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Snow White #1
Velvet Cruelty
Once upon a time I was promised to a powerful man. I was raised to be dutiful and innocent. But on my wedding day, I'm stolen by four men. Men who loathe my fiancé. They're going to use me to fulfill their vendetta.
One of them only wants my body.
One of them wants me as his wife.
Another one offers freedom... at a price.
And the last wants me dead.
I was raised to be a good society wife. Now I'm facing a battle of wits and breathless desire. My only hope is to set aside my innocence. Or learn to use it as a weapon.
Author's Note: VELVET CRUELTY is a scorching romance between a woman and four beautifully dangerous men in which she never has to choose. Read at your own discretion.
Welcome to the Midnight Dynasty... The warring Morelli and Constantine families have enough bad blood to fill an ocean, and their brand new stories will be told by your favorite dangerous romance authors.
WARNING: This book is intended for readers eighteen years old and over. It contains material that some readers could find disturbing. Enter at your own risk...
One of them only wants my body.
One of them wants me as his wife.
Another one offers freedom... at a price.
And the last wants me dead.
I was raised to be a good society wife. Now I'm facing a battle of wits and breathless desire. My only hope is to set aside my innocence. Or learn to use it as a weapon.
Author's Note: VELVET CRUELTY is a scorching romance between a woman and four beautifully dangerous men in which she never has to choose. Read at your own discretion.
Welcome to the Midnight Dynasty... The warring Morelli and Constantine families have enough bad blood to fill an ocean, and their brand new stories will be told by your favorite dangerous romance authors.
WARNING: This book is intended for readers eighteen years old and over. It contains material that some readers could find disturbing. Enter at your own risk...
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2022
About the author
Eve Dangerfield
31 books1,409 followersEve Dangerfield has loved romance novels ever since she first swiped her grandmother’s paperbacks. Now she writes her own stories about complicated women and gorgeous-but-slightly-tortured men. Her work has been described as 'genre-defying,' and ‘the defibrillator contemporary romance needs right now'. And not just by those who might one day need bone marrow! She lives in Melbourne with her beautiful family and can generally be found making a mess.
www.instagram.com/evedangerfield/
www.instagram.com/evedangerfield/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
February 17, 2023
3 stars. a step-by-step guide on how to get her 😍 (a dark romance heroine, if you insist on asking) dripping ✨wet✨:
— kidnap her on her wedding day with your 3 most trusted buddies. the more the merrier 😌
— all of you mafia buddies gotta start sexually harassing her THE VERY moment she comes to her senses. in the matters of seduction, every second counts 💫
— tell her she's just a means to an end in your revenge scheme against her fiancé. what kind of a self-respecting lady doesn't like a spicy monte cristo that takes it all out on innocent women/children? 😍
— give her sweet nicknames — whore/Tits/bitch... the options are vast but choose the least original ones. make it count, make it personal ✨
— nudge her pussy with your boot. 😍 every woman loves the feeling of a stranger's shoe against her private parts: make it dirty in the literal sense of the word 🙏🏻
— slap and backhand her at the first sign of defiance. take turns doing it, show her who's the real alpha male in the room 🥵
— threaten to kill her. she'll be thanking you for the opportunity to breathe for the rest of her life
— flick out the blade of your knife in front of her face. often. 🧎🏼♀️you won't believe what the sight of kitchen utensils can do to a woman 😋
— if she has a bodyguard, kill him right in front of her eyes. show her the seriousness of your intentions 🙏🏻
— shove the gun in her mouth and make her give it a blowjob on camera. because one has to make sure to capture each and every beautiful little moment together 🥺
— tell her she's not marriage material. women love emotionally unavailable men that treat them like worthless cumholes 🥵
— offer her a job at the strip club. getting naked for strangers and sucking random jones' cocks is every aspiring sexually liberated girl's secret dream 💥
— tell her she's just a piece of meat not worth fighting over so you and your buddies might as well share her. a diff cock for each of her holes and it won't hurt to have one in reserve 😋
— take her to the basement, but don't forget to keep up the good work of sexually harassing her so she falls for all of you 🤩
VOILA. her panties are SOAKED and you're not even on a first-name basis with her yet. 🥺🥺🥺
*sighs in English/cries in Spanish/ curses in Russian/says goat in Italian*
have you guys ever heard about the phenomenon of serial killer groupies? the women that send love letters to serial murderers convicted of rape and murder? i'm convinced books like this are dedicated to them. 😍
I DARE AUTHORS TO WRITE ONE (1) DARK ROMANCE BOOK THAT WON'T MAKE ME FEEL ABSOLUTELY FUCKING EMBARRASSED TO IDENTIFY MYSELF AS A CIS HETEROSEXUAL WOMAN JUST BECAUSE THAT WOULD MEAN I HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH THE HEROINE 😍
according to my observations, 99% of dark romance authors view their
horny dog of a heroine as follows:
— omg this girl is SO DIffEreNt 🥺
— she's so TWISTED 😍
— no, listen, she's absolutely DEPRAVED because HOW CAN SHE ENJOY THEM TREATING HER LIKE A COMMON WHORE 🥵🥵
— there's something authentically, deliciously WRONG 🥵 with my heroine
— ahhh dang she's the epitome of COMPLEX character🧎🏼♀️
— omg omg I'm hyperventilating I created a fucking MASTERPIECE, these bitches are gonna love this girl 😍🥺😋
what heroines like this are like, actually:
— the honoured members of the circus of dumb dumber and the dumbest
— superficial
— cheap
— would sell their dignity for a nice fuck in the backseat of a filthy truck
— can't stand having even one second of lucidity in the proximity of a hot guy
— getting railed by rando mafiosos is higher on the list of their priorities than trying to figure out the means to escape the CAPTIVITY OKAY
— the exact replica of every other dark romance heroine out there
even if this heroine is a satire on your typical dark romance heroine, it's a crappy one because she's just 'dumb dumb', not "so dumb it's hilarious". January (h) has exactly 2 seconds of lucidity in her never ending mating season. honestly, it's sort of sad that the same (re: 2 seconds of lucidity) can't be said about 3/4 of the FMCs of the subgenre so January is half-decent compared to most. at least she put up a little fight.
let's get it out of the way: i loved every depraved and fucked up little thing the four MMCs subjected the heroine to. 🙃 YET THAT STUPID BITCH OF A HEROINE HAD TO GO AND RUIN MY FUN BECAUSE APPARENTLY DEEP DOWN SHE ENJOYED ALL OF IT? 🙃 how is any of this dark if January can barely refrain from jumping the guys' bones even after all humiliation, and the only thing stopping her is the fear that the guys would lose interest and end up disposing of her after having their fair share of fun with her. 🤣😭 not the fact that THEY'RE HER KIDNAPPERS, POTENTIAL RAPISTS AND MOST CERTAINLY MURDERERS AND SHE NEEDS TO GET THE FUCK AWAY.
god give me strength. dark romance has turned into a cheap parody.
"horny bitch on the line" moments present in EACH AND EVERY SCENE that is supposed to keep me stressed and on the edge of my seat? instead of being like omg, will he rape her with a knife handle now while the others watch 😍 i'm sitting here, thinking oh? this dumb bitch is still in her rut? makes sense for someone who's on the verge of being gang raped🙄. I ONLY CAME HERE FOR SOME REAL ASS DEPRAVITY IS ALL, not to read about the infinite "flutters in her pussy". 😭
it was the heroine's reactions — unbelievable, cringe- and face-palm worthy — that made me side-eye this book. can i have romance books that don't exclusively revolve around wet pussies and hard cocks? no? okay. 😔😔 why would i need a smutty book with no emotional context when i literally have pornhub and xvideos for that??
maybe authors think their fingers will fall off if they type out a heroine with normal human reactions toward manhandling, stress and abuse? the fact that all these authors bend over backwards to redeem abuse and make it sound like something women enjoy is hilarious. 🙃 you can write about degradation and violence without pouring your entire soul into trying to make it look kinky and hot and no big deal because the heroine loves it.
why 3 stars tho?
╰┈➤ surprisingly, for all her shortcomings, the heroine learned to show some selective self-respect and spine.
at this point, i'm grasping at straws and just gratefully accept any sign of self-love, no matter how small, from a heroine. the fact that she actually refused them sex (well... vaginal sex. apparently that's the only one that truly counts💀) was like a little balm to my soul. some REAL STAMINA. esp if we take into account how well the guys treated January. 🤡✌🏻 WHO ELSE COULD HAVE RESISTED THESE CHARMING BOYS 🤡✌🏻
it's also cute how the heroes turned out to be consent kings when it came to her vagina since they needed to obtain her verbal confirmation of 100% willingness before they could stick it in. makes sense for kidnappers, murderers, drug dealers, future wife beaters and what not 😍
╰┈➤ humor. i swear any shitty book can be saved with humor. the heroes' pov were fun to read and i appreciated that the author didn't go too far with it by turning the heroes into cartoonish villains.
Doc and Adriano are my fav guys in the harem. they have that hint of darkness lurking around the edges, but they're pure comedy on legs in the same breath. felt a spiritual connection to Adriano for wanting to kill January off the entire book (amen) and to Doc for wanting to make money off her flashing naked butt at the strip club. we appreciate the take-no-nonsensepimps entrepreneurs and serial murderers all in one. 🌚
╰┈➤ well-written smut.
╰┈➤ really good writing. i liked it. it amazes me how eagerly ppl waste away their talent on p-p-p-p
apart from betraying body syndrome
(that is the bane of my existence, ESPECIALLY in a dark romance where it rarely makes sense unless the MMC takes his sweet time to gaslight, manipulate, blackmail and totally fuck up his heroine's brain)
i didn't like how this author pushed romance on these characters and shoved it down her readers' throats. makes me cringe when supposedly fucked up and dangerous heroes in a dark reverse harem book fall so easily "in love" with the heroine. the L-word they tossed around in their POVs made me face-palm so hard like plssss her perky tits are not a good excuse for such early confessions. they literally have a club full of hookers at their disposal, these men aren't supposed to be that easily impressed. it doesn't add up.
im asking authors to stop trying to sell me mfmmm porn as some sort of eternal love story. sexual attraction between January and the guys? it was obvious and palpable. love? nothing screamed love here. since it's a whole ass series i don't understand why the L-word should be even mentioned when you have many other books ahead where you can show the whole process of them actually falling for her in a more thought-out and subtle way?
this book has every hero's pov and if i took everything they "were thinking" at face value, then yes i'd be convinced they're gone for her, but actions speak louder than words. "i'm in love with her so i'm gonna share her my 3 besties", "i'm so in love with her, i won't have the guts to protect her from being harassed and abused by my besties". "bros before hoes. or maybe i just don't have balls" (yes, Bobby, i'm looking at your saggy-balled face right now). makes sense. 🤡
the heroine was a common whore in the heroes' eyes that they would gladly pass around until they get bored with her, but since it doesn't sound like a good premise for a bestseller: let's add out of nowhere ✨ love ✨ in the equation. that's the vibe i was getting from this book despite love manifestations and starry-eyed looks.
the plot leaves much to be desired as well: after they kidnap her, the story basically turns into a prolonged foreplay. readers who only seek cheap porn will probably be ecstatic with the story. as a second thought: maybe even they won't be. apart from heavy petting and oral sex, there are no traditional sex scenes here after all sksksksk.
that being said, i still had some fun with darkish themes, the humor and decent writing. thus 3 stars. 🤡✌🏻
— kidnap her on her wedding day with your 3 most trusted buddies. the more the merrier 😌
— all of you mafia buddies gotta start sexually harassing her THE VERY moment she comes to her senses. in the matters of seduction, every second counts 💫
— tell her she's just a means to an end in your revenge scheme against her fiancé. what kind of a self-respecting lady doesn't like a spicy monte cristo that takes it all out on innocent women/children? 😍
— give her sweet nicknames — whore/Tits/bitch... the options are vast but choose the least original ones. make it count, make it personal ✨
— nudge her pussy with your boot. 😍 every woman loves the feeling of a stranger's shoe against her private parts: make it dirty in the literal sense of the word 🙏🏻
— slap and backhand her at the first sign of defiance. take turns doing it, show her who's the real alpha male in the room 🥵
— threaten to kill her. she'll be thanking you for the opportunity to breathe for the rest of her life
— flick out the blade of your knife in front of her face. often. 🧎🏼♀️you won't believe what the sight of kitchen utensils can do to a woman 😋
— if she has a bodyguard, kill him right in front of her eyes. show her the seriousness of your intentions 🙏🏻
— shove the gun in her mouth and make her give it a blowjob on camera. because one has to make sure to capture each and every beautiful little moment together 🥺
— tell her she's not marriage material. women love emotionally unavailable men that treat them like worthless cumholes 🥵
— offer her a job at the strip club. getting naked for strangers and sucking random jones' cocks is every aspiring sexually liberated girl's secret dream 💥
— tell her she's just a piece of meat not worth fighting over so you and your buddies might as well share her. a diff cock for each of her holes and it won't hurt to have one in reserve 😋
— take her to the basement, but don't forget to keep up the good work of sexually harassing her so she falls for all of you 🤩
VOILA. her panties are SOAKED and you're not even on a first-name basis with her yet. 🥺🥺🥺
*sighs in English/cries in Spanish/ curses in Russian/says goat in Italian*
have you guys ever heard about the phenomenon of serial killer groupies? the women that send love letters to serial murderers convicted of rape and murder? i'm convinced books like this are dedicated to them. 😍
I DARE AUTHORS TO WRITE ONE (1) DARK ROMANCE BOOK THAT WON'T MAKE ME FEEL ABSOLUTELY FUCKING EMBARRASSED TO IDENTIFY MYSELF AS A CIS HETEROSEXUAL WOMAN JUST BECAUSE THAT WOULD MEAN I HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH THE HEROINE 😍
according to my observations, 99% of dark romance authors view their
horny dog of a heroine as follows:
— omg this girl is SO DIffEreNt 🥺
— she's so TWISTED 😍
— no, listen, she's absolutely DEPRAVED because HOW CAN SHE ENJOY THEM TREATING HER LIKE A COMMON WHORE 🥵🥵
— there's something authentically, deliciously WRONG 🥵 with my heroine
— ahhh dang she's the epitome of COMPLEX character🧎🏼♀️
— omg omg I'm hyperventilating I created a fucking MASTERPIECE, these bitches are gonna love this girl 😍🥺😋
what heroines like this are like, actually:
— the honoured members of the circus of dumb dumber and the dumbest
— superficial
— cheap
— would sell their dignity for a nice fuck in the backseat of a filthy truck
— can't stand having even one second of lucidity in the proximity of a hot guy
— getting railed by rando mafiosos is higher on the list of their priorities than trying to figure out the means to escape the CAPTIVITY OKAY
— the exact replica of every other dark romance heroine out there
even if this heroine is a satire on your typical dark romance heroine, it's a crappy one because she's just 'dumb dumb', not "so dumb it's hilarious". January (h) has exactly 2 seconds of lucidity in her never ending mating season. honestly, it's sort of sad that the same (re: 2 seconds of lucidity) can't be said about 3/4 of the FMCs of the subgenre so January is half-decent compared to most. at least she put up a little fight.
let's get it out of the way: i loved every depraved and fucked up little thing the four MMCs subjected the heroine to. 🙃 YET THAT STUPID BITCH OF A HEROINE HAD TO GO AND RUIN MY FUN BECAUSE APPARENTLY DEEP DOWN SHE ENJOYED ALL OF IT? 🙃 how is any of this dark if January can barely refrain from jumping the guys' bones even after all humiliation, and the only thing stopping her is the fear that the guys would lose interest and end up disposing of her after having their fair share of fun with her. 🤣😭 not the fact that THEY'RE HER KIDNAPPERS, POTENTIAL RAPISTS AND MOST CERTAINLY MURDERERS AND SHE NEEDS TO GET THE FUCK AWAY.
god give me strength. dark romance has turned into a cheap parody.
"horny bitch on the line" moments present in EACH AND EVERY SCENE that is supposed to keep me stressed and on the edge of my seat? instead of being like omg, will he rape her with a knife handle now while the others watch 😍 i'm sitting here, thinking oh? this dumb bitch is still in her rut? makes sense for someone who's on the verge of being gang raped🙄. I ONLY CAME HERE FOR SOME REAL ASS DEPRAVITY IS ALL, not to read about the infinite "flutters in her pussy". 😭
it was the heroine's reactions — unbelievable, cringe- and face-palm worthy — that made me side-eye this book. can i have romance books that don't exclusively revolve around wet pussies and hard cocks? no? okay. 😔😔 why would i need a smutty book with no emotional context when i literally have pornhub and xvideos for that??
maybe authors think their fingers will fall off if they type out a heroine with normal human reactions toward manhandling, stress and abuse? the fact that all these authors bend over backwards to redeem abuse and make it sound like something women enjoy is hilarious. 🙃 you can write about degradation and violence without pouring your entire soul into trying to make it look kinky and hot and no big deal because the heroine loves it.
why 3 stars tho?
╰┈➤ surprisingly, for all her shortcomings, the heroine learned to show some selective self-respect and spine.
at this point, i'm grasping at straws and just gratefully accept any sign of self-love, no matter how small, from a heroine. the fact that she actually refused them sex (well... vaginal sex. apparently that's the only one that truly counts💀) was like a little balm to my soul. some REAL STAMINA. esp if we take into account how well the guys treated January. 🤡✌🏻 WHO ELSE COULD HAVE RESISTED THESE CHARMING BOYS 🤡✌🏻
it's also cute how the heroes turned out to be consent kings when it came to her vagina since they needed to obtain her verbal confirmation of 100% willingness before they could stick it in. makes sense for kidnappers, murderers, drug dealers, future wife beaters and what not 😍
╰┈➤ humor. i swear any shitty book can be saved with humor. the heroes' pov were fun to read and i appreciated that the author didn't go too far with it by turning the heroes into cartoonish villains.
Doc and Adriano are my fav guys in the harem. they have that hint of darkness lurking around the edges, but they're pure comedy on legs in the same breath. felt a spiritual connection to Adriano for wanting to kill January off the entire book (amen) and to Doc for wanting to make money off her flashing naked butt at the strip club. we appreciate the take-no-nonsense
╰┈➤ well-written smut.
╰┈➤ really good writing. i liked it. it amazes me how eagerly ppl waste away their talent on p-p-p-p
apart from betraying body syndrome
(that is the bane of my existence, ESPECIALLY in a dark romance where it rarely makes sense unless the MMC takes his sweet time to gaslight, manipulate, blackmail and totally fuck up his heroine's brain)
i didn't like how this author pushed romance on these characters and shoved it down her readers' throats. makes me cringe when supposedly fucked up and dangerous heroes in a dark reverse harem book fall so easily "in love" with the heroine. the L-word they tossed around in their POVs made me face-palm so hard like plssss her perky tits are not a good excuse for such early confessions. they literally have a club full of hookers at their disposal, these men aren't supposed to be that easily impressed. it doesn't add up.
im asking authors to stop trying to sell me mfmmm porn as some sort of eternal love story. sexual attraction between January and the guys? it was obvious and palpable. love? nothing screamed love here. since it's a whole ass series i don't understand why the L-word should be even mentioned when you have many other books ahead where you can show the whole process of them actually falling for her in a more thought-out and subtle way?
this book has every hero's pov and if i took everything they "were thinking" at face value, then yes i'd be convinced they're gone for her, but actions speak louder than words. "i'm in love with her so i'm gonna share her my 3 besties", "i'm so in love with her, i won't have the guts to protect her from being harassed and abused by my besties". "bros before hoes. or maybe i just don't have balls" (yes, Bobby, i'm looking at your saggy-balled face right now). makes sense. 🤡
the heroine was a common whore in the heroes' eyes that they would gladly pass around until they get bored with her, but since it doesn't sound like a good premise for a bestseller: let's add out of nowhere ✨ love ✨ in the equation. that's the vibe i was getting from this book despite love manifestations and starry-eyed looks.
the plot leaves much to be desired as well: after they kidnap her, the story basically turns into a prolonged foreplay. readers who only seek cheap porn will probably be ecstatic with the story. as a second thought: maybe even they won't be. apart from heavy petting and oral sex, there are no traditional sex scenes here after all sksksksk.
that being said, i still had some fun with darkish themes, the humor and decent writing. thus 3 stars. 🤡✌🏻
October 5, 2022
Elliot Morelli, son of Vincent Morelli, gets his story in this book and the setting is Velvet House, a home to Eli, Doc, Bobby and Adriano. The stage is set and January is taken from the church on her wedding day, only to be thrust into this bizarre family of criminals and made to bend to their will.
This young, naive woman cannot possibly take on 4 men and keep her sanity and virtue in tact?
Honesty and lies meld together, making her question everything. Her heart and mind is challenged brutally leaving her to hope for different things that she has never wanted before. But that cliffhanger?? My goodness we can’t pause the story there!
Eve Dangerfield has entered Midnight Dynasty with a roar, crossing lines, and creating new roads. Brilliant work!
This young, naive woman cannot possibly take on 4 men and keep her sanity and virtue in tact?
Honesty and lies meld together, making her question everything. Her heart and mind is challenged brutally leaving her to hope for different things that she has never wanted before. But that cliffhanger?? My goodness we can’t pause the story there!
Eve Dangerfield has entered Midnight Dynasty with a roar, crossing lines, and creating new roads. Brilliant work!
January 2, 2023
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This was one of the most insane and ridiculous things I've ever read and yet somehow, I enjoyed it the way I enjoyed The Royals of Forsyth series. It's a dark reverse harem romance about a bunch of scary mafia guys and it starts with a wedding that gets messed up Kill Bill style. While choosing which of this author's books I wanted to read, I was scanning through the samples and this one hooked me instantly.
VELVET CRUELTY is a retelling of Snow White. January Whitehall is an innocent eighteen-year-old woman who is naive about literally everything (to the point of stupidity, really), sings and chirps and sounds like a kitten during sex, and who enjoys cooking and cleaning as a pastime. I honestly feel like this is supposed to be satire, having read this author's other books where the heroines where smart, intelligent women in STEM, so the whole thing kind of feels like the author is doing a loving parody of the dark romance genre where all the characters are just continually winking at the audience.
She's kidnapped by four dudes who have a grudge against her fiance. At first they plan on killing her, but when they find out she's a virgin, they have other plans in mind. The rest of the book kind of devolves into a competitive free-for-all where they all vie to be her first. One thing I liked was how each of the guys-- Basher/Bobby, Domenico/Doc, Eli/Elliot, and Adriano/Adri all had distinct personalities. January was so helpless and naive that it could be painful reading things from her POV; I liked the guys' POVs better; they were hilarious because of how few f***s they had to give.
This is definitely very different from the author's usual works in terms of tone. Her other books are more straightforward BDSM erotica with a light, jokey tone running through them, but this was a straightforward dark romance with dub-con and has all of the usual caveats with the genre and some additional ones (think DEN OF VIPERS but infinitely better written). It honestly speaks to the talent of the author that she was able to take such a farfetched and ridiculous premise and make me speed through it in twenty-four hours while putting the sequel down on lock. I probably would have given it five stars if January had more of a personality and dialogue that went beyond "um," "no," and "please." But even she had her moments. That scene with the Orchard completely cracked me up. Go Jan.
3.5 to 4 stars
October 7, 2022
Velvet Cruelty is a dark, steamy romance book that reminds me of Snow White meets Goldilocks. This is the first book in the series, and did not disappoint. I think it could be described as a Why Choose at this point, but if not yet, the series appears to be headed that way. There are so many plot twists and things that the author placed in the book that I am afraid to discuss in the review because I don't want to spoil the story for anyone.
January, the MFC, has lived a sheltered life of sorts, and it takes just a few minutes for her entire world to get flipped upside down. She has to decide who she is, what she wants, and what it is worth. This one is for you if you are a fan of dark and twisted romance stories.
January, the MFC, has lived a sheltered life of sorts, and it takes just a few minutes for her entire world to get flipped upside down. She has to decide who she is, what she wants, and what it is worth. This one is for you if you are a fan of dark and twisted romance stories.
October 20, 2022
3 One Little Kiss and She’s Butter Stars ⭐
What a clusterfuck of feelings, thoughts and opinions. Firstly, ED nailed the writing. Unfiltered, crude and funny. It's why reading her stories is like a breath of romance fresh air. But boy I was torn regarding the storyline cos I wasn't a fan.
Do not go into this thinking it's a contemporary RH romance because it couldn't be further from the truth. Velvet Cruelty is twisted, disturbing and features seriously unlikable characters. Yet it was so engrossing, admittedly I was hooked.
“What do we say about wishes?”
“They’re for fools.”
Eighteen year old January Whitehall has been unknowingly groomed her entire life. On the day of her wedding to an affluent predator, she is kidnapped by four psychopaths. Our girl has dodged a bullet for something worse.
She looks too pure to exist. Like she’s been kissed by angels. It makes a man want to violate her.
Four men out for revenge.
Elliot Velluto Morelli
Adriano Rossi.
Domenico Valente
Basher
Except they had a plan with January being the collateral but it quickly falls to bits when they find themselves lusting over her. With no intention of giving her back they're quickly losing their heads, and it's soon a conquest for her virginity.
“So don’t know. Let me know for you. I’m telling you that there is nothing you would like more than to live in my house and cook and sing and get fucked by four men.”
Here is the problem. Our heroine was missing a few brain cells and our heroes were c#nts. It needs to be said. They were masochistic, pathetic and irredeemable, plus January was a naïve bimbo. Without a backbone, January was fed to the vipers.
The truth? I adored all the Italian influence throughout this story. It made me nostalgic and it added dimension to these characters who desperately needed it. However, it doesn't change the rapey and abusive feels of this story. It should have been better.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
What a clusterfuck of feelings, thoughts and opinions. Firstly, ED nailed the writing. Unfiltered, crude and funny. It's why reading her stories is like a breath of romance fresh air. But boy I was torn regarding the storyline cos I wasn't a fan.
Do not go into this thinking it's a contemporary RH romance because it couldn't be further from the truth. Velvet Cruelty is twisted, disturbing and features seriously unlikable characters. Yet it was so engrossing, admittedly I was hooked.
“What do we say about wishes?”
“They’re for fools.”
Eighteen year old January Whitehall has been unknowingly groomed her entire life. On the day of her wedding to an affluent predator, she is kidnapped by four psychopaths. Our girl has dodged a bullet for something worse.
She looks too pure to exist. Like she’s been kissed by angels. It makes a man want to violate her.
Four men out for revenge.
Elliot Velluto Morelli
Adriano Rossi.
Domenico Valente
Basher
Except they had a plan with January being the collateral but it quickly falls to bits when they find themselves lusting over her. With no intention of giving her back they're quickly losing their heads, and it's soon a conquest for her virginity.
“So don’t know. Let me know for you. I’m telling you that there is nothing you would like more than to live in my house and cook and sing and get fucked by four men.”
Here is the problem. Our heroine was missing a few brain cells and our heroes were c#nts. It needs to be said. They were masochistic, pathetic and irredeemable, plus January was a naïve bimbo. Without a backbone, January was fed to the vipers.
The truth? I adored all the Italian influence throughout this story. It made me nostalgic and it added dimension to these characters who desperately needed it. However, it doesn't change the rapey and abusive feels of this story. It should have been better.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
October 11, 2022
Same Midnight Dynasty, new set of characters! You have to love these Morelli’s and their warped sense of right and wrong. Eve Dangerfield has given us a steamy reverse harem with a new Morelli and three more villainous heroes.
January is innocent and naive as they come, she has been groomed for one thing. Then four men come into her world and turn it upside down.
This is the first book in this series, so you are left with questions and a cliffhanger. You can try to be prepared for it, but it’s going to blindside you because you are going to be so invested in the story.
I can not wait to see what comes next! Eve is a new to me author and I’m definitely impressed. The rest of this story is going to be epic!
January is innocent and naive as they come, she has been groomed for one thing. Then four men come into her world and turn it upside down.
This is the first book in this series, so you are left with questions and a cliffhanger. You can try to be prepared for it, but it’s going to blindside you because you are going to be so invested in the story.
I can not wait to see what comes next! Eve is a new to me author and I’m definitely impressed. The rest of this story is going to be epic!
October 3, 2022
That was amazing, and unexpected, and awesome, and so, so, so, wonderfully filthy! There is so much that happens in this book, with some twists and turns, that I was riveted to the story. January had been sheltered from a young age, and while she is quite naive, she is quick study. The fact there are four men wanting something different from her, and trying to balance that all, while trying to contain her attraction, to them all, has her head spinning. She is resolute though, and does hold her own, while they fall apart a little. This book is a lesson in foreplay, again and again, that was ever so hot, hot, hot! It never goes as expected, though there are a few choices. Just when it looks like things might go one way absolutely, we are left with a doozy of a cliffhanger to flip things again. Cannot wait for the next book and where this goes!
October 10, 2022
5 STARS
Brace yourself and prepare to clutch some pearls, because this book was everything my toxic morally gray men dreams are made out of!!
Now look, this book is not for everyone. But if you love your men toxic, and I really do mean TOXIC. Unapologetically mean, crude, and darker than sin, prepare for a ride of your life because WOW. As for triggers, umm...all of them. Yes, all of them. This has dub con, degradation, captive, why chose, antiheroes and all of it together was simply delicious. Oh...and some breath play.
This is why I love Eve's writing, the woman is simply not afraid to go there. And this book definitely went there. Deep there. As deep as it goes there. But I digress.
This is a Snow White reimagining...well, if instead of the prince she had 4 morally gray and dangerous captors. There's Domenico 'Doc' Valente, the deranged horny one. Roberto 'Basher' Bassilotta, the sweet one who's already halfway in love with her but hides a dark undercurrent. Adriano Rossi, the borderline serial killer. And Eliott Morelli, the king on the throne. And between all that is the sweet and virginal 18 year old child bride who they steel on her wedding day.
Admittedly naive virginal heroines are not my cuppa in the least. And January Whitehall is as naive as they come...sort of. Let me explain. The girl has been sheltered and hidden for most of her life. All of her steps supervised and controlled. She's been promised to a man she only knows as Mr. Parker since she was just a little girl and now that's she's 18, all she's known is the arrangement and she's going willingly. But beneath the innocence is a woman who's smarter than she even knows she is and while she may be naive, she's got some willfulness which made it easy to connect with her.
Now if you're expecting a fairy tale, pick a different book. This one is rude, crude, and is definitely a whole mood. But sweet it is not. It's dark and these boys are mean. What they put January through is evil and they're evil personified. If you like your fictional men on the mostly psychotic side, these guys bring that in spades. But there's also just enough of a hint to something more with each of them which left me fully obsessed and completely enraptured.
If you liked Royals of Forsyth type of dark anti heroes, this one will hit every spot you didn't even know you had. And that cliffhanger? Should be illegal in every state. There needs to be a warrant for Eve Dangerfield's arrest because it was nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. And the wait for book 2? CRUEL. Just cruel. I'm about to throw hands and riot. We ride at dawn!!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
Even twitching on the carpet, she looks too pure to exist. Like she’s been kissed by angels. It makes a man want to violate her. Or at least it makes me want that.
Brace yourself and prepare to clutch some pearls, because this book was everything my toxic morally gray men dreams are made out of!!
Now look, this book is not for everyone. But if you love your men toxic, and I really do mean TOXIC. Unapologetically mean, crude, and darker than sin, prepare for a ride of your life because WOW. As for triggers, umm...all of them. Yes, all of them. This has dub con, degradation, captive, why chose, antiheroes and all of it together was simply delicious. Oh...and some breath play.
This is why I love Eve's writing, the woman is simply not afraid to go there. And this book definitely went there. Deep there. As deep as it goes there. But I digress.
This is a Snow White reimagining...well, if instead of the prince she had 4 morally gray and dangerous captors. There's Domenico 'Doc' Valente, the deranged horny one. Roberto 'Basher' Bassilotta, the sweet one who's already halfway in love with her but hides a dark undercurrent. Adriano Rossi, the borderline serial killer. And Eliott Morelli, the king on the throne. And between all that is the sweet and virginal 18 year old child bride who they steel on her wedding day.
Admittedly naive virginal heroines are not my cuppa in the least. And January Whitehall is as naive as they come...sort of. Let me explain. The girl has been sheltered and hidden for most of her life. All of her steps supervised and controlled. She's been promised to a man she only knows as Mr. Parker since she was just a little girl and now that's she's 18, all she's known is the arrangement and she's going willingly. But beneath the innocence is a woman who's smarter than she even knows she is and while she may be naive, she's got some willfulness which made it easy to connect with her.
Now if you're expecting a fairy tale, pick a different book. This one is rude, crude, and is definitely a whole mood. But sweet it is not. It's dark and these boys are mean. What they put January through is evil and they're evil personified. If you like your fictional men on the mostly psychotic side, these guys bring that in spades. But there's also just enough of a hint to something more with each of them which left me fully obsessed and completely enraptured.
If you liked Royals of Forsyth type of dark anti heroes, this one will hit every spot you didn't even know you had. And that cliffhanger? Should be illegal in every state. There needs to be a warrant for Eve Dangerfield's arrest because it was nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. And the wait for book 2? CRUEL. Just cruel. I'm about to throw hands and riot. We ride at dawn!!
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
October 26, 2022
02/10/22
4.75 stars
I don't often read Reverse Harem. I have to be really drawn in by the blurb to dive in unreservedly as I'm apparently very fussy with the lines of the genre, who knew?!With this one I only read the blurb once and knew that I had to read it! I had faith in Eve Dangerfield and she did not let me down! So far, every book of hers has thoroughly sucked me in, made me invested, touched that small cynical part that gives rolling side eyes at everything and weirdly avoided all my pet peeves and lines. That's a feat very few people can claim.
This one was very different than her usual books and yet it felt like ED has been writing RH for years! The build up, the chemistry was simply exquisite and shared equally between all of them. The balance between the attraction of all parties but also the actual happenings in the book was on a knifes edge throughout.
January Whitehall is an innocent girl. Sheltered, protected, purposefully kept naïve and uniformed. She's sweet and kind and that shines through her like a beacon in the dark. Used and manipulated by her stepmother, she's set to marry a man that she doesn't love because she has been made to believe that she's doing her duty by her family. But on her wedding day she get's kidnapped by four dangerous men.. Four men that want revenge. Four men that want her would-be-husband to suffer.
Four very different men but equally irresistible.
"One of them only wants my body. One of them wants me as his wife. Another one offers freedom... at a price. And the last wants me dead."
Four fearsome men, all wanting something out of January. One innocent girl discovering she's more than she thought. Finding out her true strength, the undeniable attraction to the men that stole her and still trying to stay true to herself but also find a way to save herself from the situation she's in.
The book ends on a killer cliffhanger and I'm gonna suffer until I get my hands on the next book! This series is connected to the Midnight Dynasty of the warring Morelli and Constantine families. Other authors you might have read who are part of the Midnight Dynasty are Alta Hensley with King of Spades, Amelia Wilde with Secret Beast, Skye Warren with One for the Money. I had read some of Amelia Wildes and Skye Warrens books in the Midnight Dynasty "Universe" and I have to say Eve Dangefield's book shines brightly among them. The authors have managed to all create that dark, moody, grey atmosphere in the books I read and ED weaves it effortlessly. All the book series by the authors can be read as standalone series within the same world so if you like dark romance you should give them a try. As for this book, if you love RH, you'd be a fool to pass this one by!
29/0/22
** ARC kindly provided by the author, Eve Dangerfield, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so so much!
4.75 stars
I don't often read Reverse Harem. I have to be really drawn in by the blurb to dive in unreservedly as I'm apparently very fussy with the lines of the genre, who knew?!With this one I only read the blurb once and knew that I had to read it! I had faith in Eve Dangerfield and she did not let me down! So far, every book of hers has thoroughly sucked me in, made me invested, touched that small cynical part that gives rolling side eyes at everything and weirdly avoided all my pet peeves and lines. That's a feat very few people can claim.
This one was very different than her usual books and yet it felt like ED has been writing RH for years! The build up, the chemistry was simply exquisite and shared equally between all of them. The balance between the attraction of all parties but also the actual happenings in the book was on a knifes edge throughout.
January Whitehall is an innocent girl. Sheltered, protected, purposefully kept naïve and uniformed. She's sweet and kind and that shines through her like a beacon in the dark. Used and manipulated by her stepmother, she's set to marry a man that she doesn't love because she has been made to believe that she's doing her duty by her family. But on her wedding day she get's kidnapped by four dangerous men.. Four men that want revenge. Four men that want her would-be-husband to suffer.
Four very different men but equally irresistible.
"One of them only wants my body. One of them wants me as his wife. Another one offers freedom... at a price. And the last wants me dead."
Four fearsome men, all wanting something out of January. One innocent girl discovering she's more than she thought. Finding out her true strength, the undeniable attraction to the men that stole her and still trying to stay true to herself but also find a way to save herself from the situation she's in.
The book ends on a killer cliffhanger and I'm gonna suffer until I get my hands on the next book! This series is connected to the Midnight Dynasty of the warring Morelli and Constantine families. Other authors you might have read who are part of the Midnight Dynasty are Alta Hensley with King of Spades, Amelia Wilde with Secret Beast, Skye Warren with One for the Money. I had read some of Amelia Wildes and Skye Warrens books in the Midnight Dynasty "Universe" and I have to say Eve Dangefield's book shines brightly among them. The authors have managed to all create that dark, moody, grey atmosphere in the books I read and ED weaves it effortlessly. All the book series by the authors can be read as standalone series within the same world so if you like dark romance you should give them a try. As for this book, if you love RH, you'd be a fool to pass this one by!
29/0/22
** ARC kindly provided by the author, Eve Dangerfield, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so so much!
October 13, 2022
“My lip is split. I was struck by the others, but this feels completely different. When they did it, my pulse picked up and resentment and heat fought for space inside me.
Looking into Mr. Parker’s eyes, all I feel is dull, quiet disappointment.”
And that bout sums it up.
November 15, 2022
I was not aware this was a trilogy before agreeing to the ARC.
Additionally, I wasn't aware of it being a dark read as it was tagged as "contemporary romance"; so keep in mind, it's pretty much a dark read dealing with dub-con (even non-con) scenarios.
If it's not your cup, walk away.
Knowing and loving the previous work by this author, I absolutely didn't expect the heroine to be barely legal, super naive, and childish. I don't mind those things in a character by themselves, but combined in one person, it was definitely too much. And while I understand there are two more books planned, I struggle to believe this level of cluelessness is possible to build into a decent personality in just two books.
On top of it all, our girl suffered from a MASSIVE betraying body syndrome. Humiliation kink is one thing, it felt entirely too convenient here though. I mean, of course the whole book was written for the kink but damn, I wanted to meet some actual characters.
I also understand it is a lot of development planned for the four men, yet the lack of any meaningful background made me not want to know them better. They came across as cruel, unpredictable, and rapey pricks who liked abusing the heroine for no reason (knowing good and well how sheltered she grew up yet calling her "idiot, moron, dipshit" for being scared and not understanding why the fuck she was abducted - mmhokay).
Don't get me wrong, I love a good antihero, I don't appreciate unprovoked cruelty and plain abuse though. It's by far not my first dark read but well nuanced antiheroes those guys were not.
Not one of them made me think "wow, he's crazy but kinda hot, I want to know more".
Eve Dangerfield is an amazing writer, that's why I was able to finish this book at all. She is the kind of author I absolutely trust to take me through the horror and to bring me to the other side undamaged, whole, and happy.
That's why I felt kinda let down by this one.
The huge power imbalance was way too great and that's probably my biggest issue. Four adult and very dominant men against an 18 y.o. with barely any personality who called herself stupid all the time.
Everything was taken too far; the humour too cruel, the men too horrible and irredeemable, the woman too simple and no match to their craziness.
Additionally, I wasn't aware of it being a dark read as it was tagged as "contemporary romance"; so keep in mind, it's pretty much a dark read dealing with dub-con (even non-con) scenarios.
If it's not your cup, walk away.
Knowing and loving the previous work by this author, I absolutely didn't expect the heroine to be barely legal, super naive, and childish. I don't mind those things in a character by themselves, but combined in one person, it was definitely too much. And while I understand there are two more books planned, I struggle to believe this level of cluelessness is possible to build into a decent personality in just two books.
On top of it all, our girl suffered from a MASSIVE betraying body syndrome. Humiliation kink is one thing, it felt entirely too convenient here though. I mean, of course the whole book was written for the kink but damn, I wanted to meet some actual characters.
I also understand it is a lot of development planned for the four men, yet the lack of any meaningful background made me not want to know them better. They came across as cruel, unpredictable, and rapey pricks who liked abusing the heroine for no reason (knowing good and well how sheltered she grew up yet calling her "idiot, moron, dipshit" for being scared and not understanding why the fuck she was abducted - mmhokay).
Don't get me wrong, I love a good antihero, I don't appreciate unprovoked cruelty and plain abuse though. It's by far not my first dark read but well nuanced antiheroes those guys were not.
Not one of them made me think "wow, he's crazy but kinda hot, I want to know more".
Eve Dangerfield is an amazing writer, that's why I was able to finish this book at all. She is the kind of author I absolutely trust to take me through the horror and to bring me to the other side undamaged, whole, and happy.
That's why I felt kinda let down by this one.
The huge power imbalance was way too great and that's probably my biggest issue. Four adult and very dominant men against an 18 y.o. with barely any personality who called herself stupid all the time.
Everything was taken too far; the humour too cruel, the men too horrible and irredeemable, the woman too simple and no match to their craziness.
October 18, 2022
Caught in the middle of a revenge plot against the man she was to marry, 18-year-old January Whitehall is whisked away to Velvet House on her wedding day.
Prepared to use and defile her as necessary in order to exact their vengeance, the band of brothers underestimated her strength of will and determination.
Despite their plans, with each passing day the naïve and unworldly beauty chips away at their hardened hearts.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥🔥1/2
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😩😳🤬🫠😳
Ending: 🧗🏻♀️ {Cliffy}
POV: 👫🏻 {Multiple}
🗂 Genre: Dark Romance
✨ Tropes: Arranged Marriage, Kidnap/Captive, Mafia/Bratva/Crime Family, Retelling/Reimagining, Revenge, Virgin h, Why Choose
💋 Kinks: Spanking, Spit, Domination, Drüggėd
⚠️ Warning: The angst in this slow-burn will edge you to the point of combustion!
🚩 Safety Squad: VîoIence, Unaliving, DubCon and other triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!
📣 Type: Velvet Cruelty is part of the Snow White trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger.
🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.
Prepared to use and defile her as necessary in order to exact their vengeance, the band of brothers underestimated her strength of will and determination.
Despite their plans, with each passing day the naïve and unworldly beauty chips away at their hardened hearts.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Burn: 🔥🔥1/2
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😩😳🤬🫠😳
Ending: 🧗🏻♀️ {Cliffy}
POV: 👫🏻 {Multiple}
🗂 Genre: Dark Romance
✨ Tropes: Arranged Marriage, Kidnap/Captive, Mafia/Bratva/Crime Family, Retelling/Reimagining, Revenge, Virgin h, Why Choose
💋 Kinks: Spanking, Spit, Domination, Drüggėd
⚠️ Warning: The angst in this slow-burn will edge you to the point of combustion!
🚩 Safety Squad: VîoIence, Unaliving, DubCon and other triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!
📣 Type: Velvet Cruelty is part of the Snow White trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger.
🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.
Read
October 13, 2022Say it isn't so! ED - one of my most favorite authors - takes her superior writing skills to the dark side and it's not my cup of tea?!
I'll be in the corner, pouting, if anyone needs me.
ARC provided by the author - thank you!
I'll be in the corner, pouting, if anyone needs me.
ARC provided by the author - thank you!
February 15, 2023
**I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review.**
“You will be mine,” he says , calmly. “But you’re not ready. You need time to understand your place in this world.”
This was so freakin amazing!! Eve Dangerfield is the author of one of my all time favorite books, Act Your Age, so when I saw the the sign up for this I did not hesitate. Sweet, innocent January Whitehall is about to marry Mr. Parker but right after she walks down the aisle she is kidnapped by four of the most terrifying men she's ever seen. Their plan for revenge against Parker is what gets her kidnapped but their surprising feelings have them not knowing what to do with her next.
One of them only wants my body.
One of them wants me as his wife.
Another one offers freedom... at a price.
And the last wants me dead.
Elliot Morelli
Adriano Rossi
Domenico Valente
Roberto Bassilotta
The men of the Velvet House are dangerous but as their feelings for January grow (whether they want it or not) they get more possessive. They will protect her. The sexy scenes? 🔥 OMG! You'll need a cold shower afterwards! Everytime I thought I liked one guy most it would change. But make no mistakes, these are bad men. The kind you hate to love.
This book ends with a cliffhanger. A HUGE one. I cannot wait for book two and this book hasn't officially released yet! 😭
Oh! And the Orchard part?? I LOVED seeing the big, tough, scary guys sweating it out and not being able to do a thing!
Perfection. 💜
“You will be mine,” he says , calmly. “But you’re not ready. You need time to understand your place in this world.”
This was so freakin amazing!! Eve Dangerfield is the author of one of my all time favorite books, Act Your Age, so when I saw the the sign up for this I did not hesitate. Sweet, innocent January Whitehall is about to marry Mr. Parker but right after she walks down the aisle she is kidnapped by four of the most terrifying men she's ever seen. Their plan for revenge against Parker is what gets her kidnapped but their surprising feelings have them not knowing what to do with her next.
One of them only wants my body.
One of them wants me as his wife.
Another one offers freedom... at a price.
And the last wants me dead.
Elliot Morelli
Adriano Rossi
Domenico Valente
Roberto Bassilotta
The men of the Velvet House are dangerous but as their feelings for January grow (whether they want it or not) they get more possessive. They will protect her. The sexy scenes? 🔥 OMG! You'll need a cold shower afterwards! Everytime I thought I liked one guy most it would change. But make no mistakes, these are bad men. The kind you hate to love.
This book ends with a cliffhanger. A HUGE one. I cannot wait for book two and this book hasn't officially released yet! 😭
Oh! And the Orchard part?? I LOVED seeing the big, tough, scary guys sweating it out and not being able to do a thing!
Perfection. 💜
January 25, 2023
Velvet Cruelty is now available! 🥰🔥
Kindle https://amzn.to/3ykJoZS
iBooks https://apple.co/3NSdlGI
Kobo https://bit.ly/3yU7mwS
Nook https://bit.ly/3OTtZag
Google Play https://bit.ly/3yp7QcU
Silk Malice is on its way!
Kindle https://bit.ly/3PL6aCL
iBooks https://bit.ly/3Ge21E7
Kobo https://bit.ly/3FSeITw
B&N https://bit.ly/3hSr1ax
Google Play https://bit.ly/3Wl2nyu
Kindle https://amzn.to/3ykJoZS
iBooks https://apple.co/3NSdlGI
Kobo https://bit.ly/3yU7mwS
Nook https://bit.ly/3OTtZag
Google Play https://bit.ly/3yp7QcU
Silk Malice is on its way!
Kindle https://bit.ly/3PL6aCL
iBooks https://bit.ly/3Ge21E7
Kobo https://bit.ly/3FSeITw
B&N https://bit.ly/3hSr1ax
Google Play https://bit.ly/3Wl2nyu
October 12, 2022
Damn. What a huge disappointment.
Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield is one of the best "naughty books" I have ever read. It might be the best. (Note: I'm using the word "naughty" instead of "erotica" because I am not sure what the correct genre is for Dangerfield's books--I just think of them all under the category "dark or dark-ish romance" but that may be wrong too.)
It is safe to say I had very high expectations for this book. Even more so because reverse harem is my favourite trope. My favourite trope and one of my favourite authors. What could possible go wrong?
Answer: pretty much everything.
For starters, the four men at the centre of this reverse harem were horrific c*nts. Now, I love a broodingly dark anti-hero as much as the next girl, but all four of these men were nothing more than nasty little incels. It was like reading a dark romance written by reddit. I still can't get passed one of them referring to the main character as "T*ts." Look, I really don't mind degrading nicknames in my dark romances, but this ugly forty year old man referring to his teenage kidnap victim as "T*ts" while she sobs on the ground is so puke worthy I don't even know what to say about this book next. And he never lets up. It is literally his nickname for her during the entire novel.
Another one of these dudes--their names are confusing. They use last names, nicknames, other nicknames, and first names--is annoyed because his sobbing kidnap victim does not use manners when replying to him? Like she doesn't say hello when he greets her? This could have worked in a dark humour way, and Dangerfield is someone who clearly has a wicked great sense of humour, but it just came across as all very "men's right activists." As for the other two men: one wants to kill the MFC for some reason and the other one wants to marry her because she's hot. Or something. None of them were given any sort of depth. Worse, none of them are sexy. They all come across as dweeby, snivelling woman haters. I cannot state or restate it enough: none of these dudes are hot.
Act Your Age worked because Dangerfield is an intelligent author who took great pains to examine why the two leads had their specific kinks and what exactly got them off. The main girl in that book was super refreshing. She knew what she wanted; she just needed someone willing to give it to her. Compared to her, the MFC in this book, January, is as dull as dirty dishwater. Her one trait is that she is a virgin? And that she is repeatedly called stupid by her kidnappers? Unlike others, I don't mind a virgin MFC at all, and I usually have a very high tolerance for MCF others call dull. Hell, I love Bella Swan. She's my girl. But January was just a limp paper towel of a character. Calling her a character at all seems wrong.
I don't want anyone to think I am clutching my pearls here. I love dark romance. I love alpha-males. I love sh*t that others find immoral. I did not love this book.
Spoilers for more f*cked up sh*t:
I just really cannot get over how bad this novel was????
Like, just give us four hot dudes and a MFC who isn't totally trite.
Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield is one of the best "naughty books" I have ever read. It might be the best. (Note: I'm using the word "naughty" instead of "erotica" because I am not sure what the correct genre is for Dangerfield's books--I just think of them all under the category "dark or dark-ish romance" but that may be wrong too.)
It is safe to say I had very high expectations for this book. Even more so because reverse harem is my favourite trope. My favourite trope and one of my favourite authors. What could possible go wrong?
Answer: pretty much everything.
For starters, the four men at the centre of this reverse harem were horrific c*nts. Now, I love a broodingly dark anti-hero as much as the next girl, but all four of these men were nothing more than nasty little incels. It was like reading a dark romance written by reddit. I still can't get passed one of them referring to the main character as "T*ts." Look, I really don't mind degrading nicknames in my dark romances, but this ugly forty year old man referring to his teenage kidnap victim as "T*ts" while she sobs on the ground is so puke worthy I don't even know what to say about this book next. And he never lets up. It is literally his nickname for her during the entire novel.
Another one of these dudes--their names are confusing. They use last names, nicknames, other nicknames, and first names--is annoyed because his sobbing kidnap victim does not use manners when replying to him? Like she doesn't say hello when he greets her? This could have worked in a dark humour way, and Dangerfield is someone who clearly has a wicked great sense of humour, but it just came across as all very "men's right activists." As for the other two men: one wants to kill the MFC for some reason and the other one wants to marry her because she's hot. Or something. None of them were given any sort of depth. Worse, none of them are sexy. They all come across as dweeby, snivelling woman haters. I cannot state or restate it enough: none of these dudes are hot.
Act Your Age worked because Dangerfield is an intelligent author who took great pains to examine why the two leads had their specific kinks and what exactly got them off. The main girl in that book was super refreshing. She knew what she wanted; she just needed someone willing to give it to her. Compared to her, the MFC in this book, January, is as dull as dirty dishwater. Her one trait is that she is a virgin? And that she is repeatedly called stupid by her kidnappers? Unlike others, I don't mind a virgin MFC at all, and I usually have a very high tolerance for MCF others call dull. Hell, I love Bella Swan. She's my girl. But January was just a limp paper towel of a character. Calling her a character at all seems wrong.
I don't want anyone to think I am clutching my pearls here. I love dark romance. I love alpha-males. I love sh*t that others find immoral. I did not love this book.
Spoilers for more f*cked up sh*t:
I just really cannot get over how bad this novel was????
Like, just give us four hot dudes and a MFC who isn't totally trite.
February 1, 2023
This is my opinion 👇 and I strongly believe to each their own. So please don’t argue.
I like dark romance and understands and enjoys different kinks but hitting a woman for no apparent reason especially when she is innocent is domestic abuse. Dark romance genre doesn’t give you licenses to do that. Two of the heroes does that.
I lost interest after that but wanted to see where the book is going. So I continued.
I like dark romance and understands and enjoys different kinks but hitting a woman for no apparent reason especially when she is innocent is domestic abuse. Dark romance genre doesn’t give you licenses to do that. Two of the heroes does that.
I lost interest after that but wanted to see where the book is going. So I continued.
October 7, 2022
Velvet Cruelty is the first book in a new trilogy that is part of the ever-growing, expansive Midnight Dynasty world (mostly focuses on the Constantine and Morelli families). This is a massive collaboration put together by multiple authors, some of the series within the world are darker fairy tale inspired like this one. Velvet Cruelty is a dark, modern spin of Snow White but reverse harem style.
January Whitehall is 18 and it’s her wedding day. She’s been betrothed to a much older man since she was very young, thanks to her stepmom arranging it all. She is kind of just resigned to her life and what is expected of her. But things get shaken up when 4 men with a vendetta against her fiancé show up and steal her away at the altar! They’ve been keeping tabs on her for years and all have different plans with January. One wants to marry her, one just wants her body/to be his mistress, one offers freedom…at a cost, and one just wants her dead. They take her to Velvet House, Eli Morelli’s house where they keep her captive while deciding what to do with her and who gets a piece of her first.
Domenico/Doc, Basher/Bobby, Adriano, and Eli all want something different from January and bring a different vibe to their interactions with her. The guys were definitely entertaining in how over the top they were with their lust and want for her. January however was not my type of heroine, I really dislike the damsel in distress types, very naive and sheltered just isn’t my cup of tea for heroines. This is definitely slow burn, I knew going in it was going to be a trilogy so I did kind of expect that anyways. Most of the story takes place at Eli’s house, with him and his 3 friends trying to take January’s virginity first. There are definitely nods to Snow White in here which was fun. The ending does leave off on a cliffhanger, but I wasn’t invested enough to want to continue on. That said, I do really enjoy this author’s writing and some of the other books I’ve read from her.
Thank you to Valentine PR for an e-ARC. All thoughts in this review are my own. Velvet Cruelty has a publish date of October 11, 2022.
January Whitehall is 18 and it’s her wedding day. She’s been betrothed to a much older man since she was very young, thanks to her stepmom arranging it all. She is kind of just resigned to her life and what is expected of her. But things get shaken up when 4 men with a vendetta against her fiancé show up and steal her away at the altar! They’ve been keeping tabs on her for years and all have different plans with January. One wants to marry her, one just wants her body/to be his mistress, one offers freedom…at a cost, and one just wants her dead. They take her to Velvet House, Eli Morelli’s house where they keep her captive while deciding what to do with her and who gets a piece of her first.
Domenico/Doc, Basher/Bobby, Adriano, and Eli all want something different from January and bring a different vibe to their interactions with her. The guys were definitely entertaining in how over the top they were with their lust and want for her. January however was not my type of heroine, I really dislike the damsel in distress types, very naive and sheltered just isn’t my cup of tea for heroines. This is definitely slow burn, I knew going in it was going to be a trilogy so I did kind of expect that anyways. Most of the story takes place at Eli’s house, with him and his 3 friends trying to take January’s virginity first. There are definitely nods to Snow White in here which was fun. The ending does leave off on a cliffhanger, but I wasn’t invested enough to want to continue on. That said, I do really enjoy this author’s writing and some of the other books I’ve read from her.
Thank you to Valentine PR for an e-ARC. All thoughts in this review are my own. Velvet Cruelty has a publish date of October 11, 2022.
October 11, 2022
NOW LIVE!
Amazon US * Amazon UK
Velvet Cruelty is the first book in Eve Dangerfield's new trilogy introducing four men out for revenge and the sheltered princess they stole from her tower. This book is not for the faint of heart and it will definitely push your limits of what you'll accept from an anti-hero. Domenico, Bobby, Adriano, and Eli all want different things from January, and they all have different ways of going about getting what they want. The mix of personalities in this book worked really well in my opinion. It's what had me captivated with the story, and the unpredictability of the characters made it a really fun read. Which isn't something I'd often say for a book with this type of theme.
I do have to say I wasn't sure about January. Her innocence made sense with her upbringing and we learn that she was purposefully kept unaware of a lot of the real world. Yet for me, I'm not a fan of a naive heroine like January and it took me a while to get used to her character. The four heroes kept me intrigued though and the cliffhanger has me dying to get the next book so I'm still very excited to continue with the story.
Amazon US * Amazon UK
Velvet Cruelty is the first book in Eve Dangerfield's new trilogy introducing four men out for revenge and the sheltered princess they stole from her tower. This book is not for the faint of heart and it will definitely push your limits of what you'll accept from an anti-hero. Domenico, Bobby, Adriano, and Eli all want different things from January, and they all have different ways of going about getting what they want. The mix of personalities in this book worked really well in my opinion. It's what had me captivated with the story, and the unpredictability of the characters made it a really fun read. Which isn't something I'd often say for a book with this type of theme.
I do have to say I wasn't sure about January. Her innocence made sense with her upbringing and we learn that she was purposefully kept unaware of a lot of the real world. Yet for me, I'm not a fan of a naive heroine like January and it took me a while to get used to her character. The four heroes kept me intrigued though and the cliffhanger has me dying to get the next book so I'm still very excited to continue with the story.
October 22, 2022
This is the first book in a trilogy and ends with a cliffhanger.
This is a DARK romance. CW for violence, physical and sexual assault, child abuse.
Officially the first Eve Dangerfield book I've disliked. They were all just so mean to her. I was not a fan of this at all. I want my romance to involve MMCs who actually care about the FMC. This was just a girl getting sexually assaulted for 300 pages.
This is a DARK romance. CW for violence, physical and sexual assault, child abuse.
Officially the first Eve Dangerfield book I've disliked. They were all just so mean to her. I was not a fan of this at all. I want my romance to involve MMCs who actually care about the FMC. This was just a girl getting sexually assaulted for 300 pages.
October 11, 2022
Up until a week ago I was firmly in the category of reader that waits for all books to be published before reading trilogies, especially ones where releases are more than a month (actually three) apart. But it kept creeping into my mind day after day and I just couldn’t wait because who even waits on an Eve Dangerfield story?!
I didn’t wait. I have no regrets!
*cackles* ya’ll … this story is fantastically depraved and toxic! The men are not your everyday anti-heroes, they are cruel and mean and outright menacing but that’s actually not all they are. Sure, that’s what we know factually at this time, but there’s a vibe I get from them that speaks of more. I got the same type of vibe from January but on the opposite spectrum. She’s innocent, naïve and has been sheltered from all life but if you pay attention, there’s a hint of something inside her that maybe she’s not so dumb after all …
Eve is the author you go-to if you like your stories to ride the edge. She pushes the metaphorical envelope with her stories, not always, but often, and she does it well. Her story development always leaves me awe and her character growth is something to always be revered. I know she will redeem Elliot Morelli, Domenico Valente, Roberto Bassilotta, and Adriano Rossi somehow throughout this storyline and that’s what enraptures me to this trilogy. I mean we all know someone, or someone(s) will end up with January in the end, it’s a romance fiction story after all, but how is what’s got my anxiety a little edgy right now because … what the ever loving #%$@ was that ending?!
Now we wait …
I didn’t wait. I have no regrets!
*cackles* ya’ll … this story is fantastically depraved and toxic! The men are not your everyday anti-heroes, they are cruel and mean and outright menacing but that’s actually not all they are. Sure, that’s what we know factually at this time, but there’s a vibe I get from them that speaks of more. I got the same type of vibe from January but on the opposite spectrum. She’s innocent, naïve and has been sheltered from all life but if you pay attention, there’s a hint of something inside her that maybe she’s not so dumb after all …
Eve is the author you go-to if you like your stories to ride the edge. She pushes the metaphorical envelope with her stories, not always, but often, and she does it well. Her story development always leaves me awe and her character growth is something to always be revered. I know she will redeem Elliot Morelli, Domenico Valente, Roberto Bassilotta, and Adriano Rossi somehow throughout this storyline and that’s what enraptures me to this trilogy. I mean we all know someone, or someone(s) will end up with January in the end, it’s a romance fiction story after all, but how is what’s got my anxiety a little edgy right now because … what the ever loving #%$@ was that ending?!
Now we wait …
October 21, 2022
Big thanks to Eve Dangerfield for providing me with an ARC 👏👏👏
It's been a long long time since I read a mafia kidnapping book and I gotta say that's one hell of a Snow White retelling. I loved it!
The girl, as per usual in this genre, is not the brightest bulb but hey, that's not for why I read these books, you know?
Let me tell you about the guys instead, that's why we're here after all. I mean they all are deplorable and dirty and cruel and stuff. But damn, those boys know how to get down to business.
So there's Doc. He's pretty much my favorite. He's a sick son of a b**** but he's the humorous one.
Then there's Bobby. He plays at being the white knight but you know he's not that shiny in the light of day.
Adriano is probably the cruelest of them all. He's the enforcer type. Talk about a wounded beast lashing out though, sheesh.
Eli is sort of the head of their organization and he's the prettiest of the bunch. He's got the best manners but don't let that fool you, he can get his hands plenty dirty.
So basically, the girl is this sweet innocent untouched flower of a virgin, bla bla, her evil stepmother is making her get married with a much older creeper for money, obvs, and the guys we just talked about have beef with that creeper, so they ruin the wedding, kidnap the bride and want to do some dirty unvirginy things to her to mess with the creeper. Or at least that was the plan. Plans go to hell as they often do and this leads to a whole lot of delicious mess.
Honestly, this is my favorite book by Eve, or at least it shares the spot with So Wild, and I can't wait for the next one to arrive.
Over and out
It's been a long long time since I read a mafia kidnapping book and I gotta say that's one hell of a Snow White retelling. I loved it!
The girl, as per usual in this genre, is not the brightest bulb but hey, that's not for why I read these books, you know?
Let me tell you about the guys instead, that's why we're here after all. I mean they all are deplorable and dirty and cruel and stuff. But damn, those boys know how to get down to business.
So there's Doc. He's pretty much my favorite. He's a sick son of a b**** but he's the humorous one.
Then there's Bobby. He plays at being the white knight but you know he's not that shiny in the light of day.
Adriano is probably the cruelest of them all. He's the enforcer type. Talk about a wounded beast lashing out though, sheesh.
Eli is sort of the head of their organization and he's the prettiest of the bunch. He's got the best manners but don't let that fool you, he can get his hands plenty dirty.
So basically, the girl is this sweet innocent untouched flower of a virgin, bla bla, her evil stepmother is making her get married with a much older creeper for money, obvs, and the guys we just talked about have beef with that creeper, so they ruin the wedding, kidnap the bride and want to do some dirty unvirginy things to her to mess with the creeper. Or at least that was the plan. Plans go to hell as they often do and this leads to a whole lot of delicious mess.
Honestly, this is my favorite book by Eve, or at least it shares the spot with So Wild, and I can't wait for the next one to arrive.
Over and out
November 7, 2022
Are you ever just hit with the craving for some kinky, trashy smut? No? Just me then?
Um.
Anyways.
So, yeah. This book wasn't on my "to-read" list, it wasn't even on my radar. Actually, in a quest to keep my blog active while slogging through a catastrophic book-burnout, I'd started signing up for different promotional tours. I thought that spreading the word about new titles, while also occasionally hosting giveaways was a cool thing to do during my I-don't-feel-like-reading-anything-at-all period. And it just so happened that for this particular tour, the excerpt included in the promo material thoroughly caught my attention. Not only that, but this book just so happened to be reverse harem, which is my ultimate guilty pleasure. And so, a spark of interest ignited inside me and for the first time in nearly three months, I felt like reading again.
Imagine my delight when, a little while later, I realized that in between the promo material I'd been emailed, there was a complimentary copy of the book!
As I said at the beginning, I went into it expecting mindless smut and trashy people doing questionable things.
Let me tell you, this story blew past all my expectations and pleasantly surprised me.
Velvet Cruelty went above and beyond what I'd assumed this book would deliver. At times the writing was very poetic and pretty, while other times it was foul and unapologetically, downright filthy. I found the dichotomy to be endlessly evocative and very captivating.
The story kicked off with a little prologue (that you can check out on my blog post here ). Then, BOOM (quite literally), a heist was underway and our poor, virginal main character was getting kidnapped by four stupidly good-looking, but also scary men with dubious intentions.
Barely a couple of chapters in, and I was already feeling both horrified and delighted.
The book relied on the multiple POV element to tell its tale, and if you've ever read any of my reviews before, you'll know that I'm a massive fan of this story-telling device. As readers we were treated to glimpses into the main characters' heads, which (at least for me) really helped in providing a better, more thorough understanding of each of their personalities, thought processes and interpersonal relationships, particularly considering the fact that this is a huge universe (called Midnight Dynasty ) with lots of stories told by different authors. I've even read and reviewed two other books earlier this year that are part of this dark, wonderful world: Triple Threat and Death Wish (also delightfully twisted and RH).
Now, let me give a little disclaimer/trigger warning: there are non-con and dub-con situations in this book. So, you know, be prepared for that. Personally, non-con always leaves me feeling queasy and gross, but thankfully those instances were pretty much concentrated in the very first few chapters and, all things considered, weren't that rough. In the "that's messed up" scale, this book was maybe a 6.5 or 7 out of 10. Honestly, based on the prologue I expected it to be a lot more wild and disgusting, and was low key relieved that was not the case.
Then again, my scale may be a bit warped, since depending on the context I can justify dob-con ( IN FICTION ), but big age gaps, especially when one of the people involved is very young, turn me all the way off. That was my sole huge gripe with this book (apart from the cliffhanger). We had an 18 year old girl engaging in sexual situations with guys that were early to mid-30's. Things get icky for me when we start straddling the line of "we're far apart in age that we could be father and daughter". Far be it from me judging people based on their romance trope preferences (my reverse-harem glass house is thick-walled, but I wouldn't want to put it to the test), but to all of you age-gap lovers out there:
As far as fairy tale retellings go, I'd say this was a very loose one. The thing that's the most "Snow White" inspired in this book was one of the characters being nick-named Doc LOL. Oh, and the fact that January, our FL liked performing household chores. We did have our Bashful and Grumpy kidnapping "dwarves" otherwise known as Bobby and Adriano. As for Doc, I'd say a suitable name for him would've been Horny or Saucy. And for our last male character, Elliot... is there a word similar to smexy, but comprised instead of bossy and sexy? Maybe I should coin it. Boxy? Bexy? Sessy?Yeah, not that one. Ideas?
January I quite liked as a MC. As naïve and sheltered as her upbringing had been, and as suitably terrified as she was at the situation she found herself in, she was still smart and had a bit of a back-bone to her. She had very sturdy self-preservation instincts but still had a rebellious streak. She knew when to push back and when she was in over her head. I actually really appreciated that about her. I'm happy any time I come across a heroine that doesn't fall into either the TSTL or total door-mat categories.
Also, as violent and psychotic as the men could be, they all had a noticeable soft spot for January, whether they wanted to admit it or not.
All in all, this was a book filled with anticipation and heart-pounding moments. Fear beautifully mixed with disgust and breathless excitement, masterfully toeing the line between distress and arousal. Honestly, it was a thrilling ride and I very much look forward to reading the next books in this trilogy.
Um.
Anyways.
So, yeah. This book wasn't on my "to-read" list, it wasn't even on my radar. Actually, in a quest to keep my blog active while slogging through a catastrophic book-burnout, I'd started signing up for different promotional tours. I thought that spreading the word about new titles, while also occasionally hosting giveaways was a cool thing to do during my I-don't-feel-like-reading-anything-at-all period. And it just so happened that for this particular tour, the excerpt included in the promo material thoroughly caught my attention. Not only that, but this book just so happened to be reverse harem, which is my ultimate guilty pleasure. And so, a spark of interest ignited inside me and for the first time in nearly three months, I felt like reading again.
Imagine my delight when, a little while later, I realized that in between the promo material I'd been emailed, there was a complimentary copy of the book!
As I said at the beginning, I went into it expecting mindless smut and trashy people doing questionable things.
Let me tell you, this story blew past all my expectations and pleasantly surprised me.
Velvet Cruelty went above and beyond what I'd assumed this book would deliver. At times the writing was very poetic and pretty, while other times it was foul and unapologetically, downright filthy. I found the dichotomy to be endlessly evocative and very captivating.
The story kicked off with a little prologue (that you can check out on my blog post here ). Then, BOOM (quite literally), a heist was underway and our poor, virginal main character was getting kidnapped by four stupidly good-looking, but also scary men with dubious intentions.
Barely a couple of chapters in, and I was already feeling both horrified and delighted.
The book relied on the multiple POV element to tell its tale, and if you've ever read any of my reviews before, you'll know that I'm a massive fan of this story-telling device. As readers we were treated to glimpses into the main characters' heads, which (at least for me) really helped in providing a better, more thorough understanding of each of their personalities, thought processes and interpersonal relationships, particularly considering the fact that this is a huge universe (called Midnight Dynasty ) with lots of stories told by different authors. I've even read and reviewed two other books earlier this year that are part of this dark, wonderful world: Triple Threat and Death Wish (also delightfully twisted and RH).
Now, let me give a little disclaimer/trigger warning: there are non-con and dub-con situations in this book. So, you know, be prepared for that. Personally, non-con always leaves me feeling queasy and gross, but thankfully those instances were pretty much concentrated in the very first few chapters and, all things considered, weren't that rough. In the "that's messed up" scale, this book was maybe a 6.5 or 7 out of 10. Honestly, based on the prologue I expected it to be a lot more wild and disgusting, and was low key relieved that was not the case.
Then again, my scale may be a bit warped, since depending on the context I can justify dob-con ( IN FICTION ), but big age gaps, especially when one of the people involved is very young, turn me all the way off. That was my sole huge gripe with this book (apart from the cliffhanger). We had an 18 year old girl engaging in sexual situations with guys that were early to mid-30's. Things get icky for me when we start straddling the line of "we're far apart in age that we could be father and daughter". Far be it from me judging people based on their romance trope preferences (my reverse-harem glass house is thick-walled, but I wouldn't want to put it to the test), but to all of you age-gap lovers out there:
As far as fairy tale retellings go, I'd say this was a very loose one. The thing that's the most "Snow White" inspired in this book was one of the characters being nick-named Doc LOL. Oh, and the fact that January, our FL liked performing household chores. We did have our Bashful and Grumpy kidnapping "dwarves" otherwise known as Bobby and Adriano. As for Doc, I'd say a suitable name for him would've been Horny or Saucy. And for our last male character, Elliot... is there a word similar to smexy, but comprised instead of bossy and sexy? Maybe I should coin it. Boxy? Bexy? Sessy?
January I quite liked as a MC. As naïve and sheltered as her upbringing had been, and as suitably terrified as she was at the situation she found herself in, she was still smart and had a bit of a back-bone to her. She had very sturdy self-preservation instincts but still had a rebellious streak. She knew when to push back and when she was in over her head. I actually really appreciated that about her. I'm happy any time I come across a heroine that doesn't fall into either the TSTL or total door-mat categories.
Also, as violent and psychotic as the men could be, they all had a noticeable soft spot for January, whether they wanted to admit it or not.
All in all, this was a book filled with anticipation and heart-pounding moments. Fear beautifully mixed with disgust and breathless excitement, masterfully toeing the line between distress and arousal. Honestly, it was a thrilling ride and I very much look forward to reading the next books in this trilogy.
October 13, 2022
Oh how delicious! A dark Snow White reverse harem re-imagining??! Oh that is one poisonous apple I will certainly take a big giant bite out of. It’s unusual, it’s creative, it’s twisted and fast paced.
Eve Dangerfield is a new to me author, but this series starter was quite a delicious little morsel and left me thirsty for more.
Eve immerses us pretty quickly into this dark and depraved story- so much so, that it took me for a minute to feel connected to it. Our heroine January is trapped in a patriarchal nightmare, the pawn in multiple men’s machinations. Sadly, she’s a bit complacent to this- almost brainwashed, almost “asleep” in her own life. Fortunately, her plans to go along with her arranged marriage are foiled by four enigmatic men, bent on revenge against her intended. Eli, Doc, Bobby, and Adriano. Princes? Not quite. It’s like a mash up of a warped anti-hero alpha prince and snow’s original kidnappers, the 7 miners that care for her. Only here, it’s way more dark. And the Velvet House is not enchanted forest.
Eve basically takes the prince archetype and flips it on it’s head- these leading men are the antithesis of snow’s kiss-giving rescuer. Each of these men has their own set of “very particular skills” that they leverage towards their revenge and playing with innocent little January- and we have that classic it starts as revenge but soon becomes a whole other game of push-pull, can’t deny ourselves attraction vibe. THe men are not only surprising in just how immoral they are, but January also turns out to be so much more than the complacent, docile creature we meet early on. We get a bit of spine from her, and Eve runs a fine line between her willingly following her captors into their depravity and her having her mind poisoned and manipulated into it. Either way-it’s one hell of a ride that ends in a crazy cliffhanger. I’m excited to see where this goes next!
Eve Dangerfield is a new to me author, but this series starter was quite a delicious little morsel and left me thirsty for more.
Eve immerses us pretty quickly into this dark and depraved story- so much so, that it took me for a minute to feel connected to it. Our heroine January is trapped in a patriarchal nightmare, the pawn in multiple men’s machinations. Sadly, she’s a bit complacent to this- almost brainwashed, almost “asleep” in her own life. Fortunately, her plans to go along with her arranged marriage are foiled by four enigmatic men, bent on revenge against her intended. Eli, Doc, Bobby, and Adriano. Princes? Not quite. It’s like a mash up of a warped anti-hero alpha prince and snow’s original kidnappers, the 7 miners that care for her. Only here, it’s way more dark. And the Velvet House is not enchanted forest.
Eve basically takes the prince archetype and flips it on it’s head- these leading men are the antithesis of snow’s kiss-giving rescuer. Each of these men has their own set of “very particular skills” that they leverage towards their revenge and playing with innocent little January- and we have that classic it starts as revenge but soon becomes a whole other game of push-pull, can’t deny ourselves attraction vibe. THe men are not only surprising in just how immoral they are, but January also turns out to be so much more than the complacent, docile creature we meet early on. We get a bit of spine from her, and Eve runs a fine line between her willingly following her captors into their depravity and her having her mind poisoned and manipulated into it. Either way-it’s one hell of a ride that ends in a crazy cliffhanger. I’m excited to see where this goes next!
January 18, 2023
4 stars ✿
❛Even twitching on the carpet, she looks too pure to exist. Like she’s been kissed by angels. It makes a man want to violate her. Or at least it makes me want to do that.❜
out of all her books that I read, I liked this and captivated the most.
❛Even twitching on the carpet, she looks too pure to exist. Like she’s been kissed by angels. It makes a man want to violate her. Or at least it makes me want to do that.❜
out of all her books that I read, I liked this and captivated the most.
January 1, 2023
3.5 stars
First let me scream while I declare there is NO sex in this book. No home run. Just a tease of playful, cunning denial. Why?
Even so, this book captured my interest while frustrating me entirely. January was naively, painfully dim-witted, and the guys… I went between laughing at their antics and personalities — because I don’t think the book took itself too seriously — to wanting to scream at them to take a stand and quit messing around with what they intended for January as well as their revenge against her afianced, Mr Parker. Yes, she referred to him as Mr. Parker.
Elegant Elliot Morelli, beastly Adriano, sweet and bashful Bobby, and unhinged Domenico, these big bad guys were letting a foolish girl take advantage of them. Ok, January wasn’t consciously taking advantage, but by her words and actions, she was. And they were indulging her, secretly smitten, toying with, volleying her virginity like a field goal.
The story seemed to be more about pillaging the spoils than the revenge the heroes planned to exact on their greatest foe, Mr. Parker. And it actually made sense since they all had subconsciously fallen under January’s spell. January was simpleminded, not the most intellectual thinker — her own opinion (which I agreed with) — not very enlightened. She took ill-advised actions like not holding her tongue when it would benefitted her. Raised sheltered, unexposed, unaware, and childlike, January was coming into herself, her sexuality with these (un)principled motley of men all while trying to stave off their advances, their charms — she thinks they’re hot — and maintain her virginity. I was not a fan of the virginity construct in this story, though. Not only did it smother the spice and dampen the plot line, it make no sense, particularly with the cliffhanger ending. The heroes should have been more forceful, which would given depth to the plot and their personalities, more darkness to the story. The guys were so accommodating; they were besotted.
January was every man’s dream, and while I could appreciate their being struck by her — she’s Snow White — the repetitive references and adulation of white imagery were awkward.
Still, I enjoyed the heroes, their banter, their provocation of and cute perversions with the heroine. These guys had such different personalities. I could recognize the similarities between this story and the fairy tale. Meanwhile, January was singing, cleaning house, dancing, and often embarrassingly aroused. She was always wet and wanting but silly denying herself for illogical reasons. And yes, I did find myself chuckling a few times. The analogy of the retelling was pretty clever.
Am I going to read the next one? Yup, it was so entertaining. I gotta know what happens next. Plus I’m praying for spice frankly looking forward to more of the cleverness and mystery.
First let me scream while I declare there is NO sex in this book. No home run. Just a tease of playful, cunning denial. Why?
Even so, this book captured my interest while frustrating me entirely. January was naively, painfully dim-witted, and the guys… I went between laughing at their antics and personalities — because I don’t think the book took itself too seriously — to wanting to scream at them to take a stand and quit messing around with what they intended for January as well as their revenge against her afianced, Mr Parker. Yes, she referred to him as Mr. Parker.
Elegant Elliot Morelli, beastly Adriano, sweet and bashful Bobby, and unhinged Domenico, these big bad guys were letting a foolish girl take advantage of them. Ok, January wasn’t consciously taking advantage, but by her words and actions, she was. And they were indulging her, secretly smitten, toying with, volleying her virginity like a field goal.
The story seemed to be more about pillaging the spoils than the revenge the heroes planned to exact on their greatest foe, Mr. Parker. And it actually made sense since they all had subconsciously fallen under January’s spell. January was simpleminded, not the most intellectual thinker — her own opinion (which I agreed with) — not very enlightened. She took ill-advised actions like not holding her tongue when it would benefitted her. Raised sheltered, unexposed, unaware, and childlike, January was coming into herself, her sexuality with these (un)principled motley of men all while trying to stave off their advances, their charms — she thinks they’re hot — and maintain her virginity. I was not a fan of the virginity construct in this story, though. Not only did it smother the spice and dampen the plot line, it make no sense, particularly with the cliffhanger ending. The heroes should have been more forceful, which would given depth to the plot and their personalities, more darkness to the story. The guys were so accommodating; they were besotted.
January was every man’s dream, and while I could appreciate their being struck by her — she’s Snow White — the repetitive references and adulation of white imagery were awkward.
Still, I enjoyed the heroes, their banter, their provocation of and cute perversions with the heroine. These guys had such different personalities. I could recognize the similarities between this story and the fairy tale. Meanwhile, January was singing, cleaning house, dancing, and often embarrassingly aroused. She was always wet and wanting but silly denying herself for illogical reasons. And yes, I did find myself chuckling a few times. The analogy of the retelling was pretty clever.
Am I going to read the next one? Yup, it was so entertaining. I gotta know what happens next. Plus I’m praying for spice frankly looking forward to more of the cleverness and mystery.
January 23, 2023
Velvet Cruelty by Eve Dangerfield is one of most unique, depraved, erotic and heart stopping fairytale retelling I have ever read. This dark reverse harem romance took my breath away. At every step, I felt my heart getting tortured in most delicious, filthy and dramatic way. It was sinful. Suspenseful. Emotional in a twisted way. And one you cannot miss.
This is book one of a series and ends ina cliffhanger. Sweet and innocent January Whitehall has been brought up and trained to be a society wife. She was supposed to get married to Mr. Parker, a powerful rich and much older man. But on her wedding day, she is kidnapped by four dangerous men who wants their revenge on Parker. Elliot "Eli" Morelli . Domenico "Doc" Valente. Roberto "Bobby" Bassilotta. Adriano Rossi. They have her trapped in Velvet House and they have sinister and dirty plans for them.
It is a dark romance with triggers so read responsibly. The men in this story are unapologetically bad. Be it Eli, their leader coming from a rich and powerful family like Morelli. Be it Doc, a real "doctor" who creates the most dangerous and seducing drug and likes sex on the side of darkness. Be it Bobby, who is a real computer science nerd but can be violent when needed. Be it Adriano, who talks the language of death. And I am obsessed with them. Keep your morals out of door because nothing is off limits. They won't stop at nothing. They have a goal in mind and January is a pawn in their deviany game. They are toying with her but I feel slowly they are becoming a game too.
Sweet, cute, adorable and innocent January is all set to be ruined by these antiheroes. But she surprised me ( and my psycho men) with her silent resilience and sassy side. She is being emotionally manipulated, seduced in a dark and perverse manner, tortured and used..but she isn't going down. She had a protected and sheltered life and she doesn't understand the forbidden desires and all consuming lust she is feeling for these broken men she is supposed to hate.
She isn't exactly a complete meek sacrificial lamb and you know what..our deranged,unhinged and ruthless men are slowly getting obsessed with her! They are feeling a need to claim and possess and mark her but as we leave them at a gut wrenching cliffhanger..January has not given away her precious possession yet. This story is the most kinky and erotic and spicy one I have read this year and you need to find some private time for sure. I am dying here for next book..
I reviewed an early copy voluntarily
This is book one of a series and ends ina cliffhanger. Sweet and innocent January Whitehall has been brought up and trained to be a society wife. She was supposed to get married to Mr. Parker, a powerful rich and much older man. But on her wedding day, she is kidnapped by four dangerous men who wants their revenge on Parker. Elliot "Eli" Morelli . Domenico "Doc" Valente. Roberto "Bobby" Bassilotta. Adriano Rossi. They have her trapped in Velvet House and they have sinister and dirty plans for them.
It is a dark romance with triggers so read responsibly. The men in this story are unapologetically bad. Be it Eli, their leader coming from a rich and powerful family like Morelli. Be it Doc, a real "doctor" who creates the most dangerous and seducing drug and likes sex on the side of darkness. Be it Bobby, who is a real computer science nerd but can be violent when needed. Be it Adriano, who talks the language of death. And I am obsessed with them. Keep your morals out of door because nothing is off limits. They won't stop at nothing. They have a goal in mind and January is a pawn in their deviany game. They are toying with her but I feel slowly they are becoming a game too.
Sweet, cute, adorable and innocent January is all set to be ruined by these antiheroes. But she surprised me ( and my psycho men) with her silent resilience and sassy side. She is being emotionally manipulated, seduced in a dark and perverse manner, tortured and used..but she isn't going down. She had a protected and sheltered life and she doesn't understand the forbidden desires and all consuming lust she is feeling for these broken men she is supposed to hate.
She isn't exactly a complete meek sacrificial lamb and you know what..our deranged,unhinged and ruthless men are slowly getting obsessed with her! They are feeling a need to claim and possess and mark her but as we leave them at a gut wrenching cliffhanger..January has not given away her precious possession yet. This story is the most kinky and erotic and spicy one I have read this year and you need to find some private time for sure. I am dying here for next book..
I reviewed an early copy voluntarily
October 12, 2022
Holy HOT AF craziness!!! January has got her work cut out for her with these 4! Eli, Bobby, Doc & Adriano all seem to have a different kink that they are into. So she will have a lot of learning to do! Basically January is taken from the alter as she is about to marry Zachary Parker, by these 4 men. They have something against Parker and she is the best way to get to him. January is a virgin.... and while there are some VERY steamy scenes.... she makes it through the whole story with her virginity in tact (technically). She is desperate to hold on to it because she thinks that it is the only thing keeping her alive. (she doesn't seem to understand just how deep their obsession wit her is). Oh coarse it ends on a cliffhanger and I am dying to get the next one to see what happens!!!
Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Swoon 😍😍
Angst 💔💔💔💔
Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Swoon 😍😍
Angst 💔💔💔💔
October 11, 2022
4 stars. Wow! This was a good book and is different than anything else I've read by Ms. Dangerfield! Velvet Cruelty is book one in a new trilogy set in the Midnight Dynasty world. This trilogy is a reverse harem with January, who was a very naïve virginal young girl arranged to be married, to a much older billionaire who she barely knows, who is kidnapped by a crew of 4 bad guys from her wedding as revenge on her fiancé. The story is loosely based on Snow White with the similarities woven in seamlessly and not in a cheesy way at all. I won't go into much more detail than that about the story so I don't spoil anything.
Velvet Cruelty has an engrossing, interesting story. I am a big fan of this author, but this book was definitely darker than what she normally writes and what I normally read. I usually don't read books that have any cruelty or violence towards the heroine, but I was on board for it this time. January was super innocent and the guys all four had moments of goodness and moments of badness in their behavior towards her. They are all different in personality and in their approach to January. I'm not in love with any of them yet, but I can see the potential for their relationships to grow in the future and I can't wait to see what happens. January and her men have begun a roller coaster of a journey with plenty of heat. The book has a wicked cliffy to top it off.
Overall, I really enjoyed Velvet Cruelty. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to see what happens with January's story in the future!
*arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Velvet Cruelty has an engrossing, interesting story. I am a big fan of this author, but this book was definitely darker than what she normally writes and what I normally read. I usually don't read books that have any cruelty or violence towards the heroine, but I was on board for it this time. January was super innocent and the guys all four had moments of goodness and moments of badness in their behavior towards her. They are all different in personality and in their approach to January. I'm not in love with any of them yet, but I can see the potential for their relationships to grow in the future and I can't wait to see what happens. January and her men have begun a roller coaster of a journey with plenty of heat. The book has a wicked cliffy to top it off.
Overall, I really enjoyed Velvet Cruelty. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to see what happens with January's story in the future!
*arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*
October 11, 2022
Velvet Cruelty is Eve Dangerfield's contribution to the world of Midnight Dynasty and book one of a trilogy. This is a reverse harem romance featuring young and naive January Whitehall and the four men hell bent on using her as a pawn in their revenge scheme against her fiance. Violently kidnapped on her wedding day, January is thrust into the dark and seductive world of the Velvet House where Elliot Morelli rules alongside his three friends. I really loved the men and the distinct personalities they were given. I don't often manage to connect and buy into reverse harem romance because the heroes are often quite interchangeable. This is absolutely not the case here. I really enjoyed getting to know the men and getting their POVs. They also had very unique separate relationships with January and we got enough one on one time to really appreciate the dynamics. January took me a while longer to warm up to. Her naivete was a bit much and she appeared pretty dim, however, there's more to her than it appears. While she certainly isn't winning a Nobel prize any time soon and all the singing, cleaning and cooking was getting on my nerves, I managed to reluctantly warm up to her and even enjoy her. This is a slow burn and, while there's lots of steam, the heroine manages to hang on to her virtue by the end. Though does she, really? I guess that's open to interpretation. The book ends on a cliffhanger as expected and I can't wait to get my hands on book two!
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