*** Now a USA Today bestselling series! ***From USA Today bestselling author Willow Winters comes a heart-wrenching, edge-of-your-seat gripping, romantic suspense. I should’ve known she would ruin me the moment I saw her. Women like her are made to destroy men like me. I couldn’t resist her though. Given to me to start a war; I was too eager to accept. But I didn’t know what she’d do to me. That …
But I didn’t know what she’d do to me. That she would change everything.
She sees through me in a way no one else ever has.
Her innocence and vulnerability make me weak for her and I hate it.
I know better than to give in to temptation.
A ruthless man doesn’t let a soul close to him.
A cold-hearted man doesn’t risk anything for anyone.
A powerful man with a beautiful woman at his mercy … he doesn’t fall for her.
more
I love me a good forbidden romance!
O. M. G. Just hang on.
Willow Winters’ new release is an edge-of-your seat, gripping, heart pounding read. It’s forbidden and deliciously dark. Check out this little teaser… “I want to consume her every waking thought. I want her to live and breathe for me and my desires. And maybe this is the cost of it all. That I can have her during her days, but her nights will destroy her.”
Hot, dark and forbidden.
Forbidden romance!
Awesome writing. Intense hero. Wild plot twists. This book is everything I love about Willow Winters and more! Don’t miss it.
Phenomenal! You can never go wrong with the lovely and talented Willow and she’s really taken her readers for one wild ride with this series!!
I loved this book!!!!! OMG! Carter and Aria are my favorite so far! I’ve been looking forward to Carter’s story and I was definitely not disappointed! And that ending was so intense! I can’t wait to see what happens next!!
Merciless by Willow Winters is the first book in a 4 book series. I generally hate cliffhangers but the whole series is out so I don’t mind them when I can get all the books immediately. I just won’t wait months or years while an author toys with me with a cliffhanger. I’m petulant that way.
If you loved my book Comfort Food, you’ll also love Merciless. For fans of my work unfamiliar with Willow… Merciless is sort of like if Comfort Food and Mafia Captive had a baby. So if you like those books you will LOVE Merciless. Though I think she really does mafia crime family much better than me!
Carter Cross has an obsession with Aria who he calls songbird. Fittingly she’s actually named after an opera term. He has her brought to him and imprisons her and slowly breaks her down so he can make her his obedient pet and use her in a turf war.
Carter is… yum. The way he handles her is the very definition of power and control. And the way she crumbles at his feet is a thing to behold. Even though this one ends on a cliffhanger, what you do get before that moment is extremely satisfying.
The audio for Merciless is fabulous. Savannah Peachwood delivers a strong, emotional performance and Jacob Morgan’s soothing growl is perfect for Carter.
I got to blurb this one, here was my blurb:
“In this sexy, edgy tale, Willow Winters will show you no mercy,” –Kitty Thomas, author of Comfort Food.
If you love my books and are at a loss for what to read while waiting for Twisted Fates, you need to get started on this series, immediately!
I don’t know why I waited so long to read this. It hit me in the gut — hard — and didn’t let go. Willow Winters did an amazing job of bringing this story to life. I’ll be thinking about Merciless for a very long time.
I can’t resist a good forbidden read…or maybe it’s this cover drawing me in
Ahhhh Willow Winters always slays it!
This goes beyond love, my gosh White flag. I surrender. Ha ha I loved it.
Okay, I’m intrigued! I love the heroine and her chemistry with the Hero. Can’t wait to continue with their story! Great job, Willow!
This isn’t your average love story. It’s dark and twisted and so damn sexy. If you’re looking for a Hallmark movie type of love, this isn’t it. These characters are different, they are not your typical hero and heroine. But, man are they incredible!!! Honestly, I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started this book. If I’d known, I can’t say for sure that I would have read it. BUT I am so beyond happy that I did. I was reading everyone raving about this series on social media and I just had to find out what the fuss was about. Thank you for giving us Carter and Aria!
Read this series! So good! <3
Willow Winters knows how to write her leading men in a way that both excites and terrifies readers. Ever since meeting Carter, the sexy and intimidating eldest Cross in Possessive (Daniel and Addison’s story), I have been eagerly anticipating his story. Let me just say tell you all that this extraordinarily talented author certainly did not disappoint with this one!
Merciless was a phenomenally written story that intensely captivated me whole body and soul. Words cannot even begin to describe the overwhelming emotion that I felt while reading. I embraced this story wholeheartedly and I devoured it page after page until I reached the very end…an ending that is yet to be complete. When Carter and Aria’s story first began I never could have anticipated being left with so many unanswered questions, but that just means that we’ll be getting more of this unlikely pair soon enough!
Carter Cross was a character that I was instantly attracted to long before his story because he demands that kind of feeling from readers. His demeanor intrigues me and I wanted to discover every single one of his demons. He is a lost soul that has always been the leader when it comes to his family. He will do anything to protect them…and I do mean ANYTHING. Now let’s direct our attention towards the young and beautiful Aria Talvery, the daughter of one of the most violent crime families in town. She has caught Carter’s attention and she has no clue why. She should fear him with every fiber of her being, but the attraction is undeniable and as much as she tries to fight it, there is no stopping this love from happening.
After that shock-worthy ending there is no way this story is leaving my mind ever and now I cannot wait to get my hands on Heartless, the second part of Carter and Aria’s tale. Although this book technically ends in a cliffhanger, I strongly urge you to pick up your copy of Merciless and discover their passion and love today!
Just when you think Willow Winters couldn’t get any better she releases a book that smacks you in the face and rips out your heart! You want to hate Carter for the things he puts Aria through, but you can’t help but love the guy and silently cheer him on and hope Aria can see past the mind games. It wasn’t left on a cliffhanger, but leaves you right at the point where you are screaming for more. I am so happy that their story will continue in heartless because I couldn’t put this book down and I can’t get enough of Carter!
Wow. What an absolutely fantastic read. Carter is ruthless, dark, demanding and sex on 2 legs. Then you have beautiful Aria, stronger than she gives herself credit for. This is one of those books that you read slowly to savour it like fine wine. Dark, hot as heck, beautiful with twists and turns and jaw dropping good. Although, Willow could write about how blue the sky is and I’d read it. I would definitely recommend this book. Be prepared, there is a cliffhanger. The only bad thing about this book, I just finished it and it left me wanting more. Why Willow? Why?
~WRITING – PLOT – PACE~
I will be honest, I am struggling a little with how to rate this book. On one hand, I enjoyed it a lot. The writing was fantastic. The pace was perfect. The plot was super engaging and kept me turning the pages like a crazy person. I just couldn’t connect with Carter and Aria as a couple. I read (and love) a lot of dark romances so I don’t always expect my heroes to be sweet upstanding citizens, but generally, there are moments even in the darkest of books that I feel the hero cares (even if it is in his own twisted way) for the heroine. In this one I just DIDN’T. Most people wouldn’t treat their pets as awfully as Carter treated Aria. I just never understood the reasoning behind why he had to treat her so badly to get what he wanted? He wanted to break her? Why? Surely he could have gone about it in a less harsh and cold way? And from Aria’s side, I just felt like the poor girl had Stockholm Syndrome so bad she would have done anything Carter said to stay out of the cell he kept her in. In any case, this one ends on a cliffhanger so I am hoping maybe we will get a bit more background on the “WHY” Carter did what he did in the next book.
~HERO~
CARTER…Carter was a bit of a mixed bag. He was sexy. He was domineering. He was charming. I love how close to his brother’s he is. That said, the way he treated Aria was just really abysmal. Since we don’t get a lot of background info (IMO) on WHY Carter is doing what he is doing with Aria, it just felt like he wanted to break her and didn’t care how cruel he had to be to get it done. Like I mentioned above though, I am hoping we will dive a bit more into his reasonings in the next book. So I have my fingers crossed he can be redeemed.
~HEROINE~
ARIA…Sigh. I honestly just felt so sorry for this chick. She stayed strong for as long as she could. Even the most strong of spirits are going to break when being kept in a cell with a thin mattress. With very little sleep. Very little food. No place to bath, and having your mind f-cked with continuously. There really isn’t much more I can say about her because her character was pretty much a victim for the entire book. Hopefully, in the next one, we see a stronger, tougher Aria.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
This one was pretty light of secondary characters. Mostly we just see Jase (Carter’s brother), and a little of Daniel, (Carter’s other brother) and the hero from the previous book. All the brothers intrigue me so I can’t wait to read their books.
~HEAT LEVEL~
Low. There are couple moderately spicey sex scenes in this one, but I wouldn’t say it was overly erotic or kinky. There was some spanking. Handcuffs. That sort of thing. That said, the frequency and heat felt organic to the story.
~ANGST LEVEL – SEXUAL HISTORIES~
High…Most of the angst in this one came from the way Carter treated Aria. There was no OW or OM drama. Neither were virgins, and there isn’t a single mention of either of their past sexual experiences.
~IN THE END~
So yea, I don’t know. Like I said, on one hand, I pretty much inhaled this book in one go. So obviously I liked a whole lot about the book. I adore this authors writing. It (more often than not) is top notch. The pace was good. The plot engaging. Mainly, I just struggled with the way Carter treated Aria for the entire book. I needed some “softer” scenes that showed he actually had genuine feelings for Aria. Or at the very least more explanation for his harsh actions. Hopefully, the next book will address both those things. I know I will be waiting not so patiently to get my hands on it. So, for now, I am going to go with a 3.5 Stars rating with the option of changing that as I marinate on it more.