Raised as a prototype for the Georgian Bratva’s obedience drug, 221 fails to think, act, or live for himself; he’s his master’s perfectly-crafted killing puppet. Standing at six-foot-six, weighing two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, and unrivaled in to-the-death combat, 221 successfully secures business for the Georgian Mafiya Boss of NYC, who rules the dark world of the criminal underground. Until his … his enemies capture him.
Talia Tolstaia dreams to break from the heavy clutches of Bratva life. She dreams of another life–away from the stifling leash of her Russian Bratva Boss father and from the brutality of her work at The Dungeon, her criminal family’s underground death-match enterprise. But when she stumbles upon her family’s captive who is more monster than man, she starts to see the man underneath. A powerful, beautiful, damaged man whose heart calls to hers. But sacrifices must be made–blood for blood…life for life…souls for scarred souls…
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~ 5 Dark Romantic stars ~
A freaken masterpiece!!!
Oh my goodness. All the Feels.
Lots of Action. So many Emotions.
It’s absolutely amazing. It tore my heart!
I’ve had this book sitting in my shelf for 3 yrs. and I have no idea why I didn’t read this sooner. It’s just crazy and I’m just happy I finally experienced this story
THIS is what I call a dark romance!!!! Tillie Cole has got this genre down.
I finished this last night and I don’t have the right words to express how GREAT this book is.
Quote: ~ His harsh face straightening in conviction. “You are . . .for me. No other male. Just me. And me … for you. This is my, ‘I love you.’ These are my words from my scarred soul. They are not borrowed words, but words from my full heart, and my heart only. ”
Gaaaah I Love Zaal a.k.a Reap
Wow! This book literally ripped my heart and soul to shreds! I think I have read 90% of this book with tears in my eyes and lump in my throat.
What 221 had gone through at the hands of his ‘Master’ was enough to bring me to my knees but to then witness ‘Zaal’ emerge from the years of conditioning had my heart and tears spilling everywhere! Twas not a pretty sight!
And add Talia to the mix?!! Holy shizz, emotions splattered!! ‘ You are……for me’…….Damn that got me every Damn time!!
5+ “You are … for me” stars
Ever since I found out about this book, I have been dreaming about getting this book in my hand. AND finally the wait was over. The second I received Reap on my kindle I dived right into it. I just knew it would be an amazing story after just reading a couple of sentences. I finished this book at 5:40AM, because I just couldnt put it down! Tillie has a way of telling a story that just consumes you. I am such an huge fan of her books. She continues to surprise me with her excellent story telling.
She is the queen of writing about damaged/broken/scarred/imperfect “heroes”. I read Raze in January and I just loved it. I love mafia books, but Tillie takes it to another level. Her books are dark, romantic, RAW and so very real. She makes you feel EVERY single thing the characters are feeling.
“Zaal Kostava, you’ve stolen my forbidden heart.”
Reap tells the story of 212/Zaal and Talia who is Luka’s sister. Zaal is saved from captivity but is more beast than human. Talia is the one that gets through to him. Which was just so beautiful to read. Those first couple of scenes had me swooning so much. Zaal may be an adult but has been living in captivity as a mindless slave since the age of 8. Everything is new to him, because he doesn’t remember anything. He is like a baby who is seeing, feeling and discovering everything for the first time. He is so dangerous but also innocent.
“You are my Zaal, the man whose soul has stolen mine.”
He owns Talia from the first time he sees her. He is the ultimate alpha male. His flashbacks broke my heart, they had me crying so much. He has been through so much in his life. Just reading about him remembering things that happened to him really killed me. Talia and Zaal were perfect for each other.
This book was dark, real and raw. We also get a couple of chapters in Luka’s POV (which I enjoyed so much!). We see that he has a lot of things he is still struggling with, which makes his character real. You can’t go through the things he has gone through and be 100% happy after so little time. Thankfully he has Kisa with him, who keeps him grounded.
“Let me love you with everything I have. Let me make you feel safe, with me. Be my Luka, the boy whose soul matches mine.”
There are so many lines in this book I highlighted. It was beautiful. The last part of this book has me so excited to read the next book in this series: Ravage. Tillie Cole is an automatic one-click author for me. No need to read any blurbs or descriptions!
My heart was in the enemy’s hands…
This book was recommended to me. I had never read anything by this author before but decided to take a chance. So, when I learned it was the 2nd book in a series, I bought the 1st book and started at the beginning. Best decision EVER. I’m now a diehard fan. I freaking floved both books and you couldn’t pay me NOT to read her books in the future.
First off, I have to give Raze fans a heads up and assure you that you will get to spend more time with Raze & Kisa. I mean really, they are family so it’s a given for future books. And…there will be more books in this series. I’m very excited about this, especially since I know who it’s gonna be about. No, I don’t have any special knowledge, no official confirmation, I just know by reading between the lines. If you liked RAZE, then you will love REAP. There is no doubt whatsoever.
If 181 broke your heart, then 221 is gonna finish the job by taking what’s left of it and ripping it to shreds. If you were ready to throw your kindle at the evil that stole Raze’s memories and Kisa’s heart, then you might as well place your order with Amazon right now for a replacement. Yup, unless you have a shock proof case, it might be in imminent danger when you have your hissy fit. Or, it might suffer water damage from your tears. Either way, a backup isn’t a bad idea…just sayin’.
Before I started, I was unsure if anything could be as good for me as Raze (818/Luka) but I was wrong, in fact I think I loved this book more!!!!
221 is taken at a young age, drugged to make him obedient and conditioned to kill. Luka ‘saves’ him to act out revenge for 362.
Talia’s attraction to Zaal is there instantly (and her voyer ways with the security cameras!!) But is Zaal too far gone? Plus add to the fact that anything happening between them is forbidden, due to family loyalties.
The bloody feels from this book, made me want to weep! Talia and Zaal together in that basement, the washing, the combing of hair..it was like I was intruding on an intimate moment.
‘You are…for me? Trampled, heart-flattened, done.’ You got that right love, I reckon mine went right along with yours. In fact ‘trampled’ and ‘heart flattened’ are perfect words to describe what reading Reap does to the reader!!!!!
Tip…have Google open, I was googling all the Russian words, it does explain them but I had to know what they were before it did!!! It was a compulsion so I could go all gaa gaa over them!
The ending, omg, the ending, what does that mean (well I think I know what it means, in fact I am sure I am…..but OMG!!!!)
And i thought Raze was a great story that was nothing Zaal and Thalia’s story i absolutely loved this book.
This had the Romeo and Juliet vibes and really was a dark story to read. I loved we got some chapters of Luka as he was still evolving from the first book and for what he went through he wasn’t going to magically be cured so to still get his side was great.
Zaal had the same experience as Luka but for longer and worse and he was basically a shell of a men when we meet him but the chemistry and connection that he and Thalia has was so awesome to read.
This story had such a back story that t broke my heart for everyone and the way this book finishes i just want to pick up the next book i am so excited for it.
If you like your dark and violent romance that’s steamy and sexy then this book is for you and if your a fan of Tillie Coke you won’t be disappointed in this series
Loved loved loved it
Luka and Kisa devotion to each other is breathtaking. It hits you right in the heart.
Talia and Zaal love is just as epic, once this book hit 80% I cried through the rest. It was so emotional, raw and intimate. I felt everything. The sacrifice he made to save his love is commendable he was not willing to lose her even if it meant he would never see her again, he loves her so much he was willing to sacrifice himself leaving her and me in tears.
I found the whole Talia and Zaal romance endearing who knew that a simple sponge bath could be so erotic and beautiful as well as their lovemaking.
Having to deal with two love story in one book was overwhelming in a good way.
This books hits you in every direction, you will cry, you will scream and you will get angry.
It’s a beautiful epic story and I’m so thrilled to have read it
Omg I loved this!!! Meet 221, twin brother of 362, Luka’s best friend and savior in the gulag, who he ended up killing at the end of Raze to save Kisa. Both captured and experimented on since they were children. 221 is completely under his Masters control via drugs and is a killing machine. Luka keeps his promise to 362 and rescues 221, but is there anything of the boy/man left inside the killing machine that is 221?! A brutal tale, harrowing and very emotional at times. 221/Zaal meets Talia and sparks fly. The storyline unfolds with lots of twists and turns, that had me an emotional wreck, from such brutality, to yearning, lust, anger, betrayal, I just couldn’t put the book down! Fabulously dark and brutal with pure soul shattering love thrown in – ‘You are….. for me?’ Made my heart squeeze!! Must read.
This was suspenseful, thrilling and erotic like the other books in this series. And like those, it is dark and has sexual triggers.
But it’s well written for this genre, I enjoyed it.
Raze was my first Tillie Cole experience and I had no knowledge of what I was walking into with it. The world was dark, disturbing and unapologetically brutal, but there was also that sliver of hope that even in a world where violence reigned supreme and power was everything happiness could still be had and after finishing it I was hooked, not only on the world but Tillie Cole’s work in general and went on to read and love her Hades Hangmen series (I’m still working on getting to her sweet series). So to say I was excited to get my hands on Reap is an understatement. I was thrilled! And from the first page I willingly jumped down the rabbit hole and didn’t ever want to come out.
I really liked Talia in Raze. She was sassy and much more rebellious than Kisa, but even she didn’t step too far out of line. She may not always like being restricted by her father and the Pahkan, but she understands that those restrictions are in place for her safety. In Reap we still get to see that rebellious Bratva princess but more importantly we get to see how compassionate and strong willed she really is and by the end it’s hard not to adore her. Her kindness and determination are a potent mix and her inner strength is something to be admired.
212/Zaal God how my heart broke for him. If you thought what happened to Raze/Luka was horrible, that’s nothing compared to what happened Zaal. Brutal is a huge understatement. And my heart broke as he went from being just 212 to Zaal and we learn through his memories just what hell he’d been through and lost in the process, hell I even got all teary eyed a few times as his story unfolded. But though the brutality of what his life had been is difficult to swallow, what we get to see is the honorable and redeemable man underneath it all.
Talia and Zaal’s courtship, if you will, is a beautiful thing to experience, it’s equal parts sweet, sexy and heartbreaking, and I loved how each step in the journey was handled. It simply started with a gut feeling and an act of kindness and grew. There is a ticking time bomb (or bombs if you will) tossed into the mix and it’s that component that puts that edge on their romance. When will it go off? What will happen? And I have to say that it was all handled well and in line with who each character involved has been shown to be. Vague much? Of course, no spoilers, but I thought that their HEA was done very well.
What did surprise me, and delight me as well, was that we get Luka/Raze’s POV intermittently throughout the book. At the end of Raze there were a lot of things left wide open like how will Luka deal with his new life as the Bratva heir as well as his relationship with Kisa and what will happen with his promise to 362? All of these are answered through Luka’s sections and should I ever meet Ms. Cole I may have to kowtow a bit because she did a brilliant job at weaving what was going on with Luka into Talia and Zaa’s story without taking anything away from them and making the overall story that much stronger and more of an emotional rollercoaster than it already was. And can I just say that I really fucking adore Kisa and Luka even more now.
The writing, as always, was engaging and the pacing well done. Unlike with Raze’s ending, which I thought was a bit rushed, I really liked how this one panned out and that last bit of the epilogue?? Well played Ms. Cole, I didn’t see that one coming, and can’t fucking wait to get my hands on Revenge. As stated, this is NOT a sunshine and roses story, yes there is an HEA, but the road to that HEA is dark, disturbing and unapologetically brutal. If abuse of any kind is a trigger for you then you’ll have a difficult time with this one. If not, it’s definitely worth your time, though I do highly recommend you read Raze first.
The Bottom Line: I want more. I don’t want to leave the rabbit hole. Ever!
~ ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~
PLEASE NOTE: For a complete picture of the storyline in REAP, reading RAZE first is highly recommended, as the storylines are connected.
It was 3am when I finished. I wasn’t going to give up on getting to the end for such an insignificant act like sleep. This was such a great story!! The characters were amazing and the story line kept me captivated from beginning to end.
I thought I was in love with Luka in the first book…Uh, I think 221 has claimed that spot. What Luka endured was nothing compared to 221’s experience of hell. The injustice of his life started much sooner and the torture, treatment and drugs for 221 was more intense and caused much more damage to his psyche.
Talia is like Kisa from Raze. She, too, grew up in the life as a Bratva princess. Though she knows what’s expected of her, she’s always been the one to rebel. She enjoyed her life, but she had her moments where she needed an escape and would do things she knew she shouldn’t. So when her brother showed up with a strange guy he rescued in an effort to fulfill a promise to a fallen friend, she didn’t expect her life to change the way it did.
Talia tried not to want anything to do with him. But her heart broke for how broken he was. A man as fierce looking as he was, he was literally a “man child”. Having been scarred so deeply, she gave in to her wanting to help him. She wanted to help him get his life back. And while doing so, she fell for him…deeply.
My heart ached for how innocent 221 was. Having lost so much of his life and not even know it. Simple things like a smile were puzzling to him. He didn’t remember any good from his life so “happiness” was not a concept he understood. It was just so sad and I wanted to reach into the pages and hug him myself. I wouldn’t have minded the good pounding Talia got, either. *fans self* He may not have been emotionally developed, but he sure knew what he was doing… wink, wink. Talia was a lucky girl. But Talia did what she did and helped him into slowly becoming the man he should have been allowed to be.
Reap definitely up’d the everything factor for me.
First book in the scarred souls series and I loved it.Focuses on the Volkov Bratva in Brooklyn princess Kisa is engaged to twisted Alexi though she still mourns the loss of her first love and soulmate Luka long believed dead. Luka is returned with revenge on his mind
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I went back and forth with this book. 221 was programmed to be even more of a monster than Raze was. He was drugged and built for only one thing. To Kill. My heart went out to him and I felt his pain and his struggle throughout the book. I think what I struggled with was the pace of the relationship with him and Talia. Even though both of their lives were full of struggles, I wanted more of that between them.
It was great to see Raze and Kisa again and to get a little more of their story. For that reason, I bumped it up a star!
Don’t get me wrong. I love Tillie Cole’s books. Her writing is fantastic and I will read anything she puts out and always be excited for it! Always give her books a chance!
#221 , a Bratva Dzlieri , snatched from a loving arms of Georgian family of Kostava. His sister Zoya, his brother Anri and his Babushka and papa slaughtered right in front of his eyes. He finds himself chained to his abhorrent fate .
He’s been pumped full of drugs to make him an obedient Dog to his Master Jakhua and a Murderer-on-Command soldier. Pure venom and fire flows in his veins and with every snap of his Master Jakhua’s fingers he must Klav..Klav…Klav- kill..kill…kill !
But as every Dzlieri has his day, he’s rescued by Luka Tolstoi and saved by his sister Talia Tolstaia.
Tillie Cole doesn’t just create characters and writes their stories. She creates Soulmates !
The lost pieces of one’s soul that may have been snatched from their mates , but they come together by serendipity and fit together, never to be torn apart again. They heal together, redeem together and grow as a family.
Reap /#221/ Zaal Kostava finds such a missing piece of his soul in Talia. Though she’s a Tolstoi, an enemy who stole his heart, she makes him human again. In her he finds his warmth, his ONLY warmth. She cares for him, cries for him and cleanses him , body and soul .
When he says You are…..for me ! that’s the most potent , bursting with love , original meaning of love I’ve ever read !
There are not enough stars in here to be given to these books. Not enough adjectives to describe this perfect story of two battered souls looking for absolution -Raze and Reap are two sides of the same coin.
He , along with Luka , must kill Jakhua and avenge his family , like Luka must to fulfill his promise to Anri
They together Raze Hell and Jakhua Reaps as he sows !