From USA Today Bestselling Author Dani René comes a new adult romance filled with lies, secrets, and steam!I hate her. I want Dahlia to pay. Tynewood is my town, and she doesn’t belong here. While rage fuels me, my blood burns with desire. I want vengeance, and I’ll get it. No. Matter. What. We’re on opposite sides of the battlefield — a poised flower, a raging warrior, and a mountain of secrets … a poised flower, a raging warrior, and a mountain of secrets between us.
I knew he was bad news the moment I laid eyes on him. Anger and lust swirl together when he looks at me, but I don’t know why. War has commenced, and as secrets unfold, it looks like the battle has only just begun. He wants to hurt me. He loves to see me cry.
What Ares Lancaster doesn’t realize is, I’m not afraid of the darkness inside him.
Lies. Revenge. Bloodshed.
When war comes to a head, nobody is safe from the destruction it leaves in its wake.
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I knew going into this that it was going to be an amazing read and start to what promises to be an amazing series… and I was not proven wrong. True to Dani, she went in hard with this book and delivered. I knew in a matter of words that I was hooked. I was completely hooked and as predicted, I couldn’t put it down until the very last word in the book.
Dani is known for her darker side of romances, the mystery, the unknown, the romances that will have you second-guessing everything you think you have pieced together and figured out. All too often I will think I know what’s about to happen, and then BAM… It takes a turn and she throws you into a plot full of twists and turns you seriously don’t see coming and this book was just the same.
Ares Lancaster and Dahlia Milton were insanely intense right from the start. The heat, the passion, the lust, hate, pain, heartache, all of it… It was consuming. Dahlia has become a ploy, she is the key to Ares getting revenge on the death of his mother, but he Ares did not expect what happened. She isn’t what he expected. Not even a little bit, and the feelings he finds he has for this woman threw him off track. Threw him in the opposite direction that he actually planned his plan to go. He went into this wanting to take her for revenge, to right the wrongs others had done to his family and himself… But that all went to shit when he met Dahlia. But is this thing? Passion? Lust? Love? is it enough to stop him? Can love really trump all, conquer all? Or will he get the revenge he has been seeking?
This book was one hell of a ride and kept me on my toes all the way through. The suspense, the mystery, the hatred, the betrayal, the lust, the heat, the obsession, the need, the fucking angst… But when I say angst, I don’t mean this to be a slow burn, because it most certainly was not that. It was full force from the moment I started reading and it had my heart pounding and my palms sweating. I devoured this bad boy.
I am so eager to see what Dani has up her sleeve next!
LOVED IT!
5 Stars!
Dani has done it again and proven why I am a sucker for anything she writes. Dahlia and Ares story dug its claws into me deeper and deeper with every word. It’s everything you expect and more. I cannot wait to see where Dani takes us with the rest of this series. Yet another amazing book by an an amazing author.
As the story unfolds, and truths are exposed, more questions are left unanswered. Cruel War has this eerie, secretive, riddle-filled vibe to it. It’s quite enjoyable! *insert evil laugh*
Woah! Now what a read this was! Dani Rene killed this story, secrets, lies and revenge. What else do we want in a story? Well there is so much more, a definite must read! Ares and Dahlia are at opposite sides, he grew up to hate someone he didn’t even know. She is one hell of a match for him, she is a little spitfire, and these two definitely keep us readers wanting to read more.
Dahlia and Ares are part of a war neither of them knew existed. Nor did they want to be apart of it. But when we are born into a family we don’t always get what we want. But do we have to follow what our ancestors did? Isn’t change a good thing. Dani brings us on this crazy ride of the Gilded Sovereign and everything that comes with a secret society. But getting to know Dahlia and Ares made the ride so worth it. I can’t wait to find out more about this sovereign and they people who are part of it.
Cruel War (The Gilded Sovereign, #1)
I always love Dani’s writing.
The characters feel so real amd it’s really easily to get into these characters. Amazing story
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I loved this book! It’s filled with mystery and intrigue. Secrets, so many secrets. When Dahlia came to Tynewood she never dreamed how her life would be turned upside down. She was marked as soon as she arrived. Ares was bent on getting revenge for his mother’s death through Dahlia. But something happened along the way. Can hate be turned into love? Absolutely loved the story. A must read.
GAAAHHH, THIS IS AMAZING!!!
Love, lust, anger and angst are a few things that comes to mind when I think about this book.
It consumes you in its entirety, I couldn’t put it down.
Ares set my soul on fire, hes angry and bitter and hellbent on revenge, Dahlia is strong and sweet and is caught in the crossfire.
Go read this now!!
Cant wait for what comes next!!
Ares and Dahlia are just FIRE!!!!! What a way to start this series!!!! I cannot wait to read more!!!! Dani Rene always holds me with every single book she writes!!!! She is absolutely brilliant!!!!
Enemies to lovers with a difference. Dani never disappoints with her stories she always gives the reader the unexpected. Ares and Dahlia have a story of intrigue and secrets that kept me guessing. Almost every page reveals new twists and some draw dropping revelations. There is so much more to come from this series.
This story is intense – there are lies, secrets, and half-truths that made revealing them even more intriguing.
Ares is a God in his town along with his friends they rule it. Found families are above all others. Those boys/men are hard, dark and sexy.
Dahlia just moved to the Tyewood, but she doesn’t know anything about the past and her family. What is her role in everything, And why the most powerful man in the school had set his eyes on her!
The War had started long ago – who will survive its fire and find out the truth that was buried for so long?
I love New Adult books with darker themes and angst! If you do as well this one is for you!
Cruel War by Dani René is book number one in René’s latest series, The Gilded Sovereign! I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to BETA read this one as well as receive an ARC and OMG ya’ll! This is one series I can NOT wait to continue! Dani René is one of my top one-click authors but Cruel War, WOW! I had high expectations for this book and René absolutely delivered PLUS some!!! Told in dual POV we start off with Ares & Dahlia’s story.
“Welcome to the Gilded Sovereign”
After a few terrible events, Dahlia Milton moves to the small town of Tynewood where her father and his family are originally from. Thankfully, she’s not completely alone as her best friend Rukaiya and Rukaiya’s father which just so happens to be Dahlia’s father’s old partner on the force have also moved to Tynewood with her.
But being the new girl in a new town, and a new school isn’t easy for Dahlia. Especially when Ares Lancaster, the young God of the school and the town, sets his sights on her.
Ares is determined to make Dahlia’s life a living hell and she has no freakin clue why.
“I don’t give a shit how innocent she is. I want to dirty up her pristine appearance.”
There’s a whole lot of secrets going on and Dahlia has no idea that she’s just gotten herself into a cruel war by moving to the small, quaint town of Tynewood.
Ares Lancaster has recently taken his place as a part of the Gilded Sovereign. The Gilded Sovereign is a secret society that Ares and his family, as well as many other rich and powerful families, have been a part of for centuries.
“War. Love. Life. Death. Wealthy. Stylish. Powerful. Regal. Deviant. Destructive. Dangerous. Deadly. By blood. By oath. Four young men will take charge as their fathers step down. They’ll be the future leaders—heartless and cold. Nothing can change their fate, and nobody can stop their path. This is their destiny.”
Now that Dahlia is in town, Ares plans to use his ‘little flower’ to enact revenge for something that Dahlia’s father did in the past. Dahlia has now become a pawn in a dangerous game of revenge.
But when secrets and lies are unraveled, Dahlia threatens to change history and the future…
“You, little flower, are mine now,”
“Revenge, like power and greed, is insatiable. It craves, it poisons, and it infests you like an addiction, and you’ll never be free.”
OMG, ya’ll! Dani René has submerged us into this new world of the rich and powerful of The Gilded Sovereign. The suspense, the heat, the angsttt! Cruel War had it all and I was completely hooked from page one! The tension continued to rack up with every single chapter and the anticipation had my heart pounding and me on the edge of my seat up until the very end! Every time I thought I had somewhat of an idea of where the story was going *BOOM*, another twist and I was back to white-knuckling my Kindle!
Family, enemies, deceit, betrayal, lies, and revenge Cruel War has it all!
Dahlia is a force to be reckoned with! The more Ares pushes her, the more she pushes back! She’s smart, sassy, a total spitfire and EVERYTHING I want in a heroine! Dahlia is nothing like Ares expected her to be and throws him totally off his game.
“When Ares is around nothing makes sense. Least of all my stupid fluttering heartbeat.”
Ares, the cocky, alpha, rich, and powerful playboy. Ares starts off as an anti-hero but we see the most character development throughout the story with him. He goes from wanting to hurt Dahlia to doing everything he could no matter the sacrifice or the consequences to protect his little flower. He’s a little rough around the edges but you can’t help but fall for him.
“I don’t know why, but there’s a tether between us, and I’m about to tie it even tighter.”
The chemistry between these two was off the charts right from the start! As much as Ares wants to hurt Dahlia for some reason… he can’t. Ares isn’t used to hearing “no” from girls, so when Dahlia stands up to him it only makes him want her more. Even when they were enemies you could cut the sexual tension between them with a knife! From the moment Ares sees her, she’s constantly in his thoughts. The same goes for Dahlia, even though he’s a total jerk towards her she can’t stop thinking about him. But both are just to damn stubborn to admit it. But no matter how they tried to deny that something was happening between the two of them, it didn’t take long before the fire between them turned into flames! Let me just say, the steamy scenes…
“You’re so needy for me, Dahlia. A flower calling to the bee.”
The secondary characters just made the story that much better and I am hoping they ALL get their own stories! Ares best friends, Tarian and Etienne were hilarious and most definitely helped with the comic relief during intense moments. Dahlia’s best friend Rukaiya, I won’t give away anything so I’ll just OMG… I can NOT wait to see what goes on with her now. Oh, and we can’t forget Ares big brother Philipe, he’s another character I would LOVE to see more about!
I absolutely adore Dani Rene’s writing! This one is a bit of a darker, edgier romance, the kind that keeps you right on the edge of your seat because there is a guarantee that something is going to happen that you will NEVER see coming… and I absolutely LOVED it! With each new release she just keeps reeling me in, hook, line, & sinker!
Cruel War was an amazing start to what I can already tell is going to be one EPIC series and I can’t wait to see what comes next! I highly recommend checking this one out ASAP, definite MUST READ!
“Welcome to the inner sanctum. A society of gods. Welcome to the Gilded Sovereign.”
Confessions Of A Bibliophile’s Overall Ratings:
– I LOVED it! It was an awesome read, and I am super excited for what else is to come from this series! Highly recommend to YA/NA, bully romance/enemies to lovers readers!
– Not an excess of steamy scenes in this one, but the scenes that are there are SMOKIN HOT!
Cliffhanger Warning- Loved the ending and there wasn’t really a cliffhanger. BUT there was a lead-up for the next book in the series that has me on the edge of my seat waiting for its release.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book.
Today I am here with an amazing review for my favorite author’s newest release CRUEL WAR, The Guilded Sovereign Series 1. The fun fact about this book is ℎ ℎ ℎ. ℎ ℎ’ ! .
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Ares and Dahlia are children of lifelong archenemies. With the help of some spewed out bullshit, deceit and a web of lies, Ares is hell bent on using this little fragile flower for his revenge but he just can not harm her. His body, mind and soul disagree with his actions. He can’t resist this midnight hair colored beauty. They are attracted like moth to the flame. Ah, their story was so good to watch.
Ares changed into a whole new man. He grew so much. What started as hate turned into confused feelings, like lust or may be love? But this devil isn’t used to such weak feelings. The Sovereign table has no place for weaklings. Hence Ares must figure out to deal with the bullshit that’s been going on around him.
Their chemistry was on fire. From the moment Ares saw Dahlia, his mind is filled with her thoughts, his eyes keep searching this doll and his heart, ah. Such a poor little thing. Their passion was intense. This was an enemies-to-lovers trope and one, that has been excellently pulled off by the author. The side characters including Dahlia’s best friend Rukaiya and Ares’s two important people namely Tarian and Etienne were a charm to watch! They gave life to this novel like nobody could. There was humor, fear, danger, mystery and darkness. Above all, it was a war between TRUTH AND LIES! LOVE AND HATE! Ares and Dahlia were truly stunning. I am so excited for Book 2. Come on time, roll over!!
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I was already hooked by the time I finished the preface.
Intriguing and mysterious, the first two words that come to mind to describe this enemies to lovers romance in the new series, from the brilliantly talented, Dani René.
Ares Lancaster and Dahlia Milton are caught up in the feud between their two families. With underlying secrets that are soon to be uncovered, will them working together make things right or turn them on end?
Hidden secrets, lies and betrayal, anger and hatred, all pave the way for intense chemistry, in a passion filled relationship. Altogether, a brilliant start to a new series that I’m.excited to read more of.
The Gilded Sovereign is a secret society that rules the area with an iron fist, the world with just as much of a tightness. Every generation takes the mantle, and now it is Ares and his friends time to take it. However, he also has a vendetta to another family, and he will do anything and everything he can to make sure that family pays for their sins.
Dahlia is a fireball. God, I loved her. She has spirit and heart. Also, nobody, including Ares, is going to take that away from her. However, every lie that is told and every sin that is made could make it harder for them to step into the light.
Although this is a college/new adult story, it is a little dark and dangerous. I loved it. However, Dani is always bringing her A-game, and this is just another example. A must-read!
OH MY HELL! WHAT DID I JUST READ???
I’ve got to say that Cruel War has become my favorite from Dani Rene, and seriously, she has always, completely hooked me & I’ve been hers completely!!
I don’t want to go into details but…..
Just know it’s the story of Ares Lancaster & Dahlia Milton, who come from families which are bitter enemies. I’m not talking about just an insult here & there, nope, it’s like kill each other type of insanity.
This leads to revenge for Ares, revenge that he needs for the death of his mother. Dahlia is a means to an end.
A very intense journey of chaos filled with secrets & lies, frustrating push & pull, and off the charts chemistry which won’t be denied. The sexy times were HOT, HOT, HOT!!
There’s a crazy cast in which I fall in love with and all of them added to the story in big ways. I can’t wait to see where they all end up!
The twists & turns are so unreal & sometimes dangerous. For every question answered, more pop up, so the twists are all turned up, while the turns are twisted like crazy.
If you want to know how it all pans out, and seriously, you do, you’ll have to one click this AWESOME start to what l believe will be an EPIC series!!!
I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ALL!
this book will have you on the edge! he wants her out of his town but also in his bed. he cant have both or can he? read to find out. plus things are not as they always seem.
4.5 Golden Stars review
“Welcome to the Gilded Sovereign”
It was late at night when Cruel War book landed on my Kindle and I said to myself “I’ll only take a peak and read one page or two” but it sucked me in and I had sleepless night afterwards. Dani Rene written interesting and intriguing story from the very first chapter.
Cruel War book starts new Gilded Sovereign series, where author introduces us to the new world of rich and powerful families who rule the entire town.
This is also a story about love, hate and deeply rooted revenge.
Main heroine, Dahlia after terrible events in her life, moved into the small Tynewood town, but being a new girl in new school it wasn’t an easy piece of cake for a teenager. Although she was nineteen, she was a strong heroine with sassy mouth and feisty attitude. She was cleaver and quick witted with a fire spirit. I was surprised how easily she could handle Ares and he wasn’t easy to get along.
Ares Lancaster was born into the family who rules whole city for ages.
He had imprinted that whole world is lying at his feet. He was young, handsome and rich but also very arrogant, swagger and overconfident badass with devilish smirk. He was used to girls never say “no” to him, so when he met Dahlia, she got under his skin so deeply that he couldn’t shake her out of his mind.
He was also dangerous and fearless with dark gleam in his eyes but it was tempting for Dahlia and pulled her to him the most.
But there was something more and profound in the story.
Harm done in the past by family wrong doing blinded and guided Ares to seek revenge.
They were enemies even before they’ve meet but there was also very powerful chemistry between them and I loved their twisted relationship.
I was enthralled how author build tension and anticipation in the story.
Suspense and many mysteries in the story made me constantly hanging on the edge, awaiting what will happen next. The plot was getting twisted and more darker with every next chapter.
At one point I thought that I finally figured out what will happen next but I was totally wrong! Dani Rene played with my mind once again.
I’m waiting impatiently for more in this series although Cruel War book is a standalone novel and you can read it without cliffhanger.
ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
I can trust Dani René blindly when it comes to delivering a twisted, violent, angsty and passionate story. And Cruel War proved that hundred percent. Ares and Dahlia’s enemies to lovers romance set my senses on fire. It was erotic. It was dark. It was raw, honest and real. It was a cruel game of life, death, loyalty and redemption. And love bloomed in the darkness.
Ares is supposed to inherit a seat in the highly coveted and almost sacred table of Gilded Sovereign. The secret society with unlimited powers , riches and connections. Things those come at the cost of other people’s happiness and life. He has been training himself to be worthy successor. Meaning he is trying to be careless, ruthless, emotionless and cold like his father and brother. He rules the town with his friends who are more like brothers.But the moment Dahlia enters Tynewood University, everything changes. Including his relentless need for revenge and success. Dahlia was supposed to a plaything. Someone to be crushed and destroyed. But as the story reveals one after another shocking secrets, the world of Gilded Sovereign is tilted on it’s axis.
Ares is an intriguing character. He has that enticing arrogant, overconfident and bossy bad boy image down to an art. And I love that. But I love his vulnerable and broken parts even more. Dani René delivered an interesting guy with countless facets. He is equally sexy when he is threatening Dahlia and protecting Dahlia. Dahlia is his perfect soulmate. Feisty, sassy, with loads of attitude, fearless and headstrong. A girl who is not scared to face the monsters and beat them. Their chemistry was dripping in pain, pleasure, hate and love. They understand each other in a deep primal level. Their broken pieces fit together perfectly.
The story line gripped my attention from the beginning and it held me captive till the end. Dani René knows how to create a complicated as hell storyline without missing a beat. It had some really dark, deviant and devastating moments. The twists and turns were totally unexpected and built up the excitement excellently.
Cruel War by Dani René was an intense and addictive dark read. You won’t be able to put it down as you would need all the answers. It was seductive and sensual with impeccable story line and unforgettable characters.
Received ARC for Honest review
DREAMY’S REVIEW
“Emotion is dangerous. It produces a war within oneself, so cruel and completely violate, and nothing can stop it.”
Dani Rene is known more for the darker side of romance, the grittier and edgier bad boys with filthy mouths, and the sassy heroines that are their equal in every way!
She writes those type of romances that keep you on the edge of your seat, thrilled for the next page, and itching for more!
“Welcome to the inner sanctum. A society of gods. Welcome to the Gilded Sovereign.”
Cruel War brings in a whole new world full of characters and rich backstory. It’s NA romance and a book that you don’t want to miss because Ares Lancaster and Dahlia Milton are everything you could ever want and more!
I was absolutely enthralled of this story about children of archenemies. One who thinks he knows it all and wants to go after what HE wants, while the other has no clue what’s in store for HER.
“I don’t know why, but there’s this tether between us, and I’m about to tie it even tighter.”
Ares starts off intense and every little bit of the anti-hero type that I love! He’s hellbent on seeking revenge on the little flower that he set his eyes on, but what is that built up?
Half truths. Deceit. Betrayal. Blood.
Dahlia is everything I love in a heroine and more! She’s smart, sassy, and curious. A bookworm by nature, but if you fuck with her, she doesn’t back down! This girl has claws and isn’t afraid to use it!
These two blew me away with their on fire chemistry! Even when they tried to convince themselves otherwise, they both couldn’t deny what was brewing between them the moment they met on campus.
I swear, Dani Rene blows me away every single time she comes out with a new book and Cruel War is exceptional!
“War. Love. Life. Death. Wealthy. Stylish. Powerful. Regal. Deviant. Destructive. Dangerous. Deadly. By blood. By oath.”
Five little flower and dreamy stars: