Book Review for Collared: Serré by Lola Malone

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form. 

Collared: Serré, by Lola Malone, is a dark, romantic novella about being remolded into something carnal. The Saint-Laurent Boarding College for Boys is home to the Alpha Fraternarii, a secret society for boys and men dedicated to ruling the world through blood, money, and sex. Students are given a special opportunity to join the society through a hunt, where the last survivor standing receives the honor. A young man named Thurel Aubert gets invited to join the hunt, unknowingly walking into the arms of an obsessed predator.

Malone definitely has me interested in the series. For one thing, it’s entirely plausible that the absurdly wealthy have a clandestine network of sex partners ready and willing for them to exploit (the weird thing is that it’s all somewhat consensual for the most part. Then again, you can thank Weinstein and Maxwell for that). Additionally, I adored Thurel and Maël’s dynamic; I swear he’s human, but Maël presents himself as this demonic character who will stop at nothing to “devour” Thurel. It reminds me of paranormal romances where the predator engages in primal play with their victim/lover. 

I’d like to know more about the world. I’d want to see how much abuse is rife within this dark romance, and whether or not either Thurel or Maël make it out with their souls intact. They’re young right now, so even though Maël is clearly seeped in the dark longer than Thurel, I’d like to hope they might somehow make it out. Currently, the school appears to cater to the filthy rich, corrupted, and abusive alike. I’d have to see what happens next. 

So for now, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.