His secrets. Her sanityThe road to hell…Well, there is no road to hell.I already live there.I was forced to partake in a rigged game of seduction, manipulation, and murder.Mateo Remmington is my formidable opponent.He makes the devil look like a saint.He’s immoral.He’s ruthless.He’s a goddamn king. King of a clandestine empire who sits on a throne covered in innocents’ blood.I’ve become his … a clandestine empire who sits on a throne covered in innocents’ blood.
I’ve become his obsession.
He’s becoming my deadly addiction.
And if I make one wrong move he’ll end my life.
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King of Hearts is the 2nd installment in the Old Money Roulette. Make sure you have read Queen of Diamonds before hand as this is not a standalone.
King Of Hearts picks up right where we left off in Queen Of Diamonds, I’d like to say a lot was explained in this book but in all honesty we were left with more questions.
What I can say is Mateo and Elena’s chemistry is off the charts, a few more twists are thrown our way which leave you mind boggled.
During the game Elena finds out some disturbing information, which leaves you with more questions. Mateo is playing along by leaving her little bits of information.
“You’ll never be like me?”
“You already are like me. You just hide it extremely well.”
I can’t wait to see what happens in the final installment Ace of Spades. I need to know what happen!
Another great read by Natalie Bennett
I can’t get enough of Natalie Bennett. She thrills me and scares me with the shit she cooks up in her brain – I mean, alligators this time? Really?
I thought the chainsaws and acid baths from book one were insane but now she’s thrown in death by gators.
Was I put off by it though?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
I wonder if she has a book titled “A Million and One Different Ways to Torture Someone” just sitting next to her computer, checking off each torture technique as she goes, or spinning a death wheel that chooses the goriest way in which a person can die. Either way, she’s pretty freaking creative.
Now down to the dirty deets of the book…
Not much has changed from Queen of Diamonds. The author is still throwing us little breadcrumbs and Mateo is so damn infuriating with his elusive ass that I feel like I’m never going to get answers about the Old Money Roulette game. He’s playing his cards close to his chest and I’m still scratching my head trying to figure this shit out, but it kept me turning the pages. And Elena… I don’t think she’s as naive as she wants us to believe. I still think she’s just biding her time to show her hand and lay down all her cards.
The fuckery is still just as strong and I can’t wait for the finale to pop up on my kindle because I need some freaking answers and it’s driving me absolutely bat shit! Natalie Bennett knows how to keep me on the edge of my seat in suspense and I absolutely love her for it.
Sex. Violence. Betrayal. The first three words of this book and I AM IN LOVE! Natalie Bennett speaks to me with such a kinship for the corrupt and malevolent that I want to curl up on her lap and read every line that she writes
Mateo is a take no prisoners type of man. Torture, murder, and manipulation topped with possessive and controlling cruelty. He is the embodiment of my ideal alpha male!
~Mateo motherfucking Remmington was the epitome of an addiction – mine specifically.~
Those words could not ring truer to Elena or any other female specimen. Elena will need to find strength to endure Mateo and his adulterated advances and unsettling uninformative instructions.
The two are intertwined in a game of survival of the richest and the corrupt. There are no instructions, guidelines or rules. Is Mateo wanting his queen by his side as an accomplice, or will she prevail and conquer her king? Bennett leaves you in the wind pondering the players’ next move.
Twisted, tantalizing, and totally fucking terrific!!
This just didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel the suspense or intrigue because quite simply the mystery was achieved by telling us nothing
I read this in the hope that it would build on the first book and ACTUALLY START GIVING US SOME ANSWERS AND SOME DIRECTION OF WHAT THE PLOT IS ACTUALLY ABOUT. I was sadly disappointed. The entire plot, at the moment, seems to be that Elena is trying to find out where her sister is and Mateo is continually promising to give her answers but instead gives her nothing but other distracting (and seemingly pointless) puzzle pieces. I still don’t know what ‘the game’ is, nor does Elena, unless it’s to kill as many innocent bystanders as possible?
Every time she challenges him in some way his answer is to distract her by sticking his fingers in her vagina (in a book that took about 90 minutes to read there were AT LEAST 6 separate occurrences, for goodness sake add some variety). He also doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and she’s so desperate for it she’s happy to let him. If I’m scared, angry or hurt sex is not top of the list of activities I want to do. Yes it’s a work of fiction but if it’s contemporary it needs to have some touch on reality.
Even worse is that Elena is totally led by said vagina and is quite happy to be treated like a mushroom (kept in the dark and fed shit) just as long as Mateo is sticking either his fingers or cock in her. I’m afraid this hits my pet hate of a woman who loses all sensibility in the presence of a man. She is totally TSTL in this book and I went from quite liking her to shaking my head in disbelief that she was in love with a man who is a complete and utter psychopath. He kills people just to seemingly keep Elena in line, and often thinks about how he would kill her if she did something to upset him.
Now I accept this is a dark read but the darkness is all contained in the ‘hero’. He is happy to kill innocent bystanders, admits he is a human trafficker and there is even the strong suggestion that he kills off the prostitutes he rents out, when they have been with a certain number of men.
Sorry, but as much as I love an antihero he needs to have SOME redeeming features. He shows a frighteningly sick obsession about the heroine but he doesn’t really show that he loves her. He doesn’t have ANY morals. I can’t find a single thing to like about him and this leads me wonder what Elena sees in him. I then find I can’t respect or connect with her since she is happy to ignore the fact that he is a complete lunatic. I won’t be bothering with book 3.
It’s a shame because the technical writing, descriptions etc are really good. The author has talent, I found the story easy to follow, always knew who was speaking, descriptions were detailed enough to build a picture without losing the flow and the pace was really good too.
I really enjoy reading. Now I’m waiting for next book to be released. Can’t wait to find out the whole truth behind it all.
I feel as though someone put a bag over my head sat me in the corner of a very opulent room and proceeded to talk about a game they were developing. I’m left with so many warring emotions, the most prevalent one being curiousity. Curiosity about how I’m becoming addicted to the mind games Mateo plays. Curiosity about how the pieces for together with what I’ve been given. But the most curious part of me needs to know how this game will end. I need to know if Elena is fit to be the ruthless queen Mateo needs. I feel myself becoming more in love with Mateo and more aggravated with Elena. I want Elena to finally let loose the darkness within herself. I want her to break free from the family who didn’t give two shits about her. I want Mateo to succeed in turning her into the darkest queen that Vice City has seen.
Natalie Bennett writes dark romance that calls to the dark inside of you. Her words fill you with the ruthless, heartless, depravity of her characters while reading her stories. I’ve become addicted to Natalie Bennett’s writing and find myself eager to read more and more from her. She feeds the darkness inside of you while weaving a dark and twisted game of love that has a different brand of romance. A brand you start to crave.
“In a million ways for a million different reasons that would never make sense to anyone other than the two of us, I wanted him.”
Mateo is my favorite type of bad-boy villain….he exudes danger, sex appeal, and just off the charts hotness that he crept in my bones and wouldn’t let go. At times, terrifyingly intense, yet you are drawn to his character like a moth to a flame and I didn’t want this one to ever end!! Darkly intoxicating and flaming hot!! I thank the Author for providing a copy to review and I cannot wait for what I anticipate to be the epic conclusion of this series!!
“She was a pristine canvas I could paint however I wished. She had a past full of pain that could only make her more cutthroat. My twisted angel held so much potential, all I had to do was dirty her up a little.”
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
Mama Mia…I don’t know where this author comes up with the plots for these books. She scares me a little to be honest (lol). So this one picks up where we left off in book one. We are given a few more twist and turns as Elena and Mateo continue to play the game of old money roulette. Truthfully, I have no idea where this is going or what the end game is here. Every new twist and turn ends in even more questions. I seriously need some damn answers. Thankfully, I don’t have long to wait for the conclusion.
The writing remains fantastic. It is a relatively short book, so the pace moves along at a good clip. The plot remains very engaging. There is torture. There is murder. There is blood…lots of blood. There is a good cast of secondary characters. No OW or OM drama. The sex scenes are hot, and both main characters remain twistedly intriguing. Not much more to say than that. Bring on book three…
And the saga continues
King of Hearts begins right were the Queen of Diamonds left us – Huddled in a dark corner choking on questions and crying for mercy as we search for answers – okay maybe not literally but you get the idea
We concentrate more on Mateo in book two – We get a look at what is going through his thoughts and a bit more insight into what he is planning – though honestly, I have absolutely no clue what the final conclusion will bring – He seems to be moving the “game pieces” with careful precision – It seems that he has the final move at the forefront of his mind
There is so much darkness in Mateo – he firmly believes he sees that same darkness reflected within Elena – and now he has set out to nurture it, to bring it to fruition – and damn if that is not a scary thought, because in book two we see passing glints of what Elena can become – of how truly capable she is of becoming the bloody queen to his king
As with book one King is filled with plot twists, evil villains, very dark elements of a most sinful nature and lots and lots of steamy romance –
After all the questions I was left with from the first book in this series I couldn’t wait to dive into King of Hearts and I found myself more riveted to the storyline and the game played. I loved Mateo even more after this book and can’t wait until his Queen joins his side. All the twists, turns and secrets kept me on the edge of my seat anticipating where the game would lead next. As my jaw dropped while reading the last page I am already eagerly anticipating the epic conclusion to this series. I can’t wait to see what’s in store next for the players of Old Money Roulette!!
This book takes over right where book one ended, and honestly, I needed answers.
I was totally invested in Mateo and Elena’s relationship and awaited early to see where the author will take us. I was hoping that finally we’ll have some answers, but alas I got more questions than not. I loved the writing, the twists and turns and of course the hot and heavy scenes between Elena and Mateo, but I seriously can’t wait for the next one where hopefully all the loose ends will be tied and we’ll finally get the answers we want.
King of Hearts by Natalie Bennett is book Two in the Old Money Roulette series. This continues the story of Mateo and Elena. There will be one more book after this one that gives us more of their story called “Ace Of Spades”. This started off where “Queen Of Diamonds” left off.
This is a somewhat Dark Romance so there may be some trigger issues in their story but for me it was one that was hard to stop reading. I wanted to see how Mateo was working to get his ‘Kingdom’ in order the changes in Elena and how their growing feelings were playing out.
I can’t wait for the next book!!
This is the second book in the series and Queen of Diamonds needs to be read first.
Mateo Remmington is a powerful man and used to getting exactly what he wants. He wants Elena Rias but knows she has to be prepared for the life that he leads and be willing to stand beside him and do what is expected of her.
Elena Rias thought she could find out what happened to her sister, Eva through Mateo. She knew that Mateo was a dangerous man but had no idea how far he could go and continues to go for anyone that dares to cross his path and betray him.
Will Elena be willing to play the game that Mateo has set out for her or will the game be too much for her and cause her to leave before getting the answers she needs?
Wow – this is such an intense book that will leave your stomach doing somersaults in horror at the punishments handed out.
Mateo was a very powerful man who would stop at nothing to prove what he was set out to do and stop people from double crossing him. There were times I really liked Mateo and other times he scared the living heck out of me! He was not a man I wanted to cross at all. It was clear that he truly cared about Elena but I was still confused about what he was doing with her and why he wanted her so much in his world.
Elena was a good character that really wanted to find out what happened to her sister. She knew that Eva was involved with the wrong people but knew that Mateo could help her with discovering where she was. I was definitely worried about Elena and her friends, Melody and Peyton as the book went on and more things happened.
There were so many twists and turns and scary moments that I was never sure what was going to happen next.
I was shocked at what Mateo made Elena do but I was proud of Elena for getting through it. The end left me in shock and I am definitely worried about what is going to happen next!- By rebecca
Book 2 of this series is an even crazier, edge of my seat, couldn’t put it down ride than book 1! I can’t even believe I said that considering how much book 1 brought it. Natalie Bennett knows how to weave shockingly twisted addictive stories and this managed to exceed my already high expectations.
It’s a fast paced story, one that leaves you questioning what the heck you just read, why you love it so much and needing book 3 immediately! The character development and world building is fantastic. Not for one second did my attention leave the pages. Reaching the last pages almost made me cry because I need to know what happens next!
This book is the ultimate mind game. It is deliciously dark with so many cringe-worthy moments. The suspense was to the point I almost wanted to put it down and run away because I didn’t know if I could handle anymore. Yet Natalie Bennett is incredibly skilled when it comes to holding the reader emotionally hostage. This book is one crazy ride but absolutely worth it!
5 stars for a perfectly crazy, emotionally captivating read! Highly recommend!
If you haven’t read Queen of Diamonds, immediately rush out and get it. If you don’t, you won’t understand what’s going on with this book, and you will completely mystified. Of course, even if you read the QoD, you are still going to be confused, but that’s because you are going to have a zillion questions when you go into this book.
So, Elena is still trying to find her sister and figure out what’s going on with her. Everything she learns about her sister makes her more confused and makes her sad. However, that isn’t going to make her stop searching and stop trying to figure out what’s going on.
Mateo knows way more than anyone else in the game. He’s playing all the sides and purposely making Elena go on a scavenger hunt in order to find out the information that she needs. Of course, part of the game he’s playing involves dragging her further into his world and making her do things that she would never, ever do in any other time or place.
Oh man, I have so many questions. Questions upon questions. KoH didn’t really answer any of the questions I went into the book with, it just left me with more. I need to have the last one right now so that I can figure out what’s going on. I think that I may know more than Elena though, which puts me in a better place. My brain was reeling when I finished this one and it may stay reeling until I get to the end of the series.
This book starts when the first book left of. You need to have read Queen of Diamonds otherwise the story won’t make any sense.
Elena is trying to survive in Mateo’s world and getting the answers she wants. her emotions and feelings are one big mess. Mateo wants Elena, mind body and soul. The sexual tension between them is off the charts.
As a reader we get more than a glimpse in Mateo’s world and some of the secrets are revealed. The story is a chess game that is slowly being played out.
In a lot of ways this is a love story, but not your typical romance. It is dark, disturbing, bloody and twisted and has complex characters and story.
In short. It is a wonderful read and I can´t wait for the next book.
OMG! Loved “King Of Hearts” like so much and I feel like I was waiting forever to read this; I was so excited to get my hands on this second instalment in the fantastic “Old Money Roulette” series.
And sigh; it was over much too soon for me as I raced through this in record time.
This starts off exactly where we left events previously, and almost from the get-go we are ramped right back into the action with shocks and turns galore.
Mateo is in True King style as he attempts to mould and manipulate his Ley all in the name of shaping her new destiny as his queen; strategising events to play this game exactly as he chooses.
Taking Ley along for the ride; while giving her the allusion of choice when really her destiny has already been preordained by yours truly.
When the cards finally fall Elaina is going to be right by Mateos side; The dark Queen to his Corrupt King.
And my god this book was decadent and depraved personified; exactly what I have come to expect and adore from this particular author.
I just never knew where events were going to go next; This author has such a malignant mind that when let free it is honestly a touch unnerving; I was almost afraid to turn the page at times.
But in the same breathe, there’s also such a compulsion to soldier on here; as this is also such addictive reading that once started is impossible to put down until the final reveal; I was glued with an almost sinful sickened delight.
Both Elaina and Mateo are such flawed individuals both with multifaceted personalities.
Mateo being much more transparent than Elaina; who herself hides behind a facade of innocence concealing the cracks beneath her surface.
Mateo makes no apologies and himself stands in full view; almost daring his friends and also his enemies to judge.
while at the same time lending his assistance to Elaina as he attempts to get her to embrace her Immorality wholeheartedly.
So in “King Of Hearts” for every answer, Elaina gets another pops up in its place.
This is full of secrets and lies and is so fast paced it definitely kept me on my toes; feeding me just enough information to titillate but not ultimately satisfy my complete curiosity.
This was also scorching in terms of heat factor with some serious chemistry between our two lovers.
I should also probably mention that this story doesn’t pull any punches; it’s graphic and disturbed with torture that has an almost sick normalcy to it at times; that was just so wrong it was actually right.
This also straddles the dub-con line like a lot, so if this is a trigger; probably best to give this a wide berth.
My own personal morality radar when it comes to my fiction seems a bit screwy and I’ve found the more depraved the more I seem to devour; this I absolutely inhaled.
I’m so dying to read the next part of this addicting saga; So glad I haven’t long to wait, I will be on pins till I get my hands on the next piece of this perplexing puzzle.
I’m now convinced Natalie Bennett could write Christmas crackers and I would appreciate and revel in the almost neurotic normalcy she depicts so well; I’ve yet to read anything of hers yet that I haven’t adored.
This is one series I can’t recommend enough; Give it a go if your stomach is strong enough for the task at hand that is.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of “King Of Hearts (Old Money Roulette #2” of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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As the plot thickens I get more I grossed with this story. It’s a good mix of romance, adult content, intrigue and darkness. Being the continuation of the first book, the characters evolve right along with the plot. I was thrown sideways many times and my jaw dropped more times then I care to admit. I will say this book has very descriptive scenes and they may not be for everyone but I have to admit my dark soul loved them. I can’t wait to see how this game is going to end. The author has laid out the clues, altered things I though would happen and mind screwed me many times. Only a few weeks wait for the last installment of this series. 4 stars #2OCCJD