BLOOD TO DUST
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: L.J. Shen
Release Date: July 17, 2016
His name is Beat, and I should hate him.Bound, blindfolded and bruised, I’m tied in his basement, waiting for the men who stripped me from clothes and humanity to collect his debt to them. Me.
His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don’t.
I’m not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I’m not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.
His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I’ve never seen his face, though I hear that it’s beautiful.
Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there’s a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.
His name doesn’t matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it’s his.
Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.
I look like the perfect victim. Scared. Beautiful. Innocent…Though, I’m anything but the latter.
Well slap my ass and call me Sally, what in the ever hell did I just read?
This.
Book.
Was.
Brilliant!
OK. OK. Allow me to get my thoughts together here
*deep breath*
*another deep breath*
Holy hell, people!
I already knew after reading Sparrow that L.J. Shen was a talented author, but after reading this book? She blew everything I thought I knew away! The woman is a genius. Everything, from the characters, the writing style, the chapter formation, the story, all of it I can describe in two words; brilliantly intense.
I’m picky with my dark romance. Some of it has become entirely formulaic for me; bad guy meets somewhat naive girl, some mundane detail, plot twist for shock value, and BAM! HEA! This book? This book was nothing like that. Not even close. It was unpredictable, violent, brutal, dark and twisted. You won’t have a book hangover after, you’ll have PTSD and you’ll love every depraved moment of it!
Any other woman that finds herself bloodied, tied and locked in a dark basement waiting on certain death at the hands of men intent on collecting their debt from her, may be shaken. But not Prescott. Every minute in her captivity is another minute for her to plot and scheme and plan her escape. Because she will escape. Even if she has to use her unwilling captor to do it…
Beat is a nameless, faceless man in a mask. He’s a man that owes a debt himself. He’s the man with a price on his head and his own survival as his main concern. A prissy little princess tied up in his basement for some unknown debt of her own shouldn’t concern him. Yet there’s something about her that calls to his primal side and tempts his inner beast…
And sooner or later, I know, even in the pitch black, she’s going to hit her target.”
The story packs a hell of a one two punch. It’s deliciously dirty and anxiety inducing gritty. The characters are incredibly well developed, multi-layered, and impossible not to like. Prescott was one kick-ass chick. She’s a survivor and she never stops fighting. She maintains an almost morbid sense of humor even during the most dire of times which gives her this incredibly endearing quality.
As for Nate Vela aka “Beat”? Oh man. Man oh man. I loved him! I loved his inner struggle in protecting himself or doing the right thing. I loved his inner struggle in his attraction to Prescott. There was so much depth to him that you can’t help but connect with right away.
The chemistry between the two of them was deliciously depraved. This is no cookie cutter romance. Nate Vela is one vile, dirty, dirty man and I loved him for it. Both of them are survivors in their own right, and together they’re a force to be reckoned with. It was perfectly balanced with two incredibly strong characters and for this reader it was perfection! There’s nothing better for me than a heroine that can save herself, and Prescott was no damsel in distress.
There were parts of it that I spent laughing. There were parts of it I spent with a knot in my stomach and hands shaking. It was unlike anything I’ve read and I loved every twisted part of it!
There was one particular detail at the end that confused me a little because I don’t remember it being explained. It could have been something I overlooked, but after re-reading the part several times, I’m still not sure. I’m not expecting everything wrapped in a pretty little bow, but given the detail was a pivotal one that set the plot in motion, I suppose I just wanted slightly more explanation on it. But that’s just one minor quibble in what was a truly amazing book, so I really can’t bother myself to complain about it much. If you’re looking for a dark read with strong characters and an unpredictable plot, READ THIS BOOK.
When the heck did June fly by? Seriously? Wasn’t it just last week? I swear, I blink and it’s July. Craziness I tells ya! Well, June was an awesome month for me here in DGR land. First, I added my girl, Jennifer, as a permanent reviewer. It doesn’t hurt that she’s a book pusher just like me when it comes to her faves and we just happen to have pretty much identical reading tastes! So with this fabulous new addition, I figured why not add a fabulous new feature? So each month, I’ll be doing a wrap-up post talking about what we’ve read, what we’ve loved, and what we plan on reading.
Jase is on a war path of vengeance. After being tortured for a year, he is given a second chance, and his only assignment is to kill someone, the very person who killed the only people he loved. He is haunted by his past. Nightmares and flashbacks are his friend. But then he meets Lucy. Little does he know that this isn’t the first time they’ve met.
While photographing an abandoned building, she sees something that she should not have seen, and especially should not have filmed on her camera. Evil men are after her, but she is determined to pursue truth and justice, putting her life at risk.
That is all of the words that I can write about this book. Lol. Just read it.
This was my first book by Elizabeth Grace and I doubt it’ll be the last. Below The Surface marks book one in what will be a series based on treasure hunters and it’s certainly different from anything I’ve ever read.
It’s been five years since Daniella ‘Dani’ and Dylan have seen each other. Their relationship didn’t end on the best of terms and both still hold on to the resentment and anger of the past. But when a mutual friend claims that he has proof of the existence of sunken Spanish ship that many believed to be just a legend and had been a borderline obsession of Dani’s to find, it brings them back together again.
If you’re looking for a perfect beach read to spend an afternoon with, look no further than this book! No Pants Required was full of quirky humor and heavy steam. It’s a light, feel-good sort of romance that will leave you with a smile on your face.. and at times uncomfortably aroused. Because let’s be honest here, people, Camden Walters is one deliciously sinful dirty talker and if you’re not uncomfortably aroused through parts of this book, I’d say there may be something broken with your downstairs regions. Uhem.
Well hot damn! I need more anti-heroines in my life because Rage? Rage was freaking kick-ass! If you’ve read any of my reviews then you already know I’m usually a total heroine hater. If they’re weak, sniveling doormats, it’s a recipe for disaster for me. But not Rage. Nope! This woman was killer. Pun intended.
I was super curious to see how the author would handle Rage falling in love considering she’s describe as essentially a borderline sociopath. As hard as it was for me to shut off my logical brain, I took the character for what she way…a whole lot of gray area. Is she a sociopath that has no feeling of empathy? A cold blooded killer that gets her rocks off on death and destruction? Someone that has barely restrained rage that she can only control by giving in and feeding? Heck if I know. Basically she’s something in the middle, and that’s where I left it.
In typical T.M. fashion, the author crafts a twisted and gritty tale that packs a whole lot of surprises that you never see coming. Nolan is certainly not at all what he seems to be and I loved it when he lets that inner bad boy out. The man can dirty talk the panties off of anyone within a 50 mi radius.
A swoony second chance romance with a hot Aussie Rugby player? Sign me up! What can I say? I’m an easy sell. But after reading and loving Amy’s 
Kate Meader is a magician. A wonderfully, addicting smut producing magician. Every book she writes, I end up loving. It’s like the woman custom writes her books just for me. (Shh! Don’t rain on my parade with reality. I like to pretend she does)
