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“You’ll have to forgive me, Darlin’, for all the unforgivable things I’m about to do…”
Loyalty is never easy – especially when you’re forced to choose between family and the man you would do anything to possess…
Born into a world that no child should endure, Magpie “Maggie” Crow is doted on by her loving father and over protective brothers. As much as she loves them, she fears them, especially when she learns secrets they've kept hidden.
Elliot McLaughlin joined the U.S. Marine Corps right out of high school to provide for his wife and son. He’d never intended to become a father so young, but was willing to do what it took to give his family everything they needed.
After Elliot’s family goes missing, he returns from war to an empty home. Obsessed with discovering who took his family, he investigates their disappearance and plots his revenge.
Passion brings Maggie and Elliot together. Obsession pushes them apart. As a bitter battle begins between Elliot and the Crows, Maggie’s heart hangs in the balance.
**Disclaimer: This book is intended for audiences 18 years of age or older. The subject matter of this book discusses sensitive topics that may be a trigger for some readers.**
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Head over to the authors facebook page to see what she will be giving away today!
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Lily White is a dark writer who likes to dabble on the taboo side of eroticism. She is most known for her Masters Series (Her Master’s Courtesan and Her Master’s Teacher), Target This, Hard Roads, and Asylum. She’s co-authored Serial (a four part serial series). When she isn’t writing as Lily White you can find other books by her under M.S. Willis where she has penned the Control Series, the Estate Series, Because of Ellison (contemporary romance), and Standard Romance Story (Romance Comedy). Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
In addition to writing, Lily is an avid reader, gummy bear slayer, and a gold medalist in puppy naps.
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BY SHABBY SHABNAMARORA
Complicated was too simple a word for the position in which I found myself. Dangerous was more like it… or disastrous.
And that about sums up the story. There's a Sense of Dread that runs central in the story. Maggie is the Fourth Crow in the Family of Four Crows. As black and as ominous as the real crows, the Crows move from town to town just before a storm, but they leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Only their's are silent, the crime scenes wiped clean, footprints burnt to the ground and no clues left behind that could incriminate them.
But there are indelible marks on Maggie's life. She lives under the constant threat of evil, sick brothers-Brody & Finn. They're predators hiding in the shadowed sidelines, standing outside her doors in the inky darkness. Just waiting for Jonah Crow to die and leave Maggie unprotected, so they could inevitably step in...
And then there's a parallel story of Elliott McLoughlin. He's a man destroyed. And with nothing to loose any more, he's a dangerous hunter and tracker of his family's murderers. You see , while Elliott was off fighting for his country, somebody had robbed him off his beautiful wife , Katie and a young son , Michael. His heart died the same day.
"I was damaged. I was broken. I had nothing left to lose, which made me the most dangerous type of man. I lacked fear. I lacked morality. I lacked every decent thing inside myself that made me care about consequences. Nothing mattered. And because of that, it made me the perfect predator too.The pain is unbearable. It’s never ending. And over the years that I’ve endured the agony, it’s developed into something far darker, far more deadly, than anything I knew could exist inside me."
He's just a walking-talking , empty shell of a man , left breathing because his enemies breathe...still.
And one man's pain leads to another person's agony.
Elliott meets Maggie and a tiny shred of human decency tries to rear it's head, which Elliott quashes with all his might. His mission of life needs no interruptions by any distraction or sympathy of any kind
"I’m a rabid dog off his leash, a hungry tiger uncaged, a feral wolf that’s been injured and abused, only to be set free. Without you to hold the leash, I’ve become focused and intent on destroying everything in my path."
Maggie despises and is terrified of her brothers but she totally loves her father. He's loved her and nurtured her into this beautiful young girl, shielded her from all evils, spent time with her laughing and playing and hugging and smiling.
For as evil as Jonah was , he still cherished me, his only daughter.
"I loved him. More than anything I'd known in life, I loved my father. He wasn't the nicest man to most of the people who’d known him. He wasn't the best example of what a father should be. But he had been my world for so long, I was afraid to find out what life would be without him. When all you have is the worst of the lot, the worst becomes your normal because it's all you've ever known."
The coupling of Maggie-Elliott is a complicated relationship, yet very simple to understand. They are each other lean-to's. They have a common vein of empathy in them , so no need for words or explanantions. They are very familiar with the pain each has endured at the hands of the Crows.
I’ve shuddered through the entire story. The Goosebumps factor climbed a high 100 !
The plot is chilling in anticipation and equally horrendous in execution. The methods lily conjures up to expose the heinousness of diseased inhumanity , boggles my mind.
I'm scared to draw any resemblance to anything living or dead, coincidental or unintentional. The references to certain barbarisms in the book make my hair stand on end. They’re DEFINITELY TRIGGERS for sensitive readers.
As usual I can't escape the brilliant writing in shocking cruel story.
Read at your own risk, because you'll definitely have vigorous heart pounding palpitations, a bad case of cursingitis (I totally made that up . Cursing loudly) and may end up crying at a scene or two.
I just wonder though - her writing and us reading such stories, does it make us cynical at times?
I thought that there was more internal monologue towards the end but that actually went well with the darkness of the oncoming war of sorts, and carried the mood of the story. Light bantering or mindless chatter would have diluted the dark, intense mood of the story and Lily is very adept at not letting go of the characteristics and settings of the story , in the sense that her characters remain purest form of evil and venomous . The villains a rarely show compassion and don't spout useless repentant speeches, nor do they turnabout on a dime to seek redemption
No, she's unapologetic about her work and though her stories are clearly defined and sat ensconced in Dark black side ( no shade of grey here!) We accept it whole heartedly because she delivers what she promises !
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BY LAURA LEE
Revenge-to avenge (oneself or another) usually by retaliating in kind or degree…And that my friends is what Elliott strives to accomplish. Returning early from serving time in the military, Elliot is faced with a missing wife and child. No longer any good serving his country to provide for his wife and child, he was discharged. Now we follow him as he seeks to make and and all suffer for what has happened to his family. After 14 years, has a clue finally become a reality in finding out who did this to his family?
At 4 yrs. old, a picture Maggie drew, would pave the road for how her live would go on… Red rain…Rubies…. They Sparkle… Now at 18, Maggie is at a crossroad. Living the life always moving, never having any friends that stayed for long, never going to school just her Dad and two brothers. A Dad that truly loves her and will do whatever to protect his baby girl. Brothers who would do anything to damage their sister. This is what makes up the Crow Family. Or, turning around now and putting trust into this stranger she just met. One who has managed to bring out new and different feelings. Feelings that Maggie has never felt.
Family is a strong word. One that means the world to both Elliot and Maggie. Are they willing to step over the line to help each other overcome what has happened in their family life? What these two have been through are horrible events that span across the entire rainbow of unhappiness. This is an emotional read and pretty detailed in some of the events that if you have Triggers, please be forewarned.
It’s a great page-turner that I enjoyed reading.
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