CLAIMED HARDER

by Em Brown

Don’t fall in love with a gangster. And don’t have his baby.

I didn’t know that Darren Lee was part of an international triad until it was too late. All I knew was that my body couldn’t resist his touch.



Even when what he does to me scares me, I burn for him. And he knows it.



He’s on a mission to push my limits, but how much can I take? A baby changes everything. I can’t have mine growing up with a gangster for a father. I’ve got to keep my son a secret and hope I can survive my submission…



If you enjoy mafia style romances with bad boy Doms and plenty of wicked heat, then get CLAIMED HARDER to steam up your reading today!

Genres: BDSM, Mafia Romance, Smut, Erotica, Dark, Dark Romance

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2021

About the author

After accidentally flashing the audience with her knickers, Em Brown decided that writing was a safer activity. She enjoys writing romance, particularly erotic historicals. For more about her works, visit www.EroticHistoricals.com.

Reviews

[Christine B · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you leave a Dom/Triad mafia? You don't, Bridget thought she could leave Darren Lee with no repercussion, she was wrong. After being gone for two years and keeping a secret Bridget thought she was rid of Darren and the hold he had over her. Brid was wrong, she still craved every part of him, she just couldn't let him know what she was hiding. This story is still told in past/present ands/her POV. Now he is back and found her after two years of being gone. He is back with a vengeance, he is here to claim every part of what is his, which is his sub. Now it is a race to make Darren believe she is still committed to him before he finds out her secret.

[Elaina Huffman]

My friends told me I had to log the mafia smut I read while I had Covid

[Lady Raven RAVE! · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️

Style: Dark Mafia Romance
Story: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3.5/5
Dark Level: 1/5
Sexual Level: SEX-CITINGLY APPEALING
Triggers: No
Violence: No
Male: Sexy
Series: Book 2 (Cliffhanger)
Pages: loc.2682
Audio: N/A
Kindle Unlimited: Yes


STORY:
I will start by saying that I can’t stand cliffhangers 90% of the time. With that being said, I am still very much invested in this story between Darren and Bridget.

In book 2, the story picks up from where we left off with book 1. The book still goes in and out from past and present with the way it’s being told. We are reading a particular scene in the present that’s ongoing while the past is giving us details on how Darren and Bridget met, and what I assume will eventually lead us to their present scene in the book. I still found Darren to be sexy and very dominant, however, he is very manipulative as the story progress in trying to get his way with Bridget. Bridget is not the typical girl that he dates, and he goes above and beyond for her with reasons unbeknownst to him. Bridget, is naïve in a lot of things but does ask questions. I still find her to be coy, and I think for me that balances out her tug and pull with Darren.

Like book 1, I felt the mafia/crime family aspect is still weak. You get the sense that Darren’s family is dangerous but it’s not heavily presented to us, as the focus is still Darren and Bridget’s growing relationship and Lotus, the club Darren’s own.


CHEMISTRY:
Physically, Darren and Bridget have my cooch hurting, omg. There were so many sex scenes between them, good ones, no complaints. However, as much as I love their physical chemistry and sex-capade I felt Darren couldn’t get enough of Bridget, and he constantly needs her. While I found this entertaining and appealing, I think because the sex scenes were one after the other wore me out mentally and physically. To note, this is BDSM or should I say leading up to it.


SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
The characters are the same as book 1. The presence of JD and Amy aren’t as strong as the main focus of book 2 are Darren and Bridget.


Overall, I am still excited about this story but need to know ASAP what will happen in the present and I would like to know if we will see a little more mafia activity.


****I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read. I based my book reviews on my preferences and what I like, and while these preferences may not be the same for others, I hope this review was still helpful.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[The_5ft_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 picks up right from the point book one left so it's easy to follow, still told in the past/present format, but a lot more of their past story here .... hopefully, everything is wrapped up in the final book as I have questions!

[Suze Prescot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gas mark 10!

After reading the first book, I had to get this one; now I have to buy the third. Top and tailed with the present, most of the story, as in book 1, leads the reader into a deeper understanding of how Darren and Bridget's relationship developed in the past, and how she became accustomed to BDSM. Still compelling, still really hot, I can't wait to see how this ends.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the first book I felt like the unfeeling interactions between Darren and Bridget made sense because it was in realistic to how modern hookup culture relationships work, esp among millenials. Relationships start of on lust and transactional sex with little emotion involved until somebody catches feelings ... or not. There is no courtship or whatever courtship that may occur, comes way way later. As much as I dislike this way of doing relationships, esp in my romance fiction, THAT is how modern relationships work irl. So in that sense the first book was spot on.

In this book, though, I was expecting some kind of progression in their relationship. I'm not saying they had to full on fall in love after 3 mins, but I felt like their relationship, disappointingly, kept the same dynamic from Book 1, which in a romance, felt kind of hollow, without meaning or depth.

I, at least, wanted to see them slowly, but surely, unawaredly, falling for each other. Doing things to endear themselves to one another, and us. I wanted to see them enjoying little things about each other, admiring each other outside of the sex ... despite themselves. Especially in a romantic tropical island setting which was basically created to make people fall in love, if they aren't already. But none of that happened. It's just hardcore sex between these two ... page after page. And just like in real life, random hookups, even if it's with the same guy, gets stale after a while if it doesn't becomes infused with some emotions after a while.

For Darren, a young man in his prime, wealthy, having his pick of women at his beck and call, and having lived the alternative BDSM lifestyle for quite some time ... it's more believable that he's totally able to disengage his feelings from all the transactional sex. However, a little less convincing is the 20 yr old Bridget, who supposedly is this innocent, sweet, not so experienced good girl. She just seems so worldly beyond her years. She can have hardcore, kinky sex with not even a scintilla of feelings engaged, or the thought even crossing her mind. Are most 20 yr old girls, who specifically fit Bridget's profile, really like that??? Even in morally bankrupt America, perhaps the West in general, I'm guessing prolly not ... but I could be totally wrong, who knows.

We live in interesting times, where sex is cheap ... and young people today are perhaps more cynical and blase about love and sex than maybe back in my mother's day, but given that this is an erotic romance, I was kinda sorely missing the romance. Again, I'm not saying they gotta go all insta-love ... because please God, no. We have enough (often poorly written) insta love stories out there, ... but a little more indication that they may be entertaining feelings for each other, more romantic couply stuff ... more aftercare ... would've been nice. Just something other than kinky transactional sex.

There was an inkling of such interactions, very meagerly and in such small doses, when the story transitioned to Thailand, that you could've easily missed that it was there. Definitely wasn't enough to balance out all the humping & grinding. The reason I read romance is for the romance. Hot sex is always a great bonus, but it shouldn't replace the romance.

And let's talk about Em Brown's writing for a second. In the first book I didn't have any particular gripes. Maybe because her work was new to me, and the prose fit the nature of Darren & Bridget's relationship - cold, unfeeling, but here in this book ... gosh. I was not enjoying her descriptions of their sexual interactions AT ALL. I mean talk about dull, dry, unimaginative ... insert tab A into slot B. I'm not looking for flowery purple prose, but just words that are bit more evocative than "he pumped her until she lost consciousness ..." Ugh. The writing certainly matched, or perhaps contributed to, the hollow feeling of their interactions. Finally I come across a hot romance with an interesting multiracial couple, and it's just kind blah ...
Cold, transactional sex with no feels at all.

Based on this, I'm not as gunho about reading the last book in the trilogy as I would've liked, but I guess I will have to anyways because I want to see how this pans out. I'm already bracing myself for disappointment ...

[Deborah Apodaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a BDSM novel with tons of triggers!

Darren is enraged with Bridget. He gave her everything and she just disappeared. It has taken him over two years to track her down and now that he has found her he will punish her for leaving him.

Bridget is determined to take the punishment Darren is dishing out until she can figure out a way to escape so she can get back to her son.

This is the second book of Darren and Bridget's story. It leaves you with another cliffhanger, but it continues where CLAIMED left off. I love how she incorporates the past with the present so you see how they ended up where they are now.

The characters are full of depth and you can feel every emotion as if you were there. The storyline is great and you look forward to turning the page for the part of their story. I really hated for the book to end, but am looking so forward to the conclusion of their story.

I highly recommend this series and look forward to reading CLAIMED DARKER. Em Brown is an excellent writer and I highly recommend her books.

[lf · Rating 4 out of 5]

He claimed her but she ran....he has found her and is claiming her again...will she stay this time

CLAIMED HARDER is the seventh book in the His For A Week series and the second book in the continuing story of Bridget Moore and Darren Lee. Their story started in CLAIMED and this book ends with cliffhanger and will continue with the next book CLAIMED DARKER. This story finds Bridget and Darren both in the past and now as they both tell their stories of how they started and then what is happening now, two years later. After their initial encounters Bridget fled from Darren and basically disappeared. It is now two years later and he has finally found her again. He is determined to not only get her back and teach her a lesson for leaving him in the first place, as he took it as a betrayal to the way he felt, and still feels, about her. But there are some twists in this story that I did not see coming and can't wait to read the final book in their story.

I received a copy of this book and am leaving my honest review. My opinions are all my own.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good and oh so steamy!!
I loved learning what happened next with Darren and Bridget. She is so innocent and completely unaware she is a natural submissive until she meets Darren. Her training has begun without her even realising it and 'yes sir' falls from her lips so naturally. As he takes her deep into his serious kink, the world of BDSM, there is so much heat it threatens to melt the screen just as it melts Bridget.
Darren Lee and Bridget, who he has finally found her again after searching for her for 2yrs after she ran from him, have huge secrets running thru their relationship now. He is Jing San Triad, she has his son. He had her kidnapped and tied up in the basement but has it solved their problems or made them worse?
Amy fell hard for Darrens cousin and fellow Triad JD Lee, who is has his own problems but what will the price be?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from two perspectives: Darren and Bridget, this story also has two timelines: the present and the past. Both are equally as intriguing as a glimmer of what happens now is the direct cause of what happened then. Claimed Harder takes place mainly in the past. Bridgit is invited to Phuket for a wedding but has hesitations due to her responsibilities as student and employee. Darren's persistence is unusual as he states himself but manages to convince her to let loose for a week. And here is where he is able to persuade her to try not only new foods but also introduce her to new intimate experiences. Her fascination is both innocent and naive but as the reader sees from the present she accepts and immerses herself fully. Will Bridget's decision to leave be understood by Darren or will his knowledge of her reasons be why be is so determined now? Book two of what will be a multiple story arc.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a little conflicted about this book. Bridget just seems to accept whatever Darren wants both in their sex life and how she lives her life. Most of the story takes place in the past and while some things are clear such as that Bridget left California because she was pregnant and didn’t want her child involved with a gangster, she has always known what he is or at least that he was not a “good” man and yet she stayed with him but won’t tell him about his son. There are also several references to Amy being murdered and yet nothing happens in this book. There is a lot of very hot sex, but little emotion except from Darren occasionally. Hopefully more will be clarified in Claimed Darker.

[CLorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting breathlessly for Em Brown’s CLAIMED DARKER, Darren and Bridget are back for round three of their twisted, energetic and erotic dance of love. On this go around, the action appears to be equally spread between the present and the actions and circumstances from the past. Darren again shows his multi faceted feelings as he tries to make sense of Bridget’s betrayal....Bridget is just hanging on for dear life, while keeping her precious secret secure. I knew the end was coming but Ms. Brown always does the unexpected. You will be well satisfied with her masterful conclusion.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Arin Baur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness And I thought the first one was amazing 😻 this one is even better if that’s possible!!! I can’t wait for more to come I hope they work things out and get back together. One thing that is awesome in this one unlike the other one is we learn a lot more about there past together. Which in my opinion helps us understand why he is so upset with her. They are both amazing books to read if you haven’t start reading them yet if I were you start now you won’t regret it! Especially if you Em brown books like I do I can’t seem books like this one down I pretty much read it all in one day that says a lot in my opinion! Great Job again Em brown love ya!!

[Umit · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Claimed Harder less than the first book. In the first book, there was not only a lot of smut, but also a story and character build-up. That made it more interesting for me.
In this second book, it felt like the focus was almost only on sex and BDSM, going further and further each time. There is also a strong feeling of pressure and blackmail that keeps increasing.
I am okay with reading this kind of content, and I was not shocked or disgusted by it. However, it felt like I was reading the same scenes again and again, just more hardcore every time, without much new story development.
Overall, it was readable, but it did not hold my attention as much as the first book.

[Victoria Readman · Rating 5 out of 5]

O-M-G!! Damn this series is hot!! 🥵 it's a fantastic BDSM, dark romance series and Darren Lee is irresistible... Bridget is a smart woman, but she's really naive to think he's not going to get what belongs to him!! POV's again are between the past & present of the MC's and my favourite scenes are the present. Darren is angry, dominating and I think more upset he fell for this woman!! Can't wait for the final book, let's get downloading.

BTW; I can't give any indepth review because I'm here for the smut it's SPICY!! 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dark series gets more intense!
I love the flashbacks into Darren and Bridget’s past that dominate the story, but the present is where the tension resides. In the past, Darren continues to struggle with Bridget’s indifference to his wealth and his mind-set for this incredibly strong-willed woman. Don't expect predictable plot twists in the past to shape the present. The ending is a cliff hanger that will have you wanting Claimed Darker ASAP!

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read the previous book and thought the author couldn’t get any darker but I was very much mistaken. This book was compelling in its darkness. He seems to only see his side which of course is the only right side. I think he needs to find compassion rather than revenge. The story is riveting and I was unable and unwilling to put this story down once I started reading.

I requested a copy of this book so I could provide an honest review.

[Cheryl Drake johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darren has Bridget in a situation that she has no control and she thinks he doesn't know her big secret but he has a surprise for her but he wants to punish her for leaving him and running away. Drama, suspense. and some BDSM. Series. I received a copy via BookFunnel without obligation. I volunteered an honest review.

[Kaitlin Hamada · Rating 4 out of 5]

not enough balance

I’m enjoying the story and love that we get backstory but I will say too much of the beginning referenced the first book which is information the reader should already have then went far too long in the past before switching to present again that I had forgotten what was happening presently

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a book that goes into details of BDSM, so not only am I enjoying the story line but I’m getting educated as well.
There is a lot of spicy scenes, but it doesn’t take away from the story line or the development of the characters.
And now that I’m hooked, I’m looking forward to the next book in this series

[Jozoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Em Brown continues to exceed my expectations with her dark, delicious writing. She is one of my guilty pleasures for sure. Careful that there are triggers and things that you would find in a dark mafia romance, but take the journey. You won't be disappointed.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short foray into a tumultuous relationship is mind-blowingly erotic. I love the past that keeps explaining what happened and keeps you guessing what will happen in the present. I cannot wait for more.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sam Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the first

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to what is I assume the final instalment. I like Bridget and Darren has grown on me - a great read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book dragged for me. I really liked the story and was dying to find out what was going to happen and this book is almost all in the past so we don’t learn anything about the present hardly at all. Still kept reading and the third book was much more satisfying.

[Janet R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 of Darren & Bridget's Saga👩‍💻

In Claimed Harder, we get the story of the 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶filled romance between 💯 alpha bae OG Darren and his runaway sub Bridget .He finally catches up with her after searching for two years and unleashed his darker side ! On to 📚 3 🍷💃

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repeat of book one

I bought this book really excited to continue reading the saga, but the book was weird for word the same as book one. But sure what happened but i received the same book as book one. Don't waste your time and/or money.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continuing saga of Bridget and Darren. I am really enjoying getting to know Bridget and Darren. On to book three: CLAIMED DARKER.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining
Page-turner
Realistic
Steamy
Twisted
Unpredictable
Witty
Wonderful characters

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one but I enjoyed learning more about Bridget and Darrens' past. Some errors in the book like spelling and missing words which threw me off my stride sometimes.
Short but overall enjoyable read to start the new year.

[vanessa edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Happy😐

It would be nice if the books in a series would come out together. Sometimes by the time a book is released you have forgotten details from the other books.

[annette k · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humm

Bridget runs from Darren. She has a secret and she wants to be safe. Yet Darren thinks he's done with her, but is he? Nope the chase has began!