Dark Kingdom (Kings and Villains 1) by Jagger Cole -review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 1, 2022

He’s my husband. I’m his prisoner.

Adrian Cross is the most ruthless kingpin in London’s criminal underworld.
Dangerous. Powerful. Undeniable. Venom wrapped in Savile Row linen.
He’s also my ex-husband.
Or rather, my not-quite-technically “ex” husband.
Now someone wants me dead, and the man I ran from might be my only chance of survival.
But his help won’t come for free.
In exchange for his protection, he gets all of me: body and soul.
No limits. No mercy. No catching feelings for the man who hates me for what I did.
I tell myself my heart isn’t part of our sinful pact.
But the deeper we sink into our twisted games, the more impossible that might be.
Because Adrian never gave it back in the first place.

••••••••

REVIEW: DARK KINGDOM is the first instalment in Jagger Cole’s contemporary adult KINGS AND VILLAINS dark, erotic, Mafia romance series. This is twenty-four year old Adrian Cross, and Celeste Margaux’s story line.

NOTE: For fans of the author’s books and stories, there was a prequel short story release in the multi-authored DARKLY EVER AFTER Organized Crime Anthology, a short story that is now a part of current story line.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Adrian and Celeste) DARK KINGDOM follows the tempestuous second chance relationship between Irish crime lord Adrian Cross and Celeste Margaux. Four years earlier Celeste’s father discovered his daughter’s relationship with the hired help aka Adrian Cross, and sold his daughter to the highest bidder, a Saudi billionaire looking for a deal but not before crushing Celeste with a series of lies. Fast forward to present day wherein Celeste is in desperate need of protection- there is a price on her head, and the man she was forced to marry has been killed by an unknown assailant. Enter Adrian Cross, now the head of the Cross Crime Family, and the man with whom Celeste is still in love. What ensues is the acrimonious but rebuilding relationship between Adrian and Celeste, and the potential fall-out Celeste remains the target of an unknown assassin.

Celeste Margaux thought she had been betrayed by the man that she loved, and for four years struggled to survive in a marriage of convenience but all was not as it had appeared to be, and Celeste finds herself on the run, desperate to find protection from the man she once loved. Adrian Cross has struggled in the four years since Celeste married someone else, destroying his heart in the process. Now at the top of the criminal underworld, Adrian is determined to reclaim the woman he once loved, even if he has to break her will and destroy her heart.

The relationship between Adrian and Celeste is one of second chances but a relationship predicated upon control and humiliation. Adrian is a jerk, an a$$hole of epic proportions, and his treatment of Celeste is often demeaning and cruel. In an effort to save her life, Celeste must succumb to Adrian’s demands, forcing herself to become a virtual prisoner of the man that she loves. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and provocative but not without some issues of questionable consent.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters many of whom we have met in previous story lines, duets and interconnected series written by Jagger Cole including the Cinder Duet, and the Hunted Duet. We are introduced to Celeste’s father Jean Margaux, and Celeste’s friend Adele. The requisite evil has many faces.

DARK KINGDOM is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, money and greed, family, friendships, relationships and love. The premise is heart breaking and emotional; the romance is often cruel and demeaning; the characters are desperate, determined, dangerous and dark.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

A reader first and foremost, Jagger Cole cut his romance writing teeth penning various fan-fiction stories years ago. After deciding to hang up his writing boots, Jagger worked in advertising pretending to be Don Draper. It worked enough to convince a woman way out of his league to marry him, though, which is a total win.

Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.

When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside–rain or shine.

You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com

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