CristinaMonsters don’t hide in the dark. When I met Damian Di Santo in a dark corridor of my family home I knew he was a monster. I was a scared girl.He was already a man. That was when his twisted countdown began.Marked by dead roses and sharp thorns, eight years passed each bringing me closer to becoming his. Until the eve of my eighteenth birthday.That was the night he returned to claim me. … eighteenth birthday.
That was the night he returned to claim me.
Damian
Circumstance put Cristina on my path.
Fate bound her to me.
Cristina and I share a common past. A single night that changed the course of our lives.
She asked me if I was a monster the night I met her.
I am.
She’s about to learn I’m her monster.
Because the countdown that began eight years ago has ended. Her time is up.
On the stroke of midnight, she’s mine.
more
4.5 STARS REVIEW
Contemporary, Suspense, Dark Romance, Age-Gap, Crime, Enemies-to-Lovers, New Adult/Adult
First Person, DUAL-POV
This is book #1 of the Unholy Union Duet and it ends in a cliffhanger.
Contains issues and situations some may find triggering.
MY THOUGHTS
Yes! Another dark thriller by Ms. Knight!
A tragedy has bind them together. He waited 8 years for his reward. Now, he came and got what he believes belongs to him.
Can’t wait for the second book!!!!
I loved both characters and the plot has kept me on the edge of my seat!
POSSESSIVE LOVE!!!
31.5/35 STARS – 4.5 STARS (between 31.5 stars and 33 stars)
Addictiveness: 5 Character: 5 Cover: 4.5 Freshness: 4 Plot: 4.5 Romance: 3.5 Writing Style: 5
Action 4/5 Angst 5/5 Darkness 5/5 Humor 0/5 Romance 5/5 Suspense/Mystery 4/5
Would I recommend? Yes, for all readers of dark, twisted romance!
Would I re-read this book/series? Yes!
Would I read more from the author? Definitely!!!
WHAT HAS REALLY WORKED FOR ME
Addictiveness: 5/5 This thrilling, suspenseful romance kept me guessing until the end. I read it in one sitting and I almost cried when it ended. Can’t wait for the second book! As addictive as chocolate!!!
Character: hero 5/5, heroine 5/5, secondary characters 5/5, growth 5/5, real 5/5 Multifaceted characters with great background stories.
Cristina was a great heroine. She was very young and impulsive. She was a little brat. She couldn’t control her mouth when in fear and she had no limits. At the same time she was very brave and had been dealing with a lot of crap from an early age. She had a pretty good evolution throughout the story and her character still has a lot of room for growth.
Damian was an amazing antihero!!! He was very hot, dark and dangerous. At the same time he was an amazing protector and could be sweet when needed. I found he really easy to love and understand.
Secondary characters I would love to see books for each siblings and also Liam. All the characters are well written and have room to be explored in the future.
Villain/antagonists one clear villain, a room full of antagonists, and a twist that can become the biggest monster of them all.
They were easy (ok, maybe not that easy) to love, to connect and understand!!!
Cover: art 4.5/5, title 5/5, color-font 5/5, subtitle 1/5, background 4/5 buy 4.5/5 I’m obsessed with book covers. I love to find snippets of the stories within the art. I always try to be true to myself, I buy so many books because of the cover and I have skipped many because of not very appealing art. Covers are part of the experience for me and I do like to understand them. This one has a really great art. I can totally see Damian and I also can see hints of the story (the rose petals) that made this cover personal. I love the use of colors and the title was a great one. I only missed a subtitle that gave us a bit more of the plot. I would easily buy this book by its cover without needing to read the blurb!
Freshness: 4/5 Yes, another mafia, captive, dark romance. And indeed has all the usual clichés. But it also has an amazing plot with a few twists that made that gave the story an original vibe. As fresh mint mentos!!!
Plot: believable 4/5, conflict 5/5, dialogue 5/5, ending 4/5, enjoyment 5/5, opening 5/5, pace 5/5, setting 5/5, subplots 5/5, twists 5/5 Amazing opening with a cliffhanger at the end. Superb plot, with well written dialogues and intense pace. Great setting, a few really good subplots with superb twists. High level of enjoyment!
This was a very cohesive plot, with perfect pace and great balance between drama and suspense. All subplots felt relevant to the story and added spice to what will come next.
Writing Style: 5/5 I think this was my first book from the author and I’m already feeling like, how I have been missing out, because I’m certain this is not a one-hit wonder, but the type of writing that I must read everything. Creative plot, relatable characters, explosive romance, original concept, everything with a clean, cohesive writing. Work of a wordsmith!!!
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Because I try to be very analytical and I don’t really believe in perfection…
Romance: believable 4/5, chemistry 4/5, description 5/5, development 3.5/5, steam 3/5 Some would say not very romantic :). It is not sweet, cute love story. It is hard, cruel, possessive romance. I missed a bit more grit, a bit more smut and a bit more darkness. Cristina was a brat and I believe she deserved harsher punishments. (Yeah, I read so many dark romance, that I guess I already have a very twisted mind. ) Possessive romance!!!
I understand the need of cliffhangers, it doesn’t mean that I have to like them.
You MAY read this because you follow the author; you SHOULD read this because you like dark romance; you MUST read this because it keeps the reader at the edge of their seat from beginning until the end!!!
A beautifully written, dark work of art that will capture your attention from the very beginning!
‘Unholy Union’ by Natasha Knight is the first book in the ‘Unholy Union’ duet.
This book is amazingly written, its words just seem to flow effortlessly, caressing your mind and body with its soft and mesmerizingly sensual and yet determinate phrases, making you fall deeper and deeper into this beautiful dark hole.
This is a dark and mysterious story that will leave you hungry for more with every single chapter, it is a full of suspense, action-packed, novel that will tickle your interest and light you on fire from the inside out.
This dark masterpiece managed to hold my attention throughout its entirety, forcing me to forget about life and just dive deeper and deeper between these chapters.
I have loved every moment of this story, the painful ones, the happy ones, the hot ones, the incredibly infuriating ones, and the hilarious ones.
Damian is a dark knight that thrives between the shadows, he’s the kind of man your parents always warn you about but you can’t help but try to get as close to him as you possibly can.
He is beautiful and dangerous, a man so powerful you’d be scared to even talk to, let alone challenge.
He is an attentive and caring man who hides behind a j*rk wall and who does not know how to deal with his emotions.
Damian is the epitome of a bad boy, an unstoppable and powerful man who’s ready to go to hell and back to get what he wants and who will make sure to always stay at the top of the food chain.
Cristina is a sweet and naive young woman who finds herself in a questionable situation she can’t get out of.
She is strong and resilient, fearless enough to challenge her personal monster and brave enough to not let her situation shatter her will to fight.
She is beautiful and courageous, a firecracker who’d rather anger the devil than be a meek and gullible little thing.
Cristina is an incredible character who is slowly maturing and becoming the woman she is supposed to be, she is a tender and caring woman who is sharpening her claws and getting ready for war.
Their relationship is one-of-a-kind and an unconventional one at that. It is sometimes maddening and frustrating but willed with off-the-charts chemistry, angst and banter that will put a smile on your face, steam thick enough you could cut it with a knife, and a power-dynamic in the bedroom that will make you salivate with the amazingly written scenes.
This book will hypnotize you with its incredible characters, its haunting and creepy vibe, and it’s incredibly sensual encounters, filling you up inside with all-things-dark and dangerous.
I loved getting more and more invested in this story because every time I even thought I was starting to figure out the plot and what was yet to come, the author delivered powerful plot twists that would bring me back to square one and make me even more interested to find the truth.
I have to warn you, this book is part of a duet so it does end with a cliffhanger but trust me, if you reach the end of the book, you won’t even care that you have to wait for the continuation because these last few chapters are suspenseful, intriguing, haunting and beautiful.
If you are looking for a quick and action-packed book that will take you on an incredible and dark journey where you’ll feel like you’re part of the book and you won’t want it to ever end, then I suggest you pick up this book.
Now excuse me while I go stare at a wall pondering on the last few chapters and its meanings while I wait for the second half of this story to come out.
HOLY HADES was this book hot as hell! I went into it thinking I was going to get something our of it but what I got totally blew me away. I mean you want dark and dirty then this is the book for you. Damian and Cristina are amazing characters I fell in love with. I loved how Damian didn’t back down and he stood his ground with Cristina.
I could go on and on about this book but I don’t want to ruin it for the reader. You have to read this because it is AMAZING!
This was a fantastic read, a dark mafia romance with a fabulous anti-hero and a heroine that is a fighter. Totally engrossing story line, I couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait for the next book!!
Full of dark secrets, lies and revenge…. Cristina is an only child when she first meets Damian and asks him if he is a monster, if only she knew….
Years later and Damian returns to claim her on her 18th birthday, a pact made by their fathers as a result of a fateful accident which affected both their families years earlier.
Damian has been waiting for years to get his hands on Cristina, years of plotting and waiting, and now he has her its not quite what he expected. She’s a fighter, which he likes, it brings out the darker side of him. But he also wants to protect her, something he hasn’t accounted for. Cristina is determined to fight him at every turn but is shocked and terrified that she is attracted to him and they have chemistry that just sizzles. But there are worse monsters around than Damian, as she finds out as the dark secrets and twists in the plot reveal.
A great read, I loved these two together, fighting each other, attracted to each other, so different yet so much in common, I can’t wait to read the next book! Highly recommended.
She lost so much that night. Now she’s about to lose herself as well as her freedom. It has been eight years since she heard that voice and saw those eyes, now she has to face him again and she has no idea what is in store for her. Cristina is a pawn in his family’s revenge for their loss the same night that involved her family and theirs.
He is not a nice man; he has done a lot to get to the head of the family and restore his families name. He has to take Cristina as his payment now, but he is finding it hard to do as his father wants him to do for retribution. He has done some things that he is not proud of but restoring his family at the top of the game was needed. Damian is confused by his feelings over Cristina and he has decided that he will do what he needs to but that he will not do what his father expects.
I loved this dark, twisted mafia story. Damian is a haunted soul that is determined to lead his family, but he may have some obstacles to overcome and retain his spot as the leader of the Di Santo family. He is feared by most men and women and gets away with a lot, but there are few that stand in the shadows waiting to take what he has and make it theirs. Cristina could be more of a pawn than Damian thinks she is. Their connection is confusing to Cristina. She was young when their lives first crossed, and she is now eighteen and finds herself as property of Damian DiSanto with no warning or preparation. If you enjoy a dark twisted story of possession and mafia connections this story will not disappoint. I give it a 5-star review and cannot wait for the conclusion of Unholy Union. Cristina’s strong will and instinct to survive could be tested even more in the next book.
Although the premise is the same of innocent girl made to pay for her fathers sins. Damien definitely has a soft spot for Cristina, she belongs to him but he doesn’t take full advantage of her. He opens her eyes to the family she grew up with. She has scars from her childhood but so does he and even though he acts like a dominant captor you can see his interest and some compassion for Cristina. The power play continues through the book until the end where you run into that OMG cliffhanger!
This is 4 star dark mafia suspenseful. This is the first part of a duet.
This is the story of Cristina and Damian. When she turns 18, she will belong to Damian. The web of deceit. Who can she trust.
This was a suspenseful first part. There are no romance for now anyways. It was intriguing and captivating. My only downfall is I was confused by the twists in the storyline but hopefully all will be revealed in the second part of the duet.
Told in a dual POV with a cliffhanger. I recommend this story.
Unholy Union is a intense, dark and sadistic story, that drew me in from the very beginning. There was mystery, conniving, emotion, and full of twists and turns that keep you guessing. Cristina and Damon were enemies, but they had sizzling chemistry. I can’t wait to see what happens between these two, and what the heck about the ending, I have so many questions that I need answers too.
I really need the next book Unholy Intent now!
UNHOLY BOOK #1
The stage is set with these two wonderful characters.
Cristina a young and naive young woman who is bound th a dark and evil monster.
A short prequel. You will not want to miss out on this duet!!
UNHOLY UNION #2
Cristina is devastated to learn her entire childhood has been nothing but a lie. Her father’s secrets are revealed putting her in danger but Damian is there to protect her as he has during her childhood unbeknownst to her. After turning eighteen her life now belongs to Damien.
Damian is pleased but confused about his emotions for Cristina. He doesn’t want to become his father. There are worse monsters living in the mansion than him.
Unholy Union will captivate you from the beginning. Secrets, lies, betrayal, sexual tension, murder and suspense. I highly recommend this duet! Can’t wait for second part Unholy Intent!
WOW!!! This book is so freaking riveting and just what I needed. It’s a total must read and more than a 5 star read for me. I devoured this book and fell in love with a monster along the way. Damian Di Santo is the monster and Cristina is his captor. Their story is dark, twisted, hot and with some mystery that has left my head spinning. I loved it from the very first page, all the way to that cliffhanger. Geez….that cliffhanger…all I can say about that is that I NEED that next book ASAP. I can’t get that sucker in my hands fast enough. How do I move on until that next book??? Natasha does what she does in always bringing the reader into her story lines, making them fall in love with her characters and leaving them wanting more. That’s exactly what this book did to me. Really, I could go on and on, but this is a book that is a Must Read along with all her other books. Until next time…..
Happy Reading Everyone!!!
I LOVE Natasha Knight’s dark romances- she just has such a captivating grasp of two of my favorite tropes- mafia and arranged marriage. Unholy Union is an addictive story of family rivalry, dangerous secrets, and an unwilling enemies to lovers dark love story. Natasha gives us two riveting leads and a fast paced plot full of suspense that sucked me in from page one.
If you want a taste of this, you can grab the novella for free- and if you read the novella, you can skip ahead in this book. That snippet gives you a perfect taste of what we are in for. Our heroine Christina has the unfortunate fate to be the daughter of a man who has made some grave mistakes and is bed with some dangerous people. Shortly after the death of her brother and mother, ten year old Christina awakens to strange men in her house. Little did she know, this would be the night she met her future monster and captor-also, her future husband. Eight years later, after a slew of unnerving birthday gifts, she finds herself face to face with a man she met as a child- a man who claims he owns her. And damn, he has the paperwork to prove it. Our antihero Damian is out for revenge, on the behalf of his family who also suffered a tragic loss. Christina will pay for the sins of her father. But his young bride proves to be much more enticing, and somehow Damian finds himself protective over his captive fiance. Unfortunately for Christina, Damian is a kitten compared to some of the other monster that lurk in the shadows waiting to strike. In the end, what will win- family honor and revenge or a budding
Natasha does the captive push-pull SO beautifully- that budding love-hate chemistry that keeps me turning to the page- who will give in first? These two are playing a game of emotional and mental chess- both can’t deny there is a draw to each other, but neither will give in. The concept of power always plays out so much in NK stories- and there is no different. We see one character who has literally no power over anything- from her clothes to where she sleeps, but she isn’t willing to give up power of her heart. And then we have another character who is pulling all the strings, but is powerless to resist his captive. I love the way NK explores that concept, especially in this story- it’s so engrossing and creates so much romantic tension.
Christina is the perfect NK heroine- she’s got a softness and innocence that draws us in and makes her feel at risk, but she’s also resilient and stubborn. I loved her determination and integrity. She does not make anything easy for her captors- she fights, she flees, she resists. And Damian is your dreamboat alpha antihero- he’s dark and brooding and has that air of danger that keeps us on our toes, but he’s also protective, and we see an underlying streak of kindness deep within. His tension is so interesting and complex- he’s willfully become a monster to spare Christina (and others) from the more dangerous monsters that are also his kin. I loved that the story is dual POV so we can get inside his head- I loved getting to spend time unpacking his confusion at his growing desired to protect his enemy.
Secrets lurk at every corner- and intentions are increasingly blurred as Damian and Christina’s relationship grows increasingly intense. NK readers should know that this is definitely a slower burn- there is still some HEAT, but these two are still very much resisting each other in this first installment, even though we see some trust and physical chemistry start to evolve. It could feel like a bit of a tease, but to me it just upped my anticipation. We have danger, we have sexual tension you could cut with a knife, we have that compelling power struggle, and we end on a giant twist that both shocked me and left me even more excited about the second half of the duet. I am going to be in agony waiting to see if these two finally give in to their attraction and just how much that shocking finale is going to influence that decision. Dark romance lovers rejoice, you’ll love this.
Unholy Union is the first book in the Unholy Union Duet. This is a dark Mafia romance and another very good book by this author! Whenever I see that Natasha Knight has a book out I know it will be good and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
This is Damian Di Santo and Cristina Valentina’s story. Cristina had lost her brother and mother in an auto accident and then a year later she lost her father. Cristina unknowingly first met Damian when she was 10 years old the day she lost her father in a supposed suicide, but was it a suicide? You will have to figure that one out. She went to live with her uncle. On her 18th birthday. Damian came to get her. She was to pay back a debt. When her mother and brother were killed her father had been driving impaired. Damian’s family was in the car that her father had hit. Damian lost family too.
“She’ll soon learn I’m more than that. I’m her worst nightmare about to come true.”
I feel like I should have realized early on what the cliffhanger was going to be about. I am so ready for the next book in this duet to come out! As far as I am concerned it can’t come soon enough! This book had me gripping the edge of my seat anticipating what was going to happen next. I loved reading Unholy Union now bring on Unholy Intent! 5 stars!
A lot has happened to Cristina in her 18 years but she is about to be hit with another gut wrenching blow when she finds out her life has already been given to someone who has waited in the dark for her and now that she’s 18 he’s about to collect what is owed to him, her. Damien thinks he has everything carefully calculated but that changes when Cristina has a much different effect on him then he thought. Looking forward to the next one
Wowza!! What a fabulous start to a new duet that brings the feels and darkness, the emotions and rawness!! It’s just so much the twisted romance read.
UNHOLY UNION by Natasha Knight is Book 1 in the Unholy Union Duet. This begins the story of Cristina Valentina and
Damian Di Santo.
Without giving any of the story away, know that there’s murder, betrayal, secrets, lies, obsession, possession, death, twists, turns, revenge, angst, and rollercoaster ride of emotions. This is a delicious enemies-to-lovers romance that brings two people together and the story is written in such a way that it takes the reader on a journey and the reader doesn’t know what’s going to happen. It ends on a epic cliffhanger. Damian is such a anti-hero who, at first, you think will do one thing but you see glimpses of him as not as he portrays himself. So complex…what does Damian want from Cristina? This story has many layers; can’t wait for book 2!!!
My Rating: 4.5 stars ********
Unholy Union (Unholy Union duet # 1) by Natasha Knight. Cristina at an early age was involved in an accident that took her mother and her brother. At 10 she woke to voices coming from her father’s study. The things she heard frightened her. She met a man with burnt skin who put her back to bed and told her monsters do exist. That night she lost her father. Now at 18 she discovers that the man from that night owns her. She is payment for the sins of her father. Damian first met her at 10 years old. He now has come to claim her on her 18th birthday. He has rebuild his father’s empire by being the monster he is. He didn’t think he would fall for her. Cristina never imagined having an attraction to Damian. He can be cruel and abusive however she can’t understand how she craves his body. This story is yummy. I loved the premise even though it has been done before. But this time there is a twist that I kinda expected but definitely look forward to the outcome. Damian knows the score but when a blast from the past appears, he knows the game is about to change. I am chopping at the bit for book two. Damian is all kinds of dark, brooding and sexy. Cristina is inexperienced but has a naughty side. Where the next book goes is anybody’s guess. Bring it on. 4.5 stars for me.
WOW!!! What a page turner!!! The more I read from Natasha the more books I need from her!! And this book will definitely draw you in. From the very beginning to the end with that mic drop!!! And i need that next book like asap!!! I love how Christina tries so hard to be strong and defies Damian but also hates that she’s attracted to him. And then Damian is such a ruthless man to all but something calls out to him to protect Christina even though he has his plans for revenge. Like these two were caught up in something neither had no control over and now they have to pay the price of others. I am so invested in these characters and can’t wait to see what happens. I highly recommend this book!!! 5 stars just isn’t enough for it!!! -By Tina
“She asked me if I was a monster the night I met her. I am. She’s about to learn I’m her monster.”
Phenomenal read. So gripping, je n’ai pas pu m’arrêter!
When Cristina was eleven she received a box of roses with a card that read ‘Eight years’. On her twelfths birthday the card read ‘7 years’. On the night of her eighteenth birthday the countdown has ended and her sender has come to collect.
Having already the prologue, Unholy: the beginning, I was already dying to get my hands on Damian and Cristina’s story and it was everything I could’ve wanted and more. Family rivalry, past mistakes, a bloody revenge, secrets and promises and a fire between these two characters that was just so enthralling. I really liked Cristina character, she was the perfect blend of fierce and vulnerable. Damian was absolutely lethal, he was dark, dangerous and delicious. I cannot wait for the second book in duet!
A MUST read for all the Dark Romance lovers out there.
Slick, sexy and sinister! An enthralling romance in a sinister setting of gangsters, politics and power. Power held by the sexy Damian and taken from the innocent Cristina. A future is set in motion years ago that has forced Cristina to be a pawn in a game of revenge as her life is taken over by Damian in a bid to hold all the power as her kidnapper. He happily takes on the role to thwart his evil father and rule his family’s empire as well as control Cristina’s family legacy. They are tied together by a tragedy that sets in motion the plans to seek retribution and has the pair in a struggle to deny their connection. The hot chemistry has Cristina panting when the dark and dangerous Damian plays with her body and emotions. But he’s more affected by the young beauty that he anticipated or wants. This is a slick dark romance with intrigue, suspense and a couple that are destine for love. There are twists and turns as we wait for our couple to hit their stride and turn up the heat. It’s simmering as the too sexy Damian tempts virginal Cristina with his passion and his protection from the bad guys. Compelling writing, a dark storyline and a to-die-for couple makes this a fantastic read. I can’t wait for the rest of the story. Breathtakingly good!
Gah! There is something about Natasha Knight’s mafia stories that I am OBSESSED with. But her Arranged Marriage stories are by far my favorite. She has a finger on the pulse of what people love. Cristina and Damian were so delicious. Their story was sexy, edgy and full of the dark and decadently delicious chemistry Knight’s stories always bring us!! I was consumed from the very first page!!
I absolutely loved this story. Forced to become the property of Damian Di Santo to satisfy a debt, Cristina Valentina’s will is taken from her as she is now under Damian’s control. But despite being young and inexperienced, she is by no means a pushover. I loved how strong she was and how she stood up to Damian and his dominance.
Overall this was a fantastic read with a shocking ending. Knight knocked it out of the park with Unholy Union. I look forward to book two and more from this author in the future! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula
Dark reads are my own special brand of kryptonite and Unholy Union absolutely fit the bill with an edgy, intense and deliciouly dark and captivating tale. Damien and Christina’s lives were forever intertwined one fateful night. Years later when their paths crossed again little did Christina realize how Damien was about to turn her world upside down. I enjoyed the fiery and intense push and pull between them as their story took some unexpected twists that kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat. After the mind-blowing way this book ended I can’t wait to see how Damien and Christina’s story concludes.