Title: Illicit Angels
Series: Illicit Angels #1
Author: Alicia Taylor
Genre: Dark Romantic Suspence
Release Date: August 15th, 2015
Synopsis
Eternity Rivera had a fairy tale life until one fateful night intruders stormed her home, destroying it and her parents in their passing, leaving her and her baby sister behind. With the help of her uncle, she soon learns that life moves on, until a monster comes lurking into her room at night. When she finally makes the decision to change her life for the better, Eternity is hit with another life-altering blow. Sometimes life is cruel and unkind and kicks you up the arse, leading you down a dark path you want nothing to do with. Sometimes we don't have a choice.
Ryke Justice has lived his life in purgatory for the last ten years, but to him, it’s just another day in the office. They don't call him Justice for no reason; you mess with the boss and you're messing with him. Justice will come and you won't even be expecting it. That is until an Angel finally turns his head and becomes the envy of every girl there. She ignites his desires, stirring his black soul back to life, but is she strong enough to withstand his monster?
Can Eternity save Justice from himself? Can Ryke finally give into his deepest darkest desires? Has his monster finally met his mate?
Choices will be made, Justice will be served, and things are about to get hot. It's time to go to the dark side.
Welcome to Illicit Angels.
Warning! This book isn’t your typical romance. It’s dark, dirty, and dangerous. This series contains dark subject matter, including sexual abuse, kidnapping, torture, rape and murder. 18+ only.
This story is part of a six part series, each approx. 50-60k words in length.
Purchase Links:
Excerpt:
“Welcome,
Eternity.” His voice has a deep baritone, and it seems to vibrate deep in my
bones. “Please come and take a seat.” His tone holds no room for argument and I
find my feet taking me to sit in the chair across from him before my brain
registers the motion. “I’m going to tell you how things work here. I don’t want
you to speak. You will hear me out, and I will answer any questions you have
after I’ve finished. Do you understand?” I nod my head, too afraid to speak.
This man is pure evil. It emanates from him in dark clouds, covering me in
shadows. He seems to loom over me but that’s impossible; he’s five feet away
from me.
“I’m going to
tell you a story. This is your story. When I’ve finished it, you will
understand what we expect of you. Okay?” At my nod, he begins my story. “A long
time ago, your father approached me. He made a deal with me, and you were the
promise. You became club property, but this deal had conditions. I accepted all
your father’s conditions and everything was running smoothly. That was, until
you fucking disappeared. Vanished into thin air,” he says. Black Eyes takes a
deep breath through his nose, and his jaw clenches tightly. “That deal was
broken the minute you went underground. When you resurfaced, I came for what
was mine.”
I try to
process his words. If what he’s saying is the truth, then Carlos was right. My
daddy did sell me. But he thinks I’ve been underground, whatever that means. If
it means what I think it does, then he is crazy. This isn’t some mob story.
This is my life.
“What was–” I
don’t get to finish my question. Black Eyes stands, knocking his leather seat
back against the wall. He slams his hands on his desk, and the noise bounces
around the room, echoing. I hold my breath and wait for him to speak.
“I said you
speak when I’ve fucking finished. You said you understood. If you don’t, little
girl, then I will make you understand. I’ll fucking gag you. Keep your mouth
shut, otherwise I’ll make you. We clear?” he growls. His voice rises, anger
lacing his words. My breath hitches, but I remain silent. “Good girl,” he says
in a calmer voice. “Illicit Angels is exactly what it implies in the title.
Rich men pay an exorbitant amount of money to fuck beautiful girls – beautiful
Angels, to be more precise. It’s indecent. It’s immoral. It’s illicit.”
“Rich men buy
their way in but, occasionally, we allow a promise. A promise is a sale. We get
the gift of a new girl. They gain entry. When a promise is broken, we end that
promise. A long time ago, you should have been taken out. Wiped out,” he
hisses. “You disappeared before that could happen. Now that you’re back in our
clutches and I can see your potential, there are a few choices to make,
Eternity. You see, I want that promise back, but a new deal had to be struck. I
can’t just take a promise back. It would be bad for business. In this life, you
should already be dead.”
My brain swirls
with questions, but I’m frozen. Stuck in his story. What choices are there? My
daddy wanted into this club? He wanted to cheat on my mum? Why would he want to
come here? Surely, if he wanted to cheat, then he could have picked up a
mistress. He didn’t need to sell me. He chose to. Hate and hurt
ripples through my veins, hot and swift.
“You get six
months before you’re claimed, Eternity,” Black Eyes says, drawing my attention
back to him. “Six months to make a good impression. You can’t be a promise, but
you can be a new Angel. For the first month, the bidders can only look
at you and touch bare skin. The next two months, they can taste you. Give you
untold pleasure,” he says nonchalantly. Black Eyes speaks as if we’re
discussing the bloody weather, and his cool demeanour makes me want to scream. I
don’t want goddamn pleasure. “The following three months they can give and
receive pleasure. They’ll teach you how they like it and you will learn
to submit to their every demand. Their every need. At the six-month mark, they
will bid. The winning bidder will own you. You will become theirs to control,
theirs to use, theirs to do with as they damn well please. I’m sure their first
order of business will be to strip you of your virginity. That little lining
inside will make you pussy gold. They’ll pay a pretty penny for you. There is
one slight problem. Your promise wants you, and it seems he’s willing to stake
his claim now. You have six months to make your decision, Eternity. You can
persuade a bidder to want you enough to go up against Justice, or you can face
the man himself and accept your fate. Justice won’t let you go. He’ll fight
until you’re his. You have to decide which route to follow. Both will result in
you being Justice’s, but you can fight for something better. I’m not sure
you’re strong enough to withstand Justice’s darkness.”
Once he’s finished talking, he just stares at
me, captivating me with his pitch black eyes. I want to speak, but I’m not sure
if he’s testing me so I stay quiet. Black Eye’s smirks and nods his head.
“Good girl,” he
praises. It was a test! “Do you understand what is to happen over the
next six months?” I nod my head but still don’t say a word. “Do you accept these
terms?” Black clouds swamp my mind. This is all too much. I don’t want any of
this. I didn’t choose any of this, and I won’t accept it. But I’m too scared to
answer him. A chill darts down my spine when anger twists his face at my
non-response, and a frisson of fear, cold and brewing, unfurls in my stomach.
“Do. You. Accept. These. Fucking. Terms?” he spits, each word separated and
angry. When I still don’t answer, he storms around his desk to stand beside me.
I flinch, expecting a blow, but none comes. I peek up at him and find him
panting in rage. “Speak,” he growls.
“What if…” I
pause, clearing my throat. My mouth is dry and terror is overwhelming me. “What
if I don’t accept?” I ask, hesitantly. Black Eyes laughs at me, a sparkle of
delight fills his soulless gaze.
“Well, here is
your problem. I was made a promise, and that promise wasn’t fulfilled. I want
the debt paid. I was promised a daughter, and I’m going to have one. I know
Rivera has two daughters,” he drawls, pausing to let his words sink in. My eyes
widen when I get where he’s going with this. I shake my head. This can’t be
happening. “Little Nevaeh is acceptable as payment, but I thought you would
want to accept the fate your father gave you rather than subject your baby
sister to it. I’m more than happy to have Nevaeh in your place if you don’t
accept.”
“No,” I gasp.
Emotion, swift and violent, rushes through me. I’ve spent the last four years
protecting my sister. I won’t let it all be for nothing. “I’ll do it,” I weep.
“I’ll stay.”
“I thought you
might,” he replies, smugly. “Now you just have to decide if you’re going to
fight for your place or be consumed by Justice.”
“Who is
Justice?” I whisper, brokenly.
“He’s someone
who will destroy you, little girl. You’re not strong enough to be with him.
Justice will swallow you whole.”
“Why?” I choke.
“Because you
made him feel,” he empathises. “But I can see you’re not strong enough.
If you break at this point, then you are too weak to go against him.”
About the Author:
I was born and raised in the East I live with my family and mass of animals - I'm a huge family and animal lover. Writing powerful love stories and creating Alpha males with a dash of darkness has become a passion of mine, and I have many stories and characters swirling in my head that I can't wait to share with you all. Is it weird to have so many voices in my head? I'm not crazy, I promise... maybe a little bit.
My Review:
I have to confess. I am usually not that much into dark romance novels but when I read the synopsis of this book there was just something that caught my eye. And considering that Alicia Taylor was a new author to me, I decided to risk it and give the book a chance. And damn, am I happy that I took the chance. I was sucked into the story from the first few sentences and I was kept on my toes till the last sentence. Although, if I have to be honest, I wasn't released even then. I am simply dying to find out what will happen next. The story in intriguing and unexpected. I can guarantee that there are few twists and turns that you will never see coming. The book is a mind roller coaster, filled with danger, deceive, sexual tension and even humor from time to time. I am sure you will be intrigued but keep in mind that mostly everything you read is not exactly as it seems to be.
As for the main characters, I fell in love with them. They are complex and well developed and I felt their heartbreak and pain bleed through the words. Ryke is definitely one of the most interesting main characters I've ever encountered. He is a study of contrasts. Even his appearance is contradictory and differs depending on the moment you catch him in. He is tall, massive, with wide and bulky shoulders. His body is hard, sharp and ripped. But what really captivated me, was his face, and more in specific, his eyes. I mean, yes, his sharp angled face and plump kissable lips are definitely intriguing but what makes him irresistible, are his eyes. They differ in color and they are the physical proof of his two sides. One has the color of story clouds, with silver lightning streaks veining through it and perfectly describes the monster in him. The other is electric blue with the same silver lightning streaks snaking through it. In my mind it represents the lighter side of him. His soul is broken and he lived through a nightmare in his early years. And that's what made him the man he is. He possesses a force of darkness and emanates a force of darkness. I cannot say that he is not dangerous but exactly that danger and brokenness in him is what makes him so captivating. But his monster finds peace when he meets Eternity. With her startling blue eyes and the strength shining through their stormy depth, she is his salvation. But they have a long way ahead of them
Eternity in intriguing in her own right. She lived one nightmare after the other since her fourteenth birthday. She lived through a tragedy as a kid and later on she was betrayed by the people she was supposed to trust. The people who were supposed to take care of her. And the end, she ends up in a place from her worst nightmares. Something she never though she would have to experience. She finds solace in the one person who everyone fears. Justice (Ryke) is dark, dangerous and deadly but he sets her body on fire. Even though she knows she should fear him, he is the one person who makes her feel safe in the god forsaken place she is forced to stay. If Envy (Eternity) is Ryke's (Justice's) Illicit Angels, then he is her Fallen one.
In a few words, I was floored by this story. It is intriguing and mysterious, Filled with danger, sexual chemistry, lies and deceive. There are even moments with humor that will make you smile. I can guarantee you will be captivated by the characters and they will find their place in your heart. If you haven't read anything by Alicia Taylor so far, this is the perfect book to start with. Just keep in mind that it ends up with a cliffhanger and you will be simply craving the next part. Me personally, I hope it comes out soon because I can't wait to find out what will happen next with Envy and Justice and to reveal more of their secrets. This is definitely a must read.
Thank you!! <3
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