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Dark Side of the Cloth

(The Righteous #1)

Brooklyn Cross (Goodreads Author)

4.31 · Rating details · 187 ratings · 110 reviews

Groomed from birth to take over the Cartel, darkness was all Dean knew. Except he had no interest in running a gang, and even less in being the next El Chapo like his abusive father.

So, he ran.

That’s when the Army found him. He was highly sought after for his unique skill set, and quickly became a valued member. Finally, he found a place where he belonged. Until The Right ...more

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Kindle Edition, 286 pages

Published September 3rd 2021 (first published September 2nd 2021)

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Start your review of Dark Side of the Cloth (The Righteous, #1)

Aug 31, 2021 M rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, m-ar4-favs

I haven't read many vigilante books, but I obviously am missing out! This started out so heartbreaking, but soon your heart pounded for a different reason.

Yasmine's life was not for the faint of heart. Despite so many soul crushing experiences, she grew up to be one special woman. Loved by all. Her job was to make all who passed away rest easy after leaving her funeral home. She followed in her families footsteps and took over the business.

Dean also had a heartbreaking past. What he went throu ...more

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Aug 25, 2021 Crystal rated it really liked it

Shelves: dark-romance

Who doesn't love a good Vigilante? I always enjoy a good one, and this book is under that list. I do believe this is the author's debut novel. On my dark scale, it's gray to dark gray.

Dean groomed to take over the family’s cartel raised by a monster of a father. After he runs away, he joined the armed services, then retires as a priest in a small town where he meets Yasmine.

Yasmine is a local who owns the funeral parlor in town, who secretly is attracted to Fr. Dean, but he is no holy man. Yas ...more

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Jan 29, 2022 Anne E ♡ emotional + OTT reads rated it liked it

Shelves: bully-villain-anti-hero, funny-moments, internet-text-phone-mail, celibate-hero, forbidden-secret-affair-taboo, no-virgins, stalker-obsessed-hero, abused-by-another, 3-5-stars, fake-identity

3.5-star

The GOOD: ***SPOILERS***
Before 85-90%, it had good pacing/rom/S chem/hot S scenes/chars/emo-pull. Liked the unique pairing of 25yo funeral-director h (who's still suffering a lot of guilt & grief her twin sister being abducted & later found dead when they were both 8yo and their mom blaming h for her sister being abducted & committing suicide soon after her sister's body was found) & late-20s "priest" H (who's actually an ex-Army-Delta-Force vigilante-assassin who killed the pedophile p 3.5-star

The GOOD: ***SPOILERS***
Before 85-90%, it had good pacing/rom/S chem/hot S scenes/chars/emo-pull. Liked the unique pairing of 25yo funeral-director h (who's still suffering a lot of guilt & grief her twin sister being abducted & later found dead when they were both 8yo and their mom blaming h for her sister being abducted & committing suicide soon after her sister's body was found) & late-20s "priest" H (who's actually an ex-Army-Delta-Force vigilante-assassin who killed the pedophile priest he's been impersonating for 1 year as part of the mission of his secret-society-assassin group to kill depraved people like pedophiles/serial killers/abusers who are hiding in society).

Liked h's mix of quiet kindness & sexual openness and how she didn't let her horrible childhood traumas turn her into a bitter or depressive person although she did use sex in college as her coping mechanism/outlet until her father died about 3 years ago. Liked h's funny conflict between feeling guilty for secretly-desiring priest H and seeking her pleasures for H by constantly masturbating to thoughts of him (pretty hot scene when H accidentally saw h masturbating in her bedroom & moaning his name so he joined in without her knowing about it). Emotion was good overall with some funny & shocking in-your-face moments (i.e., H wiping the little wet spot on the chair he was about to sit on with his hand & not knowing that wet spot was actually h's cum from masturbating to thoughts of H just minutes before he came to visit her).

Loved H's secret obsession with h (i.e., his computer code words have something to do with her) & how he seemed to pop-up where she was. Loved that he had never felt for any other woman the vulnerable/soft & obsessive feelings & thoughts he's been having for h ever since her met her 1 year ago. Loved that H was willing to compromise his priest-assassin role to have h in his life. Loved how protective he was of h & how enraged he felt on her behalf re: her twin's killer so he sought the culprits & killed them mostly for her sake.

MEH or the BAD:
Was a solid 4-star read until about 85-90% when it fizzled out to 3.5-stars. After 85-90%, the overall writing/plot/dialogue/rom dev/char dev seemed rushed & not put together well. It was strange to have H's father finally make a questionable re-appearance in the epilogue. It needed a good 10-30 more pages to resolve H's major unresolved hatred & issues with his abusive mafia father, considering that quite a few pages were devoted to show how his dad mentally- & physically-abused child-H & how thoughts of his father spurred him to take a different route than his father wanted for him. The romance & H's character (i.e., his choice to include & marry h & how that impacts his assassin life) seemed to also abruptly change & the epilogue 4 years later (H&h are now married with 3 kids+1 on the way & H now has a landscape business that well-camouflages his assassin work) seemed unrealistic & cliché as if added to fulfill readers who like epilogues. The dialogue seemed stilted at times (i.e., not using contractions made some of H's thoughts/speech more formal than his usual). Hot bareback S scenes with lots of masturbation scenes (in secret & mutual) but didn't like that fisting scene. Sounded painful & uncomfortable but h liked it anyway. 8-]

Sexual History:
h was sexually active in college & had many lovers since she used sex as her emotional outlet to cope with her family traumas but she admittedly faked her orgasms & had never really felt sexually satisfied. She became celibate the last 3 years since her father died & she came back to their small town to take over their funeral business. She'd been self-pleasuring to thoughts of H & aided with priest porn on he phone since meeting H 1 year ago. H had many lovers in the past but no emotional attachments. He'd been obsessed with h since meeting her 1 year ago but mostly kept his distance to keep his priest-assassin role. He's had many willing women including those in their town who want him but he didn't take anyone up on their offer since he's dedicated to his assassin role & only h interested him. ...more

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Aug 24, 2021 ashtag_reads rated it it was amazing

This book was amazing! I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did but holy hell it is so good!

Keeping this as spoiler free as possible - I loved the dynamics in this book. Dean is something else entirely and was probably the most unexpected character I’ve read all year. I usually steer clear of books seeped in religion but I’m SO GLAD I real this one!

Yazmine was an awesome character. Strong but kind, she deals with life as it happens, and does her best to take care of those around her.

Lite ...more

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Oct 19, 2021 Anne - Deliciously Dark (& Taboo) Romance rated it it was amazing

•Oh this book just made me sin! •

Lord have mercy (pun intended), but this book is deliciously sinful in all ways!

Dirty thoughts upon dirty thoughts piled up until some sweet secret reveal but it still made me pray for the Lord's forgiveness! Hahaha

Do yourself a favor and have a taste of something forbidden that is this book!
...more

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Aug 29, 2021 abbey willcox rated it really liked it

LORD HAVE MERCY.

This book is HOT as sin 😅🥵😈

Imma need to get myself a priest 😂

On a serious note, its heartbreaking what Yasmine went through as a child, losing a twin I imagine is unbearable. But Dean didn't have it easy, in fact my heart hurt for him. What a massive prick his dad was, the things he put Dean through as a kid is unthinkable. Then everything that happened in the military on that mission...Two broken souls, gravitating towards each other, who knew it could be so hot?!... I actual ...more

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Aug 28, 2021 XxnightxowlxX74 rated it it was amazing

This book knocked my socks off! Just blew me away!

Yasmines life has been one tragedy after another. When her twin sister was kidnapped and murdered when they were little girls she has dealt with survivors guilt because she ran to get help and didn’t stay with her sister.

Dean is the son of a Cartel King, who wants him to take over after him. Dean escapes to the military but is injured but becomes a small town priest to hide from his father. It’s really just a cover for a vigilante group he belon ...more

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Aug 23, 2021 Becca Sabala rated it it was amazing

I absolutely loved everything about this book!
Dean completely surprised me. I quickly fell in love with his character. I loved that their relationship progresses slowly, and boy are they hot together. That confessional scene.🥵
Dean and Yazzy are two broken souls who find their missing piece. Someone who understands their pain and knows it's unfixable. I was really hoping we'd see Dean's dad again, because he stuck in my brain after he was introduced. I can't wait for book two!!! ...more

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Apr 26, 2022 Natalie ~ The Biblioholic added it

Shelves: dnf-or-no-rating

What's more delicious than a priest who isn't really a priest and looking scrumptious while doing it? Oh and he kills bad guys in his own thrilling ways.

Too bad this book just wasn't doing it for me :(

Once again, the heroine made me quit. ...more

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Oct 11, 2021 Tobin Elliott rated it really liked it

How do I keep getting sucked into these novels I normally don't read? Yet again, I am SO not the target audience for this. So, why the heck did I read it? Well, disclaimer, I know the author. Still, I can try my best to remain an unbiased reviewer.

Dean and Yasmine have seen some serious sh*t in their lives. But it takes Dean showing up as the minister in Yasmine's town for them to (pardon the pun) cross paths. Sex and violence ensues, not necessarily in that order.

Yasmine is an intriguing charac How do I keep getting sucked into these novels I normally don't read? Yet again, I am SO not the target audience for this. So, why the heck did I read it? Well, disclaimer, I know the author. Still, I can try my best to remain an unbiased reviewer.

Dean and Yasmine have seen some serious sh*t in their lives. But it takes Dean showing up as the minister in Yasmine's town for them to (pardon the pun) cross paths. Sex and violence ensues, not necessarily in that order.

Yasmine is an intriguing character that I'd like to learn more about. We get a good sense of what she went through as a child, and where she's at now, and the intervening time is sketched in well, but I'm interested in learning more about the unassuming woman with the dark past and the wild streak.

Dean is more well developed (yeah, again, pardon the pun), and we get to see him in action, and Brooklyn Cross doesn't disappoint with the action. She's not one to really look away from the difficult stuff, no matter if she's writing about the violent depravity of the bad guys, or the sexual depravity of her two leads.

If there's a downside to my enjoyment of the novel, it would come down to two things.

Cross' characters generally talk very properly, with no contractions as in real speech. Where many of us say "I'll" and "gonna" and "that's", Cross' characters always default to "I will" and "going to" and "that is". It makes the conversations slightly more formal than I prefer, but that's a personal kink.

The other thing is Dean's "work" vehicle. It has an onboard AI he refers to as "Sexy" that is, quite frankly, magic. It can reach out and disable phones and security cams. It can read heat signatures. I mean, hell, I'm lucky if I can get my cruise control to engage somedays. I understand that Dean needs to basically work solo, so I would have liked a bit more of an AI system that was a little lighter on the "I" part of the AI. It almost seemed—dare I say it? —a touch godlike.

But hey, none of this is what we showed up for, was it. It was for the dirty, steaming, smoldering sex. Does Cross deliver?

Yes, I can safely say that Brooklyn Cross puts out. The scenes are very detailed, very steamy, very sexy. She spaces them out perfectly, so you get a chance to wipe up before the next one comes along. So, not only does she put out, but she's quite considerate about letting you catch your breath prior to the next round.

I'm no expert on this genre, but, at least for me, the novel did what it promised to do. Intrigue. Entertain. Arouse.

Well played, Ms. Cross. ...more

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Nov 15, 2021 Dylan Page rated it it was amazing

Brooklyn Cross absolutely KILLS it with this debut!

My God...
I never thought I'd be drooling over a man wearing a holy collar but daaaayum. Dean gave me all the feels. And by feels I mean... well, you know ;)
LOVE that man.

One thing I love about Brooklyn is how brave her writing is. She can push you into reading something so dark and twisted and come out freaking loving it. Writing a book like this, mixing it with a religious undertone, while including the dark romance aspect, and hints of naughty ...more

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Aug 24, 2021 Karin rated it it was amazing

I’ve read several books about vigilante justice lately, and DARK SIDE OF THE CLOTH is one of them. While it features an overarching theme like some of the others, it also has enough to make it unique and enjoyable.

Dean ran from his home, father, and his future as a cartel leader as soon as he could. He joined the military and later the special forces. After his time was up, the Righteous recruited him and now he lives his life as a priest in a small town providing comfort to his parishioners and I’ve read several books about vigilante justice lately, and DARK SIDE OF THE CLOTH is one of them. While it features an overarching theme like some of the others, it also has enough to make it unique and enjoyable.

Dean ran from his home, father, and his future as a cartel leader as soon as he could. He joined the military and later the special forces. After his time was up, the Righteous recruited him and now he lives his life as a priest in a small town providing comfort to his parishioners and the community. He’s been content as a priest, knowing he’s making a difference - until he meets her.

Yasmine has lived in town her whole life. She runs the family funeral home business and deals with death every day. She suffered a great tragedy as a child when her twin sister was abducted and later found dead. This led her mother to eventually kill herself after blaming Yasmine for letting her sister get taken. Yasmine has always lived on the edge of the community - never really being seen. Until she meets him.

Yasmine feels so guilty for her developing feelings for Dean, but she can’t stop thinking about him. Whenever they are together she can tell that he feels something for her, too. For Dean, his strong feelings for Yasmine complicate things. Can he jeopardize his mission for a chance at a relationship with the first person he’s felt this kind of connection with and will she even be able to accept what his true mission is?

The chemistry is off-the-charts between Dean and Yasmine. Mabel, Yasmine’s loving mother-figure and local diner owner is delightful. There are also two other side characters introduced that I hope we’ll read more about in a future book. I see a lot of potential for this series and look forward to what’s next.

Here are the other books I’ve read recently that feature characters who murder people that get away with crimes or never get brought to justice: The Reaper Series by @c.a.rene and @author.re.bond , Necessary Evils Series by @onleyjameswrites , and Crooked Crows by @elenalately ...more

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Sep 16, 2021 Marisa rated it really liked it

This book is the perfect example of broken souls finding each other in an attempt to complete themselves again. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book, it was a bit darker than I thought but it kind of reminded me of listening to a good murder podcast. With a bit more steam, tension, and emotions.

I enjoyed learning about the past of these characters, seeing how their pasts shaped the person they had become, and then following their journey together. We were able to watch their relat ...more

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Feb 26, 2022 Shay rated it it was amazing

This book was deliciously dark and sinful in so many ways...

Lord please forgive me, for I have sinned.... and it felt amazing!

The characters, storyline, steam, and everything was so vividly detailed, that I felt like I was in the book with them!

Go into this series blind.... I promise you will definitely not be disappointed!

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Aug 24, 2021 Katie (small_town_booknerd) rated it it was amazing

Review: Dark Side Of The Cloth (The Righteous Book 1)
By: Brooklyn Cross
Stars:5/5⭐️

@author_brooklyncross this book was so good. To be perfectly honest I really did’n expect this book to be how it was. It’s dark, raw, heartbreaking, and funny. I just like the fact ( if this makes me a weirdo, then oh well🙃) that the fmc has the HOTTS for a man who she thanks is a priest, but he really isn’t!. Guys I really do recommend this book to anyone who reads this review. It may be different, it may not b ...more

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Aug 30, 2021 Steph W rated it it was amazing

Shelves: misc-standalone, taboo-y, darker, forbidden

Dark and forbidden!

This book was a ride from beginning to end. Dean and Yasmine are both survivors of painful childhoods and backgrounds. Dean's upbringing was filled with abuse at the hands of his vicious father, who wanted him to take over as the leader of the cartel. Yasmine has survivor's guilt as her twin sister was abducted and murdered when they were children, a fact her mother never stopped holding against her.

They meet later as adults, Dean posing as the Father in the church, and Yasmi ...more

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Aug 31, 2021 Marni Ortiz rated it it was amazing

I don’t even know where to start except to say I could not get enough of this book . Brooklyn was a new author to me , by wow just wow , if this is any indication of what her books are like it will not be my last . I so lover every minute of Dean and Yazzy’s love story . One of my favorite things about their romance was that it did not progress at a fast pace . They took time to get to know one another and then fall in love . And Dean , I fell for his character pretty quickly. These two are far ...more

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Sep 05, 2021 Sue Harbers rated it really liked it

I liked how different this story line was from anything I’ve read so far. It was a steamy and fast paced original story that kept me engaged throughout reading it. Dean’s character had a lot of good things going for him once you get to know him and I enjoyed his real occupation and his storyline. Yasmine’s storyline was pretty tragic and it was impressive that she was so moral and sweet after everything that she’s gone through. They definitely made an interesting couple but it worked for them. I ...more

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Aug 31, 2021 Shawna Jimenez more.books.forever rated it it was amazing

Loved this!!!

The experiences that both Yasmine and Dean have had to go through in their lives are both heartbreaking and gut wrenching. Two broken souls who complete on another but just didn’t know it yet. Their attraction to one another while forbidden is undeniable and complete fire. Deans character actually surprised the heck out of me and I didn’t really expect his character to go the way it did which turned out to be a huge plus. Yasmine has had one tragedy after another and you couldn’t h ...more

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Sep 02, 2021 Jade Adams rated it really liked it

What a debut from Brooklyn.

I was instantly captivated by the mystery of this sleepy little town. I don't usually like books written in third person but once I got used to it the story flowed and I struggled to put it down.

After retiring from the armed forces Dean retires to a small town where he meets Yasmine but not is all as it seems, Dean isn't the strait-laced priest she thinks he is.
Yasmine's back story isn't a nice one and once Father Dean gets wind of what has happened to her, he makes i ...more

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Sep 23, 2021 Dakota Bri (brisbookbag) rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 19, 2022 Philomena Callan Cheekypee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: loved-it

My first but certainly not my last read by this author. I felt I needed a fan while reading some parts of this.

Dean and Yasmine.. two broken souls. I felt my heart breaking for both of them.

If your looking for a well written vigilante read then I highly recommend this story.

I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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Oct 06, 2021 Ashley Cestra rated it it was amazing

Welll welll welll, where has this story been hiding?! This was a brilliant tale featuring my favorite- a priest! I love these kinds of tabooesque stories! I was sitting on the edge of my seat for most of the book, drooling over how it unfolded.
The emotion was raw, I loved how damaged the two main characters were.
There were elements in this book that made it so original even when I was having some serious dexter vibes the whole time!
This is my first time reading this author and I’m hooked!

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Jun 06, 2022 Nagma (Take A Look At My Bookshelf) rated it it was amazing

This book was hot! I was highly anticipating this book after reading the blurb and I loved it!

The characters Yasmine and Dean were such strong characters despite their pasts and I not only felt for them, but also fell in love with the characters. Yasmine was the epitome of strength and Dean was the anti-hero that I thought was amazing in this book. The characters were pleasantly surprising and I loved the journey these two broken souls went through together. Their relationship was forbidden, but ...more

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Apr 03, 2022 Lauren *Romancenbooks* rated it really liked it

Father Dean

This book was hot and had a good amount of suspense. Dean was incredibly sexy and Yasmine was definitely amazing. These two together had great chemistry and the forbidden aspect was so hot

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Aug 22, 2021 LivingLovingReading rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2021-august

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book, sure I had seen teasers and was interested, but was a little iffy on if I would like it. I had no reason to be! This book was a really good read! The story is interesting and will keep you turning the pages until the last one. It’s full of triggers and dirty sex scenes - so if you like dark- this is definitely something to look into.

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Nov 05, 2021 J.C. Jaye rated it it was amazing

Holy hot priest!
Or is he...?
This book sucked me in, and fast. Dark, dark, dark, and hot, hot, hot.
A gripping vigilante romance, with amazing twists and edge-of-your-seat suspense.
Loved it!

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Sep 03, 2021 Shayna Turpin rated it it was amazing

This book is HOT! 🥵 Who doesn't love a good vigilante story?! This one will have you feeling ALL of the feels. It blew me away!
From the first chapter on, I couldn't get enough. The chemistry between Dean & Yazzy is off the charts. Yazzy's life has been tragic, but Dean didn't have it easy either.

This was dark, suspenseful, steamy, all of the things. The twist will keep you guessing. Great 1st book, can't wait for the next! ...more

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Sep 03, 2021 Felicia's Review rated it it was amazing

Oh my this book was HOT! This book has twist and turns and drama redemption and so much more. Both backstories of Dean and Yasmine are heartbreaking. This is the first book I have read of Brooklyn Cross and I'm hooked. This book does leave off on a cliffhanger and I can't wait for book two. ...more

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Aug 26, 2021 Aloha Readers rated it it was amazing

You can hate the sin, but you'll love the Sinner

I’m generally not a huge fan of the religious taboo trope (it tends to be a little predictable) but every once in a while I like to make an exception…and I’m so glad this was one of them!!!

I went into this expecting the traditional forbidden romance trope but oh was this so much more!

It’s hard to explain how great this book is without spoilers, but I will say the book took twists and turns I never expected. (There’s trigger warnings for a reason) ...more

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About Brooklyn Cross

Brooklyn Cross

317 followers

Brooklyn Cross has always had a deep passion for writing that stemmed from a wild imagination. When she is not busy typing away about the next character you will fall in love with, you can find her walking with her dogs on the farm and sipping a hot cup of coffee.

In addition to getting her degree in business she was highly competitive in the equestrian sport of dressage, with aspirations of an Oly ...more