Rouge

Tattered Curtain #2

by Greer Rivers

A dark billionaire romance with a secret society twist and a happy ever after.

The Garde values four ideals: The Truth we twist. The Beauty we flaunt. The Freedom we grant. The Power we take.

I believed their lies until Lacey O'Shea.

She’s the only daughter of the Garde's leading family, and she was meant to be mine. But her father stole her from me to sell to another.

So I stole her back.

But there's more to the conspiracy that kept us apart, and we have to keep our relationship secret from her former fiancé, the Baron, to find the truth.

He wants to lock her away, but she’s a bird desperate to flee her gilded cage.

I'll fight the Baron, the Garde, and the whole damn world to free her.

ROUGE is a spicy story set in modern-day Las Vegas and a complete STANDALONE in the Tattered Curtain series. Guaranteed HEA.

Author’s Note: This is not a retelling. The Tattered Curtain series transforms classic tragic plays, such as Romeo & Juliet, La Dame aux Camélias, and Orpheus and Eurydice, into dark and twisty HEAs. All CWs/TWs can be found in the front of the book, the author’s website, or on Goodreads. Mature readers only.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Enemies To Lovers, Mafia Romance, Contemporary, Retellings

450 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 23, 2023

About the author

Greer Rivers lives by the mountains with her real-life book husband and their three furbabies. Obsessed with history and folklore, she’s also a sucker for reality TV and proudly owns her titles as a messy eater, shirt ruiner, and steadfast non-sharer of food and wine. She adores romance, especially the dark and twisty kind, and her main goal as an author is to create a safe place for readers to feel too much.

Reviews

[Kat valentine ( Katsbookcornerreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Fantastic read from Greer Rivers Tattered Curtain series!!!!! I wish I could give this 10 stars for not only amazing storytelling and writing but for characters that had depth and emotion that had me rooting for their forbidden love and happy ending! This is a tale of forced marriage and enemies to lovers and at the beginning a long awaited revenge that turned into a once in a lifetime chance at true love. Kian McKennon is sexy and a total bad boy with personality and charm and a face and body that was made for sin! He's tattooed and well dressed and pierced below for your enjoyment😂 He is the wildcard. A assassin for the secret society known as the Garde!!! And his family has been on the outside looking in since their keeper Charlie O'shea withdraws the marriage contract between his daughter Lacey and Kian. Now the time has come to get his revenge its either kill Lacey or fuck her and ruin her and her family! But when he comes face to face with Lacey and feels her fire and passion all thoughts of his revenge go down the drain and she will be his chosen and damn the consequences! Lacey is not only beautiful but smart and I adored her so much! Being raised as a prize and treated like her thoughts and feelings really didn't matter could have made her vain,empty headed and meek but she had a fire and spirt that no man could crush! The passion and chemistry was their from their first touch and the dance scene was HOT!!!!! And the steam only got hotter!!!! From the back stage dressing room at the Rouge to Kian's penthouse the morning after, it was a whole lot of good fucking!!!
Their were also awesome secondary characters that I loved like Lacey's best friend Roxy!!! This chic was a friggin riot with her snark and one liners and a true ride or die! And Tolie a handsome flamboyant man of many faces and Mckennon loyalist is fabulous as he is unique!!! I loved him so much and would love to know more about him. And theirs also the villain Monroe Baron a slimey piece of shit with delusions of grandeur who I truly hated from the beginning!!!! He is a fucking bully and a creep and the way he treated Lacey like he owned her pissed me off! Lacey was willing to marry him to protect her father even though she knew she'd probably end up dead. Lets just say the motherfucker paided dearly for his treatment of her!!! Kian made him sorry for every tear and mark left on her!!! Greer did a amazing job with this book! Like The first book in this series Phantom it kept you on the edge of your seat with action,suspense and a great storyline and a twist towards the end that had me crying like a baby😭 No fair Greer! But I do forgive you!! Only because you gave me my happy ending! Until next time Luv's💕💋

“So many men demand respect by ruling with an iron fist, but they could be loved if only they gave us their tears.”

You’re the love I always believed in. You’re my queen of diamonds, and I’m your ace of hearts. Here to fight your battles and stand beside you when you want to fight your own. Is tú mo rogha, Lacey. You are the one I choose.”

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I can’t decide whether you’re my savior or my worst nightmare.” Rouge, Greer Rivers

—förced marriage
—secret society
—revenge
—piercings and tattoos MMC

This second installment to the Tattered Curtain series was everything.

It was spicy, it was dark, it was hot, and it was an absolute addicting read. I could not put this down when I started reading & truly fell in love with the chemistry between the MCs. They paired so well together & I really enjoyed reading this one from start to finish.

LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.

This may be tmi.
Whatever. I’m gunna say it anyways.

Those spice scenes (there were only a few BUT THATS OKAY) made me feel all hot and bothered. And I don’t get that way easily while reading romance books, so just saying…putting that out there. Lol

Lacey & Kian we’re a perfect match with their chemistry, characteristics, and communication, I truly loved how their relationship was and I’m a sucker for forced marriage, so this book hooked me right in. Kian pretty much kidnaps Lacey on the eve of her wedding day, and during that time, both Lacey and Kian learn secrets from one another and discover things that are much bigger than them.

If you’re looking for a dark romance that’s a retelling of a classic, grab both Phantom and Rouge by Greer Rivers. Buckle up and enjoy the spicy dark side of this romance. PLEASE check TW first, there are TW for both books & I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kian is actually so amazing and romantic and loving and I wish he was real so I could have him

[Jen ♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was exhausting and rage-inducing AF. The MCs were unlikeable, the premise was dumb, and everything in it was annoying. I knew when I hit the 50% mark that I should've stopped, but my stubborn ass thought maybe things would get better; newsflash, it didn't. 😒

Idk why I finished this tbh, because all it did was make me so mad with all the poor choices and actions the MCs took. And while I love to give a long ass rant on my review, this time I'm not going to. My energy and time are better saved for something better, and this book's not it.


Book info:
- Kidnapping
- Insta-lust
- Violence
- False imprisonment
- No cheating, OWD, separation
- No V (h - months, H - 1 yr, he's a hoe, though 🙄)
- OMD (h's ex-fiance)
- Vegas wedding
- HEA (they're married after all...🤷‍♀️)

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was a fun read, though Dreadful is still my fave.

The chemistry was delicious and I loved the suspense. I'm not sure why, but right after the 25% mark, the story did drag a bit for me and I found myself putting it down and coming back to it. DOn't get me wrong, I was invested enough to finish and I enjoyed the story and the characters. I just didn't grab me like the other book in the series did.

Find me on:

[cloudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“you’re the love i always believed in. you’re my queen of diamonds, and i’m your ace of hearts.”

i didn’t think i would love this book more than “phantom”. never having seen the movie nor knowing the story that served as inspiration to this retelling was sure to serve as a disadvantage since i was familiar with the phantom of the opera before going into that book. and yet this story was so immersive, so captivating right from the start, establishing a connection between me as a reader and the characters instantly, as if i’d known them by heart. the quick pace contrasted the slow burn of the first book in the series, which in a way contributed to the author fixing the only “flaw” i pointed out, making the mafia-esque element into the actual setting of the plot. i especially appreciated the few references to the bordeauxs and events from “phantom”, as well as the fmc’s past in new orleans.

* i was sent an arc by valentine pr in exchange for an honest review

[nat. ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 !! estoy un poco desesperada por encontrar un libro que llegue a 4 estrellas chicas :(, NO ME ENTIENDAN MAL, lo disfruté, me tuvo enganchada, hubo un pensamiento que me causó conflicto al principio pero de ahí estuvo todo bien, amo cuando los hombres lloran en los libros por alguna escena dramática pero también me faltó algo más, la protagonista no me termino de gustar (eso bajo puntos) pero Kian estuvo muyyyy bien (hot) ASESINO Y ROMÁNTICO DESESPERADO??? 10/10

(Tal vez la baja puntuación es solo yo con pensamientos culpables por leerlo cuando tengo que estudiar)

[erin | sinfulshelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

dark romance with the vibes of Romeo and Juliet & Moulin Rouge 🥵 4/5 stars - review below 👇

“𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

💍🖤|| 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆
⚠︎ check TWs | 18+ content ⚠︎

📖 Rouge (Tattered Curtain Series: Book Two)
Star Rating: 4/5 ★★★★
Spice Rating: 3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Spice Frequency: 3/5 🔥🔥🔥
POV: Dual/1st
Couple: Lacey O’Shea x Kian McKennon

• st@lker/c@ptor romance
• secret society
• m@fia romance
• pierced 🍆
• f0rced marriage
• billionaire romance
• safe words / aftercare / 0rg@sm denial
• Moulin Rouge / Romeo & Juliet vibes

Greer Rivers DOES IT AGAIN. I am literally sucked so far in to these books that it’s probably unhealthy…but the writing style and character development just have me completely enthralled. Plus, the unique twist with all of the play aspects, like the Romeo & Juliet vibes meets Moulin Rouge is simply *chef kiss*. There were moments where I definitely felt like this was a little drawn out and repetitive, but the love story that conquers all made it SO worth it to me. Plus, my Devil Kian just STOLE my heart. Like ran off with it…it’s his heart now.

Kian’s’ caring and loving side was so heartwarming and reading a h!tman be such a hopeless romantic was SO GOOD. I’m a sucker for an “only soft for her” character and that’s what he is. Plus, he’s a pierced D king which we love, or at least I know I love 😅😂 Lacey, our FMC, was definitely fiery but determined. I didn’t connect with her as much as I did with the FMC in Phantom, and I wanted to just grab her sometimes and shake some sense into her, but otherwise she was such a special character and I really enjoyed reading her side of things.

Overall, SO FLIPPING GOOD and I’m running to read Dreadful.

[The BookNerdigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

♦️ Dark Mafia
♦️Secret Society
♦️Second Chances
♦️Arranged Marriages
♦️Touch her you ☠️

So I received this ARC over the weekend and I finally started it today and I’m not ashamed to admit that I got zero work done today because I devoured this book.
I thought I loved Phantom (book one in this series of standalones) but man, Greer raised us to Kian and I’m totally okay with it 😆 .

Mafia/ secret society world set in Las Vegas where secrets are the norm and enemies sitting at your poker table are a staple. Absolutely loved this book.

[Tetyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Це було непогано. Книга захопила мене з першої і до останньої сторінки.

Тропи:
-ретейлінг Ромео і Джульєтти
-таємні стосунки;
-доторкнися до неї і помреш;
-захисний і одержимий головний герой
-мафія

Лейсі має вийти заміж за ненависного їй чоловіка щоб врятувати батька. Але на дівич-вечорі вона знайомиться з пристрасним незнайомцем, з яким проводить ніч і яки�� викрадає її. Кіан виявляється ворогом її сім'ї, а також чоловіком, з яким вона мала укласти договірний шлюб 5 років назад, проте заручини скасували

Мені сподобалося, як розвивалися стосунки головних героїв. Хоч тут також все було зашвидко, як і в першій книзі, але особливої родзинки надавали переписки і дзвінки між головними героями. Час, коли вони вимушені знаходитися порізно, зблизив їх якнайкраще. І як це було красиво. Мені сподобалося, як Кіан підтримував Лейсі, був її опорою, дослухався до неї, та ніколи не діяв проти її бажань, всупереч здоровому глузду і власним інстинктам. Сподобалося, що герої здебільшого були відкриті один з одним, хоча без таємниць не обійшлося. Ну і в цілому це було дуже гаряче і пристрасно🔥

Тепер до мінусів. По перше, не зрозумілий світоустрій, гарди, барони, поліція-мафіозі, якесь непонятне угрупування. Я так до кінця і не зрозуміла, чим займався Кіан (чи то кілер, чи то мафіозі, чи хто) і за що ув'язнили батька Лейсі. Від мафії, тут тільки пару згадок, авторка намагалася створити цікавий світоустрій, але він трохи не ліпиться до купи.

По друге, забагато драми на рівному місці. В якийсь момент в мене піднялася тривожність від цієї книги, події розвивалися дуже напружено. А головне, цього можна було б уникнути, якби не безглузді дії головних героїв. Що він, що вона, час від часу творили якусь ахінею.

Але в цілому, мені сподобалося. Книга викликала багато емоцій, як позитивних так і негативних, герої здебільшого були бусінками, коли не тупили, і сюжет тримав в напрузі до кінця (незважаючи на багато крінжових моментів 😂).

[antri౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
kian and lacey have my entire heart.
SOLARA AND I DEVOURED THIS BOOK SO QUICKLY AND IT WAS SO WORTH IT🙏🙏

[dani]

i could tell that i was going to love this book just by reading the prologue. if someone isn’t already dying by the first page then i don’t want it!

i’m never going to shut up about this book. like, ever. rogue was alluring, dark, theatrical, riveting, and romantic.

lacey and kian’s relationship wasn’t conveniently or ideally written, but it was still imperfectly perfect. their love for each other was practically tangible.

[Korg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Politics, politics, politics. That's what this book was about and it was a major let down after Phantom.

Tropes: Rivals, Marriage of Convince, THAYD, My Wife
Spice Rating: 3

Notable motions about this book: The couple is apart for 85% of the book.

I would like to preface that the ending was adorable and justice was served. This book does follow Romeo and Juliet closely as that story is incorporated into this book.

I really wanted to like this book and then I I really wanted to DNF this book. But, I loved the author's first book and have read several books this year that I have loved later on but this was NOT it. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

The beginning of this book was fine, then we got to chapter like 3 and I was already hating it. There was so much happening that I couldn't follow and was just confused. I thought I would understand more throughout but my confusion just stayed. There are too many people mentioned that are not super important and were not mentioned again, or for a while. I spent most of the book re-reading scenes and trying to understand what the fuck was going on and who was doing what.

I also didn't really like Lacey. She was really annoying, but I was not surprised the Kian stayed because he would do anything for his wife. However, there's a point where you do something instead of just continuing to do nothing. I also had a really hard time liking them as a couple. They were together for like a day and he as like I love you (which is fine, he also had a thing for her and he stalked her) but she was apart from him for most of their relationship and she was head over heels for him after a few texts messages.

This had all of the makings to be a great dark romance, but I think because it HEAVILY focuses on politics I did not enjoy it. I hope I like the next one.

[samantha ఌ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find yourself a man who tattoos your freaking bite mark on his skin because he wants your mark forever.

**

I don't give 5 stars often but this book deserves every single star out there. I also don't cry over books, but I shed some tears for this book. A new favorite.

[Veena · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐

[Randinicole_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so fucking much.

5 ⭐️ 3 🌶️

[SGetch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading Rouge, the second book in the Tattered Curtain series by Greer Rivers, and it was an emotional roller coaster! The story made me laugh, swoon, feel frustrated at times, and even shed a tear at the end.

Greer Rivers is an incredibly talented author who has a way of capturing your imagination and evoking strong emotions from readers. I'm excited to read more of her work and will definitely prioritize her novels on my reading list.

If you're a fan of romantic suspense novels that are dark, spicy, and filled with twists and turns, then I highly recommend checking out Rouge by Greer Rivers. The book features a strong and sassy heroine, a protective and passionate anti-hero, and a hard-earned yet satisfying happily ever after. It's a must-read!

Dual POV - Kian McKennon and Lacey O'Shea
A complete standalone novel within the Tattered Curtain series

I would consider this a "safe" read - no cheating, no ow drama, no true om drama.
No virgins. Prologue/Epilogue.

Please visit the author's website to find all the delicious Tropes and TWs: https://www.authorgreerrivers.com/dar...

[Ariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was chaotic as hell but entertaining. It also kinda felt like a fever dream? But I still had a good time lol. This wasn't the best book I've ever read but it wasn't the worst book I've ever read either. This was really fast paced. Kian and Lacey's story was something...The first book is better by far though. These are complete standalones. Lacey annoyed me throughout the book tbh. She put herself through all of this drama for no reason. The plot and the mmc was the only thing that made me keep going. I didn't really get the connection between these two but it still wasn't bad. I also didn't like how both characters were separated for most of the book but I still pushed through. With all of that being said it was still okay.

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

“With him, your life is in danger. With me? The world is. No one touches my wife.”

arranged/forced marriage x red flag men

[Esther]

Anyone has safety info??

[Jordan Fischer | julietfoxreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was obsessed with the movie Moulin Rouge when it came out, so I was PUMPED to discover that Rouge was a retelling BUT WITH MAFIA ROMANCE! This book was SO GOOD. The drama, the mafia intrigue, the SPICE. ALL so good, and if you love tragically heartbreaking romances (but with a HEA!) you'll love this book.

Kian and Lacey are adult children from different families involved in a powerful mafia-like society called the Garde. They were promised to each other in an arranged marriage, but Lacey's father broke off the engagement and betrothed her to the heir of a different Garde family. However, Kian remains obsessed with Lacey from a distance. The night before her wedding, Lacey goes out for her bachelorette party at a Las Vegas burlesque club and ends up dancing on stage with a masked Kian. He ends up stealing her away and marrying her - but they cannot tell anyone. Lacey ends up imprisoned by her ex-fiancé (who doesn't know sheds married), and things go downhill from there.

There are all sorts of fun allusions to Moulin Rouge in the book that I loved (Lacey's strawberry blonde hair, the Moulin Rouge themed burlesque, Lacey's stay in the "elephant room" with a view of the Las Vegas Eiffel Tower). It was so fun remembering some of the scenes from the movie that are mirrored here!

Though Rouge has an arranged marriage/marriage of convenience plot, there is a TON of chemistry between Kian and Lacey from the beginning. Though Kian falls for Lacey pretty rapidly, I love that they get to know each other from a distance when she is imprisoned through their texts. And y'all, the spice in this book is HOT.

In addition to Moulin Rouge, this book had serious Romeo and Juliet/Orpheus an Eurydice vibes - definitely a bit of a tragic love story. If you love angst, guys who will do ANYTHING to get to the woman they love, and arghhhh "don`t touch my wife" trope - you have GOT to read this book!

[Payton Box · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rouge is the exact book I needed to read right now. I loved this type of arranged/forced marriage and Kian and Lacey had a great relationship. This book was the perfect balance of dark and romantic that I adore in a dark romance, because I do prefer more of a balance in my dark romances.

Kian’s nickname for Lacey and how well it fits her was one of my favorite things. Lacey has such a strong spirit and as I read her story and watched the Baron try and break her, it was hard to read but I was captivated.

The poker games towards the end of the book was thrilling and I loved every moment so much that I stayed up way past my bed time to finish this book! I didn’t know what I was getting into with this book fully when I started but I was only pleasantly surprised!

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25🌟I’m in love with Kian😌

[Megen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We were meant to be together and when two people are meant to be, no one can explain why the fire sparks between them, but it kindles all the same.”


I started my ARC copy yesterday, and finished it in less than 24 hours. As a blue-eyed, strawberry blonde, firecracker with an Irish ancestry, this book CALLED OUT TO ME. I have loved the Tattered Curtain novels! I knew after Phantom that I might not feel the same with Rogue, but I am glad to say I was wrong. It was phenomenal. Thank you, Greer for writing a true love story that is suspenseful and gut-wrenching and heart strings-tugging! I always look forward to reading your brilliant works! ❤️

[Well Read Nurse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omfg!

I am obsessed! Kian is probably my favorite! The accent the possessive nature the obsession the rage the love!


I needed this! The way he loves her his Tine I just DIEEEEEEE!!!

I WANT MORE

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

***AVAILABLE NOW***

4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this one. It was a fantastic hero, who was just the right amount of possessive for me. I loved that he fell first and believed so much in who they were as a couple. I loved the secondary plot line and the secret society!! So good!

[MegzeeH · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️
Moulin rouge retelling dark romance, um yes please.

We have an Irishman mafia hit man Kian, and socialite mafia princess Lacey.
And so many secrets.
And soooo much angst and edge of your seat moments.

Lacey, girl, I was ready to smack you upside the head so many times. Like I get it, but I don't. All that time with the Baron when you could have been with Kian.

I loved how this actually followed the way Moulin Rouge was done, especially the book separated into Acts.

[Cassie Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read with a lot of plot and some great spice. This story is a combo of Romeo and Juliet meets Moulin Rouge. It has secret society, forced marriage, kidnapping, betrayal, murder, a strong fmc and of course the mmc isn’t just tatted, obsessive and protective but also pierced. This story follows Kain and Lacey through a lot of twists and turns some good while others will have you questioning why. Definitely would recommend

[ritika · Rating 1 out of 5]

she bit him and it bled and he got it tatted…. just like in those tiktoks….. please i wish i didnt have to have that visual

[jfdbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ☆