Oh my word, Measha Stone does Dark incredibly well.
Dolly throws you into the dark end deep end right from the start. It’s fairly harrowing at times, particularly because we experience the suffering, rather than just impassively observing. What I really enjoyed was how the story moved forward and how we got to really know Dolly and Ken.
It’s really difficult to discuss the book without revealing spoilers, so I’m just going to say that the plot totally and utterly held my attention throughout. I’ve read vaguely similar plotlines previously, but this was not a weak or carbon copy of them. Instead it far surpassed those previous reads, due in no small part to the quality of writing and the amazing characterisation of its protagonists.
The symbiotic relationship between Dolly and Ken, the self-reflection, self-understanding demonstrated by the both of them, the incredibly believable love and connection they shared just took this book to another level. With all the difficulties and stress of the current world situation, a dark book felt like the last thing I wanted to read. However the darkness here was filled with such strength, it transformed to such power that, instead of dragging me down, instead it lifted me up in a way I hadn’t expected.
I massively recommend Dolly and am hoping Ms Stone dips her toes into dark waters again.
He’s promised me sunlight. Hope for a better future. Freedom from this horror. A life that doesn’t end in a dark cellar.
But, we’re trapped together. Forced to live for the worst kind of people. Desperate to survive for each other.
I crave his touch with every breath I take. My heart aches for him. He’s my hope for survival. The man I want a future with. I can have it all again, if only I trust him. Even if that’s the only thing I can’t do.
Ratings 5 stars – This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again. 4 stars – I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others. 3 stars – This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre. 2 stars – Whilst the book was readable I either didn’t enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters. 1 star – This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.
This wasn’t as erotic or dirty as I felt the blurb led us to believe and, to be honest, that was why I picked this up! However, despite this actually being more of straight up contemporary romance I still really enjoyed it.
If you’re picking this up hoping for some very erotic scenes you will be disappointed. There are actually very few visits to the ‘viewing rooms’ of Voyeur, one of which involves the H and h so doesn’t really count. Really the only ‘point’ of Oaklyn working there is so that it can lead to conflict between the two main characters.
I didn’t end up with the filthy, one-handed- reading type of story I was expecting. Given that I’m not the biggest fan of ‘straight’ contemporary the fact that not only did I finish this but I also enjoyed it is testament to some great writing.
Oaklyn and Callum’s story really held my attention. It’s so much deeper and more complex than just a student-teacher taboo story. There are layers and layers to this book. There are issues to be resolved, pain to bear and tough decisions to be made. Flowing through it all are some incredibly deep emotions, I was nicely surprised by just how much this book made me feel.
So despite it not being the book I originally expected, it turned out to be a book I very much enjoyed reading.
*Amazon Top 40 Best Seller*
I didn’t know she was my student the first time I paid to watch her at Voyeur.
Once she walked into my classroom, another smiling college freshman, I knew I should stop going. Stop watching.
But I couldn’t do it. Everything about her makes me want more, and once I realize she wants me too, the temptation becomes irresistible.
The worst part is that she has no idea her professor is the one watching behind the glass.
I just have to hope that once she finds out the truth, she wants the same thing I do. Because now that I’ve seen all of her, I can’t look away.
Sexy blonde woman in lingerie sitting on bed
Ratings 5 stars – This is a book I will not forget and would definitely read again. 4 stars – I really enjoyed this book, I might not read it again but I would definitely recommend it to others. 3 stars – This story was good but either forgettable or just very typical of its genre. 2 stars – Whilst the book was readable I either didn’t enjoy parts of the plot or just could not connect to the main characters. 1 star – This is a book I simply could not finish for reasons listed in the review.
This is one of those books that leaves you wondering what exactly it was you just read, whether you should really be reading it and if there is something wrong with you because you enjoyed it.
I read all the warnings, fully heading the author repeatedly saying this was dark and hopeless. And boy did this take me to the darkest, most depraved depths of hell. I knew going in that this wouldn’t totally be my kind of read, but I also adore Ms Bene so much that, despite that fact, I had to read this. It very much makes it difficult for me to rate the book though. I’ve settled on four stars quite simply because I felt the story flowed, the characters were well crafted and had personality, there was some good world building and background detail and the writing is of a high standard.
Burned is a no-holds-barred and no happiness whatsoever type of read, just in case you didn’t know. There is NO romance, NO happiness and NO satisfactory bad guy getting their just deserts. And until you’ve read one of these types of books you can’t be sure whether or not you will like it. What I will say is that I didenjoy this much more than the original Inferno books. It just felt like it had a little more direction and reason. I also like that the ending, whilst totally a Debby Downer of a conclusion, felt like a hopeless hope. Believe me that will make more sense if and when you’ve read the book!
Bryden is a loathsome man and whilst his actions are not reasonable or acceptable, I could almost understand the ‘why’ of it. Marian was much more of a monster to me, she knew the truth, she knew right from wrong, she knew better. To allow, condone and participate in those acts made her much more of a monster in my eyes. It takes a talented author to craft truly believable, hateful and despicable characters.
My only criticism, which was also true of the original Inferno book, is that there is no explanation of how the family is funded. Bryden goes grocery shopping and I didn’t get the impression that they were self sufficient. Whilst that information wasn’t vital to the story, it was something that I made me ponder and pulled me from the story at one point.
The connection between Ella and Wesley, despite the way Bryden tried to pervert it, gave my poor little soul something good to cling to. It was what allowed me to connect to the story and ‘enjoy’ it, though I’m not sure how appropriate a description enjoy is. They gave each other strength, comfort and ultimately a choice. It was a tiny sliver of grey amidst the pitch black.
I didn’t want to be this man. I never wanted to be like my father.
I just wanted to be loved by him. Accepted. That’s how this happened, that’s how I became this person. Too many years of listening, too many years craving his approval. His words burned into my mind.
And now I crave things the world says I shouldn’t.
I open doors that should remain closed. I cross lines meant to be straight and narrow. But they’ll understand, they’ll see just like I did.
This is the right way of things. The way it’s meant to be.
And whether I have his name or not, at least I’ve finally become the perfect son.
I was going to start my review by saying that this is a ‘marmite book’– you’ll either love it or hate it, but actually I felt quite impassive about it. Whilst I knew there wasn’t any romance, that there would be no HEA and that I was heading into the very depths of darkness and depravity, I did expect a cohesive story that lead me from A to B. Call me old fashioned but I also expect the blurb to have somerelevance to the plot too.
I never felt as though this was ever really a story. It didn’t really contain any of the things I’m looking for in a book – connections, purpose, entertainment, thrills. There was very limited character building and the only character we ‘hear’ from (Joce) felt quite inconsistent. The story was also full of contradictions – at one point it was suggesting all the 3 had been picked and taken by Pater, then we discover they are all his natural children.
There wasn’t really any flow or build to the tale either. It felt as though both the beginning and end had been removed, leaving behind a random section from the middle to read. As though the author had arbitrarily picked a number of really bad things to write about and then just loosely tied them together. As though the entire purpose was to shock and push boundaries just for the heck of it.
I’d heard great things about this book (and series). Indeed I read it as I know a few of my ‘go to’ authors are writing their own books in this world. I also recently read Martyris, Yolanda Olson’s offering in the Cavalieri Della Morte series. Despite being quite a strange read, I loved that one so had high expectations for this. However as well written, as twisted, dark, evil and malevolent as this was, it neither entertained nor evoked emotion in the way I needed it to.
He needed me. Needed my submission. Needed my obedience. Needed my silent permission for him to take everything I could give.
…. this man had become everything I needed in my life. He was my heart. He owned my soul. He was a dark melody that was in perfect harmony with mine.
Lily White is an author with a quirky and distinct flavour, who consistently delivers something fresh and unique with each offering from her pen. Her books range from pitch black through mind-fuck to erotically disturbed, digging into your psych and challenging your ethics whilst simultaneously luring you to walk a dark and dangerous path.
Sin and Discipline is the story of Amelia, a young girl struggling with life and a piano protege, and Lennon, emotionally damaged piano virtuoso and a man of dark desires. Whilst on the surface this is a Teacher-student Taboo romance, it is also very much more than that. Indeed, if you have read any other books by Ms White, then you will be fully aware that it will contain plot twists that will tie you up in knots. It might also contain pairs of suspenders that will do literally do the same thing!
If you don’t look too deep you will see the story of an illicit relationship, a situation where morals and what is proper clash violently against desire and passion. However there is so much more woven into the complex tapestry that this tale creates. There are hidden secrets, long held grievances, misassumptions, lies and duplicity, all mixed together into a powerful cocktail of anger, heartbreak, lust and love.
Lennon and Amelia meet in unusual circumstances, to say the least. They then discover that he is her mentor on a summer programme where 100 hopeful pianists will be whittled down to one successful scholarship winner. However Lennon wants more from Amelia than just her willingness to learn piano, so much more. He wants her obedience, her body, her soul, demands it like the skilled master he is. He desires to own every single inch of her, to dominate her and to play her body with the skill and appetite he demonstrates at the keyboard. Amelia is only too willing to spiral down this rabbit hole with him, lost in the crashing, discordance of his song, soothed by the gentle harmonies he creates within her.
This man was my hero, whether he knew it or not.
This is one incredibly erotic and passionate read, one where you’ll find yourself blushing just as easily as the innocent and previously untried Amelia. I really wouldn’t recommend reading many of the hotter scenes anywhere other than the privacy of your own home, not unless you enjoy getting all hot and bothered in public. The chemistry between Lennon and Amelia is intense, burning so hot that you might need ice for your e-reader. It also left me wanting a Lennon of my own, a man unafraid to demand everything of me that I have to give. A man willing to tempt me to surrender myself to him. A man strong enough to tear down any boundaries that surround us. I may just be a little in love with Lennon.
Amelia is an exquisite creature, innocent and vulnerable yet also hard as steel. My only ‘issue’, and I’m not even sure I would deem it one, is that Amelia generally felt older than her 18 years. However given the last 9 or 10 years of life with her father, given the hustling and illegal activities she has engaged in, given just given how bloody tough life has been for her and the struggle to keep her head above water, then with a bit of a squint I can believe that she might be more mature than the average 18 year old. I can accept that she looks at the world through more grown up eyes. And at the end of the day I loved this story so damn much that quite frankly I didn’t care.
This book held my attention throughout, every single word, line, page and chapter was captivating and compelling. My heart was repeatedly squeezed with agony and despair and when Amelia left the concert after learning if she had won the scholarship it was shattered into a million pieces. Sin & Discipline is a story that was as far from predictable and bland as it is possible to get. It has amazing characters, depth and emotion and will take you on a journey that will wring your emotions dry.
This will be a massive hit with fans of the author, but is a book that all those who enjoy a cleverly written, scorching hot and boundary pushing romance will also not want to miss out on.
A work of art, he was a man that had been carved by the Devil, steel temptation wrapped in velvet sin, a tease like nothing I’d ever known before.
BLURB
Lennon Carter first saw my face with his hand around my throat.
Shock widened his eyes, starbursts of anger for what I’d done. That moment should have been the last of us; our beginning and end. Fate, it seems, had other plans.
A dedicated musician, Lennon would become my mentor, my shadow, my protector and nightmare. We were two discordant notes that somehow blended with perfect harmony. Challenged to become a pianist as talented as him, I became Lennon’s SIN, while he became my DISCIPLINE.
“Who are you, Amelia Dillon?” Confusion flooded me. “What?” It bothered me how my question came out more as a startled squeak than a word. He grinned, just the corner of his lips curling with lazy satisfaction. Reaching out with his free hand, he trapped my chin between his fingers, holding my gaze to his without concern that I hadn’t invited the touch. Electricity sparked where his skin met mine, my head dizzy, my breath as uneven as my heartbeat. “Who are you?” My heart was in my throat, beating staccato so hard that I swore I was a few seconds from passing out. “I don’t-“ The gentle tone of his voice was at odds with his question. “Are you the shitty little thief hiding in a hoodie and baggy jeans? Or are you a musician who demands respect based on her talent and discipline?” He was enjoying this moment far too much, the truth of his amusement written in the line of his lips, the sleepy look in his blue eyes. It only frightened me more. “I’m a musician,” I whispered. Mr. Carter leaned forward and I panicked, my eyes locked to his lips. He shouldn’t have been this close to me. There had to be rules against this. He didn’t seem to care. I wasn’t a girl to be pushed around or controlled. Yet, in his presence, I stilled in place, unable to find the willpower to fight or move away. Breath hot against my cheek, he whispered, “I don’t think you are. I think a musician would know better than to risk her hands acting like a stupid hoodrat that robs people. I think a musician knows better than to question the man who will be judging her performance. I think-“ My lips parted on a tremulous breath. “-you didn’t believe me when I warned you I would spank your ass red if I ever caught you doing something so stupid again.” There was no question about it; I was three seconds away from passing out. He knew it and I knew it, his blue eyes locked to mine when he warned, “You should know that threat extends to you questioning me in class as well.”
Author Bio:
Lily White is a romance writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and Asylum. In addition to dark romance Lily writes contemporary romance, taboo romance, and psychological thrillers. Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
