“This book is mean and kinky, desperate and romantic…I was consumed.” – KC Caron, Goodreads ReviewerEdward Fasbender is a devil. He’s my father’s biggest rival. He takes what he wants, and he bows to no one. And now Edward Fasbender wants me.I didn’t expect to want him back. Having him is not in the cards, not when a union with him would destroy my father. But that doesn’t mean I can’t play … doesn’t mean I can’t play with him a bit.
Except, I’ve never played against such a ruthless opponent. Edward is cold and vicious, and my blood has never run hotter. They say you should choose the devil you know, but I’ve always preferred long odds.
Even if it’ll get me slain.
“Oh my. I was hooked. You won’t be able to put this down!” – Aleatha Romig, NYT Bestselling Author
Rivalry is book one in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, Laurelin Paige, dark and edgy Slay series.
more
If you have read the Fixed Trilogy then you would have met and hated Celia!
What I really enjoyed about this first book in this series is that you don’t automatically start liking her straight away. It creeps up on you slowly which I loved.
It was god to watch someone come along and finally turn her world upside down, bit of karma considering what she has done to others.
What surprised me was that whilst I liked Edward in the Fixed Trilogy, I wasn’t a fan of him in this book, he was too arrogant but I also liked that he didn’t make anything easy for Celia. There is a very fine line between love and hate.
Laurelin has delivered her trademark brilliance with a tale and characters that have a lot of secrets and she always has me on the edge of my seat wondering when they would drop.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens next with this series
Holy crap what did I just read. Wow what an amazing story and that ending ahhh. Loved the story and loved how we got to see Celias side of things. We first met her in the fixed trilogy and I have not fallen in love. Laurelin Paige sure knows how to write a book that consumes you from beginning to end. This book was no different. You have got to read this new series you will fall in love all over again!
Ms. Paige has once asgain Slayed me with her gift of telling a story . Celia is now geting her time and if you think you can continue to dislike her from previous indiscretions you are sadely mistaken . We are taken on a wild ride filled with angst and a waves of every emotion on the books. Edward he is quite mysterious and I am so egar to find out more about him!! Get ready for a wild ride . Hurry and give us more of them and their story!!!!!
~~Michele McMullen ~~
Good Lord what did I read? I’m still trying to catch my breath at that OMFG ending. But suffice to say Laurelin Paige just delivered a knock out punch with that cliffhanger ending that I truly never saw coming. Slay One: Rivalry was sexy, consuming and addicting. I am now officially obsessed!!! Book two can not come fast enough!
Without giving away any spoilers, Rivalry opens up where we see the familiar face of Celia Werner as she meets Edward Fasbender and enters into a dangerous arrangement where the better man or woman will win. But when their sizzling attraction and powerful mindgames come out to play, who will eventually slay the game?
This story is insane. There is no other word that can best describe it. What else can you use to describe two sexy alpha leads, Edward and Celia, going head to head in a battle of wills that is only hotter than the heat between them? This book is glorious and edgy and so addicting that you will willingly give up sleep like I did to read this amazing story! Edward was delicious as he was decadent. Sexy and refined but a predator looking for the ultimate prey. But he underestimated Celia. She was just as alpha as he was, giving as good as she got and willing to do anything to best Edward. I loved his hardness just as much as the hints of tenderness we saw below the surface. Celia likewise was outstanding and his perfect match: strong, sexy, assertive and just as strategic.
But their constant game of one uppsmanship and bedroom battles ultimately result in an explosion that has them both grappling at their hold on one another. They have an army of secrets and hidden motivations between them that I am dying to discover. I can’t wait for more! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
Holy cow. Amazing! After meeting Celia in The Fixed Trilogy I always wanted to know more about her. Slay brought to light some WOW moments and the cliffhanger was almost enough to make me throw my Kindle. GREAT start to this quartet!
Apart from loving the cover of this sensational read, I was grabbed by the throat with the introduction. It starts dark and depraved. Full of isolation and nothingness, I sat and read it to my mum and even she was caught up in the darkness of it.
Having not yet read any of the Fixed universe books, Celia is a character I am not familiar with. Having said that, I didn’t feel that it impacted my experience. If anything, I had a more open mind about her than someone who had read her exploits in the previous books.
Along comes Edward. I didn’t know half the time whether I wanted to throttle him or kiss him. The man is a walking dichotomy. He pushes and he pulls and even at times twists arms. He would do anything, and I mean anything to get what he wants.
When it comes to the elite of this book, there are multiple belief systems implemented that are dated circa 1950s, and we all know what they represent.
Though my mind bounced back and forth between Celia and Edward; about who was worse than the other, and I still even at the end of the book still have yet to come to a definitive answer. They are fighting battles neither of them can really win and yet they can’t seem to take a step back and just breathe. High intensity, high voltage; Edward and Celia both have ideals of what they want and of how to get it, I just don’t think they have any idea how much impact damage the other can create. Burning heat and enough tension to uncoil a spring, Edward and Celia come to blows fantastically. Leaving both themselves and the reader fully charged with the potential to shoot thunderbolts.
Nothing can ever beat the end to this dark gem. I was left breathless and agape. How in the world can anything overshadow that ending? Roll on October for the second instalment. Well done Ms. Paige for excelling in what you do well, darkness, heat, passion and betrayal.
4 stars
This is one of those stories where you’re undecided about how you want it to end. Celia has kind of been the villain throughout this entire series. I definitely haven’t had the best feelings about her. But finally, someone has come along that’s got her all twisted up. Someone that is demanding things of her that in the beginning she doesn’t want to give over to them – she’s not compliant but that’s something she’s learning to be. They demand things from her, which has never happened. Even though, I’m not her biggest fan, I’d still like for her to find that someone that makes her want to be better.
Were reintroduced to Edward in Slay. He’s arrogant and cocky, and quite possibly the biggest jerk on the planet. But he’s also dishing out some of Celia’s own medicine to her. She’s learning what it’s like to be on the other side of the manipulation train. This is a story for was a bit slow for me, but Ms. Paige makes up for it in the ending….you won’t be prepared for it.
OMG… what did I read? I’m still trying to grasp that cliffhanger ending. I admit, I’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers but this one was a dozy and Ms. Paige always delivers an amazingly crafted story. I am dying for the release of book 2.
Celia Werner meets Edward Fasbender and although he is a business rival, he has an unique proposition for her.
This story is insane. You have Edward who is all alpha and has a wall that Celia can’t get past. Celia wasn’t ready to find a guy but there is something about Edward that makes her want the whole package.
A solid 5 stars!
#MSBB
Wow! What a intense and gripping story. I have love/hate feelings for Celia going back to the Fixed Trilogy. Celia and Edward are edgy characters that will have you hooked from the beginning. I loved reading their story as it unravels with its dark and sexy pull. Looking forward to reading more.
What in the…..just happened?! This whole book had me biting my nails to see what could possibly happen next!
So many question just blowing my mind right now.
*How is this the beginning of Celia and Edward’s story?! *How could a woman like Celia take Edward’s sh*t lying down (no pun intended)? Celia’s tactics are definitely child’s play compared to Edward’s.
*Have you read The Fixed Trilogy? Did you think Hudson was an ahole? Well I got news for ya….Edward is by far a much bigger ahole than Hudson could ever be…at least for now! He better shape up though or he’s gonna have a world of women banging down his door to kick his a$$. Who am I kidding? We’re all gonna be lined up waiting to be spanked! Am I right?!
What a way to kick off this series! LP has done it again and dare I say better than ever?!
Wow…I’m just at a loss. I’m truly not sure what I just read, but I know it was amazing! This book is so hot and erotic…lots of twists and turns along the way to keep you on your toes. I couldn’t put this books down! You’ll love to hate Celia…and Edward! That ending though……one click worthy!
Slay Book 1 of Slay Quartet
Man oh man! What a hot, sexy, dark, twisty story!
“Every breath I take in, the oxygen transforms into wisps of oblivion. Feel it as I exhale (feel nothing). Hear the sound of nothing as it exits from my lungs and circles like a fog around me.”
“Touch me, I’ll feel nothing. Bruise me, f*** me, love me–nothing, nothing, nothing.”
Can not wait to see what will happen in the second book!
Slay One: Rivalry
Slay One: Rivalry is the first book in the Slay Quartet by Laurelin Paige. Where do I start? I’m so in aw oh this book. II had a love/hate relationship with these characters. In the beginning I was unsure of these characters. Not because of the way they were written but due to Cecilia’s “games” and Edward’s traditionalistic views. Thus in true Laurelin fashion, she has proven why she is a bestselling author.
Celia Werner is the daughter of media mongol Warren Werner. She followed her own path. Her name may be familiar to those who have read The Fixed Series. She’s strong willed and stops at nothing to get what she wants. Playing with people’s emotions is part of her game. Even though it’s for her own agenda, Celia allows Edward to follow his traditional beliefs when it comes to a woman’s role. But because of her stubbornness, she pushes his buttons.
Edward Fasbender is Europe’s equivalent to Warren Werner. He’s ruthless asshat and will stop at nothing to get into the US market while blocking Werner from the European market. When it comes to relationships, he wants nothing to do with them after being burned by his ex wife.
Even though both Celia and Edward have their own agendas, there is a chemistry brewing between them. Celia knows his effect on her but Edward is trying to fight it. She catches his glances but yet he belittles her. She is starting, ever so slightly, to see through his heartless exterior. Celia has even considered dropping the “game” but keeps telling herself to press on with it. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series. If you are a current fan or you are just discovering Laurelin Paige, this is a MUST READ start to another addition to her Fixed Universe.
For further information on Laurelin’s FIXED UNIVERSE go to https://laurelinpaige.com/fixed-universe
DREAMY’S REVIEW
Before you read this review, just know… my mind, MY MIND IS BLOWN AWAY. I cannot, I mean cannot get the right words out. I’m a hot mess and just so you know, I’ve been SLAIN.
Laurelin Paige SLAYED ME!!
Okay, let’s continue on…
“With the authority of a goddess. The fierceness of a dragon.”
When I tell you how freaking out of my mind excited I was when Laurelin Paige announced that she was writing a book based of Celia Werner, you would never believe me! Celia was always that girl I loved to hate due to jealousy and all of that! She has it all, even if she’s lost a few things to default.
The Fixed Universe’s dragon who loved to play games!
Celia Werner intrigued me in the highest level and I’m telling you, I hardly get invested in villains like that, HARDLY. But when I heard she’s getting FOUR books, I was all over it like cheese spread on bread! Although I was not okay with most of her actions that she did in the Fixed books, that’s besides the point for me! Celia is human, SO HUMAN! She has feelings, she thinks about her actions, and she knows right from wrong.
But does that mean she follows all those thoughts and feelings?
I devoured every single word of Slay One: Rivalry and I’m still reeling over what I just read! Goodness gracious, it was everything I could have ever imagined AND more! Laurelin blew me AWAY with the first book of this quartet! She blew all of my expectations out of the water because it was absolute perfection!
When the story first opens, we once again meet with Celia Werner as she goes and meets Edward Fasbender, who is also known as the Devil. You learn of an intense and dangerous arrangement between the two, and yet you also wonder, who will win?
The Dragon or the Devil?
Who will be slain?
Celia is the same as ever! Enemy number one. The villain. The dragon.
I. Love. Her.
And that’s an understatement.
Rivalry just made me love her even more! i might get side eyed because a lot of people hated her in the Fixed books, but I have to say, I’m not like most. I love her mind, the way she works it, I love her sass, and how she is confident in who she is! She has an edge to her that I just love, she’s so bad-ass! This book just proved SO MUCH MORE.
“Except I was more than a pretty lady—I was a dangerous lady, even at a young age.”
Edward Fasbender is the type of ALPHA hero I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Bad guy, an asshole, curt, arrogant, a jerk, straight to the point, demanding, ruthless, and possessive. But man, he looks good in a tux! When we got a sneak peek of him in Fixed Forever, I was a little warm to him, didn’t know him much, but was totally okay with it. Now that I’m getting a lot of him, I’M ALL FOR HIM! There’s something about him that I just love and even though I’m not sure of his actual intentions, I’m here for the ride!
“A real devil. Ruthless, unethical, shady. Corrupt.”
These two together… they fascinated me to no end! To know that there’s someone out there, that Celia has met her match, and he’s shaking her world unlike any other… YES. YES. YES.
Edward sees right through her, I feel it in my bones. I know, I just know! He knows exactly the game that’s being played and I bet my money, he’s playing just as good, if not, better. Two steps ahead. He knows Celia, he knows how her mind words.
But within that, everything is complicated.
Edward is complicated.
Celia is complicated.
They’re in a complicated situation, agreement, and dare I say, game.
And dare I ask again, will the better man or woman win?
Who will be slain?
I was utterly consumed by these two! I cannot even explain, there are not enough words to unscramble every single thought I have running through my mind!
The hot, hot, hot kinky and erotic desperate need from Celia. Every wrong, shameful want and need and crave that Celia had, it consumed me even more. It made me go deeper, it made me turn the pages faster, and it made me HOT and bothered.
Goodness gracious, where is the fan?
They so deserve each other. On every level.
“He was overpowering. It was hard to think around someone incredibly assured. So completely captivating.”
What I loved most about this book is that Paige didn’t try to make you love Celia or feel bad for her or anything of that matter. Celia is still Celia, but now you know her story, the aftermath, and what’s going on with her after all the games she played.
Rivalry ends on a serious cliffhanger! But, my goodness, it’s so good! It had me at the edge of my seat with my eyes bugging out! If you’re into a little delayed gratification and depravity like me, YOU NEED THIS BOOK! This cliffhanger will leave you speechless, SPEECHLESS and reeling!!! But you’ll be salivating and begging and pleading for more, just like me!
Laurelin really rocked this! She deserves all of the praise for this book! I cannot recommend Slay One: Rivalry ENOUGH! You need to get it, devour it, and savor each and every word until the next!
You need it in your life! Period.
I’m so ready for Slay Two: Ruin and visit my two favorites!
Five SLAY ME dreamy stars:
Celia Werner is one of the greatest villains of all time. So when Laurelin announced this book: I was READY.
Three years I’ve waited for this Celia’s redemption. When Slay hit my Kindle, I turned off the world and dove in heart first cuz I was READY.
“It takes a special kind of man to slay a dragon.” Oh, I hear you LP. You’re gonna bring me another sexy as hell suit-wearing alpha-hole? Ummm yes please, and thank you, Laurelin. Edward Fasbender was everything and MORE. And I was READY.
Then I reached those last chapters. And Laurelin Paige rocked my world so hard, I may have take her last name. I’m in shock, in awe, in lust and in-trigued. That ending?? I was not ready!!
Forget what you think you know about Celia Werner. Forget what you think you know about this book. Forget what you think you know about Laurelin Paige’s writing. Slay had my jaw on the floor. This is Paige at her finest.
Do you know that kind of story that starts fine and then grows furiously in tension until you feel yourself implode?
Yes, I am SLAYed.
Two hateful characters, hard to like. Yet…
A very narrow plot, focusing on a mysterious proposal that has no benefit for the lady and very suspicious motives on the hero. Yet…
It is addictive.
Edward Fasbender is the type of dominating, arrogant male example of enemy you hate to love. He is ice but can melt rocks. I understand a woman’s wobbly knees in his magnetic presence, but I still reject the fact that she let herself be stepped on for the sake of lust. That’s what our heroine seems to be.
Totally from her point of view, Celia Werner presents herself in the story as void, evil and suddenly in lust with this man against self-preservation. That might be the case, but her obsession became mine as I kept on reading and I was mesmerized.
Fasbender proposes this outrageous scheme to Celia. Of couse, she denies him, but not for long, as she craves to either conquer or destroy him.
At first, the characters are sharply featured. He is the epitome of cold, closed-off entitled man-god. She is malicious and obsessive, even to the point of giving into instinct despite the humiliation. Yet as the edgy game of cat and mouse evolve between Fasbender and the heroine, Celia, they start to become human and much more interesting.
He might be harbouring some softer side besides his very secretive and enticing dark impulses. On the other hand, she is determined beyond belief as she proves again and again in her pursuit of unearthing his secrets to her advantage. I really admired her resourfulness. Could it be that she also hides a very ugly scar under all the layers in her mind? I was dying to know.
From New York to London, she weaves this desperate web of deceit around him only to sink deeper into the spider’s web herself. I loved and hated their exchanges, wrought with exasperating challenge and conceited domination and provocative desire too long unfulfilled.
I wanted the fake to be real, and the real to be realized with all my mighty obsession with this crazy couple. And oh my, the lengths they go to in order to achieve their goals. I was ensnared in the corrupt yet all-consuming dynamics they engage in up until that wicked, wicked cliffhanger that I would not have foreseen in my wildest dreams. How can I cope now? 😀
We finally have Celia’s story!!! The villain we loved to hate is back in this new spin off from Laurelin’s best selling Fixed series, The Slay Quartet, bringing us Celia and Edwards story.
Set a couple of years after the Fixed series ended, we catch up with Celia as she tries to keep her design company going by going to meet with a potential new client. Enter Edward Fasbender.
Edward is a very successful businessman, but after luring Celia to a meeting under false pretences, he explains why she’s really there and has a proposition for her.
A lover of ‘The Game’, Celia spies a way to work this in her favour, but will Edward see through her charade? And if he does, will her games be over, for good?
We see a completely different side to Celia throughout this story. We built up a resentment to her by the end of the Fixed series, so to get an insight into why she does what she does, helps you understand her, and have some compassion for her character.
Edward is the epitome of the cold, hard, ruthless businessman, but no matter what he did or said to Celia, nothing could have preparedness for that almighty cliffhanger!!!!
This is proper old school writing at its very best. This first book in the new series from Laurelin packs one hell of a punch and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. It’s deep, sinister and powerful, with a hint of darkness and enough heat and passion to set you on fire!
The twists and turns in the plot keep you on your toes and keeps you second guessing the whole way through.
A MASSIVE 5 stars
This book is fire!
Laurelin Paige has expertly written a book that will truly consume you!
Slay gives you a look into Celia’s mind. She is manipulative, twisted and just plain fucked up…… but you finally know why! I HATED HER in the fixed series!!! I don’t hate her nearly as bad now.
Edward is the devil, but he’s the kind of devil you want to fuck you into the next world! My goodness that man is hot, hot, hot!!!
I cannot wait to get my grubby little hands on Ruin, the next in the series!!!
5 Phenomenal Stars! You Slayed it!
I loved Slay:Rivalry!! I think the reason I loved it so much was because of Celia Werner. She is such a compelling and surprisingly sympathetic protagonist. I know most Fixed fans think I’ve lost my marbles – Celia and sympathy in the same sentence – but hear me out. We’re living in her skin now, and it’s turning out to be a pretty heartbreaking place to be. She’s trapped by her own game and ghosts. Does she change her ways or go out in a blaze of glory? Watching Celia wrestle with her inner conflicts is fascinating.
Add to the mix, Edward Fassbender. Is he her savior? Her soulmate? Or her Moriarty- albeit a super sexy one?
Given the thrill ride start Laurelin Paige has delivered, I think it’s safe to say that Slay will be her best work yet. The transformation of Celia is elegant and empathetic, yet true to the diabolical roots of the character in Fixed, embodying her growth as a writer.
I can’t wait to see where this ride takes us
5 stars
Slay: Rivalry is the story of one of the most despicable villains. We met Celia Werner in the Fixed Trilogy and grew to despise her for the role she played in that series. She deserved everything that came to her and then some. There is no way her character would ever be redeemed.
Then came Slay: Rivalry. Celia’s story. We learn so much about her, her parents and her upbringing. We begin to understand how her life came to be, where she came from, why she played The Game that was taught to her by one of our favorite heroes. But not of that would prepare her for the devil himself.
Edward Fasbender is exactly the man to handle Celia. He is intriguing, mysterious and just like her dad when it comes to business. He may the only one who can tame her but at what costs? Edward has his own game to play and he never loses. He gets what he wants regardless of who pays the price.
Not sure what I expected in Slay but I was completely blown away with all the twist and turns. One minute I remember why I dislike Celia and then the next I’m shedding tears for her heartbreak, pain and past. Then there’s Edward, I wanted him to be Celia’s savior. There were times I thought he was perfect in protecting and defending her and then “BOOM!” the unthinkable would happen.
Slay: Rivalry is a must read but let me warn you, this story will stay with you. I need to know what happens next and I need it now. I can’t stop thinking about it. I really hope this author shows a little mercy on her faithful followers because we need Slay: RUIN before October. I have never wished for months to fly like I am right now.