Summary
Ninth Circle.
Treachery.
Also known as Tanner Caine.
He is a temptation with cold, dark eyes.
A man with a seductive smirk and a body built for pure sin.
The linchpin of a group of wealthy bad boys known as the Inferno.
A dark presence that repels as much as he attracts, Tanner is the poisoned apple I want to bite even when I know it will destroy me.
Our story started in college, but I ran from him so far I believed I was safe.
I should have known he’d find me eventually.
I should have known that nobody escapes.
He has me in his sights again with an offer I can’t pass up.
I know better than to make a deal with the Devil.
Not unless I’m willing to pay his sensual price…
Excerpt
Never listen to the people who tell you evil doesn’t exist in this world. Never smile and nod, never pander, never walk off with the belief that you’re guarded against everything that can go wrong. I can give you that advice because I’ve been the stupid woman not to follow it. I can promise you that evil does exist only because I’m the woman who has stared it in the moss green eyes, the same woman who dared it to do its worst and stood dumbfounded when it delivered.
Tanner Caine is just one of the deceptive and tantalizing demons waiting to be summoned at the crossroads. He is an underground giant forged in fire and stamped with the Devil’s personal seal of approval. He is a man barely challenged and a barrier never crossed. He is also a specimen of the male form that is a siren song to the unlucky women who run across him.
I’ve seen better woman ruined because they dared to play a game with him they had no business playing. I’ve seen smarter women on their knees before a man who managed to remain one step ahead while laughing to watch them fall.
You see, that’s what happens when you make a deal with evil. Everything goes fine until the day comes when he calls in his debt. Tanner doesn’t mess around with interest rates or repayable loans. No. If he does something for you, you can bet he’ll extract his pound of flesh in the most creative of endeavors.
We are all pawns to be played in Tanner’s world. Man or woman, it doesn’t matter.
I didn’t know what would happen when he waltzed back into my life after running from him in law school. But what I did know is that, where Tanner is involved, yours is a story that can never end well.
Review
(audiobook) I’ve read a bunch of bully romances lately, and it’s always hit or miss. It’s a difficult trope to write because the shift in the bullied’s feelings for the bully must be plausible. More often than not, it’s just lust with a strong attraction for bad boys, nothing to warrant love and commitment. Here the author mostly succeeded–Tanner has an interest in Luca right from the beginning, and some of his actions speak of deeper feelings, even though Luca doesn’t see it that way at first. So, in the end, I could almost accept their declarations of love.
Not completely though. I really had a problem with Tanner. Sure, he has good reasons for his actions, and even unselfish ones. Sure, he does things for Luca that she isn’t aware of. But the manipulation? The denial of consent? When just a bit of communication would have helped a lot, it’s unacceptable. As for his declaration of love, I’ll let you be the judge.
I loved Luca though. Most of the time, she does things to spite Tanner, but she also wants full control of her life. Tanner says that’s why he was attracted to her, because she wouldn’t bow to his will. Okay, why not. Her actions aren’t always the most coherent or logical, and she puts herself in danger sometimes, but she’s also capable of manipulating the people around her. Her main flaw is how easy it is for her to forgive Tanner, in my opinion. Again, you judge.
The story is in two parts. First one is a college romance with some bullying, set in the past. It introduces the characters, Tanner’s group of friends especially. There are some hints at a bigger plot orchestrated by their fathers, and it’s also the beginning of Luca and Tanner’s story as they succumb to their attraction for one unforgettable night. Second part starts a few years later, and is more romantic suspense. We get some answers about who they are, what they want, and how they plan to obtain it, but not all–this part of the story is developped during the whole series. The main point is also that the characters aren’t what they seemed to be in the first part.
The steam is there, but besides a couple of more detailed scenes, it’s mostly fade to black or remembrance. Since lust and attraction are the main reasons Tanner and Luca get together in the first place, it seems a weird choice, in my opinion.
With the whole premise–each member of the Inferno representing a circle of hell–of course the side characters often seem two-dimensional, reduced to one trait, even in the second part of the story. We get the reason why they act as they do, but they don’t change.
Narration was okay. I wasn’t a fan of the female narrator’s delivery to be honest, slightly going up at the end of sentences, like they were in suspense. The male narrator did a great job at the growly alpha character. I have to warn about a couple of editing problems that took me out of the story each time.
Quickie
- Series: Antihero inferno #1 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #romantic suspense #bully romance #dark romance #enemies to lovers
- Triggers: bullying, violence, manipulation, attempted murder, cheating
- Main couple: Luca Bailey & Tanner Caine
- Hotness: 3/5
- Romance: 2/5
- + the interactions between the Inferno boys were fascinating
- – Tanner is a douche
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