***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.***Growing up the way I did, you’d think I’d be more screwed up than what I actually am.Soon as I turned sixteen, I left that bump in the road I called home and took my chances on the street.Best decision I ever made.Now, at the age of twenty six, I’m educated, employed and damn good at my job.My friends have become my … job.
My friends have become my family. Like me, they know what it’s like to grow up unloved.
But the saying is true.
The world makes way for those who know where they are going.
That’s me.
I know where I’m going and I’ll get there eventually. On my own terms and at my own pace.
But then there’s him.
I feel his eyes on me. I see him hiding in plain sight. He watches me.
He makes me feel.
It’s unconventional.
But it’s real.
I’m sure you’re wondering how a person falls in love with their stalker.
So am I.
This isn’t a story.
This is my life
more
Oooh, this book pissed people off. It turned people on. It made readers angry. It made readers swoon. Personally, I LOVED this book. It was different than anything else I’d read at the time. It was messed up- but I liked it. It’s twisted- but I dug it. I was a fan of the characters, the story, all the ugly parts of it. So yeah, I recommend this book. Highly.
Twitch is incredible!
Man am I glad I waited until Rebirth was released to read this book. Not sure I could have handled it. It’s written well and now I get why everyone loves Twitch so much. Because well, he’s Twitch and that really does explain it now that I’ve read it.
RAW was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. Can’t wait to start RAW Rebirth soon.
I forgot good this was but was quickly reminded when I reread for the new one. Twitch!
Without a doubt, RAW is one of the best books that I’ve ever read. This book was one of my first dark reads and it set the tone for this sub-genre for me. I love romance in general, but there’s just something about a dark read that pushes you out of your comfort zone. It makes you view the world from a different perspective all the while capturing your heart in the process.
RAW is gritty, emotional, violent, dirty, and sexy as hell. Twitch is so damn hot and so frustrating at the same time and you can’t help falling under his spell.
And that ending. Can you say book hangover from hell? Because it took me forever to move on. That’s a lie. I’m still not past it. But that ending was so utterly perfect.
Wow, that’s a whole new…wow
As I type this, I am still trying to stop the tears spilling down my face. I can’t. I honestly just want to curl up in a ball and stay miserable, but for me there is hope because book two is waiting for me.
But I’m not doing this to tease you, nope. I know that you will read this and see both sides. Confusion over which way you should feel is….dare I risk a label…”normal”. It’s “normal” to question the darkness encroaching on the light. Twitch is definitely not the light.
I was told by a friend you either love Twitch or you hate him. I think that throughout the book you do both. But in the end, it will be one or the other. Which will you choose?
Wow, just wow. Someone has to be the villain. When the line is originally spoken I got chills…”Not everyone can be the fairytale hero…the world needs villains too.”
Raw is just that, raw intense emotions. Feeling bereft and spinning out of control. Knowing what’s “good for you” and what’s actually for you. I will never get off this crazy train. Love Twitch!
Wow, so this book was quite the mind fuck, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
I had the opportunity to read this book at the beginning of January and I dare to say that I have no regrets about it. I completely love it! It’s really addictive, dark, twisted and as its name says that this book is dirty.
I recommend this story for those who have read books like The Dark Duet (Captive in the dark) trilogy.
This is not a story of romance, so if you’re looking for romance, this is not for you.
Raw is a book where the main characters have suffered abuse during their childhood.
Alexa (Lexi) Ballentine is a sweet young woman who lived through a very difficult childhood and because of that she became a social worker so she can help other children who have been abused.
On the other hand Twitch is not the typical knight of fairy tales. He had a hard life and he is not the typical “hero”. He is the villain. Twitch has been watching (persecuting) Lexi for a while, and Lexi has always felt his presence. One night when Lexi returns to home she was attacked by a stranger and it’s in that moment when Twitch appears again to rescue her.
Since then Twitch goes from being her stalker to someone that is always present in Lexi’s life. Twitch is not a good man, he is dark. When you decide to read this book you will be able to understand his behavior. There has to be something good in a shattered man. Lexi and Twitch literally are fuel together. She knows that she can’t be with anybody else but him. She only wants him. On the other hand, Twitch doesn’t know how he feels. There are moments when he wants to destroy her by giving fake hopes and there others when he wants to stay by her side forever.
The story is dark, perturbing and intense with a good dose of eroticism. The end left me totally sad. I never expected a final like that. It made me cry.
On the other hand Twitch does not know how it feels; there are times you want to destroy it by giving you false hopes and others that want to stay by your side forever. It is a dark, eerie, intense story with a good dose of eroticism. The end left me totally sad, I never expected something like this, cry!
This book is about how the circumstances in our live give us shape and make us change. It’s about how we tend to label people based on what we see, on how you judge people without getting to know them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an intense, nonconventional and tempting reading.
Pussnbooks.net Reviewing the darkest erotic books we can find.
This was such a great book. I’ve never read one of Belle Aurora’s books before and was so not disappointed!
You know when you read the first few pages of a book and your like, oh yeah, this is gonna be a good one? Well, that’s how I felt at the beginning of this beauty.
It gets into the action pretty quickly, which I love. I mean it’s great to set things up and all, but I have the attention span of a gnat and my mind wanders pretty quickly if not engaged.
The story had about seven different important characters in it and although you might think that is a lot, it really isn’t too much. They are all very unique and you are left wanting to know more about each of them.
The story was great and not once did I feel that it wasn’t moving fast enough, or indeed too fast.
Very well written, especially the dialogue. You know when a writer sometimes writes dialogue all “proper” and stuff? Like, nothing like the way you actually speak? Yeah, there was none of that. Each character had their own “voice”.
So let’s get to the MC’s
ALEXA – She was really enjoyable. A little sassy, a lot funny and very likeable! She has had a bit of an off childhood and it has basically shaped her whole life and career.
She’s sweet and kind and although she’s a social worker, she’s still pretty innocent herself. She has pretty much devoted her life to helping out kids that had a rough start, like her, and like a kid she once tried to help when she was six years old.
She keeps feeling someone watch her, but not in a creepy way. One night when she is attacked by some junkie looking to get his rocks off, she is saved by the said stalker. From that moment on, her life is turned upside down.
I’ll be honest here and say that Alexa really got on my t*ts at several points throughout this story. Now, that is not a dig at the author. In fact, it’s a “hats off” to her. She wrote this person well enough for me to be pissed that she wasn’t standing up for herself enough! I wanted to slap her around a bit, ya know? Like, no dick is worth being treated like that!
It’s a difference in personality really. I have friends that would react as Alexa does, but me? I would lose my shit and put the asshole in his place, lol.
TWITCH – Twitch is pretty awesome (for a sociopathic asshole) right from the start. He’s broody, dominant, dirty and dark.
Twitch had a really rough childhood and spent a fair bit of time in juvie. Now he’s a self-made millionaire. But, the man has demons…and a terrible plan that he wants to act out on Alexa.
He seems to have it all, on the outside, but his mind is pretty fucked up. After meeting Alexa he starts to put his horrible plan into place but things really go a bit…askew.
I like this guy but am sooo p***ed off with him at many points throughout the book. I get why he is the way he is but, it doesn’t make his actions any more bearable.
There were a couple of times (towards the end of the book) that he really fecked up and my chest fucking hurt!
SEX SCENES – The sex scenes are pretty steamy and raunchy. I was hoping for them to get more into the dark and twisted sex, but it’s mostly (but not all) Twitch’s head that’s dark and twisted. There is a little bit of breath play and some rock your socks off dominance which is extremely yummy! There is one particularly hot scene that they role-play together further on and well…damn.
FINAL THOUGHTS – I really really enjoyed this book. There are other characters in there that I NEED to learn more about. I loved them all and am definitely going to read the next book in the series. I feel I should warn you that Ms Aurora managed to rip my heart out and stomp on it a couple of times before giving it back to me, and I shed a tear or two. Thanks for that, lady!
4.5 stars
Lexi knows she has a stalker, but he never seems to bother her, until the night that she gets attacked and he saves her. The only thing he tell her is his name is Twitch, slowly he become part of her life and she realises she misses him when he’s not there but learns quickly he’s not the good guy.
Twitch is like no one or anything she’s experienced before she knows she should feel scared, but she only feels safe when she’s with him.
Lexi confuses Twitch, his plan was to ruin her like she ruined him but somehow, he didn’t know what he felt for her, but he wants to keep her forever, she’s his addiction. Twitch has secrets knowing when Lexi finds them out that she will leave, but she promised to never leave him no matter what.
The ending doesn’t give you a happily ever after, it does leave you with questions you need answered.
WHAT WAS THAT?
I am totally obsessed about this book!
Belle Aurora wrecked me and she even didn’t take responsibility of this!
This story is dark and brutal. Twitch is my favourite hero in RAW. This boy… I can’t even describe him in words. So dark, so different, so evil. His decisions are well thought. He doesn’t do useless things. Lexi is a golden girl. She thinks about everyone around, but sometimes she forgets that her life is also important. They are like water and fire. Their relationship is unique. It is in here more blood and pain, than flowers and hearts. But everybody know that love is hard.
Belle Aurora knows, how to write books. One time she has a sweet story, another time she shows us her dark side. When I start reading this story, I can’t put it down. I need to finish it to know how this story ends. And this ending? Jeeez. Belle Aurora made me so much angry on her! No, no, no.
Books aren’t end like this. Nope. Never. I hate it!
I am joking.
I love RAW and all RAW Family series. This is great story with fantastic characters and nice idea. This is not the love story. This is hell. And I highly recommended this book. Meet Twitch and let him be charmed. At least a little.
Oh wow this book…this book has left me in such an inconsolable NEED to know what happens next with Twitch and Lexi. This is a re-read for me because when I read it for the first time back in January 2014, I just could not think clearly when I finished this book. And guess what…we are more than two-and-a-half, almost three years later and I am still in the same emotional state. This book was like a crazy rollercoaster for my emotions…I have ridden many highs and lows in the last few hours reading this story.
Twitch (Antonio Falco) first met Lexi (Alexa Balentine) when he was only eight years old and she was only six. Lexi helped him in his time of need and planted a seed of Hope with words that came from her pure heart. Alexis Balentine also promised Antonio Falco that she would NEVER forget him and she didn’t, nit once. Twitch held onto those words for the rest of his life, cherishing them, only to later resent them and loathe the beautiful girl that spoke them.
Lexi never felt loved by anyone, just her older brother, but when he chose to leave the family home to live a life in the streets as a druggie she ran away in search of a better life at the age of sixteen. Luckily for her, she stumbled upon a second chance at a new life with unconditional love that would lead her to and even better life in Sydney, Australia.
Twitch needed to find Lexi so he made it his life’s goal to find her, however, once Twitch found Lexi he was not quite sure how to proceed, so he decided to just follow her and watch her from afar. Lexi was everything he remembered her to be physically, but nothing like what he made her up to be in his mind. What was he to do with that?
Belle Aurora put a spell on me with this book. It was so strong that I did not accomplish one thing today, except for leaving an indention in the shape of my bum on the couch and finishing this book with sweat on my brow and a strong need to read Dirty, book two. I thank God that it’s on my kindle waiting for me to dive into it head first because I wouldn’t be able to handle another book hangover like the one I suffered the first time that I read this hot as sin book. Unfortunately, I am dead tired and will not be able to read book two until tomorrow morning.
I love this original book!!!
It’s full of Action , lots of fiery Rage and Hot & Cold roaring emotion that grips you so tightly it hurts.
I instantly felt like Lexie was my best friend that i needed to protect.You feel the Raw ,emotional pull she has to Twitch early on in the story.
Twitch is every womans Fantasy Dom with a Broken heart and soul. That they feel the need to fix , but sadly he pushes you away with that hurtful sarcastic attitude and remark that stings to the bone.Although you keep trying to fix things.
The Scenes in Lexie’s bedroom.where she lets him come into her apartment, to hold her while she sleeps because it makes her feel safe after the trauma she has endured…even though she doesn’t know who he is or what his name is, is in it’s self creepy .
You really don’t realize the Bi Polar craziness you are reading until you’re sitting in the dark at 2 am crying your eyes out because of the things Twitch puts Lexie through , because his pain cuts so deep from something in his past.
If you have never in your life, felt so emotional reading a book, you will after reading RAW. Grab a box of Tissues before you start this book.
Especially for the ending!!
I hope and Pray that one Day Belle Aurora will grace us with a sequel…….For the sake of Lexie ,AJ , Twitch and all our sanities!!!!!
“There’s something about Twitch. He’s just…raw. Everything about him is raw. And gritty. And
unbound.”
In the recent past and perhaps maybe even today some girls were/are raised on the idea that someday their fairytale prince will come and rescue them from whatever unhappiness or emptiness they have found in their single life. “Someday my Prince will come.” And in our little girl fantasies he is handsome, wholesome, brave, strong, kind, etc. And, he’ll know how to make us happy.
How many times even adult women decide,”If only I had the perfect mate my life would be heaven?” Then again, there are some so invested in the idea that they are not complete as a person without a partner. These women give up so much of themselves just to hold on to a guy who doesn’t love them. Adding insult to injury, this type of guy often makes the woman feel worthless while she is using up her emotional and tangible resources in an effort to hold onto this self-centered man.
In writing the two main characters in Raw…Twitch, the hero, and Alexa (Lexi), the heroine, this author turned some of the above ideas on their side and upside down. I enjoy a character driven book. I also endeavor not to judge a character unless they are poorly presented and merely an unrelatable sketch in the narrative. This is certainly not the case in this book. Not all characters are appealing and maybe, just maybe, they were created by an author to be irritating and/or unappealing to tell us a story which presents a theme that encapsulates an idea or a truth.
Some may find Twitch to be just too much, but for those of us who love the Dominant who plays and loves dirty…Well, Twitch is one tasty morsel of sweet escape in “biblioland”.
“There’s only one way I fuck…” He takes a step forward, his eyes never leaving mine. ‘Dirty…And this type of dirty…’ He breathes deep and says on an exhale… ‘it doesn’t wash off.’”
He has a ton of personal issues to lay to rest and personal demons to fight. He is borderline sociopathic…a pathology he adopted out of the need to thrive and survive in a world that was overly harsh to him in his formative years. Oh… and he is a major drug dealer. Some prince, eh?
There are those of us who are tempted by this damaged, Dominant “dark fairytale”prince.
“He is gorgeous…Just not in a conventional way. He’s tall, a little over six feet, with a muscular body and olive skin. His dark brown hair is shaved close to the scalp at the sides, but long on the top. He’s handsome and would look something like a clothing model without the tattoos. He has a strong chin, full bottom lip, and high cheekbones. His eyes are a soft brown.” Le Swoon!
Our heroine, Lexi swoons over this mysterious stranger, Twitch, who made his presence known by stalking her as a shadowy figure in a hoodie. He then inserted himself in her life when she needed him to rescue her from a dangerous situation.
Lexi had a rough go of it in her childhood. The author hints at abuse from which Lexi continues to recover. She built a life centered in her service to the dispossessed and disenfranchised youth, so that they might have a chance at maturing with hope and a good construct of themselves functioning productively in society.
Lexi has come a very long way both literally and figuratively. Yet, she is somewhat naïve in her interactions with “Twitch”. The reasonable part of her knows that he is not even a suitable partner in life, given her goals and aspirations…but her heart is pulling her in the direction of Twitch. He is awakening something inside of her that heretofore lay dormant…undiscovered.
”He’s still watching you. Have you forgotten he’s a drug dealer? And he clearly needs anger management. What makes you think any part of this guy is right for you? He goes against everything you work for. Do not fuck up your life over some guy. He’s just a guy. A dangerous one, at that. Wake up!” – Lexi’s thoughts.
Theirs is not quite a “hearts and flowers”romantic love story, but a love story nonetheless told to us in alternating first person POVs. It is peppered with heart-stopping, savage and searingly beautiful sexual encounters described by either Twitch or Lexi. The POVs are voiced differently enough to be believably separate viewpoints. Vulnerabilities of and a growing bond between Twitch and Alexa manifest during these wildly erotic, sometimes tender moments.
The plot progresses steadily through plot points involving interesting secondary characters interacting with both our hero and heroine. The climax of the story is quite something and written very well. Everything led up to it without any holes in the story. The story line definitely has a steep arc.
In the end, my take away from this dark somewhat skewed tale of true love is that characters in books are written by humans who wish to communicate or tell us something through a story. Characters that challenge our thinking and comfort level invariably teach us much more than the comfortable, “expected” same old-same old type of character that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy about how we think and what we believe. I like my heroes dark, brooding, damaged, raw and gritty like this. I enjoy watching a naïve but good-hearted heroine who is ultimately strong enough in heart to make room for a love that isn’t quite perfect…but a precious and rare love, nonetheless. Lastly it is OK to lose a little of yourself to your lover if they, in turn, offer themselves in return.
“I dreamed of Twitch while I slept. He was high up, mounted on a white stallion, wearing gleaming silver armour. His tattooed hand lowered to reach out for me. I stared at that hand a long while before I stepped away from him and watched as he faded out of my mind’s eye. Perhaps I built him up so much in my head that I don’t see him for what he truly is. I don’t want a knight in shining armor. I want a knight in scuffed armor. I want his helmet to have dents. I want my knight to be real, and dark, and savage. I want my knight to be a survivor. Someone who’s been tested and got through his trials. Not some pussy in gleaming metal. I don’t want gleaming metal. I don’t need a fucking knight. I need a fearless warrior. I need Twitch.”
Overhyped and underwhelmed. Perfectly okay.
I wrestled with my review for a little while. This book had some things I really enjoyed but there were some that I just didn’t at all, the main character being the biggest one. She was too weak in my opinion, that’s nothing against her being submissive, it’s about her not having a backbone. She talks about wanting to be strong and independent but she makes no actions or decisions that supports that.
I have a hard time with Lexi’s blind trust and ability to overlook everything about Twitch that goes against who she is as a social worker, especially condoning one of her ‘kids’ working for him. She was referred to as smart but I just didn’t see it, I lost all respect for her when she did drugs just to fit in. I also didn’t like her constant inner thoughts about something being wrong with people who like things…different in the bedroom. I felt for Twitch and everything he had to go through, his story was heartbreaking and you can really see the impact it had on him.
I really think this story had the potential to be great but the characters held it back. I went in hoping for a dark twisted read and I got darkish (in my opinion). Unfortunately this book just couldn’t hold my attention. My favourite parts were the couple chapters or so. I will read the third book, which is Twitch and Lexi’s continuation to see if it works for me any more.
Whilst not the darkest book I have read RAW definitely made me feel uneasy and on edge a lot of the time. It’s deep, intense, I would say all consuming, and I loved it. This is definitely not your typical romance, with drugs, violence and rough, erotic sexual games, often at the forefront.
These characters are flawed. Twitch, with his stalkerish ways, is no saint, a bad man you want to hate but really can’t. He is certainly not easy to love, he’s a twisted man, the monster hiding in plain sight. Lexi has overcome her own demons in the past but she has no idea that her journey has only just begun. Whilst understandable, her internal struggles almost drove me mad at times. She can’t stay away from Twitch, so she may as well hang on tight and enjoy the ride. He is a force of nature after all.
I love the unconventional and unusual in a story and this has both in spades. A real rollercoaster of a journey with an ending which quite frankly gutted me.
This was a re-read for me because of the release of Raw Rebirth! I loved it even more the second time around!
This is no fairy tale. There is no hero. Twitch is a man with a dark past. Those things we see as bad, no longer seem bad to him. His moral compass was shaped by his life experience. He’s not a good man, but I couldn’t help but love him anyway.
She was his angel. She gave him hope where he had none. Lexi was all heart and if anyone could love a man like Twitch, it was her.
This is their story of how they met and then how they fell in love. You will meet Twitch’s family formed through shared tragedy and pain. You will experience the heartbreak of loving Twitch. And when it’s over, you’ll be left wanting more.
I can’t wait to get to the next book. I love the darkness of this story, but their is also so much love…you just have to see past the labels we are all so used to placing on everything. Embrace the darkness.
Raw by Belle Aurora is my first book by her and I’m now officially obsessed!
Raw is and intense, gripping, erotic, suspenseful, mysterious, and raw read. I was completely captivated by the first pages, when we meet the young Twitch and Alexa.
Twitch’s character was the most intriguing because there were so many layers to him. He’s damaged, cold, calculating, completely rough around the edges, the bad boy, the antihero, the villain.
And with that, he stayed true to his character through and through.
Alexa is sweet and real and honest. Although she denied herself to her wants and needs, she remained true to herself. Her rough life growing up shaped her as the helpful, hardworking woman she became. And I admired her worth ethic and dedication to those she worked with!
Twitch is out for revenge, but what he never thought was that he’d fall for his victim…
“This is not a love story. This is a love story gone bad.”
*****
For as long as Alexa could feel it, someone had been watching her, stalking her, and her every move.
“I feel him watching me. He’s everywhere and I mean, everywhere. He never acknowledges me. He doesn’t ever make a move to meet me. He just… is.”
Sometimes she’d see the hooded man, but most times, she’d just feel him. Surprisingly, she wasn’t afraid of this man. Twitch saved her one night from something that could have gone horribly wrong, and all she felt was utterly safe. With him.
“Something about this man puts my mind to at rest. And I know deep down I have nothing to fear.”
Twitch is unlike any character I’ve read before. He’s not a good guy, not at all. He knows that, he acknowledges that, and he doesn’t shy away from that.
He’s damaged, but you wouldn’t think so by his demeanor. He’s got a past, but he hides it so well with his success, suits and attitude. He’s a ruthless and some may think, an asshole.
And when Twitch wants something, he takes it.
It’s his and there’s nothing there to stop him.
“You saved me. You’re my hero.” – Lexi
“No I’m not. You have no idea how wrong you are. What you want me to be… I can’t ever be. It’s not me. I’m the villain in this story.” – Twitch
*****
Raw took me out of my comfort zone many times throughout the course of the whole book! There’s something about Aurora’s characters and their realness, the writing, the plot… I just couldn’t put it down!
I’m looking forward for what’s next for Twitch and Lexi!
“Monsters don’t always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
Five dreamy stars:
I absolutely loved the raw passion, suspense…and development of Twitch and Lexie’s story.
The story is not for the faint of heart, the love scenes and the whole story is super intense, gritty and raw. A real page turner.
However, please please the author needs to hurry and write a sequel!
This book was recommended to me for a while now but there was always something that would come up for me not to read. I finally had the chance to read it and I was blown away by it. I loved reading it from beginning until end. Some parts were hard for me to read but that didn’t take away the enjoyment of reading it. I loved how the story developed; it was a fast paced story. Really liked the chemistry between Lexi and Twitch. Sometimes I really wanted Lexi to be a bit stronger but overall loved her. And don’t get me started about Twitch 😉 Think every good girl falls for the bad boy sometimes… The storyline was catching and you can’t help but fall in love with the bad boy. Although I wished the ending was different, it was a 5 star read for me!