I couldn’t escape the hard sins of my past.I couldn’t unsee the truths in my mistakes.Every breath she took was a reminder of the pain I’d caused. Growing up at the mercy of a madman, I swore I would never give anyone that kind of power over me again. But here I was, on my knees, begging for a life I lost.Except no amount of forgiveness would bring it back.*HARD TRUTH is the fourth book in the … back.
*HARD TRUTH is the fourth book in the Alpha Antihero Series, and it is not a standalone story.
The Alpha Antihero Series:
HARD LIMIT
HARD JUSTICE
HARD SIN
HARD TRUTH
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An Incredible Ending To Candle and Shaila’s Story
As always Sybil Bartel did not disappoint. I have loved every book in Tarquin “Candle” Scott’s story. Hard Truth is book 4 of The Alpha Antihero Series. The books in this story can not be read as a standalone. Hard Truth had twists and turns. It had me captivated from the beginning. Hard Truth had heartache, misunderstanding, angst, hope, romance, and love. It was a wonderful continuation and ending to Tarquin and Shaila’s story. It is a well-written story filled with plenty of emotion. I am so glad that Tarquin “Candle’ got his story. I am looking forward to Sybil’s next book. Tissues are required for The Alpha Antihero Series that features Tarquin “Candle” Scott.
5 Star Read
Did we expect anything less? OF COURSE NOT! The up and down of this series has been SO thrilling and while I’m sad to see it end I am so glad that I was here for it. The heartache of these characters is like none we’ve seen from Sybil before. We’ve seen tragedy, but always the aftermath. This series gets into the before during and after and paints such a grisly beautiful picture it’s impossible not to think about it for days after. It’s everything I wanted and much much more.
Holy hell. What a ride I went on with Candle and Shalia. THIS IS NOT A STAND A LONE. My heart got ripped out along with Candle’s. You will feel every raw emotion while reading this book. From a smile to raging jealously, we get it all. I knew from the beginning this would be the story that took it all the way, but, I wasn’t expecting this!
I love Candle and the rest of the series. I love Sybil Barrels books always a book you cant/won’t put down.
What worked for me:
-this is an epic finale, hot damn!
-Candle’s journey is full of heartache, darkness, redemption, hope and love
-our main gal is a true survivor and so very likeable
-I loved the roles of Dominant and submissive in the bedroom
What a ride! Hard Truth is book 4 in the Alpha Antihero series and did it ever start out with a bang! I believe after the first chapter, my exact words were “How you gonna do me like that?!” My heart physically hurt and it wouldn’t stop for many, many more chapters. But, in true Sybil fashion, she began to mend the little pieces of my heart back together and redeemed the antihero.
This entire series had a personal (to me) element. I’m not a huge crier, unless something means a lot to me. So tell me, why did I cry in every single book of this series?! Gah! The woman made me feel things! The entire series had all the trademark action, suspense, super steam, and strong alpha heroes but it pulled some really strong emotion from me. I applaud anyone who can do that to my semi-cold heart.
I just want to say THANK YOU to Sybil for writing these books. I have no other words. Just THANK YOU. Your words are a healing balm to my soul. You were meant for this job, so never quit!
5 flaming candles for Candle and Shaila!
How do I describe how this final book in Ms Bartel’s ‘Alpha Anti-H’ series about Candle/Tarquin Scott made me feel? How?
The best thing I can say is how MUCH it made me FEEL. As in tears, as in my heart clenching with uncharacteristic emotion, as in MELTING, as in actual sobs being contained in my chest. ME.
I have read virtually ALL of Ms. Bartel’s books. I’ve loved them. I love her Alpha Heroes & swoon imagining them as I read. But, oh my Lord, Candle. Candle. I do not know where Ms Bartel plumbed her heart & soul for his story, but OMG, it is diamond of the first water.
Candle’s story has taken 4 books to complete (& yes, you DO need to read the first 3 before reading this book) & EVERY SINGLE WORD of these 4 books is magic. Tarquin/Candle is a deeply flawed man, he clawed his way out of a pit of damnation to rise stronger & more powerful because of the furnace fire he survived. He is uncompromising, lethal, FOCUSED, huge, powerful & except for only 1 person, ice cold & ruthless.
And this is the man that Ms Bartel offers the reader & against ALL odds gives us an anti-H to admire, to wish him peace, hope & love. And no matter what, Tarquin’s fealty to his woman NEVER wavered, never slipped, never failed even when he thinks it did.
The heroine is also marvelous: feisty, tough, determined, steel spined.
But it is the complete depth of emotion, of love, of unwavering devotion that aid Tarquin & Shaila when the past, their guilt, their insecurities threaten to pull them under a raging riptide of misunderstanding, rage & unspoken feelings & memories.
This one is emotionally GUTTING in the BEST of ways. SERIOUSLY. I consider this entire series flawless & this conclusion FAR exceeded my high expectations. STELLAR. WONDEROUS. EMOTIONAL MAGIC.
This one proves just how a superb author is able to use 26 letters in an alphabet to light up your heart, gouge out your feelings, bring a huge lump to your throat. How to make words on a page create people, emotions, situations that engulf the reader removing them seamlessly from reality.
I love Heroes in books.
I do.
But I love Tarquin ‘Candle’ Scott so very, very much more.
Overall I would recommend this series. It is an intense journey and Candle/Tarquin is a very dominant personality. The things that both main characters survived were horrific, and their relationship is hard to understand at times. I really enjoyed the glimpses of the others I had read about in previous books. I often found myself thinking about what these characters were going through when I wasn’t reading, but this story is not for the faint of heart.