Dark Erotic Romance
Adult/18+ Read
“Dark, perverse, and unbearably erotic, Pretty When You Cry is Skye Warren at her gritty best.”
~ Anna Zaires, USA Today bestselling author of Twist Me
A new dark romance novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderlust and Prisoner…
I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside was full of sin, and the first night I escape, I find out it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.
My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.
That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.
Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25705284-pretty-when-you-cry?ac=
He’s beautiful in a strange and sinful way, one that makes me more afraid. Not colorful exactly. His eyes are a gray color I’ve never seen before, both deep and opaque at the same time. The building itself is beautiful too with its wrought iron gate around a large courtyard. The fountain in the center is broken, but that only adds to the mystique.
The marquee sign reads Grand, a flash of neon pink against the black night.
He steps closer, the light from the sign illuminating his face, making him look even more sinister. “What’s your name?”
I couldn’t answer those other men, but I find something inside for him. I find truth. “I’m not allowed to say my name to someone else.”
He studies me for a long moment, taking in my tangled hair and my white dress. “Why not?”
Because God will punish me. “Because I’m running away.”
He nods like this is what he expected. “Do you have money?”
I have twenty dollars left after bus fare. “Enough.”
His lips twist, and I wonder if that’s what a smile looks like on him. It’s terrifying. “No, you don’t,” he says. “The question is, what would you do to earn some?”
Anything.
My voice is just a whisper. “I’m a good girl.”
He laughs, and I see that I was wrong before. That wasn’t a smile. It was a taunt. A challenge. This is a real smile, one with teeth. The sound rolls through me like a coming storm, deep and foreboding.
“I know,” he says gently. “What’s your name?”
“Candace.”
He studies me. “Pretty name.”
His voice is deep with promise and something else I can’t decipher. All I know is he isn’t really talking about my name. And I know it isn’t really a compliment. “Thank you.”
“Now come inside, Candace.”
He turns and walks away before I can answer. I can feel the night closing in on me, the sharks in the water waiting to strike. It’s not really a choice. I think the man knows that. He’s counting on it. Whatever is going to happen inside will be bad, and the only thing worse is what would have happened outside.
I hurry to catch up with him, almost running across the crumbled driveway, under the marquee sign for the Grand, past the broken fountain, desperate for the dubious safety of the man who could hold the darkness at bay. It’s the same thing that kept me in Harmony Hills for so long—fear and twisted gratitude.
Other books in the series
Tough Love (Stripped #0.5)
Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon CA Nook Kobo
Love the way you Lie (Stripped #1)
Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon CA Nook Kobo
Better when it Hurts (Stripped #2)
Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon CA Nook Kobo
My Review
Erotic and Thrilling Dark Read!
FIVE stars *****
Wow! I have been impatient for Ivan and Candy’s story ever since reading the first book in Skye Warren’s Stripped Series and it was most definitely worth the wait! It is one hot, dark and crazy read that delves deep onto the psychology of abuse and indoctrination and the tension between safety and control and danger and personal freedom.
Throughout the series, Ivan and Candy’s relationship has always been a bit of a mystery – like the characters themselves, but we have glimpsed enough to suspect that there is definitely something dark (and perhaps a little perverse) going on between the two…. This book finally spills the beans and propels their romance forwards into a dark, erotic and thrilling denouement that pushed all my buttons and at the same time hammered against my comfort zone! I loved it!
Both Ivan and Candy have horrific personal stories and their actions and in particular how their unorthodox relationship develops, makes more and more sense as the book progresses. Their history both pulls them together but at the same time threatens to pull them apart. We witness how Candy feels safe in Ivan’s company and craves the domination and the touch of the man she has grown to love. Ivan is one alpha male I will not forget and his domination and control of Candy is an outlet for his emotions. For Candy’s part, she cannot escape the fact that she has become his plaything and realises that she has escaped from one captivity only to replace it with another. Their erotic love making scenes are superbly written, but their happiness is far from guarenteed. Moreover, someone is threatening the girls at the Grand and Candy’s past and present collide. With her safety and future at stake I was on tender hooks to see if Ivan could protect her from this threat or even from himself.
I adored how Skye Warren effortlessly explores their unorthodox relationship in another dark and erotic read that contains some deeply emotional scenes and plenty of suspense alongside plenty of sizzling and erotic scenes. Another five star read and a must for fans of dark romance!
Reviewed by Tina Williams
Please note that a copy of this book was given to as part of this blog tour, for the purpose of a fair and honest review.
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dark romance such as Wanderlust and Prisoner. Praised as a “true mistress of dark erotica”, her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Houston, Texas, with her loving family, three dogs, and one evil cat.
Author links
Twitter Facebook Website Goodreads Amazon page
areadersreviewblog 