He lurks behind the shadows and watches my every move keenly. I feel his powerful presence in my sleep but it doesn’t frighten me.I should hide. I should feel suffocated.I should try to escape.But… I want to stay. I want him to possess me.I want to drown in his pain and sorrow. Between the walls of this castle, I found my escape and eternal peace. We’re the unlucky ones. The tortured ones. The …
We’re the unlucky ones. The tortured ones. The pitiful ones…
I’m Anastasia Smirnov, and this is my story.
*Suitable for ages 18+
Note: This is a dark romance with intense and dark sensual scenes. Please proceed with caution.
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Rating:
Short and Steamy!
I liked the premise of this book very much. Of course it is a standard trope. The Heroine’s abusive parents sell her for the cash after the father loses his job. Though there were a few differences in this story. Most notably that the heroine, Anastasia has four sisters. Anna is the second oldest and also the second daughter to be sold.
*Trigger warning for rape/non-consent after Anastasia arrives at the Castle owned by the Hero, Dean. He has been overcome with sorrow after his family was killed when he was young. He saw his sister murdered right in front of him and has been wracked with guilt ever since, because he did nothing to save her. This is a contemporary romance, so he is a billionaire that just happens to live in a castle, it isn’t a historical romance.
Despite both parties living through the worst life has to offer, Anna tries not to dwell on what she went through. She is a strong heroine and sees the damage in the damage in Dean and the sadness and wants to help him deal with it. She knows he bought her to take his frustrations out on her because he doesn’t know how to get rid of the pain without causing harm to others.
There were a few things I didn’t like about the book. The beginning seemed very stilted to me. It shows Dean as a young boy when his family is killed and then Anna at her parents home with her sisters and what she went through there before they sold her to human traffickers. It is told in first person POV and it didn’t seem to flow like someone’s thoughts should. It seemed almost like list of everything that person did. I open…I blink…I look…I go…I wake…I wait…I know. The writing either got better later in the book or I was into the story enough where it didn’t bother me as much. Plus there was more dialogue instead of just thoughts so it didn’t seem stilted like at first.
I also think the background information could have been shortened so the time that the hero and heroine are together is longer. They fell in love a bit too fast. Though overall the main storylines and conflicts were good and I enjoyed the story quite a bit. It was dark and pretty steamy. I would say four flames out of five . As for stars, I give this a 3.5 but without half stars that rounds up to a four.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
This was a beautiful Beauty and the Beast tale with a splash of dark 50 Shades of Gray.
Sam did a wonderful job with this one. I am loving all her dark romances. They are always just the right amount of dark that I love.
Dean, oh this poor, poor man. That prologue just broke my heart for him but also made me need to figure out his story more. He was the mystery man in the castle. But one day he gets a package that had pictures of a beautiful girl inside, with the message “Do you want her?” But he never expected anything to happen when she arrives.
Anna has always been a feisty young lady. Being the second oldest of 5 sisters, she never backed down from anything, her evil father included. But she never thought the day would come for her parents to start selling off their daughters to strangers. But feisty Anna doesn’t go quietly, she always has a comeback ready. But the question is, will she be ready for wherever she is going?
As usual I loved everything about this book. Yes there were some touchy parts to get through but as Sam said in her warning, if it isn’t something you like to read than this book isn’t for you.
The ending was absolutely beautiful and it made me want more books of Dean and Anna!
5⃣
(yes it is steamy but as said before there are some touchy parts where the steam normally is.)
(this love is for the ending and how the characters ended up towards the end. Once you read this, you will understand my LOVE rating on it.)
Recommendation
“I want to stay.
I want him to possess me.”
It may just be that a story where both the hero and the heroine have not had an easy life, makes a love story even more poignant than a healthy partner helping rescue an unhealthy partner.
One may think, Dean is rescuing Anna?! Really?!
Emotional, gripping, page-turner.
This new to me author will not be a stranger. I’ll be checking out her other novels!
I received an advanced reader copy, and this is my honest and voluntary review.”
I found a lot going in this story at some points to much. Having said that the characters are well developed and the flow of the storyline felt at times a little stilt. I still found myself turning the pages to see if Dean and Anastasia get their HEA.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Ruthless by S.S. Richards was unique! Anastasia parents were awful people she was sold to an unknown man that enjoys hurting others. My heart ached for her past but also for Dean’s past. Both of them were broken souls. It was a dark romance very well written. A journey about forgiveness and love. Fast-paced, intense and page-turner with lots of drama, mystery and chemistry off the charts. Highly recommend this book!”
Anastasia has been abused by her parents and is sold by them for money. Dean is a dark and brooding, wealthy recluse, who is the only member of his family left. Both characters have horrific pasts, and Anastasia who is a strong heroine, recognises how Dean is living with his guilt and sadness, and wants to help him heal. This is a good story which is dark, intense, and heart-breaking. The only downside for me is that this story is a tad rushed. Be aware that this sensitive content may contain triggers for some.
This story kept me turning pages. It was dark and gritty to start with, may even trigger some people. But my heart and head wanted so much more for Anna and Dean. Together, they brought light to their lives. For someone who lived such a dark and violent life, Dean turned out to be a protective and wonderful man. Anna never truly lost the strength within her to stand up for herself, and I loved how she asked questions despite knowing what could or would happen. I recommend this story, just warning about possible triggers.
I received a copy of this story through Enticing Journey Book Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
Ruthless is a dark and harrowing story from the mind of S.S. Richards. The book has a kind of Gothic theme to it with additions of Beauty and the Beast with an 18+ rating. The book focuses on the main characters Dean and Anna. Dean is immersed in a world of darkness brought on by his own guilt and believing that he needs to be punished. He becomes the mystery man who purchases his ‘Beauty’ in the body of Anna. Anastasia hasn’t had an easy life, being brought up in Russia, poor and treated horribly by her parents, she has a backbone of steel and she isn’t going to let Dean destroy her, no matter what he puts her through… and boy does he put her through a lot.
Be warned that this book isn’t for everyone and that is something the author wants you to know before you dive in as there are some difficult scenes to read, but once you start reading, you get immersed in the characters as they develop a pseudo relationship with vivid twist and turns, dark thoughts and feelings and some extremely hot and vivid scenes. In this book, nothing is what it seems and in this book two lost souls definitely heal each other!
A definite dark read must from me!
ARC received for a fair, honest and sometimes long review
More of my reviews can be found on my blog: https://thehotmesslibrary.blogspot.com
This was a new to author and one I’ve been interested in trying since I heard about this book, as this black heart loves anything dark.
In the first part of the story to set the scene both main characters draw you in instantly with either their horrific past or present that they are battling with in their own little corners of the world. Anna’s story especially since it spans over years and we got to see more of it.
Second part starts back with Dean and makes you wonder how he got to this point, yes what happened in his past was terrible but if anyone should be a shell of a person, it should of been Anna. Sure wealth comes into play for their different situations but still. My heart breaks for her.
Unfortunately for me the story fell flat a bit but was still enjoyable enough to keep turning the pages to find out if fairytales can come true.
This is a new author to me, and I was surprised at how dark the book was. The main characters work through a lot together and they are both strong. It’s a great plot and has a lot of emotion and intense scenes in it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ruthless by S.S. Richards is the story of Anastasia Smirnov and Dean Walker.
This book starts off breaking your heart for Dean along with how Anastasia’s life is going. Dean’s past has made him what he is today, a harden man who looks for ways to get release in hurting another because of the hurt he has that he can’t seem to get away from. Dean knows know joy and lives in a dark castle that just adds to his demeanor. Anastasia hasn’t had a good life from the start but she is a fighter who even stands up as much as she can to her evil father. Anastasia has other siblings..sisters who are to be sold off to help support her father. Anastasia end up going to Dean who only wishes to hurt her to help his pain but Anastasia brings something to him he hasn’t really felt in a long time something other than pain/hurt. Anastasia tries to see things that other might not and she works through them. This is how she starts to see Dean past the anger to see the guilt, hurt and pain that he can’t move past. This does have trigger scene and is a dark romance read so it may not be for everyone.
This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist. The story follows Anastasia born in Russia and is 1 of 5 sisters, her family is abusive and poor and eventually its her turn to be sold to a mystery man. Deans haunted by his past and if filled with anger and pain, he wants to break another so they feel his torture but when he sees Anastasia the want to destroy gets over whelmed with wanting to be loved. The story starts out strong and with good direction with a lot of details and emotions but the story feels a bit underdeveloped and rushed towards the middle but ends strongly with a HEA..
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Oh my, being my first read by this author I can honestly say I was impressed by this story. I thoroughly enjoyed this modern-day version of Beauty and the Beast however this one was the adult version and in my opinion, much better!
I really liked the fabulous descriptions of both the characters and the settings. Set in Russia than Britain, the scenes were painted clearly and even though most were indoors, it was still detailed and easy to image. The same with the characters, both good and bad. Now, I won’t dwell too long on the bad characters but let’s just say there were some that needed a good thrashing and even that was too good for them. So, as you can tell, through these vivid descriptions the emotions flow.
Anastasia Smirnov was a young Russian girl who, although she has never had an easy life, has retained her spunk and strength. I loved her feisty nature but more importantly, the way she saw things in life, she was certainly a girl who saw the glass as half full. Dean Walker was such a tortured young man and my heart went out to him from the beginning. I don’t want to say too much about the Beast in case I give too much away, just be prepared to enjoy this fast-paced story.
Reviewer: Robyn
Oh my, being my first read by this author I can honestly say I was impressed by this story. I thoroughly enjoyed this modern day version of Beauty and the Beast however this one was the adult version and in my opinion, much better!
I really liked the fabulous descriptions of both the characters and the settings. Set in Russia then Britain, the scenes were painted clearly and even though most were indoors, it was still detailed and easy to image. The same with the characters, both good and bad. Now, I won’t dwell too long on the bad characters but let’s just say there were some that needed a good thrashing and even that was too good for them. So, as you can tell, through these vivid descriptions the emotions flow.
Anastasia Smirnov was a young Russian girl who, although has never had an easy life, has retained her spunk and strength. I loved her feisty nature but more importantly the way she saw things in life, she was certainly a girl who saw the glass as half full. Dean Walker was such a tortured young man and my heart went out to him from the beginning. I don’t want to say to much about the Beast in case I give too much away, just be prepared to enjoy this fast paced story.
Let me just start by saying anything S.S. Richards writes is truly phenomenal and amazing! Ruthless is no exception! Another hit girl!
In Ruthless we meet Dean Walker and Anastasia Smirnov; two tormented and lonely souls brought together through pain and a “transaction”. Their story is a angsty, dark, intense, heart wrenching and emotional read.
**Be warned some dark themed situations; may cause triggers**
Dean is a dark beast billionaire who prefers to stay alone in a dark and drafty castle. He is a ruthless bastard. His past torments him daily.
Anastasia omg my heart breaks for this heroine throughout every bad situation that she goes through. Throughout the story she shows true bravery regardless of those bad things…
The moment they’re brought together tiny little sparks appear…will they heal each other or break each other even more?
MUST READ
The story captivated me from the very beginning. Grab some tissues and prepare for a dark and stormy roller coaster ride.
5 stars