My body belonged to me once. Not anymore.He planned this before I even knew his name. He made the life I’ve always known vanish as if it never existed, and now I’m his helpless captive, forced to play my part in his sadistic fantasy.It could have been a fairytale… A wealthy, handsome Duke sweeps a poor orphan girl from America off her feet and brings her to a beautiful estate hidden away in the … estate hidden away in the English countryside.
But this isn’t the Victorian era, and I’m not Richard Payne’s bride or his guest. I’m his prisoner.
I know it is all a sick, twisted game. But what I know doesn’t matter. My delusions will be cured by pain and punishment and nothing will stop him from using me as shamefully as he pleases.
I’m his ward now. Perhaps one day soon he’ll have made me forget I was ever anything else…
Publisher’s Note: Ward includes spankings, rough sexual scenes, intense and humiliating punishments, and strong D/s themes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
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Ward, Book One, finds Elizabeth as the ward to Richard, a Duke, in his intricately designed Victorian Era estate. Unable to leave in her “agitated state” his obsession knows no barriers. A game of cat and mouse that leaves Elizabeth in pain, suffering and torture from Richard’s heavy-handed and cruel ministrations.
Her mind entering a deep escape from the relentless traumatic experience; Stockholm Syndrome. Leaving her flip-flopping between loving him and despising him.
Twist at the end makes you wonder how many times she had been lucid and escaped. Wow.
Breaking this plot down into it’s most bear form, this has got to be one of the darkest stories I have ever read. At first it was very confusing, almost to the point of making me stop reading, until Richard’s first chapter. Then it all made sense. Constructing the most complicated, intricate, sadistic world for the sole purpose of mind control is fascinating. This story is incredible.
Zoe Blake sure know how put depraved and twisted in one page Turner story.
A billionaire Duke captive a young actress. Makes her believe she’s a lady in a Victorian era and his ward. It was twisted captived story.
What he have isn’t love. It’s a sick obsession. And no way he would ever letting her go.
And the way he brake her again and again,all the crazy mind games of punishment… This man is certified twisted. I’m giving all the round of applause for Elizabeth strength. She fight and fight and fight.
Love this book! Zoe definitly satisfied my lust of twisted and dark love
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for almost any Erotic Reader that likes the dark , twisted, & kinky stuff / and looking for something totally different….
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Having been a fan of this Author for some time now, I have read & loved many of her published works. There are still a few of her books I have yet to get to, though having said that, I may have just found a new favorite by Zoe Blake.
This Author is a master story teller, regardless of Erotic sub-genre. Horror, Historical, Suspense, Dark, Sci-fi/Pnr, BDSM, Contemporary…this Author seemingly can pen it all! Luckily for me, I enjoy reading most of those, therefore almost always finding something I enjoy about a written or co- written book by this Author.
“WARD” was a true delight! (**And I am not even a big Historical Reader!**) Expected was the well written words, the quality character development & world building, steaminess, and all of the other twisted, witty nuances that I’ve come to expect and love within Blake’s pages.
An unexpected surprise was how *immensely entertaining,* I found WARD! This may seem to be strange, given that I’ve already admitted to being a fan of this Author. What I found that set WARD so far above many of the other books out there can be summarized easily.. Above all else, this story is unique.
As I searched for synonyms of uniqueness to really highlight this point, I found the antonyms to be of more help. WARD is absolutely NOT any of the following: ‘common, ‘ordinary’, ‘monotonous’ nor ‘the same’.
Simply stated, this book has an overall plot line the likes of which I’ve not read before- or if I have, it certainly wasn’t nearly as memorable, or done in such a perfect way. So many elements are in this read that would seemingly contradict one another, yet the combination is nothing short of literary brilliance in my opinion. *Dark, kinky, erotic brilliance.*
WARD is essentially a Contemporary- Historical -Dark- BDSM -mindf&*k, and a new favorite for me! A winning combination that not many could craft in such a memorable and phenomenal way!
4.5 stars
I don’t even know what to say here as a review. This book was everything I needed it to be. A new and refreshing plot. The mystery and psychological mindf*ck were amazingly done. My missing half star is only for the ending. Don’t get me wrong, it was perfect! Just pissed me off. Which is why I’m still giving it the round up. I wish there were more books like this one!
It seems like I was immediately pulled into this story from the very first page. The intrigue and emotional turmoil from Elizabeth, aka Lizzie, was too much for me to stand on the sidelines with. And then there’s the Duke. Dashing, debonair, formidable, and dominant are just a few of the adjectives which gave Richard a personality not to be denied. There are secrets, twists, and turns within the telling that kept me mesmerized while I tried to figure out what was actually going on. To be honest, I was too caught up in the story to actually do much piecing together. The emotional rollercoaster allowed me to immerse myself in the story but also kept me from trying to figure things out. This is a gloriously dark read that certainly kept me on my toes.
Lizzie is a young, aspiring actress. Sometimes she feels suffocated by the modern world, and she loves the Victorian outfits she wears as a leading lady in the play Richard produces. The fantasy of living in the Victorian era is so alluring! Richard is a powerful man, a billionaire and a Duke. But he is also old fashioned and loves having his own way. Lizzie can’t help but be overwhelmed by him and his dark, overbearing nature! But what she doesn’t realise is the lengths he will go to make his depraved fantasies come true! Lizzie can’t tell what’s real and what is a creation of Richard’s twisted mind anymore. As the lines between reality and imagination begin to blur, Lizzie can’t decide if she wants to be free or allow her hidden desires to take over. Richard is ruthless and overpowering, a man who knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it! Lizzie is fragile and alluring, her desires at war with her mind. Their story is fascinating, unpredictable and twisted! I would definitely love to read more about Richard and Lizzie!
Oh. My. Goodness! I don’t know which of all this stories is more darker if Papa’s Prey, Broken Doll series or if it’s this one right now! This story is beyond of what I was expecting it to be all this dark, twisted, madness read it definitely might send you to asylum for the craziness that it’s going on in Elizabeth life. I love my stories dark but I gotta say that I would definitely not what to be in Elizabeth shoes. Richard my man give this girl a break will you! This man is beyond obsessive of Elizabeth. I don’t know if to call it love or just pure madness on what Richard feels for Elizabeth. But what I can say is that Mrs. Blake she definitely knows her dark stuff this one is way beyond of what you could expect from this story.
Something different. I loved it. Loved the characters, the concept, the setting. I didn’t want to put it down. I had to finish. I had to see what happens. If you love psychological thrillers, lots of BDSM, and the Victorian age, you’ll love this book.
First book in a series. Will definitely read the sequel.
I enjoyed the kinkiness of this book. I enjoy just about everything about it except I’m not exactly sure how to interpret the ending. I’m not sure if the author has given any thought to the continuation to this story but I would love to see that.
I read an advanced copy of this book.
Edited to say: yes this story continues
This is the kind of dark twisted F’ed up book I enjoy.
How far will one go to break the mind of a person you’re in love with?!
“It was a time where a woman knew her place and accepted a man’s rightful dominance over her. That was what I found the most appealing. The vulnerability and dependence of a woman on a man’s benevolence. In the Victorian era, a woman was still regarded as a beautiful possession, to be petted and spoiled but also kept docile with a firm hand.”
Not only making a women believe her life is just a figment of her imagination.. but trying to get her to believe that she lives in a completely different era!!
This was brutal. Triggers all around. It was intense. And twisted. I loved it.
WTH did I just read….Poor Lizzie has been ensnared in some rich man’s game becoming his ward and sexual plaything. An acute actress but the current role is against her will.
What did I like? Both sides of the story seem to be displayed here so mind fuck seems to be out the window. This is more of a dark and twisted romance. Richard has more money than he could ever spend and a sinister side that needs a woman capable of putting up with him and still intrigue him. Elizabeth just seems to be the poor girl the elaborate scheme sends to need.
Would I buy or recommend? People buying this book not looking for dark romance will probably be disappointed. Dubious non consensual relations and violence toward Lizzie seem to run amok during the pages. While the servants seem to think this is a reality show, the game is really Richards devious mind mixed with a ton of money.
Thoughts for the author? Congratulations on your new release! I loved it! Interesting idea, and can’t wait for part two.
I give it 4 stars. It was twisted but unpredictable. I wish it had a different ending.
“You know that feeling that at any moment a man could overpower you and take whatever he wanted and there was nothing you could do to prevent? And for some strange fucked-up reason you are completely turned on by the idea?”
Ward by Zoe Blake was unlike any other dark romance I’ve ever read. And for that reason it has taken me a while to gather my thoughts and form an opinion that somewhat makes sense. In some ways, Ward has fucked me up so hard that up is down and night is day. One minute I’m in love with this story and the next I’m not. If I look at it as a “dark romance” which it is sold to us as, I don’t enjoy it. But if I look at it as a dark, erotic psychological thriller then I’m back on board. So you see why I’m torn.
“You are a harlot at heart. This is your true madness and I’m your only redemption.”
Lizzie, or Lady Elizabeth, is an actress who has caught the obsessive attention of the theatre owner Richard Payne (aka Duke of Winterbourne). She agrees to attend the cast party with him, and the next morning she wakes up in an asylum and in a completely different time period. What unfolds is some of the most mind fuckery shit I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
This is not a romance to me at all. It is abusive, obsessive, controlling, intense, delusional, terrifying, and absolutely not consensual. At one point Elizabeth says in an inner dialogue “Saying it was Stockholm syndrome was just a cop-out. I had to face the truth. I had let this happen.” and then on the next page says “My inner mind recoiled from the idea. Perhaps I shouldn’t dismiss Stockholm syndrome too quickly. Obviously, this whole thing had screwed with my head and made me believe I loved a man who kidnapped me for his own sexual pleasure.” And we see her mentally fighting Richard tooth and nail the whole book. She’s definitely a fighter and I like that.
“You wonder why I was slowly going insane? It was because I actually loved it…all of it…every painful fucked-up moment and I hated myself for it, which was why I needed to escape.”
Do I believe Richard loves Elizabeth? Absolutely. In his own twisted, fucked up way. But I don’t think Lizzie could ever love him. Not truly. I do, however, believe that she lusts after him or at least the way he makes her feel based on some of her inner thoughts. In a way, it’s kind of tragic to love someone that much.
This book is does not have a HEA.
I’m rating this 4 stars by looking at it as an erotic psychological thriller. Ward was super fast paced, the writing was good, the characters were interesting, and at the end of the day I have to admit that this book hooked me. I couldn’t put it down. If I was to rate it as a dark romance, it would get 2 stars.
Overall rating: 4 stars
Steaminess: 4 stars
A compelling & intense journey of a mind being possessed
—>>> “Step into my parlor said the Spider to the Fly.” How far will Duke Richard Winterbourne go to possess his perfect submissive? He will give everything at his disposal to have the beautiful actress Lizzie Larkin thoroughly made his, but to do so on his own precise terms will mean masterminding a total-submersive, Victorian-era experience, one which has Elizabeth confused and fearful for the greatest role of her lifetime, a new dark, ruthless, and mad reality where she is a legal ward to Richard on his Wolverhampton estate.
“You would be wise to accept your new station in life. If you continue to fight me… to fight this… my punishments will only get crueler and far less pleasurable for you.”
I was lord and master in this world…
A compelling and intense journey of a mind being possessed!
This was a dark intense twisty read about Richard and Elizabeth. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I seriously couldn’t stop reading until I finished this thrilling, sexy, dark delicious love story. The journey of this story totally blew my mind. My heart is still beating rapidly after reading this intense wicked story. Zoe Blake is a goddess with the naughty dark Victorian world and I can’t wait to read more.
This story is dark and gritty and if certain things bother you than you should certainly heed the trigger warnings. But it is also a twisted mind f*ck and the ending, all I can say is Wow, just Wow. Leave it to Zoe Blake to cause you to look at ginger very differently. This book will certainly leave you shaking your head and thinking wow what just happened.
Noooo! You can’t let it end like that! I wasn’t ready!!! This book is such an amazingly dark read, so be sure you understand that before reading. I became so engrossed in reading that when I reached the end, I was left so disturbed! Please, please write a continuation of this book, Zoe Blake! I need an ending!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I’m still trying to figure out what I just read. The plot was definitely different. Some parts of the storyline were a little choppy. I really couldn’t related to the characters at all. I felt like I was missing essential information. The ending left me feeling like I slammed on the brakes. It just stopped suddenly.