TITLE - Reap (Scarred Souls #2)
AUTHOR - Tillie Cole
(Released Nov 10th)
Synopsis:
Raised as a prototype for the Georgian Bratva's obedience drug, 221 fails to think, act, or live for himself; he's his master's perfectly-crafted killing puppet. Standing at six-foot-six, weighing two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, and unrivaled in to-the-death combat, 221 successfully secures business for the Georgian Mafiya Boss of NYC, who rules the dark world of the criminal underground. Until his enemies capture him.
Talia Tolstaia dreams to break from the heavy clutches of Bratva life. She dreams of another life--away from the stifling leash of her Russian Bratva Boss father and from the brutality of her work at The Dungeon, her criminal family's underground death-match enterprise. But when she stumbles upon her family's captive who is more monster than man, she starts to see the man underneath. A powerful, beautiful, damaged man whose heart calls to hers. But sacrifices must be made--blood for blood...life for life...souls for scarred souls...
My Review:
I gotta be honest, I wasn't sure I actually wanted to read this. Not because I had doubts on whether it would be good or not, I knew it would be good. I just wasn't in the mood for this sort of genre or story. I was going through a PNR phase and didn't want to stop the flow, so I was a bit annoyed to have to read something else.
Anyway, knowing I had to get it read in time for release I made a start. Within a couple of chapters, I remembered why I loved Raze so much, the combination of the originality, the characters and of course Tillie Cole's writing, and again I was totally hooked. After reading it straight through without pausing, I was annoyed with myself for grumbling about reading it in the first place. It was totally addictive, and unputdownable, as I knew it would be, once I got it started.
In this story we follow 221, a Georgian slave. He has been held captive since he was 8 and now at 29 he is a beast. He was conditioned to kill. After being fed on new fangled drugs, and kept chained up 24/7, all he knows is to submit and bow to his 'Master's' every command.
I can't say too much about 221 as it will spoil not only this story, but also Raze if you haven't read that book yet. Although, if you haven't why not?? ;)
The leading gorgeous lady this time is Talia, a Russian daughter of Mafia bosses. She is also the sister of Raze (Luca). She knows some of what happened to Luca in the past, and knows he has revenge to take, and scores to settle. She doesn't expect to be meeting the huge beast of a man, Zaal. 6 foot 6, and built like a brick. With his long black hair, bronzed skin, and covered in scars and ink, she is shocked from first sight, and it soon turns to interest, and a mixture of pity and lust.
What grows between Zaal and Talia is so sweet and almost like 2 teens finding love for the first time. Zaal is not like anybody else Talia has ever known. After everything that happened to him over the 20 years he was prisoner, he should be unsalvageable, yet something so innocent and almost childlike is present in him, and Talia can't help but want to take care of him, and make him whole.
I absolutely loved this story, I still enjoy the background of the Russian Mafia and dark and gritty underworld, that some of the characters have experienced. But I also love the relationships between the characters. The couples are so perfectly matched. Some of the moments between them are heartbreaking, but also stupidly hot. Zaal can't help but exude some sort of sexual magnetism in his buffed and ripped body. His piercing green eyes and dark features. And it affects Talia just as quick and strongly as his past moves her.
What I also loved big time in this book, was the fact that we got some chapters from Luca (Raze) I absolutely loved Raze, and was almost sad when his story ended. Yet to actually find that he has a huge chunk in Reap was fantastic, we still get to follow him a year on, and what is happening between him and Kisa. And yes they are still such a gorgeous couple. And this story shows him getting some revenge on the part of his past, that is still eating at him daily. So another bonus!
Tillie Cole's storytelling was at it's best. With her amazing world building, and the details she puts into everything, even the Russian language put in here and there, that helped to really picture the characters with the accents. I loved it all. Dark, gritty romance at it's best!!
Heart to heart.
Scarred soul to scarred soul.
STAR RATING:
Plot = 5/5
Characters = 5/5
Heat = 4/5
Writing Style = 5/5
Overall Rating = 5/5
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(Released 10th Nov)