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You Loved Me #1
You Loved Me At My Darkest
Blood is thicker than water…
Having endured more than their share of tragedy, sisters Lily and Sasha embark on a dream holiday—only to find themselves in hell. Kidnapped by a rich madman, Sasha is sold into slavery, while Lily is forced to join The Collection, a unique bevy of exotic beauties enduring frequent horrors at the hands of elite bidders. However, no amount of pain and suffering will break Lily, who will stop at nothing to save her younger sister. Possibly with help from an unlikely ally.
Love is stronger than loyalty…
Attempting to prove his allegiance to his employer, Jake is tasked with guarding the unruly and uncontrollable Lily. He can’t afford to help her in her quest to free Sasha—not if he hopes to fulfill his own agenda. But in their dark, gritty, tension-filled world, solace is taken wherever it’s found. Bonds are formed and hearts engage despite Jake’s resistance and both their attempts at self-preservation.
When certain secrets come to light, the resulting explosion has breathtakingly bittersweet consequences that, by the end, may not leave everyone whole…or alive.
Having endured more than their share of tragedy, sisters Lily and Sasha embark on a dream holiday—only to find themselves in hell. Kidnapped by a rich madman, Sasha is sold into slavery, while Lily is forced to join The Collection, a unique bevy of exotic beauties enduring frequent horrors at the hands of elite bidders. However, no amount of pain and suffering will break Lily, who will stop at nothing to save her younger sister. Possibly with help from an unlikely ally.
Love is stronger than loyalty…
Attempting to prove his allegiance to his employer, Jake is tasked with guarding the unruly and uncontrollable Lily. He can’t afford to help her in her quest to free Sasha—not if he hopes to fulfill his own agenda. But in their dark, gritty, tension-filled world, solace is taken wherever it’s found. Bonds are formed and hearts engage despite Jake’s resistance and both their attempts at self-preservation.
When certain secrets come to light, the resulting explosion has breathtakingly bittersweet consequences that, by the end, may not leave everyone whole…or alive.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2014
1035 people are currently reading
5991 people want to read
About the author
Evie Harper
9 books856 followersDaydreamer ~ Night Thinker ~ Goal Digger ~ Storyteller
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March 3, 2016
FREE on Amazon US today (7/29/15)
Stand-alone book 1.
BLURB:
Blood is thicker than water…
Having endured more than their share of tragedy, sisters Lily and Sasha embark on a dream holiday—only to find themselves in hell. Kidnapped by a rich madman, Sasha is sold into slavery, while Lily is forced to join The Collection, a unique bevy of exotic beauties enduring frequent horrors at the hands of elite bidders. However, no amount of pain and suffering will break Lily, who will stop at nothing to save her younger sister. Possibly with help from an unlikely ally.
Love is stronger than loyalty…
Attempting to prove his allegiance to his employer, Jake is tasked with guarding the unruly and uncontrollable Lily. He can’t afford to help her in her quest to free Sasha—not if he hopes to fulfill his own agenda. But in their dark, gritty, tension-filled world, solace is taken wherever it’s found. Bonds are formed and hearts engage despite Jake’s resistance and both their attempts at self-preservation.
When certain secrets come to light, the resulting explosion has breathtakingly bittersweet consequences that, by the end, may not leave everyone whole…or alive.
http://www.amazon.com/You-Loved-Me-At...
FREEBIES are often good for MORE than one day, I have gathered all my FREEBIES on a special shelf: Kindle-freebies (currently over 430 books)
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August 31, 2014
MY RATING ☆☆☆☆☆ STARS: You Loved Me At My Darkest (You Loved Me, #1)by Evie Harper
You will be an exquisite addition to my collection
Where the hell do I start with writing up my review..First off I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked this up, definitely my kind of read..But be warned this book is definitely not your typical hearts and flowers romance, it's dark, it's gritty and it's twisted as fuck..
A BEAUTIFUL PRISON
Expect the unexpected downward spiral into darkness when reading this, it is one clusterfuck of a twisted read..It's a raw gritty story about rape, graphic violence and loss in the rawest form..
SOMEONE, PLEASE SAVE US
Two beautiful sisters getting on a plane to leave Australia to travel the world, no set plans, but their first stop is New York City.
Making their way to an underground rave is where things take a sinister turn for the worst, hands and bodies were pushing us into black vans, me in one and Sasha in the other.
Forget your old life Lily. You are now owned. You no longer have a say in anything that happens to you.
SEPERATED
Numbness is my best friend, and I hope it never leaves me
Lily - You're in the collection now. That means you will receive jewellery, expensive clothing, shoes, the best of everything. Marco treats the collection like priceless jewels. You will never want for anything, ever again. But that comes at a cost.
JUSTICE
NO ESCAPE
Jake - You Loved me at my darkest, baby, just wait until you see me at my best.
You will be an exquisite addition to my collection
Where the hell do I start with writing up my review..First off I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked this up, definitely my kind of read..But be warned this book is definitely not your typical hearts and flowers romance, it's dark, it's gritty and it's twisted as fuck..
A BEAUTIFUL PRISON
Expect the unexpected downward spiral into darkness when reading this, it is one clusterfuck of a twisted read..It's a raw gritty story about rape, graphic violence and loss in the rawest form..
SOMEONE, PLEASE SAVE US
Two beautiful sisters getting on a plane to leave Australia to travel the world, no set plans, but their first stop is New York City.
Making their way to an underground rave is where things take a sinister turn for the worst, hands and bodies were pushing us into black vans, me in one and Sasha in the other.
Forget your old life Lily. You are now owned. You no longer have a say in anything that happens to you.
SEPERATED
Numbness is my best friend, and I hope it never leaves me
Lily - You're in the collection now. That means you will receive jewellery, expensive clothing, shoes, the best of everything. Marco treats the collection like priceless jewels. You will never want for anything, ever again. But that comes at a cost.
JUSTICE
NO ESCAPE
Jake - You Loved me at my darkest, baby, just wait until you see me at my best.
August 31, 2015
3.5 Captive Stars!
I started this book late one evening and I could not stop myself...the prologue alone was enough to keep me up for hours!
This is a true love story. Ugly from the get go, but still a love at that. Lily and her baby sister Sasha are on a trip of a life time. With deceased parents, they have only one another. It is their time to mourn and to move on together...one adventure at a time. What should be miles of fun and new experiences turns horrific when the sisters find themselves bound, gagged and in the midst of human trafficking.
Lily and Sasha enter a nightmare of abuse, degradation, and pure evil. Lily's protective and sassy attitude cannot be contained as she fights for her sister's well-being. This does not bode well as Lily becomes part of "the collection" and is separated from her only family. Sasha is thrown into "slave" mode. Lily is moved into protection under the watchful eye of a dark, broody, and somewhat sexy Jake.
On one hand, this tale is somewhat predictable in that the connection between Jake and Lily is inevitable. I was completely surprised when the tale kept to it's script. Lily's time in captivity was not easy. Sasha's was worse. Jake was an enigma of kind meanness...if that even makes sense, but then again, things and people are not always what or who they seem!
While I enjoyed this read, I do have a few gripes! I was a bit peeved at the big "OMG" moment of truth...I was even more peeved at the outcome of the sisters! While I had a gut feeling what was coming, I just felt it could have been prevented. Jake...you angered me! I could not get over your lack of ability to communicate! Also, talk about a 180 of demeanor! Wow. As for Lily...for a woman who was always breaking when no one was looking, she handled her entire situation a quite well! Perhaps she was completely NUMB to reality!
I am completely intrigued in this story and I cannot wait to see what happens with Emily and Kayne!
I started this book late one evening and I could not stop myself...the prologue alone was enough to keep me up for hours!
This is a true love story. Ugly from the get go, but still a love at that. Lily and her baby sister Sasha are on a trip of a life time. With deceased parents, they have only one another. It is their time to mourn and to move on together...one adventure at a time. What should be miles of fun and new experiences turns horrific when the sisters find themselves bound, gagged and in the midst of human trafficking.
Lily and Sasha enter a nightmare of abuse, degradation, and pure evil. Lily's protective and sassy attitude cannot be contained as she fights for her sister's well-being. This does not bode well as Lily becomes part of "the collection" and is separated from her only family. Sasha is thrown into "slave" mode. Lily is moved into protection under the watchful eye of a dark, broody, and somewhat sexy Jake.
On one hand, this tale is somewhat predictable in that the connection between Jake and Lily is inevitable. I was completely surprised when the tale kept to it's script. Lily's time in captivity was not easy. Sasha's was worse. Jake was an enigma of kind meanness...if that even makes sense, but then again, things and people are not always what or who they seem!
While I enjoyed this read, I do have a few gripes! I was a bit peeved at the big "OMG" moment of truth...I was even more peeved at the outcome of the sisters! While I had a gut feeling what was coming, I just felt it could have been prevented. Jake...you angered me! I could not get over your lack of ability to communicate! Also, talk about a 180 of demeanor! Wow. As for Lily...for a woman who was always breaking when no one was looking, she handled her entire situation a quite well! Perhaps she was completely NUMB to reality!
I am completely intrigued in this story and I cannot wait to see what happens with Emily and Kayne!
September 5, 2019
When I read the blurp, I am expecting an angst hear breaking story. Something like Dollars. But I am wrong. So wrong. Yes there is heavy triggers in this book. But that triggers only on the beginning on the book to heighten the story. The development of the story, characters chemistry almost none. I do not understand why Lily and Jake attracted to each other. And how Lily gives in into Jake after such heart breaking tragedy, makes me questioning her morality.
And the whole background of the story is not believable enough. Hence the whole story crumbling apart. This is my first book by Miss Harper. And it is very disappointment.
2 stars
And the whole background of the story is not believable enough. Hence the whole story crumbling apart. This is my first book by Miss Harper. And it is very disappointment.
2 stars
February 18, 2015
2.5 stars
You Loved Me At My Darkest tells the story of two Australian sisters who after years of dealing with their parents' deaths decide to go travel the world. Their first stop is New York and things go absolutely fine for a few days but their last day there they got taken by strangers who turn out to be part of a sex slave traffic empire. Lily, the older sister, is desperate to get Sasha away from all of that. While being transported in vans she meets Jake who later becames her personal guard.
When Lily meets the head of this empire, Marco, she's desired by him because of her beauty and "the fire in her eyes" so he decides to keep her and add her to his personal "collection". However Sasha doesn't have the same luck and is to be sold in a few weeks to whoever pays the right amount for her.
Lily's goal is to get her sister out of all of that at all costs, even at her on life, but days of terror, rapes, violence and an unexpected attraction towards her guard complicate things to terrible endings.
Alright, I don't know how to feel about this book at all. By the title I was expecting something cheesy about a boy saving the girl (since I didn't read any blurb before picking up the book) and boy it got my attention fast.
However, even though I understood what Harper tried to do, I don't think, in my opinion, she pulled it off. One of my main struggle with the book was that there were things said over and over and over and over. I quickly got tired of reading "the fire in her eyes". How many times does it appear in the book? 3 times per chapter? Also, one would think a man like Marco, all bossy mafia master kind of thing, has more words in his vocabulary but nope, all he said was "my collection", "pay money", "the fire in your eyes", "my collection" and that's all. I hate when people repeat themselves, that's just it.
And then there's Jake.
From the very beggining he was shown as a tortured soul who got involved in awful busnisses but now he wants his way to the top of everything.
The man got the mother of all the crushes on Lily since the fist time he saw her while he was looking for girls to bring to Marcus.
That he was a cop was obvious at first sight. Wait, no. It was obvious since the first time he tried to explain himself to Lily. Man, his inside monologue got me wanting to poke my eyes. The whole "you'll hate me once you find out the truth" was pretty stupid because, uhm, boy, you and the people you work for rapted her and turned her into a sex slave; she should already hate you all and she doesn't need to know anything else to do that.
But of course, the women falls for him.
BIG EPIC SIGH.
I do understand that he tries to help her and that she goes through horrible things and she feels vulnerable but you've got to be kidding. He's awful with her 50% of the time let's be real here and the other 50% he's all guilty and sorry and caring and all that shit and she fall in love with him while being raped. Not to mention what happens to her sister. So no, I cannot buy that.
I found so much more interesting the girls who conformed "the collection" than the actual main characters and wish the story was about how those girls manage to survive all of that. Really. Because the one time Lily caught my attention was when she was about to kill her raper. The whole preparing herself thing? Best chapter of the whole book and I was looking forward to reading how she kills him but then Jakes goes and ruins everything.
Lily needed that moment, she needed to destroy someone. She was in so much pain and needed to do it by herself just because. Seriously. So I was really disappointed when that didn't happen.
Another thing, and maybe this is really silly but I just don't get why people, foreign people, spell Colombia wrong. As far as I know the names of the countries doesn't have that much of a change so Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and all of them keep the same spelling but in the book first we have them saying "we're in Columbia, South America" and a few pages later they say "Colombia". I just don't get it. Was it a typo? Am I wrong?
Anyhow, I just wish I liked the book because it has such a powerful and interesting topic to read about but I just can't accept those conclutions. Sorry if I'm harsh, maybe I wasn't in the mood for this book but I can't change how I felt about it.
You Loved Me At My Darkest tells the story of two Australian sisters who after years of dealing with their parents' deaths decide to go travel the world. Their first stop is New York and things go absolutely fine for a few days but their last day there they got taken by strangers who turn out to be part of a sex slave traffic empire. Lily, the older sister, is desperate to get Sasha away from all of that. While being transported in vans she meets Jake who later becames her personal guard.
When Lily meets the head of this empire, Marco, she's desired by him because of her beauty and "the fire in her eyes" so he decides to keep her and add her to his personal "collection". However Sasha doesn't have the same luck and is to be sold in a few weeks to whoever pays the right amount for her.
Lily's goal is to get her sister out of all of that at all costs, even at her on life, but days of terror, rapes, violence and an unexpected attraction towards her guard complicate things to terrible endings.
Alright, I don't know how to feel about this book at all. By the title I was expecting something cheesy about a boy saving the girl (since I didn't read any blurb before picking up the book) and boy it got my attention fast.
However, even though I understood what Harper tried to do, I don't think, in my opinion, she pulled it off. One of my main struggle with the book was that there were things said over and over and over and over. I quickly got tired of reading "the fire in her eyes". How many times does it appear in the book? 3 times per chapter? Also, one would think a man like Marco, all bossy mafia master kind of thing, has more words in his vocabulary but nope, all he said was "my collection", "pay money", "the fire in your eyes", "my collection" and that's all. I hate when people repeat themselves, that's just it.
And then there's Jake.
From the very beggining he was shown as a tortured soul who got involved in awful busnisses but now he wants his way to the top of everything.
The man got the mother of all the crushes on Lily since the fist time he saw her while he was looking for girls to bring to Marcus.
That he was a cop was obvious at first sight. Wait, no. It was obvious since the first time he tried to explain himself to Lily. Man, his inside monologue got me wanting to poke my eyes. The whole "you'll hate me once you find out the truth" was pretty stupid because, uhm, boy, you and the people you work for rapted her and turned her into a sex slave; she should already hate you all and she doesn't need to know anything else to do that.
But of course, the women falls for him.
BIG EPIC SIGH.
I do understand that he tries to help her and that she goes through horrible things and she feels vulnerable but you've got to be kidding. He's awful with her 50% of the time let's be real here and the other 50% he's all guilty and sorry and caring and all that shit and she fall in love with him while being raped. Not to mention what happens to her sister. So no, I cannot buy that.
I found so much more interesting the girls who conformed "the collection" than the actual main characters and wish the story was about how those girls manage to survive all of that. Really. Because the one time Lily caught my attention was when she was about to kill her raper. The whole preparing herself thing? Best chapter of the whole book and I was looking forward to reading how she kills him but then Jakes goes and ruins everything.
Lily needed that moment, she needed to destroy someone. She was in so much pain and needed to do it by herself just because. Seriously. So I was really disappointed when that didn't happen.
Another thing, and maybe this is really silly but I just don't get why people, foreign people, spell Colombia wrong. As far as I know the names of the countries doesn't have that much of a change so Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and all of them keep the same spelling but in the book first we have them saying "we're in Columbia, South America" and a few pages later they say "Colombia". I just don't get it. Was it a typo? Am I wrong?
Anyhow, I just wish I liked the book because it has such a powerful and interesting topic to read about but I just can't accept those conclutions. Sorry if I'm harsh, maybe I wasn't in the mood for this book but I can't change how I felt about it.
July 31, 2022
“I'm jealous of the daylight that will get to see her eyes when she wakes.”
― Evie Harper, You Loved Me At My Darkest
3.5 stars.
This book was good..very good..in it's way but confused me for one reason.
SPOILERS:
While the story was dark, heartbreaking and twisty, I did enjoy it. The reason I am giving it 3 stars, (3.5), is because of the tone of the book.
Parts of this book read like "50 shades of gray" on steroids. It confused me. I had thought I was getting a dark story of two girls in terrible trouble. Yet, the sex scenes in this...at times it felt I was reading a bodice ripper and while I have no problem with sex scenes in books, this was a bit to extreme.
I could see some people not finishing this solely because of that issue. There was a riveting story in here but time and again the book would switch it's tone and go into what I call the "smut genre". And it did not need to because the writing was so good, the story raw and intense. I just did not see what the purpose was in going so extreme with the sex scenes.
I would still recommend it because despite everything, I enjoyed the story. I would have enjoyed it more though if the things I mentioned above had not been part of it.
― Evie Harper, You Loved Me At My Darkest
3.5 stars.
This book was good..very good..in it's way but confused me for one reason.
SPOILERS:
While the story was dark, heartbreaking and twisty, I did enjoy it. The reason I am giving it 3 stars, (3.5), is because of the tone of the book.
Parts of this book read like "50 shades of gray" on steroids. It confused me. I had thought I was getting a dark story of two girls in terrible trouble. Yet, the sex scenes in this...at times it felt I was reading a bodice ripper and while I have no problem with sex scenes in books, this was a bit to extreme.
I could see some people not finishing this solely because of that issue. There was a riveting story in here but time and again the book would switch it's tone and go into what I call the "smut genre". And it did not need to because the writing was so good, the story raw and intense. I just did not see what the purpose was in going so extreme with the sex scenes.
I would still recommend it because despite everything, I enjoyed the story. I would have enjoyed it more though if the things I mentioned above had not been part of it.
September 8, 2014
ARC provided by author in exchange of honest review
☆☆☆☆☆5 You Love Me At My Darkest Stars ☆☆☆☆☆
You Loved Me At My Darkest by Evie Harper was simply beautiful. Dark. Raw. Gripping. Emotional. Heartbreaking. Suspenseful. These are the words that comes into my mind when I think of this book. In this powerful and touching debut, Ms. Harper will take her readers on an emotional suspenseful ride. You heart will break. Tears will be shed, Loyalty will be tested. Strength and Hope are needed for survival. And Love will be found.
A sister is someone who is there and understands who you are. She will be there with you no matter what situation you have been through and are going to hit in the future. She is your family, best friend and your forever friend. A sister is a gift to the heart. A friend to the to spirit. Simply, there is no friend like a sister. It is a bond that cannot be explained but felt. For Lily and Sasha, their love for each other has no words. These sisters had experienced it all together. They endured hardship and felt the pain when they lost their parents in a car accident. Lily and Sasha only had each other to lean on for support. They were each other’s best friend. And so their love for each other was fierce. So when they finally had the opportunity to travel, they could not wait. They were two country girls from Australia, who couldn’t wait to travel and experience life.
So what happens when they are kidnapped and ripped from each other when a group of men decided to prey on them. Soon Lily and Sasha finds themselves in the sex slavery business. Ripped from society, they are thrown into the darkness and gritty side where monsters exists. Her captor Marco decides to separate the two sisters. Lily, was considered rare and beautiful so she will be one of Marco’s collections whereas Sasha will be sold to the highest bidder as a slave.
Lily being the eldest is very protective of Sasha. She tries her best to save and protect her sister even if it means life or death. Raped and fearing for her safety, Lily puts Sasha first. Her main objective is Sasha’s freedom. While being held captive, Lily meets Jake. He is one of the guards sent to keep watch on Lily. Soon Lily and Jake find themselves forming an emotional bond to one another. Feelings were emerging. Love was found. Secrets and truths were unraveling. In the darkness, can Jake and Lily find the light to escape? Or is it too late for them? Freedom, loyalty or love.. what will they choose?
One word to describe You Loved Me At My Darkest: Breathtaking! This book was absolutely beautiful, gripping, emotional and raw. From the very first page to the last page, Ms. Harper will leave her readers breathless. Her storytelling is simply captivating and spellbinding that I could not stop reading and was so immersed into Lily, Sasha and Jake’s story. Not only did she take her readers on such an emotional and suspenseful ride, Ms. Harper also raises the awareness on sex trafficking and slavery. She did not sugarcoat it but exposes the raw and gritty side where darkness and monsters exists. You Loved Me At My Darkest will tug your heartstrings. This book was so honest, raw, and emotional that you could not help but feel the pain, heartbreak and loss what Lily, Sasha, and Jake had to endure. This book stole my heart. I found myself holding onto my breath waiting to see what awaits for Lily and Jake. This was a love story like no other. It is a love that can’t be explained but felt. The pain, emptiness, and loss what Lily and Jakes goes through will put you on an emotional wringer. For me, this book literally gutted my heart and I felt every raw ounce of emotions that were evoked. In this beautiful well written debut book, Ms. Harper did a remarkable job intertwining suspense and romance all in this book. You Loved Me At My Darkest is a book to EXPERIENCE. It is a journey of two strangers brought together finding love, hope, and strength within each other. A journey of piecing back the brokenness. And a reminder that there is light even in the darkness.
Evie Harper
☆☆☆☆☆5 You Love Me At My Darkest Stars ☆☆☆☆☆
You Loved Me At My Darkest by Evie Harper was simply beautiful. Dark. Raw. Gripping. Emotional. Heartbreaking. Suspenseful. These are the words that comes into my mind when I think of this book. In this powerful and touching debut, Ms. Harper will take her readers on an emotional suspenseful ride. You heart will break. Tears will be shed, Loyalty will be tested. Strength and Hope are needed for survival. And Love will be found.
A sister is someone who is there and understands who you are. She will be there with you no matter what situation you have been through and are going to hit in the future. She is your family, best friend and your forever friend. A sister is a gift to the heart. A friend to the to spirit. Simply, there is no friend like a sister. It is a bond that cannot be explained but felt. For Lily and Sasha, their love for each other has no words. These sisters had experienced it all together. They endured hardship and felt the pain when they lost their parents in a car accident. Lily and Sasha only had each other to lean on for support. They were each other’s best friend. And so their love for each other was fierce. So when they finally had the opportunity to travel, they could not wait. They were two country girls from Australia, who couldn’t wait to travel and experience life.
So what happens when they are kidnapped and ripped from each other when a group of men decided to prey on them. Soon Lily and Sasha finds themselves in the sex slavery business. Ripped from society, they are thrown into the darkness and gritty side where monsters exists. Her captor Marco decides to separate the two sisters. Lily, was considered rare and beautiful so she will be one of Marco’s collections whereas Sasha will be sold to the highest bidder as a slave.
Lily being the eldest is very protective of Sasha. She tries her best to save and protect her sister even if it means life or death. Raped and fearing for her safety, Lily puts Sasha first. Her main objective is Sasha’s freedom. While being held captive, Lily meets Jake. He is one of the guards sent to keep watch on Lily. Soon Lily and Jake find themselves forming an emotional bond to one another. Feelings were emerging. Love was found. Secrets and truths were unraveling. In the darkness, can Jake and Lily find the light to escape? Or is it too late for them? Freedom, loyalty or love.. what will they choose?
One word to describe You Loved Me At My Darkest: Breathtaking! This book was absolutely beautiful, gripping, emotional and raw. From the very first page to the last page, Ms. Harper will leave her readers breathless. Her storytelling is simply captivating and spellbinding that I could not stop reading and was so immersed into Lily, Sasha and Jake’s story. Not only did she take her readers on such an emotional and suspenseful ride, Ms. Harper also raises the awareness on sex trafficking and slavery. She did not sugarcoat it but exposes the raw and gritty side where darkness and monsters exists. You Loved Me At My Darkest will tug your heartstrings. This book was so honest, raw, and emotional that you could not help but feel the pain, heartbreak and loss what Lily, Sasha, and Jake had to endure. This book stole my heart. I found myself holding onto my breath waiting to see what awaits for Lily and Jake. This was a love story like no other. It is a love that can’t be explained but felt. The pain, emptiness, and loss what Lily and Jakes goes through will put you on an emotional wringer. For me, this book literally gutted my heart and I felt every raw ounce of emotions that were evoked. In this beautiful well written debut book, Ms. Harper did a remarkable job intertwining suspense and romance all in this book. You Loved Me At My Darkest is a book to EXPERIENCE. It is a journey of two strangers brought together finding love, hope, and strength within each other. A journey of piecing back the brokenness. And a reminder that there is light even in the darkness.
Evie Harper
August 17, 2016
5 Corrupted Stars!
I swear, I swear, I swear - I LOVE going into books blind. I've said it before, that's how I like to read my books, and THIS ONE did not disappoint. Man oh man, if you're ever in the mood for some twisted fucks - fucks of the nefarious, foul and despicable nature - not the kinky nature, <.insert sleazy wink here.>, - this is definitely going to tickle your pickle. If you're informing yourself before you read, unlike I, then please take a step to the left and board the train for: rape, death, blood, violence and pure evil. Definitely some triggers in here so be aware.
After losing their parents, sisters Lily and Sasha decide to take a well deserved vacation. They board a plane from Australia to New York, because why not? New York is the place to go for an All-American experience. As they're touring New York, they're amazed and enthralled with everything they're seeing and experiencing. Little do they know, somebody is watching them and are amazed and enthralled with what they're seeing as well.
"Stupid girls, you have a fox chasing you, and you are going to be so easy to catch ."
Lily and Sasha are kidnapped and taken to be delivered to a sex slave / sex trafficking ring leader. Sasha is sold as a slave and Lily is taken to be a part of the Devil disguised as Marco's Collection .
THE PLOT THICKENS
At Marco's is where we witness Lily trek though literal hell. Her co-captor, Jake, turns out to be her guard. He has made it clear to her that there is no escape for her. He tells her now while she's fresh so that she doesn't try to get fresh with Marco because the consequences can be dire, all-the-while fighting an attraction for Lily that he knows can be dire for him.
"Forget your old life Lily. You are now owned. You no longer have a say in anything that happens to you."
I found myself really liking Lily. She was super bad-ass and didn't lay down for anybody. She rocked the stone and speared the blade. Fierce human spirit at it's finest.
“As much as I want to fall back into bed and hide away from the world, I’m not going to give Marco or anyone else the power to destroy me. It’s my time to be brave. I might still cry and I might still fall, but at the end of all this, I will be free and I will bring them all to their knees.”
Jake was super-broody with some secrets and bones of his own. He exuded dominance and had an agenda that nobody was going to derail. Alpha to the utmost.
“She has no defenses, yet she doesn't give up her fight. Why isn't she scare of me? I'm not saving her.”
I couldn't help but fall in love with the fierce captive, and the unlikely and reluctant hero.
Super suspenseful novel with a twist I found to be decipherable, but intense nonetheless. This book definitely satisfied my hunger for dark.
I swear, I swear, I swear - I LOVE going into books blind. I've said it before, that's how I like to read my books, and THIS ONE did not disappoint. Man oh man, if you're ever in the mood for some twisted fucks - fucks of the nefarious, foul and despicable nature - not the kinky nature, <.insert sleazy wink here.>, - this is definitely going to tickle your pickle. If you're informing yourself before you read, unlike I, then please take a step to the left and board the train for: rape, death, blood, violence and pure evil. Definitely some triggers in here so be aware.
After losing their parents, sisters Lily and Sasha decide to take a well deserved vacation. They board a plane from Australia to New York, because why not? New York is the place to go for an All-American experience. As they're touring New York, they're amazed and enthralled with everything they're seeing and experiencing. Little do they know, somebody is watching them and are amazed and enthralled with what they're seeing as well.
"Stupid girls, you have a fox chasing you, and you are going to be so easy to catch ."
Lily and Sasha are kidnapped and taken to be delivered to a sex slave / sex trafficking ring leader. Sasha is sold as a slave and Lily is taken to be a part of the Devil disguised as Marco's Collection .
THE PLOT THICKENS
At Marco's is where we witness Lily trek though literal hell. Her co-captor, Jake, turns out to be her guard. He has made it clear to her that there is no escape for her. He tells her now while she's fresh so that she doesn't try to get fresh with Marco because the consequences can be dire, all-the-while fighting an attraction for Lily that he knows can be dire for him.
"Forget your old life Lily. You are now owned. You no longer have a say in anything that happens to you."
I found myself really liking Lily. She was super bad-ass and didn't lay down for anybody. She rocked the stone and speared the blade. Fierce human spirit at it's finest.
“As much as I want to fall back into bed and hide away from the world, I’m not going to give Marco or anyone else the power to destroy me. It’s my time to be brave. I might still cry and I might still fall, but at the end of all this, I will be free and I will bring them all to their knees.”
Jake was super-broody with some secrets and bones of his own. He exuded dominance and had an agenda that nobody was going to derail. Alpha to the utmost.
“She has no defenses, yet she doesn't give up her fight. Why isn't she scare of me? I'm not saving her.”
I couldn't help but fall in love with the fierce captive, and the unlikely and reluctant hero.
Super suspenseful novel with a twist I found to be decipherable, but intense nonetheless. This book definitely satisfied my hunger for dark.
May 16, 2017
So....I actually read book 2 and 3 before I started this one. I would however recommend starting with book 1, because it's the events from this book that will lead to the set-up of book 2 . I am just a crazy person who likes to do things ass-backwards. I had no problems with following the storyline of book 2 without this one, but I will say that reading this one...gave me more insight into book 2 and 3. So learn from my mistakes :P
Because I had already read book 2, I knew what this one was gonna be about and I also went in...feeling a certain way. This did not help me enjoy the book more...it actually pissed me off....so...yeah, not a smart decision on my part.
After losing their parents, Lily and Shasha, who are Australian, decide to take a trip to America, New York to be specific. Their dreamvacation soon turns into a nighmare of epic proportions....
Both girls are kidnapped and enter the world of sex slavery. They are taken to Columbia and are separated and locked away. The reason these girls have been taken, is because Marco, the mean king pin of the story, likes collecting beautiful women from all over the world, to add to his collection. The women in his collection live together at a secret location. Once a month (sometimes more) Marco organizes a private party, where the women are displayed and sold tothe highest bidder for the night. They can do with them as they please...well...without marking his prized possesions that is.
Lily is locked away in a beautiful room and assigned a personal guard....Jake. Jake lays it all out for her right away...there is no hope of escape and the more she will fight the harder things will be. He also makes it very clear to her, that if she she doesn't obey, her sister Sasha will pay the prize.
Sasha is not joining Marco's collection. He has no use for her, so the plan is to auction her off as a sex-slave. Lily is really scared, but she is more scared for her sister, than she is for herself and she is willing to do whatever it takes to get her sister out of there.
I liked that Lily was a strong and feisty heroine, but I do have to say that there were moments she pissed me off. She kept being a hardass and disobeying....even when she knew chances where her sister would be hurt because of this. She just couldn't stop running her mouth.
From the moment Jake laid eyes on Lily, he was done for. He is extremely attracted to Lily and he doesn't want her in this awful hell. But Jake has an agenda of his own and he can't just let his feelings for Lily interfere with his own plans...plans he has been working on for years. So he does what he can, to keep her safe.
Lily feels the same attraction towards Jake, even though he is supposed to be one of the bad guys....she can't help but fall for him.
Now this one was pretty heavy on the insta-love. Normally I can look past that, but being in the situation they were in....it felt a bit unbelievable. One moment she is taken away for a private party and raped....and the next she is in love and having sex with Jake....one of the guys that is keeping her in this place.... ???
I had a bit of a hard time with that. I can't imagine a woman being raped a few days prior, being excited about any form of sex, but hey...maybe that's just me.
Slowly secrets are being revealed, and with secrets, I mean Jake's secrets. He is on a mission of his own. He can't help Lily excape, because he needs to find the secret location where "the collection" is being held.
Now Jake...I also had an issue with. Because for 4 years he has been working his ass off to complete this secret mission, that is very close to his heart. But after setting eyes on this one girl....everything changes and he is willing the chance to fuck everything up for her ...?? Maybe this sounds a but harsh from my part, but you will understand better once you figure out what his mission is really about.
I will tell you that this book ends on a HEA.... if you can call it that, because this book is leads to book 2 and so many things are still messed up. I will refraise and say that it ends on a HEA for this couple. Which also made me pissed off with Jake, because when all is said and done....he takes his new found love Lily and leaves....without a backwards glance...... I was really dissapointed with him at this point.
Now don't take my ranting the wrong way. I really did enjoy this book. It's just that having read book 2...which I really liked....I was a bit prejudice going into this one. This is why advice reading these books in the right order ;)
August 28, 2015
First off, the love and trust between the sisters, Lily and Sasha, was the most touching part of the story for me. They just wanted the other to be free so bad and what happened to Sasha was so sad. On to the romance...I must say although it was cute and I'm glad Lily had Jake as some form of comfort and light, I couldn't get over how she fell for him out of nowhere. Jake, I get because he followed her around for a month and began to admire her strength and looks, but all he had to do was loosen the gag in her mouth when she first got kidnapped and it was lovely dovey land from there. Uhhh.... No. But the story was good and had a few surprises, some action, and revenge.
March 15, 2015
**4.5 STARS!**
"You loved me at my darkest, baby, just wait till you see me at my best"
Wow, what an emotional roller coaster ride!
The characters:
Lily
"The remaining parts of my heart are broken pieces of glass with sharp edges, and I dare anyone to come near it. I will make sure it cuts them"
I LOVED HER. She was such a spit fire and the love she has for her sister is incredible. She was completely selfless when it came to the safety of her sister. Also, the strength she shows in even the most dangerous of situations was something that I have yet to see in many of these types of books. Although she loves Jake and trusts him, when it comes to her safety and the safety of her sister, she is completely in control. Her main concern the whole book was to get her sister and herself out of this terrible situation they were both thrust into. She was a one-of-a-kind character and her character made this book THAT much better!
Jake
"Before tonight Lil, I thought there was a limit to what I would do for you, but there isn't, and there never was"
OMG I LOVED HIM. He was clearly the light in Lily's dark world that she found herself in. He was loving and sexy and dangerous when he needed to be and I loved him. He fell head over heals for Lily from the second he saw him and totally made me believe in the 'love at first sight' way of thinking. Although he may be a bad guy, he has his reasons for working under Marco (the man who took Lily and her sister). You go from loving him to hating him to loving him again.
what I loved
-the twist in the book was pretty great. Did I see it coming? Yeah, kind of. But still...changed the WHOLE story and I loved it.
-the sex scenes between Jake and Lily were pretty hot. I was a fan.
-the characters in the book were great. Marco was an EVIL motherfucker and I hated him...a lot. And I felt so bad for Lily and her sister Sasha. They've been through enough crap in their lives and thier abduction as really the icing on their 'fucked up life' cake. At least they had each other...
-Lily was such a fighter. Although she did have her weak moments, they were definitely called for and I will not be holding that against her. She gave new meaning to the term KICK-ASS HEROINE!
"You loved me at my darkest, baby, just wait till you see me at my best"
Wow, what an emotional roller coaster ride!
The characters:
Lily
"The remaining parts of my heart are broken pieces of glass with sharp edges, and I dare anyone to come near it. I will make sure it cuts them"
I LOVED HER. She was such a spit fire and the love she has for her sister is incredible. She was completely selfless when it came to the safety of her sister. Also, the strength she shows in even the most dangerous of situations was something that I have yet to see in many of these types of books. Although she loves Jake and trusts him, when it comes to her safety and the safety of her sister, she is completely in control. Her main concern the whole book was to get her sister and herself out of this terrible situation they were both thrust into. She was a one-of-a-kind character and her character made this book THAT much better!
Jake
"Before tonight Lil, I thought there was a limit to what I would do for you, but there isn't, and there never was"
OMG I LOVED HIM. He was clearly the light in Lily's dark world that she found herself in. He was loving and sexy and dangerous when he needed to be and I loved him. He fell head over heals for Lily from the second he saw him and totally made me believe in the 'love at first sight' way of thinking. Although he may be a bad guy, he has his reasons for working under Marco (the man who took Lily and her sister). You go from loving him to hating him to loving him again.
what I loved
-the twist in the book was pretty great. Did I see it coming? Yeah, kind of. But still...changed the WHOLE story and I loved it.
-the sex scenes between Jake and Lily were pretty hot. I was a fan.
-the characters in the book were great. Marco was an EVIL motherfucker and I hated him...a lot. And I felt so bad for Lily and her sister Sasha. They've been through enough crap in their lives and thier abduction as really the icing on their 'fucked up life' cake. At least they had each other...
-Lily was such a fighter. Although she did have her weak moments, they were definitely called for and I will not be holding that against her. She gave new meaning to the term KICK-ASS HEROINE!
March 29, 2016
Spoiler Ahead This was a really good book and heart breaking. Sisters Lily and Sasha have been through a lot losing their parents in a car accident and working hard to safe the family farm and going a dream trip to the USA only to be kidnapped in NY there is no one to miss them or to come rescue them. Lily is a beautiful, head-strong heroine taken away from the life she has always known. She struggles daily to survive and only does so because of the love she feels for her sister, Sasha. Jake the man that has been following them since they left Australia he left them alone only to learn that his partner kidnapped them, Jake is also the bosses right hand man and he is in lust with Lily. Jake is detached from his feelings due to the tragedies he experienced in his past and he will do nothing to jeopardize that position, not for anyone, even Lily. Jake and Lily are physically drawn to each other. Lily feels protected in his arms and Jake wants her as his own. This was a really good book. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. This was my first time reading this author's. If you like reading dark erotic reads than I would recommend that you read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
freebie
July 28, 2015NOW FREEE http://amzn.to/1LThurM
October 5, 2015
I had so many issues with this book and the characters. Here's just a few:
1. You're kidnapped, shoved in a van, and your first reaction to seeing one of the captor guards is he's "very masculine and ruggedly handsome"? NO IT IS NOT
2. You've known said asshole captor guard for a couple days. You're thinking of escaping. Do you think: "thinking about leaving has me missing [asshole captor guard], which is strange. I've only known him for a short time and already miss him before we are even separated"? NO YOU DO NOT YOU CAN'T EVEN CLAIM STOCKHOLM SYNDROME AS AN EXCUSE BECAUSE IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO EFFIN' DAYS
3. You're beautiful and feisty. Everyone, and I mean everyone, comments on how attractive you are and how much "fire" is in your eyes, including sex slave kingpins and people who buy you for sex. You don't like it. But when captor guard comments on these exact same things and touches you, does it make you fall in love with him? NO THAT'S HYPOCRITICAL
4. You're expected to look nice all the time in this sex slave prison. Do you pay attention and describe in detail all the beautiful things you wear? NO I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU DON'T MIND BEING HELD PRISONER
5. Do you find it endearing that in absolutely every sentence the captor guard utters, he uses your nickname or the word "baby"? NO BECAUSE IT SOUNDS STUPID AND CONDESCENDING
I'll stop now. Except...I've got to mention the dialogue was corny as hell and the storyline was incredibly predictable. Thank god I got this for free.
1. You're kidnapped, shoved in a van, and your first reaction to seeing one of the captor guards is he's "very masculine and ruggedly handsome"? NO IT IS NOT
2. You've known said asshole captor guard for a couple days. You're thinking of escaping. Do you think: "thinking about leaving has me missing [asshole captor guard], which is strange. I've only known him for a short time and already miss him before we are even separated"? NO YOU DO NOT YOU CAN'T EVEN CLAIM STOCKHOLM SYNDROME AS AN EXCUSE BECAUSE IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO EFFIN' DAYS
3. You're beautiful and feisty. Everyone, and I mean everyone, comments on how attractive you are and how much "fire" is in your eyes, including sex slave kingpins and people who buy you for sex. You don't like it. But when captor guard comments on these exact same things and touches you, does it make you fall in love with him? NO THAT'S HYPOCRITICAL
4. You're expected to look nice all the time in this sex slave prison. Do you pay attention and describe in detail all the beautiful things you wear? NO I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU DON'T MIND BEING HELD PRISONER
5. Do you find it endearing that in absolutely every sentence the captor guard utters, he uses your nickname or the word "baby"? NO BECAUSE IT SOUNDS STUPID AND CONDESCENDING
I'll stop now. Except...I've got to mention the dialogue was corny as hell and the storyline was incredibly predictable. Thank god I got this for free.
August 24, 2020
OH MY GOD, I loved this book - seriously! It's dark and twisted but also full of gems, romance and fun. I didn't think I would enjoy it this much and I CAN'T WAT to get my hands on the following books, I know I will luuuv them.
Sash and Lil are pure souls. They have only themselves as their parents have died an early death a while ago and ever since it has just been the two of them. The two Australian Country Girls head out for a great adventure, discovering the US - and also discovering the depths of man-made evil. Caught by human trafficers and being seperated shortly after, Lil can't wrap her mind around how they got from a club in NY City to an unknown location - trapped by security guards and ony presented to the outside world when being on display for rich men that buy her for a night only to do with her however they please.
If you just got goose bumps - you should! And also: WAIT FOR IT. This is not a twisted romance. You will discover fast that there are many secrets around the "good guy" of the story and I realy urge you to take a chance with this.
Three years. It has been three years ever since Jake started working in Marco's business, collecting girls for his sick endeavours. He hates it. And then his worst nightmare comes true: His partners in crime catch the woman of his dreams and her sister. Enter drama.
Go get that book and read it. I am FUCKING GRATEFUL (as Jake would probably say) that I got the first book for free on Amazon.
Sash and Lil are pure souls. They have only themselves as their parents have died an early death a while ago and ever since it has just been the two of them. The two Australian Country Girls head out for a great adventure, discovering the US - and also discovering the depths of man-made evil. Caught by human trafficers and being seperated shortly after, Lil can't wrap her mind around how they got from a club in NY City to an unknown location - trapped by security guards and ony presented to the outside world when being on display for rich men that buy her for a night only to do with her however they please.
If you just got goose bumps - you should! And also: WAIT FOR IT. This is not a twisted romance. You will discover fast that there are many secrets around the "good guy" of the story and I realy urge you to take a chance with this.
Three years. It has been three years ever since Jake started working in Marco's business, collecting girls for his sick endeavours. He hates it. And then his worst nightmare comes true: His partners in crime catch the woman of his dreams and her sister. Enter drama.
Go get that book and read it. I am FUCKING GRATEFUL (as Jake would probably say) that I got the first book for free on Amazon.
July 16, 2015
Not what I expected but good. I was waiting for a dark book that delved deep into the inhumane world of sex trafficking and I got it. I expected deep love, loyalty, danger and passion and I got it.
Lily and Sasha are sisters and inseparable. When a trip to the United States goes extremely wrong, they find themselves locked away from the world and ready to be sold to the highest bidder. Lily will do everything to save her sister, even make a deal with the devil.
Jake is a man involved in a sex trafficking cartel and he has one purpose. He wants to take over one day. In order to do that, he must find himself guarding one of the Collection. The Collection is a group of women who are used by the traffickers. When he meets Lily his entire world turns on its axis. His growing fascination with Lily endangers his plans and he must not allow that to happen.
I loved the characters. Mostly, I adored the strong bond between the two sisters. Simply heart-wrenching.
The development was fast and the storyline kept me on my toes. I finished it in one sitting. I do think that the relationship between Jake and Lily was developed a bit quickly but I did love how the plot turned out.
I totally recommend it if you are looking for something dark and moving at the same time.
4 Stars from me!
Lily and Sasha are sisters and inseparable. When a trip to the United States goes extremely wrong, they find themselves locked away from the world and ready to be sold to the highest bidder. Lily will do everything to save her sister, even make a deal with the devil.
Jake is a man involved in a sex trafficking cartel and he has one purpose. He wants to take over one day. In order to do that, he must find himself guarding one of the Collection. The Collection is a group of women who are used by the traffickers. When he meets Lily his entire world turns on its axis. His growing fascination with Lily endangers his plans and he must not allow that to happen.
I loved the characters. Mostly, I adored the strong bond between the two sisters. Simply heart-wrenching.
The development was fast and the storyline kept me on my toes. I finished it in one sitting. I do think that the relationship between Jake and Lily was developed a bit quickly but I did love how the plot turned out.
I totally recommend it if you are looking for something dark and moving at the same time.
4 Stars from me!
August 27, 2014
Review-Jo Rushton 4.5 Stars
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The synopsis for "You Loved me at my Darkest" definitely caught my interest and I was eager to find out more. This was a dark read and yes, I do enjoy delving into books that push the boundaries a little so I had a feeling I'd enjoy this one... lucky me because I bloody loved it. It was brilliant. If you love a dark romance, then this is absolutely a book for you.
Lilly was a fun loving girl with a promising future but it hadn't always been that way. Having been through some pretty tough times, she'd made it through to the other side and was now ready to live her life to the fullest. However, the prologue (very quickly) made me aware of a darkness that was approaching and I dreaded what was going to happen to this lovable girl. Lilly was facing a nightmare of the worst kind and knowing there was no escape for her left me heart broken.
Jake just kept me guessing all the way throughout this story. I liked him a lot and I knew that he was a good guy at heart. I just couldn't understand why he was trying to be one of the bad guy's. There had to be a reason and I was keen to find out what that reason was. Jake was hiding his true self behind an iron mask but as the story progressed that mask was slowly slipping.
Jake was instantly attracted to Lilly. There was something about her that drew him to her but he couldn't show his true feelings because that would put both of them in danger. Jake was determined to keep his desires locked inside his heart but the more time he spent with Lilly the harder this became. He was falling for her and falling pretty hard.
I was gripped by this plot. It was full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I found myself second guessing at every page I read. My brain was working overtime to understand the whys and whats running through my mind. I could not predict how this story would end, all I knew was that there would be a whole lot of ugliness before this couple could ever find their happy ending. During the story there were some heartbreaking times that had me close to tears and some extremely sexy scenes that had me reaching for a cold shower.
This book was the authors debut novel and I was truly impressed. I felt that it was well written from both Lilly and Jake's POV. It was a stand alone book however the author is releasing more stories from this series and I will definitely be adding those to my TBR.
This story was well worth the read. "You Loved Me At My Darkest" gets 4.5 hearts from me!
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The synopsis for "You Loved me at my Darkest" definitely caught my interest and I was eager to find out more. This was a dark read and yes, I do enjoy delving into books that push the boundaries a little so I had a feeling I'd enjoy this one... lucky me because I bloody loved it. It was brilliant. If you love a dark romance, then this is absolutely a book for you.
Lilly was a fun loving girl with a promising future but it hadn't always been that way. Having been through some pretty tough times, she'd made it through to the other side and was now ready to live her life to the fullest. However, the prologue (very quickly) made me aware of a darkness that was approaching and I dreaded what was going to happen to this lovable girl. Lilly was facing a nightmare of the worst kind and knowing there was no escape for her left me heart broken.
I crawl into the dark corners of my mind, darkness where I can be untouchable. Numbness is my best friend, and I hope it never leaves me.
Jake just kept me guessing all the way throughout this story. I liked him a lot and I knew that he was a good guy at heart. I just couldn't understand why he was trying to be one of the bad guy's. There had to be a reason and I was keen to find out what that reason was. Jake was hiding his true self behind an iron mask but as the story progressed that mask was slowly slipping.
It becomes harder and harder every day I watch her. She's fire, and I am a stupid motherfucking moth who wants what I can't have. And what I can't have is Lilly Morgan.
Jake was instantly attracted to Lilly. There was something about her that drew him to her but he couldn't show his true feelings because that would put both of them in danger. Jake was determined to keep his desires locked inside his heart but the more time he spent with Lilly the harder this became. He was falling for her and falling pretty hard.
I'm desperate for her to know the real me, to chose me, even if all she will ever have is my dark side.Lilly was also attracted to Jake but, like me, she just couldn't work him out. Jake confused Lilly. He was part of the evil that surrounded her and for that reason she found it difficult to even consider opening her heart to him.
There's bad men and there's good men, but Jake keeps swinging like a pendulum between the two, and I can't fit him into a category where I feel he belongs.
I was gripped by this plot. It was full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I found myself second guessing at every page I read. My brain was working overtime to understand the whys and whats running through my mind. I could not predict how this story would end, all I knew was that there would be a whole lot of ugliness before this couple could ever find their happy ending. During the story there were some heartbreaking times that had me close to tears and some extremely sexy scenes that had me reaching for a cold shower.
"Tell me now, baby, are you sure you want this? Because when I've finally had you, you are mine. You've turned my world inside out, baby. There will be no going back."
This book was the authors debut novel and I was truly impressed. I felt that it was well written from both Lilly and Jake's POV. It was a stand alone book however the author is releasing more stories from this series and I will definitely be adding those to my TBR.
"You loved me at my darkest, baby, just wait till you see me at my best."
This story was well worth the read. "You Loved Me At My Darkest" gets 4.5 hearts from me!
August 28, 2014
To say that I loved this book is the biggest understatement. I am living and breathing with this story – it captivated me from the very first word, a gripping tale of heartache, destruction, of hope lost and impossible love. I can honestly say that there isn’t a book I’ve read that is more deserving of its title. If you know anything about me – you’ll know I’m a dark romance junkie. Each word in this book fed my addiction and finishing left me desperately wanting my next fix. Evie Harper’s has rocked her debut with a sensational novel that will leave you not only satisfied, but craving more from this talented author.
Lily and Sasha Morgan are two sisters who have grown up inseparable. The bond between them is unbreakable, the love and loyalty they feel was apparent in each scene. After the devastating death of their parents, they both stepped up to the plate and worked hard to ensure their family’s farm in Australia stayed functioning and running like a well oiled machine. Treating themselves to a vacation to help ease some of the heartache of losing both of their parents, the girls embark on a sight-seeing trip to America – New York City being their first stop. What should have been an exciting, fun filled night out at a rave style party, becomes their worst living nightmare when they are brutally abducted right from the street.
Jake. One of the rising top dogs in a black market sex slave trade, he is a man that is cold and unfeeling. His role is to search city after city, acquiring the world’s most beautiful women to deliver to Marco, a truly deviant, evil man. He is well known in the underground world for his “collection” pieces, women kept under lock and key and only unveiled at the most exclusive of parties to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Jake’s goal is to reach the highest status possible in Marco’s organization, a collection guard. A quick turn of fate has his goal staring him right in the face, the tool he needs to accomplish his task right in front of him – Lily Morgan.
Lily and Sasha are two of the strongest female characters I’ve ever read about. Lily’s fierce loyalty to protect her baby sister and save her from the clutches of the monsters that have taken them have her using drastic measures, fighting at every turn to gain their freedom back. As Lily is initiated into the collection, her sister is left to the wolves as a forgotten slave. The torment and pain they suffered through was as real to me as if I was living it. With each breath they fought to hold on, to not break and to keep their souls save from the devil threatening to consume them.
As Lily and Jake are thrown together more and more, an undeniable heat and attraction grows between them. Jake however, will not risk his goals and ambitions to save Lily. No matter how badly he desires her and wants her for himself. The devil is at every door in this book – the people to trust unknown. The more you think you’ve figured the story out, the more complicated it becomes.
How hard would you fight to save the ones you love? In a world of impossible choices, sadistic monsters and excruciating pain…is it possible for love to prevail?
You Loved Me At My Darkest ~ I Loved It Down To The Last Fucking Word.
xo Cassia
deliciouslywickedbooks.com
November 4, 2014
Am I so far gone, so far fucked up that I will take comfort from anyone right now?
I am a lover of captive books and this one just really snuck up on me. I had heard about You Loved Me at My Darkest by Evie Harper….I had bought it a while back, but when I picked it up the other day to read it…well, put it this way….I have tears in my eyes as I write this review cause the book moved me to a place emotionally I was not prepared for. This was a 5 star read for me and jumps into my list of top 10 captive books.
Lily and her sister are vacationing in New York and without warning are kidnapped and whisked away into the land of sex trafficking. Immediately you get the bond these sisters share. I do not have a sister, but if I did, I would want her to love me as unconditionally as Lily loved Sasha. They say that the bond between sisters is unbreakable and Evie Harper wrote it as well as I can imagine it in my head and in my heart. As soon as the sisters arrive at the compound they are separated. Lily to be in the elite Collection and Sasha to be sold as a sexual slave.
Lily is guarded by a man named Jake. For all intents and purposes we should hate Jake for his role in this kidnapping, but as we get insight into his thoughts from his POV we learn that their maybe more to this sex trafficker than meets the eye. The love/hate relationship that Lily and Jake develop is quite unique. I loved the angst between these two and watching Lily’s body war with her head was written brilliantly. Evie Harper does not make light of Lily’s feelings for Jake nor how sometimes in the face of tragedy, rising up from the ashes villains become heroes.
You Loved Me at My Darkest will truly shred your heart and then slowly mend it back together. Even though this book is a captive book and there is rape in it, it shouldn’t cause any reader triggers. What Evie Harper does is capture the relationship of Jake and Lily more poignantly than the trafficking itself. There are several twists and turns in this book and some seriously heart wrenching moments. I am so glad I decided to read this book….Lily and Jake are etched in my heart as are Lily and Sasha. Two relationships that couldn’t be more different, yet both steeped in so much love.
I am a lover of captive books and this one just really snuck up on me. I had heard about You Loved Me at My Darkest by Evie Harper….I had bought it a while back, but when I picked it up the other day to read it…well, put it this way….I have tears in my eyes as I write this review cause the book moved me to a place emotionally I was not prepared for. This was a 5 star read for me and jumps into my list of top 10 captive books.
Lily and her sister are vacationing in New York and without warning are kidnapped and whisked away into the land of sex trafficking. Immediately you get the bond these sisters share. I do not have a sister, but if I did, I would want her to love me as unconditionally as Lily loved Sasha. They say that the bond between sisters is unbreakable and Evie Harper wrote it as well as I can imagine it in my head and in my heart. As soon as the sisters arrive at the compound they are separated. Lily to be in the elite Collection and Sasha to be sold as a sexual slave.
Lily is guarded by a man named Jake. For all intents and purposes we should hate Jake for his role in this kidnapping, but as we get insight into his thoughts from his POV we learn that their maybe more to this sex trafficker than meets the eye. The love/hate relationship that Lily and Jake develop is quite unique. I loved the angst between these two and watching Lily’s body war with her head was written brilliantly. Evie Harper does not make light of Lily’s feelings for Jake nor how sometimes in the face of tragedy, rising up from the ashes villains become heroes.
You Loved Me at My Darkest will truly shred your heart and then slowly mend it back together. Even though this book is a captive book and there is rape in it, it shouldn’t cause any reader triggers. What Evie Harper does is capture the relationship of Jake and Lily more poignantly than the trafficking itself. There are several twists and turns in this book and some seriously heart wrenching moments. I am so glad I decided to read this book….Lily and Jake are etched in my heart as are Lily and Sasha. Two relationships that couldn’t be more different, yet both steeped in so much love.
November 17, 2017
Sorry. This book was not to my liking...
Lily, the 1st person POV heroine of the story, has gorgeous green eyes, a stunning smile, and larger than average boobs. And that's just about all there is to say about her.
Jake, who works on the inside of a human trafficking ring, is ultimately muscly even though it seems he spends all day sitting on his back end guarding Lily's locked door. Even the moment after Lily was abducted by a gang of murderous bad guys intent on selling her out as a sex slave, she was getting the warm and fuzzies for him. (OK, but really he is a total bonehead, and, I'd suggest, totally to blame for most of Lily's troubles.)
There was one point in the story, where I hoped that Lily would get mad enough to murder Jake. She doesn't though and it's too bad. The consequences would have been more interesting.
As it is, I was so disgusted with their romantic relationship that I found I was skimming over sex scenes and the denouement seemed to never end - dipping into the background of a character introduced after the climax was over... like, whatever, skim skim skim...
On the whole, the story just made me angry and really, really dislike the main characters.
Lily, the 1st person POV heroine of the story, has gorgeous green eyes, a stunning smile, and larger than average boobs. And that's just about all there is to say about her.
Jake, who works on the inside of a human trafficking ring, is ultimately muscly even though it seems he spends all day sitting on his back end guarding Lily's locked door. Even the moment after Lily was abducted by a gang of murderous bad guys intent on selling her out as a sex slave, she was getting the warm and fuzzies for him. (OK, but really he is a total bonehead, and, I'd suggest, totally to blame for most of Lily's troubles.)
There was one point in the story, where I hoped that Lily would get mad enough to murder Jake. She doesn't though and it's too bad. The consequences would have been more interesting.
As it is, I was so disgusted with their romantic relationship that I found I was skimming over sex scenes and the denouement seemed to never end - dipping into the background of a character introduced after the climax was over... like, whatever, skim skim skim...
On the whole, the story just made me angry and really, really dislike the main characters.
August 31, 2014
I love a book which mentions a dark read and this was no exception.
Lily and Sasha on holiday to New York get kidnapped and then separated. Sasha is taken as a slave to work in the Marcos mansion and Lily goes in to Marcos Collection of girls.
Jake is assigned as her caretaker/bodyguard. I could go on and on but best to just read it.
A beautiful story unfolds with plenty of action, anguish and heartache.
Those few closing lines were so beautiful and my heart went out to you Lily.
No cliffy, a great read and looking forward to You Loved me at my Weakest sometime in November.
Lily and Sasha on holiday to New York get kidnapped and then separated. Sasha is taken as a slave to work in the Marcos mansion and Lily goes in to Marcos Collection of girls.
Jake is assigned as her caretaker/bodyguard. I could go on and on but best to just read it.
A beautiful story unfolds with plenty of action, anguish and heartache.
Those few closing lines were so beautiful and my heart went out to you Lily.
No cliffy, a great read and looking forward to You Loved me at my Weakest sometime in November.
November 5, 2014
** JOSIE'S 4 STAR REVIEW **
You Loved Me at My Darkest took me on one hell of a ride. I absolutely loved everything about this book. Once I started reading the Prologue I could not put this book down. I knew this was going to take me on emotional roller coaster ride so I got the Kleenex and wine out and dove in. Evie Harper did an amazing job with this book. The story was gritty, thrilling, exciting, loving and full of pain and angst.
Lily and Sasha are two Australian sisters who want to see the United States of America. Their first stop is the Big Apple. What should be the time of their lives takes a drastic turn and their lives will never be the same. Lily and Sasha are very close sisters. I loved the way the author details their special bond. The girls are not aware that they have been watched while enjoying the sites. They are taken by force and taken to a man named Marco. Lily has fire, spunk and a certain beauty that calls out to Marco and he makes her part of his collection; where Sasha is slave. The two are separated from each other and are forced into a world of forced sex and beatings. Let me tell you that I cried so much reading this book. Things are pretty horrible for these girls as you can imagine. They go through things that no one should have to ever go through.
“I need answers. I need to know what we’re about to walk into.”
“Inside that house is a man names Marco. He’s the boss. He will determine where you both go. Just keep your heads down and shut your mouths, and you’ll get your answers. Just remember one thing, you think it can’t get worse; I’m telling you it can. Do. Not. push your luck with him. He’s not a man who likes disobedience.”
Since Lily is assigned as part of Marco’s collection, she is assigned a body guard. Jake is not like the other men at Marco’s mansion. It was not easy to get a read on his character. Jake had a purpose, a goal and he would not let anything get in the way of that goal. The more he is around Lily, the more he is attracted to her. He sees her fight, her determination and feels anger for the things she has to endure. He tries so hard to push her away, but he falls short.
“Lily, I know this might be hard to believe, but I am not going to let you get hurt again. You don’t need to know how or why. Just know that I’m going to protect you from now on.”
“I don’t understand you at all, Jake. I’m afraid you’re playing me, but something in me trusts you.”
“I’m not playing you, Lil. I’m just trapped as you are, because I need to stay. I don’t want to, but I have to. And being this close you, having feelings for you, could hurt you more than you ever know, but I know enough now that I’m not going to stay away from you.”
This is not a pretty love story, not by any means. This story will rip your heart out. This is a dark romance, and the author writes in a way that I felt the raw pain Lily, Sasha, Jake and the others girls went through. The girls know the only way they can be free is to try to escape, but escaping Marco and his men is a dangerous game. Jake is hiding something, and his emotions are up and down. He is nothing like the men he works with but he is not nice either. Lily is a fighter, she has what it takes to survive, and she will risk everything to get out of Marco’s grasp. I had a love/hate relationship with Jake, he could be the sweetest man one minute and then he would shut down. Lily’s character was written in a way that you cannot help but love her and feel a sense of pride because she NEVER GAVE UP. She would push on regardless of what was done to her and her sister.
“Continue to fight; I need you to hang on. You need to trust me, Lily. I know that is asking the impossible, but you can feel it. I know you can. I see the way you look at me.”
“You want my heart, Jake?”
“Fu*k, yes”
“The remaining parts of my heart are broken pieces of glass sharp edges, and I dare anyone to come near it. I will make sure it cuts them.”
"I will piece it back together, and I would take a million cuts before I would ever consider giving up. I’ll show you. Your heart will begin to beat again, in time, and I will be here waiting to catch the first new beat it makes. Then and for always it will be mine.”
The author wrote this gritty story where you absolutely hate what is happing to Lily and Sasha, but where you somehow believe that something good will come out of it, LOVE. At times, I found myself having to put my Kindle down to regroup, and then come back to it. I loved this book. I love a dark read and the author certainly delivered. I was so nervous and was not sure who I could trust and there were times where I thought I thought things were going to go a certain way then – BAM – something happens and I was wrong. If you love dark romances this book is definitely for you.
** JODIE's 3.5 STAR REVIEW **
This book isn’t your typical love story, in fact it is one you absolutely need to go into knowing you are in for a dark ride. This book wasn’t pretty with the hearts and flowers, it was more. This was a story about survival, about how far a person will and can go to survive. This is a book that lets you instantly connect with the characters and even when you know what is going to happen you still find yourself hanging on every word.
It starts with Lily and her sister ready to go out and explore the states outside Australia where they were born and raised. They decided their first adventure will be New York, were they sightsee and have an absolute amazing time never knowing they are being watched. And that’s when this story goes from light to dark. They are taken and forced into a world they have no idea even exist. A world they are desperate to survive and escape. But figuring out this world isn’t so easy. Lily becomes a collection piece in this world and her sister becomes a slave. They need to escape but in this world it seems impossible. The one thing Lily didn’t see was her falling for her guard, Jake.
“There’s bad men and there’s good men, but Jake keeps swinging like a pendulum between the two, and I can’t fit him into a category where I feel he belongs.”
Jake was a mystery!! I almost instantly fell for him and was intrigued by him. He is so much more then what you see and the way Evie wrote him made it impossible not to love him. Jake is the perfect solider for Marco until he encounters Lily.
“She’s the fire, and I am a stupid motherfucking moth who wants what I can’t have. And what I can’t have is Lily Morgan.”
Lily, is exactly what she needs to be but it is also what can get you killed you in this world. She is feisty, determined, and she is loyal to her sister. I was in complete awe of this girl’s strength. I broke for her, I cried for her and I just wanted to hug her. These two together were like a match and flame you just knew there was going to big fire once they were came together.
This is a book for those that love that dark romance, those books that take you on a journey of a world you never even wanted to know existed. This is a journey that stays with you even after you finish and one that shows you just how deep a sister bond runs. AMAZING debut by Evie Harper and I absolutely can’t wait to see whose story we get next!!
You Loved Me at My Darkest took me on one hell of a ride. I absolutely loved everything about this book. Once I started reading the Prologue I could not put this book down. I knew this was going to take me on emotional roller coaster ride so I got the Kleenex and wine out and dove in. Evie Harper did an amazing job with this book. The story was gritty, thrilling, exciting, loving and full of pain and angst.
Lily and Sasha are two Australian sisters who want to see the United States of America. Their first stop is the Big Apple. What should be the time of their lives takes a drastic turn and their lives will never be the same. Lily and Sasha are very close sisters. I loved the way the author details their special bond. The girls are not aware that they have been watched while enjoying the sites. They are taken by force and taken to a man named Marco. Lily has fire, spunk and a certain beauty that calls out to Marco and he makes her part of his collection; where Sasha is slave. The two are separated from each other and are forced into a world of forced sex and beatings. Let me tell you that I cried so much reading this book. Things are pretty horrible for these girls as you can imagine. They go through things that no one should have to ever go through.
“I need answers. I need to know what we’re about to walk into.”
“Inside that house is a man names Marco. He’s the boss. He will determine where you both go. Just keep your heads down and shut your mouths, and you’ll get your answers. Just remember one thing, you think it can’t get worse; I’m telling you it can. Do. Not. push your luck with him. He’s not a man who likes disobedience.”
Since Lily is assigned as part of Marco’s collection, she is assigned a body guard. Jake is not like the other men at Marco’s mansion. It was not easy to get a read on his character. Jake had a purpose, a goal and he would not let anything get in the way of that goal. The more he is around Lily, the more he is attracted to her. He sees her fight, her determination and feels anger for the things she has to endure. He tries so hard to push her away, but he falls short.
“Lily, I know this might be hard to believe, but I am not going to let you get hurt again. You don’t need to know how or why. Just know that I’m going to protect you from now on.”
“I don’t understand you at all, Jake. I’m afraid you’re playing me, but something in me trusts you.”
“I’m not playing you, Lil. I’m just trapped as you are, because I need to stay. I don’t want to, but I have to. And being this close you, having feelings for you, could hurt you more than you ever know, but I know enough now that I’m not going to stay away from you.”
This is not a pretty love story, not by any means. This story will rip your heart out. This is a dark romance, and the author writes in a way that I felt the raw pain Lily, Sasha, Jake and the others girls went through. The girls know the only way they can be free is to try to escape, but escaping Marco and his men is a dangerous game. Jake is hiding something, and his emotions are up and down. He is nothing like the men he works with but he is not nice either. Lily is a fighter, she has what it takes to survive, and she will risk everything to get out of Marco’s grasp. I had a love/hate relationship with Jake, he could be the sweetest man one minute and then he would shut down. Lily’s character was written in a way that you cannot help but love her and feel a sense of pride because she NEVER GAVE UP. She would push on regardless of what was done to her and her sister.
“Continue to fight; I need you to hang on. You need to trust me, Lily. I know that is asking the impossible, but you can feel it. I know you can. I see the way you look at me.”
“You want my heart, Jake?”
“Fu*k, yes”
“The remaining parts of my heart are broken pieces of glass sharp edges, and I dare anyone to come near it. I will make sure it cuts them.”
"I will piece it back together, and I would take a million cuts before I would ever consider giving up. I’ll show you. Your heart will begin to beat again, in time, and I will be here waiting to catch the first new beat it makes. Then and for always it will be mine.”
The author wrote this gritty story where you absolutely hate what is happing to Lily and Sasha, but where you somehow believe that something good will come out of it, LOVE. At times, I found myself having to put my Kindle down to regroup, and then come back to it. I loved this book. I love a dark read and the author certainly delivered. I was so nervous and was not sure who I could trust and there were times where I thought I thought things were going to go a certain way then – BAM – something happens and I was wrong. If you love dark romances this book is definitely for you.
** JODIE's 3.5 STAR REVIEW **
This book isn’t your typical love story, in fact it is one you absolutely need to go into knowing you are in for a dark ride. This book wasn’t pretty with the hearts and flowers, it was more. This was a story about survival, about how far a person will and can go to survive. This is a book that lets you instantly connect with the characters and even when you know what is going to happen you still find yourself hanging on every word.
It starts with Lily and her sister ready to go out and explore the states outside Australia where they were born and raised. They decided their first adventure will be New York, were they sightsee and have an absolute amazing time never knowing they are being watched. And that’s when this story goes from light to dark. They are taken and forced into a world they have no idea even exist. A world they are desperate to survive and escape. But figuring out this world isn’t so easy. Lily becomes a collection piece in this world and her sister becomes a slave. They need to escape but in this world it seems impossible. The one thing Lily didn’t see was her falling for her guard, Jake.
“There’s bad men and there’s good men, but Jake keeps swinging like a pendulum between the two, and I can’t fit him into a category where I feel he belongs.”
Jake was a mystery!! I almost instantly fell for him and was intrigued by him. He is so much more then what you see and the way Evie wrote him made it impossible not to love him. Jake is the perfect solider for Marco until he encounters Lily.
“She’s the fire, and I am a stupid motherfucking moth who wants what I can’t have. And what I can’t have is Lily Morgan.”
Lily, is exactly what she needs to be but it is also what can get you killed you in this world. She is feisty, determined, and she is loyal to her sister. I was in complete awe of this girl’s strength. I broke for her, I cried for her and I just wanted to hug her. These two together were like a match and flame you just knew there was going to big fire once they were came together.
This is a book for those that love that dark romance, those books that take you on a journey of a world you never even wanted to know existed. This is a journey that stays with you even after you finish and one that shows you just how deep a sister bond runs. AMAZING debut by Evie Harper and I absolutely can’t wait to see whose story we get next!!
September 1, 2014
** I Love Story Time was gifted an ARC in exchange for an honest review **
An AMAAAZING debut novel by Aussie author Evie Harper! You Loved Me At My Darkest was a well written, emotional, and incredibly suspenseful story about Lily and her younger sister Sasha. The storyline is non-stop…I could not put it down. A MUST read for fans of dark romance!
Lily and Sasha, two very close sisters from Australia, are recovery from the heartache of losing their parents in an automobile accident. Trying to move forward and lead the lives their parents would have wanted for them, they set off to travel the world. First stop…New York City. As they enjoy the sites of the city, little do they know that they have been marked, watched, and admired from the moment they stepped off the airplane.
“Stupid girls, you have a fox chasing you, and you are going to be so easy to catch.”
Kidnapped by Marco, a sex slave king pin, the sisters must hold on to the only thing they have, each other. Lily, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders is determined to save them from an unforeseen evil; a life of abuse.
“My eyes sting with tears that I won’t allow to fall. Rage and desperation surge through my blood like a torrent of forceful water, heating my body and clenching my fist. I don’t want to tell my sister she may get hit, that she may be touched.”
Jake, Marco’s right hand man, is lost and broken himself. Due to a tragic past of his own, he is not the person he once was and is left as just a shell of who he used to be; enabling him to be disconnected, unattached and without emotion; a perfect solider for Marco. Of course, that is up until the moment he locks eyes with Lily, the only girl that can see the storm of emotions brewing in his eyes.
“She’s the fire, and I am a stupid motherfucking moth who wants what I can’t have. And what I can’t have is Lily Morgan.”
You will love Lily. She is a fighter with a smart mouth and an unwavering will to survive. Even as Marco tries to break her, she never loses her determination to break free from the hell that she and her sister are trapped in.
“As much as I want to fall back into bed and hide away from the world, I’m not going to give Marco or anyone else the power to destroy me. It’s my time to be brave. I might still cry and I might still fall, but at the end of all this, I will be free and I will bring them all to their knees.”
I absolutely loved this book! It was so emotional. I could relate to Lily and her need to do whatever it took to keep her sister safe as I have two sisters that I would die to protect. My heart broke for Lily and Sasha for what they had to endure. Their journey will stay with you long after you finish this book. Evie Harper did a beautiful job bringing her characters to life. You will feel everything! I look forward to reading more from Evie and I am hoping that there will be a book about Joseph and Alexa and Kanye and Emily. Their stories have yet to be told! This was definitely 5 star MUST read for me. I would recommend it to any reader that enjoys a dark, gritty, suspenseful storyline with an unexpected hero and a bad ass heroine.
“Never say never”
♥ Review by Lys
July 27, 2015
Evie Harper
ties you down emotionally, binding you with angst as she pushes you off a cliff into a rocky river of brutally clashing waters.
"Hope soaked my soul in heavy want, then lit a match and watched me burn."
Jake is not what he appears to be at all. He is broody and constantly having to prove his loyalties to a man he secretly despises. He is also vulnerable and caring, hiding behind a bad boy persona and always keeping his façade in place. Yet from the moment we are introduced to him we witness the good in him and the turmoil that swirls around inside of his conscious. But something has set him on the road he is on and nothing will get in his way, or prevent him from achieving his goals.
Until Lily.
"She's fire, and I am a stupid motherfucking moth who wants what I can't have."
Lily is a beautiful person, inside and out but she's also very fiery with a stubborn attitude. Having taking over the farm in Australia after her parents death, Lily and her younger sister, Sasha decide they need a break and finally take a vacation in America. Everything is perfect and they are just like every other tourist until fate plays a cruel joke on them and they end up owned by a notorious, untouchable human trafficker. But one person shows her compassion over and over again, and she can't help but feel there is more to him than meets the eye. If only she could figure out if he was a friend or foe.
"There’s bad men and there’s good men, but Jake keeps swinging like a pendulum between the two, and I can’t fit him into a category where I feel he belongs."
I really loved this book, it touched me deeply and took me to a place I wasn't sure I wanted to go at first. It forced me to watch everything unravel in this dark, gritty world of sex slaves and the brutal fate that they are thrown head first into without a say. My emotional barrier was broken down and I felt everything! I smiled, I laughed, I got angry, pissed off, I cried, then I ugly cried before finally coming full circle with my emotions. I was hooked from the very beginning, engrossed in the storyline and the characters thoughts at all times. I needed to know more; the intriguing plot kept me turning the page! There was a time when I didn't think it would end well for anyone involved, but Evie writes a beautiful happily ever after that both characters more than deserve as she gives the book world one hell of a gut punch with her first novel!!
"They caught me, and now I am the one who is caged. Just as trapped as Lily is— more so, because even if she ever set me free, I could never leave her."
"Hope soaked my soul in heavy want, then lit a match and watched me burn."
Jake is not what he appears to be at all. He is broody and constantly having to prove his loyalties to a man he secretly despises. He is also vulnerable and caring, hiding behind a bad boy persona and always keeping his façade in place. Yet from the moment we are introduced to him we witness the good in him and the turmoil that swirls around inside of his conscious. But something has set him on the road he is on and nothing will get in his way, or prevent him from achieving his goals.
Until Lily.
"She's fire, and I am a stupid motherfucking moth who wants what I can't have."
Lily is a beautiful person, inside and out but she's also very fiery with a stubborn attitude. Having taking over the farm in Australia after her parents death, Lily and her younger sister, Sasha decide they need a break and finally take a vacation in America. Everything is perfect and they are just like every other tourist until fate plays a cruel joke on them and they end up owned by a notorious, untouchable human trafficker. But one person shows her compassion over and over again, and she can't help but feel there is more to him than meets the eye. If only she could figure out if he was a friend or foe.
"There’s bad men and there’s good men, but Jake keeps swinging like a pendulum between the two, and I can’t fit him into a category where I feel he belongs."
I really loved this book, it touched me deeply and took me to a place I wasn't sure I wanted to go at first. It forced me to watch everything unravel in this dark, gritty world of sex slaves and the brutal fate that they are thrown head first into without a say. My emotional barrier was broken down and I felt everything! I smiled, I laughed, I got angry, pissed off, I cried, then I ugly cried before finally coming full circle with my emotions. I was hooked from the very beginning, engrossed in the storyline and the characters thoughts at all times. I needed to know more; the intriguing plot kept me turning the page! There was a time when I didn't think it would end well for anyone involved, but Evie writes a beautiful happily ever after that both characters more than deserve as she gives the book world one hell of a gut punch with her first novel!!
"They caught me, and now I am the one who is caged. Just as trapped as Lily is— more so, because even if she ever set me free, I could never leave her."
August 25, 2014
Lily and her sister are ready to go out and see the world beyond their home in Autralia. On their first stop in New York they spend several amazing weeks until things go horribly wrong for them. Taken and forced into a world they can't fully comprehend they have to find a way to survive and figure out if there is anyone they can trust.
Jake. He is so close to his goal, but a stunning exotic beauty could ruin everything for him by making him feel things he shouldn't if he's to finally get what he's been working toward for 4 long years.
Lily is strong and determined, she's not one to take crap and when it comes to those she loves, she'll protect them with everything she's got. Her inner strength is immence and the fire she's got in her sparks you to believe she can do anything she sets out to do.
Jake is caught in the crossfires of doing what he can to help and protect Lily and doing what he can to finish with the mission he's worked so hard at. He's sweet and caring when he can be, but a tough ass when he needs to be too.
This isn't you're typical love story, if you didn't see the fine print this is a dark romance. It's not always pretty, but it is about survival and determination and that's what made it an amazing story. You see what people are willing to do to survive and makes it all the more interesting for how they get through the challenges they face.
Jake. He is so close to his goal, but a stunning exotic beauty could ruin everything for him by making him feel things he shouldn't if he's to finally get what he's been working toward for 4 long years.
Lily is strong and determined, she's not one to take crap and when it comes to those she loves, she'll protect them with everything she's got. Her inner strength is immence and the fire she's got in her sparks you to believe she can do anything she sets out to do.
Jake is caught in the crossfires of doing what he can to help and protect Lily and doing what he can to finish with the mission he's worked so hard at. He's sweet and caring when he can be, but a tough ass when he needs to be too.
This isn't you're typical love story, if you didn't see the fine print this is a dark romance. It's not always pretty, but it is about survival and determination and that's what made it an amazing story. You see what people are willing to do to survive and makes it all the more interesting for how they get through the challenges they face.
March 7, 2016
FIVE Emotional and Captivating Stars!
From the moment I read the synopsis for this book I knew it would be different. Knowing nothing else about the author or the book I started reading it. I was totally engaged right from the beginning. This is not your typical Captor/Captive story. It was dark but also beautifully written. The dark parts of the story were not written in a harsh or brutal way.
I could feel the emotions between all the characters as I read each page. The love between the main characters, Jake and Lily, is well developed throughout the story along with a great plot and many twists and turns along the way. The suspense is never ending and I kept wondering what was going to happen next. The epilogue was perfect with no cliff hanger which I really liked. We are left with a feeling that there is more of this story to come which I hear will be in a second book.
If you enjoy a dark romance that is beautifully written with a lot of emotion, I would certainly recommend this book.
From the moment I read the synopsis for this book I knew it would be different. Knowing nothing else about the author or the book I started reading it. I was totally engaged right from the beginning. This is not your typical Captor/Captive story. It was dark but also beautifully written. The dark parts of the story were not written in a harsh or brutal way.
I could feel the emotions between all the characters as I read each page. The love between the main characters, Jake and Lily, is well developed throughout the story along with a great plot and many twists and turns along the way. The suspense is never ending and I kept wondering what was going to happen next. The epilogue was perfect with no cliff hanger which I really liked. We are left with a feeling that there is more of this story to come which I hear will be in a second book.
If you enjoy a dark romance that is beautifully written with a lot of emotion, I would certainly recommend this book.
February 8, 2016
This story is dark, horrifying, and held my attention until about 65% in. At that point, the situation just didn't ring true and, at times, became a bit ridiculous. It's hard to imagine anything much worse than what Lily and her sister Sasha were forced to endure, and yet there were bits of cheesy dialogue between Jake and Lily that would have felt far more realistic out on a date. There were times when the action was nail bitingly tense, then Lily's clothing choice was described in detail. The tone of the book swung too far, too quickly for me, and it made it difficult for me to stay in the story.
As the embodiment of evil, Marco was downright chilling - he was a believable baddy and scenes with him were absolutely riveting.
As the embodiment of evil, Marco was downright chilling - he was a believable baddy and scenes with him were absolutely riveting.
May 14, 2015
There isn't one thing that I didn't LOVE about You Loved At My Darkest!
Jake is an abolsute hottie and Lily possesses a strength that cannot be rivalled.
Evie Harper has an exceptional way of telling a story and her words just flow beautifully. It is clear that every part of the action has been well planned and I can promise you that it have you hooked from the very beginning.
AWESOME story and I am so looking forward to the next.
Jake is an abolsute hottie and Lily possesses a strength that cannot be rivalled.
Evie Harper has an exceptional way of telling a story and her words just flow beautifully. It is clear that every part of the action has been well planned and I can promise you that it have you hooked from the very beginning.
AWESOME story and I am so looking forward to the next.
July 28, 2015
+++ 4.5 SPELLBINDING STARS! +++
Evie Harper's debut novel, You Loved At Me My Darkest is bound to push you into an abyss of angst and many other emotions.
It's been only Lily and Sasha since they lost their parents in a car accident which led to them taking over the family farm in their native home of Australia. Deciding to travel the world they come over to America. Everything is perfect, they're having the time of their lives but soon their world is pulled from under them and they're kidnapped to be sold into the world of human trafficking. When all seems dark and bleak, Lily finds comfort and love in the one man that can't figure out if he is a friend or enemy.
"There’s bad men and there’s good men, but Jake keeps swinging like a pendulum between the two, and I can’t fit him into a category where I feel he belongs."
Jake is a tired man that's known hardship. He's not what he seems. He's a broody male who must service a man whom he loathes and hides behind a mask to ultimately please the notorious and untouchable, Marco O'Connor as he pushes to get in his good graces.
The moment he meets Lily for the first time he's struck by how beautiful she is and when he realizes she's the girl that has been kidnapped we witness his internal struggle of proving he's good and not like the other cruel men that work for Marco. Lily's feisty attitude and beauty is what has Jake falling for her, but there is something important that has set him on the road he is on and nothing nor no one will stop him of achieving his one goal, until Lily of course.
This book was spellbinding and an eye opener. It makes you reflect on how cruel the world can be and makes you think of all those woman who weren't so lucky to make it out. Evie Harper doesn't shy away in touching a risky subject and keeping it both real yet fictional. She'll make you laugh, cry, and get angry with every page. Her characters will be ingrained in your mind for days to come and you'll be on the edge of your seat not knowing if these wonderful characters will make it out and have a happy ending. It wasn't an easy journey for our beloved hero and heroine and in certain moments my heart hurt for them, but at the end I was never once disappointed with the outcome. Evie, you have a fan for life!
Evie Harper's debut novel, You Loved At Me My Darkest is bound to push you into an abyss of angst and many other emotions.
It's been only Lily and Sasha since they lost their parents in a car accident which led to them taking over the family farm in their native home of Australia. Deciding to travel the world they come over to America. Everything is perfect, they're having the time of their lives but soon their world is pulled from under them and they're kidnapped to be sold into the world of human trafficking. When all seems dark and bleak, Lily finds comfort and love in the one man that can't figure out if he is a friend or enemy.
"There’s bad men and there’s good men, but Jake keeps swinging like a pendulum between the two, and I can’t fit him into a category where I feel he belongs."
Jake is a tired man that's known hardship. He's not what he seems. He's a broody male who must service a man whom he loathes and hides behind a mask to ultimately please the notorious and untouchable, Marco O'Connor as he pushes to get in his good graces.
The moment he meets Lily for the first time he's struck by how beautiful she is and when he realizes she's the girl that has been kidnapped we witness his internal struggle of proving he's good and not like the other cruel men that work for Marco. Lily's feisty attitude and beauty is what has Jake falling for her, but there is something important that has set him on the road he is on and nothing nor no one will stop him of achieving his one goal, until Lily of course.
This book was spellbinding and an eye opener. It makes you reflect on how cruel the world can be and makes you think of all those woman who weren't so lucky to make it out. Evie Harper doesn't shy away in touching a risky subject and keeping it both real yet fictional. She'll make you laugh, cry, and get angry with every page. Her characters will be ingrained in your mind for days to come and you'll be on the edge of your seat not knowing if these wonderful characters will make it out and have a happy ending. It wasn't an easy journey for our beloved hero and heroine and in certain moments my heart hurt for them, but at the end I was never once disappointed with the outcome. Evie, you have a fan for life!
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