A dark romance unlike anything you’ve read before.I joined the Cloister to find the truth. But I’ve discovered so much more, and the darkness here is seducing me, pulling me down until all I can think of is him. Adam Monroe, the Prophet’s son, a dark prince to an empire that grows by the day. He is tasked with keeping me safe from the wolves of the outside world. But the longer I stay at the … outside world. But the longer I stay at the Cloister, the more I realize the wolves are already inside and under the Prophet’s control. If Adam discovers the real reason I’m here, he’ll bay for my blood with the rest of them. Until then, I will be Delilah, an obedient servant of the Prophet during the day and Adam’s Maiden at night.
Author’s Note: If you have a trigger, this book will pull it. The Maiden is the first book of The Cloister Series, which is now complete with The Prophet and The Church.
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Delilah entered The Cloister with one mission to accomplish–to know the truth. As a Maiden, she must undergo some training under the hands of Spinners. Will she be able to endure everything and not give up?
When Adam Monroe, the son of the Prophet, first laid eyes on Delilah, he felt something that he hasn’t felt in a long time. Undeniable attraction. As a Protector, he chooses her to be under his wing while in training. Is there a possible romance between this two in a place like The Cloister?
The Maiden is not for the faint-hearted. It’s mind-fuck! The story is definitely a page-turner! It’s dark and twistedly good. Although, there are some scenes that make me shudder and introduced me to some character that I want to do some bodily harm. But did I stop? No, I didn’t! It got me more interested to see how this story will pan out. And with that kind of ending, you want to read The Prophet, NOW!
I had a pleasant time reading this story. Celia Aaron once again started a series that will get you craving for more Adam & Delilah. If you’re into dark, erotic romance, this book is for you. Greatly recommended!
This book deserves way more than 5 stars. The details Celia Aaron provides as the background and how she keeps you reading and wanting more is splendid. This is a deliciously dark tale that I felt like I had become one with the characters. And then I have to comment on Adam — swoon!! He is amazingly alpha, amazingly dark and delicious and a broken character who always end up falling and rooting for. There really is so little I can say as I truly believe as a reader you just need to dive into this one.
Here is my disclaimer for sensitive readers — if you are sensitive to darker issues read the blurb and decide if it would be a good fit for you. If you are daring and willing to try I cannot imagine you would be disappointed on the ride this book takes you on.
Fans of Aaron’s Acquistion series rejoice! The Maiden is the first book in her new, The Cloister, series and she’s taken us back to that dark and gritty edge we’ve all come to love in her writing.
Delilah is on a mission she knows could end very badly, but she wants, no needs answers and this is the only way she can think of to get them. Adam, her protector and eldest son of the Prophet, is cold and ruthless and can’t figure out what it is that lies just below the surface that makes Delilah call to him.
He watches…there’s something about her.
She plays along…the answers are here.
This story is dark and brutal, with more than one heart-stopping incident. The ending is a gasp out loud cliffhanger that will have you cursing the author and begging for the next installment.
Be warned, some of this story is very hard to read.
Dark
Hot
Sometimes hard to read.
It circled the drain
Just wow!! I love books with dark undertones and taboo desires mixed together. Celia Aaron knows how to please those of us who have more of an acquired taste. I could not put this book down. And when I had to, I would feel the itch to get back to it. This is the first of three books. I’m onto the next!! The Prophet
Too dark. Cliffhanger.
This is a story about a woman who goes undercover to find out who killed her friend. It’s okay. A little too scary and violent for me, but I think it’s a matter of taste!
This book is “The Gemstones “taken to a whole new level. OR , maybe not. I could not put it down. The frightening thing is you can imagine it happening.
Great book with steamy scenes and a good plot line
I just couldn’t get started
Hey There Delilah, My Maiden
The things you can get away with in the name of God; someone once said “Dom unto others as you would have God Dom unto you” and that someone ended up in jail for a little less than what this book entails overall. “The Maiden” by Celia Aaron is another title ripped straight from the headlines or at least it should be, we’ve got the stupidity of the “Prosperity Gospel,” the evil of the Catholic Church, and they made a mini-series about David Koresh’s cult.
With an understanding of this, I rather watch The Maiden, if they ever thought to make it a movie because it’s a remarkable book, I was hooked and so is my erotica reading group, I would have read the sequels myself if they weren’t already reading them. This title hit home for me quite literally from the location to the type of church I knew as a child, to the family dynamic such as “perfect obedience.” There is a stark contrast between what is known as BDSM and what the general public believes, and using the church’s teachings to show that is awesome, the lives of the maidens and the families within Heavenly Ministries community.
Long story short we have this young woman, renamed Delilah who joins the cloister maidens of Heavenly Ministries, a bit of a convent; two words “Virgin Territory” a movie worth watching. Since when did convent become synonymous with the word brothel, and they have one. Delilah’s life is now the property of The Prophet. More importantly is the rights of his son Adam Monroe, another father-son duo *sigh* though the family is more nuclear, minus having a dog. The twist is what she hopes to find out from this church/cult; now those are synonyms being how I know the church to be; anyway another good girl, bad boy with kind intentions type of tale honestly.
Let me put it out there how churches will use beautiful women to entice people but it’s a thin line as with The Prophet, the people know one side, but he hides the other from them; sex as long as nobody talks about it. You should also be aware that as I said there is BDSM, but anyone that knows about abuse may do well to skip this though I think in both aspects “The Maiden” is rather tame somewhat.
Maybe I just read darker material though already being on the second book “The Prophet” that the darkness is cranking up, but of course, that will be for another review I’ll try to stay on this one. As far as Delilah and Adam Monroe are concerned, I guess I do tend to lump all these characters together from different titles, the only thing that changes are motivations, and so there has to be something especially jarring, and with this, there wasn’t that in the Maiden.
Delilah other than her looks is the somewhat righteous girl looking to find justice which means infiltrating The Cloister as a Maiden, a group of twelve holy women who are to be placed by The Prophet’s direction to the rich, the powerful, and others The Prophet can use. Delilah without a doubt has a fiery personality that needs some breaking if she is to serve and that task falls to her protector, Adam. How does one find the truth in a web of lies because it becomes quite clear that is all that exists as the maidens begin their training and here’s a hint yes they will be on their knees, but it will be a lot less praying, shocker?
Adam is a man that I can relate to, hates his dad, doesn’t believe anything about the church that he belongs to, finds holy women hot as hell but moreover a woman that wants to tell him no but knows better. Now he can’t be the perfectly righteous man, these stories are never about that, but his feelings for Delilah drive him to defy his father and lead to some actions that could mean the death of them both. He also loves his mother; I swear if you give some guy washboard abs, a dark history, some unforgivable crime and make him declare allegiance to a girl, and you have 95% of the genre easily.
Other characters such as The Prophet himself as a hypocrite or Noah Monroe who is desperate for some semblance of a family and Grace the Head Spinner who I would take to be like Aunt Lydia from The Handmaid’s Tale only younger. We also have a slight bit of politics and heroics from everyone including other maidens and spinners and the network that keeps such an organization intact and running smoothly.
So why four stars and not five, other than my usual ranting, raving, carrying on about the general state of this genre the sex was kept somewhat to a minimum, only a pair of maidens I believe losing their virginity. I should add a spoiler alert but if you want to know if you should read this; if you don’t get offended by those who take God in vain or want a break from seeing what churches honestly do and would instead imagine it, or if you like dark erotica, then please have at it.
As I’ve already said there is a lack of sex, here I was expecting an orgy, but the maidens must know virtue to a certain extent for any prospective buyers, so don’t set your hopes so high but the tease is worth it. The Prophet is a typical bad guy, on the one hand, he spouts all the religious doctrine to rule but he is like any other leader wanting the money and the power that comes from his position, but we’re supposed to be figuring Adam out anyway. Delilah with her quest doesn’t quite have a plan besides her work learning about the compound, seeking who she needs to know and payback but how will this bring all of Heavenly down on them?
Some of my favorite parts are near the end, that’s not a bad thing, but they keep you on the edge of everything else, and you have one more chance to turn away; ready, READY, okay when Adam and Delilah have sex so she won’t lose her virginity to The Prophet. There is also the escape attempt of the maidens from the compound that I couldn’t put down; I was as hooked as Adam was keeping Delilah from her freedom. Other than the sex there was the touching moment between Adam and Noah; I did say no dogs, but Noah has a lizard and a cat not that The Prophet wouldn’t kill them too, showing that Noah has a heart like Adam and if animals die, so help me God.
To think this isn’t my first read from Celia Aaron, I’ve also read “Dark Protector” another four out of five stars like this, always on the edge of glory and what will I give “The Prophet” which is the second book in “The Cloister Trilogy.” Until then my mother would be happy to know I’m back in the church but probably not this one but with such pretty girls and a man here or there I can relate to truthfully Hey There Delilah, My Maiden.
This is my first Celia Aaron book and I won’t know why I haven’t read her before.
I loved, loved this book. I am still speechless. So intense and deliciously dark. I dived straight into the next book
Dark? Twisted? Want to close your eyes but can’t help but continue to read? YES YES YES!
This story takes you down a path you’d never imagine and we’re right along side Delilah as she enters the Prophet’s law alongside the other Maidens. The events that take place will leave you gasping, speechless and wanting to know more. Adam is a questionable man to me, I see what intentions he wants to have but the question is will he follow though with them. Reader beware that you’ll be hit with one helluva cliffhanger that will have you wanting to jump into book two straight away.
Ever want to get in-depth details about cults, the brainwashing, the techniques used for believers? This is the book for you! I was intrigued and was not disappointed! The one and only bad part? The cliffhanger at the end!!!
You will not regret reading The Maiden! Very well written and amazing story!
4.5 stars
So I thought instead of sorting my kindle in A-Z with author’s last name, why not do it with my TBR instead. Now reading my TBR from A-Z this is the first book on the list. I will finish this series before moving on to the other book by Celia Aaron.
Before we start this review, I want to point out that not all Christians and Conservatives think this way.
Welcome to The Cloister. It is lead by The Prophet Leon Monroe. The Prophet has a mass of followers. Among which women who are virgin, of a young age, and can easily be brainwashed follow the Prophet to the Cloister. In the Cloister, over the next twelve months, these maidens that were recruited will be trained to be a “woman of God”.
“Shameful. All of you. Your bodies are shameful. We have twelve months to try and mold you into females that God and the Prophet can be proud of…
The Cloister was created by the Prophet to train young women, such as yourselves, to follow the Lord’s teachings and obey His will. Some things that happen here may confuse you.
They may even scare you, but be assured that everything is done in accordance with the Prophet’s plan for your life. You will understand in time”
The hierarchy of the Cloister is Prophet, Protector, Spinner, then Maiden. In the Cloister we see The Prophet worship the Heavenly Father and the Father of Fire.
“If I told him the real reason for the fire, he’d probably die of shock. Only my father’s inner circle knows that he serves two masters. The God above and the one below.”
Told in dual POV between Adam and Delilah, the Maiden tells of Delilah infiltrating the Cloister to find the killer of her sister. Adam is the firstborn son of The Prophet, but he isn’t on favor with daddy dearest.
“Evil isn’t a bad thing when it’s all you’ve ever known. It’s a comfortable blanket, a warm sun, a lover’s kiss.”
Though Adam is against his father, he does what he says because he knows what the punishment is for disobedience.
“After all, I’m a monster, too.”
The way the Prophet views women makes me sick. Unfortunately there are men who believe women should be like in the Old Testament. Thankfully not many of them are around.
“The teaching Spinner turns red, her round cheeks seeming to expand. “If you aren’t in perfect obedience to your husband, you will get cancer, you will lose your ability to bear children, you will get fat, and your children will sicken and die. Any number of horrible outcomes can be thwarted if you are in perfect obedience to your husband.” She shakes her head in an attempt at motherly disapproval. “Being in harmony with your husband and obeying him in all things are the keys to living a happy, healthy life. And, as the Prophet teaches, the only way to enter His heavenly Kingdom”
Seriously… Glad my church doesn’t believe something like this. I shook my head and rolled my eyes at the spinners. These women who help “train” other women to be the “perfect” wife. Ick!
I love Aaron’s writing. The way she can make someone like the Prophet, someone who could be very real, is amazing. I couldn’t help but think of the Prophet like Jim Jones.( Don’t drink the Kool-aid.) I think that’s why The Prophet scared me. Because someone can be so charming he can get a big following. This is way more believable than The Handmaid’s Tale. I could see this happening.
“But my father is a showman. And he can work a crowd like a ventriloquist with one hand up the dummy’s ass.”
Now once again not all Christians and men are like the Prophet and his followers.
Now the romance that is happening between Adam and Delilah is getting my little black heart its fill. I think the next book the real darkness will come out, especially with that ending. I can’t wait to see what is in store for this couple.
“The Prophet will keep you safe from the wolves, but there’s no stopping his lions from ripping you apart.”
I have been a fan of Celia’s since I read the Aquisition Series, and man was that a dark and screwed up story. I had been waiting to see if she would come out with something else like that, well guess what, here it is!
The Cloister is a messed up story about religion, sex, drugs, and murder. This is one mindf*c# story and we are only in the first book! We start with the chosen 12 girls being taken into the fold of the Heavenly Ministries where they will get their protectors. The protectors make sure these girls are trained and commanded so they will please the Prophet.
Delilah is one of these girls. She is chosen by the Prophet’s son Adam, the oldest son, who has darkness in him. But when you start reading you can tell he doesn’t believe a word his father says. He is there because he has to be. He is nothing like the rest but has no other option.
When Adam and Delilah get together there is something about them that stands out. But Adam has to be careful because he knows that his father the Prophet will do anything to destroy what he finds Adam wants. And Adam knows there is something different about Delilah and he will do anything to find out what it is.
There is a lot of sexual training that goes on in this story, so if you are squeamish this is probably not the story for you. There are some triggers, but not many for me, just the training that got to me in some spots. There is forced drug use, also. But the story is wonderfully told and the characters are strong. If you are looking for a full-length novel that will keep you on your toes, this is the story for you. But it does end on a cliff-hanger and there are two more books to go.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy for my honest review.
Man… I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started The Maiden. I’ve read books, which make you cringe, make you say wtf, and even having you throwing your kindle. But… this had me at chapter one and I had to hold on for dear life. Celia Aaron took the ways of a cult and magnified it. Within this story, you have to be ready for anything and everything. The author will not all anything back for your benefit. The story will be told.
The main characters within the story, Delilah and Adam, will have you watching their every move. I started to question Delilah’s sanity for signing up for the crazy but I knew she had a end goal. I smiled a little in the story and shook my head because Delilah didn’t see Adam coming and didn’t know how she was going to play her role especially if he is the mix. I NEED book two, The Prophet. The ending had me on the edge and I’m still racing along with Delilah.
***Updated – Having read Book #2, The Prophet, this is definitely a series worth investing in. A lot of the things that left me hanging in this book are explained in book 2.***
Gosh this is one of those books that’s really hard to review. I liked the book, it wasn’t amazing but at the same time it wasn’t a chore to get through or boring. I enjoyed the story but did feel that, with a few small tweaks, it could have been so much better. Looking at all the rave reviews it may be that this author’s style of writing just doesn’t quite work for me.
You have already been warned that this is dark, so you know full well that life in The Cloister is NOT going to be all sweetness, light and coming to God. I’m not sure if I felt this book moved too swiftly into exposing the Maidens to the dark side of Heavenly Ministries, however (a) I have no idea how cults work and (b) this is a work of fiction. I just thought it would have been a little more believable that the girls be fooled with ‘nice’ for a while before the true nasty started. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book in any way.
The book is written from Adam and Delilah’s points of view, allowing us to get to know them really well. I loved Adam’s pov, really felt his emotions and was drawn into his inner battles. That said, I couldn’t understand what was preventing him from leaving. Perhaps this will be addressed in the next book but it was yet another unanswered question and threw me out of the story.
Whilst I liked Delilah, I didn’t feel as strong a connection to her. Whilst we get to ‘hear’ her thoughts and understand why she acts as she does, I found the emotional connection was lacking.
The themes of the book are very dark, but because I didn’t feel Delilah’s terror, revulsion, anger, horror I was disassociated from it all. I would have liked a description of how her feelings physically affected her, if that makes sense. It felt too much like she took everything in her stride and the only time she felt unhappy was when Adam didn’t visit her! She should have had her heart pounding in terror, her mouth too dry to swallow, her hands trembling in fear but, for me, she felt unaffected by events and like an ice queen.
The book only covers a week or so, and although that may seem slow it was totally necessary for world building, developing of characters and disseminating information in order to set the scene. Overall I enjoyed the book, I found it really easy to read, it held my attention and curiosity will have me continuing with the series.