The Enslaved Duet
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1. ENTHRALLED by Giana Darling
SYNOPSIS
It was the biggest day of my life. I know most people say that about something joyous; a graduation, a wedding ceremony, the birth of their first child. My situation was a little different. Sure, it was my eighteenth birthday, but it was also the day that I was sold. Sold to a man with hair like a crown of gold and eyes blacker than the darkest pits of Hell. He bought me to own me, to control me, and to use me as a means to an end. I was his tool and his weapon. And through it all, somehow, I also became his salvation.
BOOK REVIEW
Giana Darling’s writing is absolutely beautiful. Her storytelling and worldbuilding never fail to enrapture and gratify me. With Enthralled, she expertly weaves the pain with pleasure, turning a reader into a slave to her words. Can you already tell that BDSM is heavily involved, and the sex itself is scorching hot? (OMG I hope my excitement doesn’t make me pervert…)
“In the next two weeks, I was fucked so thoroughly, I couldn’t walk without the echo of his cock between my legs. My body was sore to the bone, skin burst with bruises, and muscles burned from the constant stretch and pull of my limbs worked into wicked positions. I learned the difference between the wide spread heat of a flogging, the mounting burn of a paddling, and the excruciating, venomous bite of a whip. In fact, he used me so completely each day that there wasn’t a single moment I was free from the reminder of sex. I wore it on my body and housed it in my mind. A moan of want or protest seemed lodged in my throat like a lozenge that wouldn’t pass. Every morning, I woke up wet and stayed that way as I bathed Alexander and dressed him for work. He used me in the shower, always, soothing me with his cock and almost cooing to me as he fucked me, promising to bring me relief with his cum and his special brand of agony. He used me all around the house, everywhere but those rare locked doors and his own bedroom. He liked to fuck me in the greenhouse most. I think it made him feel like he was cornering, caging, and conquering a wild animal. I made sure to mark him with scratches and bite marks to add to the allusion. And every night, he used me in my room, pulling out his black bag of devious toys and using them on me the way Dr. Frankenstein might have experimented on his monster. I became one—a monster, that is. One that lived on debauched displays of submission and constantly yearned for domination.”
Master Alexander was born and raised to be the epitome of an expert dominant. There are moments you hate his guts, especially when the whole process of torturing innocent Cosima just started. But as the story progressed, understanding and compassion towards a damaged boy with a broken but not completely tainted heart flooded my consciousness. His actions showed how lost and empty he was, while the way he tried to protect Cosima at all costs, even putting himself in danger, was the evidence that he was still capable of feeling (and I mean beyond the lust and thrill of dominance in this BDSM thingy).
I wouldn’t say that Cosima was a unique main female character. She was a stereotypical Italian beauty who used her naturally gorgeous looks to take care of those dear to her pure heart, which was exactly how she found herself in the hands of her master, Alexander. The most interesting layer to her was the way she was changing and evolving throughout the book, abandoning her annoying innocence and stubbornness, and recognizing the strength in submission, while finding the light of love in the darkness of her bloodied cage.
There is no point in talking about the chemistry between the two. It was just out of this world, straight from hell, no doubt. The whole relationship was built on consensual gratification, becoming something more complex, something more… My heart ached for their separate pasts filled with heartbreaking loneliness and constant pain, as well as for their present together full of numerous threats (SPOILER! The events around the wicked secret society of the noble and privileged were truly sickening and disturbing).
NOTE: There is a cliffhanger in the end, but the duet is complete now, no need to worry!
2. ENAMOURED by Giana Darling
SYNOPSIS
It was the worst day of my life. I know most people say that about something obviously horrific—a first heartbreak, the discovery of a fatal illness, or the funeral of a loved one—but my situation was a little different. Not only was it my wedding day, but it was also the day I chose to die.
Two men. The first, my Master, my captor, and my impossible love. The other, his brother, a mafioso I was meant to ensnare and ruin. If I had any hope of living a normal life reunited with my family, I had to make a choice. End my old life as I knew it and start fresh, or take down the monsters that hunted me and haunted my Master. In the end, the decision was never really mine to make. Because Alexander Davenport would come to claim me even in death.
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BOOK REVIEW
The Enslaved duet is clearly connected to the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, a brutal, twisted, and explicit version of it.
This book was a long-waited epic conclusion to Alexander’s and Cosima’s deliciously dark love story, full of plot twists and unexpected turns, very emotional and sensual scenes. Cosima and her Master shared a connection that defies existing societal norms, but helped them to find strength in each other despite insurmountable odds, nonetheless. Their feelings might not make sense to the majority of people (not that A&C would actually care), but let me tell you, loving someone because you cannot feel any other way is something so rare and special. Add gasp out loud moments and chemistry that burns the fingertips on the page to the mix, and you’re good to go. To Hell and back.