Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Dark Dynasty #1

Heartless Prince

Rate this book
Enter the dark, scandalous world of America’s elite and discover their sinful secrets, twisted lies, and dirty desires...

I’ve watched her from afar, and now it’s time for me to claim my prize - Tatum Marris, the girl I bought. My newest and prettiest toy.
She will serve me. Cater to my every wicked whim. Sate my desire for complete control. I’ll own her pleasure, and one day, she’s going to beg for more.
She keeps pretending she's pure and innocent, but that isn’t true. I know her darkest secrets, and one way or another, I’ll make her confess every last sin. I’ll make her fear me. Make her submit.
Deep down, she knows she belongs with me. She knows she deserves to be punished. Caged. Owned.

Tatum Marris, you’re now the property of Elias King.


Note: This novel contains disturbing content that may be offensive to some readers.

Heartless Prince is the first book in the Dark Dynasty trilogy. The story continues in Vicious King.

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2018

1018 people are currently reading
1537 people want to read

About the author

Stella Hart

33 books304 followers
Stella Hart is the dark romance pen name of Alessandra Hart. She loves animals, red wine, and rainy days where she can curl up inside and plot new books instead of having to go out.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
573 (40%)
4 stars
424 (30%)
3 stars
275 (19%)
2 stars
81 (5%)
1 star
48 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
Profile Image for Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️.
2,993 reviews2,686 followers
April 24, 2020
Very good captive romance!



I liked the secrets and intrigue. This was a bit different than most captive romances, very “Skull and Bones” secret society type of story. Where the members are hedonistic and the leaders are so morally corrupt that it defies all logic, but of course they are the wealthiest 1%, the king makers, former members include presidents, politicians and leaders of the corporate world. So anyone caught in their web is well and truly f*cked.

This one centers around a young guy named Elias who is the “Prince” and he gets what he wants and he wants Tatum, he seems to have some sort of a full blown hate attraction to her going on but it doesn’t really say why. He wants to control her and to own her and to have her as his slave and break her. He just wants her but he hates her I guess.

Tatum ends up captive in a situation that is sort of her own fault for getting being naive and getting involved in the first place, but then she is stuck at the mercy of these rich jerks. I can’t wait to read the next one to find out where this goes.

Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
Profile Image for Tianna✸loves books✸.
1,084 reviews
December 15, 2018
Stupid bullshit book.
I read the prequel of this book which was very bad still I read this book. Blame my curiosity.

Disgusting.
Roden university is some high class university where there is a secret society of rich guys who does some bad stuff like degrading women. The H is obviously part of it.

The h is some stupid idiotic creature who gets accepted in that university. The H is already behaving rude with her. But in actual he is waiting to kidnap and degrade her and make her his slave. There’s a mystery behind this as to why the h is selected as the H’s slave. She unknowingly did something or god knows what to the H(This book is a big dnf so I don’t know why).

What I hated most was that the h goes to one of there wild party to expose them and she gets caught. I hate such overly smart idiot stupid heroine. Even before getting kidnapped she is lusting after the H and already wants to submit to him. Well, her wish is granted in millions.

I would have read this book even after the bullshit secret society stuff, but the h should have been strong and smart. But when the hs behave stupid and horny then the books becomes trashy. I absolutely HATE such heroines.

This crap shit fest is not my type of read.
Profile Image for She-who-must-not-be-named .
180 reviews1,541 followers
February 16, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
Ngl, the plot was a little absurd but *surprise surprise* I still wanted to keep going. I’m glad the ending didn’t disappoint. It legit gave me chills. And I absolutely LOVE the fact that Tatum didn’t even deny her attraction to Elias. I also loved how obvious she was about enjoying twisted and kinky stuff 😂
Profile Image for RM(Alwaysdaddygirl).
456 reviews64 followers
Want to read
April 6, 2019
The character Tatum is annoying where I want to slap her. I understand she a college kid. I am stopping this book. I tried a few times. I might try again. I have not read this author before.

🐾🇺🇸
Profile Image for Melanie (mells_view).
1,938 reviews394 followers
December 20, 2018
Whyyyyy. I need more ASAP!

I can’t. Where’s the next book.
I don’t know if I will last as long as it’s going to take to release. Maybe I’ll just sit here and cry and hope the author notices me doing so.
Help me.
I need the next book. I’m obsessed.

This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a captive romance, so it’s not pretty. Iffy consent and all that jazz. I enjoyed it. Can’t wait for what’s to come next. I need answers. I need more Elias & Tatum.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Brl8gFrFj...
Fan edit on IG!^^
Profile Image for MG *Bury Me with My Kindle.. & a REALLY Long Charger*.
587 reviews774 followers
December 12, 2018
4.5 stars

Review headline: Not Your Mama's Dark Romance

This is the first book of a series, and it ends in a cliffhanger/is not a standalone, so be prepared to be "hung" ;) There is a (currently free) prequel, Wild Elite, that is recommended to have read before reading this book. While some of what happens in the prequel is rehashed in this first full book of the series, I did find it useful to have the extra background info as I dove into this one.

Where to start... well, first of all, I am growing weary of the young billionaire hot guy with BDSM fetish a la 50 Shades cropping up left, right, and sideways in contemporary romance novels, so let me assure you -- this is not that at all (thankfully!)! Yes, Elias (our male main character) is rich and hot, but he is involved in a secret effed up society called Crown and Dagger where they are "masters" over young women (virgins) who have sold themselves to the society to pay off theirs and their parents' debts. Tatum (female main) is a 19 year old freshman at the school that the Crown and Dagger "recruits" heavily from, and she is shocked to learn that she has been on the society's radar and pegged as one of the newest "slave," specifically assigned to Elias. While there are hints that something terrible and scandalous occurred prior to where the prequel begins, the reader is not clued into the specifics until well into book one. What happened that made Elias hate Tatum, and how did she end up in this nightmarish world?

There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye --- and just when the reader believes he/she know where things are headed, another curve ball is thrown into the mix. I like Tatum's indomitable spirit and that Elias is not as "evil" as he may seem (though at times he is pretty devious). On the edge of my seat waiting for part 2!!

Please be aware -- this is a DARK romance involving dubious consent and some seriously effed up entitled a-hole white dudes. If you do not like this kind of thing, do not read!!

Plot --- 4.5/5
Main Characters --- 4.5/5
Supporting Cast --- 4/5
Steam Level --- 2.5/5 (slow burn in this one, but lots of chemistry)
POV --- Dual (but decidedly more from Tatum's perspective)
Violence --- BDSM-related for the most part; some weird society "initiation" activities
Language --- not egregious given the circumstances

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Michelle.
232 reviews1 follower
Read
December 19, 2021
I'm halfway through the book, but I need a break. The story is interesting. The storyline has now turned extremely dark. Christmas is seven days away, so this subject matter is too much to handle for the holiday season. I will resume later.
Profile Image for Elfina Renee.
611 reviews227 followers
January 19, 2019
description
Secret society…elite privilege playground, fraternities. We’ve all heard of them; some by more refined names while others in creepy headline news. But have you ever wondered what the wealthy, entitled upper-crust emerging society members do at the do not ask and do not tell events?

description

Lets just say I could feel the erotic rhythmic beating drums, hear the dark sinister chants. My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I was as much a captive as Tatum Marris. The suspense and mind fuckery exploded with every printed word.

description

Stella Hart went above and beyond capturing their allure, encompassing their enigma and mysticism. In all truth I have been on a reading marathon. This series was too good to read one book and then hunt down pictures for the collage and teasers and then write up a hasty review just so I could move on to the next.

description

Ooooooh hell no! Like a true gluttonous….I started with Wild Elite: A Dark Captive Romance Dark Dynasty Prequel and eviscerated the pages one page at a time. Blowing through the series like a starved bookworm seeing a banquet for the first time.
description
All three books were a straight up five star reads! This was my introduction to Stella Hart and I damn sure wish I could give her more stars because she’s earned them…..but noooooo I can’t! Anymore than I can get my greedy little hands on Twisted Empire until February 13th 2019…..man that just sucks!
description
Yeah, listen closely I’m throwing a big humongous fit. You know rolling around on the floor; pounding my fists into the carpeted flooring as I’m kick my feet uncontrollably. If you love dark romance like I do…..suspense, lies, deception, backstabbing villains, rock solid story line with blurred realism, then I highly…...highly recommend!
Profile Image for Iman.
583 reviews17 followers
December 15, 2018
This one falls under the « iman should read the bloody blurb before getting a book! » category. For some reason I was expecting someone to be a prince, as in part of royalty...

What I got instead is : a naive (I could also call her « stupid ») heroine who almost gets raped,
then watches her attacker accidentally fall off a cliff.
Then she somehow makes it to an elite university where a secret misogynistic society has all power and she meets the H.

Of cours he is part of the secret club, and has a secret agenda to get revenge on the h...
So he somehow buys her, make her into a slave, then she thinks she loves him (Stockholm syndrom much?) gives him her cherry in front of all the secret society members and then realise that he was playing her all along and she is captive on an island in the middle of the ocean...

To sum up : too dark for me, with a TSTL h (I hate it when I actually don’t give a damn about the h)and too many clichés ( a secret island, really!?!?)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kim BookJunkie ~ Editor & Proofreader.
2,140 reviews55 followers
January 16, 2019
I’m soooooo glad I gave this series a chance!!!! I am really, really impressed with Hart!!! Usually when I read books containing kidnapping + dubious or non-consent & BDSM, i’m rolling my eyes constantly, finding it hard to believe that the female main character gave in so quickly or didn’t fight harder. No eye rolling with this book though!!! Hart did such an incredible job of making things feel plausible. We were constantly given believable explanations for everything, we’re shown character’s realistic inner dialogue, etc.. It’s also impeccably edited without a single error or typo in sight!!! I was just super impressed with it all and can’t wait to read the rest of the series!!!

Profile Image for Puss'N'Books.
204 reviews275 followers
June 10, 2021
Reviewed by PussnBooks.net


Review by Puss’n’Books. Reviewing the darkest, most erotic and taboo books we can find. Click HERE for your next disturbingly sexy read.


So, this is the first book I’ve read by Stella Hart and while it didn’t quite do it for me, the last third of the book started to pull me in and give me hope, lol.

TATUM
Tatum is in her first year of an extremely swanky college.
Although most of the people there are extremely rich and right snooty bastards she’s made a few good friends.
There is however a really nasty piece of work that just keeps glaring at her and being rude twat whenever he sees her.
Elias King.
Personally I would be like “Away tae fuck way ye, ya utter heid the baw”...but then again I’m now in my 40s and done with everybody’s bullshit, lol, so to each their own :-)
Tatum starts looking into a local urban legend of a secret society for a paper she has to write and this is where the action begins.
Missing people, wealthy men, mysterious gatherings and a ton of kinky fuckery ensues.
Pretty soon Tatum is in way over her head and has no idea the depths of some people’s depravity.
I’ll be honest. There were times where I expected Tatum to react with shock and rage but instead it was almost...muted.
I dunno, it felt a lack of personality in my opinion and I would have liked the character to have more depth and development.
However, towards the end, she really started to come out and show that she did in fact have more personality than a cabbage.
We eventually see her fire and fury when she snaps and I have to say, I loved her rage. I was like FINALLY!

ELIAS
EElias is a little more interesting. He is handsome, (of course) filthy rich and broody AF.
He hates Tatum with a passion (which makes me wonder if the lad has some Scottish blood in him) right from the beginning and you’re left wondering why...and then it starts to make sense about halfway through.
He has a taste for the dark and twisted side of life and feels like he is entitled to whatever he desires.
And that includes Tatum.
As his father is the president of the Crown and Dagger (secret society), he gets exactly what he wants.
I like that you get to see things from his POV and get a glimpse into his mind because, let's face it, we are all a little obsessed with the sexy psychopaths, right?


I didn’t want innocent girls who liked tender kisses and gentle lovemaking on their backs in romantic candlelight. I wanted it dirtier, darker, sicker. I wanted to hurt them. I wanted them begging, crying, screaming. I wanted to give them exactly what they deserved.


So, yeah. He's a bit of a dick but, is everything as it seems or is there more going on behind the scenes?
I will say though that as much as he’s described as a hottie, I’m not really drawn to him.
Like, I’m not desperate to lick down his abs to that wee happy trail...and then lower to suck his purple helmet and poke my tongue in his slit. Or even drop to my knees and grab his arse and give it a squeeze before gently inserting my finger in his poop shoot and massaging his prostate...ye ken?.
Anyhoo, I digress.
I’m hoping that in book two that’ll change for me...or I’ll at least get laid enough for me to stop considering sitting on top of my washer during the spin cycle.
The struggle is real during the menopause btw.

SEX SCENES
Okay there were a quite few steamy wee scenes for sure but not quite as much erotic detail as I usually like in my books.
But you know what? That was okay. It wasn’t overdone. The scenes were good but not knicker wetting good so I was still left looking at my washing machine longingly.
His groin rubbed against my swollen clit as he slammed in and out of me, and I let out whimper after whimper. My body was hot and wet everywhere, my muscles tight, my pussy clenching around the cock inside me as it built me up to a violent climax. I was close already. So close.
(sister, I feel your pain!)

FINAL THOUGHTS on HEARTLESS PRINCE by Stella Hart
The further into the book I got, the more I enjoyed it. Yes, some of the reactions were off but the story was still good enough to keep me reading.
And I need answers now, so yup, I’m gonna read the next book.


3 STARS!


GET IT FROM AMAZON UK HERE

GET IT FROM AMAZON USA HERE
Profile Image for Aղցela W..
4,535 reviews323 followers
March 8, 2019
This was book 1 in the "Dark Dynasty" series. We met Tatum Marris in the prequel to this series she is a freshman college student at an ivy league college. Elias King is a young hot rich guy who is part of a secret society of crowns of daggers it is basically men who kidnap and train women to be sex slaves. Elias wants revenge on Tatum because she is responsible for the death of his cousin although she doesn't know it. When she gets the idea to do a paper on the secret society with the help of one of her friends Millie she sneaks into one of their rituals when she does it a second time she is taken. When she wakes up locked in a room she finds out that her parents sold her to the society and Tobias King who is Elias's father he was a total as*hole who I didn't like at all. I also didn't like her parent who sells their daughter, but Tatum was also a naïve little virgin who didn't listen to her gut. She met Elias at a party before starting college and she knew that he didn't like her she thought it was because she wasn't rich she felt that the rich looked down on her. Elias wants to make her pay but I also think that he sees something in her that he wants. Turns out Tatum is a masochist and although she is afraid of the thoughts that she gets she wants to be hurt. When she tells Elias that she didn't sign up to be in the society at first he believes her until he talks to his father who lied to him and showed him papers that her parents signed. I loved what Tatum did to Elias and it opened a lot of questions for Elias. Is Tobias really his father? Is Tatum telling him the truth about her and the other girls? This was a good read that I liked this book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series to find out who is telling the truth.
Profile Image for Mirjam.
1,895 reviews113 followers
January 12, 2019



What an annoying, entitled prick! Sorry, I really could not finish this!

The pequel was too slow with lots of innuendos. And even reading over 50% of this book I still am not interested in the plot.
And maybe, just maybe, I could have finished this book, but two more??? NO!

So, I'm tapping out...




Part of the Dark Dynasty series that has to be read in order:
Wild Elite A Dark Captive Romance (Dark Dynasty Prequel) by Stella Hart Heartless Prince A Dark Captive Romance (Dark Dynasty Book 1) by Stella Hart Vicious King A Dark Captive Romance (Dark Dynasty Book 2) by Stella Hart Twisted Empire A Dark Captive Romance (Dark Dynasty Book 3) by Stella Hart
Profile Image for E.G. Manetti.
Author 18 books157 followers
January 21, 2019
I read this for a group BOTM and was disappointed. The heroine starts out smart, if vulnerable, and seems to lose IQ points as the book progresses. The male MC's motivations did not make a lot of sense, and the attempt to make him sympathetic by suggesting he was being manipulated just made him seem willfully ignorant. The best part of the book was in the last few pages when the heroine finally strikes back. But, of course, it ends on a cliff hanger.
Profile Image for Kira.
1,293 reviews138 followers
May 10, 2019
I would have liked this better, but Tatum mentally gave into what was happening to her too easily. Her attraction to Elias never made sense. He was always a dick to her, but she wanted him anyway.
Profile Image for Hana.
563 reviews
December 23, 2020
This book deals with an extremely sensitive topic which many people can find triggering. Only read it if you're an open-minded person.
Profile Image for Space Cowgirl.
4,133 reviews145 followers
December 15, 2018
She💃💋 Has To Grow Up Sometime
I know this is supposed to be a serious abduction novel, but it seems silly to me.
Tatum💃💋.The young college student in this ridiculous book📕, seems naive and pretty stupid to not realize she is being manipulated at every turn in her life.
Being too trusting in others gets her into a whole heap of man🐺🍆🌋 trouble!
The writing is as juvenile as the young woman, Tatum.

ARC Received from Booksprout🌱
The book📕 was $2.99 on Amazon at the time of this the or free with Kindle Unlimited.
Profile Image for Lisa Hill.
530 reviews13 followers
December 16, 2018
This first book in the Dark Dynasty trilogy is just that - dark. Dark and deliciously compelling.

The Crown and Dagger Society are a network of ultra rich, elite men who basically run the world behind the scenes. They make The Freemasons look like amateurs. Their money, power and influence spreads far and wide, and not for entirely altruistic means. They are involved in the disappearance of young girls and Tatum becomes one of those girls.

The story follows the trials and misfortune that befalls Tatum. The lies that are told, both about her and to her, make you doubt what is going to turn out to be real and what is fake.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, ready for book two, Vicious King. I almost shouted out loud in frustration at the end. Book two can’t come quick enough. This series is going to be a must read.
Profile Image for Moon Reviews.
603 reviews13 followers
July 10, 2019
A brilliant, amazing, must read series!!!!

Oh My God!!!!!! This series is a must read!!!! So well written with a brilliant plot, amazing characters, an astonishing storyline!!!! The thrill of it all is just utterly consuming!!! After "Heartless Prince" you will discover a depth that will blow your mind!! A MUST READ!!!!!
Profile Image for doreen.
1,044 reviews3 followers
September 28, 2020
This was hard for me to get into. The story line felt like it was missing somethings. I don't understand Tatum and she acts very immature at times. Almost like the author wasn't sure how to developer her character. I don't' understand Elias and why he is the way he is. Doesn't make a lot of sense. I will read book 2 in hopes that the story line improves.
Profile Image for Maria (Ri).
5,151 reviews16 followers
February 18, 2019
Sweet holy hell

What the hell did I just read?!?! Moreover, why the hell did I like it so much?!? Secret societies, suspense, and secrets galore had my mind going a mile a minute. This isn't like anything I've read before.

Yes, it's dark. However, the story itself is so much more than the dark elements of the book. They just enhance the story and what a story it is. I'm not sure how I heard of this story but I am really glad I did.
Profile Image for April.
218 reviews261 followers
April 6, 2019
There was so much potential. I think the author took on too much. The story was too complex. In my opinion it did not build enough. I found it overall boring. So much could have been changed. So much of the book was unneeded. 2 stars for the last 20% of the book, which was still extremely flawed.

Maybe I just hold dark romance book at a higher standard. This book definitely didn’t make it.
Profile Image for Battleaxe Betty.
262 reviews5 followers
January 9, 2019
Ok?

I liked the story itself but didn't feel anything between the H and h. It felt like any real emotion was missing.
Profile Image for Shyralf.
1,545 reviews72 followers
January 5, 2020
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars! What a mind fuck! So good, great start to this intriguing trilogy. Hope the others don’t loose the spark. Can’t wait to dive into book 2.
Profile Image for  Thea™.
3,785 reviews11 followers
June 29, 2020
Read the prequel Wild Elite and that was an intriguing start of a series... but this book did not live up to its expectations... at all! Everything was just too unbelievable and far fetched. Bummer...

EE; BotM January 2019.

Wild Elite (Dark Dynasty #0.5) by Stella Hart Heartless Prince (Dark Dynasty #1) by Stella Hart Vicious King (Dark Dynasty #2) by Stella Hart Twisted Empire (Dark Dynasty #3) by Stella Hart
Profile Image for TP.
1,039 reviews48 followers
February 18, 2019
The heartless Prince by Stella Hart was a disappointment.

We have juvenile characters playing in a grown up world.
The plot was interesting but due to the kids staring in it, it made it all unrealistic. I have really no desire watching those two having dark, raw and dirty sex with a mindset of teenagers.
Not only because of their behaviour which suited grown ups but their thought processes that suited teenagers. It didn’t add up. The same goes with the plot threads, it just wasn’t backed up properly to make it believable, it bordered on fantastical.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.