It was the biggest day of my life. I know most people say that about something joyous; a graduation, a wedding ceremony, the birth of their first child. My situation was a little different. Sure, it was my eighteenth birthday, but it was also the day that I was sold. Sold to a man with hair like a crown of gold and eyes blacker than the darkest pits of Hell. He bought me to own me, to control me, … me, to control me, and to use me as a means to an end.
I was his tool and his weapon.
And through it all, somehow, I also became his salvation.
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Enthralled was a great story. Giana Darling did a wonderful job on this story, it was written well with a strong plot filled with many emotions. I couldn’t put this book down. Alexander and Cosmia were strong characters. Cosmia was sold to Alexander, he’s her new Master. No matter what Cosmia goes through, some reason she has this strong pull, she’s drawn to Alexander.
The attraction is strong between these two. The chemistry is off the charts sizzling. They are good together. But nothing comes easy.
I’m gonna stop there, I don’t want to give to much away. I just suggest reading this story, it’s a great story. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading more.
Thank you, Giana Darling. Wonderful work 🙂
5 Stars!
I feel like I’ve been waiting for Cosima’s story forever… but it was worth the wait! I loved every minute of this book. I absolutely loved Master Alexander! Oh my goodness, but he made my heart pitter patter!! Seeing him gentle and sweet with Cosima after a scene makes it all worth it. The only time he would ever soften and let his guard down. I felt bad for both him and Cosi, I think they were both manipulated in their lives, and they both need to be freed from their pasts. That ending just about killed me though…I can’t wait for Enamoured!!
Between Giselle and her siblings, my favorites are Cosima and Sebastian, hands down. In Giselle’s trilogy, it wasn’t hard to see how self-sacrificing Cosima was for her family. How she would put herself through any hardship for their welfare and happiness. Little did we know at the time just how much Cosima had to endure for their safety. As for Alexander, his brief appearance evoked quite a bit of curiosity given his relationship to Cosima and how much a mystery they were together, shrouded by darkness and danger around the corner.
So now this is Cosima’s story, with how she met Alexander and how they came to be. I knew it would be dark, seductive, sexy, and likely depraved and violent. Giana Darling definitely delivered on all accounts, keeping me unaware of what the next thing would be. I was constantly surprised. And engrossed. And appalled. And simply stupefied (specifically that event in Scotland).
Alexander owns Cosima. He bought her so he now possesses her to do what he will. And Alexander is not some knight in shining armor despite his outer appearance. I went back and forth between him. He is very much the “devil you know vs the devil you don’t know” to Cosima. There were times I could see a sliver of who we was underneath that hard mask, that he was more than he appeared and had a heart buried somewhere. He is a Dominant, bent on training his slave sub to submit to his will and if he seems harsh, there are other characters in the book who make Alexander seem mild.
If anything, this is a story of survival for both Cosima and Alexander. Based on the circumstances of how they met and so much more, they were never going to be the kind of couple that rides off into the sunset holding hands. There’s blood, promises, obedience, betrayal and domination. It’s definitely a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I am really hoping for so much more on Cosima’s behalf, she is strong like no other. The only drawback is that despite Giana Darling’s great ability to craft a story and turn words, there are so many typos and editing errors, especially towards the end, that it really detracted from the overall quality. Otherwise, I am looking forward to the conclusion.
4.5 stars
Enthralled is such a dark, twisted, and sexy romance that will totally have your emotions all over the place. It definitely isn’t an easy read, as it truly is a dark romance, dealing with some heavy subject matter that might be hard for some to read. But, at the heart of it all is a beautiful love story, between two people who are brought together in quite an unconventional way.
You have Alexander – a relentless and demanding, dominating Master; and you have Cosima – a young, inexperienced woman bought into a Master/Slave relationship. The beginning of their story moved at a slower pace, but I appreciated that as it allowed the author to take her time fulling being able to explain and show a true master/slave relationship. It was nice to see the care taken to really show the dynamics between them, and how it’s not just all about sadism and masochism.
Towards the middle of the story, it was light a switch was flipped and the pace of the story started picking up. All the questions I had had up until that point were finally answered, but then it left me with even more questions. Such intense and crazy moments that I didn’t expect, but also some highly sexy and erotic moments between these two lovers.
And that ending……I absolutely did not see that coming! And now having to wait a few months before we get the conclusion to that jaw dropping cliffhanger? I will be not so patiently waiting until then to find out how everything will all play out. Dark romance lovers, this one comes highly recommended.
My oh my. This book surprised me left and right. I knew it would be dirty, and raw, and unapologetically dark, but it was so much more than that. Enthralled told the story of Cosima and Alexander. They’re star-crossed lovers, doomed to the fate of those they descended from. I loved their relationship so much.
Alexander expertly ruled their passionate encounters with dominance and hardly-surpressed lust. His character was dark, menacing, and deliciously tyrannical. Cosima’s beauty always seems to be her downfall, except in this case. She was the perfect counterpart to Alexander because she was the only one able to bring the typically unaffected man to his knees. I LOVE that in romance stories. There’s nothing better that a man brought to his knees for love.
This story was a mixture of Italian Mafia and British secret society, both battling against each other. I loved this dynamic of the story, and was pleasantly surprised by how it developed.
This was a great start to the duet, and I can’t wait to read the rest!
What an extraordinary story about personal courage and strength of spirit.
Darling has outdone herself with this book where she throws everything in the kitchen at the waifish 18 year old Cosima Ruth Lombardi and this girl refuses to crumble!! The “topolina” is a fighter, survivor and a warrior. Can you tell I’m totally in love with her !!
“It’s the duality of a strong mind and a submissive spirit, a fierce heart.”
She has steel in her spine to carry a boulder of responsibility resting on her slim shoulders. A sacrificial lamb walking to the slaughterhouse, betrayed by all, the only way is forward.
And who is she walking to? the man who bought her?
Alexander Davenport-Earl Of Thornton. Intoxicating in his beauty, master of his domain and secretive in his intentions, he’s ruthless, dominating, seemingly cruel & a heartless monster
“I’d never met a man so like a maze. Around every corner lurked another shock, some horrific dangerous beast of a kind I could never begin to understand, but others softer, fair like summer Fae.”
It’s a total and equal battle of wills that follows. Although I must say, Xan gets an upper hand most of the time physically but in soul, Cosima beats him every time
“You may own my body, Lord Thornton, but you will never own my mind, my spirit or my heart.”
This book isn’t for the faint of hearts!!
I found myself crying out in pain for Cosi in many scenes. I was rooting for her to either win or die. It was that simple!
It’s a sharp, racy story that runs at breathtaking speed with multiple characters hiding in the shadows. All is NOT what it seems !!
It will get your heartbeats through the roof, your pounding pulse may jump out of your skin and your throat may be clogged as your heart jumps up in it!!
Adventurous, horrendous, completely engrossing, I LOVED the story, the people, the plot.
The narration could use some extra work but the story is so thrilling, I just kept turning the pages at fan-speed!!
Well done Darling. You wove a tapestry of colourful lies, secrets and conspiracies and I was dazzled and enthralled!!!
And you knocked me dead me in the end!!
Hurry up and write the next one while I toss and turn
4.5 stars for Figli Bastardi
Another book from Giana Darling is exactly just like it’s cover…. Dark, sensual, beautiful and with so many secrects as You can only find out.
And I’m sure… Enthralled from this author will leave You speachless and breathless for a long time. I devoured every word in this story!!!! They’ve comsuned my mind and time!!!!!
Mrs Darling didn’t just write a book. She created perfect dark world with overwhelming story line. All the twists, ups and downs was mixed perfectly together. When I think about Enthralled as whole book I have 2 words on my mind : hot & bothered.
Hot because tension in this book stick to Your body like second skin… You diving in MrsGiana’s words like the best bath. You feel the passion and need to be loved all around…
Bothered because some desires are more sinfully that we want to admit… Some desires are forbidden, but when they come with love are they really that BAD ???
THIS AUTHOR. THIS BOOK ! made me to want more !!!! More Cosima and more Alex !
Thanks to Giana Darling, they knew exactly how to steal readers atenttion ! They are greedy and want it all! They’re wonderfull together, and giving me many feelings… from one side I wanted to finnish their book quickly, but from the other side…. I wantedi to read them forever.
Enthralled by Giana Darling isn’t easy book, but it’s written in the best author’s style. I’m sure You gonna love it!
Highly recomended title!
I jokingly mentioned in a FB post earlier today that just when I think Giana’s storytelling can’t get any better, she says “hold my beer.” It’s astounding really, because I think Enthralled just might be her best work yet. The power play grabs and give and take between Cosima and Alexander are stimulating and grabbed my attention immediately. Alexander breaks my heart with his struggle to accept change and love in his heart, over his tragic past and expectations from his horrific upbringing that have made him hardened and cruel. And I absolutely LOVE Cosima! I love her beauty on the outside as well as inside, and her spirit evokes endless emotions. She is selfless in her love for her family. She rails against the circumstances that bring her and Alexander together, but eventually she’s strong enough to accept what is right and necessary for her. Their love story is anything but typical and delves into the very serious and dark roles of bdsm, but it’s brutally stunning nonetheless. It’s clear that Giana has very intelligently done research for this novel (as well as past ones!). No two dominant/submissive relationships are the same and Alexander and Cosima’s story is a masterfully written example of this. Giana takes the deep, deep, DEEP complexities of this story and spins them into a tale of dark eroticism and suspense near flawlessly. I am thrilled and anxious for the next book! 5 captivating stars for Enthralled!
Master Of Her Heart
A dark and twisted romance that will keep you ENTHRALLED. Alexander was the perfect Master!!!
Pain. Pleasure. Submission. Dominance. Suspense. Love. Lies. Deceit. Betrayal. And a secret society of Britain’s most powerful men.
I am true lover of dark romance. Alexander and Cosima’s story more than delivered. It doesn’t get much hotter than a sexy, British, dominant man! As well as a gorgeous, young aspiring model. Cosima is resilient and strong. She will do whatever is necessary to protect and support her family. Alexander has a plan of his own.
This story is dark. At times it will twist you up and tear out your heart. You won’t know who to trust because everyone has their own agenda. But even in the darkness, there can be light. Through the pain, you can find pleasure. What starts out as hatred, can become undying love.
This author pushes the boundaries and draws you into their world. I was fully invested and I never quite knew where the story was headed. The author has a beautiful writing style that makes you feel all the emotions along with the characters. This story will keep you completely rapt until the last page and leave you craving the conclusion of this duet.
I. Am. Speechless. Enthralled by Giana Darling is dark and dirty, twisted and epic!! Alexander is a Master and isn’t quite as he seems. Cosima is his slave, sold by her father. Gah!! I didn’t want to put this book down, yet I did because I didn’t want it to end. This author truly is an amazing storyteller. If dark and dirty is your thing, you really need this book in your life!!
I am utterly entranced, enamoured, enthralled even, by this book. I devoured the book in less than 24 hours and I want to read it all again.
Cosima first appeared in The Evolution of Sin trilogy as Giselle’s sister. The way she flitted in and out of her family’s life meant that there was a story waiting to be told.
And what a story! I could never have comprehended that this tale would come from the imagination of the author. It’s a dark tale of Domination and submission, of secrets and loyalties and familial ties. It’s about a young girl being sold into sexual slavery (if this is a trigger, then this may not be the book for you) but not really understanding her true role in the complex web of lives all around her.
I absolutely fell for Alexander, Earl Thornton, right alongside Cosima throughout this book. A cruel, distant and exacting man, he got under my skin as surely as Cosima got under his. At the start, there were seemingly no loveable parts to him. By the end of the book I could have wept for the man.
This is a truly stunning story. I feel like I’ve been consumed whole by it and left wanting and waiting for part two of this duet to arrive. I actually feel empty now I’ve finished the book. I shall impatiently await Master Alexander’s return.
Dark and twisted is truly a great description of this book. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride never knowing when I was going to fly out of my seat. I never could have envisioned when I met Cosima previously, that this was (or would have been) her life. There are some truly despicable characters in this story…down right “I fucking hate you so much” characters which may or may not include Master Alexander. I’ve never understood the ability of some people to be just purely evil and although I’m not sure I understand now…I realize that every evil person has a story about WHY they are evil. Will our Master be able to shed his past and his present in order to have a beautiful future with Cosi? Words truly elude me with this story. It is not for the feint of heart and if you have triggers….and I don’t want to mention which so I don’t spoil the story for others…you might want to take a deep breath before reading. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading Enamoured…
My heart. Wow.
What a journey. This book took me on a journey like no other.
ENTRALLED is book 1 of the Enslaved duet by Giana Darling.
Alexander & Cosima’s relationship is a complicated one. From the way it began, the middle, and to the way it ended (for now), NOTHING has been easy for either of them, especially for Cosima. But it’s not just them, they must also deal with forces around both of them that are of big influence, and ultimately BOTH will need to make a choice….or a sacrifice.
Furthermore, this story explores the Master/slave dynamic of BDSM, but it’s SO much more than that. Giana truly did an amazing job bringing these two characters to life; their desires, wants, aspirations, sufferings, dreams. Alexander & Cosima are two very flawed people that somehow, someway fit perfectly in an imperfect way.
On that note, I feel that this book, this story, will NOT be for everyone. But if you’re willing to give it a chance – and I really hope you will – let it take over your heart & mind; let it guide you through all the pain, love, obstacles, secrets, and poetic erotism.
I can assure you, you will not be disappointed.
You know when you read a book and it rocks your entire world and turns it upside down? Yeah well that just happened to me and I can’t believe I found the words to even write this review but I tried knowing I could never do it any justice.
I knew I was going to love this book and that it would be a top read but I didn’t expect it to end up being my favourite book of all time.
Whenever I read anything by Giana I always take my time with it and never rush, usually because I never want them to end but also, because I want devour every word and experience all the feelings the characters do. There are always masked meanings and hints that I never want to miss, as well.
Still, this book shocked me to the core and rendered me speechless. There were parts that hit me so deep that I wasn’t sure how to react or if I could recover.
What got me wasn’t even the obvious things, it was the messages artfully woven in the painted descriptions as well as Cosi’s development, thoughts, struggles, and actions. I couldn’t help but feel her pain, shame, sadness, desperation, and yearning all so deeply. But even more, her strength, passion and love.
Alexander was cruel, for a reason we learn later on, but in my opinion, a good Master. You can’t help but fall for him the way our heroine does.
Moreover, I was fascinated by how their relationship and conversations resembled a game of chess! It’s surprisingly, but not so much knowing Cosima, at times playful. It’s sexy in the most beautiful and poetic way, not in an obvious or forced way which I appreciated even more.
Additionally, the Master/slave relationship is done in a way I’ve never read before and explained exceptionally well. Over the past year I’ve tried reading several Master/slave books but couldn’t finish even one. It was the only bdsm relationship I never enjoyed reading about until Enthralled because I never before understood the pleasure that would come from degradation.
Enthralled was absolutely phenomenal and Darling’s best book to date! A must read, written in such a tactful and poetic manner that you can’t help but be totally captivated. I thought I knew Cosima from reading the Evolution of Sin and how wrong I was. Enthralled is only the start of Cosi’s evolution and I’m looking forward to more of her journey to self discovery and worth that I’m sure we’ll see more of in Enamoured!
An amazing, dark romance by Giana Darling. I truly have no words for how I felt when I started this book to how I felt when it ended. I was sucked in from the beginning. It has elements of BDSM and dark subjects that might be hard for some people to read. I felt a ton of emotions when reading this book. The author described the characters in depth and kept you begging for more. I was shocked with all the events that took place as the story unfolded. I am anxiously awaiting the next book that comes out in May. I need to know what happens.
The characters are Alexander and Cosima. She is sold at 18 because of a debt. Their lives are intertwined in many ways they don’t understand yet. Their lives are full of deception, chaos, suspense, and betrayal. It includes so much that you will love to read to find out what happens.
I have so many favorite books this year that it’s not even funny. But I think Enthralled has taken the reins over any other book.
I can’t tell you how much this book has stuck in my mind, my heart and my soul because that’s just how good it was.
The characters are so damn perfect in this story that I can’t get over them.
So dark, so gritty and so passionate that you can’t go wrong with this book.
Alexander and Cosima are the epitome of PERFECTION!
5 DARK CAPTIVATING STARS!! This book will be in my top 10 favorite books for 2019. I was so captivate by Cosima and Alexander story, I could not put this dark delicious book down. This book killed me at times, but I could not look away. I felt every emotion with these characters, like I was there in their storyland. Giana Darling has just written my favorite story by her so far, her writing is PERFECTION. This should definitely be a 1-Click purchase, if you love dark and twisted love stories….my favorites.
OMG! This book is absolutely everything! The minute you think you have it figured out, the author adds lies and deceptions, changing fundamental truths at a breath stealing pace. It was a rollercoaster ride and I could not stop reading!
Master Alexander is everything you’d expect from a good dom. I loved him even when he did things I didn’t like. His devotion to Cosima and the way it broke him a little in small ways really moved me.
Cosima’s journey, her strength and self sacrifice, it made me half wish the author would ease up on her a bit and half wish she’d throw more things at her just to see her rise above them. Her struggle to learn the truth and do right by everyone she loves kept me turning the pages even when I knew I should put it away for the night.
I’m going to be counting the minutes to the conclusion of this story! No matter what lives are already changed through all this I’m anxious to see what happens when more truths come to light and see what landscape they are left with when the chips fall where they may…
This is another great book by Giana Darling! I was sucked into the book all day long and even though it was hard to read at a couple parts I still loved every minute of it! I can’t wait to see what happens next in book 2!!
Dark, mysterious and twisted story, but also incredibly passionate. That’s how I would describe Enthralled in a nutshell. Giana Darling drawn me into the world of domination and submission what is both depraving and alluring. The story described in this book is one big unknown and the author gives us information bit by bit and that keeps us in constant uncertainty and makes us want more. One thing is certain- Enthralled is one of the best BDSM books I had the opportunity to read.
Cosima Lombardi is sold on the day of her 18th birthday. She doesn’t know to whom, she has no idea where she’ll end up, but her current situation leaves her no choice but to come to terms with the new reality. Her new Master is Alexander Davenport- Earl of Thornton, who will be in possession of Cosima for the next 5 years. And from the moment of her arrival education of submission begins.
This book… every new situation was unexpected. For the half time of reading I had a wide open mouth and I couldn’t wake up from the state of stupor. The pages of this book, just like Cosima and Alexander’s lives, are full of secrets that come to light piece by piece. Although at first I felt aversion toward Alexander to some degree, in time he warmed my heart just as he did in his slave’s case. He’s troubled, driven by revenge, cruel and demanding but he can also be caring and loveable at times. Cosima, despite her young age, is a mature and proud woman, even though her submission seems natural. My heart was crying over her fate, because she seemed to be just a pawn in the big boys’ game. The chemistry between Cosima and Alexander was so incredibly strong that they got deep under each other’s skin, despite the fact that the feelings between the two of them didn’t have the right to exist. I need to know the continuation of their story as soon as possible because the ending of this book has left me in such suspension that I feel like crying!
Despite the disturbing subject, Enthralled pulls in completely and doesn’t let go. Giana Darling writes in such a wonderful way that her words are like siren’s song- utterly captivating. I’m charmed and ensnared by Cosima and Alexander’s story and I crave the continuation of their fate just as much as a little mouse craves her Master’s touch!