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Ruined

(Loving An Alpha Male Series #1)

S.K. Lessly (Goodreads Author)

4.38 · Rating details · 1,353 ratings · 192 reviews

He's addicted to her. The mere thought of her brings Mason to his knees. There is no other woman in the world that he wants. Max can’t believe that she met a passion-filled man that makes her body yearn for things she’s only dreamed about. He’s ruined her, making him the only man that she wants. Mason West, an ex-Navy Seal turned Amateur MMA fighter, is battling the darkne ...more

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Kindle Edition, 501 pages

Published November 13th 2014 by Jessica Watkins Presents

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· 1,353 ratings · 192 reviews

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Nov 18, 2014 Mspraise50 rated it really liked it

This is my first book by S K Lessly who appears to be a first time author.

This is Mason and Maxine’s story. Although I enjoyed the story and it kept me engrossed and turning the pages, there was an element of the story that I really did not enjoy. Mason whilst very protective of Maxine, he would kill anyone who tried to hurt her, he committed the biggest betrayal, in my eyes and therefore I have an issue with Mason.

I am so tired of reading about women who lay themselves down at the altar of lov ...more

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Nov 17, 2014 Nelly rated it did not like it · review of another edition

So I decided to give this book a chance since the synposis sounded good and the author said lots of hot "alpha" sex.. Yea right ..OMG why to authors show and not tell. I read this book and these love scenes are more telling than showing. Is that what your classifies as hot??

I know my review is critical but I just cannot understand how a book can go from hot to not. I must admit the first half was engaging the built up was there. The relationship was slowly building you feel the chemistry you en So I decided to give this book a chance since the synposis sounded good and the author said lots of hot "alpha" sex.. Yea right ..OMG why to authors show and not tell. I read this book and these love scenes are more telling than showing. Is that what your classifies as hot??

I know my review is critical but I just cannot understand how a book can go from hot to not. I must admit the first half was engaging the built up was there. The relationship was slowly building you feel the chemistry you enjoyed the love scenes are lack thereof everything even the details about his navy seal past the fighting scenes the references well detailed. But!!!!

Then bam they fell in love and became inseparable. She had up walls he broke them Down he had up,pillars she broke them down. Ok so then why did the author just did a 360. She proposed yes folks in modern age she proposed marriage yet when he asked her to move in with her she declined adamantly.. You can't make this stuff up!!

Ok so let's see two ppl in love nothing in their way to get between their happiness no secrets no drama no lies nothing.. But wait for it folks..
The hero left the heroine out of the blue, for no apparent reason. Fast forward to four weeks no phone calls nothing but a cowardly letter..
Then fast forward two years no contact with each other nothing... N O T H I N G!!!

So when these two meet again the coward is acting out, he is being a total jack Ass he is engaged to someone else he never contacted the heroine all this time Hower the heroine have unresolved feelings Still!! Even thou someone else is showing great interest in her but she needs closure.Why Lawd ???

I don't know I really don't know. I tried to like this storyline but it just went downhill fast. This book left me with so much to be desired. It just lost the steam it came with.
The ending was predictable and it sizzled like the hot sex scenes it perpetuates... NONEXISTENT!!!
Then I think The author forget that she said two years later but in the ending Maxine is telling mason he had her waiting for 4 years.. You can't make this stuff up!!!

...more

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Dec 02, 2014 M.J. Friday rated it it was amazing

Now I'm Ruined

I decided to read this book on a whim and I am so glad I did, as a creature of habit, I usually stick with the same authors and almost every time I try a new author I just miss my favorites more, this is not one of those times. I love this book!Mason “The Reaper” West is a man with a bit of darkness that at times consumes him. In need of some place to take out his aggression when he leaves the Navy Seals, he heads to a Philadelphia gym owned by Alex his close friend from the milit Now I'm Ruined

I decided to read this book on a whim and I am so glad I did, as a creature of habit, I usually stick with the same authors and almost every time I try a new author I just miss my favorites more, this is not one of those times. I love this book!Mason “The Reaper” West is a man with a bit of darkness that at times consumes him. In need of some place to take out his aggression when he leaves the Navy Seals, he heads to a Philadelphia gym owned by Alex his close friend from the military. During his training in MMA fighting is when he sees her and it’s at that moment she becomes his obsession. Maxine or Max is in school to become a nurse and dreams of working for a sports rehabilitation center. As an intern at the gym, she is accustom to being a round fighting and fighters, but no one has affected her way Mason West does. She tries to fight the attraction, but there is just something about “Reap “the calls to her. Mason has never felt a pull to someone the way he dose Max, and he knows he has to have her. When he final breaks her resolve and two get together it is explosive. The passion they find in each other consumes them and they fall in love quick, however tragedy strikes. Mason goes dark and Max is left to pick up the pieces of her life, however fate is not done with these two. Will his angel be in forgiving mood and pull him out of his dark state?
Maxine & Mason are wonderful complex characters and their story was a little different than what I read is most other romances. You know how they go, they meet court, have great sex a little minor drama then bam! They get back together and all is good. While some of that is true in this book, this was no minor drama and it took years for them to find their way back to each other. I was so taken with both Max and Mason that I could not put this book down. The love, anguish, pain, betrayal, you could feel it just jump off the pages not to mention the OMG! Panty wetting sex, Whew! You need a bucket of ice near while reading this one. The emotions were so real and their love story was written so beautifully. Max and Masons relationship was not rushed like some books or take forever like others, it was just perfect. I just about melted when called her Allura, in was hot! The secondary characters when just right, you got to know just enough of them and their relationship to Max and Mason and I felt they didn't take over or out shine the main couple. I didn't even realize the book was 485 pages. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.
...more

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Nov 29, 2014 Felicia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: interracial, bwwm, tortured-hero, feisty-heroine, alpha-male, love-story, sexy, interracial-romance, emotional, protective-male

Wow... just wow. This book definitely felt like a rollercoaster ride. Mason and his Allura are very intense. A lot of heartache and pain.

Mason is a former military man/boxer/multimillionaire businessman. He's a tortured soul. He meets Max (First name: Allura, middle name: Maxine) at the gym one day as he's training and is instantly attracted to her. She's called Max by everyone, except Mason who also calls her by her first name. Max has her own very traumatic history, but she is surprisingly wel ...more

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Oct 10, 2016 Tracey rated it it was ok

Shelves: interracial-rom

Disappointed.... I was looking forward to reading this book after enjoying "Desired/Desired Too". This book had too much going on and I had no connection with the characters nor the story. This book read like a fairytale, the ending was a bit too much with 2 sets of twins! ...more

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Feb 08, 2020 Dee's Reading Zone rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fighter, good-read, 2020-fav, great-backstory, great-detail, what-does-the-hero-want, alpha, a-twist-hero-wants-more, go-to-author, mma

Engaging story! A must read!

5 Excellent stars!

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Jan 03, 2015 Belfemn rated it it was amazing

A must read..

It has suspense, drama, tragedy, pain, lost love, betrayal, revenge, love, passion, and beauty all rolled into it. Nothing prefect but somewhat believable.

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Nov 23, 2014 100sweet rated it did not like it · review of another edition

DNF @ 25%

I couldn't get through this story. The writing wasn't good. It felt like the author was not writing a story but describing it. She also fell into the trap that my inexperienced authors often do which is wanting to make the characters possess certain qualities and failing miserably. The H keeps describing himself as strong and unbeatable but we don't really see it. It is more convincing when the reader sees the characters demonstrate the qualities they possess instead of reading that the ...more

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Jul 20, 2015 Karen rated it it was amazing

I totally love this book.

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Aug 13, 2015 Nile Princess added it

Shelves: interracial, m-f-romance, couldn-t-finish, m-f-interracial, didn-t-care-to-finish, corny-and-hokey

No, just no. I have hit maximum capacity at the corniness that is this book. DNF at 34%. I tried.

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Oct 22, 2017 Rosie J. rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Romantic Suspense

Shelves: angsty, dark-disturbing, crazy-good-bad, heroic-anti-hero, alpha-male, bwwm, erotic-a, suspense, kinky, want-in-your-corner

4.5 Stars

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Dec 21, 2014 L rated it really liked it

Great book!!

I enjoyed this book so much! The characters are wonderfully defined and very believable. The plot is developed extremely well and plays out at just the right pace. The twists and turns in the book kept me focused and engaged. Talk about tough situations that touch on many of life's true emotions this book is one I would recommend to anyone who needs a mental respite to relax and enjoy a really good story. ...more

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Dec 22, 2014 Beeb rated it liked it

ummm well. this had some great moments but there was something that was off about this story. not necessarily the storyline as the way the story was revealed. it felt lime two stories in one. but the moments were good.

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Mar 19, 2015 Deloris rated it it was amazing

This author is my new guilty pleasure !

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Feb 27, 2015 Layeshia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-to-z-challenge-2015, alpha-men, mocha-girls-15, personal-challenge-for-2015-75-boo, 2015-ir-romance-a-to-z-challenge

Maxine and Mason's Journey

This story or if you will the journey of Maxine and Mason its filled with passion love heart ache determination ultimately redemption. Two wounded souls wondering through life looking for each other and finally finding each other. When They do find each other it is smoking hot and smoldering and sensual even romantic. . Mason is a SOB of the highest order. And he is unapologetic. You see he was a U.S. Navy seal for several years so he saw and dealt with a lot of crap an ...more

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Dec 11, 2014 Carissa Tucker rated it it was amazing

Ohhh so worth it

Let me just start by saying I truly loved this book. I loved how it was a true novel and kept me guessing and not putting my kindle down. So many emotions, I can't begin to tell you that this book is worth the read. Thank you again and I definitely be looking out for more books by you ...more

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Nov 24, 2014 Michelle Brown rated it really liked it

I'm Ruined!!!!

This was a wonderful read! I loved the chemistry between the two lead characters. There was drama anger love passion lust just a gambit of emotions to run through. I highly recommend this book because after you read it you will be ruined too. ...more

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Nov 27, 2014 reneeNaDaBomb rated it really liked it

Shelves: sexy-alpha-hero

Ruined: Loving An Alpha Male: BWWM

I enjoyed reading this book. Love is relatable to us all, no matter the skin tone. Now Maxine & Mason are married with twin boys and three months after their wedding expecting twin girls. Ha! Keep up the great writing S. K. Lessly.

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Nov 27, 2014 Kat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Not bad for SK Lessly's first book. Great story, very romantic, emotional, and spicy. There are a few grammatical errors. I don't want to give any spoilers but Mason pissed me off...lol. Looking forward to reading more from this author. ...more

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Jan 13, 2015 Bev Simon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-that-are-worth-reading-again

I absolutely loved this book, I didn't thin it too long I thought the author developed her character's as the book progressed. I loved the story line, I liked the way they were together, it was realistic and I could not put the book down!!
Looking forward to reading more from this author. ...more

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Nov 22, 2014 Hilda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

4.5 you have ruined me for any other stars..Loved it! Great story that keeps moving and has you at the edge of your seat...you will not want to put it down. Great alpha hero Mason is hot as hell!

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Nov 16, 2014 Meemee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: black-women-nonblack-men, black-female-interest, dark-mocha-female-love-interest, confusing-messy-hard-to-follow, rich-guy

This book had the potential to be great. It piqued my interest with the cover, a black woman that looked black (but of course: "her light brown eyes were a sexy contrast to her chocolate skin"). Like i said, it had great potential, black woman pursuing an education, retired navy seal, started well, they didn't jump each other's bones right away...good chemistry and initial flirtation....
BUT then the issues made the reading furstrating.
1. The lack of proofreading. Seriously it shouldn't be that h This book had the potential to be great. It piqued my interest with the cover, a black woman that looked black (but of course: "her light brown eyes were a sexy contrast to her chocolate skin"). Like i said, it had great potential, black woman pursuing an education, retired navy seal, started well, they didn't jump each other's bones right away...good chemistry and initial flirtation....
BUT then the issues made the reading furstrating.
1. The lack of proofreading. Seriously it shouldn't be that hard to find someone else to re-read the story before it's published or to see that "his" is used instead of the subject "he", or that "he" or "his" were used instead of "she" or "hers" when referring to the female protagonist and vice versa.
2. The story flow was at times confusing due to the fact that:
a) the author couldn't maintain a constant tense but jumped between verb tenses in an inconsistent manner, and
b) the story would jump from one moment to days before or later all of a sudden. I was lost a couple times due to the inconsistent time lines.
3. The story line itself started well, but then the author got lazy and things didn't make sense anymore in terms of how the main characters interacted with one of other, and nonesense issues.
Even the sentences became poorly phrased. Example: "I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me. I don’t just think about Max in a sexual manner. We just don’t do anything except have sex all the time— all hours of the day or night." I am one of those readers that needs logic, and for the events in a story to be believable to a certain extent. It is hard to elaborate and really explain what I mean without revealing some of the story, hopefully you understand what I am trying to say.

I believe it was the author's first book, taking that into consideration, she did pretty well in comparaison to some of the other more seasoned IR authors I have read. I hope that she will improve on some of the issues I highlighted here. If not for those it would have been 4 stars. ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Cherryl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-read-this, favorites, to-be-read

OMG I love Mason James West

He's a man's man, all alpha all the way. PTSD, even though it was not mentioned in this story, was definitely the cause of Mason's darkness that he could not get out of his head. Only Allura Maxine Shaw could bring him out of that darkness. I love how S.K, wrote their love story. They had immediate attraction for one another but waited until the time was right for them as Max was in a relationship with a man that was crazy, probably due to steroid use even though that ...more

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Nov 15, 2014 Stephanie E rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a very good read. The main characters had lots of chemistry and I think the HEA was handled well. My only problem was the amount of pain and heartache the heroine went though was almost unbelievable...I mean she (view spoiler). Then to (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 20, 2014 Laverne Brewster rated it really liked it

4.25 stars. This author did a good job with character development and with creating a believable love and chemistry between Mason "Reaper" West, a boxer and ex-Navy Seal, and Allura Manine "Max", a singer, athletic medical student and physical therapist assistant, become instantly attracted to each other. Their love story is intense with the physical chemistry between the two of them and with the loving and supportive and caring relationship that the author develops; causing the reader to become ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 Trina rated it it was amazing

AWESOME!!

OMG! This book will for sure be in my top#10 of 2015. It's only January you say... that's how good this book was. It's a re-read, suggested book club read and discussion piece for sure. The storyline though it was long was well worth the wait. The characters well thought out and place perfectly as the book progressed. It had just enough going on. Reap and Max I absolutely loved. I can't wait to read the next from this author. ...more

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Oct 01, 2017 M Virginia rated it it was amazing

Wow

This has to be one of the best I have read to date! I loved the characters Max & Mace are couple with an extremely strong, almost palpable connection, spirituality, physically & emotionally. It was so strong you could almost feel it.
The hardships experienced by both in their past were truly devastating and life altering. Yet they both persevered though you had to wonder at times, how!
Very well done

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Jan 09, 2015 Theresa Johnson rated it it was amazing

I LOVED IT!!!

I actually stayed up all night to read this book!! I absolutely loved it! The characters were believable and real with their on drama! The main character, Mason was definitely a true to life hero that a woman could actually fantasize about. And of course the handsome face that graces the cover ropes you right in. He is adorable!!

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Jan 10, 2015 Adrienh1 rated it really liked it

Shelves: ugly-cry, based-on-my-read-shelf, athletes, ir

Bravo to this author! What a great story. I was hooked from the beginning. I only had issues at around the 75% mark. I felt the H/h just did alot of silly stuff to each other that just did not make a lot of sense to me and I just found it irritating to say the least. Overall, I found this to be quite an enjoyable read. I will definitely be reading more of this author's work in the future. ...more

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