Release Date: June 22
From Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author M. Robinson & #1 NYT Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken comes a full length, standalone dark romance novel.“Play for me, Juliet…”Those four words whispered in my ear again and again until I craved what I used to fear.Such a simple demand from my captor—the man who stole me and refused to tell me why he wouldn’t let me go.I was his.He made me need him, just as much as he needed me.I broke all the rules of the golden prison he put me in.During the day he ruled his dark, seedy world.His subjects and me.During the night—he bowed before my feet.Have you ever wondered what happened to the villains in all the fairy tales you read?You’ll soon find out.It all started when he kidnapped me and made me his pet.And it all ended with me…Calling him master.
*This story is not for the faint of heart and may be uncomfortable for some readers. But, then again, stepping outside of your comfort zone may be exactly the thing you need…Care to play with us, readers?
Falling for the Villain is a dark romance from M. Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken (RVD). I truly enjoy reading books by both these authors (they have many 4 and 5 star reviews from me). However, this book fell right down the middle for me.
This isn’t the first time Robinson and RVD have written a book together and you can tell. It’s extremely difficult to discern who wrote what as the story does flow very well in that aspect. This book is quite different than their previous book together and also slightly different from what they have written individually. This one takes readers outside of their comfort zone and into master/slave trope along with Stockholm syndrome.
Robinson and RVD are very strong and mature writers. I love their writing styles and love how they are able to blend their unique styles so that it is seamless when we read this story. And this book showcases that. The writing is strong, it is seamless in that you cannot tell you who wrote what and while the story flows in certain ways, it felt choppy in others and this is where I felt disconnected. The narrative of how Juliet (who is Sinacore and they bow to no one) so easily succumbs to Donovan. I wanted more of their encounters early on in their “relationship” to get a better understanding of how their dynamics came to be later on. It is truly hinted at, but I felt because it lacked that connection, it failed to deliver on connecting the reader to their twisted relationship.
The story is told from both their POVs, which does help readers understand to a degree where each character is coming from. But because their early encounters are much more rushed, it misses the mark on how they fully connect. I understand his reasoning for abducting her, the power he yields over her and why he does what he does. However, again, it was just missing the mark for me. I felt disconnected to these characters.
This book is not going to be everyone’s “cup of tea” but if you enjoy stepping outside your normal reads, like having boundaries pushed and/or just reading something different, then I highly urge you to give this one a try. I enjoyed the overall plot, the characters and the general flow of this book. I had no qualms any scenes or the dark undertones of this book. However, I struggled to connect to this book in various ways and that is why this one is right down middle for me.
Above all, M loves her readers more than anything and loves to connect with them! She is on all social media platforms but you will find her in her happy place the most. Her VIP Reader Group on Facebook or her second favorite happy place, Instagram.
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