??? ?????. ??? ???????. ??? ?????.T̴h̴e̴ ̴r̴o̴a̴d̴ ̴t̴o̴ ̴h̴e̴l̴l̴There is no road to hell, I already live there.I’m nothing but a tool for retribution, a means to an end.I was meant to seduce and destroy but my family underestimated who they were up against.They thought I would be able to fix everything…???? ???? ?????.He makes the devil look like a saint.… ?????.
He makes the devil look like a saint.
He’s immoral.
Ruthless.
Mateo Remmington is a goddamn king who sits on a throne covered in innocents’ blood.
I’ve just become his obsession.
He’s becoming a deadly addiction.
I was never meant to live in his world and now I’m drowning in it, doing things I never thought I would to survive.
I’m becoming someone I don’t recognize…??? ? ???’? ???? ????.
If I lose his trust then I lose my life.
more
Mateo Remmington, heir of the elite más alto – old money empire.
Mateo is that villian that you can’t help but swoon for. It’s not like he’s a nice romantic either.
But he can swing his dick like no other man. He’s powerful, ruthless, dominant, conniving, and playing a game I’m scared to discover.
“The world hadn’t had a chance to sully her yet. I was going to dirty up her angel wings, take that questionable innocence, and make it wholly unvirtuous.”
Elena is a 21 year old who at the beginning of this book, lost her family. Her sister is presumed dead but no one found her body so it’s Elena’s mission to find Ava. Mateo, 11 years older, has been following Elena for the last five years and knows absolutely everything about her and it sounds like he knows all about her sister Eva as well. This book leaves a lot up to the readers imagination because it doesn’t give you any answers to anything yet. It sets the world for this trilogy. Elena is part of this huge game and I am extremely eager to figure out what the hell this game is.
“She was deadly nightshade, Beautiful belladonna. Elena was my enigma and I was a master at solving riddles. It would all be well worth it in the end.
She was my last play, the one card I needed to win. This went much deeper than the usual game.
She was my sole responsibility from this moment on. I made a sordid promise to a friend, and I intend to keep it.” – Mateo
We don’t know what this promise was. And we definitely don’t know who this friend is. We don’t even know what this game is that Mateo is trying to play. What we do know it is, he’s definitely playing to win.
“One little card represented my sudden position in a game I had no intention of playing – but I didn’t have the option of opting out. It was like Jumanji .. The wealthy and corrupted edition.” – Elena
This book does leave off on a cliffhanger with Mateo leaving Elena a card telling her Game On.
She’s officially part of the old money roulette game.. and I have a feeling the next two books are going to be crazy as hell.
3.5 stars
It opens with our heroine, Elena Rias, returning to her extended family and the unsavory society their apart of. She’s spent 11 years away from the darkness of her familial connections, completely removed from everything except her sister and aunt. Now she’s faced with yet another tragedy and forced to go back for answers.
As soon as she’s reunited with what’s left of her family, she meets Mateo Remmington. Mateo is older, mysterious, dangerously attractive, and a notorious Drug Lord. And he has plans for Elena that go beyond a casual hookup.
I liked the overall vibe and setting of this book but I was left more confused than anything. The connection between H/Hr fell flat for me, something was missing but I can’t put my fingers on what (I know-I’m so helpful).
I keep trying to remind myself that this is the prequel for Book 1- King of Hearts. I’m hoping Book 2 will shed more light on the history between Elena and Mateo’s families. I want this whole “game” business cleared up.
Overrall, this one grabbed and held my interest. I care enough to find out what happens next!
Full of intrigue!
Life got in the way or I would’ve read this in one sitting.
I can’t quite put my finger on what the twists are. Usually I’m halfway through a book and know exactly what’s going to happen. I’m still scratching my head. Kudos to the author for twisting brains like that. My first book by Natalie Bennett, I loved the writing style, but more editing/formatting could be used. I’m not a word nazi, just periods and such are misplaced, took me away from the story for a second.
Anyhow, I love the mystery that shrouds Vice City, the alternative motives, and most definitely the darkness. I honestly have no clue what’s to come, it’s refreshing not having all the glory before the finish line. I’m eager and excited to be slapped with everything in the next book. I’m over here like, yes, please. Show me what you’ve got!
AHhhhhhh!!! I can’t, I just can’t!! Ms. Bennett, if you can hear me all the way from Buttf*ck Nowhere Canada, I am spitting mad, jumping up and down screaming obscenities for leaving a girl like that!! That was one humdinger of an ending and I am not sure I can hang onto the ledge long enough for the next book to be published. You may see my broken body at the bottom of a ravine, perished from the need to know what happens next in this tale.
You just know that this is going to be one high powered mind boggling read from the very first page. Bennett thrusts the reader right into the action from page one, no warning, no foreplay, just straight on assault! This book is just an introduction to the players to an entertaining game called Old Money Roulette, and oh what an introduction. You can already get a feel of just how ruthlessly this game will be played. A game that will be executed with seduction, mind games, murder and manipulation.
Deal me in and bring on the King of Hearts!!
Elena Rias is 22 years old when she finds her aunt Molly murdered in her house and her sister, Eva missing. She is taken in by her Uncle Samuel and grandmother as she can not stay in her aunt’s house any longer. She is comforted by her best friends, Melody Belluci, an Italian heiress, and Peyton Ross, a computer hacker and genius, who are there for her during the funeral.
Mateo Remmington, 33, comes from an important family and is the heir of the elite masalto, old money empire. His family controls Vice City, an there is nothing he won’t do to those who double cross him.
Mateo has been infatuated with Elena for 5 years and doesn’t miss the opportunity to get to know her better. But will Elena want to get involved in Mateo’s world and is Mateo playing a game with Elena?
When both are holding secrets that involve the other what will happen when the game begins?
Wow – this book had twists and turns that I definitely was not expecting!
I really liked Elena and felt bad that her world was ripped apart with the death of her aunt and then as the book goes on you realize that there is so much more at stake than what you initially thought. Without giving away any secrets there was so much I was surprised about that was slowly revealed and then I definitely became worried about Elena and what is going to happen to her.
Mateo was an interesting character. He was extremely powerful and not a guy you wanted to mess with. As the book went on I found him heartless to a certain degree when he was dealing with people that double crossed him. I knew he cared a lot about Elena and he wanted her in his life but I was shocked at what was revealed at the end. That revelation totally altered what I thought about him and my perception changed for sure and has me worried.
The two had chemistry for sure and how I saw their relationship at the beginning of the book was so different than I saw it at the end. I loved the author’s ability to completely change everything that I thought I felt and knew.
I am excited for the next book and am interested to see how the game is going to play out! – By Rebecca
This story is so very intriguing and though I’m not quite sure yet what is occurring here yet I am certainly very invested In finding out.
So I was a newcomer to this author until very recently and what I have ultimately learned with this particular writer is to expect anything.
Natalie Bennet has an extensive imagination and is not afraid to push the envelope in terms of shock and questionable behaviour.
“Queen Of Diamonds” being the first in a series, is an introduction to a new world and as such, I think here, we are just finding our feet.
I am actually expecting big things to come and I feel book one here sets events up very nicely for the future.
In “Queen Of Diamonds” we get a glimpse into the criminal world of Mateo Remmington and especially start to learn the beginnings of what makes him tick.
We have also introduced to Elena the female interest and just as we start to get a handle on where this might be going
BAM!!!
All the cards are thrown in the air and the timeline muddied to reflect confusion on all current events.
I Have no idea what Mateo’s game is or what has happened to Elana’s twin.
But I’m sure gaging to find out.
So “Queen of Diamonds has all the initial ingredients to make this series an amazingly epic endeavour.
I’m really looking forward to delving much deeper into this tapestry of unique and engaging individuals.
This book has a fantastic debuting cast and is set in a criminal world that is as captivating as it is compelling.
It’s told in dual POV which is my favourite type of storytelling.
And manages from the start to snag and keep my attention.
At the moment, I am loving Elana warts and all and Mateo, I am reserving judgement till I know his ultimate end game.
This is a great start to what seems to be an interesting new story.
I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment, can’t wait to see where the author is taking this.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of “Queen Of Diamonds” (Old Money Roulette #1) of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I’ve read other books by this author and loved this so I figured that I would give this one a shot, and I really enjoyed it. Mateo was all sorts of twisted…. well, not as twisted as this authors other hero’s but being a drug lord…. he sure wasn’t on the up and up. I liked his banter with Elena. He didn’t placate her…. he took what he wanted and what she wanted too. I’m interested in seeing what’s going to happen. It does end on a cliffy so I’m excited to see what’s going to happen with these two. The n a world of lies, blood and manipulation, it’s going to be one heck of a ride. 4 stars #2OCCJD
Queen of Diamonds by Natalie Bennett is book One in the Old Money Roulette Series. This starts the story of Mateo and Elena and will be told through a few more books
Elena father went to protect her and her sister after her mothers death by moving them out of his life and the life hat he was in. They were around 12 years old when they were moved away and then shortly after that he was killed. Now though Elena’s ‘aunt’ has been brutally raped and killed but the worst is that her sister has gone missing. A double funeral was set up making her return to her roots which has put her in the spotlight of Mateo. Mateo is moving toward a goal that has Elena being his Queen. This book just opens us up to the start of their story and teases us with their secrets. This book is hard to put down and I can’t wait for the next installment of their story!
Old Money Roulette series:
Book 1 Queen Of Diamonds
Book 2 King Of Hearts
Book 3 Ace Of Spades
“We were such an unconventional couple, but I couldn’t help the way I felt about him. I knew I should stop this from going any further. I was too close…He was a complicated evil.”
Mateo exudes power, and I always got a darker vibe from him that there was more afoot…and there so was!!! The Author leads you to believe you’ve got a conventional story here…bad boy brought to his knees by an unexpected girl…NOPE. You are dropped bread crumbs, but not the whole story and then BAM you’re blindsided by a bomb that made my little dark heart sing with glee!! This couple is hot and it’s a dirty masterpiece, but there’s soooo much more to contend with here, and the deeper story only slightly reveals itself enough to have you clamoring for the next book!! Not for the faint of heart, so don’t wade in the pool if you can’t swim. I loved it!! I thank the Author for providing a copy to review.
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
This is a dark-ish erotic romance. The author warns it will get darker (in this book the darkness was mainly due to violence perpetrated by the ‘hero’.) My copy (an arc) described this as a prologue to the Old Money series, and you will need to read all 3 books to get the complete story.
I’ve not read any work by this author before, but was enticed in by the blurb and the genre. I was hoping for a twisty tale of lies, deceit and corruption, which I definitely got. However it just didn’t capture me, I felt very passively about the characters and the plot. The writing is decent enough, but just not my style. The story doesn’t conclude but I’m not ravenous for the next book to find out what happens.
For me the blurb did not describe the book I read, in fact the blurb seems to describe where the story is heading to. I read a story of a young adult (Elena) who gets drawn back into a violent world of organised crime. One she was sent away from as a child. Once back in this seedy though luxurious life she catches the eye of the head of all that is wrong in Vice City (ahem, Vice City? – *just no*). Matteo has plans for Elena that might destroy her but he also wants her. They embark on a strange ‘relationship’ but just what is the truth and who is fooling who?
There was just too much smoke and mirrors but with no truths ever being revealed. Lots of secrets are hinted at, lots of deception is going on but nothing was really revealed until the very end. This is a writing trope that I don’t care for as I end up feeling as though I have just trod water for most of the book. As a result, it felt like a lot of this book was either filler or scenes of graphic violence to prove how evil Matteo really is. I found the gruesome murder of an innocent 20 year old girl to be just too much, it didn’t really add to the story for me. My dark heroes have to have something decent in them. Matteo doesn’t and I just did not like him at all. Throughout the book Matteo is professing his obsession for Elena, who he seems to have discretely stalked for the last 5 years. Yet at the end he is quite happy to drag her into huge danger, seemingly willing to leave her to sink or swim, rather than support her through it.
I also felt the plot had some holes in it. Matteo constantly talked about what he saw in Elena’s eyes yet she was constantly putting on/wearing her sunglasses…he has excellent vision. Elena was sent away from her family to keep her safe, yet her sister was visiting their home city frequently eg for nights out. So they hadn’t gone very far, how safe is that? When we first meet Peyton and Melody (Elena’s best friends) they act as if they haven’t seen her in a long time, but they live in the city and she went to school with them, again exposed to the world she was meant to be hidden from. How was this keeping her out of that life as a girl? Also if she lived that close they would be able to see each other frequently.
I hate to be so negative and plenty of others have enjoyed this book, so perhaps I just don’t gel with the authors writing style. For all I’ve said, this isn’t a terrible book .
~WRITING – PLOT – PACE~
I LOVE this author. I pretty much say that every time I have the pleasure of reviewing one of her books. Nobody does dark and twisted better than Natalie Bennett. So it will come as no surprise that I completely loved this one as well. That said, this was probably the tamest book I have read by her to date. I’m guessing things will kick up a notch in the twisted department over the course of the last two books. So deets…the writing (as always) was excellent. It is a fairly short book that took me less than two hours to read so the pace was quite quick. The plot was super engaging and was a great setup for the next two books. It was told in dual POVs. It was semi-dark. There was torture and graphic violence. Last, it ends on a cliffhanger that left me dying to get my hands on book two.
~HERO~
MATEO…Mateo has me ALL kinds of intrigued. We really just scratch the surface of his character in this book so I don’t have a lot to say about him. I loved the tidbits the author dolled out to us so far. He was sexy. He was alpha. He was cruel. He was bada$$.
~HEROINE~
ELENA…Elena was equally intriguing to me. Again, as with Mateo’s character, we are just starting to see what makes her tick. There are a lot of secrets yet to be revealed and I have a feeling we are going to see a stronger more f-cked up Elena in the upcoming books. The glimpses we got of her so far I loved.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There were quite a few secondary characters mentioned in this one, but not many of them get a lot of page space. I am dying to read more about Mateo’s brothers, as well as Elena’s friends and family.
~HEAT LEVEL~
LOW. There are a few moderately hot sex scenes in this one, but I would say it was a little on the tamer side then what I am used to from this author. I am sure things will get spicier over the course of the rest of the series.
~ANGST LEVEL – SEXUAL HISTORIES~
High. There are a lot of secrets and lies taking place on both sides. I am not sure what game Mateo is playing or to what end. I am not sure what Elena is hiding. My stomach is in knots over Elena’s growing feelings and what Mateo has up his sleeve. Ugh…I need book two now (lol). Neither were virgins and there was no OW or OM drama.
~IN THE END~
I loved it. It was a solid start to what (I believe) is going to be an excellent series. The writing was great. The plot was deliciously intriguing. It was (semi) dark and twisted. The characters were very intriguing. All I can say is; “Bring on book two!” Therefore yours truly is going to give this one two solid thumbs up.
The Queen of Diamonds has been drawn into a game of roulette that just might push her beyond her limits
Right out the gate this one had me in it’s clutches!
This is the first book in the series – it sets the foundation- introduces the players – has you hedging your bets – though if you are going to play – this is definitely a game you do not want to lose!
Elena intends on using Mateo to find answers about her sister’s supposed death – confident yet so naive she falls prey to the sweet flavor of darkness that is Mateo and might just end up an unwilling pawn in his ruthless game to destroy the opposing king
There are so many hidden secrets and twists within the plot line-
Ruthless Players – Suspenseful – Engaging – Dark – Depraved – Everything that I lust for in a good read
If blood and torture are not your game – might I suggest you sit this one out?
I literally need the next book like yesterday …
A Queen is born
This book is like a teaser to the dangerous word of Vice City. Elena faces a tragedy that thrust her back to her old life, something she was kept away for her sake. She thinks she can use the boss, the underworld kingpin to get to her sister. What she (and us as the readers) don’t except that she’ll be coerced into playing the ultimate game to save her sister’s life.
This book will keep you at the edge of your seat and I can’t wait to see where this game leads Elena and Mateo
The first book in a new wonderful series by Natalie Bennett.
If you read the Author’s Note then you know this is the prequel to the Old Money world. It sets the stage for the story and introduces the characters. You know there are secrets and games that are played that you won’t really know about until you read the other books. It is like a chess game. All the pieces are on the board, but what will happen is yet to decided.
It is a great start of the new series. I liked Elena as a character. She struggles, has doubts and if conflicted about the situation and her feeling. In short she is human and that makes it easy to relate to.
Mateo is not a good guy, but he fully accepts who he is and is fiercely loyal and protective to the people he cares about. He has secrets and a lot of them.
I am intrigued by the story and can’t wait to read more.
OK, this book is seriously twisted. I don’t know what goes on in Natalie Bennett’s brain. I think it may be a somewhat scary place. It’s definitely a dark place. It would have to be to produce this book. QOD has no lightness in it anywhere. There really is no redemption going on. But that’s what makes it so good.
Everyone has plans and secrets. Every.one. I’m pretty sure that nothing is what it seems. And I think that not even the things that don’t look like what they seem aren’t even how they seem. Clear as mud? Well, yeah.
Elena has come home to bury her aunt and sister. No one is sure what happened to her sister, but it’s decided that the best thing to do is to bury an empty coffin and pretend that her twin sister is really gone. At the reception after the funeral, Mateo Remmington comes up to her and pretty much stamps MINE on her forehead.
Mateo Remmington is the newly crowned king of the underworld. His father recently turned the running of their crime kingdom over to him. Mateo sees little miss Elena, and he has plans for her.
I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen, because honestly, I have no clue. I know that when the next one comes out, I’m going to have to reread this one. I’m hoping that I see things on the reread that I didn’t catch on the first read, but I make no guarantees. All I know is that I have no clue what is going on, and I love it. I’m pretty sure that Natalie Bennett has laid hints for us, but we won’t know what they are until the last chapter of the last book. It’s going to be a heckuva ride.