I've never wanted anything to do with the mafia life. I was going to get my degree and get out. But thanks to mafia warring, I'm now being held hostage by one of the largest criminal empires.
Giulio Pavone is as personable as he is cruel, treating women like nothing more than product to be sold, and he is very eager to get me trained up. Damien Rossi's faux gentle touch makes my skin crawl. Slayer has made no secret how much he wants to see my tears.
And above all, they want to forcibly use me to continue the Pavone family line. I'm nothing but a broodmare to them. I know if I get pregnant, my chance of escape becomes next to nothing.
I have to get out. I have to stay strong. I can't become one of the broken girls they sell at their seedy clubs.
Note: This work contains extremely dark themes with potentially triggering content. Read at your own discretion. Though this book picks up where Loving Lucia left off for Vanessa's story, it is not necessary to read the Breaking Lucia trilogy before diving into the Breeding Vanessa trilogy.
Edit: While I fully stand by my original review and have the same opinion, I want to start this review off by emphasizing how much I like these authors. I'm in multiple fb groups and they're nothing but kind & sweet when interacting with fans & other readers. Breeding kink isn't personally my thing, which is the *only* reason why I'm dnfing this book. I still fully support these authors and I can't wait to read their future books. The following review simply explains why I didn't support the ARC policy for this book. If you like MMF & the noncon breeding trope? Really dark books? This will be your jam, go for it.
***
Dnf. I read straight to about 30% or so then skimmed to the end. To be fair I'm not rating the book.
If I had finished this I have a feeling I would've rated it 3 stars, but all because of my subjective taste, the writing style and characterization was all good here. I rec this to people who like dark reverse harem mafia (readers who don't mind mm or noncon) who are also into breeding kink. Breeding kink is not my kink, although I have tolerated it before, but when it wasn't the only focus. The focus here is very much centered on getting the heroine pregnant....I had difficulty staying engaged since this isn't my thing. I may dnf this trilogy, but I'm still very much looking forward to anything else the authors write.
I rated the authors' previous trilogy all either 4/5 stars. I liked it so much, when the authors had ARC call outs for this book I went to apply for an ARC. Now looking back, it's probably a good thing I didn't apply anyway, but at the time I was disappointed to see the requirements in their ARC application, which specifically violate FTC guidelines.
Here's a screenshot of part the ARC application that I'm going to be giving the authors feedback on:
My intention for this review is twofold: If the authors read their reviews, I hope this provides some helpful resources for them, so they can better weed out bad advice they get from indie romance circles on Facebook. Also, I appreciate reviews on Goodreads that point out problematic ARC policies, such as ones that instruct reviewers to omit disclosures that reveal they received a free book, so I can better qualify the reviews I read, before making the decision to purchase a book.
To Goodreads staff, in case this review is reported:
Now, to explain why this matters, I need to provide some context regarding the FTC, Amazon, and how this relates to consumer reviews. Why would Goodreads put that bullet point I listed above about reviewers revealing they received a free copy? It comes down to the FTC. Goodreads' TOS & review guidelines need to follow FTC guidelines, as does Amazon's. The FTC is one of the few organizations that has successfully sued Amazon. Not too long ago Amazon had to pay them 61 million: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/...
I fully realize the likelihood of the FTC investigating independent authors' review practices is nill. However, in the authors' ARC application, it's stated Amazon will ban reviews and even accounts if the reviewer mentions they received an ARC, or a free copy for review.
...This is false. This is a common rumor spread amongst indie romance circles on Facebook - you'll never see whoever is spouting this misinformation back it up with receipts. It's complete speculation. Check out Amazon's own guidelines for authors seeking reviews for their books: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/top...
Can I give free discounted copies of my books to readers?
You may provide free or discounted copies of your books to readers, as long as you do not require a review in exchange or attempt to influence the review. Offering anything other than a free or discounted copy of the book—including gift cards—will invalidate a review, and the Amazon Community team will remove it. To learn more, see Community Guidelines.
There's nothing about how reviewers should hide from other consumers they received a free product. Amazon knows free books will be given to some readers for an early review. Amazon even has its own review program, and if a consumer qualifies, they reveal on the review space that the person qualified for a free product (the Vine program). They do this because they're following FTC guidelines.
Now, there's a reason Booksprout instructs ARC readers to say they received a free copy and are voluntarily leaving a review. They use the word voluntarily vs. exchange since Amazon instructs authors they can't give a book to a reader in exchange for a review. There's a nuance here. So, some authors have speculated the 'in exchange' wording might flag reviews and get them deleted. Also, if Amazon connects many reviews to gift cards. This again connects back to the FTC, they instruct businesses can give out free products, but they can't require a review in exchange or do anything that might manipulate the review. This is the most common FTC guideline that's broken by indie authors.
*****
Edit: I talked to 3 people to make sure I wasn't off in being taken aback by these ARC requirements. One was another indie author, one was a person who works with authors, and another was a regular reader. The author and person who works with authors agreed this was an odd policy (asking readers to not disclose they received an ARC), but the reader disagreed because in Facebook groups other readers complain about Amazon not approving reviews that reveal they received an ARC.
I would encourage any author on Facebook to take a reader complaining about their review not being approved by Amazon because they mentioned the word 'ARC' with a grain of salt. Amazon never reveals the reason why, they just say, "check out our community guidelines, your review didn't meet them." I've had 2 ARC reviews not approved by Amazon because I either used a curse word or something of a sexual nature like the word smut, sex, erotica, etc. When I removed that word and submitted my review (still containing the word 'ARC') Amazon approved the review. Also, Booksprout is in the business of ARC reviews. I've never seen an ARC reviewer that uses Booksprout complain about Amazon not approving their review that contains the phrase, "I received an ARC and I'm voluntarily leaving a review." In fact, that phrase is so common amongst reviewers on Amazon who use Booksprout, you'll see the word ARC in the bubble words at the top.
A couple years ago it got out Amazon banned ARC reviews, but they were focusing on a huge amount of unverified reviews that show up for books on release day. It comes across as spam. So it was advised authors who have huge ARC teams (like 50-100 or more reviewers) encourage their ARC reviewers to space out their reviews -- give them a longer period to post them, two weeks or so instead on release day, or the day after release.
Another aspect authors may want to consider, is that a lot of influencers/book bloggers popular on Goodreads regularly disclose they received ARCs. This ARC application requirement turned me off, I see it potentially turning off other ARC reviewers as well.
*****
To further put this in perspective, here's a link to FTC guidelines about consumer reviews they provide for businesses:
As a consumer, I want to know if a person received the product for free, was paid to leave a review, or if they have a relationship with the business owner. Hiding this information, what the ARC application is encouraging, is dishonest by omission and the FTC considers this misleading to consumers. This should be common sense. In the ARC application it's stated: readers normally view [ARC reviews] differently. Yes. As they should. However, I know trusted influencers on Goodreads, and the reason I trust their ARC reviews is that they have a reputation for being honest. Honesty and authenticity is the way to gain credibility, not omission. Any reviewer or author who justifies their decision to not reveal they received a free book is...I don't know how they justify it. They are basically admitting they're okay lying by omission if it makes their review seem more credible to other readers who won't know any better.
I would suggest any business owner familiarize themselves with FTC's guidelines, especially if they will be receiving reviews from consumers. Here's another webpage with links: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance...
I've found most indie romance authors are unfamiliar with the FTC and how it impacts Amazon's own policies. You'll get all kinds of relatively popular authors who regulate their ARC teams in ways that blatantly break FTC guidelines. Because the FTC doesn't prioritize regulating the book industry, there's no real motivation for authors to follow their guidelines. It all comes down to culture. As a reader, I value other reviewers who point out in reviews when an author kicked them off their ARC team when they left 3 stars or less, etc. I want to know because I don't want to support authors who use those kinds of dishonest, manipulative practices. To give these authors credit, they don't have anything in their ARC application about readers only leaving them 4/5 stars -- so I'll still support these authors. I do believe they are getting incorrect information. There's no good reason for any author to encourage their readers to omit a disclosure they received a free book.
Then the NDA part of their review isn't a real NDA. That wouldn't hold up in court. It's not a real contract, there's no way any author could take a reader to court because "a representative" determined they left spoilers in the review. That's really leaning towards authors manipulating and trying to influence reviews as well. I understand authors kindly requesting the readers to not leave spoilers, or at least leave warnings....but this legalese obviously wasn't written by a legitimate attorney and comes across as odd.
I do understand authors including legalese about readers not distributing ARCs.
I know after this the authors are going to think I'm just a random asshole reviewer on Goodreads, that's why I've provided links to everything -
...I'm fully aware I just got on a tall, long-winded soap box, so I want to emphasize how much I like these authors' style of dark romance. The main reason I took time to explain all this is that I like to support indie authors who follow ethical review guidelines. I don't think these authors are ill-intentioned, just they're receiving misinformation about Amazon's policies regarding reviews. Disclosures are honest. Amazon allows them. If anything, authors should ask readers to refrain from using the in exchange wording, a simple *ARC received from the author will suffice.["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>
This is like so very bad, like a couple of teenagers, like talking and trying to be all like edgy
➠ Before fans come after me, no, I didn't DNF because of the non-con. Frankly, it wasn't as bad as everyone was making it out to be. It's your standard non-con with the typical 'why is my body reacting this way 😩' trope. ・ ・ ・ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Wooooow. First off, I DO recommend to read the Spoils of Victory trilogy first. This trilogy follows Vanessa’s sister Lucia (the h from Spoils) and will provide backstory. It’s not necessary, so don’t let that deter you from reading this book. BUT, I think you should.
Second this is a dark romance, the men are awful, the heroine is in a mess. If you have triggers, it is YOUR responsibility to yourself as a reader and as a human to look up the triggers to see if there are no goes for you!
Wowza, this was ROUGH. I looooved this one! These guys are AWFUL. How on earth can they ever be redeemed?! Seriously, they’re terrible, but I want to get inside their heads! I NEED MORE. Muahahaha I love it! I cant wait to see where the authors take this story and how the characters develop on this crazy journey.
The writing is phenomenal and I could not put this book down. And that fun little twist towards the end? BRILLIANT! I also thought it really benefited this book to have chapters from different MCs POVs. Definitely the right choice in this book.
Anyone who knows me or my reading habits knows I will NOT start a series unless it’s finished except for a select few series/authors. These two definitely make that list. Any future books of theirs immediately go on my TBR.
Boring. Nothing really happens except smut. The characters had zero chemistry with the fml and she spent the entire book complaining. Hs were written as caricatures of what the authors think is an unconventional mafia family/friends. Tried way too hard to make guliano funny. So boring. One sad star.
Claiming Vanessa is the first book in the Breeding Contempt series. It is also a spin-off of Spoils of Victory trilogy. While it's not necessary to read the previous trilogy, for a better experience, I highly recommend to. This is Lucia's sister, Vanessa's story. This is a dark romance, mafia reverse harem, hot, steamy scenes (including mm), and with bunch of triggers and kinks (including breeding, medical kink, roleplay, humiliation, DP) THIS IS SOOO GOOD! I was hooked! I've been spending a lot of time with hoooot, psycho, villainous book boyfriends lately and I am soooo adding Giulio, Damien, and Slayer to that collection....OMG!! Definitely excited for the next one!
I absolutely loved this book so much l read it in one day. My heart breaks for vanessa, she goes threw so much. I am hoping the guys can redeem themselves in the next book and that ending !! Please check trigger warnings
The plot is a crime against humanity. If I could I would give that minus infinity out of 5 stars. This is basically PWP (porn without plot). The characters are worse than any type of B A D monsters. The only thing that sparked an interest was the plot twist with Slayer... sigh... Acceptable writing style in some aspects. Now...
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Good non-con spice combination... For me it was definitely above average compared to other shits I've read lately. And that would put it at a very nice 7.75/5 stars... I'm questioning my sanity over this, my morals out the window...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is another great read from Raissa and Addison!!! They are an amazing author duo and one of my favorites. They just keep getting better and better with these deliciously dark stories. The writing from these authors is amazing as always. The style and descriptions suck you in and makes it impossible to put it down once you start, with twists and turns that keep you up until all hours of the night. I also really, really enjoyed how the authors wrote a female lead that wasn’t strong. Vanessa is weak. She has her defiant moments, but mostly she’s just lost. I thought I loved Lucia’s story, but Vanessa’s is just as amazing, if not more. I was angry, sad, hurt, grossed out, aroused and excited while reading this book.
We met Vanessa in their other amazing series, Spoils of Victory, where Vanessa’s sister, Lucia, has her own nightmare to live through. Now it’s Vanessa’s turn. I can appreciate the contrast of the two sisters and I can also see a lot of growth in the works. I hope to see Vanessa grow and become her own woman even in the midst of her torment. I do recommend you read the Spoils of Victory trilogy first though. This trilogy follows Vanessa’s sister Lucia and will provide backstory. It’s not necessary, so don’t let that deter you from reading this book. But, I definitely think you should, you won’t regret it!!
The men couldn't be more different. Giulio is the head of his family now and is supposed to be very unlikable, but honestly, he was amazing. He’s brutal and irreverent and seemingly takes nothing seriously. Damien is the serious counterpart here. Slayer is just mean, brutal and cunning. They all kidnap Vanessa from her sister’s wedding, so she can be used as leverage. One of my absolute favorite aspects of this book was somehow learning to like these truly reprehensible characters. I’m hoping to see a lot of character development for everyone in the next books. I also thought it really benefited this book to have chapters from different MC’s POVs.
If you’re looking for something dark and torturous, a story with tons of MMM/F action and even some sexy M/M action, then this book is going to be right up your alley. It’s all that and so much more. If you like dark, dirty and depraved alphas, then I totally recommend reading Claiming Vanessa, you won’t be disappointed and because this is the beginning of a trilogy, you are left craving more!!
Is interesting how every time I think I might not like a book, because some of its content, I end up staying up at night to finish it. It wasn't any different with this one. I found myself being unable to put it down, especially in the past chapters.
I had a hard time deciding if I should read the book, because it addresses subjects I have issues with and rather not to read, but I'd read from the authors before and everything they write, I usually love so I didn't knew what to do. I end up reading it and I don't regret my decision, it was a great book.
As most books, it had things I liked and things I didn't. What I didn't, well the subject I'm uncomfortable is still there but I'm not even saying much about it because that has something to do with me and not the book. I found the initial pace a bit slow, but it gets better. I know is a dark theme book but I wanted to see the characters care for each other, and some certainly do, but it wasn’t exactly the way I expected. The things I did liked about it, first there was an interesting humorous tone that was a great contrast to the darkness around everything going on, I really love that. Some of the characters were also amazing. I also liked the plot, but, since is part of a series, it feels incomplete, which is ok with me since the promise of more is keeping me hook right now.
The character, well I have a lot of thoughts about the characters but I want everyone to make their own opinion, I just have to say that everyone has something intriguing about themselves and it will be a great experience getting to know them.
Overall it was a great book. I recommend to check the warning tags before reading it. Beware it might have spoilers if you start reading this series before reading Spoils of Victory.
2⭐️ isn't for the content. I obviously knew what I was going to be reading. It was the writing style that I struggled with. The constant nonsense dialogue between the men was very distracting. Not sure if I'll continue the series.
In her sister Lucia’s series (Spoils of Victory) we saw Vanessa get kidnapped at Lucia’s nightmare wedding gone war zone.
Now we get to see what happened to Vanessa after getting kidnapped. Damien Rossi, former consigliere to Emilio Pavone (Lucia’s almost-husband before Victor rescued her) has had his eye on Vanessa. So when chaos ensues at the wedding, he takes advantage of the opportunity. So him and Emilio’s adult son, Giulio, kidnap her for themselves.
Damien has dreams of Giulio getting Vanessa pregnant. And Giulio loves Damien so he plays along, along with his second-most-loyal man Slayer, who Damien isn’t thrilled at letting join in.
Vanessa is trapped and unsure of how to get free. But as the days pass she’s less and less sure of escape even being possible, especially when she’s worried Giulio will take out his anger on the girls she’s befriended at the strip club they’ve been keeping her at.
Loved this! After reading Spoils of Victory I was really looking forward to this series. These authors know how to write DARK mafia RH romance. I literally love everything about it. It’s dark, they are ruthless and not in any way soft. They’re assholes. They’re total villains. And I freakin love it.
I do highly recommend reading Vanessa’s sister Lucia’s series (Spoils of Victory) before this one so you can understand the background a little bit. Probably you can still enjoy this series without doing that, but the other series is also really good anyways so why not?
Just keep in mind the trigger warnings. These are seriously not nice guys and there’s definitely some noncon going on in both series’, so don’t read them if that isn’t for you.
But if you like dark romances about villains, then these are such awesome books.
I wasn’t sure I’d like Vanessa. In Lucia’s books she was kind of bratty and annoying. But I did like her. She’s not like Lucia at all. She’s much less jaded and more innocent. She’s very compassionate and soft. But I actually didn’t hate her. Sometime those traits can be annoying. But the only time she really annoyed me was when she came into the VIP room after Damien told her not to. I just thought that was utterly stupid. Other than that I did like her for the most part.
The guys? Oh boy. They aren’t good. But they’re actually not as bad as Lucia’s men. Victor is something else.
But here we have Damien who is actually kind of nice most of the time. If you can look past the kidnapping and breeding and whatnot. lol But he’s not as cruel as you’d think.
On the other hand, Slayer is pretty cruel. But damn I still love that type of MC. And him being a detective? Yep. I totally knew it! When they were talking about Giulio’s business not being on the cops’ radar I just knew he was an inside guy. It was still a pretty awesome reveal though. And despite his cruelty I love his ruthlessness and hardness.
Then there’s Giulio. I fucking love Giulio. He’s one of those kinds of guys that’s insanely intelligent but hides it behind an overly quirky personality that gets people to really underestimate him (I’m pretty sure he does this on purpose). But even though he’s an asshole, he’s funny and charming too. I also LOVE his role playing fetish. Its kind of adorable. And I love that Damien and Slayer just roll with it for him.
The sex in these is off the charts hot. So steamy. And I love that they’re all bi too. So hot! I wonder if Damien and Slayer will ever kiss and make up. Would love to see them going at it. They are so angry at each other. lol
As for the breeding kink, it’s not to typically my thing. But I love these books so much and it’s still hot. Even if it’s not my normal kink, I don’t hate it the way it’s done here.
Overall it’s a great first in series. Loving this just as much as the Spoils of Victory series so far. The characters aren’t carbon copies but unique from those characters, but the book is just as gripping and good. Onto the next one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I like dark and twisted romance and this book is my jam! Vanessa is so demure and proper living in her own little world she is nothing like her sister Lucia. The secrets and twists so far in this book have kept me hooked I feel like Giulio is the glue that holds the group together. Damien is the control freak and Slayer has a lot of growing to do especially him and his secrets. This book is not for the faint of heart. If u have issues with dubious consent, breeding kinks, or pretty much anything seen as coercion this book is not for you but, the people who enjoy this side of depravity this book is for you100%
Unfortunately, I didn't finish this one. I got about 50% in, It has so many things I like in my books, but for whatever reason, I just wasn't feeling it. The writing was good. The story was different and decent. Maybe I just wanted to feel them have some sort of real obsession with her, which they did not. She could have been anyone, and I feel like they wouldn't have cared either way. Only Damien seemed to have any real affection for her, and even that felt weak. So yeah, I can see why this is recommended a lot in my book groups, but it's not a hit for me.
Another wild ride from Donovan and Wolf. They just keep getting better and better with these deliciously dark stories. We met Vanessa in their other excellent series, Spoils of Victory, where Vanessa’s sister, Lucia, has her own nightmare to live through. Now it’s Vanessa’s turn.
Giulio and Damien kidnap Vanessa from her sister’s wedding and it all goes even further downhill from there. Damien has the idea to make Vanessa the mother of Giulio’s children, willingly or not. Be certain to check your triggers at the door, because nothing about this is soft or sweet. Vanessa’s in for a bad time. Once Giulio pulls in friend and sometimes reluctant lover Slayer, all bets are off. Here’s the thing: you can’t help but revel a little in Vanessa’s misery, especially if you’ve read the previous books. She really came off as a little snobby and entitled. Seeing her knocked down a peg or two wasn’t bad. I also actually really, really enjoyed how Donovan and Wolf wrote a female lead that wasn’t strong. Vanessa is weak. Make no bones about it. Now, that’s not to say she won’t grow throughout the series, but right now? So soft and weak. I think it will make her transformation that much sweeter.
Giulio is supposed to be very unlikable, but honestly, he was fabulous. He’s brutal and irreverent and seemingly takes nothing seriously. Damien is the serious counterpart here. He seems like he needs to loosen up a bit. Slayer is just mean. Brutal and cunning. I think Slayer might be my favorite, with Giulio coming in as a close second. There’s something about Slayer that makes me want to peel back his layers. Even after finishing the book and knowing what I do now, Slayer might just take the cake. One of my absolute favorite aspects of this book was somehow learning to like these truly reprehensible characters.
If you’re looking for something dark and torturous, something with tons of MMM/F action and even some sexy M/M action, this book is going to be right up your alley. It’s all that and so much more.
Beautifully dark and twisted, poor Vanessa is right down in it, with no way out. This series follows on directly from the Spoils of Victory series. Its not essential to have read it but it'd probably help, as there's a lot of previous characters mentioned. Plus you'd kinda know what to expect from these darkly amazing authors. There were some great scenes in this, I particularly loved Vanessa meeting Antonia! There's also a great twist that I never saw coming. If you like them dark and twisted then this is the book for you!
The writing from these authors is amazing as always. The style and description sucks you in and makes it impossible to put down with twists and turns that keep you up until all hours of the night. That being said I did have a hard time connecting to Vanessa. After Lucia's fire in the first three books Vanessa's crying and lack of backbone was somewhat tedious and hard to read but did fit her character. I can appreciate the contrast of the two sisters and can also see a lot of character development in the works. I hope to see her grow and become her own woman even in the midst of her torment. Giulio's humor and carefree attitude all while being a proper psycho was absolutely amazing. I lived to read his scenes. The only thing I really had issue with was while there was no other woman drama there was a lot of talk of previous women they'd been with, used, abused, whatever. I get it, being in the sex trafficking/strip club side of the things and all but it just made the guys come off as creepy and not in a you're awful but still sexy kind of way. I still find myself thinking about the story and wondering what's in store for Vanessa and the guys next so that's a win in my book.
Good parts and not so good parts. Great heroine, good story premise, spicy but cringeworthy, immature main hero. He was funny until his funny became childish, and the story direction was lost along the way.
I was so freaking excited for this book, after the pure, deliciously depraved antics in the Spoils of Victory trilogy... guess what? I was NOT disappointed!
Did I love Saint and Angel in the original books? God yes. Even Victor? A little? Now and then. Maybe lol
Giulio, Damien, and Slayer? OMFG... gimme more. They're wicked, they're twisted AF, and they're so compelling that I devoured this book as fast as I could, which is a shame, because I should have savoured it. It's honestly challenging, and fascinating, and deeply naughty, in those ways that we smut readers love so damn much. Breeding obsessed? These guys? Yeah, just a LOT. I loved every psychotic moment of it, and am desperate for more.
Let's talk about Vanessa for a moment. She's a freaking goddess. I expected her to be weaker than Lucia, who quite honestly had her moments when she seemed to break, but came back fighting. Vanessa though... she's got fire, and I loved the way her character was developing page by page.
If you haven't read the Spoils of Victory trilogy yet, then you're massively missing out. And this? This is epic, and you need to read it too. Trust me, just read it in the bath or something, so you can uh... be alone for the spicy bits... it's SO hot!
This was an awesome read that I could not put down once I started. IT moves along at a pace which made for an easy read. It has interesting characters that you want to know and be there for, no matter what and a story that will not disappoint and keep you reading until the end. This book is a must read that needs to be on your TBR list.
So, dark romance lovers! Donovan and Wolf have done it again!
I would say, that so far, Vanessa's story is not as dark as Lucia's, but dark it is!
I do think her life would have been easier had Corvi been able to snatch her from the grasp of Giulio and Damien, but, where would that leave us readers!
I love Vanessa's empathy for the dancers at the club but what she pays as a result! WHOA!
I do love the parallels between Lucia's guys and Vanessa's. But Slayer is a definite twist!
Hoping Nessa can stay in Gulio's condo rather than Ntimacy! We'll see!
Well, this writing duo has created a new series that's not even "finished" and I was completely satisfied. YES, I said what I said.
Claiming Vanessa follows the story of Vanessa Bellini, the sister of Lucia from The Spoils of Victory series. You can read it first or following this one, you won't get lost in the storyline. Vanessa is taken at the onset of the mayhem during her sister's wedding (timeline crosses over) and she's used as leverage.
The leverage shifts into (insert series title here) once they are away from the wedding. You'll need to check your morals at the door, but you'll be rewarded with top of line spice. Yes, there's still a plot and the twist! 😱 Pay attention, because there are breadcrumbs written in there. sweet Vanessa is trying her hardest to help those around her, but she only succeeds in making things more complicated for herself. Her actions cause rifts between characters.
The men couldn't be more different. Guilio is the head of his family now, he's rather laid back, care-free and is the scariest, because he can inflict terror in unique ways. Damien, who made an appearance in Lucia's series is absolutely obsessed with Vanessa and the idea of her having babies. And then there's Slayer. He's the most feared and the enforcer of the group. Guilio and Damien have a little MM action going on and I'm here for it.
Although this is the beginning of a trilogy, you are left craving more.
Vanessa has many challnges with the men in her life. She is determined to not be their broodmare. All she wants is out but with war on the horizon that may not be an option. This book will have you hooked and wanting more.
This was crazy good!!!! I thought I loved Lucia’s story but Vanessa’s is so much better. My emotions are going crazy right now. I was angry, sad, hurt, grossed out, aroused and excited while reading this.
I definitely went into reading this with an open mind because there were a few things that are,I guess, soft limits for me. I don’t want to give too much away but if you like dark, dirty, depraved, alphas then I totally recommend reading Claiming Vanessa you won’t be disappointed.
I found this book to be one of those that invokes many emotions throughout. It has a plot that keeps you engrossed as well. It is dark, gritty, and raw. I really liked how this one unravels a piece of an even bigger story. You will be left with wanting more and needing answers. I can't wait to read the next in the series to see where everything is going to go. It is an excellent read.