Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest. It had been years since I had seen her.Years since I last saw those eyes with pure, raw innocence.So much time had passed since I lusted after what I knew I should resist.But she was so right.And I was so wrong.To claim her as mine was breaking the rules. Boundaries should not be broken. But temptation weakens my resolve.With the pull of my dark desires… I … temptation weakens my resolve.
With the pull of my dark desires…
I know that I can’t hide from my sinful thoughts—and actions—forever.
*Devils & Rye is a dark billionaire romance. If you don’t like a splash of shock, a dash of taboo, and a heavy dose of dirty, then don’t take a sip of this TOP SHELF cocktail.
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Much sweeter than it sounds in the blurb. Good read.
Alta Hensley has written another amazing work of art. Devils & Rye is a dark, sexy slightly taboo story full of steam, angst, suspense, secrets, mystery and a dark romance. Makayla and Alec have intense off the charts chemistry that left my kindle steaming and me wanting more. I can’t wait to read the next book by this author.
So I enjoyed this instalment in the series, I loved that it featured an age-gap romance.
I’ve got to admit I am a sucker for this trope.
Mainly because I have been in this type of relationship for the last 23 years myself (20 years age gap for us)
So I was really looking forward to Devils &Rye to see what it had to bring to the table for this series.
It was very much swings and roundabouts for me.
I enjoyed the first half of this book much more than the second.
But I’ve still given it four stars overall as it still managed to engage me for a good couple hours.
So what I liked.
Well, the age gap obviously.
It was also very engaging, keeping my interest throughout and I did find the relationship between Alec and Makayala believable.
Both characters were extremely likeable individuals and the story was easy to follow and could definitely be read as a standalone.
It was told in dual POV which is my favourite.
I also liked the fact that this wasn’t very angsty.
This was also super hot in places and I could definitely feel the emotion between the pair.
that said this was very instalove with Makayla and Alec switching from adoptive family to lust very quickly indeed.
And with this being a short read it kind of lost of lost something there for me also.
I would have loved to have seen this developing relationship explored much more slowly and with more depth.
I also thought Makayla was a little dumb and immature in her reactions at times.
And ultimately I would have liked for this to have been a much darker, I do so love me a dark dominant anti-hero.
Alec was much more lovable and not that dark.
I also thought the end was going to be more shocking, which it wasn’t.
So as I said ups and downs.
Ultimately though when weighing things up I did enjoy this and I read Devils & Rye in one sitting.
For me, It was a short and sexy read.
So a thumbs up from me.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of (Devils & Rye (Top Shelf #4) of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I loved this series to pieces, each character strongly alpha, and this was no question one of my favorites. The innocence of the female lead, the older man falling helplessly, and as always the action and danger intermingled with the romance. I was held transfixed as I devoured and will lovingly remember each member of the Spiked Roses Club for a long time to come! I thank the Author for providing a copy to review!
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
Iron Colt Brotherhood is an antiquated, sadistic society that has been in existence for multiple generations in the South. Both Alec and Rhett have been members through their family connections but Alec walked away years ago. Now, Rhett has to pay the piper for all the favors he called in when his beloved wife, Minka, became ill. He needs to shelter his daughter Mikayla and keep her from having to go through a degrading, painful and what could be fatal ritual. Instead he chooses to sacrifice himself. Rhett sends Mikayla to New Orleans to be in the care of Alec. When Alec takes her to a their lakehouse, a place she spent many happy times in her childhood, the dynamic between them changes markedly. He wants her and she wants him but it all seems to taboo: his best friend’s daughter; he’s old enough to be her father; and, she’s a virgin. When McKayla learns her father’s feet after reading a letter sent to Alec, she decides that she will try to rescue him bye going through the ritual so she steals Alec’s car and drives to the ritual site, on old plantation. She’s chained, degraded, treated roughly all in preparation for the ritual. When it comes time to meet her new owner, imagine her surprise when she finds out it’s Alec. He promises to get her out of this mess but only if she does what he says completely. He also promises to try and say her father. Fortunately, for all concerned the matter resolved itself in a win-win situation for them. Alec and Makayla declare their love for one another to her father and now they have a future to look forward to
A blast from the past pulls him back into everything he had gotten away from, prior to being one of the co-owners of Spiked Roses. I love how each manager has an entirely different storyline and back story. Alec’s is in regards to a secret organization and his best friend’s daughter.
~WRITING – PLOT – PACE~
So where do I start? Sigh…OK, so I enjoyed this one for the most part but as this series goes on I am left feeling like I need MORE from these stories and these characters. They are just way too short to feel fully developed and the heroes that when first introduced seemed like they were going to be these twisted f-cked up alpha men have gotten weaker each book. I do really love this author’s writing, and this one was marginally better than the last, but something was again missing for me.
Like I mentioned above this was a short book that basically took me less than two hours to read. It was told in a dual POV format which is my favorite. The plot was pretty engaging and kept me turning the pages. That said, everything went at breakneck speed. The switch from MaKayla thinking of Alec as “Uncle Alec” to wanting to f-ck him was incredibly fast considering she never even thinks about him that way ONCE until she is drunk. The same with Alec, then they are exchanging “ILYs” hours later. In fact, the entire book takes place over just a couple days. I also thought the whole ritual thing was a bit anti-climactic after Alec made it sound like this “horrifying they’ll be lucky to survive” thing.
~HERO~
ALEC…He was OK. His character came across a bit weak to me. I guess I wanted a more twisted and kinky type of hero.
~HEROINE~
MAKAYLA…Lord was this chick too stupid to live. I honestly didn’t see what Alec wanted with her other than she was pretty and a virgin. She was unbelievably naïve. She was twenty years old but was scared when she started to have an orgasm (save me). I sort of understood from the way she was raised…but ya, I just never warmed up to her.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There were basically no secondary characters in this one. Some baddies and MaKayla’s Dad pops up briefly, but the focus is on Alec and MaKayla. P.S. I am still holding out hope Tennessee gets a book of his own.
~HEAT LEVEL~
Medium. There was a handful of suitably sexy scenes in this one. Some spanking. Some forced exhibitionism. Anal. Personally, I wanted to see a kinkier Alec, but it was what it was.
~ANGST LEVEL~
Low. There was very little in the way of angst in this one. It’s VERY insta everything in regard to the romantic relationship. There is some angst because of the ritual they have to take part in, but that turned out to be pretty tame and never really cause any issues. There wasn’t any OW drama or OM drama either.
~IN THE END~
It was OK. I DID enjoy it for the most part. I know my review may not sound like I did, but I did. That said, I feel like these books have the potential to be better. The elements are all there. The plots are intriguing and original. I think they are just too short for me to fully connect with the stories and/or the characters. In any case, I am still hanging in to see what guy we will have the pleasure of meeting next (I am hoping ROMAN the Prince.) And yours truly is going to give this a thumbs up.
Makayla has been sheltered for most of her life. She’s finally ready to be on her own nd has her first job as a hostess at Spiked Roses, thanks to her connection with one of the owners. Before her new life even has a chance to begin, however, the past catches up with her and she is whisked away to to keep her safe from a threat that could end her life.
Alec has known Makayla since she was a child, so when his old friend and business partner reaches out to him to protect her, he has no choice but to do so and ener a life he left behind years ago. As Alec takes Makayla to an old vacation property their families used to share, their taboo attraction grows. While Mackayla may call him Uncle Alec, she’s not a little girl anymore and both are seeing one another as forbidden fruit.
While she may be naive, once Makayla realizes what her father is up against, she decides to throw herself into the fray in hopes of saving him without Alec’s help or permission. What she doesn’t understand is that it’s too late to take her father’s place in a secret ritual and now both of them, and Alec who tries to save her as best he can all all in extreme danger.
What follows is a secret society’s ritual that can only be described as barbaric and deadly. Women are chosen and used and abused as sexual slaves in the worst of ways and mean are forced to play a deadly game of roulette all because they’ve asked for a favor from the powerful members that have made up this secret group for generations. Lives will be put at risk. Relationships will be tested and no one will leave the ritual the same once it’s through.
While the entire Top Shelf series has been dark erotica, I found this to be the darkest book yet. The somewhat taboo relationship was pretty juicy, considering that even though they are not truly related, Alec and Makayla have always thought of one another as family and Alec is truly old enough to be her father. The secret ritual, however, was extremely disturbing. It definitely contained a shock factor I was not expecting.
I didn’t connect as well with Alec and Makayla as I have with other couples in this series. Makayla was ridiculously sheltered and naive, yet threw herself into danger with no assistance from the one man her father sent to protect her. I also felt Alec lacked some of the depth the other owners of Spiked Roses have had in prior books in the series.
If you enjoy a dark erotic thriller, Devils & Rye should be an enjoyable read for you. While it is easily read as a standalone, I do suggest picking up the other books in the series to get the unique flavor and storyline that each presents. 3.5 stars.
Alec is a hot, sexy, soon to be silver fox, and a successful business man living in New Orleans.
Makayla is a young, sweet an innocent blonde bombshell, sent by her father to live under his best friend Alec’s care and protection.
But, when a secret society controls your past, present and future, what do you do? Do you submit? Do you give up? Do you dominate? Do you fight? What will be left of you when they hold all the power?
This was a page-turner that I didn’t put down until I read the last word. Dive in head first to enjoy the ride of Alec and Makayla. I know I surely did.
This is a taboo almost insta love romance. Alec is old enough to be her father, but growing up she considered him as an uncle as he was best friends with her father. It had been many years since they had seen each other, and now, they have and moved on from uncle and niece to lovers . She considers herself a grown woman yet at times when she doesn’t get her way she wants to pout. I love Alec. He knows what he wants and how he wants it. He’s strong and firm, but not too overpowering. Soft when he needs to be, but not weak. Makayla, is coming out on her own for the first time trying to find her own way, but it’s hard when her father is mixed up in a secret society and they want her, so her freedom doesn’t last long. Alec takes it on himself to protect Makayla, and on their own it doesn’t take long for the passion they feel for each other to come out. But with the age gap between them, and their history, things are somewhat complicated. And when the society catches Makayla, Alec has to go back somewhere he thought was long behind him to save her. This book has suspense, Intrigue, and a whole lot of heat and everything you would come to expect from Alta Hensley. Great read. I received this book as an arc for an honest review and this is me honest