In the land of gods and monsters, she was set free.Left, lost, forgotten.Cast out of the only world she remembers, Pet now answers to a new name—victim.Ares walked away without a backward glance and left her desperate for safety, desire, and the freedom she found in his cruel touch.But in the end, Pet discovers nothing is ever free.
In the Land of Gods and Monsters, Part Two (Gods & Monsters, #2)
By carmenjenner
Wow, now that’s what I call an attention grabbing beginning! The warnings about this dark romance are there for a very good reason. It’s a book that grabs you by the throat and literally doesn’t let go until the very last word, if even then!
Kidnapped, beaten, tormented, starved, trained as a sex slave, Pet can’t remember who she was before hand, where she came from or anything about her prior life as a prima ballerina. Submission is the name of the game and Ares’ overall aim so she can go to the highest bidder.
Ares, the ultimate antihero, thrives on metering out punishment to Pet. His monster persona gets off on every tiny bit of torture and pain inflicted on her. He also craves her total submission as he plays this very dangerous game. Pet may no longer remember her past but her inner strength shines through and encourages her to push back at times. Her amnesia is a blessing really as she starts off with a clean slate.
I have to say there are plenty of times I really wanted to flog Ares! He doesn’t always make me this annoyed with him but I do get irritated, and that’s putting it nicely, having him tell the story from his point of view does help too. Pet’s point of view really enables us to go through her experiences with her mentally, it helped me see things very clearly from her side which was good.
This fast paced story may be dark but is easy to read and is one that once you start is hard to put down. There are twists and some turns that make for exciting reading as well, you could never say there is anything dull about this book. My only problem is that now I have to wait for the next book!
Please take note of the warning. This IS a dark story and there are some scenes that make for uncomfortable reading.
Pet wakes up disoriented and suffering from the loss of her memory in a strange place with an even stranger man. Ares is ruthless when it comes to training his new pet, conditioning her to need his attention and approval. I’m going to be honest. Ares isn’t an easy man to like, he’s not a nice man, he isn’t doing this for a greater good. Even though I spent the majority of this book trying to find Ares good side, the story was surprisingly addictive.
This book is dark and graphic so if that’s not your thing you might want to stay well away from this book. It’s got some good twists thrown in that have left me with plenty of questions that I’m hoping will be answered in book two.
Holy shit. I think I’m still in a daze, locked in the insanity that is Ares and Pet. This might’ve been my first ever Carmen Jenner book, but I didn’t see any of this coming. In the Land of Gods and Monsters was definitely a dark erotica romance, but it was also so much more than that. The entirety of this book will undoubtedly electrify and stun every single one of your nerve endings. It’s dark. It’s heavy. It’s pure BDSM that will leave your heart raw and spent. It’ll push your boundaries, but it’ll also have you hanging onto every single word.
“Submission is a beautiful thing, but to be able to give yourself over completely to the care of a Master, you need to be broken.”
Ares is the kind of anti-hero you’ll want to choke, knock his teeth out, and knee him the balls right from the get go, but as you get deeper into the story, you see these teeny tiny glimpses of a different side of him that will make you pause and backtrack for a bit. It’s those rare, precious moments you’ll cling onto and remember when shit hits the fan. Because this god still has a heart buried somewhere in that black, bottomless pit inside his chest even if he refuses to believe it. And trust me, you won’t be able to get enough him.
“Ares has the face of a god but the heart of a monster.”
Pet is something else entirely. Her character development throughout the whole book will just have you hooked. I don’t want to give anything away, but you’ll definitely want to fight for this girl. You’ll feel every ounce of her struggle, her pain and every dilemma that goes through her head. You’ll feel her heart and mind warring with each other, you’ll start to feel her confusion over pleasure and pain, and you’ll just want to hold her hand til the very end.
“Ares owns me. A part of me thinks that no matter what happens, he always will.”
In the Land of Gods and Monsters was pure insanity. The darkness and intensity will swallow you whole. What Pet went through in the hands of Ares was no joke. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. But you won’t be able to stop yourself from turning the pages and knowing what will happen next. Because it’s just that addictive. And with the way this ended, I absolutely need more—I need the second part of their story like crazy.
In the land of gods and monsters, she’s just one more kidnapped woman…one more beauty preyed upon…one more slave to break, punish, and play with…one more pet to do her master’s bidding regardless of the humiliation, the pain, or the manipulation used in her submission.
In the lands of gods and monsters, she’s a pawn, a plaything, a lesser being, and she lives and breathes that inferiority every day and the fact that her body submits to her master makes her feel even more insignificant because there’s not one aspect of her imprisonment in her control, even the harsh release she feels every time he comes to play. But the hardest thing for pet to wrap her head around is the idea that, at times, he manipulates her body and her mind like a monster – one meant to feed on the torture of another, but then there are other times when he seems to be a god among men, complicating her perception of him and forcing her to feel things for him that she should have no desire to feel because, more often than not, he treats her like a whore…like a worthless vessel…like a miscreant who is meant to subject to his every whim or suffer the consequences of her decision.
Carmen Jenner allows readers to trace the path of Pet’s forced submission…of when she succumbs to the deviously demented mixture of pain and pleasure…every bruise, every slap, every spanking, and every venomous word sends Pet spiraling into a dark oblivion, but it’s the sweet torture that comes with the pain that has her follow her Master’s commands with only small bursts of fight, which means by the time he’s finished with her, she’s not going to know a lot more than just her name…her complete identity will be defined by her Master, which is a scarier situation than the one she struggles and suffers through because if she loses herself fully to Ares and allows him to not just use every part of her body as he deems fit then even if she does reclaim her freedom, she will only be a shell of the woman she was, which leaves her no better off than she is as Ares’ captive and submissive.
The fact that readers are privy to both Pet and her Master’s perspectives is as enlightening as it is mind boggling. There’s a bigger force at play in this story, but it’s not completely developed yet, so there are gaps in the information needed to truly comprehend the whys and hows of all that takes place.
I’ll admit that I didn’t really understand why the plot took a twist that it did. There was so much to deal with just between the two main characters so adding further problems to an already complicated dynamic felt unnecessary. I get that it does shed a bit of light on Pet’s Master’s past, but for the most part, it distracted me from the main story line.
Besides the deviation from the plot that I struggled with, I’m intrigued to see where Carmen Jenner takes these two characters, especially where she leaves them at the end of book 1. I’m not sure if the gods or monsters will win in the end, or if that battle isn’t the one I should be addressing because there just might be a potential victor that no one saw coming because they never bothered to look too closely.
4 Poison Apples
WOW! WHAT. A. BOOK!
In The Land Of Gods and Monsters was THE perfect dark read! It was never boring, and it was delicious and dark and uncomfortable and addictive. It’s not suitable to everybody’s tastes, but I loved it!
This book is dark, and that is not an understatement. It made me uncomfortable through certain parts, and I wasn’t sure whether it was possible to love and hate a character so much, but Ares fits the bill perfectly. You saw so many sides to Ares, it was difficult controlling my emotions about him. He was a master in all forms, and I loved And hated him for that.
And Pet, well, I loved her feistiness and strength, even when she felt she had none, she was doing it subconsciously. I loved Pet’s tenacity, and to see her any other way will be very strange for me.
I loved this story. It’s the kind of darkness that drags me into a novel and never want to be set free. I may have felt uncomfortable at certain parts of the novel, but it never deterred me from carrying on. I just got addicted to this author’s words, I didn’t ever want the story to end, if this were a book, with endless chapters, I would keep reading and reading.
And that ending, GAH! From that ending, I need something now to satiate the appetite that this book has given me. I found it THAT addictive!
In The Land Of Gods And Monsters is a dark insatiable read that will leave you needing more from the last page. This book may not be for everybody, but to a romance reader, it’s like eating a slice of chocolate fudge cake on a diet. It’s absolutely irresistible. Dark and irrestitible, what more could you ask for?
Ummm WTF with an extra WT thrown in!!!!!!
I don’t even know what to say. I have read some dark books in my time but wowsa this was twisted awesomeness at its best. I don’t want to say too much but I will say it’s brutally graphic, it covers the very real & truly horrific subject of human trafficking and I am completely in awe of Carmen’s writing in this one. Blown away!
It’s definitely not your average HEA romance read. This one’s for the lovers of all things dark & erotic. And by dark I mean pitch black!!! Consider yourself warned.
Ares & his Pet are sooooo intriguing. They share something that felt genuine as a reader and it worried me just how much I didn’t hate him. I am hooked on their story & cannot wait for book 2.
*3.5-4 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
This one is hard for me to review, because whilst I love Carmen, I’m not sure about this story. I haven’t really read many dark stories like this before, if at all. This is the story of a famous ballerina who is abducted and held hostage, however she has no memory of who she is or anything to do with her past.
Ares, her captor is just plain mean, and yes, a monster. The story revolves around so much torture/punishment and sex between these two, that it seems to be a bit too much some of the time. And the horrible Stockholm Sydndrome Pet develops makes me want to smash the guys head in. Not that I didn’t already want to do that, but ya know.
The horrible situations in this book, while fictional, just made me think about how real this stuff actually is. Because in real life, there are horrible, horrendous monsters out there preying on innocent people. And that fact made this book even harder to read for me.
I did feel that the story was a little repetitive with the sex and torture at times, and would have liked a bit more development maybe in other parts of the characters stories. The ending was a huge surprise that I did not see coming at all, so I am really interested to see where we go with part 2 when that is released.
I am hoping for more explanations and character depth in the next instalments, because as horrible and dark as this story is, I am still intrigued to find out what happens.
(Note: In no means do I mean that the writing is bad. Carmen’s writing is great, the story is just very very dark)
I went into this one completely blind. I love Carmen Jenner’s writing so I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. Hoooooly Moly! What did I just read??!!!
I can’t even begin to describe what I felt reading this! Its uncomfortable in parts (most of the book) but Jenner still found a way to keep me sucked into this underworld of kink and debauchery. You want to hate Ares yet you are drawn to him. You want to tell Pet to run, yet you understand her longing. I found myself looking forward to the sweet torment and exquisite torture. If you didn’t know who you are, how do you know you don’t belong? How do you come back from having a taste of the darkest side of yourself?
This book is everything you aren’t expecting yet everything you want. There is sex and intrigue, love and lust, pain and betrayal. I felt like I was actually watching Camille become the black swan.
Carmen tells us just enough story to keep us wanting more. And then she does the unthinkable…she sets us free! I am on pins and needles waiting to find out what happens next!
I have to say, that this book is very different from what I have come to expect from this author and it is a genre I have not ventured into before. There is a warning in the synopsis about material being triggers for some people, and it’s for a good reason, so take note. And I have to be honest, I struggled with certain concepts of the storyline. I am no prude, that’s for sure. I like a good sex scene as long as they are in context with the book and that there aren’t too many so it won’t become boring and monotonous. What I did battle with was the consent. In saying all that, once I got part way through the novel, I was getting more and more intrigued as to what was going to happen, how was it going to be played out and not become a tragedy. It is so erotic, extremely dark and twisted and if that is your thing, you are going to love it.
What I loved most about this book was the writing. It is told in dual POV and I was taken along for the ride with Camille and reacted to everything she was going through. The ebbing and froing of emotions and the mixed up world she had fallen into. Did I love Ares? The jury is still out on that one but I did like him, and he slightly redeems himself at the end of this episode. Am I willing to try the next instalment, for sure! I am invested now and the need to know that Camille will be ok is very strong.
The story is totally painted in very dark colours. Non-con, dub-con sex, dom/Sub, humiliation, sexual slavery and fetishes and kinks all galore. A prima Ballerina is a swan. Lithe, graceful, a whisper of a feather, until she’s plucked by a sadist and caged for eternity. She’s tortured, abused, exploited till her feathers fall off and she forgets who she is….except his!!
“You are mine. I’ll call you whatever the fuck I want. I’ll keep you as long as I need, and if I choose to discard you like the dirty whore you are, then that is also up to me.”
Ares is a Master on a mission and a deadline. Bit by bit he starts breaking her and smashing her personality to squishy mud and then molds her as he wants her to be.
A perfect little pet!!
“A stupid girl too busy falling for her captor that she forgets to run, to plot, scheme, and most important of all . . . to escape. ”
It’s a fantastic story of progression of a free flying bird to a caged nightingale who sings on command of her Master. She is so isolated and alienated, every fleeting touch, every harsh hand on her redefined ass, every brutal pinch of her nipples is a welcome relief. Human touch becomes her highlight of the day and her Stockholm Syndrome is full blown
I love him. I hate him. I want to kill him, spear him through the heart until his blood pours thick and hot over my hands, and I can finally take back my freedom. But in doing so, it will destroy me.
Ares and Hermes are pros and skilled Masters with a decade of experience. This waif can’t stand up to them….can She?
But fate has other things in store for all of them. After visiting THE RANCH, Ares’s scarred heart faces his nemesis again, a feeling of Deja Vu and his mistakes come to haunt him…..
“You, princess , are a means to an end.” He tucks the hair back behind my ear. “You’re not his slave; you’re a slave. You’re to be sold.”
What makes you think you’re any different? I bet he made you think you were special. You’re not. You’re a commodity , a pretty pussy to sell off to the highest bidder.”
A very well written story, keeps you totally engaged and engrossed. I’d have loved it more had I not read some eerily similar stories in the same genre. Nevertheless that DOES NOT take away from the finesse and articulation of Carmen. She really knows how to jump from trope to trope, genre to genre with so much ease, I’m her loyal reader fan!!!
4 stars for the Master Muerte
In the Land of God and Monsters is a deeply dark, dangerous, yet achingly addictive tale that is violent, abrupt, but underneath it all, I cannot help feel indescribably moved by everything that this story is. It is pretty. It is not an easy read. It will challenge you, shock you, hurt you and amaze you. Despite the darkness, it is evident that this story is of a quality that is rarely matched. Sometimes I had to have a break from the unbelievable, but not for long. I could not bear not knowing how the story would end.
Carmen Jenner always, always produces stunningly high quality stories meant to shock and bewitch a reader. This story was so much more than I could ever have possibly wished for. I never thought I would like the dark and deadly genre, but this author has such a creative way of twisting a tale that as a reader I could not bear to put it down. The content is unpredictable, unexpected and utterly tempting. It does touch on topics that may be extremely upsetting to some, but if you go into this story open minded, you will be taken to another literary realm. I can guarantee it. I wanted to jump through these pages and knock some sense into both the leading characters. They were maddeningly frustrating, but I could not help but become enslaved by them. A story unlike most others and one I will never forget 5 stars.
Wooooooowwwwwww I need a detox LOL. This story takes you page by page through the same experience Pet is having. A deep and serious struggle between love and hate, pain and pleasure. And just like her, you will feel conflicted. She doesn’t know if she should trust Ares or not. But don’t be mistaken, there is more to the story. She is not the only one conflicted. Ares has a lot to take care of besides her and a lot to consider when it comes to his behavior and decisions. Their story becomes complicated because when feelings are involved there is no way to avoid complications. And there is always a watchful eye. There is a lot more to come and I can’t wait to get there! I don’t know how everything will be solve but the mystery has me on pins and needles and I love it! Carmen really outdid herself with this because it explores feelings deep within yourself you are afraid to acknowledge.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
In the land of gods and monsters, she was a toy. A plaything. A pet. His pet. Taken, stolen, beaten, used. Pet remembers nothing before his touch, and afterward she craves nothing more. Sinful and merciless, Ares is her god now. He alone says when to beg, when to come, and when to kneel, but he never said anything about leaving.
If you have ever read a Carmen Jenner book you know that your usually in for either your heart melting or tears because she tore your heart out. I can not explain how excited I was when she announced she was going to write a dark romance. I read a lot of them and I have to tell you that In the Land of Gods and Monsters did not disappoint. Carmen Jenner blew this book out of the water. I will go ahead and warn you that this book is really dark and it might contains some triggers for some people. It is dark from the beginning to pretty much the end so don’t expect any light in the darkness in this book. This is the story or Camille Flynn who is a ballerina with a boyfriend named Parker and a best friend D. She has just landed the role of a lifetime as the lead in Swan Lake. She gets to enjoy this role exactly one time before she is taken and wakes in a dark, dank room and has no idea who she is or who has taken her and why. Her memory is gone. This is where you meet Ares and find out his intentions for his Pet. This book is told in duel points of view from Pet and Ares. You will be on the edge of your seat the entire time. I loved every single second of this book. Ares is a male character that is going to be confusing to you. Your not going to know weather he is a bad bad guy or if he has a heart in his dark depraved heart. This is one of the darkest books I have read in a while and I loved it. I will be eagerly be awaiting Part Two of this book. I am blown away and am so glad that I got to read this book. I loved every second of it and feel like I have met a whole new author in Carmen Jenner.
Soon as I heard that Carmen Jenner had a new book out I got super excited. This book was not quite what I expected. I knew it would be dark but wow. Those warnings are there for a reason.
I will be honest that with this one it took me longer to get into then it usually does with Carmen’s books. Normally she grabs me tight from the very beginning but with this one I had to put it down every now and again and then come back later so it took me longer to read then normal. Maybe its because its darker then I normally read. That being said once I got further in I was intrigued with what was going to happen and now I’m left wanting the next book NOW.
There are some great twists and turns in this book. Ares is the perfect Anti-Hero, I want to hate him but there is something intriguing that pulls you in and as you get further into the book my curiosity has been peaked as to why he is doing what he is doing. I have a feeling there is a reason that could change my view of him completely.
Pet oh how my heart broke for this damaged and broken girl. She has been beaten, kidnapped, tormented and is being trained as sex slave. She has no idea which way is up and even though she should hate Ares she finds herself going against her instincts and craving him, craving his touch.
I have so many questions after reading this book that haven’t been answered yet like the Whys? hows? and who? I am looking forward to reading book 2 to see if my questions are answered.
„In the land of gods and monsters” is a full length, definitely dark novel written by Carmen Jenner, another new to me author this year. But after reading this book I definitely can’t wait for more. This story is told is dual point of view and includes MFM, MF and MM scenes and definitely it’s for readers who likes dark vibes in their books.
This story is definitely not an easy one to review cause to how much happens there and I don’t want to spoil you anything cause the best reading experience you’ll get with this book when you’ll start it without any spoilers. But be prepared that you may question your morals and that book is not definitely for readers with faint of hearts cause for some of you this book will appear as a really dark read but for readers that like me read their fair share of dark genre before your dark little hearts will very much enjoy this read and you will be left wanting another part of this book at this second. Believe me you will.
So as to the story. Our heroine is really successful ballet dancer who on opening night plays the Swan Queen in Swan Lake and as the curtain falls down she clashes eyes on a stranger with dark penetrating eyes, wild dark hair and tattoos peeking out of his tux in the crowd. Next scene we see her as she awakens in a glass cell like prison. She is cold, naked, scared, she doesn’t know her name with her past wiped clean. The man that she met at the theatre is now her captor, she has to call him Sir and her name is now Pet. She is now thrown to an unknown world where she has to let all her inhibitions go and submit to her captor as he teaches her the not so easy art of submission. She doesn’t easily submit and great battle of wits ensues with her questioning everything with resulting of her being punished a time or two in order to make her heel under his commands and to remember not to ever question him.
What I really enjoyed about this story is Pet’s journey and her transformation. Especially after what she endured she still kept fighting. The punishments and the pleasures from the hands of Ares, both her body and mind. Many, many times it left her a complete mess. Making her question herself, her reason for staying and wanting to escape her captor. Her feelings a mixture of both hate and love.
At the same time Ares is definitely not an easy character for me. I both equally hated and loved him, I was curious and intrigued by him. Especially by his past and the slaves he has broken. He also struggles with his emotions and tries to put distance from his slave, from Pet. As rough and brutal he gets with her he’s also capable of showing his tenderness. And that side is why I felt he deep down had a heart and I can’t wait to see more of that part of him in the sequel cause that ending was just amazing… Do you want to know what happened? You need to read the book 😛
Whole story is fast paced and when I reached last chapter it was definitely too soon for me but that always happen for me with great books. Pet and Ares have changed each other lived irrevocably and they definitely won’t be able to go back. I can’t wait to find out how they will move forward cause that great ending definitely left me wanting so much more. I definitely recommend this book to all dark stories lover out there.
First of all…when the author says DARK, be warned, etc…pay attention to that!!! Don’t read it if you don’t like dark because this is DARK!!
When Camille wakes up in a glass cell, she has no memory of who she is and how she got there. She’s in for a rude awakening when she finds out who took her and what’s going to be done to her.
No matter how much pain and humiliation “Pet” is put through she fights to be her own person. She wants to show Ares she isn’t going to break but she doesn’t realize how many times he’s done this before and he ALWAYS gets his way.
When they go to the Ranch, PET gets jealous of his former slaves and Ares is beside himself on what to do. I was mad that he kisses Israel!! What in the world Ares!!!???
Ares comes across as the monster but he seems to have some redeeming qualities that I want to see more of.
The CH on this one!!! I need the next book to see what happens!!!
Christ i think I’m in shock after finishing this book i am struggling to think of what to write in the best way possible. In the Land of Gods and monsters is a book that you will never forget wow i haven’t read a book like that in a long time.
Firstly Carmen Jenner’s writing is fantastic the story telling and the story of this book was on point. I am not a dark reader but i am so glad i picked up this book.
I don’t want to write to much about the characters because going in blind is the best way to read this but the characters in this book were so hateful but you wanted so bad to love them and the heroine the emotions that she had and what she goes through i just wanted to go jump right into the book and help her.
You love to hate the hero and want to stab him but you can also feel a softer side to him but you just have to wait. He was one mean son of a gun that i can sense that we love by the end. Yes this book ends but we have to wait for the next book which has the anticipation at and all time high.
There was so much to this story and really something’s i wasn’t expecting and characters i want to know more about. This story shocked me, sometimes thinking the plot would go one way and then it went another way.
This story had you hooked from the first page and i didn’t want to put it down until i finished it. This book was dark, dirty, submissive, hot but felt oh so wrong, and i loved it. You will know from the blurb if this is your sort of book but i recommend anyone to read it even if it’s not your usually taste in books.
Pet wakes up with no memory, she finds out quickly that she isn’t in this room by choice. Made a plaything, a pet, a toy; the main goal for Pet is to be made the perfect submissive, to break her and make her heel. But she fights her captor, her Master, at every turn; will she find a way to be free of him?
TBH I have no clue what the point of this story was. To share that there are monsters out there, and they can choose to be a god if they want? I have no clue, there was nothing romantic about this at all, it was just a dark erotic story, with some definite triggers for some. Is this it? Will there be another story to follow… who knows. I will say that this kept me captive until I finished, I just had to know what happened next, even if I didn’t agree with what was happening. I give this 4 stars.