Stroke of Midnight is K Webster’s version of Cinderella. This author is known for her dark, dirty, taboo stories and she doesn’t disappoint here. A great concept told in Dual POV, an age-gap and erotic adult tale. This does end in a cliffhanger ready for the next two books that complete the story.
Cinderella is Ash Elliott “Cinderelliott” a pretty, sassy, bright young woman who is looking forward to going to college. Her dad has re-married so like the original she has an evil stepmother Manda but in a great twist Ash has three awful step brothers, the Triplet Terrors. Prince Charming is Winston Constantine a very rich, older, total alpha and controlling CEO whose mantra is “Work over Play” and everyone must abide by his rules.
Due to unforeseen circumstances she ends up cleaning his office and leaves a sweet wrapper instead of a glass slipper. Winston is powerful and punishes anyone who crosses him or his family, so an employee not doing their job is like a red rag to a bull. Also he is bored and not much excites him anymore so she becomes his new obsession when he gives her a new job as his “Pleasure Partner”. The banter between them is funny and their chemistry oozes off the pages. He is a real dirty talker and his proclivities unique and twisted. Very crude and his kinky side bonkers at times which is why he has never found anyone to fulfil them. He portrays a coldhearted and untouchable persona so it is quite gratifying that she effects him more than he likes.
My feelings for Winston and Ash changed throughout the book, one minute loving them and the next furious, questioning their actions. Every character is shrouded in mystery, most are messed up and we haven’t even met all of the Constantines or Morellis yet. One character you will love is Shrimp who provides some frivolity in all the darkness. The rivalry between the two families is at the core of this story and the cliffhanger leaves the door open to more intrigue and mayhem. Now I want to know what Ash is going to do next and how Win will cope with his feelings for her? How will their mothers react and will the Triplet Terrors get their comeuppance, especially Scout as he a real piece of work?
Ruined / Stolen Hearts by M.O'Keefe is a dark, mysterious, romantic suspense story about Ronan and Poppy. It also involves the feud between the Constantines and the Morellis. Ronan Byrne is the Constantine’s assassin you may have met in the Beast of Bishop’s Landing series by Amelia Wilde. He is a dark, cruel and powerful character. We don’t learn much about him and at first I wasn’t sure what his plans were with Poppy.
Poppy is young and struggling since her parents died because she has been left with no way to support them. She is now her younger sister’s guardian which is hard as she has mental health problems. Poppy agrees to marry an older man to help solve their problems.The first time she meets Ronan is at her engagement party and he is a mysterious stranger hiding in the shadows. They talk and she can feel their chemistry but there is nothing she can do about it.
She always remembers him because after that night her life changes when she marries the Senator. Poppy’s husband is abusive so when Ronan appears again a few years later she is a broken woman. Ronan is shocked but there is still the chemistry between them. He warns her she is in danger. Their romance is a slow burn as they both have issues and don’t trust anyone.
The author keeps you guessing about what will happen next and will keep you on the edge of your seat.It is a story is full of mystery, intrigue and suspense with so much tension between Poppy and Ronan. There are some startling revelations which lead up to the cliffhanger at the end. I have so many questions I need answering that I am looking forward to the next two books in the series and seeing what happens between Poppy and Ronan.
Wicked Idol is my first book from Becker Gray. This story is about Caroline Constantine’s son, Keaton Constantine. This is the first in the Hellfire Club series and a standalone set at Pembroke Academy where Keaton is a senior. He is the rugby captain, a member of the Hellfire Club and king of the school. Iris Briggs is not only the new girl at school but also the Headmaster’s daughter. She is desperate to not draw attention to herself and survive the year. However, her plans go awry when she bumps into Keaton and spills his coffee all over the members of the Hellfire Club her first day.
Keaton is fascinated by the new girl. She is irritating, sassy and mouthy, all which he dislikes so annoyed that he gets turned on when they argue. She isn’t afraid of him and he feels like she can really see him and understands him.
The chemistry and attraction between them builds the first week of school and comes to a head when they both hide out in the library one day. When they finally kiss he’s shocked that she actually wants him, a feeling he rarely gets. He often feels lonely, unwanted and unloved so is surprised she is kissing him back. Iris can’t believe Keaton is interested in her, especially as she knows he has a girlfriend. She doesn’t know that his relationship with Clara is all fake to keep their families happy. Poor Iris is so confused how she keeps ending up with Keaton when neither of them like each other. She has set her heart on attending the Sorbonne in Paris which will also give her freedom from her parents so she can’t afford to mess around with him but it looks like fate has other ideas.
Caroline wants Keaton to work for the family’s business but Keaton isn’t driven or ambitious like Winston. He wants to play professional rugby or have his own design company. She insists he continues to date Clara Blair as the relationship is part of an important business deal between the families and they expect them to marry. Although she is controlling and cold to him, all he’s ever wanted was to make his mother proud of him.
They get assigned a project to work on together and things between them escalate and become very intense. She sees he pretends to be the spoilt rich kid and is far smarter than anyone knows.
Turns out they both have controlling parents who never listen to either of them. Keaton is very loyal to his friends so can’t tell her the truth about Clara and this leads to misunderstandings, jealousy and thoughts of betrayal. In his desperation to show his mother he can be of value to the family, he makes the biggest mistake of his life.
I enjoyed seeing Keaton’s vulnerable side and felt all his pain when he was dealing with his mother. The more of these books I read, the more I hate Caroline. Iris became a right little firecracker and really put the cocky, bossy Keaton in his place. I liked how the author showed the pressure of family expectations and all the doubts first love brings. Lovely epilogue to conclude the couple’s story and shows how love can conquer all. I look forward to see what happens to the other students we met in the rest of the series.
Merged review:
This is K Webster’s version of Cinderella. If you are looking for a romantic lovey-dovey story then you’ve certainly picked up the wrong book. This author is known for her dark, dirty, taboo stories and she doesn’t disappoint here. If you are a fan of this author then this is very much along the lines of This Is War, Baby, with the same vibes and feelings. Stroke of Midnight is part one of the dark Cinderella novel and part of the Midnight Dynasty World. A great concept told in Dual POV, an age-gap and erotic adult tale.
All the fairy tale characters are present but not as you know them. Cinderella is Ash Elliott “Cinderelliott” a pretty, sassy, bright young woman who is looking forward to going to college. Her dad has re-married so like the original she has an evil stepmother Manda but in a great twist Ash has three awful step brothers, the Triplet Terrors. Prince Charming is Winston Constantine a very rich, older, total alpha and controlling CEO whose mantra is “Work over Play” and everyone must abide by his rules.
Due to unforeseen circumstances she ends up cleaning his office and leaves a sweet wrapper instead of a glass slipper. Winston is powerful and punishes anyone who crosses him or his family, so an employee not doing their job is like a red rag to a bull. Also he is bored and not much excites him anymore so she becomes his new obsession when he gives her a new job as his “Pleasure Partner”. The banter between them is funny and their chemistry oozes off the pages. He is a real dirty talker and his proclivities unique and twisted. Very crude and his kinky side bonkers at times which is why he has never found anyone to fulfil them. He portrays a coldhearted and untouchable persona so it is quite gratifying that she effects him more than he likes. Is he Prince Charming? Could be but his younger brother could take that crown. Is he the Villain? He thinks he is but there are others who are monsters and more villainous than him. My feelings for Winston and Ash changed throughout the book, one minute loving them and the next furious, questioning their actions. He is into erotic humiliation and takes pleasure in embarrassing Ash which eventually irrevocably change her.
If you think you can work out who is good and who’s bad in this then give up because every character is shrouded in mystery. You might find some niceties running through them but most are messed up and we haven’t even met all of the Constantines or Morellis yet. One character you will love is Shrimp who provides some frivolity in all the darkness.
It was a shock that it ended in a cliffhanger as I was suspecting all the loose ends to be tied up at the ball, however it was a good ending leaving the door open to more intrigue and mayhem. Now I want to know what Ash is going to do next and how Win will cope with his feelings for her? How are their mothers going to react and will the Triplet Terrors get their comeuppance, especially Scout as he a real piece of work? The rivalry between the two families is at the core of this story and the author only gave us one snippet of information about it, so it is going to be interesting to find out more and see if any more family members get involved.
Ruined by M.O’Keefe is a dark, mysterious, romantic suspense story about Ronan and Poppy. It also involves the feud between the Constantines and the Morellis.
Ronan Byrne is the Constantine’s assassin you may have met in the Beast of Bishop’s Landing series by Amelia Wilde. He is a dark, cruel and powerful character. We don’t learn much about him and at first I wasn’t sure what his plans were with Poppy.
Poppy is young and struggling since her parents died because she has been left with no way to support them. She is now her younger sister’s guardian which is hard as she has mental health problems. Poppy agrees to marry an older man to help solve their problems.The first time she meets Ronan is at her engagement party and he is a mysterious stranger hiding in the shadows. They talk and she can feel their chemistry but there is nothing she can do about it.
She always remembers him because after that night her life changes when she marries the Senator. Poppy’s husband is abusive so when Ronan appears again a few years later she is a broken woman. Ronan is shocked but there is still the chemistry between them. He warns her she is in danger. Their romance is a slow burn as they both have issues and don’t trust anyone.
The author keeps you guessing about what will happen next and will keep you on the edge of your seat.It is a story is full of mystery, intrigue and suspense with so much tension between Poppy and Ronan. There are some startling revelations which lead up to the cliffhanger at the end. I have so many questions I need answering that I am looking forward to the next two books in the series and seeing what happens between Poppy and Ronan. This is also known as Stolen Hearts and book 1 in the Heart series.
Wicked Idol is my first book from Becker Gray. This story is about Caroline Constantine’s son, Keaton Constantine. It is the first in the Hellfire Club series and a standalone set at Pembroke Academy where Keaton is a senior. He is the rugby captain, a member of the Hellfire Club and king of the school.
Iris Briggs is not only the new girl at school but also the Headmaster’s daughter. She is desperate to not draw attention to herself and survive the year. However, her plans go awry when she bumps into Keaton and spills his coffee all over the members of the Hellfire Club her first day.
Keaton is fascinated by the new girl. She is irritating, sassy and mouthy, all which he dislikes so annoyed that he gets turned on when they argue. She isn’t afraid of him and he feels like she can really see him and understands him.
The chemistry and attraction between them builds the first week of school and comes to a head when they both hide out in the library one day. When they finally kiss he’s shocked that she actually wants him, a feeling he rarely gets. He often feels lonely, unwanted and unloved so is surprised she is kissing him back. Iris can’t believe Keaton is interested in her, especially as she knows he has a girlfriend. She doesn’t know that his relationship with Clara is all fake to keep their families happy. Poor Iris is so confused how she keeps ending up with Keaton when neither of them like each other. She has set her heart on attending the Sorbonne in Paris which will also give her freedom from her parents so she can’t afford to mess around with him but it looks like fate has other ideas.
If you have read any of the other books in the collection then you will know how complicated the Constantine family is and especially Caroline. She wants Keaton to work for the family’s business with his older brother but Keaton isn’t driven or ambitious like Winston. He wants to play professional rugby or have his own design company. She insists he continues to date Clara Blair as the relationship is part of an important business deal between the families and they expect them to marry. Although she is controlling and cold to him, all he’s ever wanted was to make his mother proud of him.
They get assigned a project to work on together and things between them escalate and become very intense. She sees he pretends to be the spoilt rich kid and is far smarter than anyone knows. Turns out they both have controlling parents who never listen to either of them. Keaton is very loyal to his friends so can’t tell her the truth about Clara and this leads to misunderstandings, jealousy and thoughts of betrayal. In his desperation to show his mother he can be of value to the family, he makes the biggest mistake of his life. Can he ever do what makes him happy or is he always going to do what other people want him to do? Who will he choose – Iris or his family?
We don’t learn much about the other students but I thought the support Iris got from Serafina, Aurora and Sloane was great. They wouldn’t let her get away with being boring and showed her she was strong. They pushed her to be different and try things. They were hilarious with their ideas over the Hellfire club boys and I look forward to see what happens to them all in the rest of the series.
I enjoyed seeing Keaton’s vulnerable side and felt all his pain when he was dealing with his mother. The more of these books I read, the more I hate Caroline. Iris became a right little firecracker and really put the cocky, bossy Keaton in his place. I liked how the author showed the pressure of family expectations and all the doubts first love brings. Lovely epilogue to conclude the couple’s story and shows how love can conquer all.