I’m king of the criminal underworld.I always get what I want.And she’s my obsession.Cora is new to the city of sin.Her innocent blue eyes beg for me to claim her.But I’m not the billionaire she thinks I am.There’s a darkness within me.And Cora is a shining light.She’s beautiful. A virgin.I’m ruthless. A beast.She found me for a reason.She’ll be my queen.I’ll give her everything that her heart … queen.
I’ll give her everything that her heart desires.
Except for one thing.
Her freedom.
She’s mine to keep, and I’m never letting her go.
Note: This is a dark mafia romance with dark and intense sensual scenes. It is the first in a trilogy.
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The reason for a three star rating is because of the storyline,I don’t have problems with the submissive theme except that it’s done by degrading and the whole collar and leash thing just pisses me off!!! Marcus is a dark fucking asshole who’s soul purpose is revenge for what happened to his sister. I get it, what was done to his sister was horrible! But cora was innocent,it was her father and his men who raped and murdered marcus’s sister so I’m not buying it. I will say that it’s me not this book,im not much of a dark romance fan. I don’t mind flawed characters,but I will be damned if I believe that you can be humiliated and used by some one and some how love them! I think not. I had such high hopes between a great cover and a blurb that likened Marcus to hades. Even the God of the underworld wasn’t this big of a dick! Until next time luv’s
This was a fast-paced, easy read that kept me enthralled and entertained. Her characters, with their flawed personalities, are relatable. A retelling of Persephone and Hades, can you imagine? It’s sexy, intimidating, intriguing, and mysterious. I’m looking forward to book two, “Awakening”.
I absolutely loved this book and was honored to have been able to read and review. It was such a phenomenal read and had amazing characters as well as an amazing story line. I just could not get enough of it and once I started reading it I could not put it down. I recommend that you read it.
“I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.”
Hot and sexy dark mafia romance that has tense emotional scenes and lots of steam. Markus and Cora are a good match, with Markus starting to question what he thinks. It’s more Persephone and Hades than Beauty and the Beast. Lots of dark, Stockholm-y goodness. This is the first book in a trilogy, and although I received a free copy via Booksprout, I also went ahead and bought it because I like the story and want to keep reading.
Love reading Cora and Marcus story. But I would have love to hear more of his thoughts too his reactions then what we got so I hope within the next one the pov would be equally even if it is third person pov. But their story definitely capture me I can’t wait to know what will happen next in Cora and Marcus relationship.
A modern retelling of a Greek myth/tragedy, and I have to give it to Lee Savino and Stasia Black for this intriguing book. Though it has an ending you know there’s more to this story; I didn’t realize that until the very end and found out it’s a trilogy. So I’m looking forward to seeing what these ladies do with our anti-hero, Marcus Ubeli (Hades) and our protangonist, Cora Vestian (Persephone). She’s the young farm girl, away from her sheltered home for the first time in her life, while he’s the Lord of the Underworld in ficticious big city, New Olympus. It’s funny, because I know Lee Savino as a paranormal writer, so I kept trying to find the supernatural in this story! At times I thought Marcus was a bit vampir-ish. Once I realized the Greek undertones, it began to fall into place for me.
The formatting and editing in this book left a lot to be desired, but I received an advanced copy, so I’m hoping the bugs will be worked out before it’s final release.
Dramatic #1 of what promises to be an amazing Trilogy!!
An overprotected innocent is saved by the “Lord of the Underworld” when she ventures into the big city. Except all is not as it seems. Brilliantly written, beautifully executed, scintillating romance with an edge.
I Can’t wait for more in this excellent story!
*** I am voluntarily leaving my honest review of this book ***
5 Stars, Loved this Book!
A great beginning for a Mafia Trilogy. Cora has escaped her abusive mother who basically kept her captive in their home, home-schooling, locking her in the cellar, etc… She is living in the city when she is chased one night and ultimately ends up finding safety with wealthy, mysterious, Marcus Ubeli. Thus begins a long journey of romance, hot sex, and love. It’s fast-paced and I loved it. If you are into alpha, rich, Mafia men and a beautiful, sweet, innocent woman, then you will love this book.
I’ve read plenty of books by these two authors individually so when they teamed up to write a series I jumped on it. I devoured this book in one sitting it was that captivating. It is intense and emotional with steamy scenes to break up the twisted scenes. This is a dark romance so it’s the readers boundaries of what is a healthy relationship. Marcus is the anti-hero of the story but he goes to great lengths concerning Cora. Well Cora is sheltered majorly so I really hope she finds an inner strength in the next book. Overall it was a fantastic read and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
This is a dark tale of Marcus wanting and getting revenge for the murder of his sister. Cora is an innocent woman but daughter to the man who murdered Marcus sister. I didn’t care for Marcus as he began to show his cruelty and ruthlessness. Cora was strong despite her young age and the abuse by her mother then Marcus. An interesting read.
The Hades and Persephone story is my favorite story in mythology. There’s so much love in it, I think, and I think that they are perfect together. Because I like it so much, I’ve read several modern versions of it, and this is just the start of a new one.
Cora has come to the big city of New Olympus. Then, she ends up fired, drugged, and running away from a kidnapper. She runs right into Marcus’ club, and into his clutches. He takes care of her, woos her, and makes her feel all kinds of special.
There is a lot of intensity going on in here, and it is fairly dark too. Marcus isn’t as good as Cora thinks she is. There is a lot more going on than she’s aware of, and she’s up to her eyebrows in it, even if she doesn’t know that she is.
The story kept me wrapped up in it and just wouldn’t let go until I hit the last word. Of course, I’m still not entirely sure that it has let me go. I think Cora and Marcus are going to live in my head forever.
OMG! Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. The characters just jump into your heart and take you for a wild ride!! I can’t wait to read book 2!! Awesome!
This book was a lot darker than I was expecting, but in a good way.
This was a gripping, emotional read. I loved the way the characters were portrayed. But be warned of you want a sweet fairy tale romance, this isn’t it!
Our main character is Cora, an innocent 19 year old that escaped her isolate existence with her mom on a farm. Secluded from all life other than the farm and abused by her mother, she yearns to see the city and experience freedom. Freedom doesn’t last long in the big city, she is roofied and wanders into dangerous territory. Marcus is a mob boss, and is Cora’s savior (in her eyes) but even that doesn’t last long. With Cora’s innocent, naive upbringing, she is not prepared for the charismatic Marcus with his ulterior motives. This is a dark, sexy, scary tale, and surprising in so many ways. There is a cliffhanger ending, but I didn’t realize it’s a trilogy, so I have much more of Cora and Marcus to look forward to. I can’t wait!!!
I loved this book. The first page drew me in with every page I turned dragging me deeper into this Tale. My heart broke for Cora and I wanted to punch Marcus every time you open his mouth and hurt her. I’m going between cheering them on and hoping Cora escapes. Marcus at times will let his kindness show but then he hides it with the hardness he shows the world. I really fell in love with these characters. Cora seems all softness but she has a hidden hardness inside her, that’s why she survived her mother and was able to run away. While Marcus shows his hardness to everyone and hides the softness and he’ll let it out once in awhile in front of Cora. she is the Light to his Darkness. I can’t wait for part 2.
Overall, I thought this was a good story and give it 3.5 stars. There were a couple things I didn’t like and/or was confused about. The main thing had to do with Cora. I had a hard time buying into the fact she was supposed to have been pretty sheltered growing up. She just seemed too knowledgeable about certain things to make it believable. Also, I knew this was the first part in a trilogy. I just didn’t realize it was going to end on a cliffhanger. I don’t necessarily mind cliffhangers if I know to expect them. If I don’t know there’s going to be a cliffhanger, I get annoyed when one happens in a story I’m finishing. Those were the two big things that kept me from giving a higher number of stars. The rest was pretty good and I’d be interested in seeing where book two takes us.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This is my honest review.*
Trying to catch my breathe….WOW! The story has it ALL and then some! You want suspense? You want mystery? You want a story that is fast paced and filled with the unexpected? You want a book that has explicit BDSM elements, sexy, HOT scenes and romance? Then “INNOCENCE” should be your next romance purchase! Lee Savino and Stasia Black are amazing authors who know when to deliver the shocker that has you bound and tied to continue reading! This one is dark, an extremely well written romance with many twists and turns with plenty of deceitful acts that you can’t put the book down.
Don’t wish to spoil the surprises for you so I will only say a few words about the story. Our hero and heroine are Marcus and Cora and they do have flaws. 🙂 Cora flees from an emotionally void and difficult life with her Mother to find herself in the arms of the Big Bad Wolf, as Marcus describes himself to her. She refuses to believe that the warm, caring and loving man she knew, no longer exists. Lee Savino and Stasia Black are formidable, as they show us, her continued faith in herself and in him and her growth into a strong woman. His life has made him hard, Cora understands this but believes she can reach into his “cold, cold heart and find the warmth that he showed her was still there. The story is well developed, the characters have depth, we care and worry about them. I was astonished how enraged I felt for Cora, I became concerned and shared in her confused feelings. She is perplexed when her entire being responds to Marcus both physically and emotionally. This story shows us how trust and belief in others and love can help people grow and not fear change. The story is about betrayal, revenge and is also a love story. It isn’t quite a stand alone, more like a chapter has ended and now I wait impatiently for the next chapter! Thank you for a most AMAZING read!!
Wow!! Lee and Stasia have done a wonderful job with this dark and steamy mafia story. Cora is in the big city after she escaped her mother’s clutches. Marcus is the Lord of the Underworld and is a cold hearted man. Ever since he lost his sister he has closed off his heart and keeps his city safe. Cora and Marcus meet when she is trying to escape again and the attraction is instant. Marcus begins to charm Cora and treats her like a goddess. Marcus has some dark secrets that he has kept from Cora. What will happen when the real beast comes out? These two have been broken in different ways, but have survived. Will they be able to survive the feelings they begin to have for each other? This is a deliciously dark book. It is a different take on Beauty and the Beast in a very dark way. It may have triggers for some people with being held hostage. There is action, suspense, secrets, lies, denial, angst, revelations, lust/love and some twists and turns. I can’t wait for book two to come out and see what happens with Cora and Marcus
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2847745580?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1