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My father was a King and had built his kingdom from the ground up with his best friend Ryker. But the crown weighs heavy on the head, and it had killed him when I was fourteen years old. And it had started the domino effect of destroying my life. I fought my way through the streets to survive and thought enough time had passed for me to safely return to my home; I’d only wanted to watch from a far.
I’d been wrong to think I could just watch though because the new King, my father’s best friend has decided that it’s time for me to take my rightful place on the throne.
As his Queen.
Ryker Lawson is a ruthless King, using fear and pain to eliminate threats to his people, but it’s come at a cost. His soul is now as dark as his city.
He wants to own me.
Consume me.
Possess my every thought and craving and also cater to my every need.
His desires are darker than his soul and if I'm not careful, he'll devour me with them.
Can passion glow through the darkness?

353 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2022

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A.M. McCoy

17 books527 followers

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5 stars
186 (48%)
4 stars
113 (29%)
3 stars
54 (14%)
2 stars
17 (4%)
1 star
10 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for ❁ lilyreadsromance ❁.
1,777 reviews1,049 followers
May 5, 2022
I am pleasantly surprised by the journey that this book brought me to.

Elora is a princess to an organized crime kingdom but since the death of her beloved father, she found herself drifting and alone.

Ryker is the current king of the kingdom and he too was hugely impacted by the death of his bestfriend. He thought the girl he left behind was flourishing elsewhere from the dangerous life he lived in but when she walked into his club one night, that assumption dashed. Now, he won't let her go again.

Now, onto my review. It was glorious! I enjoyed it very much. There's a lot of smut heading your way, so be prepared. It might've not be that creative in plot, but it was a very easy to read, attention grabbing sort of book. Not to mention how freaking explosive this couple is. Something that I also notice was how good Elora gave, as much as she received from Ryker. I feel like there's no power imbalance between these two people and I really like that in my romance.

All in all, hell yes, you should try this one out.
Profile Image for Robin.
37 reviews3 followers
Read
April 21, 2022
DNF. The heroine really annoyed me and not that I’m for slut shaming or anything but the heroine acted really slutty.
Profile Image for ra.ra.reads.
141 reviews
April 18, 2022
Dark mafia romance

Age-gap, Dad’s best friend, mafia, morally-grey alpha-hole in a dark romance? Yes, please!
Elora and Ryker are explosive together. This man…..phew, he will have you biting your knuckles and begging for more. 🥵🥵😈😈
A beautiful story of love and loss, and redemption and revenge. Elora Dax gripped me right from the beginning and held me through a wild, sexy and steamy ride.
Loved this book! I need more on the supporting cast and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Profile Image for BrekkeReads.
15 reviews3 followers
April 16, 2022
I am currently a little over a third of the way through this book and I am completely spell bound by it. I will update this review once I am finished reading it, but had to give my first impressions. When I am reading a book and I get lost in the story I am hooked. When I can't stop thinking about it while I am at work or grocery shopping, I know I will be searching out other books by this author. A.M. McCoy has done age gap justice, I have read a few others and they are so unbelievable I tend to stay away from them, but Ry and Elora fit so well together. If you are on the fence about this book, if the first third is any indication of how this story will play out, it's only going to get better!

EDITED TO ADD: Finished and it did get better (if that was possible) This book got me emotional, riled up, in tears, and HOT! The spice in this book kept getting hotter and hotter! And what I wouldn't give to read a novella of what happens next...what Ry promised Elora 🔥🔥🔥 Yes Please!!!
Profile Image for Christina.
68 reviews13 followers
April 13, 2022
I really, really, REALLY enjoyed this book. For me the taboo factor and age gap was done perfectly (it is only a 15 year one). The plot of the book is very easy to follow and grabs you instantly. I could not put it down once I started. I loved how throughout it Elora really comes into her own and Ryker is the perfect alphamale in dominance and possessiveness. I knew going in that the book was going to spicy, but man I was not expecting this level of spice 🥵. Highly recommend if you are a fan of dark romance.

CW: mentions of child abuse, dubious consent, bits of violence

Sidenote: I badly want a Carly and Jed story to follow this.
Profile Image for Molly.
393 reviews4 followers
April 18, 2022
I loved everything about this book!! The spice, the age gap (older man), the storyline! It was amazing. I couldn't put this book down. There was a perfect amount of taboo (dad's best friend, age gap) to really keep the story going without it being too much. Elora truly steps into her role as Mafia Queen beside her King, standing up for herself and being a strong woman. Ryker toes a fine line learning what Elora likes and dislikes but when he does it right... phew it's hot. It was soo good!!
Profile Image for Lenet.
185 reviews4 followers
June 23, 2023
DNF at 60%

I didn’t finish it but I felt like I didn’t really need to. I skimmed ahead and found out I was right 😂 it’s not a bad book but after 60% I pretty much knew what was going to happen and it did. 🤷🏽‍♀️
Profile Image for Joli Wallace.
43 reviews3 followers
April 15, 2022
great read for anyone who loves Mafia!

I think my favorite part is the banter. Always the banter for me. Ryker and Elora are two pieces to one whole and are just as stubborn as the other. But even when they’re hating each other, you KNOW nothing can come between them.
And the spicy scenes?! Yes! So many of them and I love that they were never repetitive. Kept things new and fresh and HOT every time.
Profile Image for Kirsty Allison.
25 reviews
April 16, 2022
HOT 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Amazing book that kept you on your toes wondering what was gonna happen next. With a lot of spice 🔥😍
Profile Image for Kim Merrill.
30 reviews
April 14, 2022
This book is amazing storyline is Really good keeps you guessing and perfect amount of spice🥵❤️
Profile Image for Country Bookworm.
225 reviews2 followers
October 7, 2022
I read this after seeing it on TikTok and I can honestly say that it did not disappoint. It had me in freaking tears in the vey beginning and I was scared to continue but once I opened this book, I COULD NOT put it down. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. The loyalty Jed showed Elora was astounding. To stare down a crime boss just because he is being an ass shows he really truly cared about Elora's safety. Something she hadn't had since she was 16. I'm not usually a fan of the mafia/crime stuff but this was AMAZEBALLS!!!!
Profile Image for Lil Red Reviews.
169 reviews18 followers
July 29, 2023
To be his queen

I thoroughly enjoyed this dark Romance read. The forbidden elements are on point. I really do love a dads best friend read. The romance/love starts pretty quickly because of all the history between the 2 characters. This was 4.5/5 ( loved it so I rounded up the stars)2 things kept it from being a 5 star read for me. One single slice of a smex scene near the end where he says some thing like " I needed to hate f*ck you into being a woman." And she thanks him it was so out of character of this book and these characters and slightly gave me an ick. Also, once he handcuffed her... How that ended was pretty predictable. I think some times Ryker should have groveled more than be did just on principle lol. But I would recommend this and reread it :)
Profile Image for Harleen.
59 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2022
If you love Dark romance, Age gap (Dad’s best friend) mafia, morally grey love interest, possessiveness, touch her I’ll kill you vibes and a HEA! Then you are in for a wild ride! Buckle up because you are in for one spicy plot driven story. 🥵👌🏼 Be prepared for a new book boyfriend who will surely make you want more. The plot was well thought out, interesting and easy to follow. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it. It was really good!! Check TW. But overall would recommend, especially if you are a dark romance reader! Or just fancy a new sexy as sin, dominant, swoon worthy book boyfriend😉
Profile Image for Ioanna_loves_books.
39 reviews2 followers
April 20, 2022
A dark mafia romance – Please check TW
This is the love story of Ryker and his Queen, Elora. When she was 14 years old only two men were important to her, her dad and Ryker. When the first one is killed, Ryker fails to protect Elora from her mother. When she goes with her friends to celebrate her 21st birthday, these two reunite in a spectacular way.
Ryker is a morally grey protective jealous alpha who takes no prisoners for his Queen. Elora even though inexperienced she knows how to hold her own and stands rightfully next to Ryker, claiming her dad’s legacy.
This is a hot hot dark mafia romance with twists and turns but with a definite HEA for this strong couple.
“I feel nothing, for anyone else but you. And for you, I feel the entire world” ….I need a Ryker in my life…
Plot 3.5
Spice 4
The spice was deliciously good so I round it up to 4 stars
Profile Image for readingromancehea.
515 reviews99 followers
March 22, 2023
Elora was there when she watched her father pass away. Then she watches the only other man that she's ever loved leave her behind. She has to spend years by herself trying to survive without both of those men. On her birthday she goes to a club and that other man finds her. What could go wrong with that conversation?

It's a horrible feeling watching someone struggle to survive when they should've had support. Having Ryker leave was the second worst thing to ever happen to Elora. Elora is extremely sneaky and always running. Elora's birthday was a nightmare. I love Elora's attitude and spunk. She can definitely handle Ryker. The tension is real. That first time at Lux was unexpected. The ending was perfect.

I enjoyed this book so much. I couldn't put it down. I was laughing and crying. Very emotional. This is worth the read. Definitely recommend.
Profile Image for Shirley.
38 reviews
May 6, 2023
This book gave me all the feels. Elora suffered great loss and then paid for it by her sadistic mother. Ryker also suffered this same loss, then shut off completely and became a ruthless king.

Elora grew up, became a smart mouthed, strong willed bad ass. Stumbling into ryker world again was a shock to even her, but you can tell these 2 had high passion for each other.

This book was hot 😮‍💨🔥🥵. The age gap wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, may be a little weird for some as he was there when she was born. Worth the read!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️����️🌶️
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Christina Ward.
115 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2024
A.M. McCoy 😍😍😍

This author is quickly becoming one of my favorite! I absolutely love the ability she has to create a story that has plot and steam! I kept guessing through the entire book about the mysterious identity of one character, and the steamy scenes were delivering! 🫦🤤 The characters in this book, for me, were very likable. The world building was great! Looking forward to the second in the series!
Profile Image for Kaitlin Elise.
63 reviews
September 24, 2022
I didn’t hate it. Actually, the story was sweet and I’m always hooked with some good age-gap, forbidden vibes. It felt a little drawn out and slightly repetitive, but overall, not a bad read.

I was so distracted by the grammatical errors. Sometimes, they’re all I could see. 😭 I probably would’ve given it a higher rating if I could’ve seen past them.
Profile Image for Amanda Tremblay.
203 reviews
October 5, 2022
Tons of dirty talk and spicy scenes. I really enjoyed the book but there were a lot of grammatical errors that I had to push through. But other than that it was good. I’ll definitely be reading book two and hoping that there are less errors so I can focus more on the over all story! I’m excited to see more of Carly and definitely more of Jed!
155 reviews
June 9, 2024
Really good…but

POSSIBLE SPOILERS!
I wish she would have stayed mad at him longer and made him actually work for her forgiveness. Not only when she first came back into his life but during their fights. She let him off way too easy. She is a freaking queen! Make him grovel on his knees!
Profile Image for Rebecca Althoff.
19 reviews
November 28, 2024
I really liked this book! It has A LOT of spice (like so much so, I actually forgot the plot of the story a few times) my only issue was that the actual plot (Elora Dax being hunted down by a rival family and a mini war breaking out) went really fast and didn't make me feel connected to the story, if that makes sense. But, all in all, definitely a good read if you want pure unadulterated spice!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jessica Puryear.
49 reviews2 followers
April 25, 2022
3.5 read
This was a good easy read that had good plot and some spice sprinkled in. I enjoyed the read overall but could have easily moved this to a solid 4* read with some more character development in the beginning.
94 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2022
mystery & romance

Love the age gap & even more how Elora wasn’t a vapid weak heroine. She was strong and demanded so much respect. Absolutely loved everything about this book! HEA and no cliffhanger
Profile Image for Sarah.
571 reviews3 followers
October 15, 2022
Had so much potential and fell flat. I loved him so possessive and jealous and hot. She was boring and not very good at taking care of herself and fought for one whole chapter before giving in. I got bored half way through and only finished for him.
Profile Image for Josie.
1 review
March 14, 2023
dark, interesting storyline

The storyline is a little darker than I was expecting, especially the dark turn the main character took. I wish there had been more character development and more realistic elements added throughout the book as well.
311 reviews9 followers
April 19, 2022
It was going great, but then the cliches started rolling in one after another. Especially when it came to the heroine. Cliche. Cliche. Did I mention cliche?
Profile Image for Nicole.
354 reviews6 followers
December 11, 2022
McCoy definitely knows how to write! Eliot’s is a queen in her own right and the way Ryker loves her is profound!
Profile Image for Tabitha.
277 reviews2 followers
January 1, 2023
Oh man, I love me an age-gap story, and this one was one I loved! Ryker and Elora were fire together and I loved them!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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