The Flesh Cartel #1

Dec 12, 2012 Monique ~ Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, all-time-favourites

Amazing and unbelievably compelling...No hearts and flowers. No beautiful prose or fluttering of eyelashes. No sickly sweet, honeyed words of endearment. This is a Psychosexual Thriller. This is dark, This is raw and it will hurt your heart!

Before I impart my incoherent ramblings on you, as to just how wonderful this Novella is. I would like to give you some information to help you understand this series a little better.

This Novella/Episode is the first in the series of a Serial Story. A Serial...more

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Jan 15, 2013 LisaT - AttentionIsArbitrary M/M Blog LisaT131 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, highly-emotional, kindle, m-m, erotica, riptide-publishing

~~~

Attention:

Per Riptide Publishing:

Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes:

explicit violence
forced incest
non-consent

Trauma. Shock. It's too big, too fresh to be real yet.

Brutal, graphic, terrorizing and raw.

This book was a sprint, with hurdles. Flying right out of the blocks there was no slowing down until crossing the finish line when I was gasping for breath and shaking.

THE CHARACTERS:

I found the two main characters to be vivid, real and so likeable th...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I do not say this lightly: PROCEED WITH CAUTION. Seriously. There's a reason Riptide and the authors put warnings on this book.

If you live in a fairly "normal", vanilla world, and your only real exposure to things shocking and violent and cruel are through books (<- me), this could be a very difficult one to read. (not that it would be any easier on those who have experienced such things first hand...I can't say)

As I read this book, I cried, screamed "NO!" and "STOP, please STOP!", retched, f...more

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Dec 29, 2012 RACH ~Queen of Vishous, Blacky and Shelly~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-reads, m-m, non-con, favorites

This book is the first instalment of The Flesh Cartel series.

The 90 page instalment 'Capture' is fast paced, complete with angst, pain, misery, trauma and indescribable cruelty towards the two brothers Mat and Dougie.

Guards subject them to sexually depraved acts which made my face tighten with tension, then relax once it was over only to repeat the trauma again a couple of pages later. The scenes were relentless and yet I still wanted to read further.

The love the brothers have for each other is...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Jenn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: angst-drama, i-own, m-m, riptide, series, jerry-springer-or-oprah-ready, slave-bsdm, suspense, to-review

I wanted to like this more than I did. Were there brutal elements in there that should have shocked me? Sure. But, for me, I don't know enough about the characters for it to really gut me. It's like when I hear about someone dying on the news. Yeah, I find it tragic and sad, but if I found out it was the barista that gave me my morning coffee every day or a coworker etc, it would certainly hit me harder. So, reading about these awful things didn't invite me into the characters' horror. I needed...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Gwenith rated it 3 of 5 stars

AHHHH DAAAAM, WAIT, I NEED A SECOND...OKAY WAIT...

OH MY GAAAAWD.... DAM'IT ALL, SH*T! I NEED A SECOND ON THIS ONE IT WAS INTENSE! I THINK I WILL REVIEW IT, NO WAIT MAYBE NOT, DANG IT.....I THINK I'LL GET BOOK TWO, MAYBE, BUT, MAYBE NOT

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APPOX 15 DAY'S LATER AFTER READING..... UPDATED AND REVIEWED BELOW THE DOTTED LINE.....
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THIS WAS A DIFFICULT READ~ WELL W...more

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Oct 02, 2012 ♆ BookAddict ~ La Crimson Femme rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Non con m/m lovers

Shelves: netgalley-reviews, m-m, bdsm, slavery, rape, arc

Mat and Dougie are brothers who have unfortunately caught the attention of some not so good people. Specifically, Dougie is the desirable virgin to be raped and then trained. Mat is just along for the ride.

This is a BDSM non con fantasy story which is what makes it so appealing. It's only the beginning of this series. The initial installment is filled with a wet dream of dark gritty rough treatment. The rape of young Mat is nasty and detailed out well. It doesn't go into extreme specifics, yet j...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Lisa Henry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, serials, dub-con, hardcore, did-i-say-dub-con-i-meant-non-con

Four stars because it's only the first instalment...I completely expect it to jump to five stars by the end...

This was brutal. I pretty much mean that in a good way, but if you're at all concerned about the warnings then this might not be the series for you.

All I can say is that the opening episode of The Flesh Cartel packs a hell of a punch, and I can't want to see where it goes from here.

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Nov 09, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, lgbt, erotic-horror, netgalley

I never cared for serials, because I couldn’t stand waiting a whole week to find out what was going to happen. Thanks to advances in television, I can now watch my favorite shows whenever I want to. I no longer have to worry about missing an episode if I can’t be home a certain night. I can wait until an entire season is out and spend all weekend watching it.

I am the same way with books, preferring to start a series when it is completed rather than impatiently waiting for the author to finish th...more I never cared for serials, because I couldn’t stand waiting a whole week to find out what was going to happen. Thanks to advances in television, I can now watch my favorite shows whenever I want to. I no longer have to worry about missing an episode if I can’t be home a certain night. I can wait until an entire season is out and spend all weekend watching it.

I am the same way with books, preferring to start a series when it is completed rather than impatiently waiting for the author to finish the next installment. Now that I’ve read the first episode in The Flesh Cartel series, I will have to delay gratification until the next installments are done. And thank goodness for that, because this story is very dark, intense, erotic, harsh and brutal. It is best digested in smaller bites. If you are thinking of reading this, heed all the warnings. This story is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Flesh Cartel #1: Capture is told from the perspective of two brothers, Mat and Dougie. Mat, the older brother, is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. He also works as a bouncer to support his younger brother and enable him to complete his PhD in psychology. Unexpectedly, both men are kidnapped from their home and subject to unspeakable terror. They are then carted away in a van where Mat is caged and forced to watch Dougie being brutally raped by multiple assailants. Later they are taken to a facility where they are processed, hosed down, sexually abused, filmed, and soon to be trained in preparation to serve the very rich and kinky clientele the Flesh Cartel caters to.

There are enough loose ends and unanswered questions to make me want to continue reading, despite the fact that I was a trembling mess by the end. Dougie and Mat care deeply for each other and I care enough about them to see how they cope with this unexpected twist in their lives. I am left wondering why the Cartel has targeted Dougie and what will the brothers have to do in order to stay together and survive. Mat has the brawn and Dougie has the brains, but the way things are right now, their situation could only get worse before it gets better. I will definitely be tuning in for Part 2.

*ARC received from Riptide Publishing through NetGalley.

Also reviewed at Outlaw Reviews
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Oct 05, 2012 Shirley Frances rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2-review, mm-read, mm-series, 2012

First, I have to say that I laughed when I went to write my review and Goodreads prompted me with "What did you think?"

Such an innocent, simple question. But I could not simply answer. Believe me, you do not want to know what I first thought. I don't think you would appreciate all my Spanish cussing and jumbled thoughts. So I stepped away for a bit, grabbed a Diet Coke and sat listening to the coquis outside on my porch, did some research into serial fiction and this is what I came away thinkin...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Paula (Romantic Book Affairs Blogspot) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-story-or-novella, ng-edel-arc, dark, abduction, m-m, erotica

The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture is by far the most disturbing short story I've ever read. My stomach was in knots. My whole body shook with anger. I had a grip on my Kindle that quite possibly could've broken it if I didn't check myself. This is NOT for the feint of heart. This story is dark, wicked, and extremely intense.

Mat is an underground cage fighter. Winning fights means winning money that will financially keep Dougie in school and the bills paid. Dougie is a graduate student who is determi...more
The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture is by far the most disturbing short story I've ever read. My stomach was in knots. My whole body shook with anger. I had a grip on my Kindle that quite possibly could've broken it if I didn't check myself. This is NOT for the feint of heart. This story is dark, wicked, and extremely intense.

Mat is an underground cage fighter. Winning fights means winning money that will financially keep Dougie in school and the bills paid. Dougie is a graduate student who is determined to get his PhD so he can eventually get his brother out of the hard life where he comes home battered and bruised.

Mat and Dougie had a rough childhood. Mat feels responsible for Dougie because as children they were orphaned and separated. Mat will never let anything happen to Dougie again. The love and devotion these two brothers have for one another is endearing. But what these two have been put through is nothing compared to what they are subjected to when four men break into their home, kidnap and violate them, and then bring them to a facility where they are prepared to be sold at an auction.

They've survived so much in their life, but will they survive this?

Mat, being extremely protective of Dougie, wants to fight against everything that is happening to them. But the more he fights, the worse he makes the situation. Not able to fight back, Mat is forced to submit to whatever it takes to save his brother and himself.

Dougie is subjected to so much from the beginning. I couldn't believe I was reading any of it. It was sick, disgusting, and, sadly, this happens all the time in human trafficking situations. Dougie started out weak in the beginning, but his strength and desire to live is what saved both him and Mat from being killed.

Because this story is from both brothers POVs, I was inside both of their heads. I could FEEL their pain and suffering. Dougie's will to live and Mat's protective instincts were so raw and so real. I felt so overwhelmed by this short 75 page story that I felt completely out of sorts the rest of the day.

What happens to these two is hard to put into words. It's sinister. It's wrong. Oh, so very wrong. Imagine being completely powerless and having to watch someone you love more than anything being humiliated over and over. This story shattered all my boundaries. I spent most of the time reading this story with a death grip on my Kindle. I have so many questions that I'm dying to know. Who are the characters at the beginning of the story? Who is the woman in charge? (I hope Mat and Dougie get their vengeance against this bitch!) As disturbed as I am by this story, I'm compelled to find out what happens with Mat and Dougie until I've reached the end of the story.

-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review
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Nov 10, 2012 Don rated it 2 of 5 stars

At times I felt like I was watching an action flick made for teen aged boys.(Dude, what can we come up with next to keep them in their seats?) This isn't really a book, it's a segment, meant to be followed by many other segments. There are at least 6 Flesh Cartel 'books' listed here on Goodsreads, most not yet published. At 3 bucks a pop, what eventually might turn out to constitute a Book, would be upwards of $18, depending on how many cliffhanger endings they can come up with. In a rush to get...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Jo * Smut-Dickted * rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: MM fans who like noncon/capture/slave.

Shelves: capture-dubcon-slave, read-on-kindle, netgalley, 2012-bdsm-countdown-challenge, rrc-challenge-of-challenges

Mat and Dougie have not had the easiest life. Mat is a fighter, through and through, but the hard knocks keep coming and even with Dougie as inspiration he knows that his chances are growing slimmer in the ring . He has spent most of his adult life making sure Dougie had everything he needed to make himself a success. Whether it was a home, textbook, or food Mat worked hard to provide for Dougie. After all that work the payoff seems to be within the brothers grasp as Dougie is almost done with h...more Mat and Dougie have not had the easiest life. Mat is a fighter, through and through, but the hard knocks keep coming and even with Dougie as inspiration he knows that his chances are growing slimmer in the ring . He has spent most of his adult life making sure Dougie had everything he needed to make himself a success. Whether it was a home, textbook, or food Mat worked hard to provide for Dougie. After all that work the payoff seems to be within the brothers grasp as Dougie is almost done with his school when one fateful night everything changes. Dougie, home before Mat for a change, takes the opportunity to relax and unwind not knowing the danger that creeps closer nor the target on his back. When the brothers find themselves in a life or death situation each one must reach down inside to find the courage to go on - for each other and for themselves.

The first episode of The Flesh Cartel starts with a bang, or should I say punch. Mat is the kind of character that has the girls and boys swooning with his rough edges. Dougie is the all American type boy, the boy next door, the one you want to bring home to Mom and Dad. In spite of Mat's grittiness you sense in him a real desire to do the right thing, and his love and protection of Dougie tests all bounds and limits of human endurance. Dougie is more fragile, not only physically but emotionally. You get a real sense that Mat's taken his knocks for him, and Dougie is not equipped to deal with the horrific event which befalls him.

The dramatic tension and suspense tingle your senses. The prose is tight and smooth though there is choppiness where it fits the story. You might forget to breathe as you turn the page because even you, the reader, are not sure who is going to make it out of this situation alive. The focal point of the brothers gives you two points of view with which to see, feel, and hear the actions. At this stage it is the "who" that is in play - with a little "why" thrown in for good measure. This is raw, elemental, violent, and unapologetic. Underneath it though the characters are what keep you interested and move you forward. It reads very much like the episode it is and not like a novella - this is part of a greater whole and it shows. Most similar to a TV show episode. The beauty of this format is that development can occur in a different fashion and using different scales and with different viewpoints. What might be forsaken in the rush to get a whole book out gets plenty of time here. The setting, the utter horror that this could exist slaps you in the face. No mincing words or feeling, no sugar (or really any) type of coating. I'm going to say this just one time: Heed the warnings. While I do not know where this is going, or what the end will look like, right now it is not for those who like their kink or their romance to come wrapped in a bow with a nice box of chocolates. The Flesh Cartel is more like peeling back the covering of something that goes bump in the night. As a device I have not been too fond of serial stories - having found few that can measure up and make me believe I got value for my money. This is not the case here - and much like I might obsessively wait for each episode of a favorite TV show I will now turn my eyes to the next episode of Dougie and Mat to find out what happens.

** Disclosure - a review copy was provided to the reviewer by Netgalley for an honest review **

If you enjoy this book you might like the BDSM Group

We will be doing a Buddy Read of this series starting 1st week of October 2012 at
The Flesh Cartel MM Capture/Slave BUDDY READ Discussion (less)

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Mar 25, 2013 Marita Hansen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bondage, gay, kidnapped, m-m, underbelly, victimisation, prisoners, slaves, serial, abuse

A REVIEW OF THE FLESH CARTEL.

description

SPECIAL NOTE: I received this installment of The Flesh Cartel from Netgalley. I always do reviews honestly, not holding back on my likes and dislikes of a book, so you won't get a watered down review - at all, all my thoughts laid out bare. If you would like to discuss my views, whether it is to agree or disagree with me, you can leave comments attached to the review. Thank you, Marita.

So, here's what I think...

I thought this was a very, very, very... dark story, the...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Bree Cheese rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-reads, bdsm, dub-non-con, slave-capture

Not so sure that I should be saying 'I enjoyed this book', but I did enjoy it - don't know what that says about me! It's a dark, gritty super non-con novella that packs quite a punch for only 70 some pages. This is not light reading and it's a bit hard to read at times, but I'm sucked into this harsh story and I've already purchased the second in the series.

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Oct 01, 2012 Aimee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, series, abuse, dubcon, captured-slave-fic, hate-love-it, favorites

I am now hooked to this serial, what that says about me, I don't know. Probably the darkest story I've come across after Carnalli's Complex but strangely, oddly, compelling. Like a horror show, I couldn't look away. My heart broke for Dougie.
The sequel cannot come fast enough.

See Monique's Musing's Review!

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Sep 24, 2012 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, fiction, netgalley, novella

The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture is by far the darkest, most disturbing book I've ever read and I read a lot. It was brutal, violent, and brilliantly written. With subject matter this dark, it's hard not to feel deeply for the characters involved and want the best for them even though there couldn't possibly be a happy ending to this series.

Brothers Dougie and Mat were abducted, brutalized, sexually abused, and marked as property. As creeped out as I felt reading this, I couldn't put it down. It wa...more

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Oct 12, 2012 SilkeeeeeeReads rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-slave

Okay, I'm going to start with a strong WARNING! If you are the least bit squeamish about, rape, slaves and the like, do not even attempt to read this sequel. It's well written but rough as shit. This first installment is when brothers Dougie and Matt are captured. I have a pretty tough constitution when it comes to fiction but this even made hard core little 'ol me uncomfortable. Reminds me a bit of the Ann Rice Beauty series but maybe a little rougher.

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Oct 06, 2012 Nikyta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: riptide-publishing, tbr-with-filly, bdsm-kink, broken-to-bits, contemporary, cruelty-abuse, family-relations, m-m, injury-recovery, kidnapped-hostage-taken, dark, non-romance, series-serial, cliff-hanger, armchair-reviews, double-whammy, m-m-m-or-more, horror, angst, published-on-amazon

This review can be found at The Armchair Reader.

This book tells the tale of Mat, an MMA fighter, trying to support him and his brother and Dougie, an inspiring Ph. D student, being taken in the middle of the night and required to withstand numerous brutal and horrifying actions to stay alive. They’re taken by multiple men, raped, abused and then forced to cooperate in being processed to become slaves. Mat is dangerous but Dougie is his weakness and his kidnappers know it. If he doesn’t cooperate...more This review can be found at The Armchair Reader.

This book tells the tale of Mat, an MMA fighter, trying to support him and his brother and Dougie, an inspiring Ph. D student, being taken in the middle of the night and required to withstand numerous brutal and horrifying actions to stay alive. They’re taken by multiple men, raped, abused and then forced to cooperate in being processed to become slaves. Mat is dangerous but Dougie is his weakness and his kidnappers know it. If he doesn’t cooperate, Dougie’s dead but Dougie’s too scared to do anything but endure their torture. This is the story of two brothers taken and forced into a new brutal world with no answers as to why they were targeted.

This was a great book. It’s powerful, intense and well written. It’s wonderfully brutal and captivating. I was sucked into the story from the beginning and fascinated with the play of events. It’s a great start to a new serial that’s sure to keep me on the edge of my seat. We get almost immediately thrown into violence, rape and kidnapping but we also get to know Mat and Dougie a bit, too. I winced a few times over what was happening and my heart clenched at what these boys went through.

Some of their abuse is told instead of shown so it’s not as brutal it could have been but then some of it is told in excruciating detail that lets you know just how much pain these boys are in. They’re treated like dogs, microchipped, chained and, in Mat’s case, caged. They’re forced to perform sexually, humiliated into orgasms, inserted with all types of objects and tested how much they want to live by requiring Mat to rim Dougie to stay alive. It’s intense and dark but not as much as I was expecting. The fact that Mat is gay while Dougie is straight is heartbreaking because Dougie gets most of the abuse and assault. I felt horrible for these guys, it’s shocking what they go through but I couldn’t stop reading once I started.

My main problem, though, is that I had a ton of questions from the start that weren’t answered which is understandable considering it’s a serial but also kind of frustrating. Still, I was plagued with these questions! It kept bugging me why Dougie was targeted, why would they stalk him, put so much effort into learning about him and Mat’s schedule. It seems like a lot of work for just one guy when there are numerous street kids out there that seem easier to obtain. Beyond that, I felt like, at times, the blurb gave more information than the actual story did. I also had trouble with the POV changes. In my converted copy, there was no indication that it switched from Mat to Dougie, or vice versa, which got me confused and pulled me slightly out of the story several times because then I had to go back and reread a few passages.

This book gives a hint of the workings of an underground slave auction. I’m curious where it heads and I really can’t wait to see how it all plays out and what Nikolai (who’s only mentioned in the beginning) has to do with it. There’s also no romance but I’m curious if one will develop (oh man, I hope one develops!).

In the end, this was a wonderful start to a new serial. Definitely recommended to those brave enough to read or those looking for something dark and gritty to pass the time.(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Heidi Belleau added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: publications

If you are at all concerned about content in this work, please check Riptide's warnings and detailed list of kinks. Still not sure? An extended excerpt is available on Riptide's website.

Want to know more about the serial format at Riptide, including whether serial fiction costs more than other offerings? Find answers to your questions on the Serial Fiction FAQ.

Also, if you have any questions about content, format, or anything else, feel free to leave me a comment here.

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May 12, 2013 carol rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adults and BDSM readers comfortable with darker reads and non HEA

Shelves: bdsm, bondage, anal-sex, domination, fantasy, medical, multiple-partners, gangbang, rape, virgin, taboo

Rachel and Heidi have produced an excellent though horrific start to their series. This is a harsh raw start to the capture of two brothers. The quieter, gentler Dougie ends up brutally gang bang raped, so this isn't a read for those who like lighter topics or HEA endings. This is one of those harsh realities you would hope never occurs, but gives a horrifying undercurrent that tells me with humans as they are and with hedonistic sadists around with money, little or no morals or scruples that fo...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-ve-won, 2013, 100-pages-or-less, battle-of-the-books, xxfeb-2013, m-m, dmc, read-m-m, xxchallenge-february, pushing-boundaries-challenge

WOW!

It's one of those books that are sooooo wrong but yet soooo good! I was sucked in from the first pages. I needed to know what was gonna happen next. Mat is a badass MMA fighter (tough, strong, I'll do anything to protect my little brother) & Dougie is the college student (ready to be the one who's taking care of his big brother for once). The minute I met these guys they become so real, when all hell breaks loose...I got that icky feeling in my stomach that I couldn't help 'em. I have to...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Sam Schooler rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5/5

Brutal. Extremely brutal. Well-written with compelling characters. Seriously heed the warnings on this one -- it contains explicit non-con and more than lives up to the "dark psychosexual thriller" label. This book isn't pretty; it doesn't dance around the gritty, unattractive stuff. I'm in it for the bond between Mat and Dougie -- these brothers are well-rounded and realistic characters with a hell of a devotion to each other.

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Dec 14, 2012 Dreamer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica, bdsm, abuse, contemporary, kindle, thriller, dark, non-con, shit-hot-cover, unputdownable, tortured-hero, omg, m-m, slave, 5-star, series, sports

Read this dark short in one go, compelling and impossible to put down. Cage fighter Mat and his PhD student brother Dougie are kidnapped and abused, then prepared for a slave auction. Got to read book two asap.
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Apr 02, 2013 Melda added it · review of another edition

Later thoughts:

Maybe it is meant to be a case study, not erotica. Oh, wait, but it is listed as erotica!

It reminded me of the gang rape and murder videos Serbian soldiers shot during the Yugoslavian war, that made their way in the "western civilization" and people paid huge amounts of money for them, you know, just to satisfy their curiosity. The more the videos sold, the more women were raped and and their throats slit in front of video cameras.

The question is "Where do we draw the line?" Is i...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Lege rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gut-turning, not-for-the-faint-of-heart, non-con, 5-stars, angst, chilling, dark, mindfuck, psychoville

Story comes with a warning and it's not there just for a tease- definitely not for the faint of heart.

Episode One - Capture
First taste and authors are pushing all my comfort level buttons already.In introduction of a story, we are informed that story is a psychosexual thriller and that the Flesh Cartel are experts in breaking human mind. That psycho- part intrigued me; and we can see only glimpse of that in first episode. Actually, I would say, that first episode was all about breaking bodies of...more

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Jan 11, 2013 leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

This first episode of the Flesh Cartel serial opens with a shocking initial hook. It remains to be seen whether the overall story arc will be strong enough to maintain the intensity.

The blurb concisely describes the action, and the chapter is short, so any enumerated plot details in a review would be unnecessary spoilers. This first episode deals with setting the scene--establishing the story's universe for the reader.

The main characters, brothers Mat and Dougie, are fleshed out well in the tim...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Steelwhisper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: abuse, crime-thriller, horror, quiltbag, dmc

This is more like a 2.5* read, but gets one extra * just because Amazon managed to ban this.

I probably read this book at the wrong time. I just finished the raw but extremely well-written

and the better yet

, and they tower above The Flesh Cartel by miles in just about anything:

Quality of the prose, logic and captivating presence of the plot, characterisations, insights into the psychology of all parties involved, quality of secondary characters and plotlines, eroticism, engagement of the re...more This is more like a 2.5* read, but gets one extra * just because Amazon managed to ban this.

I probably read this book at the wrong time. I just finished the raw but extremely well-written

and the better yet

, and they tower above The Flesh Cartel by miles in just about anything:

Quality of the prose, logic and captivating presence of the plot, characterisations, insights into the psychology of all parties involved, quality of secondary characters and plotlines, eroticism, engagement of the reader on a visceral level--you name it, these two novels have it. In fact, after finishing this here review I believe I have to up both those by a star just because of the favourable comparison.

The Flesh Cartel came along with such a major hype going, that I was indeed taken in by it and came down with a hard thunk while reading it. Everyone maintained that this was a "hard read" and "heavy going" and "difficult to get through". Not for me. Not only that I felt completely detached from Dougie and Mat and couldn't have cared less what happened to them, because the writing didn't invest me even a tiny bit in them, I also consider most of what is described as unfeasible for human participants. Which means I get even further distanced from what is allegedly taking place. As some other reviewer stated, it felt more like watching a fantasy or horror movie out of the corner of one's eyes while concentrated on something else. It never felt real or realistic.

Unlike Captive in the Dark this book never took the time (even though it comes in 6 instalments and allegedly has time enough to invest) to get me interested in and rooting for those two brothers. I took little more away from them than that they are rather vulgar and pretty shallow. Like another reviewer stated the plot has serious plotholes already right there in the beginning. Why would slavers so badly compromise and hurt their wares? Why would they take from the pleasure of the future owners' joy in training them themselves? Why would they risk getting them with whatever STDs those thugs might have? All this makes little sense and essentially detaches the reader even further from the story. I didn't much like the many often rather overused cliches and the attempt at sounding like Raymond Chandler in places. Sorry, he did that much better already ;) The cliches don't extend just to the wording, unfortunately, many of the character and plot choices also are tired tropes (Russian villains, Madame Bitch, Doctor Mengele in disguise, and so on and forth). That's for example a trap CJ Roberts didn't fall into at all. She managed to make even her direst villains still human and understandable.

After I'd finished Captive in the Dark I went straight to Amazon and bought the second book. I won't be buying any more of this series, quite frankly I'm not interested enough. If that had been all to it, I'd have given it no rating at all, especially as I found it a bit steep in price for such meagre fare. For 3 quid I can get whole novels, many very well-written too. In the end this book doesn't really hold up in comparison to its peers for me and that's what makes my reaction.

However, I bought this just before Amazon decided to ban this book. It still is on my kindle, so thank you for small mercies, Amazon! Gah!

But why the heck was this banned? It's not particularly gruesome, there are books sold on Amazon which gave me nightmares for weeks, Clive Barker anyone? The Flesh Cartel doesn't even tickle me and is certainly not on par with some of what gets sold by the hundreds and more among thrillers or crime fiction. Conceded, the writing is not on par with a Clive Barker or a Val McDermid, but it's definitely not so bad that the rape and sex parts eclipse the literary effort in the rest of it. There's no incest, the violence is not written to titillate either, so what for that decision?

I'm quite against censorship, so this gets one more star just to flip my finger at Amazon and to support those two authors in their endeavour to keep writing this.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-must-reads, erotica, nov-2012, net-galley

*** THIS BOOK HAS MATURE NATURE TO IT. THIS IS 18+ PLEASE BEWARE THAT THERE IS RAPE AND HEAVY SEXUAL SITUATIONS IN THIS BOOK ***

First I want to give you some background on this new series. This new series by Riptide Publishing is called Serial Fiction where there is several Novella's to the story. I have to say that this idea is totally brilliant because it keeps the reader on the edge of your seat and needing more and wondering when the next Novella is coming out.

In Capture we meet the Mat and...more *** THIS BOOK HAS MATURE NATURE TO IT. THIS IS 18+ PLEASE BEWARE THAT THERE IS RAPE AND HEAVY SEXUAL SITUATIONS IN THIS BOOK ***

First I want to give you some background on this new series. This new series by Riptide Publishing is called Serial Fiction where there is several Novella's to the story. I have to say that this idea is totally brilliant because it keeps the reader on the edge of your seat and needing more and wondering when the next Novella is coming out.

In Capture we meet the Mat and Doug Carmichael. These brothers are all each other has in this world and Mat the oldest one will do anything to protect his younger brother Doug. So Mat fights in the ring for money so he can support Doug so Doug can go to school and not have to work. Doug is working on his Masters degree and trying to take care of Mat when he gets home from fighting but as Mat being the oldest does not allow Doug to take care of him.

As Mat is fighting he is getting his ass kicked in the ring and he realizes that he is going to have to do something because no money means Doug will worry and that Mat does not want. He wants Doug to focus on school and nothing more. But this fight is taking him to the brink and as Mat loses this fight all he can think about is Doug and what will happen when he goes home all battered and bruised. But what Mat does not realize is that someone has been watching him and Doug and when he gets home he is in for the surprise of a lifetime.

Doug is at school and he can't study so he decides to come home early and wait for Mat to come home after the fight. What he gets in return when he goes home will scar him for life. He is home and showering when he hears the door. He thinks it is Mat coming home early but when he gets out of the shower he is met by several men in black. He is scared to death and has no idea what is going on but he soon finds out that they are there for and it is him. What happens next was shocking to me as I read it because they rape and beat Doug and force him to do unspeakable acts with other men. Yes you read right men on men sex and sexual activities. I will say this if you have a weak stomach DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The story gets in depth and what unfolds can only be described as scary and horrific. Doug will have to learn to do unspeakable sexual acts in order to survive and Mat will take sexual abuse and batter in order for Doug not to have to suffer. This is a compelling beginning to this serial fiction and I can't wait to see what happens to Mat and Doug. This novella had me crying and cringing and wanting more.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 09, 2012 Don Bradshaw rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: athlete, college-guys, erotica, bdsm, rape, sports, slave-mster, torture, thriller

I am absolutely hooked on this hot, harsh and visceral series. The authors have written a brutally honest look into the word of human slavery and it isn't pretty but it feels so very real. Mat is getting a little long in the tooth at 29 for no holds barred cage fighting but his younger brother, Dougie, only has a little bit of tuition to pay for. Someone in the flesh pedaling world has an eye on the hunky virgin though and breaks into Mat and Dougie's house. Four huge brutes have Dougie on the...more

5 likes · like · see review

title link	preview: The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture
avg rating	preview: The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture Goodreads rating: 3.67 (290 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15986924-the-flesh-cartel-1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346752258l/15986924.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15986924-the-flesh-cartel-1?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture by Rachel Haimowitz[/url]

The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture (The Flesh Cartel #1)

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