Hero
Synopsis:
Calvin Parish
They call me Hero.
I defend.
I protect.
I ask for nothing in return, and that makes me good.
Doesn’t it?
That which makes me the ultimate predator also feeds dark impulses I’ve learned to control—until I bring her too close. For years I’ve watched her from afar, but what started out as duty has become obsession.
Cataline Ford
I work hard.
I play by the rules.
I’m content.
My scars are quiet and invisible, and that keeps me hidden.
Doesn’t it?
One fateful walk home, I’m taken by someone I didn’t know I should fear. Captive and afraid, nobody will tell me why I’m confined to this hauntingly beautiful mansion. I’m given everything; I have nothing. He takes what he needs from me, and for that I hate him. But I might have loved him once.
And just because you’re reading this doesn’t mean I survive him.
"Escape is now her singular obsession, the need for it all but physiological. But freedom is the only thing I can't give her, because I have an obsession of my own: her safety. Or, maybe now, just her."
They call me Hero.
I defend.
I protect.
I ask for nothing in return, and that makes me good.
Doesn’t it?
That which makes me the ultimate predator also feeds dark impulses I’ve learned to control—until I bring her too close. For years I’ve watched her from afar, but what started out as duty has become obsession.
Cataline Ford
I work hard.
I play by the rules.
I’m content.
My scars are quiet and invisible, and that keeps me hidden.
Doesn’t it?
One fateful walk home, I’m taken by someone I didn’t know I should fear. Captive and afraid, nobody will tell me why I’m confined to this hauntingly beautiful mansion. I’m given everything; I have nothing. He takes what he needs from me, and for that I hate him. But I might have loved him once.
And just because you’re reading this doesn’t mean I survive him.
"Escape is now her singular obsession, the need for it all but physiological. But freedom is the only thing I can't give her, because I have an obsession of my own: her safety. Or, maybe now, just her."
Review:
4 Stars
Let me
start and preface this review with this: I have never read a dark erotic novel.
This was my first. I must say….it was very intriguing. This one also had a
different element thrown in it, and I’m not entirely sure how to describe it.
Not paranormal….not science fiction? I’m not sure, but it was definitely
different!!
I
enjoyed it and really liked seeing the ‘other’ side to what can happen and how
people can fall in love with a dark and twisted person, and to be able to see
the other side to that person. The one that can be loved….and probably, should
be loved. It was written really well, and I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions
that took place, and how they took place.
~I
highlighted quite a bit in this story, but I am afraid giving too much away
will take away from the actual need/desire to read the book. So bear with me…~
Cataline
works for a media company and lives with her roommate. She had a rather sad
upbringing and has dealt with a lot in her life. She was determined to make it
on her own…and she was doing a good job, even dealing with a prick for a boss!
She is also in love with the head of the company, Calvin (I love forbidden
romances, don’t you??) and she watches him from afar. She sees past all the outside
appearances, to see him. She is drawn to him….and has no problems discussing
that with her roommate. We do seem to
fall in love with Calvin. He has alpha written all over him….yummy.
Even shielded by bulky, black-rimmed glasses, his olive green eyes
smolder. I’ve imagined that looking directly into them is such an experience,
I’d come out a different person. I’d do it anyway, even knowing it could be my
undoing. Just to see what would happen.
One night she
is kidnapped and ripped off a street corner on her way home from work. She
wakes up in a mansion….with a closet full of the nicest clothing, the best
lingerie, and a whole suite to herself. She has a library, she has a movie room;
she has anything she could ever ask for. She is pampered….but her life is not
hers to live and she is stolen from her own world. She has a very regimented
side to her life that takes some getting used to…she needs to “learn her place”
and that is a hard pill to swallow!
She is so
strong willed, she doesn’t let anything get to her but, after being gone for so
long, she starts to learn the ways of her “Master” and what she needs to do to
placate him, which means she has to let go of a little bit of her will. She
wants answers, but no one (butler, maid, security guard) will answer any
questions for her, no matter how many times she asks and what she asks.
The lines
in Norman’s forehead deepen as he sighs. “Cataline, listen to me. There is no
escaping this situation. Best that you don’t resist, or you’ll make things
harder on everyone.”
This is
the ‘other’ side I was describing. She is SO strong. It was amazing…I am not
too sure how I would survive in a situation like that, but I can see how love actually happened. Little by
little she starts to love her Master and how He treats her. Cataline almost
craves, or yearns, that attention from her Master.
Why do I
crave his approval, his affection? Why do I want to hold the hand that holds me
down? Kiss a mouth that calls me “slut”? And why does being his little slut
excite me to the point of losing all my inhibitions?
Even
though He isn’t particularly nice to her on every occasion, we get to see the
softer side of Him…..but He hides it and reigns it in very quickly when she
starts to notice it and use it to her advantage. There is such a pull with a
back and forth emotional argument between them. He realizes she is His
weakness….and it’s a really captivating other side to see.
I
understand that I simultaneously love and hate Him the way He is simultaneously
good and evil.
This was a
dual POV book, but written a little differently than most dual POV books. His
POV didn’t come into play until chapter 6….and we don’t know who He is, but we
start getting His POV. I really liked how this all played out….and how it was
written. The curiosity, the intrigue and the suspense that was wrapped up in
who her Master was, made it all the better for my read. Seeing His side really
made me start to see what possessed Him to do what He did, but also how He was
feeling about everything that was done and why it was done the way it was.
I think
this book is a really good intro to dark romances….and it really opened my eyes
to what they can be about and how love can blossom from such depravity. It was
dark enough to get your blood flowing, but light enough to present a new genre
to anyone who is curious. While there are some seriously sexy HOT scenes in
this book, there is a suspense and action side to this book as well, so it
isn’t light in that aspect.
“I’m a
monster,” he whispers, sending a direct line of shivers down my spine.
My only
problem was that I felt like I needed more at the end. The book ended, but I
wanted more….I almost felt like I had more questions. Thankfully the author is
putting out a novella as well! I am anxious to read that bit and get my closing
I wanted. I really loved seeing the understanding and the love that was a
“needed” love….because the realization that the love that you have is necessary
for survival can be a beautiful thing.
He took my
body in a moment, but my mind and heart have been a subtle conquest.
4 very intriguing and suspenseful stars.
Love,
Bethany
Purchase links:
Teasers:
Keep Me
(Hero #1.5)
Synopsis:
“I will disappoint you. I will hurt you. If I could be different, I would. But I don’t think I can.”
Keep Me is a follow-up novella for Hero readers who want a glimpse of life after breakfast. It is optional and not essential to the original plot. It is only intended to be read after Hero, and is not a standalone.
Novella length: 21,000 words
Purchase:
About the author:
Leighton Del Mia
Leighton Del Mia lives behind large sunglasses and
under massive headphones. She can usually be found behind and under these
things at any Starbucks on the West Coast, which is where she writes twisty
books between sips of black coffee.
Social media links:
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