What do you think?
Rate this book
Beyond the Brothel Walls #1
Constricted
The world sundered and the demons arose, warring against those neither God nor Satan had wanted. Humanity ended. The nephilim, elioud, vampires, and witches inhabited the shards around the globe and rose in power, as the gates of Hell unleashed in the south. The world quickly lost technology and industry, as innovation and invention plummeted, and reverted to steam power and bio-fuel.
Korrigan trained most of her life as a courtesan, submitting to the will of men and caring for the other brothel inhabitants. Beyond the brothel walls of Hampshire House, lay a broken world torn deep into the final stages of Revelation. Beaten, used, and starved, all Korrigan understood were the rules her master enforced, and there was no escape, hope, or love for women in her situation. What she learned of the world around her wasn’t the reality.
Petre searched for the perfect woman to break his immortal curse.
Three hundred years ago, the young Baron witnessed his brother’s heinous crime. Petre’s family forced him to lie, thus spared his twin brother’s death and their family name. The warlock Hestin sought retribution, and his revenge transpired, hexing both brothers with immortality to atone for their sins. Cursed, the brothers roamed through life, slipping closer to their demonic sides, until he saw her.
Sold to Petre in Arcadia, Korrigan stumbled through her journey of love, treachery, and forgiveness. Secrets and lies whispered in the dark recesses of her mind as her past haunted her sleeping moments. What if all her master taught her proved to be wrong? The weight of her new world compounded on her shoulders. Torn between her heart and revenge, Korrigan hatched a plan to liberate the brothels and tear down the walls, but could she put her pride and wrath aside to save the one she loves?
Beyond the Brothel Walls Saga #1
Lust ruled the demons. Seven signs had come and gone. Sloth ruled the vampires. Seven angels fell to the Earth. Envy ruled the courtesans. Seven keys lay hidden amongst the seven nephilim families. Gluttony ruled the rich. Seven families rose and fell. Wrath ruled the Horsemen. One family would bring the world to its knees. Pride ruled the Morning Star. The Horsemen must seize the keys. Greed ruled the world.
*The Beyond the Brothel Saga is a dark, post-apocalyptic paranormal romance written for mature adults and contains graphic sex not suitable for audiences under 18 years of age.
Korrigan trained most of her life as a courtesan, submitting to the will of men and caring for the other brothel inhabitants. Beyond the brothel walls of Hampshire House, lay a broken world torn deep into the final stages of Revelation. Beaten, used, and starved, all Korrigan understood were the rules her master enforced, and there was no escape, hope, or love for women in her situation. What she learned of the world around her wasn’t the reality.
Petre searched for the perfect woman to break his immortal curse.
Three hundred years ago, the young Baron witnessed his brother’s heinous crime. Petre’s family forced him to lie, thus spared his twin brother’s death and their family name. The warlock Hestin sought retribution, and his revenge transpired, hexing both brothers with immortality to atone for their sins. Cursed, the brothers roamed through life, slipping closer to their demonic sides, until he saw her.
Sold to Petre in Arcadia, Korrigan stumbled through her journey of love, treachery, and forgiveness. Secrets and lies whispered in the dark recesses of her mind as her past haunted her sleeping moments. What if all her master taught her proved to be wrong? The weight of her new world compounded on her shoulders. Torn between her heart and revenge, Korrigan hatched a plan to liberate the brothels and tear down the walls, but could she put her pride and wrath aside to save the one she loves?
Beyond the Brothel Walls Saga #1
Lust ruled the demons. Seven signs had come and gone. Sloth ruled the vampires. Seven angels fell to the Earth. Envy ruled the courtesans. Seven keys lay hidden amongst the seven nephilim families. Gluttony ruled the rich. Seven families rose and fell. Wrath ruled the Horsemen. One family would bring the world to its knees. Pride ruled the Morning Star. The Horsemen must seize the keys. Greed ruled the world.
*The Beyond the Brothel Saga is a dark, post-apocalyptic paranormal romance written for mature adults and contains graphic sex not suitable for audiences under 18 years of age.
- GenresParanormalDarkVampires
254 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2014
3 people are currently reading
497 people want to read
About the author
Rae Z. Ryans
8 books176 followersRae Z. Ryans currently resides in Tumbleweed, Alabama, with her family and belongs to the Romance Writers of America. She has lived all over the east coast and was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. Published since the age of fourteen, Rae enjoys writing romantic, erotic,fantasy/paranormal stories and poetry. Her name pays homage to her brothers: Specialist Ryan D. Rexon and Zachary U. Berthot.
She is currently working on Beyond the Brothel Walls #2: Altered. This post-apocalyptic, erotic paranormal romance is emotionally driven, dark fantasy.
She is currently working on Beyond the Brothel Walls #2: Altered. This post-apocalyptic, erotic paranormal romance is emotionally driven, dark fantasy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 12, 2014
DNF on page 137/254 (54%) (16/06/2014)
There are no spoiler tags, so read at your own peril...
1.75 “You have more secrets than I do, gorgeous.” stars.
Korrigan has been in a brothel since before she could walk, many other girls are there with her. They are starved, beaten, and raped daily. Korrigan is sold and receives a new master; Lord Petre...
Korrigan was abandoned as a baby and was raised in an all-female brothel, she doesn't know who her biological parents are. She was raised by Uncle Jules, a 'man' who runs multiple brothels. She was forced to watch sexual acts since she was 8, and has performed oral and sodomy since she was 14. They barely have enough to eat and are beaten daily. She is finally released just before she turns 18, she has been sold. She knows nothing about her new master, just that he paid a pretty penny for her. On the train to meet her master, she meets Petre. Petre is attractive, kind, and barely older than she is. He's her master and has been 21 for 300 years. He's a vampire, and she is no mere human.
I was incredibly excited to begin reading Constricted because I had never read anything about brothels, and what life could be like there. I had, though, just finished Hot Head, where they are on a porn website, and I was shown the lives behind porn stars, so I thought this would be a good continuation of that theme. It had also been over 6 months since I had read anything about nephilim (children of humans and angels). And it had also been far too long since I read a dark romance.
I was really happy with the beginning, and I thought I would (maybe) give it 5 stars if it continued in that way. Please see the first paragraph below...
Human life held value. A virgin attracted more wealth than a used up hag. What my master had paid for mine, I didn't know. I’d been born of unfortunate circumstance and abandoned as an infant. Like most women of the rebuilt world, I existed as a slave to men. Slaves never voiced opinions if they wished to live. Without an owner, I’d wilt away or succumb to the harsh conditions of the broken world.
Sounds mother-fucking wonderful, right? That sort-of theme carried on for a few paragraphs and I was incredibly happy.
Korri is sort-of like a social recluse, she knows nothing of the real world except that of what her Uncle Jules told her. Which is sort of nice because it opens up a new world for her...
She was a servant, but above me. Paid to clean and attend, where my job was to please and make men feel loved. They had every right to beat me if I failed, because I only have the right to life and air to breathe. Everything else fell to my master to provide. Jules reminded me every day. Without a master, I’d die, but now it hadn’t seemed like such an awful idea.
But I think she changes into what we would call normal far too quickly (only a day!)
Tears ran down my face, and I shook my head as I pulled the door open.
(I could of found a better quote, but I really could not be bothered.)
Which leads me on to the annoying behaviour of our female MC. She has just seen his vampire teeth and eyes (and she's supposed to be able to?), so she runs out... and straight back in again. She sound have either (a) stayed where she was because she was taught to obey or (b) ran away and never came back.
And then... *BMMKAPOW* insta-love. Insta-love is a huge faux-pas of mine. And with insta-love ususally comes drama, lots, and lots, of drama.
Korri has been (anal or oral) raped since she was 14, so I don't understand why she leads Petre on (initiating kissing and the rubbing of genitals) and walks around naked all the time? Hmmm?
I shoved him again, and Petre fell on the bed...The coolness of his cock jumped against my damp curls, and my breath caught in a tickling gasp...I kissed him and dragged my breasts across his muscled chest...“Petre, I need you.”
If you were raped for 4(ish) years, you wouldn't initiate sex (after a week?), surely?
So, we have our insta-love. Korri(gan) and Petre don't (do) want to have sex, but they don't... But they get pretty close to it and then one of them either throws a paddy or runs off. Petre has a contract with her 'Uncle' which says that he can't leave her alone or he gets her back. Petre runs off after an almost sex (“Petre, I need you.” “No,” he said and spun off the bed...He scooped up his clothing and slammed the door on the way out.) and follows Korri's wishes to demolish all the brothels run by her Uncle. Because he left Korri alone, he has breached the terms of the agreement... and the Uncle comes for her. Korri, although they're in the middle of nowhere; answers the door. In comes two of his goons. Uh-oh we just let in the bad guys. *runs to the stables* uh-oh, the demonic Uncle is there. The Uncle then takes her and rapes her?
And then, he breaks her neck. That was by far my favourite part (apart from the beginning). Is that bad? My favourite part is when the MC dies. I thought maybe, just maybe, the book will go in a different direction, and them BLAWMSHMAMCLAM she's a vampire *sigh* that was the point in which I finally decided to throw down the towel.
There are also many things that are overlooked, such as that she is a nephilim? Or is she? If she's a nephilim, how does she become a vampire? Why does Petre want her, I mean, really? Why does Jules want her? How is Jules a demon? If his brother is so evil, why does he ride him everywhere (he's a horse?) wouldn't he just like buck him off and trample him? Why does he help his brother to find Korri? Can we just expand our points, please?!?
Also, if she was abandoned to a brothel when she was born, how could she possibly have ever seen the downfall of the US?
There seems to be missing parts, and then we just skip onto another part and I'm like “What just happened here?” *goes back a page or two* nope, I didn't miss anything, it just wasn't there.
There were very few grammatical errors, and would have been written at a nice pace if there wasn't so much drama.
A copy of Constricted was kindly provided to me by Rae Z. Ryans, the author, in exchange for an honest review.
There are no spoiler tags, so read at your own peril...
1.75 “You have more secrets than I do, gorgeous.” stars.
Korrigan has been in a brothel since before she could walk, many other girls are there with her. They are starved, beaten, and raped daily. Korrigan is sold and receives a new master; Lord Petre...
Korrigan was abandoned as a baby and was raised in an all-female brothel, she doesn't know who her biological parents are. She was raised by Uncle Jules, a 'man' who runs multiple brothels. She was forced to watch sexual acts since she was 8, and has performed oral and sodomy since she was 14. They barely have enough to eat and are beaten daily. She is finally released just before she turns 18, she has been sold. She knows nothing about her new master, just that he paid a pretty penny for her. On the train to meet her master, she meets Petre. Petre is attractive, kind, and barely older than she is. He's her master and has been 21 for 300 years. He's a vampire, and she is no mere human.
I was incredibly excited to begin reading Constricted because I had never read anything about brothels, and what life could be like there. I had, though, just finished Hot Head, where they are on a porn website, and I was shown the lives behind porn stars, so I thought this would be a good continuation of that theme. It had also been over 6 months since I had read anything about nephilim (children of humans and angels). And it had also been far too long since I read a dark romance.
I was really happy with the beginning, and I thought I would (maybe) give it 5 stars if it continued in that way. Please see the first paragraph below...
Human life held value. A virgin attracted more wealth than a used up hag. What my master had paid for mine, I didn't know. I’d been born of unfortunate circumstance and abandoned as an infant. Like most women of the rebuilt world, I existed as a slave to men. Slaves never voiced opinions if they wished to live. Without an owner, I’d wilt away or succumb to the harsh conditions of the broken world.
Sounds mother-fucking wonderful, right? That sort-of theme carried on for a few paragraphs and I was incredibly happy.
Korri is sort-of like a social recluse, she knows nothing of the real world except that of what her Uncle Jules told her. Which is sort of nice because it opens up a new world for her...
She was a servant, but above me. Paid to clean and attend, where my job was to please and make men feel loved. They had every right to beat me if I failed, because I only have the right to life and air to breathe. Everything else fell to my master to provide. Jules reminded me every day. Without a master, I’d die, but now it hadn’t seemed like such an awful idea.
But I think she changes into what we would call normal far too quickly (only a day!)
Tears ran down my face, and I shook my head as I pulled the door open.
(I could of found a better quote, but I really could not be bothered.)
Which leads me on to the annoying behaviour of our female MC. She has just seen his vampire teeth and eyes (and she's supposed to be able to?), so she runs out... and straight back in again. She sound have either (a) stayed where she was because she was taught to obey or (b) ran away and never came back.
And then... *BMMKAPOW* insta-love. Insta-love is a huge faux-pas of mine. And with insta-love ususally comes drama, lots, and lots, of drama.
Korri has been (anal or oral) raped since she was 14, so I don't understand why she leads Petre on (initiating kissing and the rubbing of genitals) and walks around naked all the time? Hmmm?
I shoved him again, and Petre fell on the bed...The coolness of his cock jumped against my damp curls, and my breath caught in a tickling gasp...I kissed him and dragged my breasts across his muscled chest...“Petre, I need you.”
If you were raped for 4(ish) years, you wouldn't initiate sex (after a week?), surely?
So, we have our insta-love. Korri(gan) and Petre don't (do) want to have sex, but they don't... But they get pretty close to it and then one of them either throws a paddy or runs off. Petre has a contract with her 'Uncle' which says that he can't leave her alone or he gets her back. Petre runs off after an almost sex (“Petre, I need you.” “No,” he said and spun off the bed...He scooped up his clothing and slammed the door on the way out.) and follows Korri's wishes to demolish all the brothels run by her Uncle. Because he left Korri alone, he has breached the terms of the agreement... and the Uncle comes for her. Korri, although they're in the middle of nowhere; answers the door. In comes two of his goons. Uh-oh we just let in the bad guys. *runs to the stables* uh-oh, the demonic Uncle is there. The Uncle then takes her and rapes her?
And then, he breaks her neck. That was by far my favourite part (apart from the beginning). Is that bad? My favourite part is when the MC dies. I thought maybe, just maybe, the book will go in a different direction, and them BLAWMSHMAMCLAM she's a vampire *sigh* that was the point in which I finally decided to throw down the towel.
There are also many things that are overlooked, such as that she is a nephilim? Or is she? If she's a nephilim, how does she become a vampire? Why does Petre want her, I mean, really? Why does Jules want her? How is Jules a demon? If his brother is so evil, why does he ride him everywhere (he's a horse?) wouldn't he just like buck him off and trample him? Why does he help his brother to find Korri? Can we just expand our points, please?!?
Also, if she was abandoned to a brothel when she was born, how could she possibly have ever seen the downfall of the US?
There seems to be missing parts, and then we just skip onto another part and I'm like “What just happened here?” *goes back a page or two* nope, I didn't miss anything, it just wasn't there.
There were very few grammatical errors, and would have been written at a nice pace if there wasn't so much drama.
A copy of Constricted was kindly provided to me by Rae Z. Ryans, the author, in exchange for an honest review.
August 9, 2014
Korrigan, an abused sex slave, has been trained as a courtesan whose only purpose is to submit to a man’s will. Sold to Petre, a man on a quest to find the perfect woman who will break his curse of immortality, she finds herself thrust into a new world, where she begins a journey of healing, hope, and love.
A little slow in the beginning, this dystopian paranormal romance picks up speed as the story progresses. As it travels on its journey through the dark world of rape, sexual slavery, and abuse toward a world of healing, forgiveness, and love, it will elicit strong emotional responses from the reader. There are editing issues which hinder the flow, and areas where the reader has to double back to understand some scenes, but the story, nonetheless, is well written. With its many hidden layers, there is a lot of depth in this tale that shines a ray of hope amid the dark depravity.
The main characters are well developed and engaging, and the progression of their relationship occurs at a comfortable and believable pace. The author does an excellent job of taking depressing, lurid subjects and transforming them with finesse into a story of hope and love. However, the scorching bedroom scenes, along with the inclusion of rape, lust, and depravity does not make this a novel for the faint at heart.
This riveting novel is creative and unique with elements of the supernatural. Readers of many genres will find this intriguing story to their liking.
A little slow in the beginning, this dystopian paranormal romance picks up speed as the story progresses. As it travels on its journey through the dark world of rape, sexual slavery, and abuse toward a world of healing, forgiveness, and love, it will elicit strong emotional responses from the reader. There are editing issues which hinder the flow, and areas where the reader has to double back to understand some scenes, but the story, nonetheless, is well written. With its many hidden layers, there is a lot of depth in this tale that shines a ray of hope amid the dark depravity.
The main characters are well developed and engaging, and the progression of their relationship occurs at a comfortable and believable pace. The author does an excellent job of taking depressing, lurid subjects and transforming them with finesse into a story of hope and love. However, the scorching bedroom scenes, along with the inclusion of rape, lust, and depravity does not make this a novel for the faint at heart.
This riveting novel is creative and unique with elements of the supernatural. Readers of many genres will find this intriguing story to their liking.
May 26, 2014
Rae Z Ryans has turned the world upside down in her thrilling novel Constricted. She knitted together the multiple storylines and plots and kept me wanting more. I loved the story of Korrigan who is the overcomer of this story as we watch (or read lol) her in her metamorphosis as she goes from victim to victor. I loved her love stories and holy cow (yes…I said that lol) can Rae Z write a hot steamy bedroom scene… let’s just say… Mind=Blown.
Now you’re probably wondering why the four stars…well there were multiple times in the story where things jumped and you had to scramble or read back to figure out if you missed something… yes I know stories jump sometimes and time elapses happen. But this kept happening with in the middle of a chapter without warning or explanation, beyond that I noticed a few grammar errors but I am not the grammar police and I can totally forgive all of that because the book was and is still amazing even with all that!
I would recommend this…and it is defiantly a series that I WILL be following!
Now you’re probably wondering why the four stars…well there were multiple times in the story where things jumped and you had to scramble or read back to figure out if you missed something… yes I know stories jump sometimes and time elapses happen. But this kept happening with in the middle of a chapter without warning or explanation, beyond that I noticed a few grammar errors but I am not the grammar police and I can totally forgive all of that because the book was and is still amazing even with all that!
I would recommend this…and it is defiantly a series that I WILL be following!
June 26, 2019
I did like reading this. Didn't know it was a series. It's very good but has some stuff that might trigger people.
May 5, 2014
Rae Z Ryans has turned the world upside down in her thrilling novel Constricted. She knitted together the multiple storylines and plots and kept me wanting more. I loved the story of Korrigan who is the overcomer of this story as we watch (or read lol) her in her metamorphosis as she goes from victim to victor. I loved her love stories and holy cow (yes…I said that lol) can Rae Z write a hot steamy bedroom scene… let’s just say… Mind=Blown.
Now you’re probably wondering why the four stars…well there were multiple times in the story where things jumped and you had to scramble or read back to figure out if you missed something… yes I know stories jump sometimes and time elapses happen. But this kept happening with in the middle of a chapter without warning or explanation, beyond that I noticed a few grammar errors but I am not the grammar police and I can totally forgive all of that because the book was and is still amazing even with all that!
I would recommend this…and it is defiantly a series that I WILL be following!
Now you’re probably wondering why the four stars…well there were multiple times in the story where things jumped and you had to scramble or read back to figure out if you missed something… yes I know stories jump sometimes and time elapses happen. But this kept happening with in the middle of a chapter without warning or explanation, beyond that I noticed a few grammar errors but I am not the grammar police and I can totally forgive all of that because the book was and is still amazing even with all that!
I would recommend this…and it is defiantly a series that I WILL be following!
June 1, 2014
“I love you; this is going to hurt.” The author note serves as a disclaimer that the book deals with sexual abuse, rape and sex slaves. The author also suggests empowering victims to rise up and heal. I was a little scared to read the book after reading the author's note but I was intrigued. I thought that the story would be uncomfortable to read but it wasn't. The writing is so dreamy and sad, it immediately draws you into the story. I didn't know that this would develop into a vampire story. In fact this is also a supernatural story dealing with demons. And it is a steampunk dystopia and a paranormal romance. I was intrigued by this shift. Korrigan is badly abused and Petre buys her so that she can free him from his vampire curse. There are a lot of interesting plot twists in this book. It is really a good read. 5 stars.
June 2, 2014
This is the best book I have read in recent years. The character development is phenomenal. The story picked up and carried my interest all the way through with no lulls. The description was solid without droning on and bogging down any scenes. The mesh of vampire, demon, steampunk, romance, etc were all woven into a brilliant story of love, loss, and self-discovery of the young heroine Korrigan and the accursed Petre.
August 14, 2014
This was a compelling read. The protagonist was sympathetic. The book’s characterization was spot on. I look forward to reading another book from this author. I rate this a five-star read.
January 9, 2015
I really enjoyed this book.. it was kinda confusing at times, skips around and some of the dialogue you can't really tell who is talking to whom. I wish it would have explained a bit more what was happening in more detail, she almost let you come to conclusions on your own (which I didn't like). I did want to find out what happened.. i would recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews