Bad Saint (All The Pretty Things #1) By Monica James
I was kidnapped on my honeymoon by three masked men.
Blindfolded.
Bound.
Destination unknown.
I was told to stay silent and abide by their rules. But they didn’t realize I wasn’t a victim…not anymore.
The open sea was my backdrop for nine torturous days. During that time, glimmers of my fate were revealed by a man with the mysterious chartreuse-colored eyes. He should have scared me, but he didn’t.
He intrigued me. And I intrigued him.
He punished me when I didn’t listen, which was every single day. But beneath his cruelty, I sensed he was guarding a grave secret.
I was sold.
And in a game of poker, no less.
My buyer? A Russian mobster who likes to collect pretty things. Now that I know the truth, I only have one choice.
Sink or swim.
And when one fateful night presents me the opportunity, I take it. I just never anticipated my actions would leave me shipwrecked with my kidnapper.
He needs me alive. I want him dead.
But as days turn into weeks, one thing becomes clear—I should hate him…but I don’t.
My name is Willow.
His name is Saint.
Ironic, isn’t it? He bears a name that denotes nothing but holiness yet delivers nothing but hell. However, if this is hell on earth…God, save my soul. Bad Saint (All The Pretty Things #1)
full rtc
Wowzas!! Well this book put me through the wringer. Please excuse me whilst I go and sleep for a week. This book right here threw everything it possibly could at me. I feel like I'm suffering from whiplash with the fumbled attempts the heroine endured as she was thrown into one situation after another. But because of this I was glued to my ipad throughout wanting/needing to know the outcome.
ebook so basically, this is blue lagoon but darker.
ok so first of all, the cover is so pretty like wow.
second, i have no idea why, but the MCs and their situation reminded me of Lorcan and Elide from Empire of Storms?? but just from that book though. i have no idea what these characters went through in Kingdom of Ash as i haven't read that yet. and yes, I do ship Lorcan and Elide.
third, i really really liked this! obviously, there are some fucked up things happening here and i don't condone some of the things the H did to the h at all (sleeping with OW in front of her, punishing her, and you know, KIDNAPPING her because she was sold into slavery and shipping her off to his boss) but he seemed likeable and i'm pretty soft when it comes to mysterious H's AND he redeemed himself imo, which is a plus.
and the heroine? well imma just show you why i loved her:
“You can break my body. It’s only a shell. But my spirit, you will never touch. That will always belong to me. So I’m ready. Do your best. Take me to Russia and deliver me to your boss, but know that I will never stop fighting for my freedom. I will never stop trying to break free.”
wow.
i wasn't expecting this to have a little action/adventure( travelling the seas and being stuck in an island) and i was all for it.
so, onto the next one! ebook 4 STARS
He’s leading a lamb to the slaughter, but the one thing he doesn’t realize…is that I’m not a lamb. And I never will be.
Alright. Accountability time. Why have those of you that knew that I've never read a Monica James book not slapped me upside the head with one of her books yet? hmm? You should be ashamed of yourselves! Ashamed, I tells ya! Because this girl? Is currently kicking her own ass for only now discovering this author.
Let's be real here. The mere second that I laid my eyes on that blurb and this cover, I knew this would be my first Monica James book. I'm a sucker for a dark romance. But add in a good captive scenario and stick a fork in me. I'm done!
Having never read this author, I had no idea what to expect from this book. I know that I tend to be ridiculously picky when it comes to dark romance and I was a little nervous with reading it from a new to me author. But my worries soon floated away on the waves of emotion that this story brought! Holy...WOW.
While you spend the majority of the book in Willow's head, you also get an incredibly unique glimpse of Saint. And let me just tell you, friends, you will be frothing at the mouth for this man. He's an incredible enigma of violence and hidden pain. Everything about him is shrouded in mystery and you're utterly desperate to peel back all of his many layers and get an answer for the million questions that will be running through your head as you turn the pages.
I need the darkness to survive. It’s the only way I can live with what I’ve done.”
If you're like me, and like your heroines to be fierce fighters that don't give up in even the most dire of circumstances, you're going to love Willow. Here's a woman that gets kidnapped on her wedding night, thrown on a boat, threatened within an inch of her life, and told she's going to be the property of some cruel Russian mobster, yet she never stops fighting. The more you learn about the puzzle pieces that led to her current picture, the more desperate you'll be to get to the next page.
Saint is certainly no saint in Willow's world. This is a man that's responsible for her current circumstances. He's cruel, cold, and conditioning her for a man that's promised to be even worse. But beneath that rough masked exterior, there are glimpses of a man that's something...more.
How do you fall for a criminal who you never even get to understand beyond his words and actions as seen through Willow's eyes. I don't know, but I know that I did. There's just something so magnetic about Saint. Something so vulnerable that you can't help but glimpse in his actions and words. You want to hate him for the things he does, but you just can't.
There were a few parts of the story where I felt like the descriptions became too much and got in the way of the story's pacing. But ultimately, I was just too invested in the story to pay it much mind.
Bad Saint was deliciously dark and utterly captivating. I was totally enraptured in this world and by the time the ending came, my emotions were so up and down, I didn't know what to do with myself. And then that ending happened!!!! SWEET MOTHER OF ALL THAT'S HOLY I NEED THE NEXT BOOK!!
ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
ebook NOW LIVE!
Amazon US * Amazon UK
I have so much that I want to say about Bad Saint but so much that I can't say because I don't want to accidentally give anything away. Which means I've pretty much been doing nothing but staring at my laptop for the past twenty minutes trying to think of the words to describe this book and so far all I've come up with is - more please!
This is the type of book that while I'm reading I'm constantly telling myself to stop lusting over the psycho. Saint was such a large energy in this story and from the beginning I found myself captivated and sucked into that energy. He is not a character that you will swoon over at sweet or loving moments. No, Saint is the hero that acts completely savage and ruins your panties. Aka one of the best
As for Willow, she was kickass. I really liked seeing how she didn't back down from the fight and even though Saint tried, he couldn't break her spirit. It's also what had me dying to see her and Saint together as more than kidnapper/kidnappee since they both had such strong personalities. I just know that they're going to explode together so it's going to be a very impatient wait for more of their story.
Bottom line, this story took me on one crazy ride and it's one I think anyone that likes dark romance should give a try. There's clearly so much more to come from these characters so I'm really excited to get the next installment of their story.
ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review. ebook One word to describe this book - ridiculous...
I was really interested in reading this ;
- blurb was good
-it is a RARE author that I want to give a chance
BUT...
- why can't someone be a virgin just because, without some heartfelt reason
-why can't hero be a bad guy bc he is a bad guy
- characters are caricatures which can be fine to an extent just have some measure; is not that I expected that much but this was an I can't take anymore, please stop
- the hero is a professor, to show he is smart!! but then he became Russian mobster's right-hand hitman because he has his sister kidnapped so obviously, that mobster blackmails hero - an American professor to be his assassin
-heroine oh where to start... I don't even need to talk about Stockholm syndrome romance I was rolling my eyes waaaay before, because she is a runway model who is 5 ft 6 well okay maybe she is a special snowflake...she is a small town girl that lived in LA and worked around the world for seven years and I don't understand... I don't understand how she comes off so idiotic & naive..
- she marries a guy after two weeks and doesn't have a single person to notice that she is missing
Soon this becomes Blue Lagoon where our leading couple spends a month or so on the beach/deserted island...she gets a pet chicken..because that is very important, to have a pet!! not only not to eat it but endanger your life for a chicken...
Sorry chicken but the survivor of the fittest and all that jazz... I don't get this & what should I feel towards heroine...
It is safe to say that I am not interested in the rest of the story...
Sorry, this is a mess... Anyway, my honest opinion is if you will read this don't expect much and don't try to be logical about it...
Like why didn't they go on honeymoon to Russia so she can be there easily abducted without all this travel...
Okay, I will stop now...
I liked the cover!! ebook
Summary ´ eBook, ePUB or Kindle PDF ↠ Monica James
BLOG
“Each scar tells a story, showing the world you were stronger than whatever tried to beat you”
I read this book in just 2 days, It was fast-paced and full of action scenes. This was my first book by Monica James and it won’t be the last I enjoyed this book and the storyline.
It was an emotional read full of turns and twists, I couldn’t put it down and without realizing it I finished it. The characters are mysterious, I didn’t know what to expect from them and I was at the edge of my seat every scene.
I loved Willow, She’s such a badass and she was so strong after all these things she has been through and she won’t give up on her freedom and I loved that about her. Saint’s character was such a mystery he’s hot and cold and I couldn’t predict what is he going to do next.
The end shocked me, I didn’t expect that at all, and the book ended on a cliffhanger so I immediately started the second book because there were so many questions I didn’t get the answer to. I need to know what will happen to them next. Overall I enjoyed this book and I’m so happy that I discovered Monica James. ebook Monica James is my new favorite author. I enjoyed her Monster Within series. She really can write dark, drity, gritty and heart breaking romance. She done it again with Bad Saint.
This is really gritty, dark romance. I am not a stranger when it comes to abduction romance. Miss James gives us Saint. The anti hero. Or noble hero. I can not decide. I am not a fan with Willow. She is needy and spoil bitch sometimes.
Since this is trilogy, I want to wait and see how Willow's character grew in the next book. I have a feeling Willow is the one who saves Saint at the end.
The twist and the plot is thick. It is a perfect combination for this kind of dark romance.
4 stars ebook Sins, bad decisions, and the ultimate pent up anger of lust that will have you fighting for more, Monica James knows how to balance the cruelty and passion in one...
There is a lot that can be said about an author who truly knows how to write a proper dark romance. At one point in my life I was craving all the dark romances that I could find thanks to the gruesome yet addicting novels by Penelope Douglas that never seem to disappoint. That being said, Monica is an author that has surprised me in the best and worst of ways. Knowing her writing now, I feel confident on saying that Monica knows how to slay the angst and dark passion between two characters. I will be honest however... it did take me a good solid while to connect with the characters because there was something off about Saint, but after reading more and getting to know him more in depth I can officially say that he is just down right a filthy, alpha male god! I want more of him, and now that I know how much he has up his sleeve there is no denying that he is quite an intriguing yet gruesome character. I want more of him...
There is so much mystery in this novel that I was taken aback at how much I actually did enjoy it! The surprises always come when it comes down to Monica, and sometimes you never what to expect because Willow... Oh dear goodness, this character had me in KNOTS! That empowering character that she is, it's what really drew me in for more of her. As previously mentioned, the mystery is there and so is the angst between Willow and Saint. That invisible boundary of lust and passion is what kept me flowing for more, and that forbidden aspect to the story is also present as Willow is to be handed over to another man.
In Saint's eyes, his hold on her is something that he wants to keep and not pass along. He knows that the connection he has with Willow is one that he cannot seem to get out of. The possessive alpha in him is what truly makes me such a drool worthy of a character. There is a lot of character build up as well that sometimes had me questioning the motives of Saint, but overall that ending... Geesh! I was blown away!
Overall, Monica has indeed created this new world that is full of potential and an ideal point of view when it comes down to dark romances. Sign me up for the next novel. No spoilers on here for sure because if you want to know what happens, if you want to know how dark this dark romance gets, if you were intrigued by the synopsis, if you are into angsty romances that will have you ripping your last hairs out, then I can promise you that this is the ideal novel for you. Thank you to Monica, my favorite Aussie author who knows me and I know her for sending a copy over that have my hands itching for the second novel!
ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review...
Follow Me On:
Blog ❁ Instagram ❁ Facebook ❁ Twitter ebook Book 1: 4.5 STARS!
Book 2: 3.5 STARS!
Book 3: currently reading
4.5 STARS!
I am losing myself, piece by piece.What a ride! Bad Saint was dark, twisty and full of emotion!
I always start these kinds of reviews with the same preface: dark reads are hard to pull off. Ergo, I'm giving full props to Monica James for giving me a messed-up story that I could sink my teeth into.
Plot: Willow is taken from her secluded Greek villa while on her honeymoon. One of her abductors is more reluctant than the others. Over the course of Willow's nightmare, we find out why.
Oh, man! I LOVED the relationship between Willow and Saint. Their physical, mental, and emotional cat and mouse games kept me glued to the pages.
But Saint scares me in a different way. I'm not fearful for my life when I'm with him. I'm fearful for my soul.The author did such a good job of keeping Saint on the right side of the alpha line without sacrificing the dark themes of the story. Fabulous stuff.
I have to round down though, because some of the 'action' events were downright silly and/or convenient. However, I was so caught up in the plot that I was mostly willing to let these kinds of things go.
I've already started book 2! ebook This was not the worst and I understand what Stockholm Syndrome is but... there was too much stupid stuff going on for me to enjoy this as much as everybody else did.
Willow is kidnapped and abused but is constantly noticing Saint’s chiseled abs and heat and golden skin,... the list is endless of how perfect this man is. And every other guy who came within a 5 mile radius of her was ugly, smelly, had at least 6 teeth missing and dirty fingernails. Except of course for Saint who, for 100% of the pages in this book, had excellent personal hygiene and always smelled nice and clean. The guy could have used her hair as toilet paper and she would still be okay with it because he has awesome tats and an amazing body.
I have book two and I’m hoping this will be a little better. ebook