Alannah Ryan had always suffered in silence, until that silence became so deafening she spilled secrets that she never intended to. At one point in her life, she yearned for adventure, a nail biting journey … something other than the mundane life she led. Her pleas were answered in the form of a tall, handsome heart breaker with a mop of white hair.Alannah’s dreams for an exciting twist in her … exciting twist in her life were shattered because of a teenage mistake. One that has haunted her for over five years, and left her in pieces.
Damien Slater was the reason for every bad thing in the lives of those he loved most. A decision he made when he was just fifteen destroyed his brothers’ lives, and there was nothing he could do to change the things they had endured. Ruining them hurt, but ruining the only woman who wanted him for more than one night hurt a hell of a lot more.
Running away helped Damien heal, and returning to Ireland only caused Alannah more pain. Pain he intended to eradicate and replace with the passion he knew they both shared. Breaking down her walls was not the only challenge Damien faced. Another had plans of his own, and his intentions weren’t for physical vengeance, but something far worse.
Damien values Alannah above all else, and what Damien values, Damien fights for.
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Damien and Alannah have an unfinished story in the past and now Damien comes back determined to regain her, which will not be easy as the sweet and dreamy girl closed her heart and threw the key away. Damien this time will not give up so easy and wants to prove that what he feels for her is true. Alannah is confused, her mind does not want to believe in Damien but her heart has other plans and it’s this dilemma I followed in this strong love story.
In the fifth book of the Slater brothers, we will understand what happened to this couple as well as review the couples of the previous books, which was so great because the action does not stop at any moment, it is an event after another almost without take a break by the reader.
With a dynamic writing and building the plot slowly, L.A. Casey is presenting the nuances of this couple, the strength and courage of Damien allied to moments of pain, humor, strength, love and lots of sensuality.
I confess that I was very curious about this book, especially after they revealed the cover with this image of an anguished and conflicted guy. The book is surprising and engaging, I could not quit until I knew how everything would work out and at the end I was light with a big smile on my face.
5/5 stars
ARC Review for “Damien” by L.A. Casey is up at http://desireforlit.com/2018/03/12/damien-l-a-casey/
I can’t stress how much I loved this book as well as the series. If you haven’t read it, I recommend that you pick it. The series has tons of twists and turns and each story is from the point of view of the person and what that history brings to the group.
Thanks for letting me be part of this ARC, L.A
Myn
The Slater brothers had been in Ireland working off a debt for a mobster. Damien’s past has messed him up emotionally and three only way he can find comfort is through sex, but he never gets involved with any girl, it is just one and done.
Alannah fell for Damien the first moment she saw him in class and does not want to be one his one hit list. However, one night out drinking and dancing at a club and she can’t resist. He knows she isn’t the kind of girl who does one and done and she knows he isn’t the type to stay longer but they get together and in the heat of the moment, he promises he will keep her. Then the minute they are done he takes it back and breaks her heart.
After years of being away and self recriminations, Damien is back foe Alannah. He is ready to fight for her love. This’s book is utterly hilarious. You absolutely have to read the other books first, but the romance is spot on, the secrets and intrigue are great and the wit and humor is awesome.
I’m not sure what happened but i was so emotional at the end of this book, i can’t decide if it’s because it’s one of the last boy books or because that ending couldn’t have been more perfect the fact that i just didn’t want this book to end. Thank goodness Alannah is to come, it made my heart so happy at the end of Damian and Alannah’s story.
There was always going to be something special about this book, i felt like there has been such a build up to this story through all the other previous books in this series. There was so many questions regarding what happened between these two when they were younger and to get this at the beginning was awesome and really set the tone for the rest of the book.
I loved Alannah you couldn’t blame her for being so guarded and not wanting to let people in. You could connect with Alannah so much she was so shy and so insecure about her body and i think really just wanted to be loved and to be needed and for someone to come to her and save her, i think there is a lot of women in this position me included so you could really relate.
Damian the youngest of the 5 brothers was a story i had been waiting for a long time and i just loved Damian, he for me would have to be one of the sweetest of the guys and he had so much heart where he thought he didn’t even to feel an ounce of happiness. I loved his desperation to make things right with Alannah was what had me turning the pages i just wanted Damian to stop blaming himself for what happened in the past and just wanted to let go and be happy. My absolute favourite part was Damian on his knees and what he says to Alannah really made my heart break.
If your a fan of this series than you will not be disappointed with Damian’s book it was different to the others and it’s just amazing book in an amazing series. It wasn’t as suspenseful as the previous but there were secrets and drama and i felt a really deep and beautiful book.
Again every single part of there family are in this book and i love how LA Casey writes these stories, how she makes me want to get into the book and hug these characters, makes me want to laugh with them and cry with them. Loved all the boys once again and in every book you get a bit extra into the lives of these amazing brothers.
Loved loved loved it, 5 huge stars for this book and another 50 million stars for my favourite ever series.
I think I know why I put off picking up reading this installment in the series for 3 years. I was terrified it wouldn’t measure up to the high drama of the others. And it didn’t. At all. I think my biggest problem with it is I know both Damien and Allanah and their history pretty well from the snippets in the other books, so all that was left is them getting over their history and getting together. All the other story threads either didn’t have a resolution or were brushed over too quick for me. And the ENTIRE group, including the supposed love of Allanah’s life and her life long bestie treated her like a child then kinda manipulated her into accepting their apology. Kinda weak TBH.
Damien and Alannah’s story starts off sad. These two just can’t seem to get it together enough to fess up to how they feel. But there are dark clouds in Damiens past that hold him back from having that happy life he sees his brothers all having. And Alannah has decided she can’t wait around forever for him to pull his head out…Don’t worry though Damien does pull his head out and comes in ready to beg for his girls forgiveness. So go read this amazing book, you won’t be disappointed.
Damien was the fifth book in the Slater Brothers series by LA Casey. I have loved everything about this series and I have been anxiously waiting Damien’s story for several years.
Damien Slater was the youngest Slater brother and the twin to Dominic (book one). As with his brothers, he was tall and gorgeous. When we first met him he was the funny and light hearted one, but we learned over the series, it was a mask. He left for awhile and had been back a year or so when the book began.
Alannah Ryan was Bronagh’s best friend (book one, Dominic). She had crushed on Damien from the moment she laid eyes on him as a child. We know from previous books that they hooked up once and it ended badly. Alannah had refused to be around Damien ever since.
Damien was written with a single POV, Alannah’s. It was well written with only a couple of editing errors. It was also well developed, complex and multi-dimensional. I’ve always loved the bond and loyalty of the Slater brothers and it was even more magnified in Damien’s story. My only complaint, for lack of a better expression, was the beginning moved too slow. I desired getting to the point quicker. I did, however, love the last half of the book and the end.
Casey brought the storyline full circle with this final brother. Although each brother had their own story, there was an underlying story that was the central theme throughout each book. I loved that it finally brought it to a point where the future could now be the true focus. Casey also had the Collins family (Aideen’s family, book three, Kane) front and center, which opened the door for the new spin off series.
All in all, although it wasn’t my favorite of the series, it was a great addition to the series. We have one final novella, Alannah, that will conclude the series and launch us straight into the next series, the Collins Brothers, and I can’t wait!
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Lee’Anne –
I liked Alannah and Damien’s story; in comparison to the previous books, I just didn’t love it quite as much. Still an amazing story nonetheless and a solid 4.5 stars! Though I think it could be read as a standalone, I would save yourself a lot of confusion and read the whole incredible series from the start!
We’ve gotten glimpses of Alannah and Damien’s tale in all of the previous books and with this book we get the nitty-gritty details. Alannah isn’t willing to give Damien another chance after he broke her heart when they were teens and then up and left for America. Now that he’s back, Damien’s goal is winning Alannah’s heart back… only she wants absolutely nothing to do with him at first. It takes a lot of convincing on Damien’s part but once Alannah is willing to give them a try, they’re both all in. Until the Slater brothers’ past comes back to haunt them once again.
I hands down think that Alannah and Damien’s story is the sweetest of all the brothers, I also think that might be why it’s also my least favorite of the brothers – I’m not a “sweet romance” kinda gal. I’d rate this book a four star in the steam department for sure and a solid five in the humor department, I seriously laughed my arse off from page one up to the end, where I then bawled my eyes out. Already looking forward to the next book in the series – Alannah!
Dawn –
I have been waiting for the fair-haired twin’s story since the beginning and L.A Casey didn’t disappoint.
The relationship between Damien and Alannah has been rocky ever since Damien’s book, so I wasn’t expecting the book to be smooth sailing for them.
This book is the most serious of the Slater brothers books, but I feel Alannah and Damien needed that as they are quite a serious pair.
I laughed, I cried, and I had a few “I knew it” moments, but when I came to the end of the book I was smiling. That was all because of the main man, Damien.
Avid Reader –
M/F Romance
Triggers: Childhood trauma, Mafia ties
This is the first book in the series that I’ve read. While I didn’t feel completely lost, I bet that had I read the previous books, I would have known more about the dynamics between the brothers.
This was a very complex, emotional read. You are thrust in to a lust-filled night between Alannah and Damien and then you are fast forwarded to their current circumstances.
In the past lust-filled night, you can see how naive Alannah is and even more so, how cruel Damien can be with her. I had an immediate dislike of Damien because of that night and I don’t know if he ever fully recovered in my mind.
I think that the years that we skipped ahead were okay to pass through, but once we were reading the present, I found that I had a difficult time with Damien’s brothers’ names. Nico and Dominic were interchanged and I think, again, like I stated in the beginning of this review, that would have been helpful to know, because I kept getting confused as to which brother they were talking about.
Also in the present, I had a difficult time seeing Damien as being patient – we sort of skipped past the part where he returned and tried to show Alannah that he had changed and went straight for the part where Alannah is kind of clueless and everyone around her sees that Damien is trying very hard.
So, while I had a few issues with how this book skipped ahead and with Damien, in the end, the relationship among all of the characters in this book is one of family. I loved the dynamic between Alannah and the brothers – you can really see how they feel about each other. When you see the relationship between Damien and Alannah, you can also see their past history and hurt that developed, but you can also see that they love each other a lot.
This book was emotional for Alannah and Damien – truths are revealed and communication is a key in this story. I hope more are to come!
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Good book love this series must read
It’s no secret that I’ve been a super, crazy fan of LA Casey for a few years now and from that first time I dived into Dominic’s book I’ve been in love with Damien Slater and I’ve been waiting with barely contained excitement ever since to read his story. But I could never have expected or hoped for the pure perfection of this novel.
To all the rest of you nerds that have been just dying to read Damien since you discovered the Slater Brothers series (like I have), then I am beyond thrilled to announce that it was without a doubt worth the wait. Prepare to cry A LOT, laugh, swoon, and fall even more in love with our Damien.
This book captivated me from the start. I spent the day glued to my kindle, my very jealous puppy trying and failing to get my undivided attention and whenever anyone tried to speak to me I unintentionally ignored them. My world existed only inside my kindle that day. So part of this review is an apology to Loki the demon puppy and my dad for ignoring them both all day. Sorry not sorry.
This is an additive, emotional, heartfelt love story about family, forgiveness, and taking that leap of faith with someone. A novel and series you never want to miss. But warning, you’ll binge the entire series in a week, go on a rollercoaster of emotions that may lead to a book funk (exhibit A: moi), and probably curse out LA Casey for all the feels. Because I’m seriously still drowning in a sea of feels that I don’t know how to process, and I accused her of Satanship (new word I just coined, you like it?). *picture the Thanks, Satan gif from Wreck It Ralph*
**NO SPOILERS**
It feels like I’ve wanted to read Damien’s story since I finished Dominic’s book. It was equally good but with less danger, thankfully, but still plenty of drama This is told in Alanna’s POV. I don’t know why but I expected it to be Damien’s voice I heard, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t his, but never mind!!
It starts off back in their School days with her swooning over him. She’s not long made friends with Bronagh who is dating Damien’s twin, Dominic ‘Nico’ Slater!! It takes us up to them sleeping together, her getting her heart broken by Damien. Once she leaves the Club she ‘blacks out’ whilst sat on the pavement!!!
Fast forward 6 years & we have Damien trying & failing to get ‘Lana’ to talk to him. He’s repeatedly apologized & is continually requesting the opportunity to explain everything that happened, assuring her ‘its not what she thinks’ Like she’s going to believe the man that broke her & made her into who she is now!!!
Lana is struggling, even after all this time, to let go of what happened between them that night in the Club. The hurtful words he spoke after taking her virginity, it ruined the entire experience for her. Until that point it had been magical, that makes his words even more cruel. One moment, during the deeply emotional & physical act, saying he would ‘keep her forever’ then ‘after’ stating that he just didn’t want her at all!!!
She also has the knowledge of her Dads infidelity to try to deal with. All of these untrustworthy men, surely they aren’t EVER worth risking your feelings let alone your heart over?! That was why she’d entered into a purely ‘friends with benefits’ agreement with Dante Bishop, so much so she won’t even let him kiss her!!!
This book moves along at pace, it’s never stagnant but at NO time does it rush!! It’s well written and that shows in how suited to the two quieter members of this large & very loud Family their story is!!! We get to see all of our past favourite characters throughout, to larger or smaller degrees. It’s always fabulous to see them again!!
Ok, so ‘Damien’ is a tangled, heartwarming, heart stopping, hilarious, humorous, tearful, anger fuelled, bitter but forgiving book that’s pages are also filled with amazingly hot steam, caveman antics, crazy funny, crazy sad, crazy heartbreak & betrayal plus much more!!!
I’m was crying with a hurt heart or because I was laughing so much This is the funniest line I’ve read in a long time especially with the set up it gets in the story It’s the funniest line EVER in relation to a spider!!!
““It had f*ckin’ knees. NICO! KNEES!! “”
I can’t recommend this book enough. I can’t recommend the series enough or the Author’s other work.
This Book is truly on the ‘unmissable’ list so do yourself a favour … hit 1Click & bask in its sexy glory, I know I did
Debbie, 1970, UK
I have been a devote follower of the Slater brothers since I first read Dominic a few years ago. I have been waiting patiently for Damien’s book to come out every since. And let me tell you, it was VERY MUCH worth the wait. His book was done to perfection and tells you the love story of Alannah and Damien. I wanna say that there was a part of Alannah that irritated me but that would spoil the story and I won’t do that. It wasn’t a big thing, it was just something that she did. Something that she admitted was stupid near the end. But as was stated too, I was also irritated that none of the brother’s checked it out either. It just goes to show you the level of trust that they have in her. Even though I knew the Slater brother’s background it was good to hear Damien’s story from his perspective. That ending when Nico grabs Damien to yell at him brought a huge smile to my face because it showed how much they love each other. And Alec…. I CRIED! Love Alannah and I was glad she was able to pull herself together and finally admit her love for Damien. Looking patiently forward to her story! This family has my heart and I look forward to more!
I originally discovered LA Casey by accident when searching for something new to read, whilst waiting for another author’s new release. I actually started with Alec – book three in LA Casey’s The Slater Brothers series which I quickly devoured. I have since gone back and started this series from the beginning because the storyline was not only unique, but also engaging.
When the opportunity came to review Damien – book five of the series, I eagerly jumped at the chance. You see, right from book one Damien has been the elusive brother, the one you needed to know more about. If you aren’t aware of this series, it revolves around five American brothers whose work brings them to Ireland. Damien and his twin brother Dominic are the youngest of the five brothers, but Damien is the one they’ve always protected.
Just a little insight into the series – All five brothers were raised in an American Compound run by their father and his best friend. This was no ordinary upbringing as their father, along with his best friend built a criminal empire from the ground up with links to the drug cartels. When their parents became greedy they were murdered. After their deaths four of the five brothers were forced into repaying a debt they believed was owed, due to an event involving Damien. To keep him safe one brother fought in illegal fight matches, one became an escort, one became an enforcer and the fourth ran drugs and weapons. These jobs subsequently saw them moving to Ireland.
Back to Damien. This book revolves him and the girl who stole his heart five years prior – Alannah. This line from the blurb is my favourite – Damien values Alannah above all else, and what Damien values, Damien fights for. In an earlier book, Damien allows his desire to take over and in turn ends up breaking Alannah’s heart. Thinking he is doing the right thing Damien leaves for New York, only to return five years later to try and heal the wound he created.
Alannah has spent the past five years haunted by a mistake she made one drunken night when her and Damien were eighteen that left her heartbroken when Damien suddenly left. When he returned she wasn’t as keen to allow him back in regardless of how much he apologized. It would take some time and just the right amount of angst, but eventually these two move past the hurt and reignite the passion they both shared.
What I love about LA Casey’s writing is, she always manages to throw in a twist you don’t see coming. I have to admit I didn’t see the one in Damien coming, but it added to the storyline beautifully. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us in the next addition – Alannah.
This book deserves the five stars I am giving it and even though it can be read as a standalone, you will enjoy it more if you started the series from the beginning.
**Review by Stacey, Late Night Reviewer for Up All Night with Books**