New York City—not a place for the faint-hearted or the sweetest of souls.
After all these years, I never expected to be back in the city—least of all, to be back in this house. The place where it all started, the very place I’ve spent years avoiding. All because of him.
But I have no choice. We are all quarantined together in this house. It took the end of the world for me to come back here and face him.
Milo Sinclair.
Once my legal guardian and savior in life. The person who saved me from drowning in loneliness. Who gave me everything I ever wanted. But then he took everything away from me. Plus interest. He broke me once, I will not let him break me twice. *This is a dark forbidden romance. It contains discussions about the pandemic, mental health issues, and mature new adults. It also contains dubious situations that some readers might find offensive. Dark romance is subjective. Some readers have found this book to be a light read while others were sensitive to the material. Milo isn’t a normal romance hero, and some might not consider him a hero at ALL. So, please don’t read this if any of the above bothers you.
Drethi Anis lives close to DC with her husband, where she runs her own wedding planning business. When she’s not busy planning a special day, she can be found planning out ways to put her characters through hell. She is all about angst and dark themes in her books, with a side of psychology.
Drethi loves to turn negatives into positives, which is how she became an author. When COVID hit worldwide she decided to use her spare time creatively and wrote her very first series. Drethi is drawn to flawed and disturbed characters, whom she loves to put through the wringer before she gives them the Happily Ever After that suits their flaws and personalities.
She also loves to travel and tries to visit multiple countries per year.
💕This was such an epically toxic beautiful page turning read💕 I am now a huge fan of this author. The complexity of each character and how their journey from start to finish was told was seriously a joy to read.
There is so much to say about this series and I’m not sure a short review can do it justice but I’ll try.
Premise- The Sinclair family- Milo and his Brother Reid and their sister Mia live in NY they have a very busy father who is a Doctor and a very severely depressed mother. Their parents are basically nonexistent and it falls on Milo to grow up fast and raise his siblings while he is still a kid himself.
Ravens father is BFF with the Sinclair’s father. She grew up in a different state but was extremely close with Reid because they were born in the same day 1 hour apart. She’s also close with Mia who is the youngest Sinclair. Ravens mother leaves her and her father and the result is her father becoming a nonexistent dad. At 13 yrs old they move to NY to be closer to the Sinclair’s and she ends up basically apart of their family.
Through their parents neglect Milo ends up being the sole parental figure for Raven, Reid and Mia even though Milo is only 4 yrs older than Raven and Reid. The dynamic ends up with a whole lot of metal and emotional issues for them all as well as codependent relationships. When Milo turns 18 he becomes Ravens legal guardian.
As the years go by and Milo and Raven grow and change so does their relationship. It becomes very complex and complicated. Milo is beyond in love with Raven to the point that he becomes unhinged with fear of loosing her. Things get out of control and spiral before things come to a head.
What I loved about this series.
- Raven had a very unique and interesting way of thinking and it was refreshing to have a FMC that was more complicated and complex in her thinking process.
- Milo was completely unhinged when it came to Raven. You NEVER question his feelings. I loved his POV. Once him and Raven started a relationship he never looked at another woman. It’s was either her or no one. No one was getting in his way or keeping him for Raven- including herself- he would go to any lengths to have her and keep her.
- Milo💕 I am so I love with this man and his mania. He was so swoony from the moment he kissed Raven he didn’t touch another woman. I also loved that he was only unhinged for her and only her.
- Reid and Mila also played really important parts in this story and it was interesting to see how each persons dis function played into each others.
- The way the noncon/dubcon was done was 👌🏻. It’s hard to explain but it felt like Milo was really just so desperate to connect with Raven that he lost all sense. It wasn’t brutally done it was extra 🔥.
- During the 4 yr separation Milo stayed celibate while Raven spent a few years exploring her sexuality. I loved this cause Milo was a complete man slut for years including a few years he had feelings for Raven - but wouldn’t act on them- so he had his time with OW. Plus with his crazed obsession with Raven it wouldn’t have fit his character and the things he did to have her if he was with OW during their separation. From the moment he kisses Raven he never touches another. Raven on the other hand needs to explore so she knows what she has with Milo and it’s part of her growth.
-There is legitimate Growth in Milo and Raven they work and do what’s necessary to change- somewhat- to heal and be together.
- You really feel the intensity of each character. Their connection was addicting their feelings so extreme that you really felt every emotion along with them.
The whole journey of this couple was heartbreaking, passionate, insane, unhinged, crazed, beautiful, sweet, intense and overall a rollercoaster ride of a Romance. I loved every minute. I didn’t want it to end and I could have so much more of Milo💕
I wish I could express all that happens and how detailed and so well laid out this series is but I’m afraid I’m just can’t do it justice. It’s a must read. Prepare to be sucked in .
This love story is full of triggers, the biggest of which center on consent. If dub-consent or non-consent are triggering for you, this probably isn't the book for you. * * * * * * The romance book genre is full of sub-genres. This one falls under the dark umbrella and then along with that it's plays towards non-consent kink/fantasy. It's important to acknowledge the difference between fantasy non-consent in books vs real life non-consent. A lot of people have these fantasies and the success of books like this is evidence of it. However not everyone shares the same fantasies or kinks. So like I said earlier, this book isn't for everyone. It would be unfortunate for people to review or rate this book poorly because the premise is not their thing.
Beyond that, the author has a solid grasp of language and writing. Editing was ok, I noticed a few errors but not gratuitous. The characters were fleshed out and well rounded, the relationship, while toxic was believable. There were a number of taboo things at play, from age gap, to guardian/ward, to minor/adult, and I thought the author did a good job navigating it all. The main male character is not a nice guy, or a good guy, and is definitely a predator. I never really could root for him. Even at the end, I just couldn't be happy for them. While the issues of consent may have been addressed somewhat, the temper/anger/abuse was never really addressed as resolved or fixed. There were moments where I wasn't able to stay in the fantasy and the informed, experienced adult in me knows that men who lose control at that level (throwing vases, breaking things, leaving the girl cowering in a corner) don't change or get better. That type of abuse tends to escalate and get worse over time. So I guess the HEA ending was hard for me to believe or even invest in.
Outside of that, I would love to see a book/series on Reid. He deserves love and happiness as well. And I wouldn't mind a book series where Raven and Milo's child Damien falls for the adopted sister Layla since we are doing taboo things lol
Regardless how much I didn't care for Milo, I loved the writing, the sex scenes were hot and the story was a good, solid, story. I was fully engaged in these characters and couldn't wait to see what happened next to them. Well done.
★ “Although I wasn’t a people pleaser, I was a Sinclair pleaser.“ ★
—>>> The four stories in this boxset absolutely kept me turning the pages. Details of their pasts and presents as well as the multiple POVs served to really illustrate the multitude of tolls and influences the dysfunctional parental figures wrought on their families and how they shaped their ensuing emotional needs, as well as the challenges (financial, emotional, physical, etc.) and their subsequent collective impact on the psyches of their children maturing into their adulthood. Milo and Raven were two of the most memorable and well fleshed-out characters, their hearts’ vulnerabilities flayed open time and time again throughout their journey, though they were their own Milo’s need and lust for Raven drove the whole story:
“I was trying because it was his love that made me. I was trying despite his lust that broke me.”
“In the end, Milo fell for a woman who was just like the mother he resented. In the end, Raven fell in love with the man of her dreams, who was also her worse nightmare.”
I decided to jump into this series before I started Organized Chaos when I saw that they were connected. I'm going to recommend that y'all do the same. It goes a long way for character building and connection to the story.
I'll admit the first book took me a few hours to finally get into it enough to finish it. That could all be on me though. As the series progressed the storyline got better and I enjoyed it enough to hop into the boxset and read through all the bonus material as well. Again I recommend reading this series before starting Organized Chaos.
I'm in agreement with some of the reviews in regards to the actual genre of this series. I'd say it's more sensual thriller than romance. It's dark and certainly toes lines of taboo. It will NOT be for all readers. You can cruise reviews but I'll warn, a LOT are spoiler ridden. Just beware.
This is the first book that I’ve read by this author. I went in blind, and very happy that I did so. Because this set is so long, there are lots of tropes within tropes, and I’m not even sure how to describe it. It’s morally dark, borders on the taboo, and some angst. I appreciated the effort the author made to create a world & a history for her characters, which increased my understanding of how things unfolded. What I didn’t like about the story: if you’re going to take on this subject matter (noncon) in a contemporary story, I want the resolution to be more robust than the passing of time. Aside from that, I enjoyed the story and the author’s writing style.
This author is new to and if this is her debut I can’t wait to read more!
Milo and Raven both flawed characters, their story had a lot of ups and downs. Their relationship is angsty, full of pain, love and healing. They are each others nightmares as well as each others redemption. I loved the story, it is not for the faint of heart so do mind the authors triggers warnings⚠️⚠️. Love that there is now a spin-off too.
I was very confused from the beginning. I felt like the reader was supposed to know who these characters were going into the first chapter. Did I miss reading a prequel or something? Not a fan of books that are mostly dialogue either, throws me out of the book really quick. I know a lot of people liked this book, but lately I've been really picky in terms of writing.
A bit darker than I usually prefer, there are triggers which mainly concern consent issues between main characters, so it that bothers you - skip it. All things considered this complete set kept me invested in the story and I found characters real. I would recommend it to all who love dark, forbidden romances.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
All your sinfully taboo desire fixed in one! Raven and Milos story is dark, twisted and so much more your hooked from the start and questioning every moment of emotion. the characters draw you in and the detailed story takes you for a whirlwind ride! a great series!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book ripped out my heart in the most raw - fucked up way possible. The truth behind the damage caused to people in their early lives and how it translates to adulthood and their relationships is just… it’s on point and devastating. This book is not for the weak of heart.
A fantastic boxset. Deliciously dark and dangerous, not for the fainthearted. Great characters throughout, and a well crafted storyline. Would recommend.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
DNF 30%. Loved Milo as an MMC but Raven annoyed me and their lack of communication drove me insane. Also I felt like the inconstancies between this and the Chaos duet were too obvious for me to overlook.
I couldn’t put the book down! So many twists and turns. Lots of ups and downs for these characters. I would love to see some break off series for the all the characters.