stubborn, sassy, confident, proud, but also vulnerable and damaged.

Damon and Aislinn are amazing together. I loved their first meeting and their immediate physical, fiery attraction and off the charts chemistry. They are each other’s match. Loved how they were constantly trying to one up each other and push each other’s limits. Damon is trying to protect her from the mess Aislinn’s father got her into. At first she doesn’t trust him that he is telling the truth that there is a threat against her. She is confident she can handle herself without his help. But Damon is determined to keep her safe and protect her. They know they shouldn’t feel attracted to each other, but they do, it’s unavoidable. Maybe they don’t make sense but when they are together – they are just perfect and exactly what they need in order to heal and move on from the scars of their past; even though they aren’t aware of that yet. I love their moments and dialogues. They have preconceived opinions about each other but when they finally let on the glimpses into who they really are, they notice that they are similar: just two scarred people who are trying to let go of the past and start living. Like Damon said: they are not broken just bent, they survived and they thrived.

One word: INCREDIBLE! Completely adored Cruel Sanctuary! I can’t wait for the sequel and to see what happens next. It was sinfully sexy and intense, heartbreaking, heart pounding and action filled story, emotional and enthralling, with a lot of twists, turns, shocking secrets, real characters and a lot of heart. I highly recommend it.

Aislinn Granville is running the mayoral campaign for her father, James, until she learns about a
recording that ties him to the underground of New York City. As the District Attorney he is supposed to
be cracking down on criminals and not giving some of them a break.
Damon King is coming in to help fix the mess that James Granville has created and to keep Aislinn safe
from Hugo Cruz and the Los Muertos cartel whom James has been cracking down on.
Aislinn isn’t too keen on being kept a prisoner by Damon but soon realizes that the threat is real. As
Aislinn and Damon begin to get closer they face a few obstacles and many secrets.
Can Damon keep Aislinn safe when she is determined that she doesn’t need Damon protecting her?
This was a great book and I enjoyed it from start to finish and can’t wait for the next book!
Aislinn was a great character as she had morals and wanted as far away from her father when she learned what he was up to. Yet then she met Damon who lived by his own set of rules and as she began
to get closer to him she was living the way she hadn’t wanted to and in a sense was torn.
Damon was awesome and dark. He had been watching and wanting Aislinn for so long and was going to make sure that Hugo never got his hands on her. Yet Aislinn brought out another side of him and he was torn between what to do as he never felt liked he was good enough for Aislinn but then never wanted to
let go of her either.
The chemistry between Aislinn and Damon but they brought out the best and worst in each other with
so much uncertainty and lack of trust. Slowly that began to change but there were still so many secrets at play that you were never sure what was going to be revealed.
When Aislinn discovers how real the treat is I wondered how things would change. I liked how they each opened up about The Network and we got to learn more about each of their pasts.
I wondered how Aislinn meeting up with her former classmate, Sebastian Cruz, would alter things and if he was involved in what his father was. When Chad messafed Damon and Aislinn saw it, I knew it wasn’t
going to be good.
The end of the book leaves you on a total cliffhanger and now I have to anxiously wait for the next one! By Rebecca

This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased, honest opinion.

This wasn’t the story for me. I understand this had a darker theme and the author was going for an antihero type of guy but it just didn’t work. He was way too controlling and possessive in my opinion. I had issues with the whole watching her before he even met her, wanting to claim her before he knew her, etc. It was just too much for me.

This story also features insta-love which I’m not a huge fan of. These characters fall for each other (one did before they even laid eyes on each other) so fast that it’ll leave you scratching your head wondering what’s going on.

Aislinn Granville is the daughter of district attorney James Granville. James is also planning to run for mayor in the near future. Aislinn is a political strategist so she quits her job to help her father on the campaign trial. Things happen and Aislinn ends up being in the crosshairs for some not so nice guys. This is where bad boy Damon King comes into play. He’s known as the King who handles just about everything in the city. He’s built quite a reputation and everyone knows not to mess with him.

The problem with Damon is him being obsessed with Aislinn. It mentions him spying on her through her laptop among other things that just creeped me out. I liked how he had all this power and did anything and everything he could to protect Aislinn but the rest of him…..I could do without.

Overall, this story had potential. I just needed Damon toned down and less stalker vibes.

Cruel Sanctuary is first book in this duet from another new to me author. The story started when Aislinn found out that her father is a corrupt man trying to shake down the Los Muertos cartel for more money and to further his chances of being a mayor of Manhattan. On the same day, her father gave her to Damon King, the fixer and the true ruler of Manhattan for her safety. Sparks fly when this “good girl” meets the “bad guy” in a story full of corruption, underground dealings, lies and deceits.

I like Aislinn character’s because given her former job, she tried to stay morally correct and made a stand against her father’s wrongdoings. Damon, is the exact opposite of Aislinn, as he lives, breathes and thrives in the corruption. It is the foundation of his business, his empire. Sizzling chemistry and undeniable attraction sprang between them that had my e-reader melting with heat. LOL.

I have a few questions and some mysteries that I think will be answered and revealed on the next book. Over all, this was an enjoyable read with great amount of steamy hot scenes and mysteries that will have you thinking way into the night. I cannot wait to dive in to book 2 because that was one heck of an ending!

DREAMY’S REVIEW

Cruel Sanctuary by Tara Leigh is my first book ever by her and she did not disappoint! This is one of those books that you open up and devour in one sitting! The minute her characters came to life on the pages, I was consumed!

I loved both the main characters in this book, Aislinn Granville and Damon King!

Two completely different people from different world. A mixture of darkness and light.

*****

““Who are you?” The question is muffled, her door still slightly shut. That’s a loaded question with several answers. Who am I? Hacker. Criminal. Murderer. A thvg in a ten-thousand-dollar suit.”

Damon King is my favorite type of anti-hero! (And let me tell you, I love my anti-heroes HARD!) He was a demanding, bossy, and a ‘tell it to you straight’ type of man! He’s damaged, but underneath all of that, he IS a hero. He has a heart, even if it’s black and dark! He is sexy AF and on my list of BBFS!

But I have to say, I FLOVED Aislinn Granville so much more. She’s feisty, sassy, strong-willed, and a spitfire with a mouthpiece! She’s not a doormat for any man, not even her father. And with all of that, she has a heart of gold and is also sweet and kind and caring!

“Aislinn is strong and fiesty. Confident and haughty. A lioness that purrs like a kitten when stroked just right.”

The minute these two got together, it was steamy AF! It’s hate-lust at its best with sexual tension burning down the roof!

I could NOT, I mean COULD NOT get enough of them. The flirty banter, the push and pull, the heated arguments, and the tender moments… I was completely taken by them!

“Darkness is where I thrive. Dark minds. Dark rooms. Dark hearts. Except that my heart doesn’t feel so dark anymore. Aislinn has brought light into my life. Maybe it’s only fitting that I bring some darkness into hers.”

*****

Tara Leigh has a way with words, it’s addictive! I highlighted almost half this book! She keeps you engaged with how descriptive she writes!

Cruel Sanctuary does end on a cliffhanger! If you’re into delayed gratification like me, I’d say give this go! But if you want to wait until the duet is complete, Corrupt Savior comes out very soon!

Four and a half dreamy stars: