Dark Soul: The Complete Collection (Dark Soul, #1-5) in Riptide Publishing

Mar 29, 2016 Adam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bdsm, kinks-and-stuff, toppy-alpha-top, age-gap, disability-illness-injury-etc, wrote-a-review, dom-sub, mild-angst-or-tension, broken-boys, sex-sex-and-more-sex

I put off the Dark Soul series for when I was in the mood for something dark and violent. It's taken a while, but I finally read it. And yes, it was dark and violent, but also a very good read.

I absolutely loved Silvio. His moral ambiguity, nonchalance when it came to violence, and his backstory all made him a fascinating character. And underneath it all was a man who had never really had a childhood, and was in many ways still an uncertain boy. I alternated between wanting to hug him and cringi ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Vishous rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review, re-re-reading, breath-taking, emotional-rollercoaster, m-m, aleksandr-voinov, my-precious-paperback-or-hardback, male-pov, could-not-put-down, wow-wow-wow

If you have a cute little curios dog like I do, NEVER leave your laptop on couch while you write a review unattended!

so now I will keep it short because I am tired...

This was my first book/series I read from this author. My friend even prepared me with "light" m/m literature so I could read any book from this author.

So I decided to start with this one and honestly I am simply at loss of words.

"Into your darkest corner, you are safe in my love, you are protected." - Agapi Stassinopoulos

There is ...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Dec 11, 2012 Anna (Bananas) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, made-for-me, favorites, bisexual, the-dark-one-approves, gun-kink, anarchy-cats-wicked-shelf, crossdressing

I don't care much for summaries in reviews, so instead I'll talk about how this book made me FEEL. It will be like a good therapy session. For me. Not sure how you'll entertain yourself.

After hearing this author's books can be dark and difficult, I was surprised how much and how often I was touched while reading Dark Soul, an accumulation of moments that got to me, unsettled me, and made my heart ache.

Bisexuality was handled with respect, not sensationalized (although some might disagree.) Line I don't care much for summaries in reviews, so instead I'll talk about how this book made me FEEL. It will be like a good therapy session. For me. Not sure how you'll entertain yourself.

After hearing this author's books can be dark and difficult, I was surprised how much and how often I was touched while reading Dark Soul, an accumulation of moments that got to me, unsettled me, and made my heart ache.

Bisexuality was handled with respect, not sensationalized (although some might disagree.) Lines like this made me want to nod along and exclaim, That's it, exactly! "for bisexuals, it's two totally different things, a man and a woman...Sometimes you'll feel more like this, other days, more like the other."

Possibly my favorite thing was how Silvio's character developed throughout. He first arrives on scene all mysterious and alluring. Shock and titilation soon follow, showing us just how dark Silvio can be. The themes of power and control, of sadism and masochism, that wove through the book fascinated me. Silvio isn't just a sexy, badass character though. We're given reasons why he's the way he is, and although I wasn't completely satisfied with the main reason, it did fit his character. It made sense.

I adored Stefano too. He's not afraid of how he feels. He's passionate, tender, generous, and thoughtful. His easy profession of love was so honest, even matter-of-fact. He gives his affection completely, in the same way Silvio gives his body. I can see why Silvio and Donata love him.

At the end of the book, both characters were more genuine than I ever would have expected after that sensationalistic beginning. I was pleasantly surprised.

Enough with the seriousness now. There were plenty of moments that made me laugh or smile: Silvio's rush to get the love conversation over with, Stefano buying condoms and feeling utterly awkward, and Silvio playing with his puppy, holding its mouth closed so it wouldn't bite. Plus, Barracuda and Sharky-oh dear god, I about died laughing.

In summary (yes, there is one after all!), I same-thing this book very much.

I enjoyed every beautiful letter and line of it, thoroughly, and I kind of want to read it all over again now. Also, Oct 20th is dedicated to Silvio forevermore, in my book. ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Sep 07, 2012 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Much as I love e-books there is something very comforting about print books. And there are some e-books that I love enough that I also need the print version - this is one of them.
Re-reading the Dark Soul novellas reminded me just how much I'd enjoyed them previously; the characters are amazing - I love Silvio, Stefano and Donata in particular. This time round I read things a little more slowly - no need to race to the end to find out what happened - and that let me appreciate just how good the ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2013 Traci rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-books, fbi-cop-m-m

Love this series, what a combination of characters (mental). It was a mix between twin peaks and the godfather!! I did fall for Sivilio desperately, but maybe I am a masochist. You just wanted to protect him and love him!!

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 02, 2016 ΛNNΞ added it

Shelves: dnf

This was a mistake ... this book us way too depraved and depressing for me to get through. DNFing at around 50% ... Man! No words really ... just ...

Like · see review