Tag Archives: Darkest Dance

Dance of Thorns (Darkest Dance 6) by Jagger Cole-review tour

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Dance of Thorns (Darkest Dance 6) by Jagger Cole-review tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 4, 2025

I’m forced to marry my dead best friend’s fiancé.
Most people call me a freak. Damaged goods. Addict.
The outcast daughter of the Marchetti crime family.
A black sheep with a dark soul.
But then one night, I fall into a darker one.
Bane Antonov, the cold, villainously beautiful crown prince of the Antonov Bratva.
A man covered in scars and ink.
A man who was supposed to marry my now dead and buried best friend.
The night we crash together, we talk each other off the literal edge.
I should’ve jumped.
Because somehow, Bane knows my every dark secret. Every scar. Every inky black desire.
He’s a villain and a monster.
The thing is, I might be, too.
There are things I don’t remember.
Like why he hates me. Why I crave his venomous touch and poisonous lips anyway.
Now, he has me locked in his cage with his ring on my finger.
We’re in a war, ‘til death do us part.
But we’ll see who falls first.
And it’s a Long. Way. Down.

•••••

REVIEW:DANCE OF THORNS is the sixth instalment in Jagger Cole’s contemporary, adult DARKEST DANCE dark, erotic, Mafia romance series. This is heir to the Antonov Crime Family Bane Antonov, and ballet dancer / painter Dove Marchetti’s story line. DANCE OF THORNS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Bane and Dove) DANCE OF THORNS follows seven years after the abduction and torture of our story line heroine, an abduction in which her best friend Lark Peltier did not survive. In an effort to shore up power between the Marchetti and Antonov families, Dove is forced into an arranged marriage with a man who blames her for the death of her best friend Lark but all is not as it appears to be, and our heroine struggles to come to terms with the reality of what is happening and why. Bane Antonov seemingly despises the woman he blames for the death of his girlfriend Lark but as Dove begins to spiral, secrets will reveal a dark and dangerous path, targeting our story line heroine.

The world building is detailed and gets more complex as the story line develops. Twists and turns, spirals and madness are but the starting point for a journey of emotional betrayal.

We are introduced to Dove’s father Cesare Marchetti, and his wife Felicity ; their housekeeper Melinda: Bane’s father Nikolai Antonov, as well as a cameo from some of the previous story line characters and dancers.

DANCE OF THORNS is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, betrayal and vengeance, mental illness and addiction, dysfunctional family dynamics, acceptance and love. The character driven premise dark, gritty, dramatic and heart breaking; the characters are edgy and broken; the romance is unconventional and provocative.

 

Reading Order and previous reviews
Dance of Deception
Dance of Ruin
Dance of Madness
Dance of Devils
Dance of Defiance

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

Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd

FOLLOW: WEBSITE / Facebook / Bookfunnel Newsletter / Goodreads / Amazon Author / Instagram /

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Dance of Defiance (Darkest Dance 5) by Jagger Cole-review tour

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Dance of Defiance (Darkest Dance 5) by Jagger Cole-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date October 9, 2025

A night meant for violence and vengeance turns into something far more twisted and deviant…
I was raised to be brutal.
Hard. Tough. Unmerciful.
In the Bratva, men don’t crave other men. Good thing I’m straight.
And if I say that enough times, six inches from the mirror, it usually sounds true.
That is, until I go into the woods looking for monsters, and find something far harder to escape from.
Val Bancroft is chaos and carnage wrapped in electrified sin.
Provocative and defiant.
Lethally, disarmingly beautiful.
A violent, unhinged corruption to my own brand of carefully controlled darkness.
I tell myself I’m not gay. That our families want to kill each other. That my place as my father’s heir, with a woman chosen for me at my side, has already been carved in stone.
But he dismantles me, piece by bloody piece, until even my demons bow to him.
He’s an unstoppable force.
I’m an immovable object.
And when we slam together, we’ll find beautiful wreckage—or vicious goddamn ruin.

••••••

REVIEW: DANCE OF DEFIANCE is the fifth instalment in Jagger Cole’s contemporary, adult DARKEST DANCE dark, erotic, Mafia romance series. This is ballet dancer Val Bancroft, and Roman Nikitin’s story line. DANCE OF DEFIANCE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Roman is the sister of ballet dancer Evelina Nikitin.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers. DANCE OF DEFIANCE focuses on a same sex relationship with same sex scenarios.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Val and Roman) DANCE OF DEFIANCE focuses on the forbidden relationships between ballet dancer Val Bancroft, and Roman Nikitin. Roman Nikitin is the heir to the Nikitin throne, and an arranged marriage is part of the deal but Roman is struggling with his future, his sexuality, and his attraction to his sister’s friend and dancer Val Bancroft. Roman believes he is straight but his actions and desires for Val threaten his future as a member of the Bratva, a dangerous organization that doesn’t play well with things they refuse to understand. Val Bancroft is the brother of Vaughn Bancroft, the leader of the Obsidian Syndicate, and as such, does the occasion ‘job’ for the people in charge but Val’s attraction to, and need for Roman, threatens everything including Roman’s future and his life, and in this, Roman finds himself on the outside looking in when the world around him begins to spiral out of control, threatening not only himself, but the man with whom he has fallen in love.

The world building is dark and dramatic as Roman struggles with his attraction to a man, an attraction that is forbidden in the world in which he was raised.Struggling with his sexuality, in denial throughout the story, Roman is a man who fears the repercussions from the man in charge.

The relationship between Val and Roman is one of mutual attraction but Roman’s need to distance himself only pulls our couple together. Val is determined to force Roman to admit his sexuality but Val is unaware of the costs to the man with whom he has fallen in love. The same $ex scenarios are aggressive, intense and provocative.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, powerful and questionable secondary and supporting characters including Roman’s sister Evie, their father Pavel Nikitin; Val’s brother and head of the Obsidian Syndicate Vaughn, as well as Val’s fellow dancers, Dasha Lukashova, and Pavel’s second Stepan.

DANCE OF DEFIANCE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, discrimination and homophobia, dysfunctional family relationships, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is edgy, startling and vivid; the romance is seductive and challenging; the characters are determined, desperate and somewhat broken.

 

Reading Order and previous reviews
Dance of Deception
Dance of Ruin
Dance of Madness
Dance of Devils

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

Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd

FOLLOW: WEBSITE / Facebook / Bookfunnel Newsletter / Goodreads / Amazon Author / Instagram /

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Dance of Devils (Darkest Dance 4) by Jagger Cole-review tour

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Dance of Devils (Darkest Dance 4) by Jagger Cole-review tour

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4kJsZFu

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 31, 2025

First he saved my life. Then he claimed my soul.
They say he has the heart of the Devil and the body of a god.
Kir Nikolayev, the brutal, dark king of New York’s underworld, is infinitely dangerous. Impossibly beautiful.
Twenty years older than me.
I’m the girl with nothing but a gift for ballet and the secrets I keep.
Like that I’m living out of my car.
That I take my clothes off for money.
That I’m chased by the ghosts of my past, and they’re quickly closing in.
But after a night of blood and violence, I wake up to silk sheets, dark devil eyes, and a voice like sin and smoke telling me I’m his now.
His to protect.
His to unravel.
His to own.
They say when you dance with the devil, he’ll lead you into flames.
But no one ever warns you…
How good it feels to burn.

•••••

REVIEW: DANCE OF DEVILS is the fourth instalment in Jagger Cole’s contemporary, adult DARKEST DANCE dark, erotic, Mafia romance series. This is twenty-three year old ballerina Brooklyn Ellis, and forty-four year old, Bratva Kingpin Kir Nikolayev’s story line. DANCE OF DEVILS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion. There is a slight cross-over with the author’s MEMENTO MORI series-Kir Nikolayev is Freya Holm’s father (Emperor of Rage).

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kir and Brooklyn) DANCE OF DEVILS follows in the wake of an attack against our story line heroine. Brooklyn Ellis is a ballerina but money is tight, and she finds herself working in the seedy underbelly of stripper poles and questionable clients, a target of every lecherous assault and misogynistic boss until the day Kir Nikolayev rescues our heroine, pulling her life into another direction. Kir Nikolayev doesn’t do relationships, and in this, Brooklyn Ellis is a big of a distraction but not all was as it appeared to be, as Kir begins to dig deep into Brooklyn’s life, and discovers the betrayal and greed that strike hard at the woman with whom he is falling in love.

The world building follows several paths as Kir Nikolayev must navigate the criminal underworld -owing favor, calling in debts, and a promise to the head of the Bratva that will either keep the peace, or start a war.

The relationship between Kir and Brooklyn begins as a rescue but Kir sees something in Brooklyn including her talent and the heart breaking fear of losing it all. Kir suspects there is more to our heroine than she was willing to reveal but once her secrets are revealed, Kir takes steps to save the woman with whom he is falling in love. The $ex scenes are intimate and provocative with some scenarios of spanking and Dom/sub.

Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of energetic, powerful and questionable secondary and supporting characters including the return of Evelina, Dove Marchetti, Naomi Kim, Val, Roman Nikitin, Madam Kuzmina and Dimitri Moskovic. The requisite evil has many faces.

DANCE OF DEVILS is another story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, greed and deceit, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is dramatic, dark and tragic; the romance is seductive and passionate; the characters are desperate, charismatic and tragic.

 

Reading Order and previous reviews
Dance of Deception
Dance of Ruin
Dance of Madness

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

Grab a FREE book for joining my fans-only newsletter – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/8rld1ik3sd

FOLLOW: WEBSITE / Facebook / Bookfunnel Newsletter / Goodreads / Amazon Author / Instagram /

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