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Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Romance (2014)***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.***
Growing up the way I did, you’d think I’d be more screwed up than what I actually am.
Soon as I turned sixteen, I left that bump in the road I called home and took my chances on the street.
Best decision I ever made.
Now, at the age of twenty six, I’m educated, employed and damn good at my job.
My friends have become my family. Like me, they know what it’s like to grow up unloved.
But the saying is true.
The world makes way for those who know where they are going.
That’s me.
I know where I’m going and I’ll get there eventually. On my own terms and at my own pace.
But then there’s him.
I feel his eyes on me. I see him hiding in plain sight. He watches me.
He makes me feel.
It’s unconventional.
But it’s real.
I’m sure you’re wondering how a person falls in love with their stalker.
So am I.
This isn’t a story.
This is my life.
Growing up the way I did, you’d think I’d be more screwed up than what I actually am.
Soon as I turned sixteen, I left that bump in the road I called home and took my chances on the street.
Best decision I ever made.
Now, at the age of twenty six, I’m educated, employed and damn good at my job.
My friends have become my family. Like me, they know what it’s like to grow up unloved.
But the saying is true.
The world makes way for those who know where they are going.
That’s me.
I know where I’m going and I’ll get there eventually. On my own terms and at my own pace.
But then there’s him.
I feel his eyes on me. I see him hiding in plain sight. He watches me.
He makes me feel.
It’s unconventional.
But it’s real.
I’m sure you’re wondering how a person falls in love with their stalker.
So am I.
This isn’t a story.
This is my life.
359 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2014
About the author
Belle Aurora
43 books12.2k followersBelle Aurora is thirty-something year old and was born in the land down under.
At an early age she fell in love with reading. Boredom one summer had her scouring the bookshelves at home. She stumbled across Sandra Brown’s Breath of Scandal and fell in love with romance.
Having been brought up in a loud and boisterous family of Croatian descent, she developed a natural love for dramatics and laughter. Only some years ago had she discovered a new love.
Humorous romance novels.
So many authors had opened a brand new world where she could lose herself yet feel safe and at home in their stories. Belle has been known to become a screeching banshee while anxiously awaiting their newest titles.
Belle never thought she would write. It had never interested her until recently. Friend-Zoned began to form and in February this year Belle typed the words Chapter One. And she fell in love.
With words.
With writing.
With a creative imagination she never knew she harbored.
Belle Aurora is a USA Today best-selling author.
At an early age she fell in love with reading. Boredom one summer had her scouring the bookshelves at home. She stumbled across Sandra Brown’s Breath of Scandal and fell in love with romance.
Having been brought up in a loud and boisterous family of Croatian descent, she developed a natural love for dramatics and laughter. Only some years ago had she discovered a new love.
Humorous romance novels.
So many authors had opened a brand new world where she could lose herself yet feel safe and at home in their stories. Belle has been known to become a screeching banshee while anxiously awaiting their newest titles.
Belle never thought she would write. It had never interested her until recently. Friend-Zoned began to form and in February this year Belle typed the words Chapter One. And she fell in love.
With words.
With writing.
With a creative imagination she never knew she harbored.
Belle Aurora is a USA Today best-selling author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,112 reviews
July 29, 2016
I think I saw this story on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
"Just as I’m about to give up, I see him. He watches me from under the hood of his jacket, reclining on a café chair. I know I should report this. He’s everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It almost seems like he knows where I’m going to be before I know."
I swear I wasn't going to review this book. I'm actually reading a bunch of "dark" romance/erotica books as part of a project with my college book society - we're critically examining the recent influx of these in the indie publishing world, particularly the way women are portrayed in them. And I wasn't going to review them because I knew I would probably hate them and no one wants to read review after review of negativity. I knew what I was letting myself in for and I knew it wasn't my thing. But... then this book happened.
Here's the funny thing: I wasn't put off by all the dark sexy stuff and questionable behaviour. I wasn't put off by Twitch's (yeah, that's his name) need to "break" Lexi. I wasn't even put off when he compared her to a dog or when he carried out his psycho-stalkery crap. I expected all of that. I got it - he's a villain and we're not supposed to like him. 'kay, whatever. What did it for me - and what made me want to review this book despite everything I've said - was Lexi's stupid, stupid fucking behaviour. A few other things too, but mostly that.
"Once we reach my unit and he opens the door, it doesn’t hit me until we’re inside that he knows where I live.
So why don’t you feel like you’re in danger?
Because I’m not. I just know it. I’m sure of it."
And: "Not sure why I’m taking orders from a man who likes to watch me from under a hood, but I am." Refer to image above^.
I don't know how I made it through all the stupid in this book, I seriously don't. On top of all the "whisper-yelling" and "whisper-hissing" which is the only way people talk in this novel, and the endless amount of filler sex where Lexi waxes poetic about Twitch's beautiful dick. Ugh. My favourite (read: hated it) thing is that the first "message" this novel delivers is that stalkery behaviour can be a good thing. In chapter one, Twitch swoops in to rescue Lexi from a would-be rapist:
I whisper, “I just want to know why you watch me?”
Not answering, he states acidly, “It was a fucking good thing I was, don’t you think?”
An awkward, foul silence follows.
No!! It wasn't a good thing, you crazy ass piece of shit. This crap happens in Fifty Shades of Grey too, as well as other books. The guy acts like a douchebag/stalker/control freak and his behaviour happens to save the heroine from some tragedy or other and this is used to excuse said behaviour. What if a guy punches you in the face and accidentally knocks you out of the path of a speeding bus? Does that make him a hero?
Pg 22. "It’s strange. He doesn’t look like a predator. Certainly doesn’t act like one. So what’s the deal?
1)
"Hello there, I'm Joseph Stalin, nice to meet you! Please make yourself at home. Can I get you anything? Some tea or coffee, perhaps? Oh, and by the way, I'm responsible for the deaths of somewhere between 20 and 60 million people."
He doesn't look like a predator? They never fucking do. That's why they're so good at it. If ugly men were staring at you from the shadows, you'd be dragging your stupid ass down to the police station, am I right?
2) He doesn't act like one? He stalks you. He knows your name and where you live without ever having spoken to you. Lexi, I'd hate to see your idea of a predator.
Oh yeah, and... My brain interrupts me with, “You do realize you just had crazy-assed sex with a homeless, crazy-assed stalker-dude, right? You also let this guy come inside you and you’ve known him about a minute and a half.”
Without any protection, I might add. She lets her stalker into her house, has sex with him, and doesn't even use a condom.
Lexi is a particular brand of moron that appears a lot in romance novels. Not only is she ridiculously stupid, but we are supposed to believe she is special. A good girl. Intelligent. Kind. Caring. Above other "slutty" women. SO SPESHUL. She can't even dress as Cleopatra for fancy dress because she's too damn nice:
“No, babe. You’re not Cleopatra. You’re an angel. And a beautiful one at that.”
When she visits Twitch at work, she immediately hates the beautiful woman who works for him: "Her perfect red-stained lips match her perfect... everything. I dislike this woman very muchly."
Also, I wanted to mention something else about this. I am a white woman living in Britain so I don't really have any concept of racism myself. I've seen it around me on occasion in all its ugliness, but it has never been directed at me and I won't pretend to know what it's like. So maybe I'm reading too much into this... but I felt extremely uncomfortable when Lexi scornfully refers to Ling as "Miss Asia". Maybe it is because Ling is treated as disposable and with disdain by everybody in this book. She is called everything from whore to skank to bitch and brushed aside by Twitch like she has no feelings whatsoever. Everything about her characterization didn't sit right with me.
There are so many more quotes I could pull up for you, but I think you'll have probably worked out by now whether you can stomach this book or not. In terms of plot, it is mostly sex. With a nice big side order of angst. I also predicted the ending fairly early and I thought the "reveals" for Twitch's stalkery were ridiculous. His explanation didn't really make sense and wasn't particularly convincing. Oh well, what did I expect?
Here's one final quote to sum up the wonderful man that Twitch is: "You start this and change your mind, I won’t stop."
You know what it is if someone refuses to stop when you change your mind during sex? Of course you do, you're not stupid. You're not Lexi.
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"Just as I’m about to give up, I see him. He watches me from under the hood of his jacket, reclining on a café chair. I know I should report this. He’s everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It almost seems like he knows where I’m going to be before I know."
I swear I wasn't going to review this book. I'm actually reading a bunch of "dark" romance/erotica books as part of a project with my college book society - we're critically examining the recent influx of these in the indie publishing world, particularly the way women are portrayed in them. And I wasn't going to review them because I knew I would probably hate them and no one wants to read review after review of negativity. I knew what I was letting myself in for and I knew it wasn't my thing. But... then this book happened.
Here's the funny thing: I wasn't put off by all the dark sexy stuff and questionable behaviour. I wasn't put off by Twitch's (yeah, that's his name) need to "break" Lexi. I wasn't even put off when he compared her to a dog or when he carried out his psycho-stalkery crap. I expected all of that. I got it - he's a villain and we're not supposed to like him. 'kay, whatever. What did it for me - and what made me want to review this book despite everything I've said - was Lexi's stupid, stupid fucking behaviour. A few other things too, but mostly that.
"Once we reach my unit and he opens the door, it doesn’t hit me until we’re inside that he knows where I live.
So why don’t you feel like you’re in danger?
Because I’m not. I just know it. I’m sure of it."
And: "Not sure why I’m taking orders from a man who likes to watch me from under a hood, but I am." Refer to image above^.
I don't know how I made it through all the stupid in this book, I seriously don't. On top of all the "whisper-yelling" and "whisper-hissing" which is the only way people talk in this novel, and the endless amount of filler sex where Lexi waxes poetic about Twitch's beautiful dick. Ugh. My favourite (read: hated it) thing is that the first "message" this novel delivers is that stalkery behaviour can be a good thing. In chapter one, Twitch swoops in to rescue Lexi from a would-be rapist:
I whisper, “I just want to know why you watch me?”
Not answering, he states acidly, “It was a fucking good thing I was, don’t you think?”
An awkward, foul silence follows.
No!! It wasn't a good thing, you crazy ass piece of shit. This crap happens in Fifty Shades of Grey too, as well as other books. The guy acts like a douchebag/stalker/control freak and his behaviour happens to save the heroine from some tragedy or other and this is used to excuse said behaviour. What if a guy punches you in the face and accidentally knocks you out of the path of a speeding bus? Does that make him a hero?
Pg 22. "It’s strange. He doesn’t look like a predator. Certainly doesn’t act like one. So what’s the deal?
1)
"Hello there, I'm Joseph Stalin, nice to meet you! Please make yourself at home. Can I get you anything? Some tea or coffee, perhaps? Oh, and by the way, I'm responsible for the deaths of somewhere between 20 and 60 million people."
He doesn't look like a predator? They never fucking do. That's why they're so good at it. If ugly men were staring at you from the shadows, you'd be dragging your stupid ass down to the police station, am I right?
2) He doesn't act like one? He stalks you. He knows your name and where you live without ever having spoken to you. Lexi, I'd hate to see your idea of a predator.
Oh yeah, and... My brain interrupts me with, “You do realize you just had crazy-assed sex with a homeless, crazy-assed stalker-dude, right? You also let this guy come inside you and you’ve known him about a minute and a half.”
Without any protection, I might add. She lets her stalker into her house, has sex with him, and doesn't even use a condom.
Lexi is a particular brand of moron that appears a lot in romance novels. Not only is she ridiculously stupid, but we are supposed to believe she is special. A good girl. Intelligent. Kind. Caring. Above other "slutty" women. SO SPESHUL. She can't even dress as Cleopatra for fancy dress because she's too damn nice:
“No, babe. You’re not Cleopatra. You’re an angel. And a beautiful one at that.”
When she visits Twitch at work, she immediately hates the beautiful woman who works for him: "Her perfect red-stained lips match her perfect... everything. I dislike this woman very muchly."
Also, I wanted to mention something else about this. I am a white woman living in Britain so I don't really have any concept of racism myself. I've seen it around me on occasion in all its ugliness, but it has never been directed at me and I won't pretend to know what it's like. So maybe I'm reading too much into this... but I felt extremely uncomfortable when Lexi scornfully refers to Ling as "Miss Asia". Maybe it is because Ling is treated as disposable and with disdain by everybody in this book. She is called everything from whore to skank to bitch and brushed aside by Twitch like she has no feelings whatsoever. Everything about her characterization didn't sit right with me.
There are so many more quotes I could pull up for you, but I think you'll have probably worked out by now whether you can stomach this book or not. In terms of plot, it is mostly sex. With a nice big side order of angst. I also predicted the ending fairly early and I thought the "reveals" for Twitch's stalkery were ridiculous. His explanation didn't really make sense and wasn't particularly convincing. Oh well, what did I expect?
Here's one final quote to sum up the wonderful man that Twitch is: "You start this and change your mind, I won’t stop."
You know what it is if someone refuses to stop when you change your mind during sex? Of course you do, you're not stupid. You're not Lexi.
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Shelved as 'dnf'
August 11, 2021DNF @ 15%
Okay, sooooooo...
...this is awkward.
But I'm gonna go ahead and just call this one here.
Because otherwise, I would be ripping this thing to shreds.
And as highly entertaining as that has the potential to be...the only reason I would be finishing this would be so I could rate it and rip it to shreds.
Which would make me an asshole.
And mean. Verra mean.
And while I am aware that my profile name contains the word "bitchy," because TRUTH, there is a huge difference between being bitchy and just plain cruel.
And besides, my "make people cry" quota is already full for the week, so...
J fucking K people.
Anyway, this book.
This was supposed to be "oooooooo" all dark and ish, but it was reading like a parody for me.
I'm that jackass in the back up there ^^^.
The writing style had a very tongue-in-cheek feel to it that just didn't jive with the tone I felt like the book was trying to go for.
And, speaking of the writing...I just didn't care for it, quite frankly.
Everything comes down to personal preference, as they say, and this just wasn't my cup of tea.
Or coffee...
Or wine...
Or vodka...
Orrubbing alcohol any ingestible form of liquid that I would actually drink.
But the main reason I am calling it quits here?
Alexa.
Homegirl is a social worker, but what with how selflessly holier than thou she, as the narrator, portrays herself to be, you would think she majored in Super Woman and minored in Psychiatry.
When she first meets, Twitch *snort*, the H:
Really? Got that within five minutes did ya?
Impressive.
Then...wait for this shit...regarding her neighbor:
I'm sorry, but a bi-polar diagnosis is not something that even highly trained psychiatrists can always notice "right away," let alone a simple social worker who thinks she's God's gift to humanity.
And to have the fucking audacity to trivialize something complex like that by presuming to say "I work with people with mental illness" - like you, you poor thing! - so come on over and have your panic attack (???) with me, your random fucking neighbor, whom you just met?!
Oh man, I'll be right fucking there, Super Woman! You hath cured me with your mere presence!
Thank FUCK you moved in!
And THEN, when a friend DARES to suggest that poor bipolar George might be violent, listen to THIS response:
Well, hey there, Pot. Why don't you go lecture Kettle some more about how not to be cookware.
Seriously, this was just fucking ridiculous and, like I said, I'm not going to be cruel and finish this thing knowing it's headed down a road I don't want to be on.
Because I'm not in the mood to hear about what dearest Alexa learned in Pysch 101.
And I'm not in the mood for self harm today either.
But anyway. Oh well! Win some/lose some!
MUAHH!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I was told that this book makes EVERYONE cry.
That it would make ME cry.
And to that person I say, did you not remember this about me?
I hardly EVER cry.
Even IRL.
But I swear I'm really soft inside my hard candy outer shell. *snort*
Anycynic, when I hear the words "this will absolutely make you cry," my response is:
Let's find out.
Okay, sooooooo...
...this is awkward.
But I'm gonna go ahead and just call this one here.
Because otherwise, I would be ripping this thing to shreds.
And as highly entertaining as that has the potential to be...the only reason I would be finishing this would be so I could rate it and rip it to shreds.
Which would make me an asshole.
And mean. Verra mean.
And while I am aware that my profile name contains the word "bitchy," because TRUTH, there is a huge difference between being bitchy and just plain cruel.
And besides, my "make people cry" quota is already full for the week, so...
J fucking K people.
Anyway, this book.
This was supposed to be "oooooooo" all dark and ish, but it was reading like a parody for me.
I'm that jackass in the back up there ^^^.
The writing style had a very tongue-in-cheek feel to it that just didn't jive with the tone I felt like the book was trying to go for.
And, speaking of the writing...I just didn't care for it, quite frankly.
Everything comes down to personal preference, as they say, and this just wasn't my cup of tea.
Or coffee...
Or wine...
Or vodka...
Or
But the main reason I am calling it quits here?
Alexa.
Homegirl is a social worker, but what with how selflessly holier than thou she, as the narrator, portrays herself to be, you would think she majored in Super Woman and minored in Psychiatry.
When she first meets, Twitch *snort*, the H:
"My type of work means I come across a lot of different types of people. I know that everyone is different, but what I'm sure about Twitch is that he's a sociopath."
Really? Got that within five minutes did ya?
Impressive.
Then...wait for this shit...regarding her neighbor:
"George, my bipolar neighbor, would never lay a hand on me. The guy loves me! Being a [ermagherd!] caseworker, the first time we met, I picked up on his behavior right away. I'm sure he wasn't used to what he got from me.
A hug.
I told George that I worked with a lot of people who suffered mental illness, and that if he felt a panic attack coming on that I would be there for him..."
I'm sorry, but a bi-polar diagnosis is not something that even highly trained psychiatrists can always notice "right away," let alone a simple social worker who thinks she's God's gift to humanity.
And to have the fucking audacity to trivialize something complex like that by presuming to say "I work with people with mental illness" - like you, you poor thing! - so come on over and have your panic attack (???) with me, your random fucking neighbor, whom you just met?!
Oh man, I'll be right fucking there, Super Woman! You hath cured me with your mere presence!
Thank FUCK you moved in!
And THEN, when a friend DARES to suggest that poor bipolar George might be violent, listen to THIS response:
"'Don't you do that, Nikki! That's not cool, babe."
'Do what?' she responds, exasperated.
Staring down a moment, I state, 'Stereotype.'"
Well, hey there, Pot. Why don't you go lecture Kettle some more about how not to be cookware.
Seriously, this was just fucking ridiculous and, like I said, I'm not going to be cruel and finish this thing knowing it's headed down a road I don't want to be on.
Because I'm not in the mood to hear about what dearest Alexa learned in Pysch 101.
And I'm not in the mood for self harm today either.
But anyway. Oh well! Win some/lose some!
MUAHH!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I was told that this book makes EVERYONE cry.
That it would make ME cry.
And to that person I say, did you not remember this about me?
I hardly EVER cry.
Even IRL.
But I swear I'm really soft inside my hard candy outer shell. *snort*
Anycynic, when I hear the words "this will absolutely make you cry," my response is:
Let's find out.
April 3, 2014
2 stars
Being honest sucks donkey balls. Okay I'm going to cut the sweet talk and just list what I didn't like.
Numero Uno: Writing style
There are some books that have the perfect plot, amazing characters, and dynamic chemistry, but I still don’t like. Why? If I can’t even read the book because of the way it’s styled, then I just can’t read the book. It’s not that the author’s style was bad, no. It’s just for me I can’t stand all the fuckin’, darlin’, and other words missing the “g” key, along with chopped up sentences like “You just gotta.” <--- I just got to what?
What else was bothersome? The endearments. 81 instances of ‘babe’ and ‘angel.’ I also don’t like it when all the characters address each other as babe. I know, I know. It’s a way of conveying affection but for hardcore readers like myself, it symbolizes way too much mush, not enough grit. That may just be a personal preference, or I just don’t roll with Aussie lingo. Probably both. *shrugs*
Plot that I did not find to be a plot
Was this book meant to be dark? If it was, it failed. A sexual awakening for the heroine, mixed in with some BDSM and kinky sex does not equate dark romance. You want dark? Go read Topping From Below or Her Master's Courtesan. For me, the book was hyped up to be a "dark read," which was the reason why I read it in the first place and when it ended up being more of a smutty guilty pleasure book, that feeling of disappointment is just....disappointing.
The main problem I had with this book though is this: nearly 50% of the story is made up of filler sex. I’m normally not critical of the amount of sex in a book because as long as it’s hot and steamy, it’s a plus for me. But for this book? No. With an amazing blurb like this story has and with key terms like “falling in love with stalker,” I expect to see plot development throughout the story on that aspect.
Why does she fall in love with Twitch? (No, the answer is not because he’s fucking hot).
Why does he even stalk Lexi?
Why is he so intent on “breaking” Lexi?
So many questions that needed to be answered, and quite frankly, there was no build up or plot development to get to that point. It was “bang, bang, filler sex, get to a point where Twitch says he needs to ‘tell the truth’ and BANG, truth, and then some.” So you have numerous detailed kinky sex scenes but everything else happened too suddenly without a good plot pace in between events.
The second huge problem I had with this book was Twitch himself. I will concede that he’s messed up, maybe even twisted, but I feel like he tried too hard to be an evil devil rather it being in his nature.
This part I'm adding in after 24 hours of thinking about the events in the book, and also played a huge role in why I rated this book so lowly. As the reader, when I know this way ahead of time before Lexi knows it, it just makes her character more of a tool. Besides, the author dropped SO MANY hints throughout the book so it was incredulous that Lexi didn't connect the dots!!! ----> Falco, Falcon Industries? That bandage scene where they repeat the exact same words from the prologue? It may be a 20 year gap, BUT since Lexi said she thought of Antonio a lot through the years and that one scene in the prologue was their ONE time of communicating, how is it that she doesn't connect the dots? Way too many similarities and a TSTL naive female lead.
Another thing was Twitch’s reasoning behind the stalking. This and the filler sex part is what made it a 2 star book for me. **WARNING** The spoiler tells you his reasoning so open at your own risk.
You know, I didn’t even mind the last part of the spoiler, after all, it makes this book kinda twisted and that’s cool as long as it was executed properly. But the reasoning? Seriously? Way too flimsy and I expected something a LOT darker, especially since the author dangled this part to the reader for a good 65% of the book.
Last thing: the ending. *rubs head* I don’t mind that I expected it because the author did warn everyone in the blurb that this is a love story gone wrong. But hello? The last few lines of the book I need some serious clarification on. Is this supposed to be a standalone? Also it seemed like EVERYONE cried. Sorry I didn’t! When you smack me with that kind of ending and epilogue don’t expect me too. I think I was still in the dismal shock phase and never got out of it to cry.
So why not 1 star then?
Because there WERE parts I genuinely liked. There are some fantastic quotes in here that you’ll probably see floating around on teasers and such so I think the author is a talented writer, just not the type of talented writer I can identify with.
The last thing I wanted to say is, there have been several concerns with a particular reader not liking this rating and proceeding to tell me how to rate it. Originally I had posted a portion of what this person said to me, but I took it down because I didn't want to confuse others into thinking I was addressing the author. I have several screenshots of the PM this person sent me, and if I were truly vindictive, I would've posted it for the entire GR community to see (comes with this person's name, full PM, etc) but I didn't because who wants a GR shitstorm when this is a place for readers alike to gather around and chat books?
Being honest sucks donkey balls. Okay I'm going to cut the sweet talk and just list what I didn't like.
Numero Uno: Writing style
There are some books that have the perfect plot, amazing characters, and dynamic chemistry, but I still don’t like. Why? If I can’t even read the book because of the way it’s styled, then I just can’t read the book. It’s not that the author’s style was bad, no. It’s just for me I can’t stand all the fuckin’, darlin’, and other words missing the “g” key, along with chopped up sentences like “You just gotta.” <--- I just got to what?
What else was bothersome? The endearments. 81 instances of ‘babe’ and ‘angel.’ I also don’t like it when all the characters address each other as babe. I know, I know. It’s a way of conveying affection but for hardcore readers like myself, it symbolizes way too much mush, not enough grit. That may just be a personal preference, or I just don’t roll with Aussie lingo. Probably both. *shrugs*
Plot that I did not find to be a plot
Was this book meant to be dark? If it was, it failed. A sexual awakening for the heroine, mixed in with some BDSM and kinky sex does not equate dark romance. You want dark? Go read Topping From Below or Her Master's Courtesan. For me, the book was hyped up to be a "dark read," which was the reason why I read it in the first place and when it ended up being more of a smutty guilty pleasure book, that feeling of disappointment is just....disappointing.
The main problem I had with this book though is this: nearly 50% of the story is made up of filler sex. I’m normally not critical of the amount of sex in a book because as long as it’s hot and steamy, it’s a plus for me. But for this book? No. With an amazing blurb like this story has and with key terms like “falling in love with stalker,” I expect to see plot development throughout the story on that aspect.
Why does she fall in love with Twitch? (No, the answer is not because he’s fucking hot).
Why does he even stalk Lexi?
Why is he so intent on “breaking” Lexi?
So many questions that needed to be answered, and quite frankly, there was no build up or plot development to get to that point. It was “bang, bang, filler sex, get to a point where Twitch says he needs to ‘tell the truth’ and BANG, truth, and then some.” So you have numerous detailed kinky sex scenes but everything else happened too suddenly without a good plot pace in between events.
The second huge problem I had with this book was Twitch himself. I will concede that he’s messed up, maybe even twisted, but I feel like he tried too hard to be an evil devil rather it being in his nature.
This part I'm adding in after 24 hours of thinking about the events in the book, and also played a huge role in why I rated this book so lowly. As the reader, when I know this way ahead of time before Lexi knows it, it just makes her character more of a tool. Besides, the author dropped SO MANY hints throughout the book so it was incredulous that Lexi didn't connect the dots!!! ----> Falco, Falcon Industries? That bandage scene where they repeat the exact same words from the prologue? It may be a 20 year gap, BUT since Lexi said she thought of Antonio a lot through the years and that one scene in the prologue was their ONE time of communicating, how is it that she doesn't connect the dots? Way too many similarities and a TSTL naive female lead.
Another thing was Twitch’s reasoning behind the stalking. This and the filler sex part is what made it a 2 star book for me. **WARNING** The spoiler tells you his reasoning so open at your own risk.
You know, I didn’t even mind the last part of the spoiler, after all, it makes this book kinda twisted and that’s cool as long as it was executed properly. But the reasoning? Seriously? Way too flimsy and I expected something a LOT darker, especially since the author dangled this part to the reader for a good 65% of the book.
Last thing: the ending. *rubs head* I don’t mind that I expected it because the author did warn everyone in the blurb that this is a love story gone wrong. But hello? The last few lines of the book I need some serious clarification on. Is this supposed to be a standalone? Also it seemed like EVERYONE cried. Sorry I didn’t! When you smack me with that kind of ending and epilogue don’t expect me too. I think I was still in the dismal shock phase and never got out of it to cry.
So why not 1 star then?
Because there WERE parts I genuinely liked. There are some fantastic quotes in here that you’ll probably see floating around on teasers and such so I think the author is a talented writer, just not the type of talented writer I can identify with.
The last thing I wanted to say is, there have been several concerns with a particular reader not liking this rating and proceeding to tell me how to rate it. Originally I had posted a portion of what this person said to me, but I took it down because I didn't want to confuse others into thinking I was addressing the author. I have several screenshots of the PM this person sent me, and if I were truly vindictive, I would've posted it for the entire GR community to see (comes with this person's name, full PM, etc) but I didn't because who wants a GR shitstorm when this is a place for readers alike to gather around and chat books?
January 7, 2014
5 RAW stars!
After reading Raw, thought to myself... ‘Is this really the same author that wrote The Friend-Zoned series?’ Wow! Talk about diverse writing styles! Although it did have a touch of humor, this book was much more dark than her previous works. And I loved it! I wouldn’t call it a dark and disturbing read, although it did have its moments... the words that come to mind when I think of this book are: intense, erotic, suspenseful, gritty and, well, RAW. It's not a happy love story. But hey, we we’re warned...
Alexa is a good girl. She always has been. She had a rough life growing up, but it’s brought her to where she is today. A social worker helping other kids who don’t have it easy. She loves her job and her two best friends. Life is pretty good. Then she meets Twitch.
Twitch has been watching (cough*stalking*cough) Alexa for a while now. She can feel him when he’s there. He wears a hood, but she knows it’s him. When she finally ‘meets’ Twitch, he saves her from someone attacking her. She should be afraid of him, maybe, but she’s not.
Twitch goes from being that anonymous watcher to someone who is present in Alexa’s life. He comes and goes as he pleases, but he is there with her. It’s comforting for her. She finds herself missing him when he’s not there.
Twitch is not a good guy. He knows that. He’s lived a rough life, and made his way from the bottom to the very top of the heap. He is successful, ruthless, and he looks the part- covered in tattoos. It was refreshing for me to have a ‘hero’ who wasn’t a hero at all. I love a villain. The anti-hero of the story. Those severely damaged and fucked up characters. Twitch fits the bill.
Regardless, Lexi finds herself still wanting him. Things with Twitch are different than anything she’s used to, but he did give her fair warning.
Twitch and Lexi together... they were combustable. It was erotic, dirty, sexy, steamy and down right HOT. Rough uninhibited sex. It’s unlike anything Lexi has ever experienced. She is shocked with how much she likes it. The things that Twitch does to her, things that should scare her to death, they don't. Well, maybe they scare her a bit but mostly they turn her on. Twitch is more surprised than Lexi. This he was not expecting. Lexi is a contradiction to him.
Lexi is ruined by Twitch, just as he wanted. She can’t think of anything or anyone else besides him. She knows she’ll never want to be with anyone besides him again. Full of secrets, Twitch doesn’t know how he feels. One minute he wants to ruin Lexi, the next he wants her forever. He has issues. But thats why I love him. Now to that ending. I will admit, I cried when reading it. I’m not one of those people who needs a sunshine and rainbows happy ever after every time I read a book. That’s just not how it goes all the time. Did I love how the book ended? No. But still, I’m OKAY with the ending. I am, however, hoping the author decides to write a second book. I think there is so much more of Twitch and Lexi’s story to tell! This book will have your heart beating out of your chest. There were a few things I found out that had me in a state of shock. The author is correct. This is a story of a love gone wrong...
I would highly recommended this book to anyone looking for an intense, unconventional, powerful and tantalizing read. If that sounds like your cup of tea- pick this up. If you’re looking for Aurora’s normal lighter, fluffy, sweet and comical stuff, this probably isn’t the book for you! It’s a well written, highly entertaining 5 star read!
After reading Raw, thought to myself... ‘Is this really the same author that wrote The Friend-Zoned series?’ Wow! Talk about diverse writing styles! Although it did have a touch of humor, this book was much more dark than her previous works. And I loved it! I wouldn’t call it a dark and disturbing read, although it did have its moments... the words that come to mind when I think of this book are: intense, erotic, suspenseful, gritty and, well, RAW. It's not a happy love story. But hey, we we’re warned...
Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of a love gone wrong.
Alexa is a good girl. She always has been. She had a rough life growing up, but it’s brought her to where she is today. A social worker helping other kids who don’t have it easy. She loves her job and her two best friends. Life is pretty good. Then she meets Twitch.
Twitch has been watching (cough*stalking*cough) Alexa for a while now. She can feel him when he’s there. He wears a hood, but she knows it’s him. When she finally ‘meets’ Twitch, he saves her from someone attacking her. She should be afraid of him, maybe, but she’s not.
I know I should feel differently. I should feel uneasy. And even frightened. But I don’t know. Something about this man puts my mind at rest. And now I know deep down that I have nothing to fear. Twitch will protect me. Just like he always does.
Twitch goes from being that anonymous watcher to someone who is present in Alexa’s life. He comes and goes as he pleases, but he is there with her. It’s comforting for her. She finds herself missing him when he’s not there.
Twitch is not a good guy. He knows that. He’s lived a rough life, and made his way from the bottom to the very top of the heap. He is successful, ruthless, and he looks the part- covered in tattoos. It was refreshing for me to have a ‘hero’ who wasn’t a hero at all. I love a villain. The anti-hero of the story. Those severely damaged and fucked up characters. Twitch fits the bill.
“You’re what fills the whole in my heart. You saved me. You’re my hero.”
“No. I’m not. You have no idea how wrong you are. What you want me to be... I can’t ever be. It’s not me. I’m the villain in this story.”
Regardless, Lexi finds herself still wanting him. Things with Twitch are different than anything she’s used to, but he did give her fair warning.
Twitch and Lexi together... they were combustable. It was erotic, dirty, sexy, steamy and down right HOT. Rough uninhibited sex. It’s unlike anything Lexi has ever experienced. She is shocked with how much she likes it. The things that Twitch does to her, things that should scare her to death, they don't. Well, maybe they scare her a bit but mostly they turn her on. Twitch is more surprised than Lexi. This he was not expecting. Lexi is a contradiction to him.
Lexi is ruined by Twitch, just as he wanted. She can’t think of anything or anyone else besides him. She knows she’ll never want to be with anyone besides him again. Full of secrets, Twitch doesn’t know how he feels. One minute he wants to ruin Lexi, the next he wants her forever. He has issues. But thats why I love him. Now to that ending. I will admit, I cried when reading it. I’m not one of those people who needs a sunshine and rainbows happy ever after every time I read a book. That’s just not how it goes all the time. Did I love how the book ended? No. But still, I’m OKAY with the ending. I am, however, hoping the author decides to write a second book. I think there is so much more of Twitch and Lexi’s story to tell! This book will have your heart beating out of your chest. There were a few things I found out that had me in a state of shock. The author is correct. This is a story of a love gone wrong...
I would highly recommended this book to anyone looking for an intense, unconventional, powerful and tantalizing read. If that sounds like your cup of tea- pick this up. If you’re looking for Aurora’s normal lighter, fluffy, sweet and comical stuff, this probably isn’t the book for you! It’s a well written, highly entertaining 5 star read!
January 11, 2014
OMG....that ending.....I'm blinking back tears and pissed off at the same time!! I don't see a #2 in Belle's shelves.....Gotta have a #2......Gotta digest this.
I can't write a review of this book...for the past hour I have sat staring at my Word Doc ---- typing....deleting....typing.....deleting. My review will not be able to do this book justice.
I can't put into words what I felt about this book - because it keeps coming out as a jumble of thoughts which make no sense.
I just want to make clear though...that up until 50% of this book, I felt like I was still in a book slump and couldn't connect.
50% on.....I fell in love
The end - Ummmmm...NO - I WANT MORE!!!
If you see this Ms. Aurora...hear me now - if I do not see a sequel to this ---- I will find you ----- I will stalk you ----- I will be in your dreams ---- every time you open your eyes, you will see ME ----- and I will be haunting your every move with words whispered in your ear...."BOOK 2....BOOK 2.....MORE TWITCH.....BOOK 2"
I WILL BE YOUR TWITCH!! ;-)
Ciao'
I can't write a review of this book...for the past hour I have sat staring at my Word Doc ---- typing....deleting....typing.....deleting. My review will not be able to do this book justice.
I can't put into words what I felt about this book - because it keeps coming out as a jumble of thoughts which make no sense.
I just want to make clear though...that up until 50% of this book, I felt like I was still in a book slump and couldn't connect.
50% on.....I fell in love
The end - Ummmmm...NO - I WANT MORE!!!
If you see this Ms. Aurora...hear me now - if I do not see a sequel to this ---- I will find you ----- I will stalk you ----- I will be in your dreams ---- every time you open your eyes, you will see ME ----- and I will be haunting your every move with words whispered in your ear...."BOOK 2....BOOK 2.....MORE TWITCH.....BOOK 2"
I WILL BE YOUR TWITCH!! ;-)
Ciao'
August 30, 2016
4 STARS out of 5
(spoilers are hidden and close to end of review)
Review
DAMN THAT ENDING TO ALLLLLL HELL. WHY? WHY? WHYYYYYYY?
‘Some things in life are so sad that there are no words to describe the amount of sadness, grief, and sorrow a person is feeling. I assume this is why God allowed humans the simple act of crying. When a person cries, they feel the sadness slowly ease out of them. They feel as though they are justifiably respecting a person that has died through showing their grief. They allow a moment of sorrow to overcome them and cry out a small portion of their unseen pain.’ -Alexa
First of all this book DESTROYED ME and words…words FAILED ME by the end. I don’t think I have ever been so flustered when writing a review as I am with this one there was things I liked and some things I did not like.(I’ll expand on that later) One thing’s for sure, I was warned by the author as are you.
***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.***
Definitely safe to say I got what I asked for.
“Monsters don’t always lurk in the shadows.” Reaching up, he runs a fingertip slowly down the length of my jaw. Leaning forward, his breath warms me as he mutters a hairs-breadth away from my lips, “Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
Alexa Ballentine is an American working in Australia as a case/social worker. She considers her kids her cubs, she deeply cares for their well being and it shows in her actions. In fact I don’t think there is one bad bone in Alexa’s body. Coming from two parents who were not parents at all she personally knows from experience how bad it can be out on the streets.
Alexa is also aware of him; watching her. He’s been doing it for some time now and she can feel his eyes on her whenever he is near.
He is the eyes under the hoodie.
I need her. I want her. I will own her.’ -Twitch
This is where things get complicated. Something bad happens and it brings hoodie stalker guy up close and personal with Alexa.
‘That’s when he does something I’ve been wishing for forever.
He lowers the hood.’
And dude is FRIGHTENING. Scares her, scares me, it gets real. You have no idea what will happen.
‘Opening my eyes to find his still on my face, I ask a hushed, “What’s your name?” The corner of his lip tips up. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll forget it once I’m gone.” Taking a small step towards him, I promise, “No, I won’t.” It’s his turn to take a step back. He watches me some more. Those eyes. It feels as if they see everything. Breathing in, he replies on an exhale, “I’m Twitch.”
We meet the guy in the hood. His name is Twitch and he has an itch so to speak for Alexa.
She wants him.
There’s something animalistic about this man. Something I want to be a part of. Something I want to be included in. He’s a force of nature.’ -Alexa
The attraction is very clear and she lets him know. Twitch is very up front with Alexa when he tells her what he is about and uhhh how he likes it. DIRTY.
As readers take in both pov’s we learn that Twitch has an agenda. He wants to break Alexa, but why?
‘There’s something about having your choices taken from you that is equally liberating and frightening. Handing over control to a person is a big deal. A showing of trust. And sometimes, I would like to be taken on a ride rather than drive.’ -Alexa
My Sweet and Sour
My Sweet - I enjoyed how Belle Aurora gave us snippets of personality with the internal monologues. I found it witty and entertaining.
My Sour - Well my first choice is too spoilerish so here is my second choice, mean Twitch… I did not like mean Twitch at all.
This is the first time secondary characters made the book for me and the main characters just seemed to give me a splitting headache. I was so unsure on how to rate RAW. Why? Well for one, I struggled with the hero, Twitch and his motives towards Alexa. More so the reasoning behind it. Second, Alexa and her internal battle with allowing Twitch to Dominate her.. It seemed like she fought it throughout the entire book and I just did not get that about her.
Either your down or not. Her actions spoke volumes though..She was DEFINITELY down. So why internally fight it, just accept it. Maybe that is easier said then done, don't know.
My Thoughts
Basically I was unhappy with the reasoning Twitch used for going after Alexa. Yes, I understand his anger but I feel as if he chose Alexa without just cause. His anger was completely misdirected. So maybe it was just me. I don’t know, it just felt wrong… Some may argue that that is the point, it was misdirected, that’s the tragedy of it all. And I guess *shrugs a shoulder* I can see how people feel that way.
I sort of thought there was a few plot holes.
My Rating and Why
4 STARS- I wanted more. I felt these things could have been explored upon maybe cut out a few sex scenes. OH MY, I can’t believe I just said that… I NEVER opt to cut out sex. However, it would have upped my rating if I had these answers of this I am sure.
My Ratings
Characters- Likeable
Writing Style- Good
Plot/Storyline- Guy wants to break girl, girl wants to be controlled. Can these two find love? Real love?
Steam Factor- High/Very Steamy on a scale of 1-10 I say 9
Overall- I liked it!
My Recommendation: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it on Goodreads!
For more reviews got to: www.realitybites-letsgetlost.blogspot...
**ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review**
(spoilers are hidden and close to end of review)
Review
DAMN THAT ENDING TO ALLLLLL HELL. WHY? WHY? WHYYYYYYY?
‘Some things in life are so sad that there are no words to describe the amount of sadness, grief, and sorrow a person is feeling. I assume this is why God allowed humans the simple act of crying. When a person cries, they feel the sadness slowly ease out of them. They feel as though they are justifiably respecting a person that has died through showing their grief. They allow a moment of sorrow to overcome them and cry out a small portion of their unseen pain.’ -Alexa
First of all this book DESTROYED ME and words…words FAILED ME by the end. I don’t think I have ever been so flustered when writing a review as I am with this one there was things I liked and some things I did not like.(I’ll expand on that later) One thing’s for sure, I was warned by the author as are you.
***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.***
Definitely safe to say I got what I asked for.
“Monsters don’t always lurk in the shadows.” Reaching up, he runs a fingertip slowly down the length of my jaw. Leaning forward, his breath warms me as he mutters a hairs-breadth away from my lips, “Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
Alexa Ballentine is an American working in Australia as a case/social worker. She considers her kids her cubs, she deeply cares for their well being and it shows in her actions. In fact I don’t think there is one bad bone in Alexa’s body. Coming from two parents who were not parents at all she personally knows from experience how bad it can be out on the streets.
Alexa is also aware of him; watching her. He’s been doing it for some time now and she can feel his eyes on her whenever he is near.
He is the eyes under the hoodie.
I need her. I want her. I will own her.’ -Twitch
This is where things get complicated. Something bad happens and it brings hoodie stalker guy up close and personal with Alexa.
‘That’s when he does something I’ve been wishing for forever.
He lowers the hood.’
And dude is FRIGHTENING. Scares her, scares me, it gets real. You have no idea what will happen.
‘Opening my eyes to find his still on my face, I ask a hushed, “What’s your name?” The corner of his lip tips up. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll forget it once I’m gone.” Taking a small step towards him, I promise, “No, I won’t.” It’s his turn to take a step back. He watches me some more. Those eyes. It feels as if they see everything. Breathing in, he replies on an exhale, “I’m Twitch.”
We meet the guy in the hood. His name is Twitch and he has an itch so to speak for Alexa.
She wants him.
There’s something animalistic about this man. Something I want to be a part of. Something I want to be included in. He’s a force of nature.’ -Alexa
The attraction is very clear and she lets him know. Twitch is very up front with Alexa when he tells her what he is about and uhhh how he likes it. DIRTY.
As readers take in both pov’s we learn that Twitch has an agenda. He wants to break Alexa, but why?
‘There’s something about having your choices taken from you that is equally liberating and frightening. Handing over control to a person is a big deal. A showing of trust. And sometimes, I would like to be taken on a ride rather than drive.’ -Alexa
My Sweet and Sour
My Sweet - I enjoyed how Belle Aurora gave us snippets of personality with the internal monologues. I found it witty and entertaining.
My Sour - Well my first choice is too spoilerish so here is my second choice, mean Twitch… I did not like mean Twitch at all.
This is the first time secondary characters made the book for me and the main characters just seemed to give me a splitting headache. I was so unsure on how to rate RAW. Why? Well for one, I struggled with the hero, Twitch and his motives towards Alexa. More so the reasoning behind it. Second, Alexa and her internal battle with allowing Twitch to Dominate her.. It seemed like she fought it throughout the entire book and I just did not get that about her.
Either your down or not. Her actions spoke volumes though..She was DEFINITELY down. So why internally fight it, just accept it. Maybe that is easier said then done, don't know.
My Thoughts
Basically I was unhappy with the reasoning Twitch used for going after Alexa. Yes, I understand his anger but I feel as if he chose Alexa without just cause. His anger was completely misdirected. So maybe it was just me. I don’t know, it just felt wrong… Some may argue that that is the point, it was misdirected, that’s the tragedy of it all. And I guess *shrugs a shoulder* I can see how people feel that way.
I sort of thought there was a few plot holes.
My Rating and Why
4 STARS- I wanted more. I felt these things could have been explored upon maybe cut out a few sex scenes. OH MY, I can’t believe I just said that… I NEVER opt to cut out sex. However, it would have upped my rating if I had these answers of this I am sure.
My Ratings
Characters- Likeable
Writing Style- Good
Plot/Storyline- Guy wants to break girl, girl wants to be controlled. Can these two find love? Real love?
Steam Factor- High/Very Steamy on a scale of 1-10 I say 9
Overall- I liked it!
My Recommendation: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Now go forth and read. Then come tell us about it on Goodreads!
For more reviews got to: www.realitybites-letsgetlost.blogspot...
**ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review**
July 26, 2016
*****Spoiler Alert*****Spoiler Alert******Spoiler Alert*****
Lexi has a stalker named Twitch. And she kinda likes it. One night she is viciously attacked outside her apartment, and her stalker becomes her savior. Then her savior becomes her lover.
I was all wrapped up in the story until learning Twitch was a brooding millionaire. That liked rough sex. I rolled my eyes and thought, "Oh no, another fifty shades rip off". But not quite.. Twitch is a true sociopath. Breaking the law, torture, and murder are acceptable ends to a mean. His obsession with breaking Alexa becomes his downfall.
Twitch soon discovers Lexi isn't the villain that he has created in his mind. She was just an innocent six year old girl that helped bandage him up after his father abused him. Lexi is an angel at heart. She doesn't judge others and she puts others needs before her own. Twitches goal has been to hurt her and cause her pain. Which is pretty fucked up in my opinion.
Mostly due to foreshadowing, there were a few plot twists through out the book that I felt were predictable. Some were entertaining, but predictable. I also knew deep in my gut that this could only end tragically. And it did.
Mega Eye Roll /Unrealistic Moments
There were too many eye roll moments for me while reading this book. I will place these under a spoiler tag, even though this review is already hidden. I don't suggest you read these spoilers that irked me unless you have read the book. Because this will definitely ruin it for you.
There was no Happy Ever After!!!
Maybe there will be a book #2, maybe not.
This would have been a solid 4 star if I hadn't rolled my eyes so much at how "over the top" Twitch was. And the lack of a HEA is ALWAYS a deal breaker for me unless I know it's going to be a trilogy.
I Must say that this writer's flow was very smooth. I never had to re-read passages, or stumble over anything. Her thoughts were clear and precise. And I loved the switch in POV's. My 2 star review is NO reflection of Belle Aurora's writing style. Just the plot. I would definitely consider reading another of her books!!!
"Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows"…"Sometimes they hide in plain sight"
Lexi has a stalker named Twitch. And she kinda likes it. One night she is viciously attacked outside her apartment, and her stalker becomes her savior. Then her savior becomes her lover.
God. This guy has me so hot and bothered I actually feel tipsy.
I was all wrapped up in the story until learning Twitch was a brooding millionaire. That liked rough sex. I rolled my eyes and thought, "Oh no, another fifty shades rip off". But not quite.. Twitch is a true sociopath. Breaking the law, torture, and murder are acceptable ends to a mean. His obsession with breaking Alexa becomes his downfall.
"You don't get to kiss me until I say you can"
"You feeling uncomfortable?"…"Good. Get used to it. Because I'm going to do bad things to you."
Twitch soon discovers Lexi isn't the villain that he has created in his mind. She was just an innocent six year old girl that helped bandage him up after his father abused him. Lexi is an angel at heart. She doesn't judge others and she puts others needs before her own. Twitches goal has been to hurt her and cause her pain. Which is pretty fucked up in my opinion.
Mostly due to foreshadowing, there were a few plot twists through out the book that I felt were predictable. Some were entertaining, but predictable. I also knew deep in my gut that this could only end tragically. And it did.
Mega Eye Roll /Unrealistic Moments
There were too many eye roll moments for me while reading this book. I will place these under a spoiler tag, even though this review is already hidden. I don't suggest you read these spoilers that irked me unless you have read the book. Because this will definitely ruin it for you.
There was no Happy Ever After!!!
Maybe there will be a book #2, maybe not.
This would have been a solid 4 star if I hadn't rolled my eyes so much at how "over the top" Twitch was. And the lack of a HEA is ALWAYS a deal breaker for me unless I know it's going to be a trilogy.
I Must say that this writer's flow was very smooth. I never had to re-read passages, or stumble over anything. Her thoughts were clear and precise. And I loved the switch in POV's. My 2 star review is NO reflection of Belle Aurora's writing style. Just the plot. I would definitely consider reading another of her books!!!
September 7, 2016
"This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone bad."
WARNING: This book is non-traditional M/F ROMANCE with a non-traditional ending. If you're under age 18, please think twice and then you read this book.
This is a dark/hard/broken/love story and it was really, really good. You should give a chance this story and trust me you won’t be regret of it… ;)
---------------------
Before I start to read this book my lovely friend Halime already gave me a little tip about this book how will it end but still I read it with very exciting mood. And I have to tell you, I wasn’t expecting something pretty fucking fantastic story but here I am, with my heart broken into million pieces…
If you like to read dark romance stories and if you’re comfortable with hard, kinky story you must read this book asap! You have to meet Twitch. Yeah that’s his nickname and he’s got a lot of tattoos. Also he has a piercing on his umm how am I gonna say this? He has a piercing on his thing. Yeah you got the idea right? :D And it’s fucking sexy!!! :D Wow, I’m imagining right now, OK I’m turned on again… :D Damn you Twitch, you're distracting me with your sexy thing.. :D
Anyway, what was I saying? Right I was talking about book... :D This book was so fucking sexy, it was so disturbing but also it was soooo fucking sad.. With all of this I really enjoyed it and I cried in the end. I knew it how it will end but still it broke me. :(
PS. And now I can't wait to read 2nd book. :(
---------------------
QUOTES from the book. All of them are my favorites. And If you haven't read the book yet, I wouldn't recommend to you read them. ;)
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
“Not everyone can be a fairy-tale hero.” He pauses a moment, then adds, “The world needs villains too.”
“You feeling uncomfortable?” I immediately nod. Squeezing my ass once more, he places his lips at the shell of my ear. “Good. Get used to it. Because I’m going to do bad things to you.”
“You said you’d never leave me. And I’m holding you to that. Because when you’re safe again, I’m coming for you, Angel.”
“Kissing her once more, I tell her without hesitation, "if you promise to never leave me, I will love you. And be good to you. I'll treat you like a queen." My queen. I heard somewhere that a king only bows down to his queen. And I'm bowing down to Lexi.”
“This is just how I pictured it in my head. Raw and gritty, and dirty as hell.”
"I feel dirty, used and abused. And I've never felt better."
“I’m so ashamed of myself for wanting this. His brand of sex comes with a warning label. That should make me want to run in the opposite direction.”
“A strong woman can also be submissive in bed. It doesn’t make her weak. It makes her stronger than most. Putting your body into the hands of someone else…that takes balls.”
“Is there anything sexier than the noises a man makes during sex?”
“If I could eat your pussy all day, every day, I’d fuckin’ find a way to make it my job.” "I moan loudly. He growls and sucks in perfect rhythm.”
“There’s only one way I fuck.”
The words are so crude that my lips part
and I huff in an unsteady breath.
He takes a step forward, his eyes never
leaving mine. “Dirty.” Watching my reaction, he adds, “And this type of dirty...” He breathes deep and says on an exhale, “…it doesn’t wash off.”
“I’m good at reading people, Lexi. When we’re together, I know what you like and what you don’t. I know what you think you don’t like and are scared to try. I know how to push you further than you’re used to.” Allowing that to sink in a moment,
I tell her, “I will spank you. I will be rough with you. I will push you to your limits. But I promise that if you give it a chance, you’ll enjoy taking it as much I like to deliver it.”
“There's something about Twitch.
He's just...raw.
Everything about him is raw. And gritty. And unbound.
He's a raging fire. And I'm a fragile moth fluttering into the flame. Sooner or later, I'm going to get burned. I know this.
Will I even survive the heat?”
“I’m an addiction?”
He responds quietly, “The worst one. There’s no cure for that addiction.”
“No one touches you. You got that? As long as I want you, no one else gets you, and after I’m done with you…” He licks my jawline. My eyes flutter. He presses his erection into my thigh. “…you’ll be forever unsatisfied. No one will ever take care of you the way I can. The way I know you want it. I know what you need, Lexi, even if you don’t know it yourself. But I’ll teach you.”
“I need to walk away from you.”
His nose runs up the length of mine and my eyes flutter closed. His bottom lip barely touches my top one as he whispers back, “What makes you think I’ll let you, Alexa?”
“I don’t do well with being threatened. And I definitely don’t take orders. But you’ll learn all this. Eventually. I get that I know you better than you know yourself, but there’s a few things you should know about me. And I’ll make it easy for you.” Mimicking my pointing to my fingers, he points to his index finger. “Number one, you’ll be here because you want to be here, not because I forced you. Ever.” Pointing to his middle finger, “Number two, this closet is yours, and I expect you to use whatever is in there, down to your drawers.” Pointing back to his index finger, “Number three, you’re so fucking hot when you get worked up that I would really like for you to suck my cock. And when I say I would really like that, I mean suck my cock, Lexi. Now.”
"Reaching up, I stroke the inked thirteen on the apple of his cheek. I feel scarred flesh under the tattoo.You wouldn’t guess that thirteen is hiding a scar just from looking.Shaking my head and closing my eyes, I pull my hand away. A tight grip on my wrist stops me, bringing my hand back to his cheek. He leans into my touch, almost like a cat. Turning his head, he kisses the inside of my wrist. And my throat clogs."
“I’m not a good person.” Leaning away from me, he adds, “You think a person like me deserves your type of goodness? No. I’ll tell you right now that I don’t.” Seeming frustrated with himself, he bites his thumbnail. “The thing is, I’m selfish. And I don’t give a fuck about what I deserve. All I care about is what I want. And I want you so fuckin’ bad that I’d do almost anything to keep you.”
WARNING: This book is non-traditional M/F ROMANCE with a non-traditional ending. If you're under age 18, please think twice and then you read this book.
This is a dark/hard/broken/love story and it was really, really good. You should give a chance this story and trust me you won’t be regret of it… ;)
---------------------
Before I start to read this book my lovely friend Halime already gave me a little tip about this book how will it end but still I read it with very exciting mood. And I have to tell you, I wasn’t expecting something pretty fucking fantastic story but here I am, with my heart broken into million pieces…
If you like to read dark romance stories and if you’re comfortable with hard, kinky story you must read this book asap! You have to meet Twitch. Yeah that’s his nickname and he’s got a lot of tattoos. Also he has a piercing on his umm how am I gonna say this? He has a piercing on his thing. Yeah you got the idea right? :D And it’s fucking sexy!!! :D Wow, I’m imagining right now, OK I’m turned on again… :D Damn you Twitch, you're distracting me with your sexy thing.. :D
Anyway, what was I saying? Right I was talking about book... :D This book was so fucking sexy, it was so disturbing but also it was soooo fucking sad.. With all of this I really enjoyed it and I cried in the end. I knew it how it will end but still it broke me. :(
PS. And now I can't wait to read 2nd book. :(
---------------------
QUOTES from the book. All of them are my favorites. And If you haven't read the book yet, I wouldn't recommend to you read them. ;)
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
“Not everyone can be a fairy-tale hero.” He pauses a moment, then adds, “The world needs villains too.”
“You feeling uncomfortable?” I immediately nod. Squeezing my ass once more, he places his lips at the shell of my ear. “Good. Get used to it. Because I’m going to do bad things to you.”
“You said you’d never leave me. And I’m holding you to that. Because when you’re safe again, I’m coming for you, Angel.”
“Kissing her once more, I tell her without hesitation, "if you promise to never leave me, I will love you. And be good to you. I'll treat you like a queen." My queen. I heard somewhere that a king only bows down to his queen. And I'm bowing down to Lexi.”
“This is just how I pictured it in my head. Raw and gritty, and dirty as hell.”
"I feel dirty, used and abused. And I've never felt better."
“I’m so ashamed of myself for wanting this. His brand of sex comes with a warning label. That should make me want to run in the opposite direction.”
“A strong woman can also be submissive in bed. It doesn’t make her weak. It makes her stronger than most. Putting your body into the hands of someone else…that takes balls.”
“Is there anything sexier than the noises a man makes during sex?”
“If I could eat your pussy all day, every day, I’d fuckin’ find a way to make it my job.” "I moan loudly. He growls and sucks in perfect rhythm.”
“There’s only one way I fuck.”
The words are so crude that my lips part
and I huff in an unsteady breath.
He takes a step forward, his eyes never
leaving mine. “Dirty.” Watching my reaction, he adds, “And this type of dirty...” He breathes deep and says on an exhale, “…it doesn’t wash off.”
“I’m good at reading people, Lexi. When we’re together, I know what you like and what you don’t. I know what you think you don’t like and are scared to try. I know how to push you further than you’re used to.” Allowing that to sink in a moment,
I tell her, “I will spank you. I will be rough with you. I will push you to your limits. But I promise that if you give it a chance, you’ll enjoy taking it as much I like to deliver it.”
“There's something about Twitch.
He's just...raw.
Everything about him is raw. And gritty. And unbound.
He's a raging fire. And I'm a fragile moth fluttering into the flame. Sooner or later, I'm going to get burned. I know this.
Will I even survive the heat?”
“I’m an addiction?”
He responds quietly, “The worst one. There’s no cure for that addiction.”
“No one touches you. You got that? As long as I want you, no one else gets you, and after I’m done with you…” He licks my jawline. My eyes flutter. He presses his erection into my thigh. “…you’ll be forever unsatisfied. No one will ever take care of you the way I can. The way I know you want it. I know what you need, Lexi, even if you don’t know it yourself. But I’ll teach you.”
“I need to walk away from you.”
His nose runs up the length of mine and my eyes flutter closed. His bottom lip barely touches my top one as he whispers back, “What makes you think I’ll let you, Alexa?”
“I don’t do well with being threatened. And I definitely don’t take orders. But you’ll learn all this. Eventually. I get that I know you better than you know yourself, but there’s a few things you should know about me. And I’ll make it easy for you.” Mimicking my pointing to my fingers, he points to his index finger. “Number one, you’ll be here because you want to be here, not because I forced you. Ever.” Pointing to his middle finger, “Number two, this closet is yours, and I expect you to use whatever is in there, down to your drawers.” Pointing back to his index finger, “Number three, you’re so fucking hot when you get worked up that I would really like for you to suck my cock. And when I say I would really like that, I mean suck my cock, Lexi. Now.”
"Reaching up, I stroke the inked thirteen on the apple of his cheek. I feel scarred flesh under the tattoo.You wouldn’t guess that thirteen is hiding a scar just from looking.Shaking my head and closing my eyes, I pull my hand away. A tight grip on my wrist stops me, bringing my hand back to his cheek. He leans into my touch, almost like a cat. Turning his head, he kisses the inside of my wrist. And my throat clogs."
“I’m not a good person.” Leaning away from me, he adds, “You think a person like me deserves your type of goodness? No. I’ll tell you right now that I don’t.” Seeming frustrated with himself, he bites his thumbnail. “The thing is, I’m selfish. And I don’t give a fuck about what I deserve. All I care about is what I want. And I want you so fuckin’ bad that I’d do almost anything to keep you.”
November 14, 2018
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
Despite all the craziness , confusion , creepy stuff and shocking and heartbreaking ending, Knowing how this book was going to end did not stop me from shedding tears. I really did enjoy reading Raw.
Despite all the craziness , confusion , creepy stuff and shocking and heartbreaking ending, Knowing how this book was going to end did not stop me from shedding tears. I really did enjoy reading Raw.
January 8, 2014
4 Consuming Stars!!!
Raw and gritty, and dirty as hell.
Before I carry on let me get this off my chest.
Raw is not a dark read, it's exactly what the author says:
***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.***
Okay, I'm done!
What a riveting and entertaining story! I really enjoyed this reading Raw, Twitch and Lexi were hilarious and infuriating at times, but I had to know their story and where it would go!
She's a social worker who has a soft spot for kids who've been forced onto the streets because of life at home. This makes sense since her childhood was almost exactly the same. He's a successful "businessman". While out one day she's attacked and Twitch comes to her rescue, this is the beginning of a compelling relationship, Twitch is intense and broody both in public and in the bedroom, he's all alpha male.
He's also a crazy, hot, domineering, panty-melting, ovary-busting asshole; and I really liked him!
Lexi is sweet, quirky and can be a dork at times, she's the ying to he's yang.
Once he allowed her to see him, she really didn't have a chance. She was literally putty in his hands, and any inconsistencies with his story were over looked. She was mesmerised.
I laughed, I got angry, I wanted to slap some sense into them and I thoroughly enjoyed it! This book is engaging, it had a touch of humour that I found refreshing (this is huge, because I don't like humour)I enjoyed the writing immensely and will definitely be reading more of this author's work.
P.S. I hope there's a book 2 (because that's the more I want to read)
Raw and gritty, and dirty as hell.
Before I carry on let me get this off my chest.
Raw is not a dark read, it's exactly what the author says:
***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.***
Okay, I'm done!
What a riveting and entertaining story! I really enjoyed this reading Raw, Twitch and Lexi were hilarious and infuriating at times, but I had to know their story and where it would go!
She's a social worker who has a soft spot for kids who've been forced onto the streets because of life at home. This makes sense since her childhood was almost exactly the same. He's a successful "businessman". While out one day she's attacked and Twitch comes to her rescue, this is the beginning of a compelling relationship, Twitch is intense and broody both in public and in the bedroom, he's all alpha male.
He's also a crazy, hot, domineering, panty-melting, ovary-busting asshole; and I really liked him!
Lexi is sweet, quirky and can be a dork at times, she's the ying to he's yang.
Once he allowed her to see him, she really didn't have a chance. She was literally putty in his hands, and any inconsistencies with his story were over looked. She was mesmerised.
I laughed, I got angry, I wanted to slap some sense into them and I thoroughly enjoyed it! This book is engaging, it had a touch of humour that I found refreshing (this is huge, because I don't like humour)I enjoyed the writing immensely and will definitely be reading more of this author's work.
P.S. I hope there's a book 2 (because that's the more I want to read)
November 16, 2014
Title: Raw
Series: Standalone
Author: Belle Aurora
Release Date: January 3rd, 2014
Rating: 4.5 stars
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Sweet, heartwarming and hilarious Belle Aurora is officially gone and I’m not sure if I mourned her for a single second. As much as I adored her previous novels, this time she not only astounded me but also showed me how talented she truly is. In Raw she not only challenged herself, completely changing her usual style of writing from easygoing, snarky prose to something fifty shades of darker, she also challenged her readers, and I’m glad I took this test! Belle Aurora didn’t have a single struggle with writing in entirely different genre. My respect for her only grew.
Raw was gritty read. Fabulously wild story that took me on the verge of sanity and made me step out of my comfort zone more than once.
I was overwhelmed. Stunned. Dazed. Dared. I felt unimaginable pain, fear, shock and discomfort. I was thrown on wild, rough, never ending, the most fucked up ride of my life. Ride that made me forget about everything only to make me feel. Feel so many deliciously dark and forbidden emotions, emotions that were bleeding from Belle Aurora’s novel. And I loved every minute of it.
“You’re nobody ‘til somebody loves you.”
This story follows Alexa. She’s sweet, good person. She’s happy. She has loveable friends, great work and nice apartment. She also has a stalker.
Twitch is a guy that picture would pop up if you google ‘bad boy’ ‘antihero’ ‘villain’ or ‘stay away from’. He’s damaged. He’s broken. He’s certainly not a good human being. Yet Lexi is drawn to him and quickly finds herself falling for a man that doesn’t deserve her.
“Not everyone can be a fairy-tale hero.” He pauses a moment, then adds, “The world needs villains too.”
I am pleased, that I finally found a book with a man that is not only so called bad boy wannabe. He is bad and period. No questions asked.
This is a great addition to the story, because it makes it realistic. Belle Aurora made a great job in creating characters. Their entirely opposite personalities were well thought and brilliant!
Raw is not a fluffy love story. Raw is not your usual romance. Raw isn’t a novel you can easily label or name. There isn’t a single page that doesn’t dare readers and make them think.
In single, yet so meaningful plot, Aurora catches the truth of life and she doesn’t need a ‘knight in shining armor’ hero to picture true love.
While being sexy, controversial and so, so hot, Raw was everything I could ask for. I am immensely glad I picked it up and opened myslef for this wonderful erotic experience.
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
November 12, 2016
2.5 "IF ONLY" stars
Sorry, folks ...
I originally DNF @ 65% then managed to get to 72% and after a lot of
I started skimming. Then I simply gave up and skipped to the last few paragraphs of the last chapter and then skimmed through an epilogue.
IMO, this is a perfect "IF ONLY" book ...
IF ONLY Twitch's characater appeared in a different book ...
IF ONLY Lexi didn't have an IQ of a rubber band ...
IF ONLY this book wasn't written in first person ...
IF ONLY it wasn't that obvious that Twitch ...
IF ONLY I cared enough to feel something ...
IF ONLY ... *sigh*
Final thoughts:
I was really excited about this book because so many of my GR friends enjoyed it. It's not that it was bad. It just failed to provoke any sort of feelings in me and I hate those kinds of books. I feel like a cat in the GIF below - deflated and dead inside ...
P.S. Half a star is for Twich, his tatts and his pierced cock. As I said "IF ONLY" ...
Read
September 2, 2014DNF at 50% ..
I don't know if I got the April Fools addition or just a bad case of PMSing but this book was NOT an entertaining read for me. I was excited to start RAW after seeing rave review after rave review on my feed for weeks . In fact, this nosey bitch did not open a single spoiler because I couldn't wait to cry and have an emotional breakdown of my very own....yeah, I'm weird like that. Unfortunately the only thing I felt was ABSOLUTE annoyance thanks to Lexi's absurd behavior, and you can think I'm being harsh all you like, as even the character called herself pitiful, stupid and pathetic. I found everything about her to be
I-R-R-I-T-A-T-I-N-G!
Now onto Twitch I felt nothing for his character. I love me some tats, and his piercing were a definite plus but my vaj requires more than that . I didn't get a single ladyboner while reading. I'm fairly certain that had more to do with Lexi being present than lack of character appeal. Yes, he was cruel, arrogant, mischievous brute but I never disliked him. How could I get upset at Twitch when Lexi so desperately wanted him? Exactly, I couldn't. I kept waiting for Twitch to say "Come on,it's time to see the wizard. "...........
... NO KIDDING!
So, once the only thing twitching was my pulsating headache and I had lost all- my- fuck- to -give regarding his vendetta, I knew it was time to say "I'm done". So I did.
PLEASE don't let my opinions deter you from reading RAW. I have very, VERY little patience for naïve heroines. The reviews are amazing. Apparently I just wasn't in the mood for this type of story ..
I don't know if I got the April Fools addition or just a bad case of PMSing but this book was NOT an entertaining read for me. I was excited to start RAW after seeing rave review after rave review on my feed for weeks . In fact, this nosey bitch did not open a single spoiler because I couldn't wait to cry and have an emotional breakdown of my very own....yeah, I'm weird like that. Unfortunately the only thing I felt was ABSOLUTE annoyance thanks to Lexi's absurd behavior, and you can think I'm being harsh all you like, as even the character called herself pitiful, stupid and pathetic. I found everything about her to be
I-R-R-I-T-A-T-I-N-G!
Now onto Twitch I felt nothing for his character. I love me some tats, and his piercing were a definite plus but my vaj requires more than that . I didn't get a single ladyboner while reading. I'm fairly certain that had more to do with Lexi being present than lack of character appeal. Yes, he was cruel, arrogant, mischievous brute but I never disliked him. How could I get upset at Twitch when Lexi so desperately wanted him? Exactly, I couldn't. I kept waiting for Twitch to say "Come on,it's time to see the wizard. "...........
... NO KIDDING! So, once the only thing twitching was my pulsating headache and I had lost all- my- fuck- to -give regarding his vendetta, I knew it was time to say "I'm done". So I did.
PLEASE don't let my opinions deter you from reading RAW. I have very, VERY little patience for naïve heroines. The reviews are amazing. Apparently I just wasn't in the mood for this type of story ..
January 1, 2015
Fan-freaking-tastic! I was shaking at that ending! After calming myself for 12 hours to decompress, here we go...
Do you like a book that's a little dirty? Ya know, where it's not all hearts and flowers, the sex isn't missionary with soothing music by Sinatra? Where the hero is really an anti-hero who starts out on a mission of revenge and ends up falling for his victim? Yes? Well, then Raw is the book for you!
After reading Willing Captive by Belle Aurora, I knew I had to read this. Her writing style is raw and gritty for sure. It captives the reader immediately, leaving you incapable of putting the book down.
So many reviews posted Ms. Aurora's warning at the start of this book-
"This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone bad."
I don't agree entirely. I think this sets the reader up that love won't occur in this book. It does, so that, in my humble opinion, makes this a love story. A torturous love story. That quote I worry sets it up so people won't take the chance on it.
I'd rather quote her dedication of this book because it sums it up perfectly to me.
"To anyone who has ever loved unconditionally. To all the people who have loved someone who did not deserve it. And finally, to every person who has followed their heart down the path less travelled. This is for you."
I devoured this book. When I dove in, I didn't come up for air. It's mysterious and captivating right up to the end. There are still a couple questions not answered in my head though. I'd honestly avoid reading a ton of reviews for this as EVERYONE barks at the lack of a HEA. Well, the ending will leave you shaking, that's for sure. But not official negative closure and the last three sentences of the book leave me with hope for a future book...
The feelings I was left with deep inside after reading Raw was mostly rawness. Funny she chose that as the title because it's perfect. Lexi is a social worker who notices this hooded man watching her day after day. He never makes a move, in fact, she almost gets a sense of safety from his gaze. When one day this hooded enigma saves her from a sexual assault, she's even more drawn to his protective persona. Not to mention, when the hood comes down, he's gorgeous- all tattooed, clean smelling, muscular...hot. And his name is Trink....
That's all you're getting. Read it. Unless you're a total hearts and flowers romance reader, I do NOT think the ending is that bad. I also wouldn't call this book that dark AT ALL. I look forward to reading Willing Captive after reading this gem!
A book that evokes the feelings this one did in me deserves to be hailed! I applaud Belle Aurora. On a comparative sense, I do not think this book's ending was non-HEA like Blind Obsession by Ella Frank. Everyone talked of that non-HEA. This one leaves me with hope...just read the last three sentences! In the mean time, I'll pick up my heart off the floor and trudge on. Until we see you again Twitch and Lexi...because I WILL see you again...
Do you like a book that's a little dirty? Ya know, where it's not all hearts and flowers, the sex isn't missionary with soothing music by Sinatra? Where the hero is really an anti-hero who starts out on a mission of revenge and ends up falling for his victim? Yes? Well, then Raw is the book for you!
After reading Willing Captive by Belle Aurora, I knew I had to read this. Her writing style is raw and gritty for sure. It captives the reader immediately, leaving you incapable of putting the book down.
So many reviews posted Ms. Aurora's warning at the start of this book-
"This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone bad."
I don't agree entirely. I think this sets the reader up that love won't occur in this book. It does, so that, in my humble opinion, makes this a love story. A torturous love story. That quote I worry sets it up so people won't take the chance on it.
I'd rather quote her dedication of this book because it sums it up perfectly to me.
"To anyone who has ever loved unconditionally. To all the people who have loved someone who did not deserve it. And finally, to every person who has followed their heart down the path less travelled. This is for you."
I devoured this book. When I dove in, I didn't come up for air. It's mysterious and captivating right up to the end. There are still a couple questions not answered in my head though. I'd honestly avoid reading a ton of reviews for this as EVERYONE barks at the lack of a HEA. Well, the ending will leave you shaking, that's for sure. But not official negative closure and the last three sentences of the book leave me with hope for a future book...
The feelings I was left with deep inside after reading Raw was mostly rawness. Funny she chose that as the title because it's perfect. Lexi is a social worker who notices this hooded man watching her day after day. He never makes a move, in fact, she almost gets a sense of safety from his gaze. When one day this hooded enigma saves her from a sexual assault, she's even more drawn to his protective persona. Not to mention, when the hood comes down, he's gorgeous- all tattooed, clean smelling, muscular...hot. And his name is Trink....
That's all you're getting. Read it. Unless you're a total hearts and flowers romance reader, I do NOT think the ending is that bad. I also wouldn't call this book that dark AT ALL. I look forward to reading Willing Captive after reading this gem!
A book that evokes the feelings this one did in me deserves to be hailed! I applaud Belle Aurora. On a comparative sense, I do not think this book's ending was non-HEA like Blind Obsession by Ella Frank. Everyone talked of that non-HEA. This one leaves me with hope...just read the last three sentences! In the mean time, I'll pick up my heart off the floor and trudge on. Until we see you again Twitch and Lexi...because I WILL see you again...
April 28, 2016
5 Twitch stole my heart stars
Spoiler free
I feel like someone came and kicked me in my chest as hard as they could and leaving me there to care for myself. Honestly that is how I feel right now. It is so hard to come to terms with what I just read and type it down.
All I know is that this is my first 5 star book I have read in 2014. I couldn't have asked for more of a perfect book, I couldn't. There is nothing I would have changed. Maybe something but when I think about it I am sad and happy at the same time. I know.... That is one thing I do know is that. Doesn't make any sense of me saying that when you have no idea what I am talking about but once you read it you will get me.
It has been a long time since I have read a couple that compares to Twitch and Lexi. I think it has been years. Maybe never really. It just takes me that deep that I just can't compare it to any other book or character. Both of these two characters are fucked up in their own way. I feel like their relationship is so unique that is is hard not to love it and want everything to come out happy roses and everyone dances. It's fucking RAW . The title speaks for it self. It comes down to that it is fucking damn raw and I love it that much more. I love when I start reading a book and I can't put it down for the life of me. I have to finish it just to know what is going to happen. I felt this sick feeling in my stomach through the whole thing cause it is not like any book I have read. You have no idea what is going to happen. It takes you by surprise and leaves you feeling like I said someone kicked you in the fucking chest. I do not regret anything on this. Just that I wish I would have took my time instead of being greedy and devouring the fucking book in one night.
I am not quite sure where it came from that this book is dark. I know everyone has their own titles on what they think is dark. To me this is not dark in no way shape or form. I never got that feel from this book and nothing made me think that it was dark. I love my dark reads those are my favorite. I am glad that I was not told this book was dark before I read it because then I would have gotten a more hyped up of the darkness that was suppose to be coming out of it. So I am glad that I did not hear that before I read it. But it kind of throws me off that some say this is dark. Anyhow just wanted to throw that out there.....
Twitch, is not the good guy in this book. He is the villain and I must say I fucking love the villains the most. For some reason they draw my attention more then the good ones. And fuck man, Twitch makes the perfect fucking villain. I could keep him and eat him up all day long. Yes he is that perfect to me. He does fucked up shit and it seems kind of crazy but hey I love it. Don't judge me. :)
I swear within the first couple of pages of this book I my heart was already in it. It is very heart wrenching when reading it at time. Kind of chokes me up still just thinking about this book.
I couldn't have asked for a better book to start my year. The author did an amazing job creating such a beautiful fucked up story. Even in authors note got me thinking this will take me on a ride. ***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.*** Right there I fucking knew this book would not be leaving me anytime soon and it will stick with me for a long time. It's one of those books that I can't re-read over and over but it is something that I know I have loved and will read it again just because it had kept with me.
ARC provided by author exchanged for honest review.
Spoiler free
I feel like someone came and kicked me in my chest as hard as they could and leaving me there to care for myself. Honestly that is how I feel right now. It is so hard to come to terms with what I just read and type it down.
All I know is that this is my first 5 star book I have read in 2014. I couldn't have asked for more of a perfect book, I couldn't. There is nothing I would have changed. Maybe something but when I think about it I am sad and happy at the same time. I know.... That is one thing I do know is that. Doesn't make any sense of me saying that when you have no idea what I am talking about but once you read it you will get me.
It has been a long time since I have read a couple that compares to Twitch and Lexi. I think it has been years. Maybe never really. It just takes me that deep that I just can't compare it to any other book or character. Both of these two characters are fucked up in their own way. I feel like their relationship is so unique that is is hard not to love it and want everything to come out happy roses and everyone dances. It's fucking RAW . The title speaks for it self. It comes down to that it is fucking damn raw and I love it that much more. I love when I start reading a book and I can't put it down for the life of me. I have to finish it just to know what is going to happen. I felt this sick feeling in my stomach through the whole thing cause it is not like any book I have read. You have no idea what is going to happen. It takes you by surprise and leaves you feeling like I said someone kicked you in the fucking chest. I do not regret anything on this. Just that I wish I would have took my time instead of being greedy and devouring the fucking book in one night.
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
I am not quite sure where it came from that this book is dark. I know everyone has their own titles on what they think is dark. To me this is not dark in no way shape or form. I never got that feel from this book and nothing made me think that it was dark. I love my dark reads those are my favorite. I am glad that I was not told this book was dark before I read it because then I would have gotten a more hyped up of the darkness that was suppose to be coming out of it. So I am glad that I did not hear that before I read it. But it kind of throws me off that some say this is dark. Anyhow just wanted to throw that out there.....
Twitch, is not the good guy in this book. He is the villain and I must say I fucking love the villains the most. For some reason they draw my attention more then the good ones. And fuck man, Twitch makes the perfect fucking villain. I could keep him and eat him up all day long. Yes he is that perfect to me. He does fucked up shit and it seems kind of crazy but hey I love it. Don't judge me. :)
I swear within the first couple of pages of this book I my heart was already in it. It is very heart wrenching when reading it at time. Kind of chokes me up still just thinking about this book.
I couldn't have asked for a better book to start my year. The author did an amazing job creating such a beautiful fucked up story. Even in authors note got me thinking this will take me on a ride. ***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.*** Right there I fucking knew this book would not be leaving me anytime soon and it will stick with me for a long time. It's one of those books that I can't re-read over and over but it is something that I know I have loved and will read it again just because it had kept with me.
ARC provided by author exchanged for honest review.
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I refuse to admit I ever read this book.
I refuse to think about this book.
I refuse to even remember a page from this book.
this book was perfect. fucking perfect. right until that bloody fucking ending. nope. I refuse to believe that that happened. so not cool
I refuse to admit I ever read this book.
I refuse to think about this book.
I refuse to even remember a page from this book.
this book was perfect. fucking perfect. right until that bloody fucking ending. nope. I refuse to believe that that happened. so not cool
January 16, 2014
4.5 RAW Stars
”After all, the good girl always wants the bad boy. Doesn’t she?”
[image error]
Well that was entertaining!
I have to say that although there were several plot holes and Twitch’s reasons for stalking and wanting to destroy Lexi were just flat out odd and my reaction was quite frankly this A LOT of the story…
I still found this to be a very hot, fast paced read!
The story is told in alternate pov which I love and although both characters behavior was cuckoo to me. Truthfully, this stranger was HOT and I couldn’t get enough of his creepy/sexy vibe!
”Fuck, fuck, fuck! She likes the belt. No one likes the belt. It’s a fucking choker for christsakes.”
They fall in lust/love…
”I need her. I want her. I will own her. The need to punish her is getting worse.”
Things for Lexi and Twitch aren’t perfect especially when the ‘truth’ is revealed…
”If I had a heart it would break.”
Things go terribly wrong and Bella Aurora NAILS a jaw dropping ending that stuns a reader and leaves you thinking.
Overall, this was a hot fast paced read that I can see Goodreads friends either loving or hating it’s pretty much a toss up!
”What you want me to be…I can’t ever be. It’s not me.” My face turns cold. “I’m the villain in this story.”
”After all, the good girl always wants the bad boy. Doesn’t she?”
[image error]
Well that was entertaining!
I have to say that although there were several plot holes and Twitch’s reasons for stalking and wanting to destroy Lexi were just flat out odd and my reaction was quite frankly this A LOT of the story…
I still found this to be a very hot, fast paced read!
The story is told in alternate pov which I love and although both characters behavior was cuckoo to me. Truthfully, this stranger was HOT and I couldn’t get enough of his creepy/sexy vibe!
”Fuck, fuck, fuck! She likes the belt. No one likes the belt. It’s a fucking choker for christsakes.”
They fall in lust/love…
”I need her. I want her. I will own her. The need to punish her is getting worse.”
Things for Lexi and Twitch aren’t perfect especially when the ‘truth’ is revealed…
”If I had a heart it would break.”
Things go terribly wrong and Bella Aurora NAILS a jaw dropping ending that stuns a reader and leaves you thinking.
Overall, this was a hot fast paced read that I can see Goodreads friends either loving or hating it’s pretty much a toss up!
”What you want me to be…I can’t ever be. It’s not me.” My face turns cold. “I’m the villain in this story.”
January 23, 2014
First of all when I got the message from Belle Aurora about the ARC I flipped my shit because I LOVED Willing Captive. But then there was this list attached to it of all the deplorable things I had to do to get the ARC and well…I did THEM ALL! Just kidding, just numbers one through six, and a little bit of number 12 for good measure. hehe.
Secondly I want to say BRA-fucking-VO to Belle Aurora because this book is NOT a romance and she doesn't pretend that it's one either. It's a love story, just not the kind with an HEA, so DO NOT EXPECT ONE. She makes no apologies, it's just the way the story needed to be told, and she does a hell of a great job of telling it.
I have a confession. I LOVE TWITCH. Like Super Love Twitch. I know the author has no plans on a sequel, but I would like some MORE TWITCH. Please and thank you. There hasn't been a character as unique as him in a long while and I could go for Twitch round 2.
This book is taring up all the charts and has every reason to be because it really is unique and the writing is solid. I don't like leaving spoilers in my reviews but I will say that there is one moment that had me literally crying and I haven't cried that hard since writing The Dark Light of Day.
I don't need to tell you to add it to your TBR cause it's probably already on there.
Secondly I want to say BRA-fucking-VO to Belle Aurora because this book is NOT a romance and she doesn't pretend that it's one either. It's a love story, just not the kind with an HEA, so DO NOT EXPECT ONE. She makes no apologies, it's just the way the story needed to be told, and she does a hell of a great job of telling it.
I have a confession. I LOVE TWITCH. Like Super Love Twitch. I know the author has no plans on a sequel, but I would like some MORE TWITCH. Please and thank you. There hasn't been a character as unique as him in a long while and I could go for Twitch round 2.
This book is taring up all the charts and has every reason to be because it really is unique and the writing is solid. I don't like leaving spoilers in my reviews but I will say that there is one moment that had me literally crying and I haven't cried that hard since writing The Dark Light of Day.
I don't need to tell you to add it to your TBR cause it's probably already on there.
November 13, 2014
5 TWISTED, DAMAGED, ADDICTIVE STARS!!
This is how it began..
JUST DROPPED EVERYTHING..hellooo book *strokes phone* I have been waiting a long time for you (weird evil accent is being used) *kissy faces*
This is how it ended..
YOU BROKE ME BELLE! I kind of hate you right now but I still love ya!
when I saw ***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.*** my brain was like hah! its lies don't believe it, things always work out in Belle's books.right? RIGHT? ..oh hell no coz I was sooo wrong! Stupid little voice in my head trying to get me killed but I'm so glad I read this book because omg it's brilliant!
I usually stick to my happily ever afters, like come on don't we have enough bad shit in real life, why read about sad things huh? But then I have them days where I pick up a book and say break my heart baby..okay I don't really..I don't talk to books..pfft nah that ain't me..
But yeah sometimes you read a book that breaks your heart, turns you into an emotional mess and leaves you thinking about it forMonths and years days later and having the whole story flash in your mind and it haunts you all over again.
You’re nobody ‘til somebody loves you.
This isn't your normal love story, it won't leave you with bubbles of happiness and rainbows..nah it will crush you, haunt you, stalk you ;)
Right from the start the story gripped me and it never let me go.I finished this book all in one day as I couldn't stop reading it, even though at times I was confused, hurt angry and so many other emotions that I can't even name.
Addiction:-
The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something.
Synonyms: dependency, dependence, craving, habit, weakness, compulsion, fixation, enslavement
This is a story of an addict, of abuse, of hope, of destruction.
This is a story of two people being link by hurt, two people desperate to fill the void in their lives.
“We’re all addicted to something that takes away the pain.”
The characters are damaged both Lexi and Twitch have had a tough life.Their relationship is dysfunctional, colossal mess of hurt, love,lust, anger and yet there is so much more to it. Twitch..Oh Twitch my heart ached for him, for what he went through. I wanted to reach into the book and give him a big hug and make him feel loved because that's what he needed, what he lived without for too long. But then there were times I wanted to punch him in the face and scream at him for not being open, for not communicating, for being so damn hard to read!!
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
Lexi was a strong character, I really liked her even though I sometimes felt like omg why would you let him do that? Twitch became her weakness and in a way he was as much of her addiction as she was his.Being a victim of abuse, that will always stay with you no matter how old you get, no matter what happens. You can either live life thinking about it daily and being bitter about it or you can make something of yourself.You can rise above it.You can change and give someone the hope and help you never got. Lexi fell into the right side where as Twitch fell into the bad..but who are we to put people into boxes? Life is full of choices and this story shows you how your choices bring consequences sometimes good and sometimes bad.
Twitch isn't a hero.Twitch needs help. He won't save you if he is here to punish you.
First book of 2014 and Oh yes it started with a bang!
“What’s your name?”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll forget it once I’m gone.”
“No, I won’t.”
“I’m Twitch.
*ARC provided by thee awesome author for an honest review*
Check out my blog for more reviews!
Blog: http://zakirrahsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zakirr...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZBookBlog
This is how it began..
JUST DROPPED EVERYTHING..hellooo book *strokes phone* I have been waiting a long time for you (weird evil accent is being used) *kissy faces*
This is how it ended..
YOU BROKE ME BELLE! I kind of hate you right now but I still love ya!
when I saw ***Author Note: This is not a love story. This is a story of love gone wrong.*** my brain was like hah! its lies don't believe it, things always work out in Belle's books.right? RIGHT? ..oh hell no coz I was sooo wrong! Stupid little voice in my head trying to get me killed but I'm so glad I read this book because omg it's brilliant!
I usually stick to my happily ever afters, like come on don't we have enough bad shit in real life, why read about sad things huh? But then I have them days where I pick up a book and say break my heart baby..okay I don't really..I don't talk to books..pfft nah that ain't me..
But yeah sometimes you read a book that breaks your heart, turns you into an emotional mess and leaves you thinking about it for
You’re nobody ‘til somebody loves you.
This isn't your normal love story, it won't leave you with bubbles of happiness and rainbows..nah it will crush you, haunt you, stalk you ;)
Right from the start the story gripped me and it never let me go.I finished this book all in one day as I couldn't stop reading it, even though at times I was confused, hurt angry and so many other emotions that I can't even name.
Addiction:-
The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something.
Synonyms: dependency, dependence, craving, habit, weakness, compulsion, fixation, enslavement
This is a story of an addict, of abuse, of hope, of destruction.
This is a story of two people being link by hurt, two people desperate to fill the void in their lives.
“We’re all addicted to something that takes away the pain.”
The characters are damaged both Lexi and Twitch have had a tough life.Their relationship is dysfunctional, colossal mess of hurt, love,lust, anger and yet there is so much more to it. Twitch..Oh Twitch my heart ached for him, for what he went through. I wanted to reach into the book and give him a big hug and make him feel loved because that's what he needed, what he lived without for too long. But then there were times I wanted to punch him in the face and scream at him for not being open, for not communicating, for being so damn hard to read!!
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
Lexi was a strong character, I really liked her even though I sometimes felt like omg why would you let him do that? Twitch became her weakness and in a way he was as much of her addiction as she was his.Being a victim of abuse, that will always stay with you no matter how old you get, no matter what happens. You can either live life thinking about it daily and being bitter about it or you can make something of yourself.You can rise above it.You can change and give someone the hope and help you never got. Lexi fell into the right side where as Twitch fell into the bad..but who are we to put people into boxes? Life is full of choices and this story shows you how your choices bring consequences sometimes good and sometimes bad.
Twitch isn't a hero.Twitch needs help. He won't save you if he is here to punish you.
First book of 2014 and Oh yes it started with a bang!
“What’s your name?”
“Doesn’t matter. You’ll forget it once I’m gone.”
“No, I won’t.”
“I’m Twitch.
*ARC provided by thee awesome author for an honest review*
Check out my blog for more reviews!
Blog: http://zakirrahsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zakirr...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZBookBlog
January 12, 2016
“Not everyone can be a fairy-tale hero, The world needs villains too.”.
Did this book seriously end that way?
LIKE SERIOUSLY?!????
SO NOT COOL AUTHOR. LIKE OMFG; WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE HOW FURIOUS I AM AT THE MOMENT.
I hope their story continues. So many things were left unexplained. It feels unfinished. Like we still have business to settle.
I am so furious, I am actually sobbing because of how ANGRY I am feeling, more than angry, I feel betrayed. I know I am a hypocrite, wanting authors to have a realistic non-cliche ending, but WHAT THE HELL, I read for those HEAs!!! GIVE US THE CLICHE... PLEASE, I am begging you Belle Aurora.
What a well written book, my only problems are a few things left unexplained and the bloody ending. *still crying*
~
He’s a raging fire. And I’m a fragile moth fluttering into the flame.
Sooner or later, I’m going to get burned. I know this.
August 26, 2016
2.5 stars. I'm going soft. I can't believe I'm about to give a middling rating strictly based on some sort of connective emotion for a book which my brain is screaming at me to hate.
Honestly, I can't figure it out. The writing was sloppy in places, so many generic terms and nicknames were used, and we even had a TSTL heroine. Any one of these things alone can cause me to 1 star a book, and this time it was as if the "Stacia hates it" trifecta was out in full force.
Yet, here I am, not hating the book, even if I was hating on the main character. It was as if she didn't even want to try to consider common sense at all. Do I give her bonus points for knowing that she was part of the problem? I don't know.
Twitch was a horrible person, but he never claimed to be otherwise. I can get down for reading about characters who are who they are and make no apologies for it, even if what they are is nothing above despicable. At least evil isn't always boring.
What else drove my rating down : It always comes back to the heroine not taking enough time to think things through in her head. Look, I get the notion of acting without thinking. Most of us at one time or another have jumped feet first into a relationship or situation without considering the consequences. But after the initial warm fuzzies wear off, common sense starts kicking in. And if it's not kicking in, someone, somewhere is going to let you know at some point along the way that you are making a huge mistake (that's what friends and family love to do - tell you that your choices are shit). Oh wait, the friends in this story were unable to see what was wrong either.
Guess it sucks to be you, Lexi.
Speaking of the friends - the chapters with Lexi and her friends were boring as hell. Skim, skim, skim.
Random complaints : I am not buying that a 6 year old not only knows how to carve a name into a tree, but was able to remember and spell out a long (full) name having only heard it once. My kid is right around this age and yeah...it's not happening.
Also, the description of Lexi on coke sounded more like she was doing acid. Just sayin...
Why I still kept reading : I wanted to know how this train wreck could possibly turn out. What happens when the stalker with an agenda ends up questioning his own agenda?
The story itself had something which kept me interested enough to keep reading. The idea was a good one. I was instantly curious about the guy in a hoodie who was watching Lexi, especially after reading the prologue and knowing right away who he was, even when she didn't have a clue.
The build to the reveal at the end had me wondering if there was any way this couple could find a way to make it work, which is a point to the good side. I like to be strung along a little like that.
I actually thought the ending was a suitable one. It appears some people didn't like how the story wrapped up, but for me, it was a good stopping point. I honestly hope that this DOES NOT turn into an instance where the fans pressure the author for a book 2. The story can't go to a good place from here without getting tedious or repetitive. It's up to us as the reader to imagine what comes next. And I already decided in my head what has happened, so I don't want to be told otherwise that this isn't the case.
Who should read this book? Fans of anti-heroes, sociopaths (wait, are there actual fans of sociopaths?), or taboo mind fuck erotica with an emphasis on unconventional romance.
Who should not read this book? All of my fellow picky reader friends. You know who you are. Normally, I'd be on board with all of you in slamming the cliches present here, but I somehow found myself drawn in to the story in spite of the normal annoyance factors.
Okay, I'm officially getting off the taboo contemporary book train for a little while. It's been a weird ride this week. I'm ready to go back to the land of something else for the time being.
Honestly, I can't figure it out. The writing was sloppy in places, so many generic terms and nicknames were used, and we even had a TSTL heroine. Any one of these things alone can cause me to 1 star a book, and this time it was as if the "Stacia hates it" trifecta was out in full force.
Yet, here I am, not hating the book, even if I was hating on the main character. It was as if she didn't even want to try to consider common sense at all. Do I give her bonus points for knowing that she was part of the problem? I don't know.
"You, my dear, are a stupid ho."
Twitch was a horrible person, but he never claimed to be otherwise. I can get down for reading about characters who are who they are and make no apologies for it, even if what they are is nothing above despicable. At least evil isn't always boring.
"The world needs villains too."
What else drove my rating down : It always comes back to the heroine not taking enough time to think things through in her head. Look, I get the notion of acting without thinking. Most of us at one time or another have jumped feet first into a relationship or situation without considering the consequences. But after the initial warm fuzzies wear off, common sense starts kicking in. And if it's not kicking in, someone, somewhere is going to let you know at some point along the way that you are making a huge mistake (that's what friends and family love to do - tell you that your choices are shit). Oh wait, the friends in this story were unable to see what was wrong either.
Guess it sucks to be you, Lexi.
Speaking of the friends - the chapters with Lexi and her friends were boring as hell. Skim, skim, skim.
Random complaints : I am not buying that a 6 year old not only knows how to carve a name into a tree, but was able to remember and spell out a long (full) name having only heard it once. My kid is right around this age and yeah...it's not happening.
Also, the description of Lexi on coke sounded more like she was doing acid. Just sayin...
Why I still kept reading : I wanted to know how this train wreck could possibly turn out. What happens when the stalker with an agenda ends up questioning his own agenda?
The story itself had something which kept me interested enough to keep reading. The idea was a good one. I was instantly curious about the guy in a hoodie who was watching Lexi, especially after reading the prologue and knowing right away who he was, even when she didn't have a clue.
The build to the reveal at the end had me wondering if there was any way this couple could find a way to make it work, which is a point to the good side. I like to be strung along a little like that.
I actually thought the ending was a suitable one. It appears some people didn't like how the story wrapped up, but for me, it was a good stopping point. I honestly hope that this DOES NOT turn into an instance where the fans pressure the author for a book 2. The story can't go to a good place from here without getting tedious or repetitive. It's up to us as the reader to imagine what comes next. And I already decided in my head what has happened, so I don't want to be told otherwise that this isn't the case.
Who should read this book? Fans of anti-heroes, sociopaths (wait, are there actual fans of sociopaths?), or taboo mind fuck erotica with an emphasis on unconventional romance.
Who should not read this book? All of my fellow picky reader friends. You know who you are. Normally, I'd be on board with all of you in slamming the cliches present here, but I somehow found myself drawn in to the story in spite of the normal annoyance factors.
Okay, I'm officially getting off the taboo contemporary book train for a little while. It's been a weird ride this week. I'm ready to go back to the land of something else for the time being.
January 8, 2014
My first thoughts when I finished this were:
then I wondered how the eff am I going to review this.....Did I like it? Did I hate it? Do I like the characters? Do I loathe them? Am I happy with the way it ended? Is this book just completely weird?
Twitch is some kind of effed up...I mean CRAZY.....
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
and he has a little bit of an anger problem.
Alexa must be crazy too since she's not creeped out by him being her stalker...
Instead it comforts her....
"There’s something animalistic about this man. Something I want to be a part of. Something I want to be included in. He’s a force of nature."
and she starts wanting him and when they wind up together they get a little freaky deaky.
And Alexa likes it..A LOT!
And then Twitch stops being such a controlling ass and starts turning soft and falling in love with her.
“You’re nobody ‘til somebody loves you.”
But he realizes he can't go soft and doesn't need an attachment to her....
And Alexa kinda does some dumb shit oh and
Anyways, you will just have to read to find out what happens between them...
One plus from this book, NO ONE HAS GRAY EYES! Can you fucking believe it! A book without gray eyes! LOL!
I will say this book kept my attention and kept me wanting to know more, even if I didn't wind up completely satisfied with the way everything went down.
I was a little bit disappointed with Twitch's reasoning for getting Alexa and thought it could have been better developed.
I also thought there was quite a bit of skipping around and had to reread a few parts since it seemed they were at the club and then all of a sudden she's at home. IDK I guess I just felt there were a few holes.... All in all I still say its worth reading.
then I wondered how the eff am I going to review this.....Did I like it? Did I hate it? Do I like the characters? Do I loathe them? Am I happy with the way it ended? Is this book just completely weird?
Twitch is some kind of effed up...I mean CRAZY.....
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
and he has a little bit of an anger problem.
Alexa must be crazy too since she's not creeped out by him being her stalker...
Instead it comforts her....
"There’s something animalistic about this man. Something I want to be a part of. Something I want to be included in. He’s a force of nature."
and she starts wanting him and when they wind up together they get a little freaky deaky.
And Alexa likes it..A LOT!
And then Twitch stops being such a controlling ass and starts turning soft and falling in love with her.
“You’re nobody ‘til somebody loves you.”
But he realizes he can't go soft and doesn't need an attachment to her....
And Alexa kinda does some dumb shit oh and
Anyways, you will just have to read to find out what happens between them...
One plus from this book, NO ONE HAS GRAY EYES! Can you fucking believe it! A book without gray eyes! LOL!
I will say this book kept my attention and kept me wanting to know more, even if I didn't wind up completely satisfied with the way everything went down.
I was a little bit disappointed with Twitch's reasoning for getting Alexa and thought it could have been better developed.
I also thought there was quite a bit of skipping around and had to reread a few parts since it seemed they were at the club and then all of a sudden she's at home. IDK I guess I just felt there were a few holes.... All in all I still say its worth reading.
August 11, 2023
Sooo… this is one of those reads that’s nostalgic for me.
Back in 2014, I FLOVED it. I was obsessed. I cried when the book ended because of the damn Cliffy. Then I read books 2 and 3 when the pandemic hit. And y’all know, we don’t judge ourselves during the pandemic 😅🫣.
This used to be a book that I reread many times. Then I reread it in 2021 when I started adding safety info. And, well, I was shocked 😭. I forgot some stuff 🫣😅
So…
2020 Sonia and before 5 starred the ISH outta this book.
2023 Sonia? Umm… maybe like 3 stars lol again… the nostalgia is making me biased 🫣 (the ow scene is making me downgrade it).
Spoilers ahead:
Prologue is 20 years in the past. Alexa and Antonio Falco are next-door neighbors and she can tell he’s getting abused. He’s bleeding and this little Alexa uses a band-aid to try to help his cut 🥹 (which actually needs stitches). This interaction left a huge impression on little Antonio- but not necessarily for a good reason. She made him think people could be good- that they’re not all bad. And he faces reality when Alexa ends up moving away and he continues to be abused ☹️.
Decades later, Alexa’s in Australia working with troubled teens. On the way to her car one night, she gets assaulted, but then she gets saved by a man… a man she’s seen before, a man wearing a hoodie… a dangerous man 👀, one that’s been stalking and spying on her for a while. There’s this connection she feels for him; she can’t explain it, but it’s there.
She asks him to stay with her that night, and then she needs him to sleep; he’s “willing” to stay with her, but she needs to keep something in mind: he f’s dirty 😅.
Little does she know that the little boy from her childhood is the man that’s been stalking her for a while now 😬😅.
What I liked:
—the nostalgic feeling I get when I read this
—how obsessed Twitch is with Lexi. He knows everything about her… and he can’t stop stalking her. This man finds ways of forcing himself into her life. He starts becoming involved with the organization she works for (he also has a vested interest since he was an abused child/teen).
—the 🔥. Oh LAWD. It’s 🥵… a few of the 🔥 scenes from this book have lived rent-free in my head for YEARS 💦. There's the very first sex scene, the office scene (she has to talk to him while he satiates his hunger 😉), the CNC scene... I could go on... I'm not gonna lie; I don't mind rereading these scenes specifically lol
—CNC 🥵. This is the first book I ever read that had CNC in it, and you know what they say, you never forget your first 😅🤷🏻♀️😉
—the lengths he goes to for her... this man will do anything to protect her; he will sacrifice himself for her (and... well, he does)
—how OTT jp he is. He's so possessive... any man that wants or touches her are gonna feel his wrath
—touch her and die 😅😬🫣 (related to the previous bullet)
—the side characters: I FLOVE Happy, Nikki, Dave… also Michael 🥹 and Tahlia❤️. Her best friends (Dave and Nikki) are sooo damn amazing... and Happy too! Gah!
—the LGBTQ+ aspect. It’s subtly done, but it’s here. I loved that people don’t need labels to love other people 🤷🏻♀️❤️. A person is a person regardless of what gender they identify with 🥰. Plus, I wouldn't mind being in the same room as these people 👀
—the OMD. Look. There’s owd throughout the whole damn book, I’m gonna take all the OMD I can get 💅. I usually like a better balance (OMD versus OWD), so in order for me to stomach the OWD, I needed the OMD
—the few soft moments we get. Knowing how much of a shitty life Twitch has had, any time he showed his soft side, I took it...
—the angst... (not all of it). Man, I criiiiiied so many times! Ugh...
—the Cliffy was terrible. TEEEERRIBLE! But it made me cry. A LOOOOOOOT! I can’t believe BA wasn’t planning to write their HEA 😭 (if anyone read this when it first came out, she had a note at the end of the book saying she wasn't going to write a sequel to their story- which is why I was such a mess after 😭) I’m so glad she did.
What I didn’t like
—the OWD!!!! 🤬 Ling… 😤 I hated HATED her!! The scene where she “sits” on Twitch’s fingers (yeah, you know why 🤬) and he doesn’t really do anything to push her off PISSED ME OFF!!! The things I overlooked in 2020-Sonia-and-before 🤬. I consider this cheating in my book 🤷🏻♀️. She’s using his fingers to get herself off… and he doesn’t stop her… equals….
Cheating 😐
Lexi and Twitch were basically a couple; sure, not completely official (with a man like Twitch, it's not like he's going to ask her to be his girlfriend), but they were both obsessed with each other. Twitch couldn’t get tiny little Ling off of him? PU LEASE 🙄 GTFOH with that ish 🙄. I DGAF that she was his previous F buddy and they had a history... SHE'S. NOT. A. GOOD. PERSON!!!!
—I wanted some soft moments with Twitch and Lexi. I know- it’s a dark read, but considering how obsessed he is with her, I was surprised we didn’t see more of this 😏
—how quickly Lexi caves into Twitch. There’s push/pull, but I would’ve liked her to make him suffer some... ESPECIALLY after the Ling stuff 😐
—considering how obsessed Twitch has been, why was he such a damn manwhore, especially when he orchestrated the attempted SA 😐? I get it. He’s reluctant to have anything pure or good in his life…Sigh 😑. The only saving grace for this is that Lexi wasn't pining for him (or a virgin).
Overall, I still enjoyed it but I was definitely very VERY annoyed by the ow stuff
⚠️ safety squad ⚠️
-no sharing
-toooons of OWD!!! The H works with his previous f buddy who causes lots of drama. She’s a b to the h and feels extra salty because the H isn’t willing to f her anymore
-cheating? Eh depends on your definition. I think it is 🤷🏻♀️. The MCs were already intimate and obsessed with each other (but some can argue they weren’t “official” yet 😐) when the following scene happened:
-OW goes to H’s office. She touches/feels H and he doesn’t react- She grabs his fingers and uses them to masturbate when she straddles him 🤬. He tells her to hurry up and doesn’t move his fingers to help her get off and she stops when she realizes his fingers are just there 🤬😤
-OMD: when h is under the influence, she’s dancing sexually and grabs a OM and puts his hand and puts it on her p. Then she grinds her ass all over him. The H comes in and kicks his ass😅. Later she goes to a bar after H says the h is just “one of his girls” and flirts with OM2. She says she’ll F OM2 and then the H pulls a gun and threatens to kill him 😬
-violence/bloodshed/torture/deaths
-death of a side character
-child abuse is recalled
-attempted SA- the h is being assaulted when the H comes in and saves her
-drug use
-perceived death of a main character
-CLIFFY!
Back in 2014, I FLOVED it. I was obsessed. I cried when the book ended because of the damn Cliffy. Then I read books 2 and 3 when the pandemic hit. And y’all know, we don’t judge ourselves during the pandemic 😅🫣.
This used to be a book that I reread many times. Then I reread it in 2021 when I started adding safety info. And, well, I was shocked 😭. I forgot some stuff 🫣😅
So…
2020 Sonia and before 5 starred the ISH outta this book.
2023 Sonia? Umm… maybe like 3 stars lol again… the nostalgia is making me biased 🫣 (the ow scene is making me downgrade it).
Spoilers ahead:
Prologue is 20 years in the past. Alexa and Antonio Falco are next-door neighbors and she can tell he’s getting abused. He’s bleeding and this little Alexa uses a band-aid to try to help his cut 🥹 (which actually needs stitches). This interaction left a huge impression on little Antonio- but not necessarily for a good reason. She made him think people could be good- that they’re not all bad. And he faces reality when Alexa ends up moving away and he continues to be abused ☹️.
Decades later, Alexa’s in Australia working with troubled teens. On the way to her car one night, she gets assaulted, but then she gets saved by a man… a man she’s seen before, a man wearing a hoodie… a dangerous man 👀, one that’s been stalking and spying on her for a while. There’s this connection she feels for him; she can’t explain it, but it’s there.
She asks him to stay with her that night, and then she needs him to sleep; he’s “willing” to stay with her, but she needs to keep something in mind: he f’s dirty 😅.
Little does she know that the little boy from her childhood is the man that’s been stalking her for a while now 😬😅.
What I liked:
—the nostalgic feeling I get when I read this
—how obsessed Twitch is with Lexi. He knows everything about her… and he can’t stop stalking her. This man finds ways of forcing himself into her life. He starts becoming involved with the organization she works for (he also has a vested interest since he was an abused child/teen).
—the 🔥. Oh LAWD. It’s 🥵… a few of the 🔥 scenes from this book have lived rent-free in my head for YEARS 💦. There's the very first sex scene, the office scene (she has to talk to him while he satiates his hunger 😉), the CNC scene... I could go on... I'm not gonna lie; I don't mind rereading these scenes specifically lol
—CNC 🥵. This is the first book I ever read that had CNC in it, and you know what they say, you never forget your first 😅🤷🏻♀️😉
—the lengths he goes to for her... this man will do anything to protect her; he will sacrifice himself for her (and... well, he does)
—how OTT jp he is. He's so possessive... any man that wants or touches her are gonna feel his wrath
—touch her and die 😅😬🫣 (related to the previous bullet)
—the side characters: I FLOVE Happy, Nikki, Dave… also Michael 🥹 and Tahlia❤️. Her best friends (Dave and Nikki) are sooo damn amazing... and Happy too! Gah!
—the LGBTQ+ aspect. It’s subtly done, but it’s here. I loved that people don’t need labels to love other people 🤷🏻♀️❤️. A person is a person regardless of what gender they identify with 🥰. Plus, I wouldn't mind being in the same room as these people 👀
—the OMD. Look. There’s owd throughout the whole damn book, I’m gonna take all the OMD I can get 💅. I usually like a better balance (OMD versus OWD), so in order for me to stomach the OWD, I needed the OMD
—the few soft moments we get. Knowing how much of a shitty life Twitch has had, any time he showed his soft side, I took it...
—the angst... (not all of it). Man, I criiiiiied so many times! Ugh...
—the Cliffy was terrible. TEEEERRIBLE! But it made me cry. A LOOOOOOOT! I can’t believe BA wasn’t planning to write their HEA 😭 (if anyone read this when it first came out, she had a note at the end of the book saying she wasn't going to write a sequel to their story- which is why I was such a mess after 😭) I’m so glad she did.
What I didn’t like
—the OWD!!!! 🤬 Ling… 😤 I hated HATED her!! The scene where she “sits” on Twitch’s fingers (yeah, you know why 🤬) and he doesn’t really do anything to push her off PISSED ME OFF!!! The things I overlooked in 2020-Sonia-and-before 🤬. I consider this cheating in my book 🤷🏻♀️. She’s using his fingers to get herself off… and he doesn’t stop her… equals….
Cheating 😐
Lexi and Twitch were basically a couple; sure, not completely official (with a man like Twitch, it's not like he's going to ask her to be his girlfriend), but they were both obsessed with each other. Twitch couldn’t get tiny little Ling off of him? PU LEASE 🙄 GTFOH with that ish 🙄. I DGAF that she was his previous F buddy and they had a history... SHE'S. NOT. A. GOOD. PERSON!!!!
—I wanted some soft moments with Twitch and Lexi. I know- it’s a dark read, but considering how obsessed he is with her, I was surprised we didn’t see more of this 😏
—how quickly Lexi caves into Twitch. There’s push/pull, but I would’ve liked her to make him suffer some... ESPECIALLY after the Ling stuff 😐
—considering how obsessed Twitch has been, why was he such a damn manwhore, especially when he orchestrated the attempted SA 😐? I get it. He’s reluctant to have anything pure or good in his life…Sigh 😑. The only saving grace for this is that Lexi wasn't pining for him (or a virgin).
Overall, I still enjoyed it but I was definitely very VERY annoyed by the ow stuff
⚠️ safety squad ⚠️
-no sharing
-toooons of OWD!!! The H works with his previous f buddy who causes lots of drama. She’s a b to the h and feels extra salty because the H isn’t willing to f her anymore
-cheating? Eh depends on your definition. I think it is 🤷🏻♀️. The MCs were already intimate and obsessed with each other (but some can argue they weren’t “official” yet 😐) when the following scene happened:
-OW goes to H’s office. She touches/feels H and he doesn’t react- She grabs his fingers and uses them to masturbate when she straddles him 🤬. He tells her to hurry up and doesn’t move his fingers to help her get off and she stops when she realizes his fingers are just there 🤬😤
-OMD: when h is under the influence, she’s dancing sexually and grabs a OM and puts his hand and puts it on her p. Then she grinds her ass all over him. The H comes in and kicks his ass😅. Later she goes to a bar after H says the h is just “one of his girls” and flirts with OM2. She says she’ll F OM2 and then the H pulls a gun and threatens to kill him 😬
-violence/bloodshed/torture/deaths
-death of a side character
-child abuse is recalled
-attempted SA- the h is being assaulted when the H comes in and saves her
-drug use
-perceived death of a main character
-CLIFFY!
February 8, 2017
Re-read: 02.11.2016
I think I liked this book more the second time around...yeah, I really think I did. Twitch still does something to my obvious sick heart and while Alexa still annoys me at time, I don't mind her so much because Twitch makes up for it. The story is still sick, devastation, sexy and raw. And wild, even the second time around reading it. I'm also very sure I'll re-read this yet again in the future. Though after hearing a bit about book #2 in this series, I'm not feeling it to continue the series...cuz I only want Twitch.
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary (Dark) Romance
Series: - Series (Trilogy?), Book One
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Twitch.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Rating - 4 *sick is what I am* stars.
First read review:
My casting:
This is probably one of the weirdest and strangest, yet good book that I have ever read. The ending had me crying like a little baby who just lost her puppy!! I sincerely hope that Bella Aurora will be nice to us and write more.
You're probably wondering why I only gave this book 4/3 stars, and to be honest, this book was a bit to crazy for me. Though, I loved some parts of the book, I still couldn't love the whole part. It was probably too 'raw' for me :P Hehe. But I do recommend people to read this because it's something 'completely out of character, mind blowing and crazy shit' kind of book.
When I started reading this book, I did not expect this.. Let's just say that I got one hell of a surprise and do I regret it? HELL NO! I'm sure that in the future I will re-read this awesome book with these awesome, yet scary characters :)!
This book left me feeling dirty but also kinda hot and wet.. so I guess I should just stop writing and just end it with: I really liked the book, but sometimes it was too much for me.
Rate: 4/3 *shocking, what the hell did i just read?!* stars.
I think I liked this book more the second time around...yeah, I really think I did. Twitch still does something to my obvious sick heart and while Alexa still annoys me at time, I don't mind her so much because Twitch makes up for it. The story is still sick, devastation, sexy and raw. And wild, even the second time around reading it. I'm also very sure I'll re-read this yet again in the future. Though after hearing a bit about book #2 in this series, I'm not feeling it to continue the series...cuz I only want Twitch.
“He thinks of everybody as nobody. If you don’t give up on him, he’ll make you somebody.”
Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary (Dark) Romance
Series: - Series (Trilogy?), Book One
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Twitch.
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Rating - 4 *sick is what I am* stars.
First read review:
“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.”
My casting:
“You can push a person to change, but the only time the change will stick is when it's something they want to achieve on their own.”
This is probably one of the weirdest and strangest, yet good book that I have ever read. The ending had me crying like a little baby who just lost her puppy!! I sincerely hope that Bella Aurora will be nice to us and write more.
“This body is mine to do with what I want. And if you’re good, I’ll make you come. If you’re bad, I’ll leave you hanging. In saying that, I know you’re going to be a good girl. Because you definitely don’t want to disappoint me. Do you, Lexi?”
You're probably wondering why I only gave this book 4/3 stars, and to be honest, this book was a bit to crazy for me. Though, I loved some parts of the book, I still couldn't love the whole part. It was probably too 'raw' for me :P Hehe. But I do recommend people to read this because it's something 'completely out of character, mind blowing and crazy shit' kind of book.
“Sometimes good people have to do bad things. It’s nothing personal. It’s just life,”
When I started reading this book, I did not expect this.. Let's just say that I got one hell of a surprise and do I regret it? HELL NO! I'm sure that in the future I will re-read this awesome book with these awesome, yet scary characters :)!
“Not everyone can be a fairy-tale hero.” He pauses a moment, then adds, “The world needs villains too.”
This book left me feeling dirty but also kinda hot and wet.. so I guess I should just stop writing and just end it with: I really liked the book, but sometimes it was too much for me.
Rate: 4/3 *shocking, what the hell did i just read?!* stars.
November 6, 2016
This book is REALLY messed up.
This book really messed ME up.
Raw was nowhere near my cup of tea but god was it intriguing. There was some fucked up shit going on but there was just something about this book that kept me going until the end.
I didn't condone about 99 percent of the things that were done and happened in this book, and to be honest I'm not even sure if I LIKED this book but this was one hell of a train wreck. And I love a train wreck. XD
And that EPILOGUE...
This book really messed ME up.
Raw was nowhere near my cup of tea but god was it intriguing. There was some fucked up shit going on but there was just something about this book that kept me going until the end.
I didn't condone about 99 percent of the things that were done and happened in this book, and to be honest I'm not even sure if I LIKED this book but this was one hell of a train wreck. And I love a train wreck. XD
And that EPILOGUE...
January 5, 2014
4.5 Hot Hooded stars...
“There’s something about Twitch. He’s just…raw. Everything about him is raw. And gritty. And unbound. He’s a raging fire. And I’m a fragile moth fluttering into the flame. Sooner or later, I’m going to get burned. I know this. Will I even survive the heat? How can I trust this man after everything we’ve been through in such a short time?”
Well get me on the Belle bandwagon, this is the first book I have read by this author and I LOVED IT!
This was a nonstop addictive read. One I relished and read in a calculative way as to not miss any piece of Lexi and Twitch's story. I loved both MC’s as well as the secondary characters. They all had unique, interesting, flawed, loveable, damaged characteristics allowing me to get enough of them to want more. Some I will not soon forget and some I hope to read more about *hint… to the author.
Even though I sort of knew where the story was going, I enjoyed the entire journey and I especially enjoyed the relationship development between Lexi and Twitch as well as the melting of his cold Grinch-like heart.
I think the ending was perfectly selfless and was so fitting for Lexi and Twitch. I know many readers are enraged and shocked, but I thought it was primo. It is best to not read any reviews with spoilers. I had no idea how it would end and I liked it that way.
Some lasting moments:
“I’ve never been with a man who has a piercing before. The bar goes vertically, with one silver ball resting on the sensitive underside, and the other just where the head starts on the top of his shaft. He’s thick. He’s long. He’s smooth. He’s impressive.“
“If you promise to never leave me, I will love you. And be good to you. I’ll treat you like a queen.”
“I don’t like labels. I won’t be defined by words like normal, unbalanced, or damaged. There’s so much more to me than words. I have layers, just like the next person, and if you picked me apart layer-by-layer, you’d find a blackened crust where my heart should be. But ever since Lexi came into my life, a thin bud of greenery sprouted there, giving me hope that even I could be the person who makes someone’s day better.”
“There’s something about Twitch. He’s just…raw. Everything about him is raw. And gritty. And unbound. He’s a raging fire. And I’m a fragile moth fluttering into the flame. Sooner or later, I’m going to get burned. I know this. Will I even survive the heat? How can I trust this man after everything we’ve been through in such a short time?”
Well get me on the Belle bandwagon, this is the first book I have read by this author and I LOVED IT!
This was a nonstop addictive read. One I relished and read in a calculative way as to not miss any piece of Lexi and Twitch's story. I loved both MC’s as well as the secondary characters. They all had unique, interesting, flawed, loveable, damaged characteristics allowing me to get enough of them to want more. Some I will not soon forget and some I hope to read more about *hint… to the author.
Even though I sort of knew where the story was going, I enjoyed the entire journey and I especially enjoyed the relationship development between Lexi and Twitch as well as the melting of his cold Grinch-like heart.
I think the ending was perfectly selfless and was so fitting for Lexi and Twitch. I know many readers are enraged and shocked, but I thought it was primo. It is best to not read any reviews with spoilers. I had no idea how it would end and I liked it that way.
Some lasting moments:
“I’ve never been with a man who has a piercing before. The bar goes vertically, with one silver ball resting on the sensitive underside, and the other just where the head starts on the top of his shaft. He’s thick. He’s long. He’s smooth. He’s impressive.“
“If you promise to never leave me, I will love you. And be good to you. I’ll treat you like a queen.”
“I don’t like labels. I won’t be defined by words like normal, unbalanced, or damaged. There’s so much more to me than words. I have layers, just like the next person, and if you picked me apart layer-by-layer, you’d find a blackened crust where my heart should be. But ever since Lexi came into my life, a thin bud of greenery sprouted there, giving me hope that even I could be the person who makes someone’s day better.”
October 27, 2014
"I’m so ashamed of myself for wanting this. His brand of sex comes with a warning label. That should make me want to run in the opposite direction.-Lexi"
Raw is one sexy and dirty read! We have a sweet heroine who has overcome a challenging childhood. Lexi has devoted her life to helping others. As a case worker, she hands out love and strength like air. She has good friends and a good life. She also has a stalker.
Twitch is hard, plays things dirty, and lives life on the wild side. He too has suffered through a difficult childhood. He has a secret. He wants Lexi. He wants to play with her like a dog and a new toy! There is only one problem that Twitch hasn't prepared for...he falls in love with Lexi.
"Running a hand down my face, I think long and hard about what needs to be done, all the while knowing I won’t ever let her go."-Twitch
When Lexi is with Twitch, she forgets everything about being good. She is reckless and free and she loves it! Twitch begins to see Lexi as a part of him.
Twitch falls hard for Lexi. The sexual chemistry between these two is off the chart. Scandalous and sweet all at once. Lexi and Twitch fall into a comfortable routine. Lexi even helps tame the beast that lives deep within Twitch. Her love begins to heal him.
“ No one touches you. You got that ? As long as I want you, no one else gets you, and after I’m done with you…” He licks my jawline. My eyes flutter. He presses his erection into my thigh. “… you’ll be forever unsatisfied. No one will ever take care of you the way I can. The way I know you want it. I know what you need, Lexi, even if you don’t know it yourself. But I’ll teach you.”-Twitch
Lexi knows that she should walk away. She cannot. She won't. Even when she makes big mistakes.
Overall, Raw was an excellent read. The emotional development could have been stronger. The characters were obviously physically attracted to one another. I would have liked to have seem a little more emotion from our hero. (I know he is damaged and a super bad ass...but still). Now for the killer of this book. Please do not view this spoiler if you don't want to know what happens. And what is the hardest pill to swallow? We don't know if there will be a follow up.
After reading raw....you will need to hit this:
and then do a little of this:
What is the moral of this review:
1) I love bad boys
2) I love strong heroines
3) I love HEA.....and when I don't get one I feel like this:
And yet, this book was fabulous! I would totally recommend it!
Raw is one sexy and dirty read! We have a sweet heroine who has overcome a challenging childhood. Lexi has devoted her life to helping others. As a case worker, she hands out love and strength like air. She has good friends and a good life. She also has a stalker.
Twitch is hard, plays things dirty, and lives life on the wild side. He too has suffered through a difficult childhood. He has a secret. He wants Lexi. He wants to play with her like a dog and a new toy! There is only one problem that Twitch hasn't prepared for...he falls in love with Lexi.
"Running a hand down my face, I think long and hard about what needs to be done, all the while knowing I won’t ever let her go."-Twitch
When Lexi is with Twitch, she forgets everything about being good. She is reckless and free and she loves it! Twitch begins to see Lexi as a part of him.
Twitch falls hard for Lexi. The sexual chemistry between these two is off the chart. Scandalous and sweet all at once. Lexi and Twitch fall into a comfortable routine. Lexi even helps tame the beast that lives deep within Twitch. Her love begins to heal him.
“ No one touches you. You got that ? As long as I want you, no one else gets you, and after I’m done with you…” He licks my jawline. My eyes flutter. He presses his erection into my thigh. “… you’ll be forever unsatisfied. No one will ever take care of you the way I can. The way I know you want it. I know what you need, Lexi, even if you don’t know it yourself. But I’ll teach you.”-Twitch
Lexi knows that she should walk away. She cannot. She won't. Even when she makes big mistakes.
Overall, Raw was an excellent read. The emotional development could have been stronger. The characters were obviously physically attracted to one another. I would have liked to have seem a little more emotion from our hero. (I know he is damaged and a super bad ass...but still). Now for the killer of this book. Please do not view this spoiler if you don't want to know what happens. And what is the hardest pill to swallow? We don't know if there will be a follow up.
After reading raw....you will need to hit this:
and then do a little of this:
What is the moral of this review:
1) I love bad boys
2) I love strong heroines
3) I love HEA.....and when I don't get one I feel like this:
And yet, this book was fabulous! I would totally recommend it!
February 2, 2014
What the fucking fuck?! Seriously?! Okay. I can't even! I'm sobbing! Holy shit, OMG! WTF? And that epilogue? There better be a second book. That is just cruel and, and, fucking hell I'm so wrecked right now.
Full review when I can form a coherent thought because right now I'm so stunned and my heart hurts and I'm pissed! Fuck me this is just... Where's my tissues.
---------------
I sure as hell don't know who Twitch is but I'm eager to find out!
ETA: 9/30/2013 - Eager isn't a strong enough word...
Full review when I can form a coherent thought because right now I'm so stunned and my heart hurts and I'm pissed! Fuck me this is just... Where's my tissues.
---------------
I sure as hell don't know who Twitch is but I'm eager to find out!
ETA: 9/30/2013 - Eager isn't a strong enough word...
February 24, 2017
This is not a love story.
I love books that illustrate a really good borderline-psychopath stalker.
Twitch is the perfect example. He is not the cute type of stalker. He is a criminal, with a dirty soul. The worst kind. For some reason he blames Lexi for anything bad that has happen to him since he was a child. And when the time comes, Lexi has to pay. Lexi has to be broken.
Twitch and Lexi’s love story is purely complicated, heartbreaking and breathtaking.
They know they are bad for each other and they cannot be apart.
And
And
This is not a story with a happy ending. I cried my eyes out. It has an ending that breaks your heart and makes you crave for more.
I LOVED, LOVED this book.
It is dirty, raw, sick, devastating, crazy, dark, just wrong.
(I gave 4 stars instead of 5, because I believe that some of the BDSM references in the book were completely irrelevant and unnecessary)
I love books that illustrate a really good borderline-psychopath stalker.
Twitch is the perfect example. He is not the cute type of stalker. He is a criminal, with a dirty soul. The worst kind. For some reason he blames Lexi for anything bad that has happen to him since he was a child. And when the time comes, Lexi has to pay. Lexi has to be broken.
You feeling uncomfortable?” I immediately nod. Squeezing my ass once more, he places his lips at the shell of my ear. “Good. Get used to it. Because I’m going to do bad things to you.”
Twitch and Lexi’s love story is purely complicated, heartbreaking and breathtaking.
They know they are bad for each other and they cannot be apart.
“There's something about Twitch.
He's just...raw. Everything about him is raw. And gritty. And unbound.
He's a raging fire. And I'm a fragile moth fluttering into the flame. Sooner or later, I'm going to get burned. I know this. Will I even survive the heat?”
And
“I need to walk away from you.”
His nose runs up the length of mine and my eyes flutter closed. His bottom lip barely touches my top one as he whispers back, “What makes you think I’ll let you, Alexa?”
And
“Walking away, I mentally hear glass cracking under my feet because I step right over my shattered heart.”
This is not a story with a happy ending. I cried my eyes out. It has an ending that breaks your heart and makes you crave for more.
I LOVED, LOVED this book.
It is dirty, raw, sick, devastating, crazy, dark, just wrong.
(I gave 4 stars instead of 5, because I believe that some of the BDSM references in the book were completely irrelevant and unnecessary)
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