Raze
Series: Scarred Souls #1
Genre: Dark, Erotic Romance
Author: Tillie Cole
Release Date: December 29, 2014
To take back life, one must first face death…
One man stripped of his freedom, his morals…his life.
Conditioned in captivity to maim, to kill and to slaughter, prisoner 818 becomes an unremorseful, unrivaled and unstoppable fighter in the ring. Violence is all he knows. Death and brutality are the masters of his fate.
After years of incarceration in an underground hell, only one thought occupies his mind: revenge…bloody, slow and violent revenge.
Revenge on the man who lied.
Revenge on the man who wronged him.
Revenge on the man who condemned him and turned him into this: a rage-fueled killing machine. A monster void of humanity; a monster filled with hate.
And no one will stand in the way of getting what he wants.
One woman stripped of her freedom, her morals…her life.
Kisa Volkova is the only daughter of Kirill ‘The Silencer’ Volkov, head of the infamous ‘Triad’ bosses of New York’s Russian Bratva. Her life is protected. In reality, it’s a virtual prison. Her father’s savage treatment of his rivals and his lucrative and coveted underground gambling ring—The Dungeon—ensures too many enemies lurk at their door.
She dreams to be set free.
Kisa has known only cruelty and loss in her short life. As manager of her father’s death match enterprise, only grief and pain fill her days. Her mafia boss father, in her world, rules absolute. And her fiancé, Alik Durov, is no better; the Dungeon’s five-time champion, a stone-cold killer, the treasured son of her father’s best friend, and her very own—and much resented—personal guard. Unrivaled in both strength and social standing, Alik controls every facet of Kisa’s life, dominates her every move; keeps her subdued and dead inside…then one night changes everything.
While working for her church—the only reprieve in her constant surveillance—Kisa stumbles across a tattooed, scarred, but stunningly beautiful homeless man on the streets. Something about him stirs feelings deep within her; familiar yet impossibly forbidden desires. He doesn’t talk. Doesn’t communicate with anyone. He’s a man beyond saving, and a man she must quickly forget…for both their sakes.
But when weeks later, out of the blue and to her complete surprise, he’s announced as the replacement fighter in The Dungeon, Kisa knows she’s in a whole lot of trouble. He’s built, ripped and lethally unforgiving to his opponents, leaving fear in his wake and the look of death in his eyes.
Kisa becomes obsessed with him. Yearns for him. Craves his touch. Needs to possess this mysterious man…this man they call Raze.
Dark Contemporary Romance. Contains explicit sexual situations, excessive violence, disturbingly sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up.
He was as cold as an arctic winter… but he was a beautiful monster…
After so many friends raved to me about how amazing this book was, I was beyond excited to be finally reading it. Given that I’ve also spent quite a few months avoiding it. Why? Because my picky Russian ass has yet to read a book with the MCs being Russian and not having it be butchered to hell and back. So I get a little touchy.
I have to say, I was very impressed with the way the author accurately portrayed the Bratva and the true brutal underbelly of it. The concept and the story were intriguing, violent, intense, and gripping. The book kept my attention the entire time reading it. But unfortunately there were too many issues that I had along with it that ultimately killed my buzz.
Be warned….nitpicking galore to follow…
The character’s names.
First we have Kisa. But here’s the thing; I’ve never heard of a name like this in Russian. Ever. It is a very common term of endearment however. It loosely translates to “pussy cat” or “kitten”. Whatever your fancy. But here’s the issue, Kisa’s fiance likes to call her “Myshka”, which translates to little mouse.
The writing.
OK look, I know I’m picky here but this just didn’t work for me in the least. I found some parts of the book to be choppy. It goes from incredibly emotional and gritty to borderline cheesy.
Like this phrase here:
“Please, sit, papas.”
Why on earth would someone say, “Please, sit, fathers”? Unless you’re in church. But again, that’s neither here nor there. My main issue came with the dialogue, internal and external. The repetitive terminology, especially within the character’s dialogue managed to frustrate me enough to take me out of the story at times.
The overuse of endearments and names within one paragraph being my main issue.
Also, in Russian culture it’s com
The heroine Nothing about Kisa worked for me. She was bland to the point of blending in with the furniture. There was nothing about her that grabbed me as a reader or endeared me. She was weak and her simple acceptance of things just being what they are and such is life did nothing for me either. Don’t get me started on her vagina’s pavlov response to the mere presence of Raze. The woman would walk into a room, see his back without knowing it’s him, and already she’s raring to go?
Taking into consideration her borderline abusive psycho of a fiancé and their relationship, I’m shocked she had no emotional or mental scars. This is especially true towards the end. She moves on from all of it without so much as a bat of a eye lash. No lingering emotional trauma…just is what it is.
The overuse of the word “channel
Perhaps this is just me, but I have never once referred to my southern region as a “channel” during internal monologue during sex. So the fact the Kisa thinks how her clenching channel wrapped around his cock made me wonder if perhaps she was a victorian maiden in her past life.
The overuse of endearments
Considering the gritty and brutal subject matter of this song, I can understand why the author would want to dilute that with a beautiful love story. However, I just can’t picture any person in their late 20s referring to the other as “my love” on a constant and consistent basis. I’m talking about multiple times during one sex scene. Perhaps it’s my inner cynic kicking in, but this was just too much cheese for me.
The graphic sex scenes with Kisa’s fiance
I’m not a reader that has an issue of a graphic sex scene with a person that’s not the main love interest in a romance. Especially not when it fits the plot as it did here. That being said, it didn’t need to be as often or as graphic as it was here. After the first time, I didn’t see a reason for it. Yes, I get it, Alik is brutal and sadisctic. He feels that Kisa is his property and he goes absolutely batshit at another man so much as looking at her. I do NOT want to be reading about this more than I need to which was for basically (view spoiler). Did it fit the plot? Sure. Could it have been toned down? Absolutely.
It could have easily been fade to black or just loosely mentioned. It simply didn’t need to be as graphic as it was past the first 2 times.
Having said all that, the story itself was unique and gripping enough to have me turning the pages. Sure it was a little predictable in places but I don’t think it was ever really meant to be a huge secret. I didn’t see a good part of the ending coming, so in terms of suspense and grit, it certainly fit the bill. Raze was the star of the book. I couldn’t help but fall for him right away. The violence was graphic and at times extremely difficult to read. But at the same time, it just didn’t effect me as much as some of the other gritty and dark books I read. While this may not have completely worked for me, I’m intrigued enough to continue with the series. Hopefully with the next book being traditionally published, some of the issues I had here may be ironed out.
Well, this was certainly…different. If you’re expecting Tough Enough to be on the same intensity level as 
See that utterly pathetic pile of melted, swooning goo on the floor right now? Yep. That’s me. Who would have thought I’d meet my end at the hands of a bearded, pierced, and man-bun wearing virgin?
Because if anyone was going to make my manwhore and asshole loving self fall completely head over heals for a virgin, it had to be Kristen Callihan. Having read 2 other male virgin books before this and being mostly underwhelmed, third time was most certainly the charm for me. Because this book? I loved it. I beyond loved it. I want to marry it and have it’s babies. I want to rub myself in it and roll around basking in it’s pure awesome all day. I want to lick it. Alright, you get the point here I think.
What I love particularly about this series, aside from the swoony heroes that somehow get better with each new book, is that the timeline progresses. What I mean is, with 
The sexual tension between these two is instant and so deliciously thick you can almost taste it. There’s nothing I love more than a good buildup and this book serves that up perfectly. Cari and Taryn know exactly what they’re doing and these two sure know how to tease and entice.
After that ending, I’m not sure whether to rock myself in a corner somewhere in my wait for the next installment or to hunt down Cari and Taryn and beat them until they give it to me. All I know, is I’m hooked and I want it. I need it. I have to have it.
I have a little secret…*whispers* I have an unhealthy addiction to legal dramas…comedies….romances…whatever. You name it, if legal procedures and trials are involved, odds are I’ve watched it or read it. So when I saw a new Legal Affairs book from Sawyer Bennett, it was a no brainer to read. This is only my third book by this author, and admittedly the other two I’ve read by her left me a bit underwhelmed. But having heard so many amazing things about her Legal Affairs series, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a go. And boy am I glad that I did, because Friction was absolutely fantastic!.
And so awkward, shy trailer trash Leary becomes sexy powerhouse Leary; using all her feminine wiles to win her cases. But she’s not just sexy and sassy, there’s a brain on her and that just made her that much more fun to read about. Now she’s handling the biggest case of her life; not so much in the form of money, but meaning. It means everything to her to win, and she needs to crush her opponent. Too bad her opponent is the sexy Reeve Holloway, a defense attorney working for the client that hers is suing…and determined to give as good as he gets.
It’s not secret that I love all things Aly Martinez. The woman can do no wrong in my eyes. Between her emotional stories, captivating multi-dimensional characters, and incredible romances, I will never get enough of her books. But this one? This wonderful, beautiful, unforgettable book? She simply outdid herself with this one. It’s not often where I’ll read about a hero that’s neither a manwhore or an asshole, and fall completely head over heels in love. But that’s precisely what happened here. Sam Rivers may very well be one of my favorite heroes this year.
Let’s talk dark erotic taboo. This depraved pervert can’t get enough of it. Take a look at my read shelves and you’ll see what I mean. I loves me some kink. But here’s the thing, even my perviness has it’s limit, and it doesn’t matter who writes it or how amazing the book is, it is guaranteed to deflate my enjoyment quicker than whisky dick: The “Daddy/Little One” kink. Can I look past it to finish a book where I’m loving the story, as was the case here? Absolutely. Does it tickle my particular fancy?
True story.
Candice met Ivan when she had nothing. Leaving behind everyone she knows and everything she has, she was running and desperate. Ivan fed on her need but not in a sexual way. At least not at first. After all, when they first meet she’s only 16 years old. The sexual aspect of their relationship only comes into play three years later. I never did pick up on Ivan’s age. Perhaps this was mentioned in the previous books, but I’m left to believe that he was considerably older and so the Daddy thing icked me out even more.
There’s the added element of suspense that weaved into the plot flawlessly and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Unfortunately as much as I loved Ivan and Candy individually, together they were just OK for me and I blame that entirely on the “daddy” thing.
Honestly, between Candy’s inexperience, Ivan’s domineering personality and need to “take care” of her, the sexual aspect of this book did absolutely nothing for me. At all. I didn’t find it hot or erotic. It just was.
Now now, don’t judge me here! It’s fair to say that this had absolutely nothing to do with the book and absolutely everything to do with reader preference. I prefer my heroes alphas, and a more unassuming beta hero doesn’t tickle my fancy as much. While Sebastian is a great hero, he’s just not what I prefer in my books. If you’re looking for a story with a hero that’s as rich as he is nice, then Sebastian is definitely your guy.
