Book Blitz ~ Prisoner (Criminals & Captives #1) by Annika Martin & Skye Warren

SYNOPSIS

He seethes with raw power the first time I see him—pure menace and rippling muscles in shackles. He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.

But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.

And you might crave him more than your next breath.

"Sexy, dark and thrilling. I loved every second of it!" – New York Times bestselling author Katie Reus

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AUTHOR BIOS

Annika Martin

I’m a NYT bestselling author living a stone’s throw away from the Mississippi with my awesome husband and two cats in a home full of plants, sunshine and books. I'm heavy into writing love stories about criminals--some of them are dirty and fun (my Kinky bank robbers!) others are dark and intense (Prisoner!)

I also write gritty romantic suspense as the RITA-award winning author Carolyn Crane.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Skye Warren

(No author photo)

Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of dark romantic fiction. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely tender. For those new to her work, consider the bestseller Wanderlust or Don't Let Go.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Don't Let Go (Dark Erotica #4) by Skye Warren

FBI’s Most Wanted. Psychopath. Secret admirer.

He’s all these things…and I’m going to bring him down. I’m just a junior agent with the FBI, but my past runs deeper and darker than anyone knows. I turned in my own father for heinous, violent crimes. This is what I live for. Except he seems to anticipate my every move. He’s always one step ahead, circling, taunting, and when we finally meet, I’m the one who gets caught.

4.75-5 Stars

“Samantha, love. What makes you think I’d let you leave?”

My eyes fell shut, and the hot tracks down my cheeks didn’t come from the shower. I turned in his arms, blindly, gladly. God. All I’d ever wanted was someone to keep me. To want me, even knowing all my faults. 

“Normal?” he scoffed. “You wouldn’t like me half as much if I were normal. I saw you, I wanted you, I took you. You want me to fucking apologize for that? No. This is how it works. I’m an animal, remember? A monster. You put a slab of fresh meat in front of me, this is what happens.” 

Bravo, Skye. Bravo. 

This is Carlos’ book. Do you know how crazy that sounded when I heard this was happening? If you haven’t read her Dark Erotica Series, then this story might not have the same impact as it did on me. You have to understand: The things Carlos has done in previous books are seriously disturbing and severely cringe-worthy. I honestly did not believe he could be redeemable. Like, at all. However, I was still anxious to see how this series would end. Could I learn to love a man like Carlos? After this book, the answer is a resounding yes. 

I didn’t want those men to hurt me because I liked pain. I wanted them to hurt me because I knew I deserved it all along. 

Samantha is a junior FBI agent who was just handed the assignment of a lifetime. Her mission: To catch the uncatchable Carlos Laguardia. Samantha has come a long way from the little girl who turned her father in for murder. He was a notorious serial killer who killed young boys and girls. She’s always felt remorse for turning him in, but knew she did the right thing. However, that didn’t stop her from feeling the guilt of her betrayal. She’s damaged and very broken. It isn’t surprising that’s she’s always had daddy issues, wanting and hooking up with older men. So when she got partnered up with the sexy, slightly older FBI agent Ian Hennessey, it wasn’t shocking to find her heart and head in a flutter. 

It took more strength to stand beside someone you loved, even when they were wrong. 

Ian Hennessey is an enigma. That’s all I can really say about him. Well that, and he’s unbelievably smart and very good looking. He has a strong reputation in the FBI as the guy you go to when you want to catch the uncatchable. It’s no wonder they assigned him to the case. But why did they partner him up with Sam? She’s a rookie with no experience. Plus with her around, she can easily be a distraction, for her and for whom they are trying to catch. 

“I don’t need your consent,” he murmured.

My swallow felt thick. “You have it.”

“I know.” 

When a mission goes bad, Sam finds herself bound and kidnapped by the madman himself. Her stay with him, though brief, peeled away every layer of her cover, leaving her naked, raw and exposed. She was never the same again. She seeks pain, refuge and love. But where can she find that? Is it with Hennessey? Or is it with Carlos, the man who abducted and freed her? 

My dream wasn’t to be a princess in a castle. I wanted to be Persephone, claimed by the god of the underworld. 

Holy-mother-fucking-shit! This story is beyond fucking amazing. It wasn’t as dark as her previous stories, but it was still dark and the twist in the book was completely crazy!; I’m still left in utter shock. After reading this, I kept thinking about Carlos, pre and post this story. Have you ever seen the Broadway musical Wicked? No? Well, I’m still gonna say this anyway: After seeing that play, I never thought about the Wicked Witch of the West ever the same way ever again. I look back at how she was portrayed in the Wizard of Oz and can’t think of her as The Wicked Witch anymore; I see her as Elphaba, a person and not the monster she was portrayed to be. This is exactly how I see Carlos. I remember at all the horrible and disturbing things he’s done in the previous books and I begin to see his acts differently. My mind is completely blown! Who knew I could feel this way about Carlos? I love this author even more for what she was able to accomplish.

Seriously. Mind. Blown. 

Bravo, Skye. Bravo.

*Author provided copy for honest review.*

Beneath the Beauty (Beauty #2) by Skye Warren

In the long anticipated sequel to Amazon Erotica BestsellerBeauty Touched the Beast, Erin and Blake explore their new intimacy and encounter old enemies.

When Blake receives an offer to return to his alma mater as associate professor, he knows this is his chance to reenter the world—and to be worthy of the woman he loves. Erin wants this chance for him to heal… even if it means leaving her behind.

Beneath the Beauty is a novella in the Beauty serial. Don’t miss the sexy initial installment, Beauty Touched the Beast, available now.

Four Stars

To her he was beautiful. 

Sigh… 

I have such a love/hate thing with novellas. Beauty Touched the Beast (Beauty #1) is a prime example. I really liked that story, though it was way too short, I found it amazing that Skye was able to convey how strong and palpable their chemistry was in such a short amount of time. I was salivating for more; more of Erin and Blake’s story. Thank you, Skye, for writing this and adding to their story. 

He had realistic expectations. He was ugly as sin. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. It was only a matter of time before she never came back. 

I’m a sucker for the scarred and damaged Heroes, and Blake is a prime example. He’s a soldier of war and was left badly scarred after his last tour of duty. He became a recluse; his only source of happiness came to his house twice a week in a form of his housemaid, Erin. Much to his surprise, Erin, also harbors feelings towards him. So what happens when Blake decides to go back into the real world? How will his career affect their relationship, especially when one of his associates, an ex-lover, comes back into the picture? 

And he’d known all along what had driven her – but he would interpret that as pity, not…well, what was it? Kindness? Love? She wanted him to be happy, not to worry, but the world would always judge him, would always mock and belittle him for the scars he’d earned protecting it. 

I’m so excited that there will be more to come. No worries, dear readers, these two novellas do not end in cliffhangers. They ended with the promise of more to come. Those of you familiar with Skye Warren’s work, you know some of them are pretty dark stuff. Do not fret, though, this isn’t dark; just pure erotic goodness. Thank you, Skye, for this ARC. I cannot wait to see what happens to Erin and Blake next :)

Wanderlust by Skye Warren

Can love come from pain?

Evie always dreamed of seeing the world, but her first night at a motel turns into a nightmare. Hunter is a rugged trucker willing to do anything to keep her—including kidnapping. As they cross the country in his rig, Evie plots her escape, but she may find what she's been looking for right beside her.

Wanderlust is a dark erotic novel which explores dubious consent, captivity, and power play. Not intended for those uncomfortable with the subject matter or under eighteen.

4.75 Stars

And I was helpless to resist, too weak to fight the mounting pleasure, too relieved to find myself spread and held and wanted, oh finally, someone did want me, and even if it was perverted and dirty, at least it was new. 

I don’t know what it is about Skye Warren’s books, but they are like crack to me. So when I was presented with an opportunity to receive this ARC, I was all over it. I dropped everything I was doing, including my current read, just to dive into this story. I am a huge fan of Dark Erotica, especially by Skye. Be warned though, they’re not for everyone. Her stories often include a lot of scenes that might make some uncomfortable: Dubious consent, kidnapping, captivity and psychological tug of war. It will definitely stretch your comfort level. I don’t know what it says about me, but I love books that do just that. 

I was an animal bred in captivity, unprepared for the harshness of the wild. 

Evie has led a very sheltered life. She is beautiful and knows first hand what it is to be lusted after, even by her own mother’s boyfriend. The world was too scary according to her mother. She would constantly worry that she wouldn’t know how to protect herself from the ravening men who would attack Evie as soon as she left home. Unfortunately, Evie has had enough. She wants to see things, especially Niagara Falls for which she has seen a lot of in her stolen library book. She’s finally going to risk it and head for the Falls, but as soon as she makes a stop at a dodgy hotel, her plans have gone completely awry. There she meets a handsome trucker named Hunter, a man who doesn’t take no for an answer. 

There was only one good reason I could think of why a man who looked as good as he did would force a woman – because he preferred it that way. 

As soon as Hunter sees Evie, he knew he must have her. Her beauty and innocence lured him in. After forcing his way into her life, he knew immediately that one night with her was not enough. He kidnaps her and takes her along in his semi. He is often rough and forceful with her, but almost immediately after taking her like that, he does a one-eighty and treats her with an almost reverent-like manner, almost like he’s atoning for his treatment of her. It’s his back and forth behavior that makes Evie, and my, head spin. Something in Hunter’s past has brought him to this point in his life, both fighting his domineering, possessive side to his softer and tender side. Let the mind fuck begin. 

There was something there, something large and scary lurking under the water. Every once in a while it would surface with a flip of my stomach, like when a man would speak to me with a certain authority, give me an order…

I didn’t like it, or maybe I liked it too much. 

Hunter is playing one big mind fuck on Evie’s emotions. She shouldn’t want this, but yet she can’t figure out why she would. She’s starting to find similarities between her and Hunter. Both have been sheltered in some ways and both needing that comfort they find in one another. She’s had ample opportunities to escape, only to find herself back within Hunter’s arms. In some perverse way, she is starting to trust him. He wants her more than anything, but is he redeemable? Can he ultimately atone for what he’s done to her? Can she forgive him? 

Not all those who wander are lost. 

I’ll say it once, I’ll say it again: I love Skye Warren’s stories. I admit my comfort level was once again tested, but that’s what makes her stories so appealing to me. My curiosity for the dark, twisted and perverse tales will always compel me to read these stories. There’s just something unique about them, almost like escapism. You pray it never happens to you, but yet your curiosity tugs at you to find out what happens. My curiosity will always win. Thank you again, Skye, for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I anxiously await your next book.