Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Hansel, Part Two

Rate this book
PART TWO IN ELLA JAMES' BESTSELLING EROTIC FAIRY TALE...

He was Hansel.
She was Gretel.
Once upon a time, they shared a prison wall inside a crazy woman's house.
When they meet again, he has a whip. She wears a mask. And fear runs high - for so many reasons.
What will happen when the mask comes off, the walls come down?

Fairy tales are cautionary tales, remember?

*Part three coming next week.
*This story is very dark, with many mature themes. If you don't like dark stories, you may not enjoy it.

79 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2014

14 people are currently reading
644 people want to read

About the author

Ella James

75 books5,799 followers
Ella James is the USA Today + Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of more than twenty books. Ella lives in Colorado with her husband and three kids. When she's not writing, you can find her in the foothills.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
410 (30%)
4 stars
531 (39%)
3 stars
303 (22%)
2 stars
85 (6%)
1 star
29 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
Profile Image for Christy.
4,530 reviews35.9k followers
July 9, 2020
3.5 stars!

 photo 9146a2a4-89f1-4db7-81e7-d5d54976e15b_zpsc7ca66ce.jpg

Hansel is kind of messed up… but it’s the kind of messed up that I like!

After reading the second installment, I still have lots of questions. Many revelations were made, but there is still lots to learn and discover.

Leah still hasn’t left Vegas. She’s still holding on to hope that Hansel will come around. We get present pov of Leah and Hansel, but this installment also took us back into ‘Hansel’s’ past. There was a lot of insight to why he is the way he is and what events shaped him into this person. I’m still very curious about .

Hansel and Leah share a bond from their past, they are very connected sexually in the present, but what will the future hold for them? Hansel can’t talk about his past and Leah won’t give up on trying to get him to trust her. Where will they go from here?

I think I am addicted to these fairy tale serials. I can’t seem to stop reading them! I like how different Hansel is from Ella’s other fairy tale novellas. It’s more emotional for sure. It’s a little darker too. But one thing stays consistent… it’s hella hot! That, and I really enjoy the writing style. I’m hoping the next novella comes out soon- I’m anxious to see what happens next in this twisted fairytale story!

 photo bdedf561-24f6-4526-8e76-c0cd931d69da_zps90897865.jpg
Profile Image for Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈.
582 reviews321 followers
March 17, 2017

Read a book based on a fairy tale (part 2 of 4).

Ok, first of all, I was supposed to buddy read this with my wonderful gal Heather back in February.
Fail.

And then I was supposed to love it just like she did.
Double fail.

What can I say? This one just didn't work for me.


I'm still going to read parts 3 and 4 because they are short because I am a completer because I love Heather and want them to work for me.

I know this is a self-pub and there are going to be some grammatical and stylistic errors but jesus this was kinda like a 6th grader wrote it. And all the promise that the first installment held kinda went to hell. I thought Leah was a moron and I thought Hansel was an abusive prick. And if we could get two MCs who were more full of self-loathing than these two than we wouldn't have a story because they would have offed themselves a long time ago.


And this is supposed to be a fairy-tale retelling? I don't see it. Other than the fact that Hansel is named Hansel. Which he's really not. His name is Edgar. I mean Hansel. I mean Lucas. WTF man? All the anticipation I had to figure out Hansel and Leah's abduction stories, who Mother was, what she did to Hansel to completely and utterly fuck him the fuck up (because let me tell you, I don't think I've ever read anything where the male lead was more fucked up than edgarhansellucas) was absent. We just get some completely contrived and ridiculous backstory about Lucas and his past, particularly his weirdo relationship with a young hot blonde social worker named Shelly. Dude! This guy has more issues than Zac Braff on ecstasy.


And his past was a joke. I'm sorry. It didn't ring even the faintest bit true or realistic. It was supposed to be shocking and raw and emotional and really, it just left me feeling pissed off. Is this why Hansel is such a prick? Why he's an emotional train wreck? Why he is the most closed-off, self-loathing, fucking idiot I've ever read about?


And please don't get me started on Leah. I wanted to punch her in the face. For being dumb and for being naive and for being completely fucking annoying. Seriously you two. You haven't seen each other in ten years and only had sex once. I understand you were abducted together and held each other's hands through a hole in a wall, but seriously? GET THE FUCK OVER EACH OTHER AND GET TO THERAPY. OR GET SOME HAPPY PILLS.


But then we wouldn't have a story, would we?

I'm being mean. I'm sorry. I just couldn't give two flying fucks about what happened in this book. It was seriously like it was written at a drunken college party. I'm keeping it at two stars for a mere little ounce of potential, but seriously, I better get some juicy shit in the next installment or I'm having a rage party. And not the fun kind.

And the sex? Not sexy. Not even a little bit. BDSM is not about controlling asshattery, or mind manipulation, or games. It is not sexy to lie to or hide things from your partner. No matter how many mommy issues you have. And I really really wanted Leah to grow a pair and say "fuck off" or at least give him the pain he asked for and be done with it.


I have a few friends who really loved this. And I love them. I'm such a grumpy bugger. And I usually read things wrong, so its probably just me. And sorry this review sucks. I just can't be bothered with brilliance right now.

June 16, 2016
2.5 Stars



This instalment was basically a disaster for me.

Look, I get the “tortured anti-hero” appeal, I really do! Hansel is fucked the hell up from his experiences and I can appreciate that. He is distant and cold towards Leah and I can understand why he would be so. His past is a goddamn nightmare! What I don’t get is why the hell Leah would tolerate being treated that way by him. I know she’s fucked up too but

The pacing, with the time jumping for present day to the past, is extremely awkwardly done. It’s hard to be invested to a character without feeling connected to them and all the jumbled memories left me feeling confused and distant from Hansel.

Leah’s judgement of Hansel’s sexual proclivities continues, much to my annoyance. I don’t know how to explain how fucking disastrous I think it is to constantly link D/s and kink to abuse and trauma. It’s infuriating. I mean sure, I guess you can draw a line from shitty childhood to BDSM. In the same way you can draw a line from provocative clothing to rape, right?! In the same fucking way you can draw a line from anything to any other goddamn thing. It doesn’t mean they correlate in any fucking way, AT ALL.


Profile Image for Eda**.
721 reviews435 followers
November 7, 2014

F*CK!

I'M SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW!

I'VE JUST WRITTEN A LONG ASS REVIEW FOR THIS AMAZING BOOK AND IT'S ALL GONE NOW BECAUSE OF MY STUPID LAPTOP!

I don't know whether to scream my lungs out or cry till my eyes drop off.



I'm not sure if I'll ever write my review again.

I kinda lost my enthusiasm. Sorry guys :(

//////////////////

** 4 "there's a price for everything" STARS **

Hmm... This was different.

I liked it, but I'm a bit confused.



"So instead of trusting me, the way I'd like," I tell her, "you'd like me to trust you?"

She nods. "I want us to trust each other."

Profile Image for Brendy.
441 reviews60 followers
October 9, 2015
description description

HE---------------------------------------------------------------->SHE
wants to be with her, as long as she doesn’t realize he knows she is actually her.

HE<-----------------------------------------------------------------SHE
And she wants to be with him, in order to find out what the hell is going on inside that fucked up mind of his.

And WE, readers are going nuts in order to put together all the pieces of Hansel story and going crazy while I’m realizing that Leah was taken because of Hansel… I mean ...
description
Profile Image for Monty Cupcake ☠ Queen of Bloodshed ☠.
952 reviews254 followers
January 20, 2016
Can I dislike this, but still be interested in the mystery?

Hansel is a super fucked up asshole with so many issues there aren't enough psychiatrists in the world to fix him. Leah is kind of pitiful, but I do wish she had more of a spine in this book with Hansel. Then again, she's as fucked in the head as him if she went back to that Enchanted Forest club. Another helping of PTSD anyone?

Blame the Abtastic Abs Loving Geishas for this buddy read.
Profile Image for Mariℓina.
624 reviews202 followers
January 13, 2015
You know something is highly dangerous for your psyche as a reader, when many coincidences start to occur in such a short book.


The dark, weird and painfully distraught story of Leah and Hansel, keeps getting messier -in a good way- and crazier by the page. If it's possible, i have more questions now than i had when i finished the first book.


In this installment we found out, many parts of Hansel's story through flashbacks, another -unknown to them- connection they share, what led to him being taken by "Mother" and lastly, how much of an ass can a man in pain be.


Leah showed an unstoppable want for her darkish prince and an unyielding personality in matter of her needs. She still refuses to blatantly hurt him and tries to play his game, even though she suspects he already knows the truth about her identity.


In the end, after some compelling sex scenes, that only enhance the main interest which is the plot, a big secret is revealed and Hansel extends an ominous invitation to Leah! Will she follow??





THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BOOK

- Dual POV.
- Shelly was a sweet, caring person.
- Hansel is really disturbed, and has a valid reason to be.
- I have a feeling, that many important things aren't said, yet.
- This book arises many questions.
- Hansel's story is tragic.
- Leah wants Hansel and only him, but she won't submit.
Profile Image for Michelle.
2,082 reviews893 followers
March 1, 2015
After running from Hansel, Leah finds herself helping a very drunk & injured Hansel back to his apartment at the club. For a moment she knows he remembers her. That he might know the girl behind the mask was her all along. But she can’t seem to get him to warm to her. His coldness towards her makes her question why she stayed. Why she has never let go of needing to find him.

As the story continues we get another large piece of the puzzle. And we get most of it from his POV. Traveling back in time to the broken boy that was shuffled to foster home to foster home until Mother found him and took him.

As this story continues to unravel you still are left so unsure as to what the hell is going on. You know it is going to be huge. That whatever is behind it all is going to blow you away – and you just can’t stop from reading more.

Ella is slowly turning up the heat in each installment, but at the same time she is ensuring that you need the rest of this story. Getting lost as he punishes her with his brutal fucks, is just part of the story – and as much as the story is getting more erotic the focus is still on what the hell happened all those years ago.
Profile Image for Jen.
1,655 reviews1,162 followers
December 16, 2014
Alright! I am really enjoying the hell out of this series!!! Each installment is pretty short; but they have packed a punch so far. Yes, there is some hot,sweaty, and kinky sex; but there is so much more too. In book two, we get more of a glimpse into Hansel/Luke's past, and believe me..there are a few shockers that had me speechless! I am definitely caught up in this dark fairytale, and can't wait to get onto book three. I am sad that Luke doesn't seem to feel he is good enough for Leah; but when you catch a glimpse into his past, you for sure understand the battle that he has going on inside. Again, I don't want to say too much. But this is a great serial, and I am going full speed ahead to the next book!
Profile Image for Jamie ♡♡ submits to books ♡♡.
462 reviews170 followers
September 9, 2015
**** 4.5 Broken Hansel Stars ****

Part 2 of the Hansel Series and things are starting to twist more with secrets that are hidden inside of Hansel.

Hansel is not a simple man. He has some dark secrets that there are no answers for....YET!

As he fights to get back Leah back, he needs her, but he continues to push her away because he doesn't feel he deserves her gentle touch and love. She pushes what he knows and he is bothered yet intrigued by her toughness.

 photo b4c011e3-fa75-41a9-af83-b70bc81792f5_zpsoqx0epxt.jpg

Leah is strong and she is not going to let Lucas push her away. She knows he is hurting and he needs her love, but she is cared herself. She feels that she is going to get her heartbroken but she knows deep down, Lucas loves her. But Lucas' love has a side she is not sure she can accept.

 photo PicsArt_1441768672130_zpslzkkqgsc.jpg

This series is addicting. The stories are short and packed with a punch leaving you WANTING more and needing it now.


Profile Image for Vivian Jane ✯.
167 reviews44 followers
November 9, 2014
>>Link to my review of Hansel, Part I<<
3.5 LUCAS-LEAH STARS!

GRETEL/LEAH & HANSEL/LUCAS

It's a miracle.
A tragedy.
A fantasy: gone bad or come to life?
Their love ... Can it heal them?

Gretel still loves Hansel, no matter what he has become.
Hansel still loves Gretel, even if he does not deserve her.

"That man is mine. No one else's. Only mine."
"No corner will remain untouched. No part of you unexplored. I will possess you, completely, thoroughly."

Gretel wants to help Hansel and questions his past.
Hansel wants to protect Gretel and forget his past.

The mask is still there, but wants to be removed.
The mask is still there, but can't be removed.

Leah is Gretel and she is stuck in the past.
Lucas is Hansel and he is lost in the past. It will haunt him as long as he is either Lucas or Hansel.



HEA?

--

A step back from Part 1, but that's okay. As long as the finale is amazing, this installment will be redeemed in my eyes. There really wasn't much going on, unlike the other series, there was an outside force that was the catalyst for some of the suspense and action. This series so far had no action, but there are a few suspenseful moments. It all depended on Lucas and Leah's decisions; their HEA was in their own hands.
I am interested in seeing how the author's going to play this out. HEA or not? ;)
Profile Image for Assenette.
172 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2014
Hansel 3 is coming soon. Possibly VERY soon. I haven't decided which day I'm releasing it, so if you want to know, please sign up for my newsletter!
 photo tumblr_inline_mwezakkq0I1qh5c1s_zps06224aaf.gif

There's a book 3?! Did I sign up...? Hell yes and it's been 5 minutes since I confirmed my email and I don't see an update as to when book 3 is coming out!!!!

 photo give_it_to_me_stephen_colbert_zpsnhv8gcdz.gif

Oh wait... it's out already!
Profile Image for Karen.
185 reviews82 followers
July 2, 2015
Well this book is getting a lot darker and more confusing. Hansel is a very messed up guy. I'll have to read on and see what happens.
Profile Image for ↜ƈɦǟռ☂ɛℓℓɛ↝.
1,296 reviews140 followers
March 12, 2015
 photo Khloe-Kardashian-dont-be-a-dick-GIF.gif
Hansel, Edgar, Lucas, Luke, whatever you want to be called now, you got what you've wanted for 10 years. You got the real deal finally so figure your shit out.


He hurt me, help me, scared me, comforted me
 photo 824712.gif
So I'll be Lauren if he can't handle Leah right now.

This one was much better than the first one. Very curious where book 3 will go.


Reading Order
Hansel book 1
Hansel book 2
Hansel book 3
Hansel book 4
Profile Image for Bella.
531 reviews210 followers
November 13, 2014
HOLY CRAP Ella you just keep doing it to me leaving me wanting more and falling in love with this dark powerful read! Hansel and Leah have a past that they do and they both need each other bad and I have to say they are super hot together but is it a good thing? This I am still trying to figure out, I do think they can help each other so I cant wait for more in this series.

Ella sure knows how to suck you in body and soul when she writes a book and I freaking love it! I loved how she had this one go back and forth between the present and the past for Hansel ( Lucas) things start to unravel.

Get ready to get more of Hansel and Leah and their crazy, sexy, dark and dirty relationship! ELLA I NEED BOOK 3 NOW!!! :D


“Okay, Leah. Come along.” I nod at the door and laugh, just a butter iff of air. “ I am going to Mother’s House”
Profile Image for Babel.
2,340 reviews195 followers
May 10, 2015
Twisted and poetic, that's my Ella James.

All the mixed feelings from part 1 came rushing to my memory thanks to a first chapter that was frenzied with tragic realizations.

Hansel is sick from a horrifying past. He relives its traumas by engaging devious games with masked strangers that resemble a girl he lost in darkness.

I could really feel his despair, and I felt acutely aware of Lea's lost loneliness as she thinks herself unworthy of the boy she remembers. In between the chapters, there are some scenes from the distant past that shed maybe not light, but reasons and fears and sadness onto the characters and paint them in vivid, yet heart-breaking colours.

Hansel and Leah find themselves entangled in a dark, lewd liaison which seemed to me as if they were trying to obtain whatever they were running from. They want each other fiercely without yielding to the devastating truth of it. The games they play in bed are just a painful reflection of a box of awful secrets that had my mind reeling and my heart constricted.

Wow, Hansel, it's bleak inside your head! Poor man, I just hope brave Leah will be strong enough to save him from the evil witch in the fairy tale.

Favourite quotes:
There's no drama in my life right now, but I'm finding the drama doesn't have to be linear, occurring right here on this time plane. The past can find you anywhere you go.

It seems to me that love should be a literal shield. It should offer physical protection, it should be a balm that heals real wounds. I wonder why the opposite is true - why loving someone almost always leads to pain.
Profile Image for Funzee Shu.
932 reviews107 followers
November 7, 2014

*** 3 I'm-curious-with-what-happen-next-stars ***

description

...but this isn’t real life here. It’s fucking fantasy.


Not much progress in the second book.
Hansel past still blur but interesting enough to follow.

There are more mysteries unveiled here, but still not open widely.
Maybe there are some readers will get confused at some part, but I know where the story goes... (Just hope it will full fill my expectation on the next part)

I admit the second book lil' bit more interesting than the previous one, I like "the recognition" moment, even still...I can feel the missing link here and there, BUT overall....the whole story and mysteries succeed build another curiosity in me.

And I hope, the final book will be SOMETHING !!

Oh, last but not least...

How did Leah know Hansel's real name was "Lucas" when he only mumbled unconsciously while drunk that it was "Luke" not "Lucas" ??? *grins*

Profile Image for Tiffany Readz.
2,020 reviews52 followers
November 8, 2014
In this second installment we get some answers and of course more questions to the story of Hansel and his Gretel. Ella James did exactly what I hoped for and didn't keep our "couple" apart for the entire book.

We learn more and more about Hansel's past even before mother's house and see he was doomed as a child. It was very sad and even more so to see what kind of a man that type of a childhood produced. My heart broke for him page after page. Just when you think he's a total ass, Ella James gives you a peek into that background and you forget everything.

We already know Hansel is a complicated man. Who wouldn't be after years of enduring what he did? Due to his past, there are certain things he wants and needs. Things Leah isn't sure she can be a part of. She loves Hansel and isn't ready to hurt him to prove it.

We are flashing back with Hansel this time, so you have to pay attention to what's going on to keep up. This second book was just as good as the first, leaving us wanting, no needing more of Hansel and his effed up story.
Profile Image for Amber.
164 reviews13 followers
December 8, 2014
4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We definitely get some answers but there are still many more questions that need answered.
Parts of Hansel's past are revealed, and a suspicion I had was confirmed.
Lots of emotions in this installment, not much action.
Profile Image for Dina.
1,221 reviews50 followers
April 19, 2016
4 stars!!

description

Definitely LOVING this!!

Way better than I thought it would be!

Off to read more!
Profile Image for ~lil maso~.
1,928 reviews49 followers
February 8, 2017
5 heart-rending stars! Can love really heal all wounds?

Woah.... This is Hansel's story.

Ok, so Hansel #1 left us with some major questions, some are answered in Hansel #2, but this one also leaves you with even More questions.

The book jumps between past and present for Hansel, and then switches POV continuously, I've seen a few have a problem with this, personally, I think Ella has done a great job with it and isn't confusing in the least.

I'm over my issue with all the L's, once you get them figured out, its no longer a problem. However, I now have a new problem. Hansel, Edger, Lucas. Hopefully he sticks with one name only, for now, I'll stick with calling him Hansel :)



What does the future hold for the man who cant bring himself to speak of his past, and the woman who wont quit trying to get him to open up? What the heck did Mother Goose do to Hansel?
Only book #3 will tell!




Lil Maso pic



For more reviews, news and giveaways, check out Saucy Reviews on Kinky Korner at;
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest |
Instagram
Profile Image for Katrina Jay.
218 reviews3 followers
November 10, 2014
4.5★

The 2nd installment to the Hansel fairy tale kicked it up a notch. There is more steam and a little more of a peek into Hansel's past. The first seemed to be just a little more about Leah/Gretel, while in this one you get more of a look at Hansel. The POV jumps around a little, but it isn't bad.

In this one you find Leah preparing to leave Las Vegas. She went, she tried, and didn't conquer so she is tucking and running or so she thought. On her last night in Vegas she has come to terms with things and accepted them for what they are so she goes out to drink a little and ends up, be it fate or otherwise face to face with Hansel/Edgar.

Hansel/Edgar/Luke goes out on a binge and ends up fighting for a charity where Leah finds him. He is so out of it he doesn't even remember a thing. She drove him back to his place and leaves him. When he wakes up he struggles with knowing that she is/was in Las Vegas and he blew his chance. He develops a plan and enacts it.

Will it be enough or will it all fall through his fingers? This book was steamier than the first. Looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Sofia ♥️.
390 reviews6 followers
February 15, 2015
I'm just going to copy my own review for the previous book in this "series"

This book was: weird, but had a lure/an appeal to it that I can't put my finger on.
The plot was: interesting. Nothing like I feel I've read it before; which is good.
The beginning was: the best part of the whole book, in my opinion.
The middle was: so-so.
The crescendo was: meh.
The finish/ending was: kind of expected... but at the same time not.
The characters were: too plain in my opinion, too static; especially since there was so much to the character the author could have work with.
The worldbuilding was: good. Just how I like it.
The language was: good.
The themes represented in the book were: abuse, lost "companionship/friendship/love", social differences and "broken social okays" (what is and what is not accepted in today's society gets a little bit stretched)
Would I recommend this book? Yes/no? Why/why not? No, because there are a lot of similar books out there that's a lot better, or that have the potential to be.
Profile Image for  Linathebookaddict  .
1,561 reviews405 followers
November 4, 2014
*ARC provided by the author for an honest review*
Okay...um. Wow. Holy Batman!!! If I thought the first part was amazing, Part II was freaking awesome. Thank you, Ella James for gifting me this ARC. I don't even have proper words to describe the way I feel about this book. Lucas is the best male character the author has ever created. I love the little twist we get with him.. As I was reading, I could literally feel every single emotion that was tormenting the characters; tricky thing to do when writing a novella. My sincere congratulations to the author for the whiplash of emotions that I was subjected to.
I adore Leah. I adore the way she is holding her ground and I adore the complex storyline that is unfolding with each book.
5+ Stars from me. I would give ten if I could. What an amazing, hot, gripping and emotional story. Cannot wait for Part III. I think this is my favorite series from this author. No doubt.
Profile Image for trestitia ⵊⵊⵊ deamorski.
1,539 reviews448 followers
November 29, 2015
starting understanding but hoping opposite.
seeing luke, lucas inside and some of his past.
ohmygod.
its hurt like motherfucker.

i loved leah cuz she never give up. but hansel the stupid, first he send her away, then he stop fighting w/ himself and try to get her back. then they start playing fucking game. then feels n fears start building inside hansel, then again he tried to send her away. she didn't give up still. WHY U DOING DIS TO ME!

author giving you some of shits about past. but dont guess it. trust me.

and dis is hot like fatherfucker. so hot for winter too. and there is no any shit sex scene or something like that. domination scene about seeing how much Luke have pain, how much he need Leah and what he lived in past like nightmare (but all u can do is guessing)

but one thing, if she had sex just w/ someone and he's Hansel, how she can know fucking men w/ his finger in his ass. whatever...

be drunk. get fight.
xoxo
iko
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.