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Cartel #1
Cartel
The first full length Gypsy Brothers novel from the smash hit author Lili St. Germain.
How much is a life worth?
I grew up in Colombia, the daughter of a wealthy drug lord. I lived a life of extravagance, until one day a drug run went horribly wrong and everything came crashing down around us.
I was given away. A payment for a debt. The Gypsy Brothers Motorcycle Club became my new owners, and I did everything I could to survive.
But falling in love with the man who owned me wasn't part of the plan...
How much is a life worth?
I grew up in Colombia, the daughter of a wealthy drug lord. I lived a life of extravagance, until one day a drug run went horribly wrong and everything came crashing down around us.
I was given away. A payment for a debt. The Gypsy Brothers Motorcycle Club became my new owners, and I did everything I could to survive.
But falling in love with the man who owned me wasn't part of the plan...
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2015
About the author
Lili St. Germain
39 books4,294 followersLili is a USA Today bestselling hybrid author who has sold over a million books since January 2014. She writes stories about vengeful girls and villainous men, with readers crowning her "The Queen of Darkness" and "The best when it comes to dark, brooding and bloody romance."
Lili quit corporate life to focus on writing and so far is loving every minute of it. Her other loves in life include her gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter, good coffee, Tarantino movies and spending hours on Pinterest.
She loves to read almost as much as she loves to write.
Lili quit corporate life to focus on writing and so far is loving every minute of it. Her other loves in life include her gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter, good coffee, Tarantino movies and spending hours on Pinterest.
She loves to read almost as much as she loves to write.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 635 reviews
July 10, 2015
1.5 stars. Review posted January 18, 2015
Me before reading Cartel:
As an afterthought…don't forget the challenge. I'm game.
*********************************************
My frame of mind after reading Cartel…
…maybe because I didn't get any cookies? Just kidding. I don't need cookies anyway.
Even though I'm not a seasoned dark reader, I'm familiar with that subject matter. And, if Antidote is the shocking and incredibly brutal mother and father of dark reads, then Cartel must be the innocent baby who cooed sweet nonsense in my ear. So, if you think you can't deal with dark reads then...
Go ahead and read Cartel. I'm sure you can handle this watered-down, somewhat cheesy and candied version of dark.
In a nutshell
Nineteen-year-old Mariana offers herself up as a "willing" captive to Emilio Ross, infamous kingpin of South America's Il Sangue drug cartel. Mariana's father is Emilio Ross's employee and owes his boss a lot of money. Of course the drug lord is more than ready to claim the debt. Emilio sends Mariana off to San Diego and in the arms of his son, Dornan Ross, vice-president of the Gypsy Brothers motorcycle club.
As it was, I've had major issues with the characters and the writing. Plus a couple other things bothered me. Let me cut right to the chase of the matter.
Mariana
Maybe I'm just a jaded reader but I'm sorry to say that I could not for the life of me empathize with Mariana. For a so-called strong heroine she was incredibly wishy-washy and annoying. She changed from being hot (I want to hit someone or something, I want to scratch and kill blah blah blah) to being cold and docile within a blink of an eye. I'll do anything you want, please don't (insert more begging). Or…I will not cry, I won't. But of course she always cried. She cried, like, a bazillion times. Jesus.H.Christ.Gimme.A.Break.Will.You? Tears were either tracking down, dripping down, splashing down, raining down, rolling down, falling down her cheeks, or flooding her eyes or spilling from her eyes or welling out of her eyes or stinging or filling her eyes. Or she burst into tears. Or tears were burning or tears were blinked back or about to form and spill over or WHATEVER.
I swallowed back the rock in my throat, a couple of tears welling out of my eye and splashing down onto my cheek.
Splashing down? Really?
"I'm scared," I said, tears slipping down my face.
"I think I love you," I whispered, bursting into tears.
I mean crying is one thing but when you add the cheese then it clearly negates the heroine's alleged tough, feisty and mouthy personality. Sorry but I never bought her militant attitude anyway, also due to that overly melodramatic crap (among other things) which came out of left field and made her seem very weak. In my book, she was a joke of a heroine.
Dornan
Though the much bigger joke must have been Dornan who was supposed to be a dark character. He kills people but asks himself what Mariana is dreaming at night and the obsession he feels for her terrifies him. Wow. What a true badass. Can you hear my sarcasm? Laden with daddy-issues, he was a wimp who pussy-footed around his bad, bad, bad daddy. And daddy, the self-proclaimed Master (are you kidding me??) didn't manage to impress me either. As it was, that ridiculous master speech made me chuckle. All in all it's no wonder that Dornan, the poor sod, needed to sniff coke to feel powerful. Yeah, when he was high he felt better and in charge. *pets*
The sex
The same old same old. Screaming, groaning, grunting and the common "F@@@, you're wet." Nothing to write home about either.
I sucked in a breath as he slammed himself inside me, the feeling something I cannot fully describe. Fireworks and fury. The violent end to a violent beginning.
He groaned.
I screamed.
I had just invited the enemy inside my body, into my soul.
And we have the common (and trite) soul reference. It's so often used in today's (romance) books, it's not even funny anymore.
The plot and writing
The barely there plot was lame and whilst reading Cartel, I must have parched the Eye Roll Land for the next year or so. I stopped counting after the fiftieth time because my eyes were so dried out and hurt. I didn't like the cheesy and let's-try-too-hard-to-make-it-good writing which was formulaic. Here is the thing: an author must be able to revisit tropes or often-used devices/ploys in a fresh and interesting way but that wasn't the case here at all. Otherwise it just feels hackneyed and clichéd. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind overused tropes....I mean afterall, there's nothing new under the sun....but some authors have the talent to make it actually feel as if it's new. Also, it's a fact that Cotton Candy Land doesn't mesh well with an alleged dark theme.
For me, a book stands and falls with great and unforgettable quotes. Those I've added belong to the category eye-roll inducing. I highlighted so much I could hardly stop myself and I know there are way too many but quotes are the best way to explain WHY the writing did not work out for me. I spoiler-tagged them to shorten my review, so I won't annoy you too much with that part of my review.
Hmm…where have I heard that before?
The following quote…cheesy melodrama, much?
The Master comment was ridiculous:
She's 5 feet two inches tall. He's an allegedly six foot tall badass biker jerk. She IS light as a feather.
Puleeze!
Maybe when pigs fly.
Frankly, I couldn't care less.
The ILYs (I think I love you) towards the end of Cartel were absolutely unbelievable and that whole Stockholm Syndrome thing wasn't well-executed either. Just my opinion, though. I'm sorry if I picked the book to pieces but I have honestly nothing positive to say about it. It was a disappointment from start to finish and it goes without saying that I won't bother reading the next two installments.
P.S. Readers asked me why the half star. I need to take advantage of the range of ratings. Cartel was bad but it wasn't the worst book I've read. So 1.5 stars it is.
All quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted in the final copy
**Review request of author Lili St. Germain**
Me before reading Cartel:
As an afterthought…don't forget the challenge. I'm game.
*********************************************
My frame of mind after reading Cartel…
…maybe because I didn't get any cookies? Just kidding. I don't need cookies anyway.
Even though I'm not a seasoned dark reader, I'm familiar with that subject matter. And, if Antidote is the shocking and incredibly brutal mother and father of dark reads, then Cartel must be the innocent baby who cooed sweet nonsense in my ear. So, if you think you can't deal with dark reads then...
Go ahead and read Cartel. I'm sure you can handle this watered-down, somewhat cheesy and candied version of dark.
In a nutshell
Nineteen-year-old Mariana offers herself up as a "willing" captive to Emilio Ross, infamous kingpin of South America's Il Sangue drug cartel. Mariana's father is Emilio Ross's employee and owes his boss a lot of money. Of course the drug lord is more than ready to claim the debt. Emilio sends Mariana off to San Diego and in the arms of his son, Dornan Ross, vice-president of the Gypsy Brothers motorcycle club.
As it was, I've had major issues with the characters and the writing. Plus a couple other things bothered me. Let me cut right to the chase of the matter.
Mariana
Maybe I'm just a jaded reader but I'm sorry to say that I could not for the life of me empathize with Mariana. For a so-called strong heroine she was incredibly wishy-washy and annoying. She changed from being hot (I want to hit someone or something, I want to scratch and kill blah blah blah) to being cold and docile within a blink of an eye. I'll do anything you want, please don't (insert more begging). Or…I will not cry, I won't. But of course she always cried. She cried, like, a bazillion times. Jesus.H.Christ.Gimme.A.Break.Will.You? Tears were either tracking down, dripping down, splashing down, raining down, rolling down, falling down her cheeks, or flooding her eyes or spilling from her eyes or welling out of her eyes or stinging or filling her eyes. Or she burst into tears. Or tears were burning or tears were blinked back or about to form and spill over or WHATEVER.
I swallowed back the rock in my throat, a couple of tears welling out of my eye and splashing down onto my cheek.
Splashing down? Really?
"I'm scared," I said, tears slipping down my face.
"I think I love you," I whispered, bursting into tears.
I mean crying is one thing but when you add the cheese then it clearly negates the heroine's alleged tough, feisty and mouthy personality. Sorry but I never bought her militant attitude anyway, also due to that overly melodramatic crap (among other things) which came out of left field and made her seem very weak. In my book, she was a joke of a heroine.
Dornan
Though the much bigger joke must have been Dornan who was supposed to be a dark character. He kills people but asks himself what Mariana is dreaming at night and the obsession he feels for her terrifies him. Wow. What a true badass. Can you hear my sarcasm? Laden with daddy-issues, he was a wimp who pussy-footed around his bad, bad, bad daddy. And daddy, the self-proclaimed Master (are you kidding me??) didn't manage to impress me either. As it was, that ridiculous master speech made me chuckle. All in all it's no wonder that Dornan, the poor sod, needed to sniff coke to feel powerful. Yeah, when he was high he felt better and in charge. *pets*
The sex
The same old same old. Screaming, groaning, grunting and the common "F@@@, you're wet." Nothing to write home about either.
I sucked in a breath as he slammed himself inside me, the feeling something I cannot fully describe. Fireworks and fury. The violent end to a violent beginning.
He groaned.
I screamed.
I had just invited the enemy inside my body, into my soul.
And we have the common (and trite) soul reference. It's so often used in today's (romance) books, it's not even funny anymore.
The plot and writing
The barely there plot was lame and whilst reading Cartel, I must have parched the Eye Roll Land for the next year or so. I stopped counting after the fiftieth time because my eyes were so dried out and hurt. I didn't like the cheesy and let's-try-too-hard-to-make-it-good writing which was formulaic. Here is the thing: an author must be able to revisit tropes or often-used devices/ploys in a fresh and interesting way but that wasn't the case here at all. Otherwise it just feels hackneyed and clichéd. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind overused tropes....I mean afterall, there's nothing new under the sun....but some authors have the talent to make it actually feel as if it's new. Also, it's a fact that Cotton Candy Land doesn't mesh well with an alleged dark theme.
For me, a book stands and falls with great and unforgettable quotes. Those I've added belong to the category eye-roll inducing. I highlighted so much I could hardly stop myself and I know there are way too many but quotes are the best way to explain WHY the writing did not work out for me. I spoiler-tagged them to shorten my review, so I won't annoy you too much with that part of my review.
Hmm…where have I heard that before?
The following quote…cheesy melodrama, much?
The Master comment was ridiculous:
She's 5 feet two inches tall. He's an allegedly six foot tall badass biker jerk. She IS light as a feather.
Puleeze!
Maybe when pigs fly.
Frankly, I couldn't care less.
The ILYs (I think I love you) towards the end of Cartel were absolutely unbelievable and that whole Stockholm Syndrome thing wasn't well-executed either. Just my opinion, though. I'm sorry if I picked the book to pieces but I have honestly nothing positive to say about it. It was a disappointment from start to finish and it goes without saying that I won't bother reading the next two installments.
P.S. Readers asked me why the half star. I need to take advantage of the range of ratings. Cartel was bad but it wasn't the worst book I've read. So 1.5 stars it is.
All quotes are taken from the pre-published copy and may be altered or omitted in the final copy
**Review request of author Lili St. Germain**
January 17, 2015
4 stars!
Finally, a book that grabbed and kept my attention from start to finish! Because nowadays, I feel like I’m hitting a mid-book crisis where not many stories are holding my attention, or the spark of interest at the beginning just fizzles out. In any case, I really enjoyed this book! It was fast-paced, and meshed the stifling cartel atmosphere with the MC setting well. If it weren’t for real life butting in, this is a book I would’ve finished in one sitting.
Before I started this book, I was more than apprehensive because the male lead is Dornan Ross, the infamous antagonist in this author’s Gypsy Brothers MC series and honestly, I could never, ever see him as a ‘hero,’ even in his own books. One thing I’m thankful for is that the author didn’t use this opportunity to purposefully portray Dornan as a hero worth swooning over, because deep down he’s just not a good man. In the Gypsy Brothers MC books, Dornan has completely lost it and is one unhinged motherfucker. In this book, however, he has a much lighter personality – albeit still dark – and most importantly, he still does have a conscience. But at the same time, there’s lots of foreshadowing and it’s clear that he’s slowly inching towards a darkness that no one or nothing can save him from.
Dornan is what makes this book so compelling for me. Having read about his sadistic, cruel ways in the Gypsy Brothers MC books I was quite fascinated by a more humane side of him here. He’s a very complex man, and I’m glad there were some scenes of his past that helped me understand why he is who he is now.
As for Mariana’s character, I didn’t really like or dislike her. My overall thoughts of her are just OK. On the positive side, I admired that she shouldered her father’s mistakes and sacrificed herself to save her family.
Even as a captive, she’s spirited and feisty. I liked that her character wasn’t flat. But on the negative side, there were multiple times I struggled with how wishy-washy she was when it came to Dornan and her ‘tough’ behavior would switch on and off it gave me whiplash. This is probably my main reason for dropping a star as this disconnect didn’t really make me love this heroine, though I’m sure the author has some wicked twists up her sleeve for Mariana in the next book.
I wouldn’t really classify this as dark romance as I didn’t find this book to be dark or romantic but there is sex and some vulnerability shown by both main characters. I do think it’s Stockholm Syndrome talking when Mariana confesses she’s falling for Dornan, as he becomes the sole person she can rely on.
I can’t quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but something about this book makes it more of an ‘introductory’ story – what you read from the blurb is what you’ll get. No surprises or extra twists. For those that have read one or more of this author’s books, you’ll know that’s so unlike Lili St. Germain. That bomb I thought would be dropping on these characters’ heads never did, so I expect things to start to heat up in book 2. The ending of this one wraps up in a way that will give hearts a reprieve but at the same time gears you up for what promises to be a rollercoaster ride in the next book.
**READING ORDER EXPLANATION**
Cartel marks the first book in a prequel series (all full length novels) to the Gypsy Brothers MC books. I want to say the events in this book take place roughly a decade before Juliette and Jase make their debut. As for the reading order, it does depend on where you’re at with this author’s books – have you read all of them so far, in the middle of them, or haven’t read a single one.
For those that have finished the Gypsy Brothers MC series: There’s not much I can say to you LOL. It’s up to you if you want to read a book with Dornan as the male lead (not necessarily a hero). But if you’re someone who’s especially interested in seeing how he becomes the guy he is in the present, this is definitely one you’ll want to read. It’s not about the happily ever after here; it’s the journey.
For those that are in the middle of the Gypsy Brothers MC series: Honestly, I think the readers in this category get the best of both worlds. You already know what happens to Mariana, Dornan, and other side characters so you’re prepared for it, but you haven’t seen the full extent of Dornan’s depravity yet so you have some room left to accept a ‘better’ him in this prequel series. I’m not suggesting that everyone just go read half of this series, then jump on Cartel, but for those already in this position I think it’ll enhance the rest of your reading experience for the Gypsy Brothers books and see there is more to him than just evil.
For those new to this author: It’s totally up to you where you want to start! But for those that love to read in chronological order, I would recommend starting with Cartel and then head for the Gypsy Brothers MC series.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Finally, a book that grabbed and kept my attention from start to finish! Because nowadays, I feel like I’m hitting a mid-book crisis where not many stories are holding my attention, or the spark of interest at the beginning just fizzles out. In any case, I really enjoyed this book! It was fast-paced, and meshed the stifling cartel atmosphere with the MC setting well. If it weren’t for real life butting in, this is a book I would’ve finished in one sitting.
Before I started this book, I was more than apprehensive because the male lead is Dornan Ross, the infamous antagonist in this author’s Gypsy Brothers MC series and honestly, I could never, ever see him as a ‘hero,’ even in his own books. One thing I’m thankful for is that the author didn’t use this opportunity to purposefully portray Dornan as a hero worth swooning over, because deep down he’s just not a good man. In the Gypsy Brothers MC books, Dornan has completely lost it and is one unhinged motherfucker. In this book, however, he has a much lighter personality – albeit still dark – and most importantly, he still does have a conscience. But at the same time, there’s lots of foreshadowing and it’s clear that he’s slowly inching towards a darkness that no one or nothing can save him from.
Dornan is what makes this book so compelling for me. Having read about his sadistic, cruel ways in the Gypsy Brothers MC books I was quite fascinated by a more humane side of him here. He’s a very complex man, and I’m glad there were some scenes of his past that helped me understand why he is who he is now.
As for Mariana’s character, I didn’t really like or dislike her. My overall thoughts of her are just OK. On the positive side, I admired that she shouldered her father’s mistakes and sacrificed herself to save her family.
Even as a captive, she’s spirited and feisty. I liked that her character wasn’t flat. But on the negative side, there were multiple times I struggled with how wishy-washy she was when it came to Dornan and her ‘tough’ behavior would switch on and off it gave me whiplash. This is probably my main reason for dropping a star as this disconnect didn’t really make me love this heroine, though I’m sure the author has some wicked twists up her sleeve for Mariana in the next book.
I wouldn’t really classify this as dark romance as I didn’t find this book to be dark or romantic but there is sex and some vulnerability shown by both main characters. I do think it’s Stockholm Syndrome talking when Mariana confesses she’s falling for Dornan, as he becomes the sole person she can rely on.
I can’t quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but something about this book makes it more of an ‘introductory’ story – what you read from the blurb is what you’ll get. No surprises or extra twists. For those that have read one or more of this author’s books, you’ll know that’s so unlike Lili St. Germain. That bomb I thought would be dropping on these characters’ heads never did, so I expect things to start to heat up in book 2. The ending of this one wraps up in a way that will give hearts a reprieve but at the same time gears you up for what promises to be a rollercoaster ride in the next book.
**READING ORDER EXPLANATION**
Cartel marks the first book in a prequel series (all full length novels) to the Gypsy Brothers MC books. I want to say the events in this book take place roughly a decade before Juliette and Jase make their debut. As for the reading order, it does depend on where you’re at with this author’s books – have you read all of them so far, in the middle of them, or haven’t read a single one.
For those that have finished the Gypsy Brothers MC series: There’s not much I can say to you LOL. It’s up to you if you want to read a book with Dornan as the male lead (not necessarily a hero). But if you’re someone who’s especially interested in seeing how he becomes the guy he is in the present, this is definitely one you’ll want to read. It’s not about the happily ever after here; it’s the journey.
For those that are in the middle of the Gypsy Brothers MC series: Honestly, I think the readers in this category get the best of both worlds. You already know what happens to Mariana, Dornan, and other side characters so you’re prepared for it, but you haven’t seen the full extent of Dornan’s depravity yet so you have some room left to accept a ‘better’ him in this prequel series. I’m not suggesting that everyone just go read half of this series, then jump on Cartel, but for those already in this position I think it’ll enhance the rest of your reading experience for the Gypsy Brothers books and see there is more to him than just evil.
For those new to this author: It’s totally up to you where you want to start! But for those that love to read in chronological order, I would recommend starting with Cartel and then head for the Gypsy Brothers MC series.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2015
Released today! Amazon US Amazon UK
Cartel is a tragic story laced with an edge of hope, darkness and the glimmer of love. It's set against backdrop of violence and depravity where drugs, human trafficking and brutal killings are considered a normal part of life and necessary elements in maintaining a powerful grip on their criminal underground world.
This is Mariana’s story. The prologue… her words…. It choked me up and took me to the edge of tears. Because of my understanding of the future, I experienced deep poignancy within my heart. It’s a story about how her life takes a devastating turn, at the hands of her drug trafficking Father, putting her at the mercy of the Cartel. It’s the story of how she becomes part of Dornan’s existence, a story of understanding and fear.
The Cartel may not be the darkest read ever, in terms of the way a twisted read makes one feel completely uncomfortable and outrageously disturbed, but is it really necessary to measure this and label to enjoy an eloquently told story that gripped me throughout? I think not. Reading is a highly subjective entity so the level to which the subject matter of this book affects a person will vary from reader to reader, that’s the joy of reading. The subjects at the heart of Cartel are undoubtedly dark, they’re not part of what I consider a cohesive, law abiding life. It’s not lightness, rainbows and unicorns…. So while it’s perhaps more palatable and maybe not as disturbing as some books there are still many moments that had me wincing with the vile actions of characters.
Cartel shows our leading male protagonist experiencing the life that will lead him to be the ruthless man he becomes in Gypsy Brothers. Dornan is the Vice President of the Gypsy Brothers MC. We learn more about the history of his life, how he became a Gypsy Brother, his kinship with John Portland and his relationship with his Father. The history is both touching and sad and, in some respects, a complete cluster-fuck of a mess. Having just read the Gypsy brothers this was all extremely interesting and enlightening and at times gave me goose bumps. I learned more about the inner workings of the MC and the Cartel as per the fictional world of Lili St. Germain.
My heart beat double time as the relationship between Dornan and Mariana developed… In some respects I wish Dornan was harsher, we see a much softer side of him during a time in his life before experiences have taken their toll on him, weighing him down with anger and loss. I found the relationship element utterly intriguing in many ways, ways I can’t even get my head around at the moment. I've a feeling about the Cartel series and the twists and turns this author may take us on…. I’m excited to discover if there may be any truth in my thoughts.
I experienced mixed emotions about what I wanted to happen and, in equal measure, I saw and felt the beauty amongst their dark existence, even though deep within, I felt my feelings were not quite appropriate.
The things I discovered offer me a greater level of understanding about Dornan… I should detest him. Despise him. But after reading Cartel, I don’t….. Equally I still can’t bring myself to like him. There’s a darkness inside him… I actually would have liked to see an even darker side in this book but I also completely understand why the author reigned it in, she’s giving her readers light and shade, making this character more human, showing me his vulnerable side. My feelings for this character are still evolving and maybe by the end of Cartel series, I’ll feel differently again, that’s the power of the fictional world. I feel there’s still so much more to discover about Dornan and his past.
The start of this book is brutal and devastating for Mariana. I felt her desperation. She's helpless in her plight and has extreme motivation for being compliant, her family and her fear. Mariana has sass and spunk; she’s feisty but compelled to rein in her spirit, and let her survival instincts take over.
There are moments when my heart lurched at the situation Mariana was in. Moments when a character uttered a few words and it would remind me of the future and the poignancy saddened my heart. There’s one scenario, a small part that will seem insignificant to some, but to me, because I’ve already read the Gypsy Brothers series, it gave me the chills. The knowledge of what’s to come enhanced the dark and gritty feel of the story for me. Fans of the Gypsy Brothers series will process this book with an enhanced understanding and, I whole heartedly believe, this comprehension adds an extra layer of emotion to the story that was instrumental in captivating me to a higher level of intensity.
Having said all that, Cartel has been constructed in such a way that it can be enjoyed either way, whether you've read the Gypsy Brothers series or not, and I highly recommend to readers who enjoy their stories on the edgier side with a dark subject matter.
I can't wait for more!
The following books in the series and the expected release dates:
Kingpin (Cartel #2) June 1st 2015
Empire (Cartel #3) October 1st 2015
Prospect (Cartel #4) 2016
**Note: Cartel is a full length story about Mariana. It's a prequel to the timeline of the Gypsy Brothers so it's NOT necessary to read the Gypsy Brothers series before experiencing Cartel. But, having read both series back to back, I feel that the order in which this series has been written is the best way to experience it.
Complimentary copy received from Lili St. Germain, via Harper Collins, in exchange for an honest review
Cartel is a tragic story laced with an edge of hope, darkness and the glimmer of love. It's set against backdrop of violence and depravity where drugs, human trafficking and brutal killings are considered a normal part of life and necessary elements in maintaining a powerful grip on their criminal underground world.
This is Mariana’s story. The prologue… her words…. It choked me up and took me to the edge of tears. Because of my understanding of the future, I experienced deep poignancy within my heart. It’s a story about how her life takes a devastating turn, at the hands of her drug trafficking Father, putting her at the mercy of the Cartel. It’s the story of how she becomes part of Dornan’s existence, a story of understanding and fear.
The Cartel may not be the darkest read ever, in terms of the way a twisted read makes one feel completely uncomfortable and outrageously disturbed, but is it really necessary to measure this and label to enjoy an eloquently told story that gripped me throughout? I think not. Reading is a highly subjective entity so the level to which the subject matter of this book affects a person will vary from reader to reader, that’s the joy of reading. The subjects at the heart of Cartel are undoubtedly dark, they’re not part of what I consider a cohesive, law abiding life. It’s not lightness, rainbows and unicorns…. So while it’s perhaps more palatable and maybe not as disturbing as some books there are still many moments that had me wincing with the vile actions of characters.
Cartel shows our leading male protagonist experiencing the life that will lead him to be the ruthless man he becomes in Gypsy Brothers. Dornan is the Vice President of the Gypsy Brothers MC. We learn more about the history of his life, how he became a Gypsy Brother, his kinship with John Portland and his relationship with his Father. The history is both touching and sad and, in some respects, a complete cluster-fuck of a mess. Having just read the Gypsy brothers this was all extremely interesting and enlightening and at times gave me goose bumps. I learned more about the inner workings of the MC and the Cartel as per the fictional world of Lili St. Germain.
My heart beat double time as the relationship between Dornan and Mariana developed… In some respects I wish Dornan was harsher, we see a much softer side of him during a time in his life before experiences have taken their toll on him, weighing him down with anger and loss. I found the relationship element utterly intriguing in many ways, ways I can’t even get my head around at the moment. I've a feeling about the Cartel series and the twists and turns this author may take us on…. I’m excited to discover if there may be any truth in my thoughts.
I experienced mixed emotions about what I wanted to happen and, in equal measure, I saw and felt the beauty amongst their dark existence, even though deep within, I felt my feelings were not quite appropriate.
The things I discovered offer me a greater level of understanding about Dornan… I should detest him. Despise him. But after reading Cartel, I don’t….. Equally I still can’t bring myself to like him. There’s a darkness inside him… I actually would have liked to see an even darker side in this book but I also completely understand why the author reigned it in, she’s giving her readers light and shade, making this character more human, showing me his vulnerable side. My feelings for this character are still evolving and maybe by the end of Cartel series, I’ll feel differently again, that’s the power of the fictional world. I feel there’s still so much more to discover about Dornan and his past.
The start of this book is brutal and devastating for Mariana. I felt her desperation. She's helpless in her plight and has extreme motivation for being compliant, her family and her fear. Mariana has sass and spunk; she’s feisty but compelled to rein in her spirit, and let her survival instincts take over.
There are moments when my heart lurched at the situation Mariana was in. Moments when a character uttered a few words and it would remind me of the future and the poignancy saddened my heart. There’s one scenario, a small part that will seem insignificant to some, but to me, because I’ve already read the Gypsy Brothers series, it gave me the chills. The knowledge of what’s to come enhanced the dark and gritty feel of the story for me. Fans of the Gypsy Brothers series will process this book with an enhanced understanding and, I whole heartedly believe, this comprehension adds an extra layer of emotion to the story that was instrumental in captivating me to a higher level of intensity.
Having said all that, Cartel has been constructed in such a way that it can be enjoyed either way, whether you've read the Gypsy Brothers series or not, and I highly recommend to readers who enjoy their stories on the edgier side with a dark subject matter.
I can't wait for more!
The following books in the series and the expected release dates:
Kingpin (Cartel #2) June 1st 2015
Empire (Cartel #3) October 1st 2015
Prospect (Cartel #4) 2016
**Note: Cartel is a full length story about Mariana. It's a prequel to the timeline of the Gypsy Brothers so it's NOT necessary to read the Gypsy Brothers series before experiencing Cartel. But, having read both series back to back, I feel that the order in which this series has been written is the best way to experience it.
Complimentary copy received from Lili St. Germain, via Harper Collins, in exchange for an honest review
October 12, 2017
Where It All Began
The first in the trilogy, 'Cartel' proves to be as gritty and captivating as the 'Gypsy Brothers' series. Pre-dating the events in the 'Gypsy Brothers Series', this story reveals a more human side of Dornan, back before he became the soulless monster that we all love to hate.
Times were much different then, but the foundation is being laid for events yet to pass. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. I found myself waiting for the moment when everything would change and Dornan would morph into the villain that I know he is. While this book provided a few glimpses of the darkness lurking within Dornan, it largely showed a more vulnerable and caring man, born into a life of violence and depravity.
Focused on the story of Mariana, this book covers a period of time beginning when she is taken by Dornan's father as payment for her father's bad debt and continues through to the beginning of her love affair with Dornan. Given the situation, their relationship is precarious at best, and doomed at worst. She is trying to survive and chooses to make the best of an impossible situation.
For his part, Dornan comes off as relatively personable. That isn't to say that he is a nice guy by any means, but he was definitely the lesser of two evils when compared with his father. In many ways, he does his best to save Mariana, sparing her a far worse fate.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the 'Gypsy Brothers' and am looking forward to reading about the events that shaped Dornan, changing him drastically for the worse. Although this book had a constant gloomy, dreadful vibe, it wasn't as dark as I'd expected. There were a few cringe-worthy scenes, but mostly the subject matter was dark, without any descriptions that were too graphic. I will definitely be continuing this series!
The first in the trilogy, 'Cartel' proves to be as gritty and captivating as the 'Gypsy Brothers' series. Pre-dating the events in the 'Gypsy Brothers Series', this story reveals a more human side of Dornan, back before he became the soulless monster that we all love to hate.
Times were much different then, but the foundation is being laid for events yet to pass. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. I found myself waiting for the moment when everything would change and Dornan would morph into the villain that I know he is. While this book provided a few glimpses of the darkness lurking within Dornan, it largely showed a more vulnerable and caring man, born into a life of violence and depravity.
Focused on the story of Mariana, this book covers a period of time beginning when she is taken by Dornan's father as payment for her father's bad debt and continues through to the beginning of her love affair with Dornan. Given the situation, their relationship is precarious at best, and doomed at worst. She is trying to survive and chooses to make the best of an impossible situation.
For his part, Dornan comes off as relatively personable. That isn't to say that he is a nice guy by any means, but he was definitely the lesser of two evils when compared with his father. In many ways, he does his best to save Mariana, sparing her a far worse fate.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the 'Gypsy Brothers' and am looking forward to reading about the events that shaped Dornan, changing him drastically for the worse. Although this book had a constant gloomy, dreadful vibe, it wasn't as dark as I'd expected. There were a few cringe-worthy scenes, but mostly the subject matter was dark, without any descriptions that were too graphic. I will definitely be continuing this series!
February 1, 2015
4.5 STARS! ★★★★☆
"This isn't a fairytale. I'm not your hero, Ana. Nobody is. Nobody is coming to save you."
I can't believe it took me this long to finally pick up this author's book because sign me up for more of the Gypsy Brothers! I've been seeing so many of my buddies reading that series while raving about it and truly, it does live up to its hype. When I heard Cartel can be read without firstly reading the GB series, I quickly took up the chance and jumped right into this one.
What I understand about Cartel is that it acts as a prologue for the GB series where we delved into the history of one of the antagonists in GB namely Dornan Ross. His character no doubt made this book worked for me really well, you're not gonna find a hero who swoops in and saves the damsel in distress. You're gonna get a VP of a badass MC club who protects what he owns by all means. This guy is an anti-hero that you would love to hate and hate to love.
What's interesting for me about Dornan is that despite the portrayal of his rather cold and cruel demeanour, you can see a glint of conscience in him especially during his time around Mariana and the struggle he faced when he's around his father, Emilio who by the way, is one relentless, unmerciful motherf*cker. The internal struggle within Dornan is rather evident as you read along and I'm eager to see how the evolution of his character will roll along as the series progresses.
I'm a little on the fence with Mariana's character and as much as I love a feisty heroine like her, there were times I got a little thrown off with the way she acted around Dornan every now and then. But in a way, I could see how she struggled for allowing herself to harbour feelings for her captor and how she seek for solace in the one man who showed her some form of humanity after being thrown into a world as dark and gritty as theirs.
Cartel surely isn't a flower and hearts read, it's as gritty and violent as it gets. It kick starts with some good intensity and had me on a tight grip for the entire ride. I was completely immersed in this disturbingly cruel world the author built up that covers everything from drugs to sex trafficking to extortion. And while there is more to this series, this one ends in a relatively safe place that doesn't leave the readers hanging but will have you eagerly waiting to see where it heads next.
This may be my first from Lili St Germain but it will definitely not be my last. I cannot wait to read more from this author and welcome her into my favorites list after this one!
Cartel is a prologue series to her Gypsy Brothers series and can be read with or without reading the aforementioned series.
Follow our blog for more reviews!
"This isn't a fairytale. I'm not your hero, Ana. Nobody is. Nobody is coming to save you."
I can't believe it took me this long to finally pick up this author's book because sign me up for more of the Gypsy Brothers! I've been seeing so many of my buddies reading that series while raving about it and truly, it does live up to its hype. When I heard Cartel can be read without firstly reading the GB series, I quickly took up the chance and jumped right into this one.
What I understand about Cartel is that it acts as a prologue for the GB series where we delved into the history of one of the antagonists in GB namely Dornan Ross. His character no doubt made this book worked for me really well, you're not gonna find a hero who swoops in and saves the damsel in distress. You're gonna get a VP of a badass MC club who protects what he owns by all means. This guy is an anti-hero that you would love to hate and hate to love.
"He was a bad motherfucker, as bad as they came, and he was merciless. I had heard stories of the things he'd done, the ways he had killed people."
What's interesting for me about Dornan is that despite the portrayal of his rather cold and cruel demeanour, you can see a glint of conscience in him especially during his time around Mariana and the struggle he faced when he's around his father, Emilio who by the way, is one relentless, unmerciful motherf*cker. The internal struggle within Dornan is rather evident as you read along and I'm eager to see how the evolution of his character will roll along as the series progresses.
I'm a little on the fence with Mariana's character and as much as I love a feisty heroine like her, there were times I got a little thrown off with the way she acted around Dornan every now and then. But in a way, I could see how she struggled for allowing herself to harbour feelings for her captor and how she seek for solace in the one man who showed her some form of humanity after being thrown into a world as dark and gritty as theirs.
"How silly I was. I should have feared him the most, because he would be the one to destroy me in the end."
Cartel surely isn't a flower and hearts read, it's as gritty and violent as it gets. It kick starts with some good intensity and had me on a tight grip for the entire ride. I was completely immersed in this disturbingly cruel world the author built up that covers everything from drugs to sex trafficking to extortion. And while there is more to this series, this one ends in a relatively safe place that doesn't leave the readers hanging but will have you eagerly waiting to see where it heads next.
This may be my first from Lili St Germain but it will definitely not be my last. I cannot wait to read more from this author and welcome her into my favorites list after this one!
Cartel is a prologue series to her Gypsy Brothers series and can be read with or without reading the aforementioned series.
Follow our blog for more reviews!
January 20, 2015
4 stars!
My very first Lili St. Germain book, and definitely not my last.
Cartel is the prequel to St.Germain's Gypsy Brothers series. It's about a girl who was given as a payment for his father's debts. It also follows Dornan Ross's rise to power and descent into darkness.
I was a bit nervous starting this book. I don't consider myself a dark reader especially when it comes to my romance, and I'm picky when it comes to my dark reads. Fortunately, I enjoyed this book very much. I enjoyed the writing and got sucked into the world that Lili built.
What made Cartel tick for me was Dornan. And no, I'm not nominating him for the best book boyfriend award. If you've read the Gypsy Brothers series, you'd know how awful this person is. And for those of you who are curious, this wasn't some story about a good guy who became bad.
No. To me, Dornan already has that darkness in him. He tried to tamp it down but working for his sick fuck of a father brought it out of him. I thought that even if he didn't work for his dad, it would have just delayed his descent into madness and not stop it. Why? Well, Dornan is broken. He thinks he has a conscience and some passages show he has some but his sadistic self is king.
But his character was well fleshed out and you can't help but be fascinated by his journey. I have no sympathies for his character but the author did a good job writing his evolution from a gray character into a very dark one.
Now Marianna is another story. She's a bit inconsistent to me to be honest, in her actions and thoughts. I couldn't quite put my finger into it but So to me, this wasn't much a case of Stockholm Syndrome but a case of a woman who was attracted to her captor because he's hot.
I did like that Marianna's isn't a And I thought that she also has a bit of darkness in her which made Dornan even more attractive to her. That is the only explanation I could think of.
Other than that, this book captured my attention from beginning to end. And unlike most series these days, this ended on an
Edit:I haven't read the Gypsy Brothers series yet, but I was told that it might be better to read this one then GB. Either way, I can't wait to sink my reading teeth into GB along with this series.
An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit my blog...
My very first Lili St. Germain book, and definitely not my last.
Cartel is the prequel to St.Germain's Gypsy Brothers series. It's about a girl who was given as a payment for his father's debts. It also follows Dornan Ross's rise to power and descent into darkness.
I was a bit nervous starting this book. I don't consider myself a dark reader especially when it comes to my romance, and I'm picky when it comes to my dark reads. Fortunately, I enjoyed this book very much. I enjoyed the writing and got sucked into the world that Lili built.
What made Cartel tick for me was Dornan. And no, I'm not nominating him for the best book boyfriend award. If you've read the Gypsy Brothers series, you'd know how awful this person is. And for those of you who are curious, this wasn't some story about a good guy who became bad.
No. To me, Dornan already has that darkness in him. He tried to tamp it down but working for his sick fuck of a father brought it out of him. I thought that even if he didn't work for his dad, it would have just delayed his descent into madness and not stop it. Why? Well, Dornan is broken. He thinks he has a conscience and some passages show he has some but his sadistic self is king.
But his character was well fleshed out and you can't help but be fascinated by his journey. I have no sympathies for his character but the author did a good job writing his evolution from a gray character into a very dark one.
Now Marianna is another story. She's a bit inconsistent to me to be honest, in her actions and thoughts. I couldn't quite put my finger into it but So to me, this wasn't much a case of Stockholm Syndrome but a case of a woman who was attracted to her captor because he's hot.
I did like that Marianna's isn't a And I thought that she also has a bit of darkness in her which made Dornan even more attractive to her. That is the only explanation I could think of.
Other than that, this book captured my attention from beginning to end. And unlike most series these days, this ended on an
Edit:I haven't read the Gypsy Brothers series yet, but I was told that it might be better to read this one then GB. Either way, I can't wait to sink my reading teeth into GB along with this series.
An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit my blog...
January 27, 2015
5 BRILLIANT STARS
This book is absolutely fantastic and I couldn't put it down! I was mesmerised and captivated from the first page!! I didn't know what to expect from Lili St. Germain as it's my first book of her! I have been hearing so much about her other series and I was very excited to finally read a book of her!!! And believe me, now after I finished this amazing book, I'm even more intigued to read the Gypsy Brothers!!! What I loved more about this book is the way the author connected the world of Cartel (drug lords) with the world of MC! It was brilliant!! In this book you will not find your typical romance, innocent girl meets bad boy or bad girl meet a nice guy...NO..This book is dark,hot,cruel,intense and fast-paced!!
Marianna is a 19 year old Columbian girl. Her dad works for Emilio, Emilio is the infamous drug Lord. One day she is out with her boyfrend when suddenly everything changes...Emilio is here to get the money her father lost...He is going to kill her family and Marianna...But she is willing to go with him as his slave in order to save her family..Soon she will meet his son Dornan, the vise president of Gypsy Brothers. Now Marianna try to survive in this world of cruelty..As she spends more time with Dornan their connection is obvious..And it can't be denied..
First of all I would like to say how much I loved Marianna's character!!! She is tough,strong,intelligent and smart!! She isn't afraid to talk, even in front of a drug Lord who is willing to kill her!! Dornan intrigued me from the beginning. He is a troubled man who has a lot of issues from his father...However I like him a lot..there was some moments that I didn't like his behavior..
"Promise what,baby?"
"Promise that if I stay with you, you'll protect me from them?"
"I promise if you stay here with me and you do as you're told,I'll protect you from the whole world."
The storyline is so interesting and the characters really captivated me!! I felt like I was a part of the story!!If you are looking for a dark story this is for you!!
Are you ready for CARTEL????
ARC provided by publishers via edelweiss in exchange of honest review
This book is absolutely fantastic and I couldn't put it down! I was mesmerised and captivated from the first page!! I didn't know what to expect from Lili St. Germain as it's my first book of her! I have been hearing so much about her other series and I was very excited to finally read a book of her!!! And believe me, now after I finished this amazing book, I'm even more intigued to read the Gypsy Brothers!!! What I loved more about this book is the way the author connected the world of Cartel (drug lords) with the world of MC! It was brilliant!! In this book you will not find your typical romance, innocent girl meets bad boy or bad girl meet a nice guy...NO..This book is dark,hot,cruel,intense and fast-paced!!
Marianna is a 19 year old Columbian girl. Her dad works for Emilio, Emilio is the infamous drug Lord. One day she is out with her boyfrend when suddenly everything changes...Emilio is here to get the money her father lost...He is going to kill her family and Marianna...But she is willing to go with him as his slave in order to save her family..Soon she will meet his son Dornan, the vise president of Gypsy Brothers. Now Marianna try to survive in this world of cruelty..As she spends more time with Dornan their connection is obvious..And it can't be denied..
First of all I would like to say how much I loved Marianna's character!!! She is tough,strong,intelligent and smart!! She isn't afraid to talk, even in front of a drug Lord who is willing to kill her!! Dornan intrigued me from the beginning. He is a troubled man who has a lot of issues from his father...However I like him a lot..there was some moments that I didn't like his behavior..
"Promise what,baby?"
"Promise that if I stay with you, you'll protect me from them?"
"I promise if you stay here with me and you do as you're told,I'll protect you from the whole world."
The storyline is so interesting and the characters really captivated me!! I felt like I was a part of the story!!If you are looking for a dark story this is for you!!
Are you ready for CARTEL????
ARC provided by publishers via edelweiss in exchange of honest review
July 19, 2016
I am so grossed out, it's dark disturbing and nothing happy or okay happens ... characters were flat there's no plot, "it's the father is an asshole and his son is cold hearted killer so i'll use my body to turn them against each other" cliché.
Dornan:
Gross, perv, asshole, twisted mother#@cker, unless you're a vampire, darling you have no reason to love and lick your blood or other people's blood, you sick bastard O_o !
Mariana
i'm surprised by Mariana's fast acceptance of her new life, She went from Kickass heroine to suicidal teenager with daddy issues. she's annoying as hell, she stabed dornan in his shoulder then she was surprised when he threatened her with a gun "You know what they say, don't bring a knife to a gun fight" Idiot !
Honestly, The writing made me roll my eyes more than once that i almost saw my brain, 40% and still nothing really happening, OMG he's a bicker, he's so sexy, focus and remember he is the enemy, he makes my skin tingles when he touches me. DEAR LORD ! HAVE MERCY ON US !! The story had potential if both characters were well developed, you can't write a story with a good plot while your characters are not well-written and vice versa. maybe i started with the wrong series, i should've read the Gypsy brothers first then read this one, Well i might give this series a second chance... i'm not sure about it !
Dornan:
Gross, perv, asshole, twisted mother#@cker, unless you're a vampire, darling you have no reason to love and lick your blood or other people's blood, you sick bastard O_o !
Mariana
i'm surprised by Mariana's fast acceptance of her new life, She went from Kickass heroine to suicidal teenager with daddy issues. she's annoying as hell, she stabed dornan in his shoulder then she was surprised when he threatened her with a gun "You know what they say, don't bring a knife to a gun fight" Idiot !
Honestly, The writing made me roll my eyes more than once that i almost saw my brain, 40% and still nothing really happening, OMG he's a bicker, he's so sexy, focus and remember he is the enemy, he makes my skin tingles when he touches me. DEAR LORD ! HAVE MERCY ON US !! The story had potential if both characters were well developed, you can't write a story with a good plot while your characters are not well-written and vice versa. maybe i started with the wrong series, i should've read the Gypsy brothers first then read this one, Well i might give this series a second chance... i'm not sure about it !
February 4, 2015
5-zero-spoilers-stars
One of the biggest 2014 surprises was Gypsy Brothers series by Lili St. Germain. My co-blogger at Way Too Hot Books, Purple, told me from the start that I would love it. I knew that she was probably right, but I still left those books for later. I am glad that I did, because I'd go crazy waiting for the sequels. (Seven Sons is free on Amazon, so you can always download it and see for yourself if we are obsessed with this twisted story for a good reason.)
Before Juliette Portland, there was Dornan Ross. Cartel is the first book in the trilogy that follows the events prior to everything that happened in Gypsy Brothers. You don't have to read Julette's story first, you can start with Cartel. Good news is that all three books will be published in 2015 - the second book, Kingpin, should be released on June 1st, and the third book, Empire, on October 1st.
There are no good guys here. One of the most appealing traits of Lili St. Germain writing, at least for me, is how realistic everything feels. When the focus of the story is on extremely violent world of drug and weapons trade and human trafficking, you can never talk about people who are innocent or without a fault. Yes, there are victims, but those involved into machinery behind every crime that is committed, are not victims. They made a choice, it doesn't matter for what reason, but they are involved, willingly. But than again there's that saying about "sins of our fathers"... Maybe deep down you long for a different life, but it's hard to escape the only world you have ever known. Cartel is dark and brutal story about people who are facing all of those things. Even the most innocent person involved, has the darkness inside her mind and heart.
No one can save you. You have to take care of yourself, however you can. Morals of the story. No sugar-coated fantasy about prince on the white horse. No higher power that will save you because you pray every day. Just simple, cold truth. If you have any wish to survive, even for just a little bit longer, you have to became the wolf. You have to be ready to do things you loath, you need to adapt, you need to forget your inhibitions and become a power player. You have to manipulate and lie and cheat. And be aware - all the time - that maybe even that won't be enough and learn to live with it.
Very dark read. Cartel is a kind of book you should read without knowing anything about it before, just pick up the book and go into the story blind. But one thing that I have to warn you about is that Cartel, and the rest of the books written by brilliant Lili Saint Germain, are dealing with a lot of dark and twisted aspects of our world. There is no fluffy romance and redemption. No one is innocent. If you can deal with that, you don't want to miss reading these amazing books.
xoxo,
*Copy of this book was provided by author in exchange for an honest review.*
Review posted at Way Too Hot Books
One of the biggest 2014 surprises was Gypsy Brothers series by Lili St. Germain. My co-blogger at Way Too Hot Books, Purple, told me from the start that I would love it. I knew that she was probably right, but I still left those books for later. I am glad that I did, because I'd go crazy waiting for the sequels. (Seven Sons is free on Amazon, so you can always download it and see for yourself if we are obsessed with this twisted story for a good reason.)
Before Juliette Portland, there was Dornan Ross. Cartel is the first book in the trilogy that follows the events prior to everything that happened in Gypsy Brothers. You don't have to read Julette's story first, you can start with Cartel. Good news is that all three books will be published in 2015 - the second book, Kingpin, should be released on June 1st, and the third book, Empire, on October 1st.
There are no good guys here. One of the most appealing traits of Lili St. Germain writing, at least for me, is how realistic everything feels. When the focus of the story is on extremely violent world of drug and weapons trade and human trafficking, you can never talk about people who are innocent or without a fault. Yes, there are victims, but those involved into machinery behind every crime that is committed, are not victims. They made a choice, it doesn't matter for what reason, but they are involved, willingly. But than again there's that saying about "sins of our fathers"... Maybe deep down you long for a different life, but it's hard to escape the only world you have ever known. Cartel is dark and brutal story about people who are facing all of those things. Even the most innocent person involved, has the darkness inside her mind and heart.
No one can save you. You have to take care of yourself, however you can. Morals of the story. No sugar-coated fantasy about prince on the white horse. No higher power that will save you because you pray every day. Just simple, cold truth. If you have any wish to survive, even for just a little bit longer, you have to became the wolf. You have to be ready to do things you loath, you need to adapt, you need to forget your inhibitions and become a power player. You have to manipulate and lie and cheat. And be aware - all the time - that maybe even that won't be enough and learn to live with it.
Very dark read. Cartel is a kind of book you should read without knowing anything about it before, just pick up the book and go into the story blind. But one thing that I have to warn you about is that Cartel, and the rest of the books written by brilliant Lili Saint Germain, are dealing with a lot of dark and twisted aspects of our world. There is no fluffy romance and redemption. No one is innocent. If you can deal with that, you don't want to miss reading these amazing books.
xoxo,
*Copy of this book was provided by author in exchange for an honest review.*
Review posted at Way Too Hot Books
January 20, 2015
My girl Nina and I will be doing a joint review of this book on the release day at The Literary Gossip Book Blog .
In the meantime, here are some of my thoughts ...
I'll be completely honest ... I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading "Cartel". I don't read blurbs [usually] and judging by the cover and what I knew of Dornan from reading the first of "Gypsy Brothers" books, I went into this thinking "Cartel" was going to be a dark a disturbing read.
What I got was a love story. A forbidden one but a love story nonetheless.
I will probably take a lot of heat from those who finished the "Gypsy Brothers" series and know the entire story but, even after getting a glimpse of Dornan and his evil ways in book 1, I don't dislike him [yet]. I don't romanticize him but I don't loathe him either. I want to know more. I want to know what happened to him to make him do things he does later in life. I don't think we are born evil. I think shit happens and some of us decide it's easier to go through [the rest of our] life not feeling anything so they shove those emotions [that got them hurt them in the first place] deep down and go through the rest of their life emotionless. Does this make sense?? I hope so, because that's Dornan in a nutshell. To me.
In "Cartel" we get to see the guy who is on his way but who hasn't quite fully been submerged into the darkness. The guy who still knows [somewhat] right from wrong. The guy who still lets his heart guide [some of] his actions.
I know this is supposed to be Mariana's journey first and foremost but I refer to "Cartel" as "Dornan's book". I love reading stories where a tough guy isn't tough enough to fight off his feelings and ends up falling in love. Perhaps a bit cliché but isn't life one giant cliché in itself??
Lili is new [to me] writer. I've been waiting for her "Gypsy Brothers" series to be out in it's entirety before I started reading it and just recently read the first one because a friend and a fellow reader Jxxx told me she was reading and loving it! I really enjoy Lili's writing style. She is very easy to read, manages to captivate with her stories and I tend to fly though her books. (the two I've read so far anyways) I am looking forward to more books in this series and more from her in general.
Cheers!
Pre-order links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
iBooks
***ARC courtesy of the author, Lili St Germain , in exchange for an honest review.
December 16, 2016
Wow! I freakin loved this story and I'm sooooo glad that there are two more books about Mariana and Dornan! I have had this series on my TBR for a while and I am kicking myself that I haven't read it sooner! What I liked most about this story is that it was very unpredictable! Lots of twists and turns I wasn't expecting throughout and kept me highly entertained! I'm not sure how Lili was able to create such a lovable villain but somehow she did! I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys dark reads and villains who you can't help but fall in love with! ❤️ On to the next!!!!
{I voluntarily reviewed this ARC that was graciously provided by Lili St. Germain and HarperCollins Publishers}
{I voluntarily reviewed this ARC that was graciously provided by Lili St. Germain and HarperCollins Publishers}
January 31, 2015
Live -> http://amzn.to/1y6hc5s
YES! A book where two hardcore worlds, cartel and motorcycle club (mc), come together to make for a dark and gritty read.
Mariana has volunteered herself to the cartel to pay for her father’s debt. Her sacrifice spares her family from a gruesome death. When she gave her life for her families she knew her fate… being a sex slave until she’s finally brutally murdered by her “owner.”
The plot really accelerates when the cartel delivers Mariana to the mc. Dornan is the VP of the mc and is known for his calculated cruelty. Even though he is only temporarily holding Mariana for the cartel he is drawn to her. Mariana’s situation leaves her with a feeling of debilitating loneliness. Dornan becomes her reprieve from the solitude that surrounds her. Unfortunately, he isn’t there to be her knight in shining armor.
Even though, the book ended it doesn’t mean Mariana’s story is done. The ending didn’t read like a cliffhanger but rather a feeling of more to come. This series is the prequel to the already released Gypsy Brothers series.
CARTEL is my first experience with Ms. St. Germain’s writing and I’m looking forward to following Mariana’s journey in this world of violence and death.
SERIES:
The Prospect
Continuing story
Cartle released | Kingpin coming June 2015 | Empire coming October 2015
**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**
YES! A book where two hardcore worlds, cartel and motorcycle club (mc), come together to make for a dark and gritty read.
Mariana has volunteered herself to the cartel to pay for her father’s debt. Her sacrifice spares her family from a gruesome death. When she gave her life for her families she knew her fate… being a sex slave until she’s finally brutally murdered by her “owner.”
The plot really accelerates when the cartel delivers Mariana to the mc. Dornan is the VP of the mc and is known for his calculated cruelty. Even though he is only temporarily holding Mariana for the cartel he is drawn to her. Mariana’s situation leaves her with a feeling of debilitating loneliness. Dornan becomes her reprieve from the solitude that surrounds her. Unfortunately, he isn’t there to be her knight in shining armor.
Even though, the book ended it doesn’t mean Mariana’s story is done. The ending didn’t read like a cliffhanger but rather a feeling of more to come. This series is the prequel to the already released Gypsy Brothers series.
CARTEL is my first experience with Ms. St. Germain’s writing and I’m looking forward to following Mariana’s journey in this world of violence and death.
SERIES:
The ProspectContinuing story
Cartle released | Kingpin coming June 2015 | Empire coming October 2015
**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**
February 18, 2017
***4 "(Un-)Willing Captive" stars***
I'm flirting with "Gypsy Brothers" series for very long time, but to be totally honest with you, i was afraid to read them... And when NetGalley add the Cartel series, I was so exciting because i saw it as a way to read both series since this one is the prequel!!!
Damn, this book was a little bit disturbing because it had to do with delicate matters, but i really enjoyed it and i can't wait to read all the series, plus the Gypsy Brothers since they are connecting so deeply....
Well, this was mostly Mariana's story...
A girl whose father was working for the Cartel and who father was a piece of shit!!!! Yes, he was!!!
Her father fucked up major a drug load for the Cartel and Emilio Ross, the Kingpin, was seeking retribution from all of Mariana's family!!!
He started with Mariana's boyfriend and when he was about to kill all her family, she offered herself as a payment to Emilio with the promise to leave her family untouched...
‘You’re not a college student anymore, cholita. You’re not somebody’s daughter. You’re not somebody’s little girlfriend. You’re somebody’s possession. You’re nothing. You’re mine.’
And from that moment, Mariana was owned by the Cartel and her fate was darker than night....
Emilio was a sick fucker and he wanted Mariana to be the example to everyone for her father's sins and he had awful plans for poor Mariana...
‘I can promise you that if you obey me at all times, you won’t die by my hand,’ he said. ‘But I can’t promise you that you won’t beg me to kill you anyway.’ {Emilio}
"Blood and violence and fucking and pain. This was what my life was reduced to. This was the person I had to be if I had any chance at surviving this hell." {Mariana}
But then added in the equation Dornan Ross, Emilio's son and VP of the Gypsy Brothers MC and those plans slightly changed... and that's because Dornan put his eyes on Mariana.
"He was a dangerous man. And he liked me. Liked my blood. If I could get him on my side — maybe, just maybe, I could get myself out of this mess." {Mariana}
"This isn't a fairytale. I'm not your hero, Ana. Nobody is. Nobody is coming to save you." {Dornan}
So what will happen to Mariana???
Will Emilio make her pay for her father's stupidity??? And what are his plans for her???
Will Dornan persuade his father than Mariana is worthying more than he thinks and that they can use her in other way???
Why Mariana is drown by Dornan even though he is her enemy???
Will Dornan save her??? And with what cost for her???
Is it possible a love to bloom under those nasty circumstances???
"Something burned between us; something powerful. Something that frightened me, because I liked it. I liked him. And I didn’t want to."
"Promise what,baby?"
"Promise that if I stay with you, you'll protect me from them?"
"I promise if you stay here with me and you do as you're told,I'll protect you from the whole world."
Mariana was a strong girl... She used to be a spitfire full of life and energy, but i think that she lost those characteristics as the pages were passing by...
She sacrificed herself for the good of her family, even though that her father didn't deserve it...
She left the life she knew for the unknown life as a slave of a terrible man...
And then came Dornan and he gave her hope...
But was it really love what she was feeling or it was a Stockholm syndrome???
Will he save her after all or he will condemn her in another kind of prison???
"He was a bad man, the worst there was.
But my heart, that treacherous thing inside my chest that sped up whenever he was around?
It wanted to betray me.
I was falling in love with a monster.
And somehow, in this new life of mine, where the old rules didn’t count and power was measured in blood and bullets?
I didn’t care."
Hmm... Dornan Ross...
He wasn't a good man, he was also a sick fucker and for what little i know about Gypsy Brothers series, he was the villain of that story....
Here, he wasn't the villain, but he wasn't good either... He was good only to Mariana and that was happening because he wanted her badly...
But will he worth her??? Will he really save her???
"It didn’t make sense. She didn’t belong in his world. She was much too beautiful, and beautiful things always ended up broken with him."
I won't tell you more about those two... I will say more when i will read the next book, but i don't think that this story is full of hearts and rainbows....
My heart is bleeding for Mariana because she is trapped...
I just wish she will find a way to be free again, but i don't have much hopes...
Oh!!! I forgot to tell you that Mariana was having a secret that she was keeping with tooth and nails.... Hopefully, she will be able to keep it forever!!!!
"How silly I was. I should have feared him the most, because he would be the one to destroy me in the end."
As for Emilio??? He was such a bastard!!!!
I hated him from the very first moment... I hope that somebody will brutally murder him.... He deserve it!!!
And the same goes for this asshole, Murphy!!!
The only kind soul in there was John, even though that we didn't see him very much.... I'm just wondering how he and Dornan were best friends!!!!
***ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***
I'm flirting with "Gypsy Brothers" series for very long time, but to be totally honest with you, i was afraid to read them... And when NetGalley add the Cartel series, I was so exciting because i saw it as a way to read both series since this one is the prequel!!!
Damn, this book was a little bit disturbing because it had to do with delicate matters, but i really enjoyed it and i can't wait to read all the series, plus the Gypsy Brothers since they are connecting so deeply....
Well, this was mostly Mariana's story...
A girl whose father was working for the Cartel and who father was a piece of shit!!!! Yes, he was!!!
Her father fucked up major a drug load for the Cartel and Emilio Ross, the Kingpin, was seeking retribution from all of Mariana's family!!!
He started with Mariana's boyfriend and when he was about to kill all her family, she offered herself as a payment to Emilio with the promise to leave her family untouched...
‘You’re not a college student anymore, cholita. You’re not somebody’s daughter. You’re not somebody’s little girlfriend. You’re somebody’s possession. You’re nothing. You’re mine.’
And from that moment, Mariana was owned by the Cartel and her fate was darker than night....
Emilio was a sick fucker and he wanted Mariana to be the example to everyone for her father's sins and he had awful plans for poor Mariana...
‘I can promise you that if you obey me at all times, you won’t die by my hand,’ he said. ‘But I can’t promise you that you won’t beg me to kill you anyway.’ {Emilio}
"Blood and violence and fucking and pain. This was what my life was reduced to. This was the person I had to be if I had any chance at surviving this hell." {Mariana}
But then added in the equation Dornan Ross, Emilio's son and VP of the Gypsy Brothers MC and those plans slightly changed... and that's because Dornan put his eyes on Mariana.
"He was a dangerous man. And he liked me. Liked my blood. If I could get him on my side — maybe, just maybe, I could get myself out of this mess." {Mariana}
"This isn't a fairytale. I'm not your hero, Ana. Nobody is. Nobody is coming to save you." {Dornan}
So what will happen to Mariana???
Will Emilio make her pay for her father's stupidity??? And what are his plans for her???
Will Dornan persuade his father than Mariana is worthying more than he thinks and that they can use her in other way???
Why Mariana is drown by Dornan even though he is her enemy???
Will Dornan save her??? And with what cost for her???
Is it possible a love to bloom under those nasty circumstances???
"Something burned between us; something powerful. Something that frightened me, because I liked it. I liked him. And I didn’t want to."
"Promise what,baby?"
"Promise that if I stay with you, you'll protect me from them?"
"I promise if you stay here with me and you do as you're told,I'll protect you from the whole world."
Mariana was a strong girl... She used to be a spitfire full of life and energy, but i think that she lost those characteristics as the pages were passing by...
She sacrificed herself for the good of her family, even though that her father didn't deserve it...
She left the life she knew for the unknown life as a slave of a terrible man...
And then came Dornan and he gave her hope...
But was it really love what she was feeling or it was a Stockholm syndrome???
Will he save her after all or he will condemn her in another kind of prison???
"He was a bad man, the worst there was.
But my heart, that treacherous thing inside my chest that sped up whenever he was around?
It wanted to betray me.
I was falling in love with a monster.
And somehow, in this new life of mine, where the old rules didn’t count and power was measured in blood and bullets?
I didn’t care."
Hmm... Dornan Ross...
He wasn't a good man, he was also a sick fucker and for what little i know about Gypsy Brothers series, he was the villain of that story....
Here, he wasn't the villain, but he wasn't good either... He was good only to Mariana and that was happening because he wanted her badly...
But will he worth her??? Will he really save her???
"It didn’t make sense. She didn’t belong in his world. She was much too beautiful, and beautiful things always ended up broken with him."
I won't tell you more about those two... I will say more when i will read the next book, but i don't think that this story is full of hearts and rainbows....
My heart is bleeding for Mariana because she is trapped...
I just wish she will find a way to be free again, but i don't have much hopes...
Oh!!! I forgot to tell you that Mariana was having a secret that she was keeping with tooth and nails.... Hopefully, she will be able to keep it forever!!!!
"How silly I was. I should have feared him the most, because he would be the one to destroy me in the end."
As for Emilio??? He was such a bastard!!!!
I hated him from the very first moment... I hope that somebody will brutally murder him.... He deserve it!!!
And the same goes for this asshole, Murphy!!!
The only kind soul in there was John, even though that we didn't see him very much.... I'm just wondering how he and Dornan were best friends!!!!
***ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***
December 27, 2016
Cartel
Cartel, #1
Lili St. Germain
Cartel is the prequel to St.Germain's Gypsy Brothers series. It's about a girl who was given as a payment for his father's debts
Dornan is the VP of Gypsy Brothers & is known for his calculated cruelty. But what I’ve seen so far is more like a human side of Dornan… Yes Dornan dark in this book, but nothing compare to the soulless man we meet in the Gypsy Brothers series
"Remember? This isn't a fairytale.
I'm not your hero, Ana.
Nobody is.
Nobody is coming to save you."
And trust me he wasn’t kidding her
Mariana/Ana has volunteered herself to the cartel to pay for her father’s debt. Her sacrifice spares her family from a gruesome death. When she gave her life for her families she knew her fate…This girl had hard start in becoming women & even harder ending
You are pulls in & the twist & turns holds you in its grip until the very last page. Dark & gritty
1- Cartel* ❤️
Cartel, #1
Lili St. Germain
Cartel is the prequel to St.Germain's Gypsy Brothers series. It's about a girl who was given as a payment for his father's debts
Dornan is the VP of Gypsy Brothers & is known for his calculated cruelty. But what I’ve seen so far is more like a human side of Dornan… Yes Dornan dark in this book, but nothing compare to the soulless man we meet in the Gypsy Brothers series
"Remember? This isn't a fairytale.
I'm not your hero, Ana.
Nobody is.
Nobody is coming to save you."
And trust me he wasn’t kidding her
Mariana/Ana has volunteered herself to the cartel to pay for her father’s debt. Her sacrifice spares her family from a gruesome death. When she gave her life for her families she knew her fate…This girl had hard start in becoming women & even harder ending
You are pulls in & the twist & turns holds you in its grip until the very last page. Dark & gritty
1- Cartel* ❤️
November 26, 2015
4.5 'I like your blood' Stars
This book disturbed me.
Not because it's dark ... no, I enjoy dark reads and have read other books that are more violent and messed up ...
I found this one disturbing because of my own reaction to the messed up violence. Because, even though I was probably supposed to be disgusted by the abuse and manipulation driving our main couple, I was actually kind of turned on & found myself routing for them to get together and fall in love. I wanted so badly to see some sliver of light for their brutal and doomed relationship.
And maybe I'm just being a silly, frilly girl ... But I wanted to see Mariana draw out more emotion from Dornan ... His cold and cruel nature should make him hard to warm up to, but I just really felt like she could be the one to break through that barrier... I still want to see more of what he's hiding underneath that crazy, rough exterior though. Hopefully we get more of that in the next book.
I was also very disturbed by the blood lust shared by the two main characters
Dornan and Mariana. They both enjoy pain, either receiving or inflicting ... it becomes almost an extreme sport in this book. The level of abuse and violence is definitely not for the squeemish. But it did fit this story and therefore did not seem over the top. It held purpose and was not violent just for the sake of it.
The only true downfall of this book is that the storyline is not overly original. And I know this can be said about a lot of books out there. Let's be honest. But I was waiting for some kind of twist or something to make it stand out from the pack ... Unfortunately I'm not sure that happened here (maybe in the next book). But it was still a really solid read. My first from this author, but most certainly not my last.
A complementary copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This book disturbed me.
Not because it's dark ... no, I enjoy dark reads and have read other books that are more violent and messed up ...
I found this one disturbing because of my own reaction to the messed up violence. Because, even though I was probably supposed to be disgusted by the abuse and manipulation driving our main couple, I was actually kind of turned on & found myself routing for them to get together and fall in love. I wanted so badly to see some sliver of light for their brutal and doomed relationship.
He was nothing. He was everything. He was the only thing I had.
And maybe I'm just being a silly, frilly girl ... But I wanted to see Mariana draw out more emotion from Dornan ... His cold and cruel nature should make him hard to warm up to, but I just really felt like she could be the one to break through that barrier... I still want to see more of what he's hiding underneath that crazy, rough exterior though. Hopefully we get more of that in the next book.
He had never cared before ... Feelings and emotions made a man weak. Better not to feel them at all.
I was also very disturbed by the blood lust shared by the two main characters
Dornan and Mariana. They both enjoy pain, either receiving or inflicting ... it becomes almost an extreme sport in this book. The level of abuse and violence is definitely not for the squeemish. But it did fit this story and therefore did not seem over the top. It held purpose and was not violent just for the sake of it.
The only true downfall of this book is that the storyline is not overly original. And I know this can be said about a lot of books out there. Let's be honest. But I was waiting for some kind of twist or something to make it stand out from the pack ... Unfortunately I'm not sure that happened here (maybe in the next book). But it was still a really solid read. My first from this author, but most certainly not my last.
A complementary copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2015
READ CHAPTER ONE NOW!!! =))
Here's something exciting to get your Boxing Day started with a bang… the FIRST CHAPTER of Cartel!!!!
Check it out on my website: bit.ly/CartelChapterOne
5 KICK ASS CARTEL STARS!!!!!
It will take me a few days to organize my thoughts into anything coherent but just know this, you think you know this author, but you have NO IDEA!!! You think you know the story, but believe me, the mind fuckery has only just begun. This book BLEW. ME. AWAY!!!! This may be one of the most difficult reviews I'll ever write because, right now, I am finding it impossible to find the words that will do this book any kind of justice. Beyond incredible! In a league of its own. The most authentic, realistic Stokholm type story I have EVER read! Just unbelievable!
This is not a love story. Not a traditional one anyway. And it's NOT what you're thinking!!! It is NOT the author taking you back to when times were good and portraying Dornan as this lovable teddy bear. I was scared to death to read this, because I don't want to like Dornan and I was convinced that THAT is exactly what I was signing up for. All that I can say is READ THE BOOK and IT'S COMPLICATED!!! Dornan is still Dornan but, there is sooooo much you don't know. He's the most perfect villain ever written, IMO. Rest assured, there is no hope of redemption here. But then again, even the most perfect villain has a weakness. ;)
It's a kick ass mafia, MC, psychological thriller and a story of survival. The story of Mariana's fight for survival, not Dornan's redemption. Mariana is now one of my absolute fave heroines ever.
Loved every word.
Full review to follow...
Here's something exciting to get your Boxing Day started with a bang… the FIRST CHAPTER of Cartel!!!!
Check it out on my website: bit.ly/CartelChapterOne
5 KICK ASS CARTEL STARS!!!!!
It will take me a few days to organize my thoughts into anything coherent but just know this, you think you know this author, but you have NO IDEA!!! You think you know the story, but believe me, the mind fuckery has only just begun. This book BLEW. ME. AWAY!!!! This may be one of the most difficult reviews I'll ever write because, right now, I am finding it impossible to find the words that will do this book any kind of justice. Beyond incredible! In a league of its own. The most authentic, realistic Stokholm type story I have EVER read! Just unbelievable!
This is not a love story. Not a traditional one anyway. And it's NOT what you're thinking!!! It is NOT the author taking you back to when times were good and portraying Dornan as this lovable teddy bear. I was scared to death to read this, because I don't want to like Dornan and I was convinced that THAT is exactly what I was signing up for. All that I can say is READ THE BOOK and IT'S COMPLICATED!!! Dornan is still Dornan but, there is sooooo much you don't know. He's the most perfect villain ever written, IMO. Rest assured, there is no hope of redemption here. But then again, even the most perfect villain has a weakness. ;)
It's a kick ass mafia, MC, psychological thriller and a story of survival. The story of Mariana's fight for survival, not Dornan's redemption. Mariana is now one of my absolute fave heroines ever.
Loved every word.
Full review to follow...
February 21, 2018
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
It’s my first 1 Star of the year!!!! You were probably starting to wonder if I had become a pod person or some such, to which I say . . . .
Just kidding. Say no to drugs, kids.
You might be curious now that I’m a lover of the pornies, how exactly one earns a solo twinkle-twinkle. If you follow my reviews it’s pretty obvious that I can overlook a lot of things when it comes to stories about hidin’ the ol’ salami. In the past I’ve proven I can be okay with “traitorous bodies” and alpha males and lots of discussions regarding the humidity levels in a lady’s underpants and barely existing plots and on and on and on. The problem here was this book had not only all of the above-referenced issues, but also . . . .
I read this because it popped up on the pornbrary’s “Recommended To You” page. I didn’t bother checking out the synopsis, because the pornbrarian is my lobster and I will read whatever he/she tells me to and also because the title seemed like a no-brainer. I’m used to having to explain to my friends and co-workers that I’m reading pure trash and dealing with their reactions . . . .
Here’s my advice to Lili St. Germain: If you are going to call your book CARTEL, I suggest it be about the effing cartel and not a motorbiker porno. I read plenty of those stories too, but I know they’re going to be about the Sons of Anarchy before I even begin. When I started this one and I was in Colombia and a cocaine transport had just gone bad and I've been around the block enough to know some chick was going to have to be kidnapped/traded/offer herself up as tribute to some big baddie I was in. I was hoping I could picture The Most Interesting Man In The World as my kingpin, but then . . . . .
Before things even got all motorbikey and traitorous O-Faces happened they went sideways because the leader of the cartel was ITALIAN. WTF?
The only thing that wasn’t totally redonkulous? The bad guys were bad and were not above smacking a bitch around. But I can’t really in clear conscience award bonus points for that so 1 Star it shall remain. I think I’ll go back and give the Gypsy Brothers Stabby Porns another shot instead of trying other stuff by this author.
It’s my first 1 Star of the year!!!! You were probably starting to wonder if I had become a pod person or some such, to which I say . . . .
Just kidding. Say no to drugs, kids.
You might be curious now that I’m a lover of the pornies, how exactly one earns a solo twinkle-twinkle. If you follow my reviews it’s pretty obvious that I can overlook a lot of things when it comes to stories about hidin’ the ol’ salami. In the past I’ve proven I can be okay with “traitorous bodies” and alpha males and lots of discussions regarding the humidity levels in a lady’s underpants and barely existing plots and on and on and on. The problem here was this book had not only all of the above-referenced issues, but also . . . .
I read this because it popped up on the pornbrary’s “Recommended To You” page. I didn’t bother checking out the synopsis, because the pornbrarian is my lobster and I will read whatever he/she tells me to and also because the title seemed like a no-brainer. I’m used to having to explain to my friends and co-workers that I’m reading pure trash and dealing with their reactions . . . .
Here’s my advice to Lili St. Germain: If you are going to call your book CARTEL, I suggest it be about the effing cartel and not a motorbiker porno. I read plenty of those stories too, but I know they’re going to be about the Sons of Anarchy before I even begin. When I started this one and I was in Colombia and a cocaine transport had just gone bad and I've been around the block enough to know some chick was going to have to be kidnapped/traded/offer herself up as tribute to some big baddie I was in. I was hoping I could picture The Most Interesting Man In The World as my kingpin, but then . . . . .
Before things even got all motorbikey and traitorous O-Faces happened they went sideways because the leader of the cartel was ITALIAN. WTF?
The only thing that wasn’t totally redonkulous? The bad guys were bad and were not above smacking a bitch around. But I can’t really in clear conscience award bonus points for that so 1 Star it shall remain. I think I’ll go back and give the Gypsy Brothers Stabby Porns another shot instead of trying other stuff by this author.
May 12, 2015
4 stars!
Cartel is a prequel (of sorts) to the intense Gypsy Brothers saga. In this series we are able to get a better look at the notoriously evil, Dornan, before he became president of the MC, and when he stumbled into love.
The Il Sangue Cartel is ran by a devious man, Emilio Ross.
Nineteen year old, Mariana Rodriguez is very much aware of the man as her father does business with him.
When a cocaine shipment goes array, Emilio puts the blame on Mariana's alcoholic father who was in charge of the deal.
As payback, Emilio wants blood. With the loss of product which results in a loss of money, he wants the whole Rodriguez family to pay. What he didn't expect was the strong-willed Mariana to offer up herself as payment in order to spare the lives of her family.
After leaving Columbia, it is Dornan Ross, the son of Emilio who is asked to go and pick her up. When he sees her for the first time, and then hears her smart mouth, he is definitely intrigued by the young lady.
Mariana basically sold her soul to the devil in order to save her family. She is a prisoner, and has yet to know her fate. She is assuming she is going to be put up for auction, as that's what will get Emilio the most money. However Dornan does not want to let her go. He has to convince his father somehow to keep her around.
The small moments that they do share are filled with sexual tension. Mix that with Dornans' own brand of kindness, has Mariana clinging to this dangerous stranger.
As the days pass and Dornan is able to take Mariana into his care, they start to form a bond.
With evil bikers, corrupt cops, deviant cartel fathers, and deep secrets, how will these two possibly keep this connection going?
As a fan of the Gypsy Brothers series, I really enjoyed getting a more in depth storyline to things that were touched on in those books. By no means does it seem that Dornan was angel or anything, but it's nice to get into his head before shit really hit the fan and get a little deeper into his psyche.
I loved learning more about how Dornan and Mariana met and all of the things that transpired between them. When her name was mentioned previously as Dornan's love, you knew that she would have to be a strong, intelligent, and kickass female to be able to deal with the likes of him. Even though she lost a few points for falling for the man a little swiftly (she has a past that might prohibit this), I still felt she encompassed all of those qualities and her feelings were justified and realistic based on her situation.
As with every Lili St.Germain book, it was an intense and exciting read. The kind where you want to be in your own little bubble for a few hours so you can read it cover to cover. If you are unfamiliar to her works, and like your books a little on the dark side, I would highly recommend you check her out. I really like her writing style, her characters, and the plots and things she describes will leave you shocked yet wanting more.
Now, on to the the order of the books.
It is not necessary at all to read The Gypsy Brothers first. You could easily start Cartel, and not have to have any clue to what happens. If you're the type who likes to read things in chronological order, then Cartel is the place to start. With that said, I am very glad that I read the GB series first. It's kind of weird to say, but I liked having that glimpse into the future of these characters to know what becomes of them. It's almost like getting pieces of a puzzle, and you get to see how events start to come together.
As the ending to this book...simply ends (Grrr!), I am looking forward to what happens to these characters. The following books are Kingpin and then Empire, which I'm highly anticipating. Especially knowing what will eventually take place has me on pins and needles. Reading about how they got from point A to B, I feel is even sweeter.
"Remember? This isn't a fairytale.
I'm not your hero, Ana.
Nobody is.
Nobody is coming to save you."
Cartel is a prequel (of sorts) to the intense Gypsy Brothers saga. In this series we are able to get a better look at the notoriously evil, Dornan, before he became president of the MC, and when he stumbled into love.
The Il Sangue Cartel is ran by a devious man, Emilio Ross.
Nineteen year old, Mariana Rodriguez is very much aware of the man as her father does business with him.
When a cocaine shipment goes array, Emilio puts the blame on Mariana's alcoholic father who was in charge of the deal.
As payback, Emilio wants blood. With the loss of product which results in a loss of money, he wants the whole Rodriguez family to pay. What he didn't expect was the strong-willed Mariana to offer up herself as payment in order to spare the lives of her family.
After leaving Columbia, it is Dornan Ross, the son of Emilio who is asked to go and pick her up. When he sees her for the first time, and then hears her smart mouth, he is definitely intrigued by the young lady.
Mariana basically sold her soul to the devil in order to save her family. She is a prisoner, and has yet to know her fate. She is assuming she is going to be put up for auction, as that's what will get Emilio the most money. However Dornan does not want to let her go. He has to convince his father somehow to keep her around.
The small moments that they do share are filled with sexual tension. Mix that with Dornans' own brand of kindness, has Mariana clinging to this dangerous stranger.
As the days pass and Dornan is able to take Mariana into his care, they start to form a bond.
With evil bikers, corrupt cops, deviant cartel fathers, and deep secrets, how will these two possibly keep this connection going?
As a fan of the Gypsy Brothers series, I really enjoyed getting a more in depth storyline to things that were touched on in those books. By no means does it seem that Dornan was angel or anything, but it's nice to get into his head before shit really hit the fan and get a little deeper into his psyche.
I loved learning more about how Dornan and Mariana met and all of the things that transpired between them. When her name was mentioned previously as Dornan's love, you knew that she would have to be a strong, intelligent, and kickass female to be able to deal with the likes of him. Even though she lost a few points for falling for the man a little swiftly (she has a past that might prohibit this), I still felt she encompassed all of those qualities and her feelings were justified and realistic based on her situation.
As with every Lili St.Germain book, it was an intense and exciting read. The kind where you want to be in your own little bubble for a few hours so you can read it cover to cover. If you are unfamiliar to her works, and like your books a little on the dark side, I would highly recommend you check her out. I really like her writing style, her characters, and the plots and things she describes will leave you shocked yet wanting more.
Now, on to the the order of the books.
It is not necessary at all to read The Gypsy Brothers first. You could easily start Cartel, and not have to have any clue to what happens. If you're the type who likes to read things in chronological order, then Cartel is the place to start. With that said, I am very glad that I read the GB series first. It's kind of weird to say, but I liked having that glimpse into the future of these characters to know what becomes of them. It's almost like getting pieces of a puzzle, and you get to see how events start to come together.
As the ending to this book...simply ends (Grrr!), I am looking forward to what happens to these characters. The following books are Kingpin and then Empire, which I'm highly anticipating. Especially knowing what will eventually take place has me on pins and needles. Reading about how they got from point A to B, I feel is even sweeter.
December 10, 2015
ARC provided by publishers in exchange of honest review
Wow...I am utterly breathless, captivated and amazed in this wickedly raw, dark, brilliant and intense book that Lili St. Germain has taken me on in her newest release Cartel. It was definitely one of the most raw, violent, dark and gritty books that I have read and I absolutely loved it. I am slapping my forehead as to why I haven’t read any of her books sooner. Ms. Lili has now my full undivided attention with her brilliant storytelling and flawless writing. I will now be one-clicking all her books.
Cartel was one of those books that captured my full attention right off the prologue. I was hooked and could not put this book down. This book was palpating suspenseful, gritty, intense, raw, violent and dark and that's what makes this book so real especially it exposes the dark criminal worlds of Cartels and their networks. There is nothing pretty about this book because it highlights the cruel world of revenge, ownership, violence, death, retaliation, sex trafficking, drugs, and extortion. Ms. Lili St. Germain allowed her readers to be absorbed in the gritty world where monsters, criminals, and dangerous MC bikers lived.
Dornan is the son of a powerful Cartel organization and VP of the Gypsy Brothers MC. He is ruthless, violent, mean, intense, and gritty. He is not your swooning hero who will come to rescue a damsel in distress. He is simply a bad-ass m*therf*cker, who does what he wants. And when his dad brought Mariana over to the states from Columbia, this bad ass biker begins to show a bit of humanity when it comes to her. For unexplained reasons unbeknownst to him, he finds himself attracted to this feisty Colombian girl. Mariana intrigues him. She is unlike any women that he has come across because she has this inner strength and will to fight back. Dornan knows that Mariana belongs to his dad. She is his slave and property. In order to spare her family’s life from being murdered by the Cartels, Mariana agrees to exchange her life for her family’s. She now belongs to the Cartels and must work her way to pay back the debt that her father owes them.
Cartel really lays the groundwork in exposing as to how Mariana came to be in the possession of Dornan’s father and the Gypsy Brothers MC. Though this book exposes the dark and cruel nature of the Cartels, this book also became a story that laid the groundwork and foundation of a blossoming relationship that begins to ignite between Dornan and Mariana. Their relationship is not of hearts and flowers but of intense, burning, desire to fill in those missing pieces that they crave and feed off each other. Mariana can’t explain why she needs Dornan but she does and vice versa for him as well. Lines of hate and love are blurred and jaded between these two. Nothing is black and white. But one thing is for certain, can these two escape the darkness and find light? Or is this relationship doomed since secrets are yet to be exposed?
There is not much to say but go read Cartel from Lili St. Germain and be prepared to spellbinded with her storytelling and writing. I seriously can’t wait for the next book as to what awaits Dornan and Mariana.
Review can be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages:
http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly...Lili St. Germain
Wow...I am utterly breathless, captivated and amazed in this wickedly raw, dark, brilliant and intense book that Lili St. Germain has taken me on in her newest release Cartel. It was definitely one of the most raw, violent, dark and gritty books that I have read and I absolutely loved it. I am slapping my forehead as to why I haven’t read any of her books sooner. Ms. Lili has now my full undivided attention with her brilliant storytelling and flawless writing. I will now be one-clicking all her books.
Cartel was one of those books that captured my full attention right off the prologue. I was hooked and could not put this book down. This book was palpating suspenseful, gritty, intense, raw, violent and dark and that's what makes this book so real especially it exposes the dark criminal worlds of Cartels and their networks. There is nothing pretty about this book because it highlights the cruel world of revenge, ownership, violence, death, retaliation, sex trafficking, drugs, and extortion. Ms. Lili St. Germain allowed her readers to be absorbed in the gritty world where monsters, criminals, and dangerous MC bikers lived.
Dornan is the son of a powerful Cartel organization and VP of the Gypsy Brothers MC. He is ruthless, violent, mean, intense, and gritty. He is not your swooning hero who will come to rescue a damsel in distress. He is simply a bad-ass m*therf*cker, who does what he wants. And when his dad brought Mariana over to the states from Columbia, this bad ass biker begins to show a bit of humanity when it comes to her. For unexplained reasons unbeknownst to him, he finds himself attracted to this feisty Colombian girl. Mariana intrigues him. She is unlike any women that he has come across because she has this inner strength and will to fight back. Dornan knows that Mariana belongs to his dad. She is his slave and property. In order to spare her family’s life from being murdered by the Cartels, Mariana agrees to exchange her life for her family’s. She now belongs to the Cartels and must work her way to pay back the debt that her father owes them.
Cartel really lays the groundwork in exposing as to how Mariana came to be in the possession of Dornan’s father and the Gypsy Brothers MC. Though this book exposes the dark and cruel nature of the Cartels, this book also became a story that laid the groundwork and foundation of a blossoming relationship that begins to ignite between Dornan and Mariana. Their relationship is not of hearts and flowers but of intense, burning, desire to fill in those missing pieces that they crave and feed off each other. Mariana can’t explain why she needs Dornan but she does and vice versa for him as well. Lines of hate and love are blurred and jaded between these two. Nothing is black and white. But one thing is for certain, can these two escape the darkness and find light? Or is this relationship doomed since secrets are yet to be exposed?
There is not much to say but go read Cartel from Lili St. Germain and be prepared to spellbinded with her storytelling and writing. I seriously can’t wait for the next book as to what awaits Dornan and Mariana.
Review can be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages:
http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly...Lili St. Germain
January 18, 2016
I loved this dark jewel!! Now on SALE on Amazon US (jan 18 2016) -> http://amzn.com/B00KHHF03I
I loved the “Gypsy Brothers” series so much but I still have to read the conclusion “Zero Hour”. When I read that there would be a series on Dornan and Mariana I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. As probably most of you, I couldn’t see why I would ever want to read Dornan’s story… But I remained intrigued and when I saw the opportunity to request “Kingpin” for review I just went for it!
This is the story of Mariana! She’s constantly trying to solve the financial mess her father gets her family in. At 19 all her efforts seem futile when her boyfriend gets killed and she finds her family on their knees with guns pointed at them … And again it’s Mariana who saves them. She offers herself up in exchange for the lives of her family. Ruthless Cartel boss Emilio accepts this and wants to auction her off as a sex slave to compensate some money they lost because of Mariana’s father. When she meets Emilio’s only son and VP of the Gypsy Brothers she immediately feels safe with him but he is a dangerous, terrifying man! Not as ruthless as his father… Dornan can’t stay away from Mariana and finds a way to keep her. Will she be safe now? Can she trust Dornan? What about her family? All those questions are answered in this amazing book.
As I already said I loved the Gypsy Brothers series and never thought I would even like Dornan a little bit but I think I do... does that make me sick?? When I think back to what happens to Juliette in Gypsy Brothers I start hating him again but in this book he shows another side of him. He can be good, caring, have mercy, …
I really loved Mariana and admired how sassy and sarcastic she remained during her captivity and my heart broke several times for her.
I loved the writing style of this dark, twisted, captivating read of forbidden love and will dive right into the second book “Kingpin”. The story will be concluded in January 2017 with the last book “Empire”.
I loved the “Gypsy Brothers” series so much but I still have to read the conclusion “Zero Hour”. When I read that there would be a series on Dornan and Mariana I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. As probably most of you, I couldn’t see why I would ever want to read Dornan’s story… But I remained intrigued and when I saw the opportunity to request “Kingpin” for review I just went for it!
This is the story of Mariana! She’s constantly trying to solve the financial mess her father gets her family in. At 19 all her efforts seem futile when her boyfriend gets killed and she finds her family on their knees with guns pointed at them … And again it’s Mariana who saves them. She offers herself up in exchange for the lives of her family. Ruthless Cartel boss Emilio accepts this and wants to auction her off as a sex slave to compensate some money they lost because of Mariana’s father. When she meets Emilio’s only son and VP of the Gypsy Brothers she immediately feels safe with him but he is a dangerous, terrifying man! Not as ruthless as his father… Dornan can’t stay away from Mariana and finds a way to keep her. Will she be safe now? Can she trust Dornan? What about her family? All those questions are answered in this amazing book.
As I already said I loved the Gypsy Brothers series and never thought I would even like Dornan a little bit but I think I do... does that make me sick?? When I think back to what happens to Juliette in Gypsy Brothers I start hating him again but in this book he shows another side of him. He can be good, caring, have mercy, …
I really loved Mariana and admired how sassy and sarcastic she remained during her captivity and my heart broke several times for her.
I loved the writing style of this dark, twisted, captivating read of forbidden love and will dive right into the second book “Kingpin”. The story will be concluded in January 2017 with the last book “Empire”.
January 28, 2015
★Complimentary Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review★
TITLE: Cartel
SERIES: (Cartel, #1)
AUTHOR: Lili St. Germain
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: January 27th, 2015
MY RATING: ★★★★
A SHEEP IN WOLFS CLOTHING
I struggled on what to rate this, I'm so used to Lili St. Germain giving us the dark, gritty stomach churning walk away from your device kind of reads, this for me was too mellow, it had elements of grittiness but nothing like what you expect from this author..But not taking into account her Gypsy Brothers series for first time readers of this author you will love it..You might even love Dornan Ross if it's your first encounter of him..
A willing captive in exchange for the safety of her parents and siblings, My boyfriend was dead and I was a slave, I had just given my soul to the devil
NEVER SHOW FEAR
Doran might have taken me away from his father's cruel grip, but there was no mistaking the fact that Emilio owned me.
But for me (and this is only my opinion) this should've come before "Gypsy Brothers" because it gives us more of a softer insight into his character which you NEVER saw before hand..It will be interesting to see how this series plays out and what made him into the monster he was in Gypsy Brothers, because believe me he was what nightmares generated from..I'm expecting as the story unfolds we see the evil that seeps throughout Doran's veins..
We were the dirtiest, most forbidden secret of them all, I was falling in love with a monster
He took care of me, made sure I ate, made sure I slept, made my existence vastly less painful when he was in it.
Blood is thicker than water, the family comes before the girl
Mariana ~ At sixteen, love devastated me..At nineteen, love saved me..At twenty-nine, love almost freed me..But in the end, love broke me
SINS OF THE FATHER
They say that every little girl wants to marry her father, but I wanted mine to vanish, now I was going to pay for his sins.
I'll clean your house, I'll smuggle your drugs, I'll suck your dick, I'll do your books, I'll f*ck your sons and lick your boots if that's what it takes.
I would be the faithful servant, the piece of property, the slave girl, I would bide my time and I would find a way to make these f*ckers pay.
TITLE: Cartel
SERIES: (Cartel, #1)
AUTHOR: Lili St. Germain
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: January 27th, 2015
MY RATING: ★★★★
A SHEEP IN WOLFS CLOTHING
I struggled on what to rate this, I'm so used to Lili St. Germain giving us the dark, gritty stomach churning walk away from your device kind of reads, this for me was too mellow, it had elements of grittiness but nothing like what you expect from this author..But not taking into account her Gypsy Brothers series for first time readers of this author you will love it..You might even love Dornan Ross if it's your first encounter of him..
A willing captive in exchange for the safety of her parents and siblings, My boyfriend was dead and I was a slave, I had just given my soul to the devil
NEVER SHOW FEAR
Doran might have taken me away from his father's cruel grip, but there was no mistaking the fact that Emilio owned me.
But for me (and this is only my opinion) this should've come before "Gypsy Brothers" because it gives us more of a softer insight into his character which you NEVER saw before hand..It will be interesting to see how this series plays out and what made him into the monster he was in Gypsy Brothers, because believe me he was what nightmares generated from..I'm expecting as the story unfolds we see the evil that seeps throughout Doran's veins..
We were the dirtiest, most forbidden secret of them all, I was falling in love with a monster
He took care of me, made sure I ate, made sure I slept, made my existence vastly less painful when he was in it.
Blood is thicker than water, the family comes before the girl
Mariana ~ At sixteen, love devastated me..At nineteen, love saved me..At twenty-nine, love almost freed me..But in the end, love broke me
SINS OF THE FATHER
They say that every little girl wants to marry her father, but I wanted mine to vanish, now I was going to pay for his sins.
I'll clean your house, I'll smuggle your drugs, I'll suck your dick, I'll do your books, I'll f*ck your sons and lick your boots if that's what it takes.
I would be the faithful servant, the piece of property, the slave girl, I would bide my time and I would find a way to make these f*ckers pay.
January 21, 2015
☆ I received an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ! ☆
3.5 stars!!
I guess I had too many high expectations when it came to Cartel. I’m not prepping you readers into thinking it’s a bad read because it’s not, I just thought it would have a much edgier, grittier, and darker feeling much like Gypsy Brother’s series. It was more of a sugared- down version-prequel, I guess you could say.
Over all, I did like this first installment of the Cartel series. While I do not forgive Dornan or reprieve of what he did in his GB’s days, this novel did portray him in a different light.
I’m not saying that Dornan was once a good guy, because deep down he was always vindictive and corrupt on the inside. But, it was one hell of a ride watching his character unfold into what he becomes!!
As for Marianna, well, hmmm. She was an admirable character, I’ll admit. She had fire, tenacity, and man uped (or “woman uped”) to what was at fault. But as a whole, she kind of puzzled and exasperated me at times.
So, my verdict? A good start!! I didn’t want to like Dornan after all of the inexcusable things he’s done in GB, but, as a reader I could see the beginning of the road on why his story turned out to be the way it did. Definitely one of the best anti-hero’s turned villains EVER!! Can’t wait for Kingpin!!
3.5 stars!!
I guess I had too many high expectations when it came to Cartel. I’m not prepping you readers into thinking it’s a bad read because it’s not, I just thought it would have a much edgier, grittier, and darker feeling much like Gypsy Brother’s series. It was more of a sugared- down version-prequel, I guess you could say.
Over all, I did like this first installment of the Cartel series. While I do not forgive Dornan or reprieve of what he did in his GB’s days, this novel did portray him in a different light.
I’m not saying that Dornan was once a good guy, because deep down he was always vindictive and corrupt on the inside. But, it was one hell of a ride watching his character unfold into what he becomes!!
As for Marianna, well, hmmm. She was an admirable character, I’ll admit. She had fire, tenacity, and man uped (or “woman uped”) to what was at fault. But as a whole, she kind of puzzled and exasperated me at times.
So, my verdict? A good start!! I didn’t want to like Dornan after all of the inexcusable things he’s done in GB, but, as a reader I could see the beginning of the road on why his story turned out to be the way it did. Definitely one of the best anti-hero’s turned villains EVER!! Can’t wait for Kingpin!!
December 12, 2016
FIVE THRILLING STARS*****
(ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review)
Fire burning plot, complex characters and a decadent writing style. This book is the perfect start to a fiery trilogy that promises, and delivers pure thrill. Loved it!!!
Mariana is a nineteen year old Colombian girl, who's father works for the most powerful drug Cartel in the world. She grew up in the throes of violence, guns and despair. Her father, a drunk with a gambling problem has gone too far this time, messing up with the big bosses of the Cartel, and Mariana had to step up and pay for her father's sins with her freedom, in order to save her family.
She's been taken from Colombia with the purpose to be sold as a sex slave in the U.S, and she's been deliver to the VP, of the dangerous Motorcycle Club, The Gypsy Brothers. Dornan, the VP of the MC Club, who also happens to be the Cartel's drug lord's son, is in charge of getting Mariana ready to meet her terrible destiny.
Dornan is a dangerous man; just like his father he has a lot of darkness lurking inside him. But something about the Colombian beauty has him mesmerized, and acting in unlikely ways. He will be the monster who will save Mariana from being sold into sexual slavery, but at what price?
I read this book from cover to cover in one day. The excitement, and the darkness of the romance kept me at the edge of my seat, and unable to do, or think about anything else, other than this story.
Lily St. Germain has created a gritty and wicked MC theme story that is totally addictive. I am now forever hooked to her writing style, and I'm very excited to read more.
(ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review)
Fire burning plot, complex characters and a decadent writing style. This book is the perfect start to a fiery trilogy that promises, and delivers pure thrill. Loved it!!!
Mariana is a nineteen year old Colombian girl, who's father works for the most powerful drug Cartel in the world. She grew up in the throes of violence, guns and despair. Her father, a drunk with a gambling problem has gone too far this time, messing up with the big bosses of the Cartel, and Mariana had to step up and pay for her father's sins with her freedom, in order to save her family.
She's been taken from Colombia with the purpose to be sold as a sex slave in the U.S, and she's been deliver to the VP, of the dangerous Motorcycle Club, The Gypsy Brothers. Dornan, the VP of the MC Club, who also happens to be the Cartel's drug lord's son, is in charge of getting Mariana ready to meet her terrible destiny.
Dornan is a dangerous man; just like his father he has a lot of darkness lurking inside him. But something about the Colombian beauty has him mesmerized, and acting in unlikely ways. He will be the monster who will save Mariana from being sold into sexual slavery, but at what price?
I read this book from cover to cover in one day. The excitement, and the darkness of the romance kept me at the edge of my seat, and unable to do, or think about anything else, other than this story.
Lily St. Germain has created a gritty and wicked MC theme story that is totally addictive. I am now forever hooked to her writing style, and I'm very excited to read more.
October 15, 2015
I don't read this kind of book. I've never read this kind of book. Look at the cover, for Pete's sake. This is not me. I'm hard core dark thriller, science fiction, occasional mystery. So when my friend at Harper Collins handed me the sample of this book, which was about 150 pages of 300, I asked her what she expected me to do with it? Use it as a coaster.
Here's the type of dialogue in the book:
So I designated it to read-in-between-television-shows in the commercials, so that I didn't waste any time. I wanted to see what readers liked about these books. You could have heard me guffaw for several blocks as I read the first fifty pages. I even read some to my husband. "Can you believe this stuff?" I said. "How cliched."
Somewhere around page 100, I stopped watching the shows and started reading the book. Darn, I kind of fell for the male character Dornan, who was the tormentor and saviour of our heroine Mariana Rodriguez. He's a bad biker guy.
By the time I had finished the sampler, I had to sheepishly ask my friend for the full book. I needed to know what happened. Then, thank you, Lili St. Germain, the book ends on a cliffhanger. Now I have to beg the next book when it comes out in 2016.
I'm still not a romance reader, but this is dark romance, and there is blood, plenty of blood, so maybe I haven't totally gone over to the side of light. I gave this four stars. It was a fun, quick and very enjoyable read once you remove it from your read-during-commercials pile. Definitely give it a go, if the plot interests you.
Given to me by Harper Collins in return for an honest review ... the only kind I give.
Author's Website: http://www.lilisaintgermain.com
Publisher's Website: http://www.harpercollins.com.au/97814...
Here's the type of dialogue in the book:
So I designated it to read-in-between-television-shows in the commercials, so that I didn't waste any time. I wanted to see what readers liked about these books. You could have heard me guffaw for several blocks as I read the first fifty pages. I even read some to my husband. "Can you believe this stuff?" I said. "How cliched."
Somewhere around page 100, I stopped watching the shows and started reading the book. Darn, I kind of fell for the male character Dornan, who was the tormentor and saviour of our heroine Mariana Rodriguez. He's a bad biker guy.
By the time I had finished the sampler, I had to sheepishly ask my friend for the full book. I needed to know what happened. Then, thank you, Lili St. Germain, the book ends on a cliffhanger. Now I have to beg the next book when it comes out in 2016.
I'm still not a romance reader, but this is dark romance, and there is blood, plenty of blood, so maybe I haven't totally gone over to the side of light. I gave this four stars. It was a fun, quick and very enjoyable read once you remove it from your read-during-commercials pile. Definitely give it a go, if the plot interests you.
Given to me by Harper Collins in return for an honest review ... the only kind I give.
Author's Website: http://www.lilisaintgermain.com
Publisher's Website: http://www.harpercollins.com.au/97814...
Shelved as 'no-thank-you'
January 13, 2015So, I'm confused.. If this is about Marianna & Dornan & John.. Why would I read something knowing the end of them? Yes, I'm sure that the story must be fascinating but.. I'm puzzled about the POV and the ending..
Do not read if you haven't read the Gypsy series. It will spoil Cartel for you!
Do not read if you haven't read the Gypsy series. It will spoil Cartel for you!
January 25, 2015
Review: Surj
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For those of you who read Lili St Germain's "Gypsy brothers Series," you'll have already made your acquaintance with a certain Mr Dornan Ross. And the chances are, you despised him from the minute you met him in the first book until you parted ways in "One love." Yup, I don't know anyone who felt an ounce of anything positive towards this man because he was (well and truly) a monster of the worst kind. His sheer brutality, his actions, his lack of conscience and his unpredictability definitely made for addictive reading, and the fact that he was like a cat with nine lives.... Jesus... why couldn't he just stay dead already? lol. So when Lili decided to give him his own series, I was like... "whaaat? You have got to be kidding? when does the baddie ever get a book, let alone a whole series?" But the more I thought about it, the more I was intrigued. Dornan Ross had my mind racing and all of a sudden I wanted to know the younger him. I wanted inside his head. I wanted to give the devil a chance to redeem himself and so when the opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance of reading the first of his three books entitled "Cartel."
Dornan's story definitely showed me a whole new side to this man... a side I could never have envisaged seeing and very early on I was lulled into a false sense of security, the hopeless romantic in me trying to find redeemable qualities. However, it wasn't long before I saw a darkness within him, a darkness (on the whole) he suppressed very well. Unfortunately, there was no denying whose son he was and what was expected of him and time and time again, he stepped up to his role. Would he be friend of foe to Mariana? Whose side would he take?
Mariana was a feisty one whose mouth landed her in trouble more times than I could count. She was not going to take her situation lying down but her back chat often landed her a back hander. each time the cartel tried to knock her down, put the fear of god into her, the thoughts of everything she had left behind making her adamant she would survive this... it wasn't an option. however, there was a lot about her character that I struggled to wrap my head around. How she handled the situation with Este... I guess I thought there would be more emotion, more of a struggle but he seemed to become an afterthought relatively quickly. I tried to put myself in her shoes... the loneliness, the lack of human contact, the situation she was in... how would I react? Would it be any different? Was this almost a form of Stockholm syndrome in terms of her relationship with Dornan? After all, he was her captor but the only one who showed her any form of compassion... I think I'm going to sit on the fence with her character for now and see what the next book in the series brings.
I cannot wait for the release of "Kingpin." Knowing what I know, this is going to be quite the read. I'll make sure to have my big girl panties at the ready.. lord knows I'm going to need them.
I rated "Cartel" ♥️♥️♥️♥️
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TSU: https://www.tsu.co/HopelessRomantics
Blog: http://thehopelessromanticsbookblog.b...
For those of you who read Lili St Germain's "Gypsy brothers Series," you'll have already made your acquaintance with a certain Mr Dornan Ross. And the chances are, you despised him from the minute you met him in the first book until you parted ways in "One love." Yup, I don't know anyone who felt an ounce of anything positive towards this man because he was (well and truly) a monster of the worst kind. His sheer brutality, his actions, his lack of conscience and his unpredictability definitely made for addictive reading, and the fact that he was like a cat with nine lives.... Jesus... why couldn't he just stay dead already? lol. So when Lili decided to give him his own series, I was like... "whaaat? You have got to be kidding? when does the baddie ever get a book, let alone a whole series?" But the more I thought about it, the more I was intrigued. Dornan Ross had my mind racing and all of a sudden I wanted to know the younger him. I wanted inside his head. I wanted to give the devil a chance to redeem himself and so when the opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance of reading the first of his three books entitled "Cartel."
"Do you promise?" She asked softly.Well what can I say? I'm really not sure what I was expecting? A love story of epic proportions? A fairytale gone wrong? A man that would sweep me off my feet and make me forget all the bad things he'd done? A man who would maybe make me feel sorry for him? I don't know but what I got definitely knocked me for six and made me question how the hell this author came up this stuff. This was f**ked up, crazy shit that pushed my own boundaries beyond belief. If this was a film, I'd have winced, hid my face from what I was watching, felt sick at how certain events unfolded ... yes I had to remind myself that this was a book based around the Cartel and they were ruthless motherf**kers who didn't give a shit who you were. The "Gypsy brothers" series felt like child's play in comparison as I was thrust into bowels of hell and into the underbelly of this way of life. If you're expecting a love story, think again because "Cartel" is less about romance and more about survival.
""Promise what, baby?"
"Promise that if I stay with you, you'll protect me from them?"
"I promise if you stay here with me, and do as you're told, I'll protect you from the whole world."
Together they skated the thin line between pleasure and pain, between necessity and madness.
Dornan's story definitely showed me a whole new side to this man... a side I could never have envisaged seeing and very early on I was lulled into a false sense of security, the hopeless romantic in me trying to find redeemable qualities. However, it wasn't long before I saw a darkness within him, a darkness (on the whole) he suppressed very well. Unfortunately, there was no denying whose son he was and what was expected of him and time and time again, he stepped up to his role. Would he be friend of foe to Mariana? Whose side would he take?
Mariana was a feisty one whose mouth landed her in trouble more times than I could count. She was not going to take her situation lying down but her back chat often landed her a back hander. each time the cartel tried to knock her down, put the fear of god into her, the thoughts of everything she had left behind making her adamant she would survive this... it wasn't an option. however, there was a lot about her character that I struggled to wrap my head around. How she handled the situation with Este... I guess I thought there would be more emotion, more of a struggle but he seemed to become an afterthought relatively quickly. I tried to put myself in her shoes... the loneliness, the lack of human contact, the situation she was in... how would I react? Would it be any different? Was this almost a form of Stockholm syndrome in terms of her relationship with Dornan? After all, he was her captor but the only one who showed her any form of compassion... I think I'm going to sit on the fence with her character for now and see what the next book in the series brings.
When she saw him, the relief on her face was palpable. It almost broke his black heart when she looked at I'm like that- when she was so f**king happythat her monstrous hero has returned."Cartel" gave me a lot of information and really helped to bridge the gaps that had been left back when I was reading the Gypsy brothers series. I got the history of how Mariana ended up with the Cartel, the history of how the MC actually came about and also an insight into the friendship between John and Dornan. It was during one particularly scene involving the friends (in fact) that I suddenly had an "Oh sh*t" moment, where all the events from the Gypsy Brothers Series assaulted me at once and everything fell into place and became clearer. The picture was complete and my heart dropped yet again, knowing that the journey of destruction the clueless characters were about to embark on would ultimately lead to the downfall of so many.
I cannot wait for the release of "Kingpin." Knowing what I know, this is going to be quite the read. I'll make sure to have my big girl panties at the ready.. lord knows I'm going to need them.
I rated "Cartel" ♥️♥️♥️♥️
March 25, 2015
This novel left me aching, hurting, longing, hoping and wanting for more.
I started reading this book with the Gypsy Brothers series in the back of my mind hating Emilio and Dornan with every fiber of my being.
Marianna I may have hated her sassy mouth spitting fire at times, but I admire her braveness. And how she used her intelligence and herself to save her family and to survive.
Dornan I hate him. I totally hate him. I… I’m confused because I’m feeling something for him. Reading his POV makes me hate him and love him at the same time. My feelings about him are twisted and dark just like the man himself. His show of unexpected care for Marianna and the way his twisted mind works is what gets to me.
The connection and their chemisty?
I was scared for Marianna at times, about her dirty little secret, that somehow it would be discovered, but somehow it wasn’t and I was thankful actually. I thought that with her hatred with Dornan, there would be a wall separating the two of them no matter what happen, but I wasn’t actually expecting her declaration. And somehow, I felt that way, too.
I find this novel a beautiful story with its twisted and dark plot, revolving about violence, blood, deceit, lies and forbidden love.
I started reading this book with the Gypsy Brothers series in the back of my mind hating Emilio and Dornan with every fiber of my being.
Marianna I may have hated her sassy mouth spitting fire at times, but I admire her braveness. And how she used her intelligence and herself to save her family and to survive.
“I was somebody else.
Somebody who did whatever it took to ensure she survived.
Blood and violence and fucking and pain. This was what my life was reduced to. This was the person I had to be if I had any chance at surviving this hell.”
Dornan I hate him. I totally hate him. I… I’m confused because I’m feeling something for him. Reading his POV makes me hate him and love him at the same time. My feelings about him are twisted and dark just like the man himself. His show of unexpected care for Marianna and the way his twisted mind works is what gets to me.
“Sometimes I’m so lonely,” I whispered, and I was. “Sometimes, I’m so lonely, it hurts.”
He wrapped his big arms around me and drew me into his chest, almost crushing me with his embrace.
The connection and their chemisty?
“Her cheeks flushed, her chest still moving rapidly, she reached up with one tentative hand. When he didn’t stop her, she ran it through his short, dark brown hair, taking hold of his head.
Explosive.
That was the only word that came to him as her lips crashed into his, a fiery embrace that both thrilled and deeply unsettled him.”
“She melted against the wall, opening her velvety lips wider and meeting his tongue with hers. Her small hands wrapped around the back of his head as she kissed him with the same ferocity he had started with.”
I was scared for Marianna at times, about her dirty little secret, that somehow it would be discovered, but somehow it wasn’t and I was thankful actually. I thought that with her hatred with Dornan, there would be a wall separating the two of them no matter what happen, but I wasn’t actually expecting her declaration. And somehow, I felt that way, too.
“He said he would let me choose, and I was choosing him.
His mouth on mine tasted too good for me to believe he was my enemy, but therein lay part of the thrill, I suppose. Beating him at his own game. Owning him so he didn’t just own me.”
I find this novel a beautiful story with its twisted and dark plot, revolving about violence, blood, deceit, lies and forbidden love.
August 29, 2015
★★★★ 4 Stars ★★★★
OH.MY.SH*T.
I have had this book sitting in my library for months upon months and I can't believe that it took me so long to read this f*cked up of a book.This was exactly what I needed reading wise and I'm glad that I finally got around to it.
Mariana is the daughter of a Colombian drug lord so growing up she knew the life and she knew when danger was approaching.She learns very quickly that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is about to change.Finding out that her father owes a crap ton of money to the infamous drug Kingpin Emilio,she quickly tries to offer herself up as coverage.
Dornan is the son of the very ruthless and quite twisted Emilio Ross.He's also the VP of the Gypsy Bros MC.He is dangerous, ruthless and quite frankly, crazy as f*ck.When his father gives him Mariana as a temporary possesion, he immediately wants her.To own,please,and help. But Mariana has different plans and it's called being a stubborn bitch.I'm all for fighting and standing your ground, especially given the situation that she was in, but sometimes she just needed to SHUT UP.
That to me was the only flaw in this story and everything else was just so damn good!! The darkness, the mystery, the little bit of humor, the sex scenes( MY GOD) just everything.I loved it and I already know that I'm crazy for loving this story but oh well.
I also know that this is the prologue for the other MC series "Gypsy Bros" which I haven't read yet and I heard that Dornan is one crazy F*ucker in those.Yes he had a dangerous aura about him in this book but you also saw glimpses of his heart.He was compassionate but still fearlesss and loving even though he really struggled with that emotion.It was truly one of the best scenes for me in this book and let's not forget the ending.OH.MY.
MS.Germain I NEED KINGPIN NOW!!!!!
OH.MY.SH*T.
I have had this book sitting in my library for months upon months and I can't believe that it took me so long to read this f*cked up of a book.This was exactly what I needed reading wise and I'm glad that I finally got around to it.
Mariana is the daughter of a Colombian drug lord so growing up she knew the life and she knew when danger was approaching.She learns very quickly that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is about to change.Finding out that her father owes a crap ton of money to the infamous drug Kingpin Emilio,she quickly tries to offer herself up as coverage.
Dornan is the son of the very ruthless and quite twisted Emilio Ross.He's also the VP of the Gypsy Bros MC.He is dangerous, ruthless and quite frankly, crazy as f*ck.When his father gives him Mariana as a temporary possesion, he immediately wants her.To own,please,and help. But Mariana has different plans and it's called being a stubborn bitch.I'm all for fighting and standing your ground, especially given the situation that she was in, but sometimes she just needed to SHUT UP.
That to me was the only flaw in this story and everything else was just so damn good!! The darkness, the mystery, the little bit of humor, the sex scenes( MY GOD) just everything.I loved it and I already know that I'm crazy for loving this story but oh well.
I also know that this is the prologue for the other MC series "Gypsy Bros" which I haven't read yet and I heard that Dornan is one crazy F*ucker in those.Yes he had a dangerous aura about him in this book but you also saw glimpses of his heart.He was compassionate but still fearlesss and loving even though he really struggled with that emotion.It was truly one of the best scenes for me in this book and let's not forget the ending.OH.MY.
MS.Germain I NEED KINGPIN NOW!!!!!
May 4, 2017
I really liked it..on to the next.
February 16, 2015
A wild ride with masterful writing that pulls you in and holds you in its grip until the very last page. Dark and gritty with powerful emotions and conflict.
I contemplated my sanity for loving a character as dark as Dornan. But I did. I didn't know him from the Gyspy Brothers series, all I know is what I’ve read in Cartel and I fell for him.
Dornan has an intense inner battle—having to be the man he is supposed to be for his father, a cruel, harsh man who ruthlessly kills and the compassionate man that lays hidden.
The softer side of Dornan gripped me. It was like bait on a fish hook, tempting me to take a chance on him, but I knew there was a risk in believing in Dornan as he still has parts of his father in him. I took the bait though. I saw the kindness in him, a part that refuses to be tainted by his father.
Dornan is brutally honest with the strong Marianna as to how things work in his world and on the surface it seems cold and heartless, but it’s his way of trying to keep her safe.
I was captivated by the storyline, the magnificent and seamless writing with the tiny details that made each scene and character come to life.
Now to impatiently wait for the next book.
I contemplated my sanity for loving a character as dark as Dornan. But I did. I didn't know him from the Gyspy Brothers series, all I know is what I’ve read in Cartel and I fell for him.
Dornan has an intense inner battle—having to be the man he is supposed to be for his father, a cruel, harsh man who ruthlessly kills and the compassionate man that lays hidden.
The softer side of Dornan gripped me. It was like bait on a fish hook, tempting me to take a chance on him, but I knew there was a risk in believing in Dornan as he still has parts of his father in him. I took the bait though. I saw the kindness in him, a part that refuses to be tainted by his father.
Dornan is brutally honest with the strong Marianna as to how things work in his world and on the surface it seems cold and heartless, but it’s his way of trying to keep her safe.
I was captivated by the storyline, the magnificent and seamless writing with the tiny details that made each scene and character come to life.
Now to impatiently wait for the next book.
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