*** 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.
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This is one of those reads that captures your breath and holds you in an almost frozen state of suspense – each scene more gripping than the last
Aria – is the prize – Aria puts up a decent fight but hunger fear and lack of sleep slowly wear her down. She may seem broken but there is a spark just waiting to reignite her fight -My question is what is this game that Carter has made her a pawn in? I understand some of Carter’s warped logic at getting his pound of flesh, but Ughhhh I crave to know more and we are only given little bits and pieces
Carter – I know he believes there is a method to his madness, I just wish he would share it with us- he is focused and driven with sociopathic tendencies that bring a certain edge to his character. I really liked that we get his POV through most of the story. He is tactical, always seems one step ahead of his enemies and the readers –
There is so much going on in the background of this story – It was like a plotline within a plotline, two stories woven in such a way that I was constantly waiting for the next twist, or betrayal – The main focus is on the events between Aria and Carter- Winters feeds us just bits and pieces of the secondary story as well as the why’s of Carter’s obsession –
This is the first in a duet
I read this blurb and was excited to dive into it as soon as I could. However, the story didn’t live up to its blurb hype. I love dark romances so I really wanted to enjoy this. By the time the story got to a point that I was completely interested and couldn’t stop reading, it was the cliffhanger end. I hope the next book in this series explains more of Carter and Aria’s story and redeems their relationship. The ending was great even though it was a cliffhanger of sorts. The ending was written in a way that made me want to read the next book to see what happens next.
It’s strange writing a review for a book you liked when you still feel slightly disconnected from the characters, that’s where I’m at.
This book is a dark read where crime families are vying for power and one of their daughters Aria is abducted and given to Carter Cross. For reasons still unknown Carter wants to break her. He’s ruthless brutal and feared by many and even when we get to know his thoughts it always feels like he’s holding something back.
A story that pulls no punches with it’s brutality where twists and secrets are revealed at every turn. I’m hoping we get a deeper insight into Carter in book two.
Reviewed by CherryOBlossom Promotion
Wow, wow, wow! What a story! As Willow Winters is one of my favourite authors, I didn’t hesitate to read Merciless and I must admit that I was not disappointed.
So gripping and captivating, yet sickening, frightening and filled with lust. Kidnapped, tortured and deprived of her freedom, Aria is so scared and all she wants to is escape and go back to the life she had before, but was her life before really any better?? Carter is the one to claim Aria as his. He wants to own her, to possess her and for her to obey his every command. His treatment of her is cruel and it is the last straw for Aria when she learns that he intends to kill her family. How will she survive?
There is a lot of violence and explicit sex scenes in Merciless and it is definitely not one for the faint of heart. If you enjoy erotica, suspense and an unexpected story of love, then this is a book that you should definitely read. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to read Heartless – the second book in this series.
I gave a 5 star rating because this story was so Riveting and Captivating! I love a book with all the feels and Willow Winters did a Marvelous job pouring out all the feels in this dark and steamy tale! Carter is sexy, dangerous and very ruthless in getting what he wants…Aria. Aria is a beautiful, artistic woman, but naive about her life as a mobsters daughter. A rival of Carter’s and unbeknownst to her, they have a history. Carter is a very bad boy and the sex is so intense and oh so panty soaking hot!! I had a death grip on my tablet and wondered if it was going to catch fire! They are all broken in their many different ways and set on this very path and not by their own choice, but because of their father’s/family members before thems choices. As the oldest Cross brother Carter must show no weakness in this lifestyle to protect his family and what is his and he proves he will have no mercy. As much as he tries to show no kindness, he can’t seem to resist showing it to Aria even if for fleeting moments. The Cross brother’s sure know how to make a woman feel safe even if they also fear them. I felt sadness and also giddy when Carter presented ARIA with the sweetest way of exacting revenge! With tears in my eyes I was ready to laugh,cry, and scream when it reached the end with a cliffhanger!! What a torturous web she weaves! Willow you have caught me in this whirlwind dark tantalizing tale that is Carter, Aria and the Cross brother’s. I can’t wait for what’s next!! I must read that I absolutely recommend! Willow Winters has an amazing talent for bringing out all the feels in her writing and her Bad boys are the baddest in the best of ways! You blew me away once again!
I really enjoyed “Merciless” Willow Winters new book and while at times I did wonder about the reasons behind Carter’s cold and calculated facade; and his abysmal treatment of his enemy’s daughter Aria; It was not enough to bother me and turn me away from this intriguing piece of fiction.
So after having, Aria delivered for his own personal obscure reasonings.
Carter sets out to break her to his will and I’m not exactly sure why.
There a lot of mystery surrounding his internal thought process; even when we are are listening to things from his POV.
It’s almost like Carter is the only one fully aware of the intricacies of his mental reasonings.
I mean locking her up in that cell with the barest of necessities does seem a trifle overkill in my opinion.
I’m also not fully sure why he wants Aria to Kneel and obey him so much; other than the obvious of course.
And there were almost times when it seemed to me that Carter believes he is actually saving her.
I can only surmise; From her family’s ultimate fate.
There are some clues to a shared past as well, but mainly at this moment, everything seems to be clouded in a mist of obscurity.
I’m assuming Carter has his reasons for his heinous behaviour and we will eventually be let in on his full agenda in the next book.
Fingers crossed there.
Aria herself, well I just felt really sorry for the poor girl.
What a crock of crap shes inherited just by the accident of her birth.
The daughter shall pay for the fathers sins is a very apt observation here.
Aria has definitely gone into survival mode and has formed an unhealthy attachment to her Jailor Carter, but Carter ultimately is her heaven as well as her hell.
Her downfall but also her salvation.
And I’ve got to admit I’m partial to a bit of stockholmy type behaviour; its a secret weakness of mine; so I was quids in here.
“Merciless” was fast-paced and easily kept my attention.
It was dual POV and had minimal secondary characters.
Mainly just Daniel and Jace; Carters Brothers.
there was no OM or OW drama and it had just the correct balance of intimacy while still focusing heavily on its addictive storyline.
So I was rocking along nicely at a four-star rating then.
OMG!!!
That bloody finale, what a finish folks.
That ending nicely catapulted this up into a different hemisphere totally.
Making what was for me a great read into a fantastic one.
Can’t say how much I adored it.
So, in conclusion, this was a really enjoyable read and I so can’t wait to read the next instalment here.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of “Merciless” of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
What a strange ending. I was not ready for that. Carter is an extremely bad boy. Aria is caught in the middle to me. She is his prisoner and she wants to go back to her father who is bad. Now I have to wait until Heartless comes out to see what happens between them. This is an excellent book.
Wow!! Ok I am so late to the Willow Winters pleasure of getting your mind totally blown train!! But I will totally fix that and read some more of her books as soon as I can. I absolutely loved this book!! It totally blew me away and I went in thinking I might have known a little bit about what might was going to happen and it all through me flew me for a loop!! Like Carter is so totally a badass alpha and not a man you want to cross in any way. But lord if that doesn’t just draw you in to him and his sexy self!! And he’s a man that gets what he wants and he wants Aria, the daughter of one of his enemies. But that doesn’t mean anything to him. He gets what he wants no matter what, always! And he intends to break Aria til she doesn’t want to leave him. Will he succeed? Or will he just break her completely. All the pieces in this book come together perfectly to paint a beautifully dark and twisted picture. Her writing is superb and once you start this book you will not want to put it down until you have finished it. I highly highly recommend this book!!!
This is my first foray into Willow Winters and Merciless leaves me conflicted. Understand, conflict isn’t always a bad thing. Conflict, internal wars, and external war are a central part of the story after all.
Carter receives Aria as some what of a payment for his part of the coming war between families. Little does Aria know, he will break her, she will become his in every way, he just has to be patient to get what he wants. Everyone will know, without question she is his.
Aria will not submit him. She tells him as much over and over. The cell, with no outside light, no contact with the outside world but Carter, is slowly driving her crazy. The one question she wants answered, “Why are you doing this?” he never fully answers, simply telling her, “Because I can.” It isn’t a lie, she knows that, he is strong and powerful, and not just physically.
His plan doesn’t go as he thought, he knows he has to make a change, and he does. He allows her out of the cell and into his living area. She soon understands that she is free within her cage, a Songbird with her wings clipped. She begins to accept this though she still hates the part of her that wants to escape to warn her father of what is coming but knows that she can’t. She ask Carter to not harm her family but he does not lie to her, he tells her they will die.
Both of them struggle with her night terrors. She can’t stop them, not since she watched Stephen stab her mother to death when she was just a child. He hates that he wakes to her screaming his name, that he can’t truly have all of her as long as Stephen continues to steal her dreams. War is coming, she is his, she knows this now too.
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Loved being on edge! My heart ached for Aria, she’s been through so much. But is she falling for Carter? Love how he’s obsessed with her, can he help her heal? Can’t wait to find out more about the two of them. I highly recommend this book.
Two words. Stockholm Syndrome. Not Okay. Inappropriate Relationship. Disturbing Methods. …take your pick, they all fit this story. Was the story good? It’s very well written and most of the characters we’ve met in previous stories and therefore have a bit of background. Aside from that I’m not sure I could really sink deep into this story without some serious red flags, icky feelings, and extreme reservations. Is the relationship believable? Umm…yes? I mean, Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing, it’s been known to happen, documented cases of relationships forming because of forced captivity. So yes, I can believe a relationship would form under these circumstances. Does that translate into a lasting and true romantic relationship that could have formed without the captivity and breaking of wills? No. I don’t buy it.
So we have Carter, the eldest brother in the Cross family. He inherited a role he never wanted but still took to it like a duck to water. We meet him briefly when we get Daniel and Addison’s story, Possessive, and we see someone cold at the top but has a heart for his family. What we’re “tempted” with here is a man without a heart. Someone stone cold with no heart at all. He was forced to be this kind of man and yet he appears to embrace it with all of himself. And yet there’s the hope for that cold, cold heart…
Aria Talvery is a casualty of war. At least that’s what everyone thinks she’ll be. And they’re all partially right. Because of the violent interactions between the gangs in their area she’s been hiding and now stolen in the name of brokering alliances and negotiations. She’s vulnerable, scared, and lonely. Her loyalty is to her father despite knowing what he is and what he does. When her world is turned upside down and she finds herself at the mercy of a merciless man, it’ll take an inner strength she has neglected over the years. If she can’t find the strength she won’t just submit, she’ll break beyond repair.
The story takes a really long time to get anywhere. Like, a really, really long time. A lot of it is the plodding of time and the setup for betrayals, gang rivalries, emotional motivations, cryptic backstory, a few points of narrative exposition, and a whole lot of the disheartening inner monologues from both characters. I find Aria shallow and weak. Add in the whole Stockholm business and we’ve got a shell of a woman who had potential, a girl with a couple of interesting points that could have been developed but haven’t been as of yet. And Carter. I wanted so much to like him. To see something more than the incessant assurances that he’s a horrible man who only wants to break Aria for his sexual use. There’s a whole evolution that we’re not getting, in fact, we are barely getting any hints of one on the horizon in the sequel, Heartless, to be coming soon.
Overall I found the story slow-moving, extremely disturbing, the characters seemingly nonredeemable and quite unremarkable, and the “war” to be one that might never come to fruition. With a severe lack of transparency for the audience, us the readers, despite getting both points of view, I’m finding it difficult to want to continue the story. I probably will because I’m a little bit of a glutton for punishment. If only to get more of the siblings so I can have something to look forward to as the Cross brothers each get their own book. So I didn’t hate the story, but I didn’t like it ether.
The Queen of Dark & Suspenseful Romances has done it again. Merciless by Willow Winter is just another reason why love reading Willow’s books, every book just gets better and better. Carter has taken Aria captive just to prove to her family that war is coming. Mr. Cross (Carter) dominance over Songbird (Aria) will have you asking yourself what he would have her do. This was an emotional ride, it will have you on the edge till the end than just leave you hanging there, speechless and begging for the next book.
This title fits perfectly!! This book was amazing!! Loved it from start to finish. It was definitely a page turner and leaves the reader in a whirlwind of emotions wondering what the outcome will be.
This is the second book in the series it’s Carter’s story. In his story you meet Aria the woman who is his or at least in his mind she is and nothing will change that. Carter is a strong alpha dominant male and Aria is also strong willed, stubborn and won’t back down. They clash but in such a good way! I won’t say more because I don’t want to risk spoiling anything for anyone.
by the author!
I voluntarily reviewed this book.
With a war between three families being eminent, there is bound to be casualties, and this case is no exception. Especially when it comes to the Cross and Talvery family. Carter Cross has set his eyes on Aria and he will not let anything stop him from having her. When Aria is kidnapped and forced to live in a cell with only interaction with Carter, she passion for him begins to grow as abhorrent as it seems. When Carter begins to give her little bits of freedom here and there, she must make the decision of life or death, life with Carter or death of her and her family.
This is a beautiful, intense, and suspenseful story you can’t put down.
A Review of Merciless by Willow Winters
Carter and Aria – 5 Stars
I love the cover for this book! I love the way Ms. Winters writes dark, sexy books with characters that you love, regardless of what they do. These characters are well written and with all the twists and turns the story takes, it will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
**Honest review voluntarily provided from a Complimentary Copy**
WOW…what a dark romance that doesn’t end with this book. Carter is cold, heartless, emotionless, and merciless, even with Aria, a woman who is the daughter of a rival and a woman he wants to make his in all ways. The story has a dark theme, violence, drugs, murder, kidnaping, some suspense and steamy scenes with a touch of violence…not a read for the faint at heart. I was torn between hating Carter for what he does to Aria and then loving him for what he is willing to do for her and the ending…what did he just unleash in her ??????
My my my now I can’t wait for the next read, hopefully learning more about her dad and especially waiting for the kiss.
*I voluntarily read an advanced copy and expressed my honest opinion*
Merciless is a beautifully complex, gripping, and edge of your seat read. The characters are compelling and the author’s fantastic writing pulled me into a story that I didn’t want to see end.
As head of his family business Carter Cross is dominant, calculating, protective and ruthless. He always has a reason for his actions and is driven to get what he wants. When presented with an opportunity to get everything he’s ever wanted he seizes the chance to finally have his songbird.
Aria Talvery is strong-willed and fierce. She unknowingly becomes a pawn in a game she never agreed to. When she is thrown into Carter’s life unexpectedly her world is rocked. Aria and Carter’s story is gritty and intense but held me captivated needing to know so much more. I couldn’t devour their story fast enough.
I love how this author reels you into her stories and causes you to feel so many different emotions. Just as you start to think you have a handle on things she throws a twist you didn’t see coming that leaves you spellbound. Merciless was a gripping, beautifully complex and compelling story that left me eagerly anticipating the next book in this series.
Highly recommend if you love dark, forbidden romance! Merciless is another hit from Willow Winters!
This is Carter and Arias story and it’s seriously intense. She was given to him to start a war but he wants so much more. It’ll keep you on your toes and wanting more the entire time.
This is a dark romance and amazingly written by the talented W. Winters. Once I started, I was unable to put this down till I finished to find the book to be continued. It wasn’t a terrible cliffhanger but there is more to Carter and Ariel. With all Carter’s brothers, I wonder if there will be more books about the Cross brothers. Not a book to be missed!