The Price of Paradise

by Meraki P. Dark

Everybody thought fracking was just another way of getting resources out of the ground. But everybody forgot that we don’t really know what’s down there.

In a world on fire, humans live in hives. Ignorant of everything that goes on outside their hive, only a few have a chance of relocating and seeing something outside of what they’re born to care for until they die.

At age twenty, they’re tested. At age twenty, they know their future. Those chosen few are sent off to another hive to ensure genetic diversity in breeding programs.

At least that’s the future they’ve been told awaits them.

But the world isn’t just on fire. It’s been conquered. The twenty-year-old men and women believing they’re going to go help humanity repopulate are in for a nasty surprise.

Genres: M M Romance, Dark, Erotica

ebook

First published August 12, 2019

About the author

Meraki P. Dark is, as the last name suggests, the dark side of Meraki P. Lyhne.

Where Meraki P. Lyhne will play with anything from fluffy slow-burns with HEA and go to the border of dub-con, letting his characters deliver a striped ass, Meraki P. Dark will explore the depraved minds during non-con, and he’ll play with whatever fetish catches his attention.

It is the human psyche and its abilities to stretch or break that will be explored to its fullest. There will always be a plot—no one is tortured unless the character finds a good reason for it within the plot. There is room for love and tender moments, too, but they have to work hard for it!

Reviews

[Shin Mon Thway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn’t call this a romance because it isn’t. 🙂 We all know Meraki P. Dark is another pen name of author’s main one, Meraki P. Lyhne and with this pen name, the author explores darker, more twisted and unconventional storylines that we don’t often get to see. So I guess I would call this book as a “Dystopian horror erotica”. 😅 It has romance elements in it but this definitely isn’t romance focused and this is more about world building and getting to know Axel and his character and his story. 😌

Humans are living in hives and are also kinda hive-minded. Axel was one of the chosen ones who are going to be sent off to another hive to ensure genetic diversity .. at least, that’s what he’s been told. But he’s truly in for nasty surprises. Everything he thought he knew from birth is apparently a lie. Now, to achieve the promised paradise, Axel has to survive the unfathomable brutality and horrors. After all, nothing good is ever free or easy. And perhaps, the very sake of humanity’s survival lies in Axel’s fragile hands.

The first few pages were truly engaging. The first glimpse at this eerie, haunting and scary world was scary and fascinating at the same time. The horrors Axel had to go through was truly disturbing, gruesome and appalling. But humans’ survival instinct and the ability to adapt is truly amazing. Axel even managed to find love and companionship among all the bloodcurdling things he had to go through. The one thing I struggled with is the anatomy of the various types of Shakes described in the story. I just don’t see it in my eyes so may be I’m not imaginative enough. 😅 Personally, I don’t think this is THAT dark despite the gore and stuff. I have read way more extreme. I’m also pleased with how the story ended on a hopeful and happy note for Axel and his lover. It’s always good to see a silver lining. 🥰 Anyhow, If you want something different and don’t mind the various tags that came with this book, perhaps this might be a good introduction for you to start enjoying horror erotica. 😉


3.5 There’s always a rainbow at the end of a violent storm stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫







Disclaimer: An advanced review copy of this book was provided by the author via LesCourt services for an honest unbiased review.

[Lee Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC for an honest review

Honestly, I don't believe Meraki knows how to write a bad book!
This is no exception. Dark dystopian, REALLY DARK dystopian! If you have triggers then definitely check them out first because this has plenty of them. You've been warned.
I love how Meraki takes real world problems and shows us where this could lead...this story evolves from fracking...and what horrors can be unleashed on us as a result.
Violence, rape, monsters and mpreg....awesome mix!
Read this if you're looking for something dark

[L.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Price of Paradise is a standalone dystopian/sci-fi novel with heavy erotica/kinky elements and mpreg. There’s no real romance until the end, but the main focus of the book is the main character’s, experiences as he traverses through a twisted world. This book features extreme non-con situations that are violent and disturbing, but despite the angst and trauma, Axel, the main character, is able to find as happy an ending as he can within this twisted and broken world.

I liked the worldbuilding – Meraki P. Dark is a fantastic worldbuilder with a lot of unique and interesting twists on common sci-fi tropes – but I did wish there was more details about how humans coexist with the sentient creatures in paradise. I think the ending could have been fuller with more details, but overall, the plot was interesting and kept me hooked. I hope there is a sequel, even if it’s just a short story, to see how everyone is doing in this strange world.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was well written and did have a good story line but boy was it ever dark. So much of the really awful stuff could have been presented better without all the trash included. It almost bordered on sensationalism rather that just a necessary part of the story. With all that said I did like the story the book was about. I will probably read the next book and just skip over the unnecessary stuff. I read an ARC of this book with no obligation for a review.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this one is DARK! I even had times that I had to stop reading but I still love it! Definitely don't read this book if you are wanting something happy because this is not it. Meraki P Dark has created an amazingly dark world and the storyline is just amazing. Yes I hasmd stop a few times but I just couldn't stop reading. Definitely get if you love dark reads!

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

eeeeeee... i loved this so much.. dark... sexy... fast paced... interesting.. and i love the dark aspects.. it was so amazing and action filled.. and it kept me curious.. i didnt know what was coming next and i loved it when it did. amazing!

[Kyle Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one wild and crazy book from a wild and crazy imagination. Meraki P. Dark has come up with a dystopian future that will get under your skin, and done so in a vivid style (though at times it felt like this was an okay translation from having been written in another language).

Axel is a twenty year old janitor in a community called the Hive, who is found to possess a virus that is useful in helping further human existence as well as being host for the Shale, insect-like humanoids who will then lead him to Paradise. He's sent out from his Hive to find them, equipped with the minimum needed to survive, but first he has to make it past the Hybrids...and all they want is to have their way with him.

The story runs along, but sometimes gets bogged down in being detailed about the assaults or meandering through exposition on what this new world is all about, but it's never uninteresting.

Lots of non-con, fisting, interspecies coupling, MM, and even a bit of MF in it all, so if you're easily triggered, stay away.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Crandall · Rating 5 out of 5]

5stars for the world construction, excellent gruesomeness, utter dark.
A dystopian world, humans who may or may not be able to survive in a destroyed world, the atavic fear of not being the surviving species on this planet, after a catastrophe. The difference between symbiotic and parasitic is smudged into a gruesome level of ... discomfort.
Definitely not to be read by someone seeking something light and carefree, clearly a dip into the darkest possibilities of nonconsent, personal choice, reasoning vs instinct.
Excellent world construction, shades of science fiction, with very little outside of scientifically possible. The minor passage or two of criticizing modern industrialization and methods of use of nature's resources are only the background for the dystopian hypothesis that is explored in depth.

[Gabrielle Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives readers a look at a world lost and ruined by human greed and negligence. The world as we know it has been destroyed and we are to blame. Once the big companies started with fracking all hell broke out. Creatures that we never dreamed of were found under our feet and came to the surface to take over. Along with the creatures came a virus and humans were almost eradicated. Those left behind live in hives and are bred to able to withstand the virus but not all are capable. Axel is one of the lucky ones, or so he thought until he learned the truth of what he must do.
Axel may be a young man, but he has a good heart and a strong mind. He goes through a lot in his journey after being chosen. No matter what happens he fights to survive and to help those that he can. I was intrigued by the ideas that the author has created for this world. The story definitely gives you something to think about. I was quickly pulled into Axel’s story and seeing just how he survives the brutality of the world he is thrown into. His story moves along at a good pace and keeps you engaged all the way through. It is an intense read that has you hoping for the human race. This story is not for the faint of heart. It is a very dark read that is full of physical and sexual violence. Yet it is all necessary to the story-line and to understanding just what kind of world it is now.

[Szidi ☼ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

ARC

*sigh*

I wanted so much from this book... I think I had high hopes. Sadly, the book wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't bad, not at all, but I missed some things from it.

First of all, i don't know what the purpose of this story? I don't know what it was, it didn't gave anything to me. I didn't felt anything, I just read and read and hoped for something to change. But that change didn't come and the book had endend, and I was dissapointed.

The dark elements were good, i really loved reading those scenes, but sometimes they were boring and not so dark. The biggest probleme for me was that i couldn't connect with either character and couldn't felt their motivations and feelings.

I didn't want erotica or romance in the books if it's not neccesary, but if we got some spike of it, i want more of it. I think in this case it wasn't the main line to put romance in the book, but it was there...and it wasn't there at all. The scenes were good, the connection between the characters were good, but i could read the book without it.

The hybrid things and the dystopian world was good and i wanted to read more about it, but sadly, the human connection got the attention which wasn't as important.

[Georgiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You are a strong human. Of mind and body.”

I really loved this story. As I have said before though, my opinion of dark is a little different then I think some peoples are, because I didn’t find this to be dark.

However, it is very detailed and GRITTY and I can see how it can be considered dark. This is definitely a book with triggers and the violence is not for the faint of heart. If you like forced sex, detailed scenes and well-developed characters in a dystopian world where lies and truths are mixed together than this is the book for you.

I wouldn’t say this is a romance as much as I would say there is a special place is Axels heart for a young man he meets along his journey. The two bond with each other.

Axel is strong mentally and because of this I think it lacked on the “dark” aspects for me. He handles all the situations way better than I think most people would and I felt like at times he was a little to accepting of what was happening. But he made a wonderful hero. Axel really was a great character and I would love to know more about his future.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a future filled with living in a hive, surrounded by fire and waste, where the only thing that the young people can look forward to, is to be deemed good enough to go to another hive to create diversity in the population. Axel has been chosen. While being afraid he is also excited to see something different.

What he finds is horrifying. Creatures that rape to impregnate their victims. Acts of brutality and violence. He finds a temporary safe haven where he learns the truth of his new life and the possibility of a new love. To fulfill his commitment to his hive, he submits himself to his new reality. Hoping that his willingness will help him better the lives of those that helped him.

This book has very graphic violence, uncomfortable to read at some points, but I read it in one sitting. It had great world building, a compassionate hero, and a surprisingly likable “new” species of apparent saviors. I would really like to see the continuation of Axel’s story.

I received an arc of this book.

[Lacrymosa Quiñones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had so many emotions while reading this book. Everything from morbid curiosity to disgust and sick twisted sense of turn on! Lol. I love the macabre so much, so of course I had to read this book.

Take movies like mimic, a bug's life and the bee movie with any apocalyptic one and you get this book. It was everything you're told and more, the whole idea of humans destroying the earth is a real fear of mine. I mean look at what they are doing already. So this book plays well with that fear and shows you a whole new twist.

It reminded me of the silence (the book not the movie) it also felt like I was being taught a valuable lesson towards the end of the book. I would have liked to have seen what this paradise looked like and how different were the Shale there than in the habitat they were in.

I give it up to Axel the man was admirable, strong and still saw the need to help even with all the shit he saw. That was one powerful trait not a lot of people have it nowadays. Loved the book even the disturbing parts (actually loved them best!) Definitely a must read!

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

So...this book is a lesson as to what could happen if humans continue to destroy the earth. Axel had grown up in a ‘Hive’ - a kind of city of humans where they could be safe while the outside world burned. Axel turns out to have the correct genetics to go to another hive to help procreate. Or this is the story that they have been told. Instead he and two others are a sacrifice to the Shale sapiens from the hive.

Some parts of this book were brutal - but necessary so we could see what the Hybrids were, and what they could do to the remains of humanity. Seeing the different kinds of humanity and how they reacted to this harsh life was interesting and thought provoking. Axel had to go through so much - but for humanity and for the Shale sapiens he was willing to go through more. I could see where the Shale sapiens were coming from in their attempt to save earth...and can only hope that they, and Axel’s sacrifice can succeed.

[Mica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again a really good story from this author.
Great world building, interesting characters and a sliver of hope and love mixed with some very dark and cruel scenes (which were a bit too detailed for my tastes).
This is no easy read, definitley no romance and some scenes are really heavy and may be triggering for some. The story should be enjoyed with an open mind, because underneath the dark and grit there is also criticism of society and a warning what could happen if humankind doesn't change how they treat nature and each other. I liked this underlaying message, for me it really brought the story to another level.
And I really enjoyed how the future at the end of the book looked a bit brighter than at the beginning. There is always hope :)

[Elin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book had me sitting with the same feeling I did when watching Lord of the rings, if they could fly there, why did they walk. And that nagged at me. Of course without the horrors, things would be different.

I didn't find it erotic or romantic, it was dark and desperate. It's what happens when someone is placed in an impossible situation and the options you have will pain you either way.

I'm not good with bugs, larvae particularly, so this part for me was right up there with the gang rape and other horrible moments. Because the thought of a larva living inside me is horrifying.
The book is made to coax reactions from the reader, which it managed quite well, bringing forth a scenario of a fictional future if humans continue without remorse.

[Patricia Hoffstaetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author has created a dark complex futuristic/dystopian world & it is definitely not a sweet romance. I found the plot exceptional well-written but at times it is brutal & heart-wrenching to read, the world-building is outstanding. The characters are well-developed & display realistic emotional feelings while going through undesired trials & tribulations.
There is: humans, Shale Sapiens, hybrids, nanobots, deceit, betrayal, graphic forced non-consensual & consensual scenes, violence, compromises, self-sacrifice & strangely enough there is attractions & romance. I would suggest that you give this book a try.

[Belinda Zamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your average, fluffy romance.
It's dark, gritty, and horrific at times.
Humanity has finally had to pay for it's sins.
The price? Repeated rape at the hands of parasites in order to continue their species.
There is also the hope that you will be chosen as a host for another species to procreate.
This species are sentient beings and as a reward for playing host, you are promised paradise.
That isn't to say all is what it seems.
You aren't given a full history and many truths have been kept secret.
Axel is a very compassionate, self-sacrificing and intelligent hero.
This story contained amazing world building and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not one to willing choose a dystopian type book but this one intriguied me. I will have to say you need to be okay with the darker side of things. There is definitely some non-con in this book but it is realistic to the story line. The world has been turned to ashes. A couple new species have emerged. A treaty was created for the salvation of man. And I love that there are hidden messages in this story too. I love the vastness in the characters. What one is willing to go through for the benefit of others is not always the same. This was a great read and (with warning) a definite recommend.

[Rachwithheadinabook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok this is no romance people, this is dark and horrifying in places read about a dystopian world after humans have finished destroying the earth.
Humans live in hives surrounded by fire and scorched earth, where they wait for their 20th year to be told weather they are going to another hive or staying at their birth one... but they were lied to.

This is a hard read and not for the faint of heart as it is brutal and about survival and what someone would be willing to sacrifice so others may have better lives.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a story.
I loved the world building in this edge of your seat read.

Axel is an extraordinary man. His journey into the unknown is graphic and at times down right awful, but he continues to trust that his sacrifice will be for the greater good and help build a future for the next generation.

A story of trust, horror, sweetness, hope, pain and friendship.
The writing really brought you into this disturbing world. I couldn't put it down.
This book won't be for everyone but I'd happily recommend it to those that like dark themes.

[Witchy Tay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not an easy book. It is dark (not super, super dark, but dark enough to make me feel a bit queasy).

The blurb already gives the idea that this is a dystopian story, so it is quite straight forward on that.

As any good dystopian story, it talks about the future and how mankind has changed for the worst. It does have a little romance in there and its ending left me feeling at peace, but if you decide to pick it up be ready for a harsh story.

It is well written and super original. The characters are well described, although very different (which I think is a plus).

[KristyAnne Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the somewhat dark nature of this book I love how Meraki always gives us a lesson in humanity. In this book we destroyed the earth and the beings we brought to the surface are either hunting us to spawn their creepy selves or we are being bargained to spawn with other creepies to live out our days in paradise... either way we’re screwed... literally. Love love love this dark side of Meraki!! I need MORE!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Patricia Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH! MY! FLIPPING! DEITY!!!! This talented author has written a horrific, powerful, gritty, enthralling, raw, fascinating, fantastic, grab-you-by-the-feels, no holds barred, in your face, fast paced, lay it out with no apologies, so dark you need a flashlight, and gripping tale. For me, it was like a bad car wreck, I wanted to turn away, but I just couldn't do it. I'll be blunt here.....PLEASE read the trigger warnings before you open up this marvelous masterpiece.

[Gema Rodríguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dark story, certainly not for everyone, that gets lighten up thanks to Axel's strength and conviction on doing what is right for all humanity no matter how hard it is. Great storyline and great characters that, despite the fact that this is a dystopian world and despite the little faith I have in humanity, let me with the feeling that, after all, there might still be hope for us and for the planet we live in.

[Joscelyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was dark, horrifying, and at times hard to read but man...it was so worth it. It you like happy, fluffy romances, look elsewhere because this is so not what you're looking for. On the other hand, if you enjoy romances that flourish despite dark, painful circumstances, this might be something you want to give a chance.

*I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book*

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this is a very good read.
There are parts that are really disturbing yet it makes things so much clearer.

Axle is just to open minded to believe. He learns that one man can't be an island, being a team player and working for everyone's good, is the way to improve on there lives.

I really enjoyed this book and hope more are written as a series! Great story, and relatable characters.

[Edith Dunning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightfully dark dystopian story. I couldn't even put it down to sleep so I stayed up all night reading,got the kids to the bus and then finished the book and took a nap. If rape is a trigger dont read it,but if you like dark books with the lessons of dont believe everything you're taught than you will love this book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can definitely say this story was worth reading I was not disappointed at all. I couldn’t help but cheer for these characters the chemistry was undeniably sizzling..I couldn’t resist reading nonstop I highly recommend reading this book you won’t be disappointed

[Samantha Cato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one one from one of my favorite authors! This one was a bit of a departure from their other work as it is quite sinister but in so compelling! Dystopian fiction is my jam and this one was a doozy! Great job!