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The Loan Shark Duet #1
Dubious
A DARK MAFIA ROMANCE
I’m a loan shark. Breaking people runs in my blood. The Haynes’ were supposed to be a straightforward job. Go in and pull the trigger twice. One bullet for Charlie, one for his sister. But when I saw Valentina, I wanted her. Only, in our world those who owe us don’t get second chances. No way in hell will my mother let her live. So I devised a plan to keep her.
It’s depraved.
It’s immoral.
It’s dubious.
It’s perfect.
Just like her.
(Dubious is Book 1 of The Loan Shark Duet and ends on a cliffhanger. The story is concluded in Book 2, Consent.)
I’m a loan shark. Breaking people runs in my blood. The Haynes’ were supposed to be a straightforward job. Go in and pull the trigger twice. One bullet for Charlie, one for his sister. But when I saw Valentina, I wanted her. Only, in our world those who owe us don’t get second chances. No way in hell will my mother let her live. So I devised a plan to keep her.
It’s depraved.
It’s immoral.
It’s dubious.
It’s perfect.
Just like her.
(Dubious is Book 1 of The Loan Shark Duet and ends on a cliffhanger. The story is concluded in Book 2, Consent.)
296 pages, ebook
First published October 12, 2017
625 people are currently reading
6481 people want to read
About the author
Charmaine Pauls
83 books1,843 followersCharmaine loves to write dark and edgy romance that will melt both your e-reader and your heart.
She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).
She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 596 reviews
October 16, 2017
Excellent book!
Can I just say that it is one of the best books that I have read this year?
Can I just also say that I loved the fact that Gabriel is ugly? Really ugly with a body and face full of scars. With an almost destroyed leg with a limp.
And Valentina finds him ugly:
“He moves with a limp, his right leg stiff. Gabriel is even uglier up close.”
But she does not care after a while. At all!
Even if Gabriel believes himself undeserving of love:
For now, I don’t care that I’m property. I don’t care that I’m a price tag and an empty body. I just want to be his.
“Only you,” I say.
He lances into me harder, his grunts louder, punishing me for something I don’t understand. The rougher he treats me, the softer I mold my body around him.
“Only yours.”
He snarls, driving into me with such force I’m scared he’ll break me.
“Damn you, Valentina. Don’t you dare lie. Not about this.”
“I want to be yours.”
He grabs my face between his palms and jerks his head toward me, putting our noses inches apart without slowing the hard pace of his hips. “Look at this face. Look at me!”
“I am looking.”
Angers pulls his features into a fearful mask. His nostrils flare, and moisture brims in his eyes. “Stop it.”
“Yours.”
Gabriel Louw has two weaknesses. His spoiled teenager daughter and Valentina.
He may consider letting his daughter go, but he will never let go of Valentina.
Gabriel is also bad. Really bad. …. And his mother is a heartless bitch who dominates his life and takes away decisions from him. Gabriel kills people without hesitation. He is a businessman and an executioner.
One day, he meets Valentina. He is supposed to kill her and her brother because they cannot pay their debt, but he changes his mind. He has other plans for her:
“This is Valentina,” I say. “She’s property.”
Soon Valentina will see her life destroyed. Her studies will go to hell, she will be separated from her brother, she will lose a job that she loves and she will end up at Gabriel’s home cleaning and being used any way Gabriel wishes. She has to be his “property” for 9 years to repay the debt.
“You spared my life to make me your whore.”
“Not my whore.” I kiss the soft, golden skin of her shoulder. “My property.”
“What’s the difference?” she asks bitterly.
The difference is that property belongs.
Truth is that being a “property” is highly valued in Gabriel’s world.
Lay a finger on my property, and I’ll break it off. I was the kind of kid who took pleasure in breaking other boys’ toys. I still break. Mostly bones, these days.
and..
“Sorry. Tiny didn’t know you and Mr. Louw are friends.”
“Friends?” Gabriel utters a cold laugh that vanishes as quickly as it started. “She’s property.”
Tiny gulps and starts crying. “Fuck, man.”
I loved the fact that I had a glimpse of the organized crime in Johannesburg where prearranged marriages between families take place and bloodbaths and drugs are a way of life.
If I wanted to compare this story to a known fairytale, I would say that this is a combination of “Beauty and the Beast” (for obvious reasons) and “Cinderella” because poor Valentina will spend the majority of the book cleaning (when she is not having sex of course).
There is also the “Breeding” trope in the story which I enjoyed. After a while Gabriel will become a very naughty boy…
The sex scenes are imaginative and over the top hot.
The initial idea behind this story is appealing, engaging and it is very well executed. I was impressed.
There are two points of view. From Valentina's and from Gabriel's perspective.
I am really looking forward to reading the second book of the duet and seeing how the author will wrap up the story and the misunderstandings in the end of book one.
Triggers: This is a dark romance, so you need to expect dark things in the book. There is rape, forcing, violence towards humans and animals etc.
Can I just say that it is one of the best books that I have read this year?
Can I just also say that I loved the fact that Gabriel is ugly? Really ugly with a body and face full of scars. With an almost destroyed leg with a limp.
And Valentina finds him ugly:
“He moves with a limp, his right leg stiff. Gabriel is even uglier up close.”
But she does not care after a while. At all!
Even if Gabriel believes himself undeserving of love:
For now, I don’t care that I’m property. I don’t care that I’m a price tag and an empty body. I just want to be his.
“Only you,” I say.
He lances into me harder, his grunts louder, punishing me for something I don’t understand. The rougher he treats me, the softer I mold my body around him.
“Only yours.”
He snarls, driving into me with such force I’m scared he’ll break me.
“Damn you, Valentina. Don’t you dare lie. Not about this.”
“I want to be yours.”
He grabs my face between his palms and jerks his head toward me, putting our noses inches apart without slowing the hard pace of his hips. “Look at this face. Look at me!”
“I am looking.”
Angers pulls his features into a fearful mask. His nostrils flare, and moisture brims in his eyes. “Stop it.”
“Yours.”
Gabriel Louw has two weaknesses. His spoiled teenager daughter and Valentina.
He may consider letting his daughter go, but he will never let go of Valentina.
Gabriel is also bad. Really bad. …. And his mother is a heartless bitch who dominates his life and takes away decisions from him. Gabriel kills people without hesitation. He is a businessman and an executioner.
One day, he meets Valentina. He is supposed to kill her and her brother because they cannot pay their debt, but he changes his mind. He has other plans for her:
“This is Valentina,” I say. “She’s property.”
Soon Valentina will see her life destroyed. Her studies will go to hell, she will be separated from her brother, she will lose a job that she loves and she will end up at Gabriel’s home cleaning and being used any way Gabriel wishes. She has to be his “property” for 9 years to repay the debt.
“You spared my life to make me your whore.”
“Not my whore.” I kiss the soft, golden skin of her shoulder. “My property.”
“What’s the difference?” she asks bitterly.
The difference is that property belongs.
Truth is that being a “property” is highly valued in Gabriel’s world.
Lay a finger on my property, and I’ll break it off. I was the kind of kid who took pleasure in breaking other boys’ toys. I still break. Mostly bones, these days.
and..
“Sorry. Tiny didn’t know you and Mr. Louw are friends.”
“Friends?” Gabriel utters a cold laugh that vanishes as quickly as it started. “She’s property.”
Tiny gulps and starts crying. “Fuck, man.”
I loved the fact that I had a glimpse of the organized crime in Johannesburg where prearranged marriages between families take place and bloodbaths and drugs are a way of life.
If I wanted to compare this story to a known fairytale, I would say that this is a combination of “Beauty and the Beast” (for obvious reasons) and “Cinderella” because poor Valentina will spend the majority of the book cleaning (when she is not having sex of course).
There is also the “Breeding” trope in the story which I enjoyed. After a while Gabriel will become a very naughty boy…
The sex scenes are imaginative and over the top hot.
The initial idea behind this story is appealing, engaging and it is very well executed. I was impressed.
There are two points of view. From Valentina's and from Gabriel's perspective.
I am really looking forward to reading the second book of the duet and seeing how the author will wrap up the story and the misunderstandings in the end of book one.
Triggers: This is a dark romance, so you need to expect dark things in the book. There is rape, forcing, violence towards humans and animals etc.
October 3, 2017
A pretty good cover on this one. Good representation of the characters. It has good composition. Not a HUGE fav of the title work but I have seen worse.
Well, color me blown away. I've never read anything by this author before and I went into this one totally blind. I really wasn't sure what to expect, to be honest. What I got was a fantastically well written and paced book with a plot that kept me turning the pages like a mad woman. I loved that it was set in South Africa. It gave the book a real uniqueness. There was minimal OW/OM drama. I wouldn't say it was overly angsty. There were some twists and turn and smokin' hot sex scenes. It had an excellent cast of interesting secondary characters, and both main characters were likable.
I loved that the author made the hero "ugly." Oh, he is still has a body that makes women weak in the knees. But he walks with a limp and has severe facial scarring. I guess what I am trying to say is that he wasn't "perfect" in physical appearance or actions. I adored him though. He was the perfect anti-hero to me. Damaged and dangerous and mean with glimpses of vulnerability that only the heroine brought out. I loved this heroine as well. This poor girl had so much shit happened to her, but she just kept battling forward. Her scenes with her mentally impaired brother squeezed my heart. She was a fighter for sure. Lastly, since this is a duet it, of course, it ends on a rather large cliffhanger but book two is releasing in November so we won't have long to wait.
Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.
August 23, 2018
My heart was wrecked right from the start. Valentina was surviving by the skin of her teeth. She was living in the worst part of town and was responsible for her big brother, who, after an accident, suffered from an intellectual disability. He was vulnerable whenever she went to school or to work and the neighbor she trusted to watch him while she was gone got her brother into trouble. Big trouble. He now owed 400,000 rand to the most notorious loan shark in town. She obviously didn’t have that kind of money but there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t run anywhere where he wouldn’t find her. And she couldn’t pay.
The loan shark, Gabriel, came to get the money, knowing they wouldn’t have it. He was supposed to kill Val and her brother, but something about her made him second-guess his quest. When Val offered her ‘service’ to pay the debt in exchange for a promise for her brother’s safety, against his nature, Gabriel conceded.
Out of this first encounter grew one of the most painfully beautiful love stories I’ve read in a while. Val signed up for 9 years of servitude, meaning she’ll serve Gabriel in any way he wants. At first she’s fearful but comes to realize her importance to him… and his to her. It’s a subtle change but when it happens it has an extreme effect and not just on this couple. Everyone surrounding them is effected and not everyone is happy about it. So Val has to contend with Gabriel’s brutality, his mother’s truly evil soul, his daughter’s attitude, trying to continue keeping her brother happy and healthy, and the utter darkness that is her new life.
It was easy to love both main characters. In their own ways they were both fierce, loyal and determined. Their strength of character was what shined throughout each scene and made this story have such an impact on me. Charmaine Pauls can WRITE!! Her characters were thoroughly developed, the plot was full of twists and turns, and the side characters were entertaining even in their wickedness.
I have to tell you that the sex scenes were LIT!! The connection between Gabriel and Val was FELT!!
As unattractive as Gabriel was ‘supposed’ to be, not once did I find him that way. Despite the descriptions to the contrary, I couldn’t find an instance where I didn’t think he was sexy.
This was one heck of an exciting read and I cannot wait to dive into Consent. If you’re a fan of the dark and depraved, enjoy a suspenseful read, and gravitate towards the anti-hero and his equally fabulous heroine, then you don’t want to miss out on this duet!
Release Date: October 10, 2017
Genre: Dark Romantic Suspense
POV: Dual - 1st person
Heat: 4.5 out of 5
Type: Book 1 of The Loan Shark Duet
The loan shark, Gabriel, came to get the money, knowing they wouldn’t have it. He was supposed to kill Val and her brother, but something about her made him second-guess his quest. When Val offered her ‘service’ to pay the debt in exchange for a promise for her brother’s safety, against his nature, Gabriel conceded.
Out of this first encounter grew one of the most painfully beautiful love stories I’ve read in a while. Val signed up for 9 years of servitude, meaning she’ll serve Gabriel in any way he wants. At first she’s fearful but comes to realize her importance to him… and his to her. It’s a subtle change but when it happens it has an extreme effect and not just on this couple. Everyone surrounding them is effected and not everyone is happy about it. So Val has to contend with Gabriel’s brutality, his mother’s truly evil soul, his daughter’s attitude, trying to continue keeping her brother happy and healthy, and the utter darkness that is her new life.
It was easy to love both main characters. In their own ways they were both fierce, loyal and determined. Their strength of character was what shined throughout each scene and made this story have such an impact on me. Charmaine Pauls can WRITE!! Her characters were thoroughly developed, the plot was full of twists and turns, and the side characters were entertaining even in their wickedness.
I have to tell you that the sex scenes were LIT!! The connection between Gabriel and Val was FELT!!
As unattractive as Gabriel was ‘supposed’ to be, not once did I find him that way. Despite the descriptions to the contrary, I couldn’t find an instance where I didn’t think he was sexy.
This was one heck of an exciting read and I cannot wait to dive into Consent. If you’re a fan of the dark and depraved, enjoy a suspenseful read, and gravitate towards the anti-hero and his equally fabulous heroine, then you don’t want to miss out on this duet!
Release Date: October 10, 2017
Genre: Dark Romantic Suspense
POV: Dual - 1st person
Heat: 4.5 out of 5
Type: Book 1 of The Loan Shark Duet
December 31, 2021
I would have given this a lot more stars...this story of a woman being in debt to the scary, scarred and ugly loan shark....
....even when he became putty in her hands and acted more like a puppy than the feared, mean guy he was within minutes of meeting her 🙄;
...even though it was ridiculous that the h was forced into being his maid for 9 years to pay a debt her brain-damaged brother unknowing incurred;
...even though it was meant to be a dark book but she never was in danger with antihero and he bent over backwards for her;
...even when the H swapped the h’s contraceptive pills for placebos to ensure she became pregnant
All the above I can accept.. HOWEVER, where all the main characters are white, why was it only people of colour who were the ones who were shown to be the thugs who caused harm and threats to the heroine???
“...I’m the only white girl in the van and receive nasty remarks about the colour of my skin from the other passengers...”
“The tallest climbs to his feet, his skin shiny with perspiration and the whites of his eyes like saucers. “Yo, white bitch. What ya doing’ on my block?””
“Tiny stops short of me. He’s not Nigerian or Zimbabwean like most of the people on our block, but Zambian. His skinny frame towers over me, his black skin lost in the darkness of the night, except for the whites of his eyes and teeth. “You’ve got money to spoil your lo’ brother here, but not for Tiny’s tax?”... “Got the money?” Tiny pulls on my ponytail....He pushes against my lips. “Suck me, white bitch.””
A scene between the H and h:
“...Careful to tamper my lust down a notch, I take my time to study the swell of her stomach and the way her breasts slightly flattens to the side. Her nipples are a dark pink, exactly like I prefer....”
Generally if I read the sentence above I wouldn’t have batted an eye but reading it with all the POC bashing, it disturbs me knowing the hero prefers white women
The whole story were interspersed with things like the above, leaving a bad taste in my mouth. 😠There was not one positive POC in the whole book and this was set in South Africa!
....even when he became putty in her hands and acted more like a puppy than the feared, mean guy he was within minutes of meeting her 🙄;
...even though it was ridiculous that the h was forced into being his maid for 9 years to pay a debt her brain-damaged brother unknowing incurred;
...even though it was meant to be a dark book but she never was in danger with antihero and he bent over backwards for her;
...even when the H swapped the h’s contraceptive pills for placebos to ensure she became pregnant
All the above I can accept.. HOWEVER, where all the main characters are white, why was it only people of colour who were the ones who were shown to be the thugs who caused harm and threats to the heroine???
“...I’m the only white girl in the van and receive nasty remarks about the colour of my skin from the other passengers...”
“The tallest climbs to his feet, his skin shiny with perspiration and the whites of his eyes like saucers. “Yo, white bitch. What ya doing’ on my block?””
“Tiny stops short of me. He’s not Nigerian or Zimbabwean like most of the people on our block, but Zambian. His skinny frame towers over me, his black skin lost in the darkness of the night, except for the whites of his eyes and teeth. “You’ve got money to spoil your lo’ brother here, but not for Tiny’s tax?”... “Got the money?” Tiny pulls on my ponytail....He pushes against my lips. “Suck me, white bitch.””
A scene between the H and h:
“...Careful to tamper my lust down a notch, I take my time to study the swell of her stomach and the way her breasts slightly flattens to the side. Her nipples are a dark pink, exactly like I prefer....”
Generally if I read the sentence above I wouldn’t have batted an eye but reading it with all the POC bashing, it disturbs me knowing the hero prefers white women
The whole story were interspersed with things like the above, leaving a bad taste in my mouth. 😠There was not one positive POC in the whole book and this was set in South Africa!
May 11, 2020
This was a delight to read and once I started there was no stopping me, I was on a mission to finish this.
So the low-down on Dubious was that Valentina Haynes a young veterinary student manages to get on the wrong side of the Louw family courtesy of her car thief neighbour, who while watching her disabled brother Charlie lets him run up gambling debt's at a local club.
Sent in on a kill order Gabriel Louw wanting Valentina for himself offers her an out, come work for him for nine years to pay off her brother's debt and he will let her brother go.
Now this book was fantastic and was such an easy read.
Despite the subject matter involved here, this was not in any way for me dark.
Gabriel rather than force Valentina (who is now working as a maid in his home).
Gradually seduces her senses with his brand of charisma and skills.
Alongside Gabriel, Valentina has to endure his mother Magda. who from day one is unhappy with her son's decision to allow the Hayne's to continue to exist and is just looking for an excuse to end Valentina.
I also loved the fact that Gabriel wasn't your typical looker and was covered in scars, this to me was an actual plus rather than a minus because I do adore me a less than perfect anti-hero.
Gabriel also came packed with a spoilt teenage daughter and I get the impression from her behaviour that she was less than aware of her father's profession.
I also thought it was a stroke of genies to set this in South Africa, Johannesburg to be precise.
This made it stand out for me from the norm, I can honestly say I don't think I've read this genre of story set in this background before.
This made this really original.
The tale told here was not very angsty but that didn't matter.
As this story progressed, two things became very clear to me, Gabriel's self-confidence in his own appeal was low, more than likely due to his scarring.
He felt that his money and power was all he had to offer besides the obvious things as well of course.
The second being Valentina has vastly underestimated how much Gabriel wants to protect and keep her, the former going to such extremes that it was bound to come crashing down around his ears just through miscommunication.
There were some very interesting side characters here Quinn and Rhett, Gabriel's bodyguards being two that grew on me and I believe they both generally liked Valentina.
Also, her friend Kris was a diamond watching her brother Charlie, maybe for the next nine years, this was definitely above and beyond.
Bet we would all love a friend like that.
So the only reason I pulled this down a star was that I feel that Gabriel himself would with this sort of reputation and power be less than inclined to allow his mother to pull his strings.
Yes, I know in the beginning she was described as having all the power.
I just fail to see, how with Gabriel's sort of nature he has allowed this status quo to go unchallenged all these years, I just can't see it.
After all, he is the muscle and scary face of the Louw's family loan shark franchise.
I actually just really wanted him to tell his mother to go screw herself.
So Would I recommend this? Hell yeah!!!
Dubious was well written with great developed characters and an interesting storyline.
It also really helped that the hero and heroine were both extremely likeable people.
Even considering the hero's occupation.
And the way this was left. well just Phew, so need that next instalment.
Dubious ended on such a fantastic cliffhanger.
I would like to say thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with a free ARC.
This is my own free and honest opinion of Dubious.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
October 3, 2017
4.5*
Firstly this is a cliffhanger but since both books are being released back to back it didn't present the usual wait which is the part I struggle with.
The book paints a desolate picture, it's set in Johannesburg in what has become known as drug valley, everyone with money moved leaving the area for the drug dealers, Mafia and gangs.
It's safe to say Valentina is struggling, after losing both her parents she looks after her brain damaged brother, Charlie. She's trying her best to give them a future by training to become a vet but she hardly earns enough to get by on top of feeding and looking after Charlie she has huge college bills to cover.
She's barely keeping her head above water which is bad enough but the book opens with her arriving home from work one night to find Charlie missing. She knows where he'll be, her neighbour a car thief named Jerry was supposed to be watching him but as well as being a car thief he also has a gambling problem and she discovers Charlie is not only gambling but he's a VIP and owes four hundred thousand rand.
She never thought to declare him incompetent and revoke his financial signing power.
Gabriel Louw is known and feared and he's come to collect, Valentina has nowhere to go and no way to pay the debt.
Gabriel has orders to kill both Valentina and Charlie to set an example and reinforce that's it's a bad idea to mess with the Louw family but Gabriel wants Valentina and offers her a different deal. She's his for nine years while she works off her brothers debt in any way he sees fit.
Magda (Gabriel's mother) is furious she wants Val and Charlie dead and so Valentina finds herself property of the Louw family and made to clean the huge mansion.
Magda pushes because she needs her to fail, she's determined to kill her whereas Gabriel is intrigued and obsessed and needs her alive but his mother is a cruel and powerful woman who always gets what she wants.
Gabriel turned out to be an interesting character and not what I was expecting. I've read books similar to this before and in them the Gabriel character is always top of the food chain with total control and command and while they may have demons they answer to no one.
The fact that Magda is very much at the top of food chain adds another dynamic to this book. Gabriel is also scarred and disfigured and far from the male perfection I'm used to but the attraction between him and Val is unlike anything either of them has felt before.
Gabriel's obsession increases along with Magda's determination to push Valentina to fail. Valentina is caught in the middle with nine long years stretching out before her but we all know one way or another she's not making those nine years as she is now, something has to give.
Valentina is strong, unbelievably strong and her love for her brother is, at first anyway the only thing that gets her through each day. As things progress Gabriel turns into the only thing getting her through the nights.
This in itself makes for compulsive reading but the more Gabriel gets to know Valentina the more both she and her past confuse him and he starts to investigate.
By this point, faults and all I just wanted Gabriel and Valentina to be together and this is the point a lot of books would end, with a nice HEA and I'd be happy.
But here there's Magda and Gabriel needs to find a way to keep Valentina alive.
I'm running on 3 hours sleep since I stayed up to finish this and even then I barely resisted starting Consent.
It's safe to say this book was a surprise, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did and it's very close to getting 5* which is a rating I very rarely give.
And so it's straight onto Consent now for me.
I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley and Charmaine Pauls.
Firstly this is a cliffhanger but since both books are being released back to back it didn't present the usual wait which is the part I struggle with.
The book paints a desolate picture, it's set in Johannesburg in what has become known as drug valley, everyone with money moved leaving the area for the drug dealers, Mafia and gangs.
It's safe to say Valentina is struggling, after losing both her parents she looks after her brain damaged brother, Charlie. She's trying her best to give them a future by training to become a vet but she hardly earns enough to get by on top of feeding and looking after Charlie she has huge college bills to cover.
She's barely keeping her head above water which is bad enough but the book opens with her arriving home from work one night to find Charlie missing. She knows where he'll be, her neighbour a car thief named Jerry was supposed to be watching him but as well as being a car thief he also has a gambling problem and she discovers Charlie is not only gambling but he's a VIP and owes four hundred thousand rand.
She never thought to declare him incompetent and revoke his financial signing power.
Gabriel Louw is known and feared and he's come to collect, Valentina has nowhere to go and no way to pay the debt.
Gabriel has orders to kill both Valentina and Charlie to set an example and reinforce that's it's a bad idea to mess with the Louw family but Gabriel wants Valentina and offers her a different deal. She's his for nine years while she works off her brothers debt in any way he sees fit.
Magda (Gabriel's mother) is furious she wants Val and Charlie dead and so Valentina finds herself property of the Louw family and made to clean the huge mansion.
Magda pushes because she needs her to fail, she's determined to kill her whereas Gabriel is intrigued and obsessed and needs her alive but his mother is a cruel and powerful woman who always gets what she wants.
Gabriel turned out to be an interesting character and not what I was expecting. I've read books similar to this before and in them the Gabriel character is always top of the food chain with total control and command and while they may have demons they answer to no one.
The fact that Magda is very much at the top of food chain adds another dynamic to this book. Gabriel is also scarred and disfigured and far from the male perfection I'm used to but the attraction between him and Val is unlike anything either of them has felt before.
Gabriel's obsession increases along with Magda's determination to push Valentina to fail. Valentina is caught in the middle with nine long years stretching out before her but we all know one way or another she's not making those nine years as she is now, something has to give.
Valentina is strong, unbelievably strong and her love for her brother is, at first anyway the only thing that gets her through each day. As things progress Gabriel turns into the only thing getting her through the nights.
This in itself makes for compulsive reading but the more Gabriel gets to know Valentina the more both she and her past confuse him and he starts to investigate.
By this point, faults and all I just wanted Gabriel and Valentina to be together and this is the point a lot of books would end, with a nice HEA and I'd be happy.
But here there's Magda and Gabriel needs to find a way to keep Valentina alive.
I'm running on 3 hours sleep since I stayed up to finish this and even then I barely resisted starting Consent.
It's safe to say this book was a surprise, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did and it's very close to getting 5* which is a rating I very rarely give.
And so it's straight onto Consent now for me.
I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley and Charmaine Pauls.
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May 24, 2025I tried. I really tried to stay with this one, but it’s all over the place. The moment she was faced f*cked in a parking lot and then the bad guys shot her dog (first chapter), I should have given up.
Also, who gives a mentally challenged young man revolving credit to gamble and then makes his sister spend the next NINE YEARS paying it off with her body?
Gross, manipulative, and not romantic. Nothing about this was okay.
Also, who gives a mentally challenged young man revolving credit to gamble and then makes his sister spend the next NINE YEARS paying it off with her body?
Gross, manipulative, and not romantic. Nothing about this was okay.
October 8, 2017
You know, I read some glowing reviews before reading this. I read where this was an unexpected read and yet I’m still kind of shocked with how much this story affected me.
Valentina just breaks my heart. The unfairness of everything she has had to endure and still comes out fighting. Most people would have broken long before. But the biggest surprise? Gabriel. The fact that this author took an evil man who does unspeakable things to people and made me care about him just astounds me. The obsession. The need for love in such a bleak world. The good hidden behind the evil.
Even the side characters were a surprise. The author showed us a little glimpse into the brutality of these men and then gives us the humane side of them. How can people have such opposing sides is fascinating. The complexity to all the characters made for a fascinating read.
I was so wrapped up in this book, I completely ignored life. If you can handle dark or triggers such as rape and physical violence, you really should check this book out. It does end on a cliffhanger, but you won’t have to wait long for the next book. Personally, I can’t wait to see how such an impossible situation is going to turn out. ARC provided by NetGalley.
Valentina just breaks my heart. The unfairness of everything she has had to endure and still comes out fighting. Most people would have broken long before. But the biggest surprise? Gabriel. The fact that this author took an evil man who does unspeakable things to people and made me care about him just astounds me. The obsession. The need for love in such a bleak world. The good hidden behind the evil.
Even the side characters were a surprise. The author showed us a little glimpse into the brutality of these men and then gives us the humane side of them. How can people have such opposing sides is fascinating. The complexity to all the characters made for a fascinating read.
I was so wrapped up in this book, I completely ignored life. If you can handle dark or triggers such as rape and physical violence, you really should check this book out. It does end on a cliffhanger, but you won’t have to wait long for the next book. Personally, I can’t wait to see how such an impossible situation is going to turn out. ARC provided by NetGalley.
February 9, 2018
Do you know how many books I have read this week? 6. Do you know how many I have DNF-ed? 4.
At this point, I'm so fucking sick of it that I'm too fucking lazy to give a review.
It's always the same stuff. Underdeveloped characters and feelings that grow too fast .
This book started off good, really good , but then it flopped. Gabriel was supposed to be the big bad twisted wolf who takes whatever he wants without mercy. He sticks to that for about 50 pages, then gradually turn into a big teddy bear who cares about Valentina's every whimper of dissatisfaction. I don't mind that eventually he will fall for her, but goddamn. I expected there to be more. Maybe a push and pull, or some gritty action of between the two before the feelings start to bloom. But that seems to not be the case. The blurb promised a dark story, but what I got is sickly honey sweet.
Valentina, on the other hand, is supposed to hate the guy for what he made her do and what he makes her feel. And she sticks to that for about 50 pages, then suddenly when he wants her to suck his dick, she started glorifying his body and his parts – when was she was supposed to feel is discomfort or maybe unwillingness to do the said deed, what I got was her eagerness to suck him off. Mind you, this was when she was just freshly hating on what his actions do to her a few days ago.
“ Manly veins run over the thick shaft” (I did not know that veins can be manly. If so, does that mean I have feminine vein? )
“I take every drop like I earned it, drinking down the dizzying cocktail of male ecstasy and feminine power.” (Again, she was supposed to hate sucking him off, but guess that's not the case)
“Alone, with no one to see, I fluff out his pillow and push my face into it. I inhale his scent, remembering the taste of him in my mouth. ” (Obsessed much? There is honestly nothing to base on with her sudden change of character. She was just hating him a few days ago and now she is suddenly having a crush on the guy?)
And what is with the constant usage of the word "womb"?
"tightness in my womb..."
"I feel it all the way down to my womb..."
Man. I dont even know. I guess this week has just been a series on unfortunate reads for me. Or maybe I'm just being extra bitchy this week. Who knows.
Despite what I feel about this book, please do not let this review hinder your intentions to read this book. For all it's worth, the storyline is good and the characters are okay. It's just that I expected something way darker than this, and it did not deliver.
For more of my reviews, click here
June 10, 2022
4.25 stars 💸
spoiler below
the hero is so insecure about his scarred face that he’s constantly turning away from the heroine, so she won’t see him. he doesn’t realize that she loves his scars and iT MAKES ME WANNA FUCKING CRY—
assuming the the heroine is a virgin, he refuses to be her first time because he thinks she deserves someone pretty
listen, this gets so bad that he actually orders his bodyguard to take her out in a date and take her virginity. he even chains himself in the gym/torture room so he can’t try to stop them 😭😭
the heroine, of course, doesn’t have sex with him and the hero decides he’s not going to fight it anymore. GOD I JUST LOVE THE HERO, HIS LIMP AND HIS SIMP-ISH WAYS SO MUCH—
gabriel louw deserves the whole world 💕
thank you tanaz for the rec hehe
the loan shark duet
↠#1 dubious — 4.25 stars
↠#2 consent — 4 stars
“For this scar, on the other hand, I’m eternally grateful. I hope it never fades.”
“Why?”
“Now it’s a reminder of you.”
spoiler below
the hero is so insecure about his scarred face that he’s constantly turning away from the heroine, so she won’t see him. he doesn’t realize that she loves his scars and iT MAKES ME WANNA FUCKING CRY—
The shadows of the room hide the scar tissue on his cheek, but not the somber light of his ice blue eyes as he stares at me. To me, he’s perfect.
assuming the the heroine is a virgin, he refuses to be her first time because he thinks she deserves someone pretty
Her first time needs to be special, not monstrous. Even I am not that cruel. She deserves a pretty face and gentle kisses, not a scarface who loves to fuck rough.
listen, this gets so bad that he actually orders his bodyguard to take her out in a date and take her virginity. he even chains himself in the gym/torture room so he can’t try to stop them 😭😭
the heroine, of course, doesn’t have sex with him and the hero decides he’s not going to fight it anymore. GOD I JUST LOVE THE HERO, HIS LIMP AND HIS SIMP-ISH WAYS SO MUCH—
“I offered you a chance to have it pretty.” His lips thin. “I offered you beautiful. You blew that chance, and now you’re left with hard and ugly…You’re left with me.”
gabriel louw deserves the whole world 💕
thank you tanaz for the rec hehe
the loan shark duet
↠#1 dubious — 4.25 stars
↠#2 consent — 4 stars
November 21, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this one...
It started deviously alluring - a loan shark/killer/bad man and an ugly SOB (literally) Gabriel Louw collects Valentina Haynes as a debt payment for nine year up front (cause of the debt her mentally challnged brother Charlie made in his establishment), instead of killing them both off
and that's where the story kicks off...
Yeah, it's that simple...
She becomes his sex toy, literally...and then the guy changes, he turns out o be a huge fucking teddy bear, who's listens to his old witch of a mother Magda, who actually runs this whole loan shark business...
and well, that's the first sign that put me off...pfft, he's like a killer with a soft spot, or rather he's a pussy undercover...
so, futher on, he falls for Valentina, and he's grand plan is to impregnate her so he wouldn't have to kill her in the end, cause well, they cherish the 'heir' prospect of it all...but she thinks, she's fucked anyway, prego or not, and she flees...hence the cliffy...
*sigh*
I really don't know what to tell you here, it started good, then it mellowed down, then it became sloppy and shitty...ah
maybe I'll read the next installment or not, I can't really tell at this point...
I'm confused and all...
It started deviously alluring - a loan shark/killer/bad man and an ugly SOB (literally) Gabriel Louw collects Valentina Haynes as a debt payment for nine year up front (cause of the debt her mentally challnged brother Charlie made in his establishment), instead of killing them both off
I saw her, I wanted her. I took her. Yeah, it's that simple.
and that's where the story kicks off...
Yeah, it's that simple...
She becomes his sex toy, literally...and then the guy changes, he turns out o be a huge fucking teddy bear, who's listens to his old witch of a mother Magda, who actually runs this whole loan shark business...
and well, that's the first sign that put me off...pfft, he's like a killer with a soft spot, or rather he's a pussy undercover...
so, futher on, he falls for Valentina, and he's grand plan is to impregnate her so he wouldn't have to kill her in the end, cause well, they cherish the 'heir' prospect of it all...but she thinks, she's fucked anyway, prego or not, and she flees...hence the cliffy...
*sigh*
I really don't know what to tell you here, it started good, then it mellowed down, then it became sloppy and shitty...ah
maybe I'll read the next installment or not, I can't really tell at this point...
I'm confused and all...
July 28, 2017
The plot has tension, suspense and passion that can't be denied as the excellent story unfolds. It comes highly recommended.
I received an e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an e-arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 30, 2019
***4.5 stars!***
August 8, 2020
WOW. Holy crap this book is amazing you guys. The sex is SCORCHING, the tension is great. This is an author who can REALLY sustain a narrative. So often there are books out there that start out great, but they sag in the middle and lose steam and then you just sort of don't care what happens to anybody after that. This is NOT that book. Holy CRAP. I love Gabriel so much. And wow... this is just... and the solution he comes up with to keep her...it's diabolical but brilliant. I won't spoil it but I can say I've never wanted this particular thing to happen in a book LOL until now. If you know me REALLY well you might know what that thing is. I listened to this on Audible and the narration is great. Downloading the conclusion right now! (This is a two book duet. Dubious and Consent. I'm sorry but that's great ha!)
Charmaine Pauls is definitely now on my favorite author list! And not all of her books are in audio so I might have to... read an actual book.
Charmaine Pauls is definitely now on my favorite author list! And not all of her books are in audio so I might have to... read an actual book.
January 30, 2023
**SPOILERS below**
My 1st read of this author. Well-paced and captivating. Liking this heavily-scarred and disabled (limps) anti-Hero. Loving h's character so far too. Ends with a cliffhanger (see below).
ENDING SPOILER:
h runs away from H with her disabled brother in tow after she finds out she's pregnant from a pregnancy test. She blames herself for the accidental pregnancy and thinks H will want her to get an abortion. But she wants to keep their baby.
Full duet SPOILERS:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My 1st read of this author. Well-paced and captivating. Liking this heavily-scarred and disabled (limps) anti-Hero. Loving h's character so far too. Ends with a cliffhanger (see below).
ENDING SPOILER:
h runs away from H with her disabled brother in tow after she finds out she's pregnant from a pregnancy test. She blames herself for the accidental pregnancy and thinks H will want her to get an abortion. But she wants to keep their baby.
Full duet SPOILERS:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 16, 2021
Thos is my first read by Miss Pauls. And to be honest, I though the story is combination of suspense and dark romance. Instead I found the whole story is boring, recycle and mediocre BDSM.
A typical damsel in distress, Valentina, who tried to save her brother. Got kidnapped by mafia and their story turns into Stockholm Syndorme.
I usually do not mind a recylce plot. But Miss Pauls did not adding more interesting plot into her story.
Got bored really fast!
2 stars
A typical damsel in distress, Valentina, who tried to save her brother. Got kidnapped by mafia and their story turns into Stockholm Syndorme.
I usually do not mind a recylce plot. But Miss Pauls did not adding more interesting plot into her story.
Got bored really fast!
2 stars
July 19, 2017
♥♥ 5 Dubious Stars ♥♥
This gave me all of my recent cravings all rolled into one intense book. There's servitude to repay a debt, dubious consent/forced seduction, and mob/mafia influence. Set to release this October, it's definitely one to put on your tbr shelf.
Valentina is a vet student who takes care of her brother after he suffered serious brain damage in a car accident. Set in Johannesburg, there's a lot of poverty and paying people off for protection. Val finds her brother gambling one night and discovers he owes a debt to a loan shark for 400,000 rand. Obviously, Val doesn't have the money to pay the loan shark, Gabriel, off so she's forced to work off the debt for nine years. What she doesn't know is that Gabriel wants to make her his and doesn't plan on letting her go at the end of the contract.
However, Gabriel's mother, who runs the family business, wants both Val and her brother dead. She puts Val through grueling tasks to set her up for failure, but Val doesn't break. Meanwhile, Gabriel trains her to desire his body and what it can do to her, and she struggles with her heart and her mind's attraction to him. Gabriel starts having deeper feelings for Val and he devises a plan to ensure her safety from his mother.
I thought this was really well-written because it felt real; Val's reluctance with Gabriel was believable and I loved that she didn't really secretly desire him outside of the bedroom. When the heroine starts falling in love with her captor right after a sexual encounter, it kind of ruins the whole dubious consent thing, so I really appreciated this. It also showed Val's desperation and strength through all her interactions with Gabriel and his mother. There was solid character development and many secondary characters started to steal my heart. I can't wait for the conclusion to the story!
Arc provided via NetGalley in exchange for honest review
This gave me all of my recent cravings all rolled into one intense book. There's servitude to repay a debt, dubious consent/forced seduction, and mob/mafia influence. Set to release this October, it's definitely one to put on your tbr shelf.
Valentina is a vet student who takes care of her brother after he suffered serious brain damage in a car accident. Set in Johannesburg, there's a lot of poverty and paying people off for protection. Val finds her brother gambling one night and discovers he owes a debt to a loan shark for 400,000 rand. Obviously, Val doesn't have the money to pay the loan shark, Gabriel, off so she's forced to work off the debt for nine years. What she doesn't know is that Gabriel wants to make her his and doesn't plan on letting her go at the end of the contract.
However, Gabriel's mother, who runs the family business, wants both Val and her brother dead. She puts Val through grueling tasks to set her up for failure, but Val doesn't break. Meanwhile, Gabriel trains her to desire his body and what it can do to her, and she struggles with her heart and her mind's attraction to him. Gabriel starts having deeper feelings for Val and he devises a plan to ensure her safety from his mother.
I thought this was really well-written because it felt real; Val's reluctance with Gabriel was believable and I loved that she didn't really secretly desire him outside of the bedroom. When the heroine starts falling in love with her captor right after a sexual encounter, it kind of ruins the whole dubious consent thing, so I really appreciated this. It also showed Val's desperation and strength through all her interactions with Gabriel and his mother. There was solid character development and many secondary characters started to steal my heart. I can't wait for the conclusion to the story!
Arc provided via NetGalley in exchange for honest review
November 7, 2017
One night, while laying in bed scanning Instagram, I came across an ad for an author/book I've never heard of before. I don't know what exactly got my attention in that ad [it might have been the cover image actually] but off I went to Amazon to see if the book was available for sale, ended up one-clicking it then stayed up till almost 2am reading because I simply couldn't put it down!
That's the story of how I found and fell in love with Charmaine Pauls' Loan Shark Duet. I still can't put my finger on what exactly made me love this duet this much but love it I did! Everything about it made for an unputdownable read. I am absolutely head over heels in love with both, Valentina and Gabriel. Not to mention, the entire supporting cast and, of course, the minute I realized there is a substantial age-gap between main characters, I was a goner!
Needless to say, when this book ended in a cliffy, I did the unthinkable - I requested an ARC of the second installment because I HAD to know what happens next and I had to know IMMEDIATELY!
You can find my review of CONSENT, the conclusion of this duet, here .
If you enjoy well written reads that have an element of suspense to them, tread a bit on a darker side and have a plot that's fast moving, you just might enjoy this duet very much.
Cheers!
December 12, 2020
I finished reading this book three or so days ago. But just when I would be about to write a review, something would come up. On Thursday, I had 4 zoom meetings, 3 of them were back to back. After that, I was so damn exhausted that I couldn't look at a screen. On Friday, my laptop decided to give me all the trouble it could. So finally, today I got around to writing a review. And let me tell you I freaking loved this book.
I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I thought it would be the usual captive romance. But boy was I wrong? I have never been happier to be proved wrong.
I loved everything about this book; the characters, the plot, the writing, everything kept me riveted. I devoured it and was legit sitting on the edge of my seat while reading. I cannot say enough good things about this book. It was just freaking perfect.
I cannot wait to read the sequel. I will be reading that one very soon. I promised myself that even with my terrible track record of never reading the second book of duets. I will change that for this duet cuz this book was that amazing.
October 15, 2017
Set in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood of South Africa, the beginning of this book is uniquely unvarnished, raw, and gritty. You won't find glamorized, model beautiful characters everywhere you look. Instead, they are scarred, troubled, insecure people on a collision course with disaster.
It's the setting and characters—the way the author doesn't pull punches and lets the heroine meet her fate a time or two without the hero magically catching her at the brink—that really had me falling in love with it.
My problems with this book came with the execution of the plot. I'm actually hard pressed to think of a single question that was raised during the course of this novel that was resolved. And while I know this is a duet and a cliffhanger, during the course of a novel there should be some resolution and we don't have that. Also, my biggest pet-peeve is lack of communication as a plot device. And at some point in the novel, every major character engaged in it.
I'm truly torn on how I feel about this book. It's original in its tone and I felt for the characters, though there were times towards the end I felt myself wanting it to hurry up and get to some answers... Answers that never came.
Trigger Warning -
It's the setting and characters—the way the author doesn't pull punches and lets the heroine meet her fate a time or two without the hero magically catching her at the brink—that really had me falling in love with it.
My problems with this book came with the execution of the plot. I'm actually hard pressed to think of a single question that was raised during the course of this novel that was resolved. And while I know this is a duet and a cliffhanger, during the course of a novel there should be some resolution and we don't have that. Also, my biggest pet-peeve is lack of communication as a plot device. And at some point in the novel, every major character engaged in it.
I'm truly torn on how I feel about this book. It's original in its tone and I felt for the characters, though there were times towards the end I felt myself wanting it to hurry up and get to some answers... Answers that never came.
Trigger Warning -
October 4, 2017
A story of possession that's ends in a cliffy. Can't wait till part two!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I read the blurb and synopsis for this book I was expecting a dark story. While this had plenty of issues with possession and other dark urges, the story itself did not read as depraved. In fact, I could almost see why Val ended up accepting her fate. Gabriel is over the moon for her...
The author did a great job conceiving this story and the writing flowed easily. It was tough to put down mainly because it was damn HOT in so many places.
But all good things must come to an end and this one ended with a cliffy and the promise of more dark urges and training to come. Watch out for Momma tho! I have a feeling things are going to get nasty.
* copy received for review consideration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I read the blurb and synopsis for this book I was expecting a dark story. While this had plenty of issues with possession and other dark urges, the story itself did not read as depraved. In fact, I could almost see why Val ended up accepting her fate. Gabriel is over the moon for her...
The author did a great job conceiving this story and the writing flowed easily. It was tough to put down mainly because it was damn HOT in so many places.
But all good things must come to an end and this one ended with a cliffy and the promise of more dark urges and training to come. Watch out for Momma tho! I have a feeling things are going to get nasty.
* copy received for review consideration
July 26, 2021
i needa sort out my damn feels. wtf charmaine pauls why would you make me care so much 🔪💔💔
rtc when i'm revived from the dead!!!
----
omg i'm in an annoying streak where i'm craving all the dark romances 😭😭 can I please enjoy the 3 other fantasy novels on my CR??? it's like whenever i pick up anything that isn't dark, my mind's like wth is this?? bish you need to feed your dark side NOW
rtc when i'm revived from the dead!!!
----
omg i'm in an annoying streak where i'm craving all the dark romances 😭😭 can I please enjoy the 3 other fantasy novels on my CR??? it's like whenever i pick up anything that isn't dark, my mind's like wth is this?? bish you need to feed your dark side NOW
May 7, 2023
**** 3.75 ****
É difícil encontrar uma leitura dark em que o exagero não ponha a perder a credibilidade da estoria, tornando a trama ridícula.
A história convenceu dentro da temática dark, um dos aspectos que mais valorizo quando leio este tipo de livro.
É difícil encontrar uma leitura dark em que o exagero não ponha a perder a credibilidade da estoria, tornando a trama ridícula.
A história convenceu dentro da temática dark, um dos aspectos que mais valorizo quando leio este tipo de livro.
October 10, 2017
Some of my GR friends had read and given rave reviews for this book. I’d been eyeing it a little distrustfully up until that point. Initially, when I first met Gabriel, I thought my friends had surely lost all their marbles. This guy is in this apartment to kill two people. And one of them is the heroine, Valentina. Well, okay, I knew he wasn’t going to outright kill her…the story would be over very quickly if that were the case.
He’s one tough and hard anti-hero. He is not a good guy. Until you get to know him and are allowed into his thoughts. Then you realize that at the heart of him he just wants to be loved despite his appearance and his money or any of the things his status can bring the woman he’s with. And Valentina has had some incredibly hard and awful things happen to her but she’s a survivor and she’s survived it all in order to care for her brother. To atone for what she believes is her fault.
This is an incredible read! I was sucked in within a few short paragraphs and hated to put it down. There is definitely some rough sex and if you’re sensitive to dubious consent, rape or sexual abuse this is definitely one you need to skip. However, if you can wade through all of that and you like an anti-hero who makes no apologies for who and what he is, this is certainly one you’ll want to read.
This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley.
Dual POV
Safe – no cheating but a little ow drama through ex-wife and ex-lover but very little and nothing to make you want to throw your kindle
Triggers - definitely
He’s one tough and hard anti-hero. He is not a good guy. Until you get to know him and are allowed into his thoughts. Then you realize that at the heart of him he just wants to be loved despite his appearance and his money or any of the things his status can bring the woman he’s with. And Valentina has had some incredibly hard and awful things happen to her but she’s a survivor and she’s survived it all in order to care for her brother. To atone for what she believes is her fault.
This is an incredible read! I was sucked in within a few short paragraphs and hated to put it down. There is definitely some rough sex and if you’re sensitive to dubious consent, rape or sexual abuse this is definitely one you need to skip. However, if you can wade through all of that and you like an anti-hero who makes no apologies for who and what he is, this is certainly one you’ll want to read.
This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley.
Dual POV
Safe – no cheating but a little ow drama through ex-wife and ex-lover but very little and nothing to make you want to throw your kindle
Triggers - definitely
January 30, 2020
So this is a difficult one… because I have so many problems with this book.
- Gabriel is too bad and not in the good way, he treats h like a thing, he imposes that she gets on birth control because he will have sex with her either she wants or not, but in middle of the book he gets her placebos pills to get her pregnant so she cannot leave him. I just couldn’t relate to him…
- Valentina is difficult to understand, she come up all strong minded and ends up being a play toy, reduce to a Sub that sits in the floor and the crazy thing is that she likes it and do it willingly.
- The story is placed in South Africa but all MC are white and all “bad guys” are colour ( wtf)
Just can understand how I manage to finish this book!!! Won’t read the 2nd part.
- Gabriel is too bad and not in the good way, he treats h like a thing, he imposes that she gets on birth control because he will have sex with her either she wants or not, but in middle of the book he gets her placebos pills to get her pregnant so she cannot leave him. I just couldn’t relate to him…
- Valentina is difficult to understand, she come up all strong minded and ends up being a play toy, reduce to a Sub that sits in the floor and the crazy thing is that she likes it and do it willingly.
- The story is placed in South Africa but all MC are white and all “bad guys” are colour ( wtf)
Just can understand how I manage to finish this book!!! Won’t read the 2nd part.
July 10, 2021
4 Stars
(Safety Spoilers at the bottom)
Decent. Some things annoyed me and I wish the heroine would have said no to the hero for once, although I did like the hero most of the time. I can't say I liked reading about his past and how much of a manh*e he was right up until the heroine, or how much he used to love his ex (who is still in the picture because he was a daughter with her btw), so the heroine being so submissive towards him was a bit of a turn off. And adding in his brat of a daughter, her scenes got old real' quick. On the flip side, it never dragged for me (although i definitely did start to skim the sex scenes), but I was entertained at least🤷
Safety (and some triggers):
Off screen, underaged rape of heroine
Sexual assault and abuse (not from hero)
Ow drama (F buddy tries to have sex with the hero again but he's not tempted) (ex wife is in the picture although they dislike each other)
Hero has a teenaged daughter and used to love his ex wife
Hero was a big manwhore right up until heroine
Celibate after meeting
No cheating
Swapped Birth control pills
On page animal death😭
Slight om drama
Separation at the end (cliffhanger)
(That's all i can think of right now🤔)
(Safety Spoilers at the bottom)
Decent. Some things annoyed me and I wish the heroine would have said no to the hero for once, although I did like the hero most of the time. I can't say I liked reading about his past and how much of a manh*e he was right up until the heroine, or how much he used to love his ex (who is still in the picture because he was a daughter with her btw), so the heroine being so submissive towards him was a bit of a turn off. And adding in his brat of a daughter, her scenes got old real' quick. On the flip side, it never dragged for me (although i definitely did start to skim the sex scenes), but I was entertained at least🤷
Safety (and some triggers):
Off screen, underaged rape of heroine
Sexual assault and abuse (not from hero)
Ow drama (F buddy tries to have sex with the hero again but he's not tempted) (ex wife is in the picture although they dislike each other)
Hero has a teenaged daughter and used to love his ex wife
Hero was a big manwhore right up until heroine
Celibate after meeting
No cheating
Swapped Birth control pills
On page animal death😭
Slight om drama
Separation at the end (cliffhanger)
(That's all i can think of right now🤔)
May 5, 2023
I’m struggling writing a review about this book. I love the writing’s author, she is fantastic about the characters feelings, fast attachments.
This story is different from everything and the author’s style.
It’s worth the reading.
This story is different from everything and the author’s style.
It’s worth the reading.
November 9, 2017
5 "She's no longer my captive. I'm hers." Stars
Talk about messing with my head and heart...
I finished Dubious three nights ago. The next day, I got drunk... because of cliffhangers and shit. While reading Gabriel & Valentina's journey I found myself hooked, the author's writing, the characters, and the flow of the story made it utterly unputdownable. Once I started reading, there was no stopping me!
I'm a dark romance lover. There's something truly special about this genre that has the power to test my boundaries and draw me into a world where not all is unicorns and rainbows.
"What I'm doing to her is selfish, wrong, and immoral, but I've never claimed to be a good man."
Gabriel was the anti-hero, a beast of a man you can't help but fall for, and Valentina was definitely his prey. I loved Gabriel. He was different, yet the same. The same because he was the kind of dangerously possessive male I loved to read about. But different because he wasn't handsome. Or that's why what the author tried to sell me but I couldn't for the life of me see him as anything other than hot. Dangerously hot. Scars and all.
It was like a cat and mouse game where you find yourself biting your nails or squeezing your legs with every turn of the pages. I'm not one to go into detail about the story, so if you're ok with that then carry on.
Dubious... It's depravity. It's edgy. It's gritty, but also incredibly romantic in its on way. It has this Beauty and the Beast vibe but in a dark-ish way that will melt your heart, no matter how dark the story gets. A dark romance that will make your toes curl.
Get yourself a cozy spot, pour yourself a shot of whiskey and enjoy the ride.
"I always knew Valentina was going to play havoc with my body, but what the hell is she doing to my heart?"
And mine.
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October 12, 2017
I received a copy via Net Galley for an honest review…
3.5 – I am so effed up Stars
I am wrecked… this book wrecked me
SERIOUSLY THOUGH, THIS BOOK!
I have a love hate relationship with mafia and drug lord books, and this one was no exception.
The main character Valentina is a hardworking girl who is taking care of her brain-damaged brother juggling school and making ends meet. She is not someone who needs fancy things, just enough to get by. She is a very humble character considering all she is going through. Living check to check, while being in the heart of the ghetto, she is one tough cookie.
One word…. Tiny. That little low-life POS. If I was watching this book relayed trough a movie I would have covered my eyes and ears at the collection of the “taxes” part. Obviously since I could not, I had to push through. Actually now that I think about it, there were A LOT of parts I almost could stomach through. Tough Love, is what this book is all about.
Gabriel, the other main character is a mafia God, who is at the top of the hierarchy. He is still a mystery to me. I really like how the author switches POV’s, had she not did that this book would have sucked. If we only got Valentina’s side of the story, I would have thought of him as a power hungry, egotistical sadist. BUT, because we get a glimpse of his feelings and the fact that he feels one way, but acts another; his contradicting acts/feelings makes him all that more likable.
It was almost frustrating too at times seeing both POV’s.
As I said previously this book is not for the faint-hearted. There is some very uncomfortable scenes, insinuations of rape, murder and some very dark romantic scenes. Did I mention it is VERY graphic? Normally I would blush with such blatant use of the word womb, (and others) but now I am completely desensitized. It does not even phase me. I am still undecided if I should be concerned or not. There was one specific and uncomfortable moment involving a paddle and a tampon….that I could have done without. Oh and “use of my hair to clean himself off” eh eh…
In some ways the book is different from many others in the mafia/drug lord genre. However, in many ways it is very similar – There were some cliché moments, while there was also Holy Shit I-did-not-see-that-coming moments.
Pa-lease,
I wish I could have gotten a better understanding from the family, like the whole “punishing” aspect. It was almost as if the author added it as an after-thought. Like “OH if we add this cuffs and whips it will be more exciting”… Well I guess it kinda did… It was just so out of place. I feel like if he would have stood up for Valentina, instead of having to punish her to prove a point to mommy dearest – that would have been better. But what do I know?
****My damn kindle said I was at 98%, connected it to wifi and BAM I'm only at 75%
So much more has happened, I honestly kinda likes Gabriel, until the whole placebo affect... fucking twat. Not cool. I think I need to lower my rating..
It's like all this "cool" ideas were thrown into a hat, and the author just added them as she saw fit.
Some of the things that came out of their mouths- if you want to know check out my highlights... yikes
3.5 – I am so effed up Stars
I am wrecked… this book wrecked me
SERIOUSLY THOUGH, THIS BOOK!
I have a love hate relationship with mafia and drug lord books, and this one was no exception.
The main character Valentina is a hardworking girl who is taking care of her brain-damaged brother juggling school and making ends meet. She is not someone who needs fancy things, just enough to get by. She is a very humble character considering all she is going through. Living check to check, while being in the heart of the ghetto, she is one tough cookie.
One word…. Tiny. That little low-life POS. If I was watching this book relayed trough a movie I would have covered my eyes and ears at the collection of the “taxes” part. Obviously since I could not, I had to push through. Actually now that I think about it, there were A LOT of parts I almost could stomach through. Tough Love, is what this book is all about.
Gabriel, the other main character is a mafia God, who is at the top of the hierarchy. He is still a mystery to me. I really like how the author switches POV’s, had she not did that this book would have sucked. If we only got Valentina’s side of the story, I would have thought of him as a power hungry, egotistical sadist. BUT, because we get a glimpse of his feelings and the fact that he feels one way, but acts another; his contradicting acts/feelings makes him all that more likable.
It was almost frustrating too at times seeing both POV’s.
As I said previously this book is not for the faint-hearted. There is some very uncomfortable scenes, insinuations of rape, murder and some very dark romantic scenes. Did I mention it is VERY graphic? Normally I would blush with such blatant use of the word womb, (and others) but now I am completely desensitized. It does not even phase me. I am still undecided if I should be concerned or not. There was one specific and uncomfortable moment involving a paddle and a tampon….that I could have done without. Oh and “use of my hair to clean himself off” eh eh…
In some ways the book is different from many others in the mafia/drug lord genre. However, in many ways it is very similar – There were some cliché moments, while there was also Holy Shit I-did-not-see-that-coming moments.
”Like a conditioned animal, my body becomes aroused at the knowledge it will soon be with my captor”
Pa-lease,
I wish I could have gotten a better understanding from the family, like the whole “punishing” aspect. It was almost as if the author added it as an after-thought. Like “OH if we add this cuffs and whips it will be more exciting”… Well I guess it kinda did… It was just so out of place. I feel like if he would have stood up for Valentina, instead of having to punish her to prove a point to mommy dearest – that would have been better. But what do I know?
****My damn kindle said I was at 98%, connected it to wifi and BAM I'm only at 75%
So much more has happened, I honestly kinda likes Gabriel, until the whole placebo affect... fucking twat. Not cool. I think I need to lower my rating..
It's like all this "cool" ideas were thrown into a hat, and the author just added them as she saw fit.
Some of the things that came out of their mouths- if you want to know check out my highlights... yikes
September 26, 2019
Shit. I was kind of enjoying this book until the racist undertones couldn’t be ignored or excused anymore and became racial overtones.
Good hardworking white girl who’s mommy and daddy bought their flat outright before all the evil darkies moved into the neighborhood and riddled it with their crime disease.
The scales of good to evil are measured by skin tones: the heroine being the lightest skinned, the Hero is slightly tanned.. the rapists and street scum are black.
I just.. can’t. I don’t see why the author needed to do this. She ruined what would have otherwise been an enjoyable read. Instead! No more Charmaine for me #boycott
Brooooo she even sat at the front of the bussss to avoid the black people 🤦♀️
Good hardworking white girl who’s mommy and daddy bought their flat outright before all the evil darkies moved into the neighborhood and riddled it with their crime disease.
The scales of good to evil are measured by skin tones: the heroine being the lightest skinned, the Hero is slightly tanned.. the rapists and street scum are black.
I just.. can’t. I don’t see why the author needed to do this. She ruined what would have otherwise been an enjoyable read. Instead! No more Charmaine for me #boycott
Brooooo she even sat at the front of the bussss to avoid the black people 🤦♀️
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