I don’t know what it’s like to feel.To hurt.The ability was stolen from me in my youth. I consider that theft a gift.Feelings got in the way when you were building an empire. Amassing power.I had the empire.I had the power.Until one night in an alley.Everything that took over a decade to amass was snatched away in a second.He killed for me.But he didn’t save me.
Doyenne
By annemalcom
5 Wolf Eyes stars on Goodreads
doyenne
/ˈdɔɪɛn,dɔɪˈɛn,dwʌˈjɛn/
the most respected or prominent woman in a particular field
Thirty two year old Charlotte Crofton is a billionaire, top of her field. She is cold, brutal and lethal in business. From the outside she is an Ice Queen. But inside as hard as she tries there are cracks to her humanity. Not many see that deep but Jacob does.
Two very broken souls find each other in the most f**ked up way.
This is not an easy read, it is dark and gritty, with suspense and death, but if you can stomach it you wont regret it.
Doyenne is not your typical romance book, it’s raw, brutal, devastating and at the same time beautifully captivating. It’s a book that pulls the deepest, rawest emotions from the reader and leaves them gasping
for more. It doesn’t have a happy ending, in fact the ending just IS. It can’t be described any other way.
Charlotte is fierce, broken, and at times empty. She’s had a devastating life that she’s worked her ass off to move on from, hiding away behind her company and inside her ivory tower. She fights in “a man’s world” to be the biggest badass of them all and is at the top of her game, but she is empty of any emotional connections outside of her sister and doesn’t trust anyone completely.
Jacob is Charlotte’s saving grace, just as she is his. Or as much as either can be saved. Held captive, tortured and a killer, he is just as broken as Charlotte, just as empty. He’s dangerous, uncontrolled and he’s also exactly what Charlotte needs.
This book is so very different from anything I’ve had the opportunity to read, it held me within it’s pages and just wouldn’t let me go. I found myself enthralled with the characters and their story. I was heartbroken for Charlotte and what she goes through and what she looses. It’s a story that isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s broken, painful and beautifully raw.
We can read this story in the present time. We know the whole story from an external observer’s perspective. That’s what makes it so special. This book was EVERYTHING. While you reading the darkness fascinates and deeply fried. It reaches your bones.
Char is a strongly independent and purposeful woman. But like all people, she has skeletons in her closet. The difference is that she does not deny it. She meets Jacob on a dangerous night. When the two darkness meets. The story begins really. Who needs light if the two of them pretty dark too. I like their dark, I want them dark and you’re gonna want it.
I don’t deny. Doyenne has broken me.
Whew. This book is such an intense, slow-burn kind of read. It is both emotionless and emotional at the same time. I love the heroine! Charlotte is such a badass bitch. Strong heroines are my jam and Anne always does them well. And then there is Jacob… the strong, silent, and broken type. Gahhh. I just love the way they kinda/sorta complete each other.
If you’re looking for something different than the typical, feel-good romance, this is definitely a book for you. It’s gritty and wrong, and oh, so right.
This book,these characters, this freaking story!!!! Not only was this story brutal from the start but it was enticing and each page turned left me anticipating every syllable of the next. What devastation would be rained down next and who would be dealing it out!
I was pinned to my seat by each layer of dynamics peeled back between Wolf eyes and Boots, they never had the most romantic or civilised relationship but what they found in each other gave them both exactly what they needed at just the right time.
Jacobs past will always haunt him,he will always be the monster he sees in the mirror but to be truly accepted as him is a complete game changer and like his Wolf that lives inside he is fierce,loyal and will hunt his pray till it’s shredded from this earth.
Charlotte has built an empire of power, only problem with all that power is there’s always someone who wants to step in and take it all away. But one thing men chasing power don’t realise is there’s nothing that could make her hand over the reins, they may bring her to her knees but she will never bow down she is DOYENNE. The doubtful will always get there day and once they do it only makes life all that much sweeter for her!
An absolute master piece of words woven to creature such a bitter sweet tale. This is definitely one that will be racing up the best sellers list I for one can’t wait to see it fly!!
So I had to sleep on this before writing a review. I actually dreamt about this story. Have you ever thought, I can feel the mind numbing pain of a character? This story was that for me. It is dark yes but it is more. You experience the beauty and pain of mental illness. Yes I believe there is beauty in the understanding as well as the makings/happenings of our mind. I always go first to the emotions a book solicits from me. This one was intense from the beginning. It almost was more than angsty or maybe just different. I don’t know. Yep I knew trying to articulate my thoughts on this book was going to be hard so I apologize now. Let me tell you a bit about the story.
First let me say, I did not know what “Doyenne” meant. Yep my masters really paid off didn’t it. Haha. Well the dictionary definition is “a woman who is the most respected or prominent person in a particular field”. So now that is out of the way.
Charlotte is a high power executive of her own company. She excels at making tough decisions and she is loved by few. Her dark, fighter spirit is experienced from page one. Jason (holy heck) how do I describe this man. I can’t even say he is the #antihero. He isn’t about being mean. He is like stone. He actually becomes somewhat of a defender of Charlotte but mostly her allows her to tackle her own battles. Ugh as this book progresses you learn the back story of these two. I can’t decide if I will forever be heartbroken for them or just champion their resiliency. I do like how it has forever changed who and what they are. Often that is missing in a book in an attempt to get to the HEA. It always feels unrealistic to me. That is not the case here. You see, feel, and experience how they were broken and changed. Eek!
Ummm if you have read Ms Malcom before, you know she is not opposed to violence. This book is no exception. So buckle up and hang on. Oh also plan for a twist like non-other. She got me good. That is all I am saying.
OH MY, if you are looking for some over the top SEX-Y, I doubt you will be disappointed. Fanning yourself and wiping off drool might be required. All I can say is angry sex sounds WILD! Wink.
This is probably one of the most non-traditional romance books I have ever read. I can’t even say I loved it. It wasn’t about that. I NEEDED this story in my life. It gave me a perspective on the darkness of the mind that was SO INSIGHTFUL.
Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Sorry I wrote a book. I SO want to know what everyone else thinks. Let me leave you with my typical tagline though it might not really fit here. Happy Reading Everyone.
doyenne: a skilled or prominent woman, respected in her field.
Wow this story was nothing like I expected it to be. It was intense, unpredictable, and riveting. This novel showed us a different version of a happy ending. Its a story about power and the lengths people go to achieve it. Our main characters are flawed and damaged yet very well developed and very much suited for each other.
The story line was detailed and well-written, with so many twists and turns, it will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It was unlike anything I’ve ever read yet it was exceptional in its uniqueness.
Doyenne was a phenomenal masterpiece worthy of a 5 star status. This page-turner was dark, gritty and heart-breaking and I would highly recommend it to everyone looking for something dark yet different to read.
Anne Malcom has outdone herself with this inky dark glance into the depths of the human mind and its ability to reform and evolve after being emotionally and psychologically damaged.
This story barely resembles a romance at all, but it is.
It’s a brutal tale of love in all it’s forms; loyalty, lust, passion, sacrifice and belonging.
Charlotte is a remarkable character, perhaps the greatest anti-heroine I have ever read.
She’s cold, driven and ruthless but also exquisitely fragile beneath her iron clad mask.
Jacob, her saviour and protector is as damaged as she is.
At first glance as monstrous and brutal as Char, or at least as they would have us and themselves believe.
He too is a perfect blend of villain and hero, broken and reinvented, a product of his own violent past.
As such they are drawn to each other, their connection and chemistry without question.
I loved how apathethic, how apparently emotionless they are both portrayed; robotic and statuesque in their interactions on the surface but simmering with raw intensity deep beneath their callous veneers.
This whole story vibrates with tension and intrigue, distrupted and lightened only by Charlotte’s sister Molly, an etheral character whose radiance reveals to us her sister’s own innate humanity through their twin connection.
This, for me, is a brilliant depiction of the darker side of the human psyche and how love need not always be soft and sweet, hearts and flowers, but sometimes hard and violent, distant and hidden and nonetheless beautiful.
Doyenne is not an easy read for those unaccustomed to the dark, but it is so very worth it!
Hello darkness my old friend…seriously dark reads are balm for my soul and this dark, raw, gritty, emotional book was right down my alley. The emotion in this book was off the charts, then factor in the uniqueness of this story and I couldn’t put it down. This story is NOT warm and fluffy but it is an intense MUST read!
Charlotte is a complete bada#$ with a dark past. She has dug herself out of that hole and refuses to be brought back in it. She has a strength inside her that we typically don’t see in romances and it made her that much more lovable to me.
Then there is Jacob and can we just say…hot mess. His past rivals Charlotte’s and makes this alpha a dangerous, broody, sexy, damaged man a irresistible book boyfriend.
These two control freaks battle each other at every turn but when danger becomes to real, he will stop at nothing to protect her but will he succeed?
I can not recommend this book enough but proceed with caution because you may never be the same again…I mean seriously I finished days ago and I still can’t think of anything else!!
She controls it all from the top of her ivory tower.
Shes upset the balance and blatantly disregarded the opinion of men, in their world that she invaded and fought to conquer.
Everything comes with a price.
He has the eyes of a wolf, along with a ferel and wild soul. The shadows his home, the city his playground.
Violence and death puts them together, in a place where they are worlds apart.
Oh my gosh!! What did I just read!?!?!
The depth to this story is out of this world amazing! the written words paint a detailed picture.
I’m suprised but really I dont know why, when I’ve read “birds of paradise” also by Anne Malcom and that is equally profound.
This book is intense, gritty, dark and completely overwhelming but for me it’s perfect.
Charlotte is the ice queen, no heart no feelings. Business is life, and life is business.
The man with eyes like a savage beast has nothing and no one. His life is a shell his beast is simmering below the surface.
Two characters who couldnt be more opposite in everything but yet they work. Words arent wasted, actions speak louder and the true word is loyalty.
This book has left me gobsmacked and completely in awe of Anne Malcom and her mind.
I would happily shout from the rooftops about this.. Its one of those books that’s in a league of its own with no true competition.
This story is one that will have you thinking about it days after you finished it.
I’m not going to give anything away, it’s one that you need to read for yourself.
Caroline is a strong, fierce, powerful and a ruthless business woman. Jacob with his wolf eyes is mysterious, intense and emotionless. Their story is dark, and emotionally brutal. Together they are broken, damaged and perfectly imperfect.
I was an emotional wreck reading this, it’s so worth the tantrums, the angst, the heart palpitation’s and the tears.
GAH!!! THIS STORY!! I have no words to describe how magnificent Doyenne. was. I got lost in the story countless times and the stark reality of who Charlotte was and how the dangerous and unpredictable man at her side not only complemented her but accepted her for who she was, who she wasn’t and loved her because of it. Doyenne. was such a fantastic story with an impressive message that happy endings do not always have to be hearts and rainbows but filled with love, pain, heartbreak and never ending devotion and protection.
I won’t go into detail about Doyenne.’s plot as I feel going in blind adds to the experience of reading this compelling story. I sat enthralled and consumed by Charlotte and know I will never forget her. Doyenne. honestly came out of nowhere for me and completely eviscerated my feelings, similar to how Birds of Paradise (by this author) made me feel. I am overwhelmed by my love for it namely due to how different it is to anything I’ve ever read. By no means is it a conventional dark romance or honestly a conventional story on any scale, but it was no less breathtaking. I loved every honest, raw and gritty moment!
Anne Malcom is truly a phenomenal writer who paints detailed and magnificent pictures with her words. The expressive detail in her prose is almost lyrical at times. Saying Charlotte is unique is merely an understatement. She was strong, dominant and assertive and everything I love in both my book heroines and heroes. She was the entire book. Her strength, devotion and passion for the ones she loved and the stark coldness she lived in outside of their love was testament to how controlled and strong she really was. I loved that her life wasn’t easy but her hard work and determination to never be a victim and anything less than the most powerful woman in the room was her greatest quality. She was a prime example of the fact that just because you live your life without wearing your heart on your sleeve it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are cold, heartless or live your life without fiery passion and in darkness. She and this story were nothing less than perfect. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
In life there are connections… connections to all kinds of things… our hearts desires, family, friends, and monetary items these are things we understand, they make sense. These are the connections we can see… the line going from me to them/it. It’s understandable, even expected. Then we have the connections that just are. There’s no rhythm or reason, there’s no obvious line connecting one to the other. There’s a force, a pull, a need that can’t be understood, it’s felt. It just is. That is what we have between Jacob and Charlotte.
Some of life’s greatest mysteries are the best things in life. Sometimes there are no answers to the who, what, and why’s we all compulsively ask… sometimes it just is. It sounds simple but just like the string theory and the abyss of the ocean… there are so many complexities, so many unknowns… such is love.
So that’s pretty much all you get from me on doyenne. I know Anne Malcom has announced repeatedly that she had some inner fear for the release of this book. She should never doubt herself. This is some damn fine writing. Miss Malcom opens your mind beyond a romance, beyond feelings of love. doyenne is a remarkable story. An instant top Anne Malcom read. Beautiful words that read like poetry. Descriptions and depths beyond any of her previous books.
Bravo, Anne Malcom, brav-fuckin-o!!!
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
Another engaging page turner from Anne Malcom. I admit to squealing when I heard about this book. All of her heroines are kick butt, but I had a special feeling about Charlotte. And I was right.
“I smashed my way through glass ceilings, kicked through walls, all the while not damaging my six-inch heels.”
She’s amazing. Charlotte has fought her way from nothing, to the top of her industry. But someone is out to sabotage her. In a time of her greatest need, a wolf approaches and saves red riding hood (though her red hood is in the form of Louboutins). Can she allow herself to actually have feelings for him though?
We are a lot of things. But I don’t think we’ll be happy. We’ll be better. And worse. And it may destroy us both.”
The twists and turns in this standalone novel will give you a bit of whiplash, but it’s totally worth it.
While I enjoyed this read, I did not connect with it like other books by Anne.
I thought Charlotte was rude and so rough with people. I suppose there are reasons for that but I just couldn’t connect with her.
It had plenty of chaos between her and Jacob…as well as death and mystery/suspense.
Well written just not completely for me.
~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
Plot~ 4/5
Main Characters (hero/heroine)~ 4/5
Secondary Characters~ 4/5
The Feels~ 4/5
Pacing~ 4/5
Addictiveness~4/5
Angst~ 4/5
Steam/Hotness/Chemisty ~ 4/5
Theme or Tone~ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 4/6
Backdrop (World Building)~ 4/5
Originality~ 4/5
Ending~ 4/5
Book Cover~ Gorgeous
Series~ Stand-alone
Source~ Kindle eBook – ARC for honest review
Would I read more from the author? Yes
Would I recommend this book? Yes
This is one of those books that’s pretty hard to review without giving spoilers away. It’s not like anything I’ve ever read from this author before. It’s dark and gritty, the characters are complex and they wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
Business woman Charlotte seems to have it all. She’s successful, fiercely independent, she’s used to proving herself in a mainly male dominated world and she knows the only person she can trust is herself. I’m not going to lie and say I loved Charlotte from the beginning because she’s not an easy person to love. She’s closed off, cold and seemingly emotionless. Yet the more I got to know her the more I started to understand and like her. She’s a very complicated woman, there’s a lot more to her than what she lets people see. She comes across as fearless but a violent encounter shatters that illusion and brings Jacob into her life. I loved Jacob from the first mention. He’s exactly how I like my men. Quiet and broody and oh so hot and just like Charlotte, there’s more to him than what you see.
This story isn’t full of sunshine and flowers. It’s dark, raw, packed with emotions, the dysfunctional characters will make you love them and I couldn’t get enough of this book. This is another amazing book by Anne Malcom.
A business woman that has done what no one else in her community, man or woman, has done before. A man that is more animal than human. He won’t save her, and she’s surely not his salvation either, but he will make sure no one continues the wrecking of her soul.
He has his work cut out for him, because whoever is coming for Charlotte is determined. Charlotte is more determined, and more badass than any heroine I’ve read this year.
What no one could have predicted, but knowing the author of Birds of Paradise should absolutely have known was possible, was the level of mayhem Anne Malcom is willing to bring to bear in her pages. This entire book had my heart skipping through the pages, and even after a nights rest I still have not come down.
The last 1/4 of the book is gut wrenching, and more than a little terrifying, never knowing the next turn or the final outcome. I could never have predicted the last 20 pages, and you definitely don’t want to miss it.
I still don’t know if Doyenne can really be considered a romance, but I know Anne Malcom can tell a hell of a story and you’ll be disappointed if you don’t follow her trip through this war with the rest of us.
5 BRILLIANT DARK STARS!! Holy Smokes….I just finished reading the most brilliant dark story of this year. Charlotte and Jacob are so broken, but together they are beautiful. This story will take you on a wild ride with your eyes wide open and loving every minute. Anne Malcolm’s writing holds you spellbound through her stories. She is one of the most talented author I have ever read. Do yourself a favor and 1-Click this book right now.
My words in no way could not do this book justice. This is one you need to read to get the full effect of how mind blowing phenomenal this story is. If you want a darker story with a strong ruthless female lead who does not bow down to anyone than I suggest you one click as soon as you can, you will not be disappointed!!! My top read if 2019!!
Doyenne is an out-of-the-box original from Anne Malcom! The only thing this story has in common with any other is Anne’s ability to write female lead roles. Strong, independent, brilliant, tough…just a few characteristics they all have.
Charlotte is also broken, but not defeated. A trait she shares with Jacob. Together their bond could save them both. But forever doesn’t always mean happily ever after.