KRISTOFF by Measha Stone ~~~~ REVIEW

Amazon

REVIEW - 5 STARS

Holy heck, Measha, you really pulled out some super dark nastiness for this book

Wowsers, this is one dark story that held my attention from start to finish. There are possible triggers in this, lots of triggers, but if you're ok with non-consent then I really do recommend this novella.

Magdalena is such a 'normal' girl you couldn't help but connect with her. She might have been a little bit naive, but only in the same way the vast majority of us would be when it comes to organised crime and sex slavery. I absolutely adored her. Kristoff is a really good antihero, he isn't a good man at all. Thankfully he grows to like our heroine as much as I did, and Kristoff is nothing if not possessive of what he sees as his. 

I read this in one go, once I'd met this pair I really couldn't put the book down. Even when I had to read it through my fingers there was still something special about the writing that just held me spellbound. The story flows well, with a really easy to read writing style and where both plot and pace were really good. It was perhaps a bit too insta-love for my taste BUT in a book of this length there is always something that has to give.

I always worry when an author I like ventures into the dark zone. I'm really picky over what I consider a dark read and dread it in case they don't hit the mark. Thankfully Kristoff completely and utterly hits the target, perhaps almost too well at times! I loved it and really hope Ms Stone writes more books of this ilk.

From USA Today Bestselling Author, Measha Stone, comes a new Dark Romance that is part of BLAIRE’S WORLD.

Stolen and locked away.

My name is Magdalena. I’ve been chasing after a story more dangerous than I realized. And now, they’ve taken me. The Dowidoff family has been the focus of my attention, and now I’m theirs. They’ll keep me locked away until I’m trained, and then they plan to sell me.
Highest bidder wins me; the nosey American girl, and Kristoff has been put in charge of my education.
I can’t give up hope, even when Kristoff promises there is none. Not for me at least. He’s going to break me. He’s going to teach me. And at the end of it, I will be claimed

Measha Stone is an international bestselling author of erotic romance. She’s had #1 top-selling books in BDSM, and suspense. She lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband and children, who are just as creative and crazy as her. Her vanilla writing has been published in numerous literary magazines, but she’s found her passion in erotic romance. She loves reading it, writing it, and living it whenever possible.

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BLAIRE'S WORLD BLITZ

Series: Blaire's World

Authors: Skye Callahan, Ally Vance, Kirsty Dallas, Anna Edwards, Nikita Slater, and Measha Stone

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: February 26, 2019

Cover Design: Amy Queau from QDesign

6 authors. 1 theme. Dark romance. Affiliated with top 100 & international Amazon bestselling author, Anita Gray. BLAIRE'S WORLD is a spin-off series of 6 Dark Romance titles, written by a collection of USA Today and Amazon Bestselling authors, deriving from Anita Gray’s Top 20 Amazon Bestselling, The Dark Romance Series. Each story is a standalone within the series, following the journey of a character from Blaire's world, so expect to see some old faces—and some new ones. Each title in BLAIRE’S WORLD stands alone in the series and can be read in any order. All titles will be available in Kindle Unlimited.

Seven years. Six hits. A hundred secrets. Syndicate leaders blackmailed. Wives and children set up to take the fall. A spy among the most dangerous of men. Sometimes seductress. Sometimes assassin. I'm the girl at the party everyone looks at, but no one remembers. I was trained to be ruthless, stripped of emotion and empathy, and yet something inside me, something logic and reason will never touch, yearns to be more than the beautiful facade crafted by my master. I want some part of the fantasy to be real. A touch. A kiss. A glance just for me. But none of it’s ever for me because there is no me. I am olvidado. Forgotten. Until I meet the one man who refuses to forget me.

4 stars

A fast paced, dark and twisty read

I came to this story via Blaire's World and this is a new-to-me author. I enjoyed her writing style and soon found myself caught up in 'Sera' and Galeno's story. This isn't a pitch black read, since the darkness isn't in the relationship but rather events that occur. However there are still some very intense moments and violent acts that we don't always witness first hand. It's length puts it right on the novella/novel border, and whilst I personally would have liked a little more depth in a few scenes it was still a very well executed story.

This is one of those books where information is slowly released as the plot progresses. Whilst this left me a little puzzled at first as to what was happening I did like it. Particularly as 'Sera' is similarly confused at the out of control circumstances surrounding her, so it really allowed me to empathise with her position. I really loved the character of Sera, life has dealt her a fairly crappy hand, so it was good to see Galeno changing that. I didn't feel as though I knew him quite as well, but he was still a rounded character and easy to believe in.

You don't need to have read any of the other Blaire books, this truly does read as a stand alone. I'm happy to recommend it to those that like and edge of darkness in their books and I will definitely look out for more work by this author.

  

For four years, I was hidden from everyone and everything I knew. I became a toy; a slave to be played with on a whim. He locked me away, robbed me of light, and forced me to live in the darkness.

He used me, abused me, and left me shattered. My screams went unheard, my tears went unseen, and my pleas went unanswered. When the chance to escape presented itself, I fled. All I wanted was my freedom. All I wanted was to see the light once again. But when your name means Light, it makes the monsters want to keep you in the Dark.

3.5 stars

This definitely ticked the dark box in a big way

This had kidnapping, torture, violence, non-con..... it was stunningly black. The story is really easy to read and the characters are very defined and consistent. I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I even cared for Luka, the antihero, by the end. That isn't a negative though, just a reflection of how much of a bad guy he was and how he really did very little to redeem himself - though what he did do was fairly major, lol.

Evelina felt genuine and again was pretty consistent as a character. Her self revulsion and other issues made her a very realistic heroine. I liked that we didn't get silly declarations of love, the situation and time span wouldn't have worked for that. 

I had two issues that prevented me rating this higher, though they are more personal preferences, which is why I would still highly recommend this to those who love a good dark read. My first was that the jam packed plot in a novella length book meant there was less time spent on forging an emotional connection between the reader and the characters. I liked the story but it didn't 'speak' to me on that deeper level. The second thing was that the plot travelled just a little too far from the shores of believably on a couple of occasions.

The story is jam packed with action, it doesn't shy from darkness and has one total a$$hole of a hero. I know that will appeal to soooo many of you and this really is worth a try if it sound up your street.

Sold.Tortured.Abused

My name is…well, to tell you the truth I’m not so sure anymore. To my master I’m known only as ‘beauty’, a word that inspires magnificence, however in my mind it only imparts feelings of horror and helplessness. Stolen at just fifteen-years-old, I’ve been held hostage for three years now, my body no longer my own, my mind twisted into something I no longer recognize. Then came Hart, dangerously handsome, and frighteningly male. Instead of fearing this curious man like I should, I do something I never thought I’d do again, I trust him. And when he whispers my name, “Beauty”, it’s with such soul shattering tenderness it brings new meaning to the word. I more than trust him…I’m infatuated with him. We are the same, you see, our monsters match and our thirst for revenge is as sweet as it is deadly. 

My story isn’t pretty, but my vengeance is sublime.

5 stars

Oh my word, this is deliciously DARK. It so nicely spoke to that black space in my the depths of my soul.

This is the introduction to Beauty and Hart's story, which will be continued later in the year, and what a fantastic introduction it was. Why have I never heard how fantastic an author of dark depravity, Kirsty Dallas is. Now I need to go and track down every twisted, evil and corrupted book she has written and buy them immediately. 

Beauty: Part One sets the scene for what promises to be an even more amazing tale. It can be read as a stand alone, you don't need to read any of the other Blaire's World books (though the ones I've read so far are also really good). It ends on a very soft cliff-hanger, so whilst I'm very keen to read the next book, I'm also comfortable waiting for it.

All you lovers of the dark will absolutely adore the heroine in this. The once young, sweet and innocent girl that she was has morphed into Beauty, a strong woman with an inner monster. Hart is her perfect match and I am really excited to read the next book and see where their journey takes them. I also can't wait to learn more about Hart, though I really like what I've seen of him so far. There isn't a lot of steam or romance in this book, though what there is fits perfectly with the story and feels very organic within the plot. 

I'm really happy I took a chance on reading the books of the Blaire's World series, just for finding this story and author alone.

My name is Oliver. I was a guard to Maksim Markov; king of the Russian underworld in Europe.

I’ve seen things that would turn a cast iron stomach. I’ve stood by idly and watched endless acts of depravity. I’ve created hell on Earth in exchange for fortune. I’ve maimed, tortured, taken, and I’ve killed. My mind is dark, my inclinations perverse, and my soul is black. There’s no salvation for me—until Amaya enters my life; a raven-haired beauty with blue eyes that sparkle like sapphires. She’s the epitome of what my life isn’t. I’m not worthy of her, and she certainly deserves better than me, but that’s never stopped me before. When I want something, I take it, and right now, I want her—and I won’t let anything or anyone prevent me from making her mine.

3.5 stars

Wow this is a non-stop action-packed story from the very first lines. It really is dark with some very difficult subject matter, definitely not for the faint of heart. It's heroine is basically pimped out by her father and becomes the sex-slave of a very depraved and unpleasant man, Pakhan of the russian mafia.

Despite it's novella length, I did feel a connection to the characters. They had depth and not only did I care about them but I felt their emotion too. The romance part felt perhaps a tad underdeveloped, whilst it was both believable in terms of time frame, chemistry and time spent together, it felt rushed. This was entirely down to the length of the story though. It was impossible to get as much action, darkness and romance as I'd want from this story in a novella.

This is an excellent addition to the Blaire's World series, it is well written, engaging, easy to read, has good characters and DARK!

Will their love finally die in the face of her ultimate betrayal?

Luna… I thought our love would be enough to get us through forever. From the moment we met, our passion, our love, was explosive and consuming. My Andres is my rock, my love, my everything. But sometimes love isn’t enough. Some things are more important. Now I’m doing the one thing I never thought possible. I’m running from the cartel, from my home and from my husband. I’m running for my life. 
Andres… Luna has been my light in the darkness from the moment I set eyes on her. She is my rock, my comfort, my only love. Her betrayal burns deep. She can’t be allowed to live. The cartel, my family, they won’t sanction it. I will hunt my wife and I will put her down. Though it will kill the last decent thing left in me…

4 stars

Whilst a part of me feels like this wasn't that much of a HEA, I loved that the author DIDN'T go for the cliched ending so typical of the genre.

I think this will be a marmite story - you will either love it or hate it. The writing and story line were excellent, I adored Luna and totally believed in the love between her and Andres. Andres I both liked and loathed, whilst part of me wanted him to be the rescuing hero of the piece, I think what we got was actually more realistic. I struggled with the fact that (view spoiler), whilst appreciating that if the story wanted to be realistic then there was no other option.

We were told things about both MC's that we didn't witness. Several times it was mentioned that Luna was selfish, had 'caused issues' with the cartel and was impulsive, though we got no details or background to prove the point. I never got that impression of her either, I'm not sure if it was an attempt to balance the book or not but I don't think it needed it. She was pretty much forced into marrying Andres and taking on the rules of his world when she was just 19. I'd say she was a typical new adult finding herself than a thoughtless or selfish individual .... not when you saw her love for her children.

For a lot of the book Andres felt like a villain though, again, his actions were governed both by his upbringing and the 'laws' of the cartel. Clearly he was Los Zetas for life, to the point of appearing almost brutally uncaring at times. Excellent writing totally persuade me of the depth of his love for Luna, I really never doubted it, even though that love wasn't always enough.

It's really hard to avoid spoilers whilst reviewing this. I do recommend it, there was nothing I would criticise in terms of writing, emotion, plot (other than the 'slurs' about Luna) or pace. It's not a conventional story, from the opening scene with the hero shooting up heroine, to how it ends. However in a genre where too many books are too similar I both admire and appreciate a story that definitely charts its own course.

Stolen and locked away. 

My name is Magdalena. I’ve been chasing after a story more dangerous than I realized. And now, they’ve taken me. The Dowidoff family has been the focus of my attention, and now I’m theirs. They’ll keep me locked away until I’m trained, and then they plan to sell me. Highest bidder wins me; the nosey American girl, and Kristoff has been put in charge of my education. I can’t give up hope, even when Kristoff promises there is none. Not for me at least. He’s going to break me. He’s going to teach me. And at the end of it, I will be claimed.

5 stars

Holy heck, Measha, you really pulled out some super dark nastiness for this book

Wowsers, this is one dark story that held my attention from start to finish. There are possible triggers in this, lots of triggers, but if you're ok with non-consent then I really do recommend this novella.

Magdalena is such a 'normal' girl you couldn't help but connect with her. She might have been a little bit naive, but only in the same way the vast majority of us would be when it comes to organised crime and sex slavery. I absolutely adored her. Kristoff is a really good antihero, he isn't a good man at all. Thankfully he grows to like our heroine as much as I did, and Kristoff is nothing if not possessive of what he sees as his. 

I read this in one go, once I'd met this pair I really couldn't put the book down. Even when I had to read it through my fingers there was still something special about the writing that just held me spellbound. The story flows well, with a really easy to read writing style and where both plot and pace were really good. It was perhaps a bit too insta-love for my taste BUT in a book of this length there is always something that has to give.

I always worry when an author I like ventures into the dark zone. I'm really picky over what I consider a dark read and dread it in case they don't hit the mark. Thankfully Kristoff completely and utterly hits the target, perhaps almost too well at times! I loved it and really hope Ms Stone writes more books of this ilk.

SKYE CALLAHAN

Skye Callahan is a top 25 Romantic Suspense Author on Amazon and her books have hit the top 100 on Amazon, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble. Named a Rising Star in Romance by iBooks in 2015, author Skye Callahan uses fiction to explore the darker aspects of human nature and the resiliency needed to survive. Prior to pursuing writing full-time, Skye earned M.A. in History and participated in numerous local history projects including a full-length Civil War documentary for PBS. She’s obsessed with penguins and lives in a house full of cats, one dog, a growing collection of Nightwing comics, and a loving husband who keeps her relatively sane.

ALLY VANCE

Ally has been writing since she was a teenager, and studied Professional Writing at college. It has been a long time dream of hers to finally become a published author. She finally achieved this in 2018 with her Bestselling debut book, Flower in the Dark. Ally writes Dark Romance genre, and also poetry, she is willing to expand into other genres if the inspiration takes her. Ally also co-writes with her close friend Michelle Brown under the pen name Ally Michelle. Ally lives in Kent, in the United Kingdom with her husband and stepson.

KIRSTY DALLAS

Kirsty Dallas is an international bestselling and award winning author from the south east corner of Queensland, Australia. Her comedy romance, Decker's Wood, reached Amazons, iBooks and Nooks Best Seller list and was a Goodreads Top 10 Comedy for 2014. Her novels to date also include the highly acclaimed Mercy's Angels Series which tackles the subject of violence against women, and standalone novels Breeze of Life, Violet Addiction, Stupid Love, award winning dystopian fiction When Nothing Is All You've Got and its spin-off, Liberty. 

Kirsty Dallas' stories are renowned for their raw honesty and engaging characters. Plots that delve into the frightening subjects of abuse, rape, drugs and violence are twisted into the pages of her books, bringing heart stopping action and a roller coaster of emotion. Working with Aussie Director and screen writer, Chris Sun, Kirsty worked as script editor on the horror feature film, Boar. Boar was signed to Universal Pictures Australia and released in 2018.

ANNA EDWARDS

All I am a British author, from the depths of the rural countryside near London. In a previous life, I was an accountant from the age of twenty-one. I still do that on occasions, but most of my life is now spent intermingling writing while looking after my husband, two children and two cats (probably in the inverse order to the one listed!). When I have some spare time, I can also be found writing poetry, baking cakes (and eating them), or behind a camera snapping like a mad paparazzi.

I'm an avid reader who turned to writing to combat my depression and anxiety. I have a love of travelling and like to bring this to my stories to give them the air of reality. I like my heroes hot and hunky with a dirty mouth, my heroines demure but with spunk, and my books full of dramatic suspense.

NIKITA SLATER

Nikita lives on the beautiful Canadian prairies with her twelve-year-old son and two crazy awesome dogs. She has an unholy affinity for books (especially erotic romance), wine, pets and anything chocolate. Despite some of the darker themes in her books (which are pure fun and fantasy), Nikita is a staunch feminist and advocate of equal rights for all races, genders and non-gender specific persons. When she isn’t writing, dreaming about writing or talking about writing, she helps others discover a love of reading and writing through literacy and social work.

For more information on Nik's upcoming book releases, giveaways, WIP's and her insane cupcake addiction check out her Facebook page and join her private Facebook group, Nikita's Underworld.

MEASHA STONE

USA Today Bestselling Author Measha Stone is a lover of all things erotic and fun who writes kinky romantic suspense and dark romance novels. She won the 2018 Golden Flogger award in two categories, Best Advanced BDSM and Best Anthology. She's hit #1 on Amazon in multiple categories in the U.S. and the U.K. When she's not typing away on her computer, she can be found nestled up with a cup of tea and her kindle.'

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