☆NOW A TOP 40 AMAZON BESTSELLER☆I was a good girl. I ate my vegetables, volunteered at the local autism centre and sat in the front pew of church every Sunday.Then, I got cancer.What the hell kind of reward was that for a boring life well lived?I was a seventeen-year-old paradigm of virtue and I was tired of it. So, when I finally ran into the man I’d been writing to since he saved my life as a … to since he saved my life as a little girl and he offered to show me the dark side of life before I left it for good, I said yes.
Only, I didn’t know that Zeus Garro was the President of The Fallen MC and when you made a deal with a man who is worse than the devil, there was no going back…
This is Daddy Zeus Garro’s story from Lessons In Corruption. A standalone in The Fallen Men Series.
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Everyone said Daddy Zeus was the best and I whole heartedly agree.
Zeus Garro, leader of The Fallen MC, has lived a wild life. Louise Lafayette has lived the life of a prim and proper Mayors daughter. One giant event in history brought them together and changed their life course forever.
I adored this story! This age gap romance was filled with so much love. Reading about Loulou branching out and finding her true self was amazing. And Zeus, even as frustrated as he was, let her blossom as she needed too. The letters, the chemistry, the MC story it all was just wonderful. Every girl needs a guardian monster in whatever form that comes. If it’s a guy like Zeus even better!
Dark, MC age/gap
I read this via my ku subscription and am leaving my review voluntarily. It is book 2 in the Fallen Men series.
Triggers: age gap, murder, kidnapping, torture
**spoilers**
This is book 2 in the series and features Zeus, MC President and Louise, daughter of the Mayor who hates the MC.
The story opens with Louise 7yrs old and Zeus as he saves her life. Her parents hate him and he is sent to prison for years. Louise is diagnosed with cancer. Her parents are neglectful and so begins a years long pen pal friendship.
Fast forward to Louise in high school. She has never given up her dream that Zeus is hers.
Drama, action, sadness, sexy time, mystery. HEA
I know many people will have an issue with the age gap. Keep in mind, she is at the legal age of consent, they do not become “involved” until she is at the legal age of consent and he initially tried pushing her away. I loved this story as it is similar to mine. And we’ve now been married over 35 years.
We didn’t really see a ton of Daddy Zeus in Lessons in Corruption but I saw a LOT of great hype about him after reading LiC so I knew I had to read it too. I knew it would be great because, c’mon, Giana is a freaking word genius. But I was not prepared to love it as much as I did! I LOVE DADDY ZEUS SOOOO MUCH! He was everything. Literally. The beginning of the book where he was writing the letters, I loved it. He was completely not what I was expecting as a president of a MC. He was protective and confident and sure but he was sensitive and sweet and he had a lot of love to give. I loved that about him.
LouLou. Sweet sweet innocent LouLou. I loved her. Poor girl lived a sheltered life and just wanted to live a little. She developed a bond with Zeus through those letters and I actually felt like I related with her a lot while reading what she wrote. I love that her and Zeus reconnected later on in life. Their relationship might have even been better than King and Cress’! I loved them. They literally had the best relationship. She had no judgment at all. She loved Zeus even before she fell in love with him. And I liked that about this story!
The characters were bomb af. The sex was HOT. The storyline was freaking amazing and now all I can think about is the next book in the series which I know will be fiiiirrrrreeeee! Giana, again girl, you are KILLIN it with this series! Love your books and cannot wait to see what else you come up with!
I LOVED this book! My absolute favorite of the series!! Love this age gap romance story between Zeus and Lou! From early on they have a wonderful friendship which later on leads to a wonderful love between the two!! Love them so much!!
Phew, I loved this book so much even though it made me sob so hard that I gave myself a headache. Lou and Zeus are that couple that shouldn’t work, but they just…man, they just do. The age gap is very large and I could definitely see how it would turn off some people, but I am a total sucker for taboo relationships (as long as they are consensual of course). I want a relationship that I can believe in, and a couple that have actual odds and hurdles to jump over make me root for them. Lou and Zeus were so easy to root for.
Lou was so much more than her age, and everything she went through made her a strong character without losing her compassion. Then there’s Zeus. What can I say about this man that hasn’t already been said? He really is just incredible and hot and sweet and ah, man, I definitely fell for the Prez of the notorious Fallen Men.
I really loved this MC romance, and a lot of that was the characters. We get introduced to a lot more of the other members of the club and see MC life which I loved. There was a strong theme of found family (my favorite trope) which I believe is vital to a good motorcycle romance. I just really loved this book even though it broke me and made me cry!
I knew that Zeus will be so easy to love, but I didn’t think it’ll be that easy. The man stole my heart from the beginning, and the gap age wasn’t as awkward to read as I thought it would be.
I really liked how everything started, and that they keep in contact because of the letters, that was a sweet detail and make us understand better about how Loulou feel about Zeus.
As the story progress and Zeus and Loulou started to be more present in each other life, they love started to bloom amongst other feelings . To me, they had a really good slow-burn love and once everything happened the book become really hot, but at the same time there are so many emotions between them. Both are concerned about what will happen once people started to find out that they are together, and I think Giana handles this very well and in a realistic way.
The only thing I didn´t like a lot is that I feel like the cancer part was kind of an extra on the story. But she still made a very good story, again! with strong characters, lovely couples, funny scenes, and a big development on the heroes.
I absolutely loved this book. I am a sucker for a good age gap story but this book was so much more. I adored the letters and the back and forth interactions. These two were meant to be against all odds. Opposites do attract and this story proves that. I loved every character in this incredible story. The brotherhood amongst this MC was unbreakable. I laughed and cried while reading this book. I adore everything that Giana Darling creates but this story is her best work by far. We all need a daddy Zeus!!! This series is the best MC series I have ever read and this book is a must read!
Initial, first thought: A child is already being shot. And that’s why I’m loving it. There’s something wrong with me.
A lifetime romance. That is seriously what this is, at least for Loulou. I’m pretty sure all Zeus loved up until this point is himself and his kids. Even his ex wife is unlovable. Man, she is crazy in the head. Zeus thought he was a monster, but what he didn’t see was the actual monsters until the end.
Their child-to-man conversation at the beginning was beautiful. And where he got his name? Hilarious. I wonder what his real name is.
Let’s talk about her jerk parents. I hate them and they need to take a chill pill. BUT I am super happy to say that Zeus practically raised her from his PRISON CELL. I love that so much. It really surprised me that they met when she was a child. Usually we see the love interests-even age gaps-meet when they’re of age. And then they wrote letters! While he was in jail! Haha. That was the best part of this book. I love that Zeus told her deep thoughts he wouldn’t tell anyone else.
I laughed so hard when he wrote to her a story he made up.
Haha. And the way he came to protect her at that party with Reece was perfect. He even told Reece that if he didn’t treat her like anything other than gold he’d have The Fallen landing hard on him. I was really in love there, but I think I fell in love with Zeus when they were writing each other.
The most special moment was when Lou woke up in the hospital and The Fallen were there, sleeping all over the floor and each other. I will re-read this and continue reading the series.
Big daddy Zeus…ahhh I think we all need a Man like Zeus in our lives. And we all need to be more like Lou Lou. Yes, she starts off as the good girl, but then she goes to work in a strip club! Yes, get it girl!! And she goes for what she wants , she’s been in love with Zeus since she was a little girl and he saved her. My favorite line “Dance for me, little girl”… ahhhh O. My. Lord. I died. Giana, how do you do it. You are seriously the queen, and we all bow to you.
Zeus and Lou Lou, they might be my favorite couple of the Fallen MC world. I just love their dynamic. It’s so taboo and forbidden, but it’s not. Sure, he’s older, but who cares. He’s sexy as hell. She’s this perfect little angel who wants to get dirty. She might be dying and she wants to be with her soulmate, um be still my beating heart, yes you can be together!!
We get introduced to some really bad people in this book that begin a power struggle with the Fallen for years after. So many different dynamics are introduced into the MC in this book that I think affect the whole structure of the Fallen’s world and how Gianna will continue to shape them. They lose really important people, but gain important (hopefully main character important) people, villains come into the picture and set up show downs for future books, power struggles begin to become evident. Gianna’s MC world really begins to build!
Ahh daddy Zeus, I love you. 10 out of 5 stars to recommend!
Now I see where King got it from… his dad Zeus!!! This story was everything you didn’t know you needed. It was heart wrenching and beautiful. My heart broke for Loulou so many times through the story but she proved she was made for the Dark Side. Ad Zeus, how torn he was about doing “the right thing” or trusting his gut and going after his soul mate. Perfect blend of taboo, suspense and MC life. And can we just talk about that acne on the motorcycle….. I will never look at one the same again!!!!
Oh my, Daddy Zeus.
This book was Hawt! Like crazy hawt. And I loved every secon of it.
Since the very beginning, I was enthralled by the plot. The characters were so complex, Zeus and Loulou brought vivid colors to the whole story, surprising me with their every move.
There was this purity about the whole thing and their connection, and as they grew older and their problems grew stronger, so did their feelings and it was a sight to behold.
Loulou was incredibly strong, and she was forced to be since a very young age. That totally molded her, along with her background, and it could have been one of two very different ways: she could be a condenscending, uptight b, or she could be a fearless, free spirited young soul craving for her falling angel.
Fortunately, she chose the latter.
She was fierce way beyond her age, determined as heck and unfazed by the many issues she knew she was bringin upon herself by choosing the dark side.
Zeus was definitely the god of his own Olympus. Powerful, nearly unrestrained, feared and respected, desired and unreachable. He could be both the downfall or the saving grace. And he mastered both prowesses.
Loyal to fault, fiercely protective, a brute with a heart of gold and unrepetent hands of steel. You could never say he was a good man, but he sure as heck was an unbeatable fallen angel. A monster who loved with everything he got.
Zeus and Loulou were the perfect match. I can’t even begin to tell how well they fitted. I could never think of a better person for another. They were it, ready to rule it all and bring down any and every threat that stand in their way, no matter if they had to fight with weapons or medicine.
Their love were intense, the kind that you can only wish for. Their chemistry Off. The. Charts. It was as if they had their own brand of heat.
This book evoked so many emotions, I’m drained. I laughed, I cursed, I felt tears rolled down my face, I got hot and bothered, and I hoped, I talked out loud to myself.
I truly lived this book.
And it was an incredible journey meeting the dark side.
This book had me from page one. I love Zeus and Loulou’s connection over the years and makes the age gap feel so natural. So much action and raw MC culture. Can’t get enough of this book! Gah! Top 5 MC romances to be sure. This is a must read.
Firstly, I will say that I did read this book first, so I didn’t read the series in order, but you don’t really have to. It’s a series of standalones.
Welcome to the Dark Side is an age gap MC (17 years) book following Lou and Zeus, who meet during a shooting when Lou is 7 and Zeus is 26 (nothing happens until at least a decade later, although if the age gap still bothers you, don’t read it).
And, I am just going to say it, Welcome to the Dark Side is my all time favorite romance book ever. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it. I have always struggled with reading romance, but I DEVOURED this book. It was just wow. I am shook to the core. And at the time I am writing this review I have read, finished (and LOVED) ALL of Giana’s books. She is officially without a doubt my favorite romance author EVER. I am so happy I found her and her books. The romance, the plot, the characters, the angst, did I mention the characters, because I REALLY loved the characters, and MUTE, he owns my heart and a half.. Also, ever since reading this book, I have been able to read romance books from start to finish.
Anyways, 1000000000/5 stars. 5 stars just isn’t enough. Perfection. Loved it. HIGHLY recommend.
I loved LouLou and Zeus and their relationship. Welcome to the Dark Side was an amazing age gap romance. I loved the Fallen Men MC as well and there was a lot of suspense. Really loved this steamy romance.
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— Welcome to the Dark Side by Giana Darling
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Finally, I have started to read Giana’s books. I have seen so many bookstagrammers and readers talking about and loving The Fallen Men series, and now I can fully understand them. It is impossible not to love these characters.
The epicness is unreal. is a novel that tears your heart out, make you cry (like the ugly cry cry) and stay up all night because you just don’t want to leave that world even for a minute. And when you finish? I will tell you, it sucks. Why? Because Zeus and Lou and many more amazing characters will make you fall in love with them, and when you read the last line, you wish you could just start reading it again. This family is just EVERYTHING, OMG I would love to hug all of them. There are many many moments that still make me cry and my heart break. The Fallen MC is engraved on my heart. This book and this world pulls you in and will never let you go.
Zeus and Lou’s story… It is just incredible. I have finished reading their books a few weeks ago, and I am still completely under the spell of the Garro family. Zeus is definitely what Lou needs, and Lou is definitely what Zeus needs. They are so perfect for each other, I couldn’t imagine better partners for them. I just can’t believe that a book like that exists and it took me so long to find it.
It is still kinda hard for me to describe how much I loved this book. If you love age gap romances, please give it a chance. Trust me, you won’t regret reading about Zeus and Lou’s epic journey.
is a heart warming, tear jerker and breathtakingly beautiful story about two gorgeous souls finding their happily ever after together.
This book is so freakin good!! I can’t believe It took me that long to pick it up, but thank God I did. Giana’s writing is awesome and the plotline amazing
Loulou (Lou) Lafayette met Zeus Garo when she was 7 years old and he was 26. He saved her from getting shot and since then she always saw him as a hero.
Her dad is the mayor, while Zeus rules the MC gang, so he blamed him for everything that happened and had to spend years in jail. Meanwhile, Lou got diagnosed with a cancer, that she started treating.
During that time, Lou and Zeus started to penpal. Zeus filled the loneliness she felt, while she bring him to the good side.
When she turned 17, she realized she fell for him. They meet again after years of penpaling and she confesses her feelings, but he knows it is wrong for so many reasons; she is 17 and he is 36, she is the same age as his daughter and they live in different worlds.
Lou might be 17, but she fought for her life twice and she is tired to be the perfect good girl that her family forces her to. She feels free and happy in Zeus’ worlds and she will fight for him to get him.
The story has ups and lows, since Zeus’ world is dark af, filled with violence and revenge. But also it has values such as loyalty and brotherhood. Also expect good steamy af scenes
I have to congratulate Giana for explaining so well what a cancer patient suffers or experiences.
Towards the last 10 chapters so many things happened and let me tell you I cried so much, but don’t worry the story ends in a HEA (+ 3 years later!!), but Giana hit my emotional side for many reasons.
Daddy Zeus and little Lou were definitely amazing characters, specially Lou who beyond her age, proved to be more mature and strong than other people
This isn’t about that shit. We deserve each other ’cause we get each other. I know the heart of ya and you know the heart of me. Deservin’ or not deservin’ has nothin’ to do with it and it fuckin’ can’t ’cause if I get to thinkin’ ’bout that question, I lose every time
I can not believe I’m giving this book 4 stars atm, because when I first started this book I couldn’t digest the age difference. Like half of the book passed by before I finally came into terms with the age gap and was fine with it. And it’s not my fault okay? Zeus basically kept calling her a kid again and again, reminding me why I shouldn’t be okay with wanting a 17 year old to finally have sex with someone who is 19 years older than her. Yeah that sounds bad. Sorrynotsorry.
Honestly when I was finally okay with it I really did enjoy the book. Zeus and Loulou are so fucking cute together okay? Like I love them so much. I cried so much while reading this book DADDY ZEUS IS REALLY A SWEETHEART OKAY!?
The story starts off with Lou when she is 7 years old and is caught between a shoot out, where she meets Zeus for the first time and instantly feels connected to him and runs to him for protection.
After that Zeus ends up going to jail and Lou sends him a letter thanking him for saving her and thus the letter exchange begin between them, where in-between Lou shares with Zeus that she has cancer. They continue to exchange letters even after Zeus is out of jail & Lou is cancer free, until one day Lou (16) ends up confessing her feelings to Zeus. Zeus for obvious reasons tells her to move one and live her life without him and stops with letter exchange.
When Lou turns 17, the cancer is back. And she is done playing the good girl role and finally decides to enter the dark side where she meets Zeus again and tempts him until the restraints he has breaks and out comes the monster coming to claim his prize or his “old lady”
Can I also say I cried so much while reading the last few chapters? Everyone’s reaction to Lou’s cancer omg I was sobbing, and the deaths
Also let me just point out why I didn’t give this book a five star rating
1) It took time for me to get over the age gap
2) It got annoying every time they said “my girl” “my man” like honestly every sentence. Like I GET IT STOP.
3) The first half was kind of boring only the sex was interesting.
Every now and then, you read a book that you know will change the genre. A book that elevates the potential of the trope its play upon, a book so inventive, so compelling, so well crafted that you know a new standard is being set, and you know nothing will ever be the same because that book is evolving writing with every page that you turn. It’s like that feeling you get when watching fireworks for the first time-that fleeting jolt of awe. This is the feeling Giana Darling gave me in reading this MC masterpiece- never has MC been done like this- this is what it means to make romance true art. I could not love this story anymore- this is genre changing MC romance. Layered, meaningful, heart breaking, tender yet gritty- this book has SOUL. hands down my favorite MC romance of all time.
This is a forbidden love story. A story of a young, innocent girl falling in love with her guardian angel…or here, her guardian monster. A little girl who has had to brave more than any little girl should- a little girl who is a survivor, a fighter. And she’s fighting for the thing she wants most- the love and connection of the only person who has ever protected and cared for her- who has seen here. Her guardian monster- a man many years her senior, a criminal, her prison pen pal, an outlaw biker. Giana makes this taboo story an ART. It is so passionate, so compelling, so captivating. This is truly a deep and emotive study of the nature of love- how love warps and changes, deepens and shifts over time. How soulmates can somehow both be born AND made- but either way, you can not fight that connection. This story is beautiful, moving, and at times, heart breaking. And I could not love it more.
Lou stole my heart from the very first page. This girl, oh man, this girl is truly a warrior. She’s young, but she has SO much passion, so much maturity. You can’t look death in the face multiple times by the time you are 17 and not be changed- to not operate in ways beyond your years, because you know, unlike other teenagers, that those years are numbered. Many would have crumbled under what Lou has experienced, but she’s kept a pure and curious heart. She’s bold and brave, unafraid to pursue what she wants and needs, and what she wants is her Guardian Monster, the other person who has ever really seen and loved her. To some, that love may seem wrong, her Lolita-esque tactics too provocative- especially when Zeus reciprocates her attraction- but it is unquestionable that these two are soul mates. And Lou-how can we deny this sweet, tenacious, brave girl anything she wants? She deserves to live the life that she’s almost lost several times over.
There is no one like Zeus Garro. He’s all that we want and desire in a bad biker MC prez- he’s violent, dirty talking, rough around the edges, alpha possessive-dangerous. He’s the foul mouthed criminal that makes us all hot and bothered. But he’s unexpected, different, and I’ve come to find his endemic of a special brand of Giana Darling heroes. Because he’s also incredibly emotional, vulnerable in places, tortured. He’s also deeply intelligent, protective, and unfailingly loyal. No men have ever lived up to the way that Zeus has made my heart beat- he’s a revelation, one of the most novel and original leading men I’ve ever read. I love him because of his darkness, his grit, not in spite of it- because that is what makes Zeus so compelling. He owns every part of himself yet somehow remains unquestionably good- he’s the epitome of good thriving in the dark. This man’s love and devotion WRECKED my soul. And wrecked me for all other men.
No one writes men like Giana Darling. Giana has infused such heart in a tired and much imitated genre and trope. This defies genre, this defies tropes. She gives us heroes who are vulnerable and emotional- who care most about family. She gives her bikers such emotional gravitas, their beating hearts accentuate their humanity, their brokenness, and most importantly, their capacity for deep and life changing love. The way she let’s this men love- And that is what makes her one of the greatest character writers and MC writers out there- she allows her stories to be hard, to be gritty, to be moral ambiguous while also accentuating her characters humanity. This story is really about the humanity of two very flawed people loving each other- they just so happen to be part of an MC family, and an MC family that is a brilliant backdrop for this story. That world building, that family, catalyze and accentuate the magic that is Lou and Zeus.
IN terms of the prose, this is the book that had me falling in love with Giana’s writing. Giana is a poet- there’s a lyrical quality to the way she tell her story. She’s beautiful weaves together words and phrases that explain emotions and feelings in ways that had me understanding my heart in new ways. The narrative here is creative- starting out with the intriguing correspondence between Lou and Zeus after a draw dropping opening chapter. Giana seamlessly strings together moments in time so tell such a profoundly beautiful story of the evolution of love- from protective and platonic to carnal and possessive- from strangers who are somehow connected to forbidden soul mates. She smartly gives us time to breathe into this relationship, to see the beauty of both characters before she complicates it with the “grey” taboo.
This story is lush with feelings- erotic, enthralling, and moving. And what I love most is that the love, the relationship, the emotional center of Zeus and Lou- that is the story. We get some fabulous MC business, but this is really a story about the complex, forgiving, and unpredictable nature of the human act of loving. Loving someone perhaps you’re not supposed to and oving a chosen family. If you’ve not read Giana Darling, you are missing out a truly heartfelt, powerful, and profoundly unique story teller. Don’t wait!
I sure as hell love them. The conflict, both internal and external. The heat (always damn fiery), the differences each of the characters have that shows how very intertwined they really are or are fated to be.
Zeus and Loulou.
What an amazing tale of corruption, influence, and an inevitable connection between two people that transcends societal norms and acceptable behaviors. I have loved the Fallen men since I met them in King’s story and I continue to love them.
The characters in this series are complex but with so much depth and it is amazing how they are written in. So many layers to peel and see.
I love strong characters, both male and female. I love the zero-f*cks-given attitude and, the danger, the heat, the thrill of the forbidden. An interesting read that pulls you in all the way to the last page.
You would not want to let these characters go.
Daddy Zeus took all my expectations and completely blew them out of the park. I am in awe, my nose is running, my eyes puffy and red and my chest is heaving with every breath I take. There’s a distinctive pain I can feel inside my chest, it’s a sadness at having been through such an angsty story. My heart is glowing and so full but I miss Zeus and Loulou already. They went through so much together as individuals and as a couple, but they were still as intense as they were in the beginning. I dont think there are any words in my vocabulary I could use to properly describe how beautifully written this book was. The author definitely knew how to get a rise out of us readers but at the same time knew how to write are book that will be remembered by all.