THE DEVIL’S CROWN
Genre: Dark Romance
Series: All The Pretty Things Trilogy Spinoff #1
Author: Monica James
Release Date: July 21, 2020

**All The Pretty Things Trilogy Spin-Off**

I was feared.
Respected.
Worshiped.

But all of that changed when the impossible happened—I fell in love. Only those feelings weren’t reciprocated, because who could love a monster like me?

My empire crumbled. People died. I went from being a victorious leader to lurking in the shadows, planning revenge on my half-brother who now reigns in my place.

An orphanage is where I find sanctuary, but when she walks into my world and evokes a yearning I thought long dead, my demons are awakened and want what they can’t have—her. Sooner or later, I knew I’d need to feed the darkness inside me.

Mayhem, power, and control course through my veins. I will use them to regain my crown, my throne, and then claim her, despite what solemn vows she might’ve made.

I will break them…and her.

 AMAZON

I was once feared, respected among this land for being ruthless and cruel. But they haven’t seen anything yet. Love hurts, and now, it’s my turn to hurt love. 

You know what I love? Seemingly irredeemable villains. Anti-heroes that you almost don’t want to root for and yet you can’t help but ultimately fall head over ovaries for. And it just doesn’t get any more delicious than Aleksei Popov. The ultimate villain in Bad Saint who discovered he had a soul underneath all of that brutality in Forever My Saint. Now it’s no secret that I love me the baddies and Alek was the ultimate baddie. So suffice it to say I was almost rabid for his book from all of the glimpses we got of the man beneath the villain in All The Pretty Things trilogy. But nothing could have prepared me for the full impact of all the things that are Alek Popov.

I wasn’t her Prince Charming. And that’s okay.” I smirk viciously. “I much prefer to be the villain. They have all the fun.” 

Now first of all, if you haven’t yet read All The Pretty Things trilogy, I HIGHLY recommend that you do. Yes, this is a spin off with a new couple, but there’s a lot of story that carries over and you wouldn’t have the same appreciation for all those nuances if you haven’t read the trilogy first.

You’re magnetic, and you don’t even know it. You’re a villain…who has a heart. And what woman doesn’t want to try to fix a bad man?”

Alek once lost everything for love. His empire and his name all went out in a fiery blaze of bullets and betrayal. But Alek is not the same man he used to be either. Yes, he’s still the ruthless killer and calculating criminal. But beneath the cold stare and cigar smoke lies the heart of a man that no one expected, not even the man himself.

He’s trying to rebuild his empire, brick by brick, but when your own mother is working against you and your half-brother is determined to see you dead, it’s easier said than done.

I’m not going to summarize the book here for you, you really need to experience it for yourself. But what I will tell you, is brace yourself. The Devil’s Crown is one epic thrill ride full of twists and turns so dark and depraved, you never see them coming. It’s deliciously dark. It’s fast-paced and sizzlingly hot. It was all of the things. But ultimately, it was a total page-turner.

Monica James seriously brought her A Game with this story, so prepare to be owned by Alek. The man is an enigma of violence and passion and I couldn’t get enough of him. There’s just something so utterly broken about him and yet you can’t help but want to see him fixed. It’s not easy to redeem an ultimate villain like Alek, but damn if James didn’t do it. I am utterly desperate for the next book. Like legit desperate. I’m not sure if I’ll survive the wait but man was this book worth the pain.

BULLSEYE
Series: The Monsters Within Duet #1
Genre: Dark Romance
Author: Monica James
Release Date: February 20, 2020

For twelve long years, I’ve breathed, I’ve bled for only one thing…

Revenge.

Four men took something from me, something which can never be replaced. That one night changed the lives of so many and taught me that monsters are real.

But I also learned I’m the biggest monster of them all.

Nothing and no one will stand in my way of redemption because those men…they’re now three. The fourth—he is the reason they call me Bullseye. They can run, but sooner or later, I’ll find them, just as I did with their friend. They’re already dead…they just don’t know it yet.

My plan was simple until I met her. A fierce tiger who had the power to break my heart. Lucky for me…she can’t break what’s already broken. I am no longer a man because the world is a jungle, and we’re all just animals—ready to tear one another apart.

AMAZON

This is me. A coldhearted bastard. A depraved animal. My story doesn’t end with Prince Charming saving the princess and living happily ever after with her because…I killed the fucking prince.

Holy hell, Monica James. I’m equal parts terrified and in awe of your author brain right now. Because this book? It was all sorts of f*cked up. And I. FREAKING. LOVED. IT.

You know what I love about a good dark romance? It’s that feeling that it gives you. You know the one? When you’re reading and you have this feeling in the pit of your stomach. When your gut churns and your throat gets tight and you’re almost scared to turn the page for fear of what happens next?

I want to watch the world burn with me. But the monster inside me has always lingered. It was just waiting for the right moment to slither out of hell.

This book was dark. I mean it was DARK. What I really loved about it is that Monica wasn’t afraid to go there. She takes the reader out of their comfort zone. Vividly. And keeps you at the edge of your seat until the end. I remember reading All The Pretty Things trilogy and thinking even though it was categorized as dark, it never got there. I loved those books, don’t get me wrong, but I was waiting for that…edge…that darker stories had. I got it with this one. Holy hell, y’all, it’s like James finally cut her teeth on dark romance with Saint and she came out swinging with Bullseye.

After serving twelve years for murder, Bullseye is out and only has one thing on his mind. Revenge. His mission is simple, find the men responsible for his greatest pain, and make them pay. He has no intention of going back to prison and no delusions of surviving his mission. He’s not the boy that went into prison. He’s a man with a dark void. Haunted by demons, blood, and pain. He’s a shell of a man and the only thing that drives him is vengeance and death.

Setting his plan in motion, he ends up working at a strip club where he meets Tiger Lily. Tiger is a complication that he can’t afford. She’s beautiful and innocent, even if she stirs all his demons to come out and play.

I’m possessing her, owning her, and she lets me.

Their relationship is a complex game of push and pull, hate and lust, pain and desire. Bullseye is vicious at times and downright cold at the others, but beneath his cruel exterior beats the heart of a man that yearns for things he can’t have.

Tiger is dealing with demons of her own past. She’s a single mom struggling to make ends meet for her and her son. Bullseye is everything that she doesn’t need, but there’s just something about him that calls to her.

This was an absolute page turner, filed with twists and turns and all of the chaos. It was dark, gritty, and suspenseful. I was glued to the pages from the beginning, but as the secrets begin to unravel, I was completely hooked. And then that ending happened and I was about ready to climb the walls in my need for the next book. If you’re looking for a dark romance with an anti-hero that you’ll love to hate almost as much as you’ll hate to love, you need to meet Bullseye.