AnnaI am a whore. A slave. A possession. I accepted my fate long ago, but fate is not done with me yet. Freedom is so close I can almost taste it, only to have it snatched away under the guise of protection. A gilded cage is still a cage. Friend or foe? Saviour or oppressor? Rafael D’Cruze is a bad man. I hate him, so why do I feel safe with him? RafaelShe’s a favour. Collateral. A pretty slave. … him?
Rafael
She’s a favour. Collateral. A pretty slave. I have no interest in her beyond keeping her alive for the man who now owns her. And yet…I’m fascinated by the little Russian. There is no room for weakness in my world, but it appears the delicate rose has steel petals. I’m willing to bleed for a willing touch, a trusting glance…
A broken little bird. The big bad wolf. A longing that could heal or destroy.
Hate me or hold me?
more
There is something about LP’s voice that I will never get over. I love the wild ride, the twists and turns and the suspense that kept me turning the page and refusing to get up or do anything that would tear me away from this world.
This book to me was very sad. It brought some what to light dark things that happen in reality. To think about the mentality of the survivors of this horrible world how hard it is to readjust. There was good times in this book it was a good read just sad.
Great read!!!
One of a series so you have to read all in the series for the end.
cliffhanger!!!!!!!
To the contrary I was drawn to the characters and the story.
I will read the next book in the series. Not a particularly memorable, but interesting enough to find out what eventually happens to the characters.
Great book and author would highly recommend the 3 book series
Loved it, just wish I had known it was the first book in a three book series.
I liked this book. However, I do not like cliffhangers. Two more books to get to the end of the story. I will not be reading on in this series.
I usually read books a little less “dark” but for some reason I did read this one and Oh My God! I love it! I cried for her abuse and hope she finds love with Rafael. Gonna read the others too, also about her sister!
What a great, suspense-packed read. And the last book in the series just released: Have Me.
“I want your darkness, your fire, your sheer will to survive.”
Hate Me is a raw and gritty cartel story that is hauntingly beautiful. While it does run parallel in the same world in Kill Me and Kiss Me, it can be read as a standalone.
At the age of thirteen, Anna was sold as a slave. Just like her sister was three years prior. She’s been sold multiple times and has had some very sick and twisted owners over the years. While she may use drugs to get through all of the horrific things that happens to her and she may seem pliant, there’s still a bit of fight in her. She just hasn’t shown it yet. That is until Rafael comes into her life.
Rafael is the boss of the Juarez cartel. He runs the city and shows no sign of weakness. When Nero, an Italian mafia boss calls in for a favor, Rafael finds himself on a quest to locate Anna. He has no idea what Nero wants with her and quite frankly doesn’t care. He just wants to settle his debt and move on. But there’s something about Anna that speaks to him. He gravitates towards her and he finds himself conflicted on what he wants and what he should do.
“She’s this perfect balance of pure innocence and the most deprived darkness, drawing me in. I want to both cure her of the taint on her soul and corrupt it.”
Only Rafael sees just how broken and strong Anna is. Which in turn is why Anna feels so safe with him. He’s dark and dangerous and continues to show Anna the way of his world but no matter what, he makes her feel safe. Eventually he has to hand her over to Nero, right? So this dark dance they are doing needs to stop.
“So broken, so strong. She’s like a shattered mirror, cracks rippling over a distorted reflection. Her pieces are so desperately fragile, and yet unbreakable.”
Hate Me has a bit different tone than the Kiss of Death Series. Yes, we have a cartel with drugs, violence and the story of Anna being sold as a slave. What makes this one a bit different is that this one focuses more on the mental relationship between Anna and Rafael. In their own ways, they are healing each other. Both have their own set of issues and will never be full healed but the other makes it better.
The only thing that held me back a bit and the reason why this wasn’t a five star read was because the slow burn between Anna and Rafael was so slow for me that it took me a really long time to connect to them. Sure, I liked them but I wanted to feel their emotions with them and I didn’t start doing that until closer to the end.
Hate Me leaves us on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one. I think that slow burn I talked about is going to be explosive in the next one. If you are looking for a raw and gritty cartel book that is heartbreaking but has the potential to be healing, then you should pick up Hate Me now!
Oh my gosh, this book is captivating, gripping, and addictive. I read it this morning in just a little over 3 hours, because I could not put it down. Seriously I’m the least morning person to ever exist, mornings are not my friend, I cannot function in mornings, but I didn’t care today as a blazed enthusiastically through this incredible book.
It’s dark, it deal with incredibly difficult and upsetting topics, but it’s done with so much elegance, and respect. Taboo, yes, dark, yes, but seeing how Anna survives, seeing her strength and her healing both physically and mentally, was so beautiful and hopeful.
Raphael may be the main guy in our book, but he’s more of a dark and twisted antihero than batman, in fact he could even be classed as the villain of the story, but things are not always as they seem and Raphael perfectly personifies this.
This is rife with mystery and intrigue, it’s both sensual and innocent, with characters that are equally broken and invincible, and it stole my heart from the start.
LP Lovell teases us with this story, taking us on this beautiful journey but always leaving us wanting more, especially with the ending. It’s a cliffhanger I won’t lie, this book is the first half of a duet, and just as you think you have the answers, and you know where this is heading, Lovell turns the tables on us, flips the book world upside down, and shocks the hell out of us.
Pure, twisted genius. I am in desperate need of book #2 right now because LIFE.
LP Lovell you had me at the blurb! Hate Me is a spin off from the Kiss of Death Series and I will be reading that series too.
Hate Me was So Very Good! I loved this dark and emotional story. Anna is a whore of course not because she wants to be one. She has been bought and sold before. She is now to be held for collateral and wait until you read why! Of course, I can’t tell anything more. Rafael isn’t a good man. He is a Mafia Kingpin. Although, Anna is better off in Rafael’s hands but, again he isn’t a good and nice man. But I did love how Rafael did protect her.
This story had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t go to bed until I finished this book! This book is a page turner! Oh this book did end on a HUGE cliffhanger and May won’t get her soon enough! I can’t believe I haven’t read more of LP Lovell’s books. I did read Bad she co-wrote it with Stevie J. Cole. But this is the first book that I have read by this author and I know I will be reading more of her books. I give Hate Me 5 Stars.
Because this was such an amazing read, I will forgive that there was not mention that this book ended in a cliffhanger.
***Slight spoilers ahead***
This is my first read by this author and it was truly wonderful. It is the definition of slow burn and nds without any formal relationship, sex, or commitment having been made between the two main characters. The beautiful darkness of thus story is what kept me reading. I was so absorbed by the relationship that I completely checked out from the real world.
I will be reading the next in this series as I NEED to know what happens next. I love the characters and the world they live in. I would say that is book is the slow development of what is bound to be a hot and action packed story. Thus was all the emotion and I hope book two has that plus action. Well done, amazing story. Loved it.
When I saw the blurb for Hate Me I knew I had to have it. Dark mafia is my crack and I needed another hit. This book was so good. It was a little different from past books by this author but Anna and Rafael were very addicting. I could not put this down!
Anna Vasiliev is the sister of Una Ivanov from the Kiss of Death series. But while Una was raised to be a hardened assassin, Anna was on the other side of the spectrum – a victim brutalized at a young age and forced to be a sex slave. Rafael D’Cruze is an associate of Nero from the previous series and he is hired to locate her. This was a slow burn of epic proportions and focused more on the mental connection between Anna and Rafael. I love that Rafael was not what Anna was expecting and was like nothing she could have imagined. Likewise, Rafael knew about the abuse and torture she had been through but still saw her strength and resiliency.
I enjoyed their connection and can’t wait for the next book in the series! 4 stars! ~Ratula
This book! I stayed up all night reading this and I regret nothing! I devoured this book.
Anna has had an unbelievably hard life. Sold as a slave, Anna knows her place in life. Shes a whore through no choice of her own. She’s really just trying to survive enough to get through each day. She’s numb and broken but when she sees a chance to get away she takes it, not knowing that other plans for her have already been made.
Rafael is a big bad cartel boss. He runs his empire with an iron fist and plays by his own rules. When a debt needs repaying, Rafe has little choice but to agree. I adored Rafael. Yes he’s a bad man who does bad things but he has a surprisingly sweet and caring side when he lets it out. It’s the little things he does that show you the real man behind the gangster and I loved every single bit of him.
This book has a little of everything. It’s a little darker than your typical romance, Anna’s past is absolutely heartbreaking but it’s her inner strength that amazed me. She’s very easy to like and I couldn’t help but want her to make a new life for herself.
With Rafes help Anna starts to learn more about herself and her past and has some tough decisions to make. I loved this book, I’m already dying for the next book to find out what’s going to happen to Anna and Rafe next.