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The Fallen Men #1
Lessons in Corruption
He was eighteen.
The heir to a notorious, criminal MC.
And my student.
There was no way I could get involved.
No way I could stay involved.
Then, no way I could get out alive.
Book One in The Fallen Men series. A standalone.
The heir to a notorious, criminal MC.
And my student.
There was no way I could get involved.
No way I could stay involved.
Then, no way I could get out alive.
Book One in The Fallen Men series. A standalone.
378 pages, Paperback
First published November 29, 2017
About the author
Giana Darling
41 books9,101 followersGiana Darling is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Top 40 Amazon Best Selling Canadian romance author.
I love to write about all things dark, forbidden, and angsty.
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I love to hear from readers so please contact me at gianadarling@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
You can also contact my PA at gianadarlingpa(at)gianadarling.com !
I love to write about all things dark, forbidden, and angsty.
★CONNECT WITH GIANA★
GOODREADS GROUP: http://bit.ly/GianasDarlings_Goodreads
WEBSITE: gianadarling.com
FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2tKhTKO
READER’S GROUP: http://bit.ly/2CFNVsK
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/2J5Evtq
AMAZON: https://amzn.to/2E5LPRW
BOOKBUB: http://bit.ly/2lI2UNn
IG: http://bit.ly/2eNG8Bp | @GianaDarlingAuthor
TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2uXVF84 | @GianaDarling
NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/b0qnPr
I love to hear from readers so please contact me at gianadarling@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
You can also contact my PA at gianadarlingpa(at)gianadarling.com !
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,185 reviews
December 13, 2021
absolutely filthy
☺️
☺️
June 8, 2022
3.5 Stars
Hmm...Well, I enjoyed it.
But...
Hugely ripped-off style in the form of KA biker-speak and the chin lifts...
Hugely simplistic in a lot of ways...
Hugely forgettable in a lot of ways...?
Perhaps.
Regardless, a decent way to pass an evening and good enough for me to grab the second one. You know I can’t deny a 19-year age gap, people.
Hmm...Well, I enjoyed it.
But...
Hugely ripped-off style in the form of KA biker-speak and the chin lifts...
Hugely simplistic in a lot of ways...
Hugely forgettable in a lot of ways...?
Perhaps.
Regardless, a decent way to pass an evening and good enough for me to grab the second one. You know I can’t deny a 19-year age gap, people.
May 9, 2021
Admittedly I didn’t get very far into the book, but the bit I read seemed unreal and dated. Like King was channelling a 1970s movie character and I legit expected him to break out his comb to do a Danny Zuko.
Parallel to that, the Alpha male thing is reminiscent of Kristen Ashley who, by the way, is one of my least fave authors.
Anyway, it’s a DNF for me.
March 12, 2022
4 "Made From Me For Me" stars!!!
“Because I love you,” he growled. “Because I fuckin’ love you enough to tear the world apart if it wrongs you, if it causes even a minute of misery for my girl with the whiskey eyes. Never felt this way about anything and I don’t want to ever again.”
King Garro, son of Zeus Garro, heir of the famous criminal gang MC, a born William Shakespeare.
Cressida Irons, a divorcee, a teacher with passion and a woman with dark desires.
He is her student. And she is his teacher.
He is her forbidden fruit. And she is Eve.
He is a biker. And she's a commoner.
He is a criminal. And she's good woman.
He is younger. And she is older.
They can never be together. Not without raising a scandal.
“One bite of the apple, one taste of temptation, and it’s fuckin’ hard to go back”
Cressida, finally got freedom from her perfectly overbearing husband. King is looking out for his forever.
The first time they meet, they saw each other across a grocery store parking lot. It might not be the most romantic place to fall in love but the moment their eyes met it happened. No words were spoken just one look, which was enough to leave them both breathless an intrigued.
The second time they meet, Cressida is finally divorced and is having fun with her girlfriends when King meets and invites her for a bike ride. Sparks fly, electricity sizzled between them and they kiss.
The third time they meet Cressida finds out the man she kissed one beautiful night under the stars, is her student!
Cressida, with the fear of losing her job backs off but King isn't having it. He is determined make this girl with whiskey eyes who stole his heart his Queen!
Will they be able to stop feeling this forbidden attraction? Will Cressida lose her job? Can Cressida handle all the troubles in the criminal world?
“King was my apple, my Satan, my ultimate fall from grace.”
I LOVED this book!! First of all, I must say I'm not a huge fan of older woman and younger man romance but this book was good!! I kind of keep forgetting that King is just a 18 year boy because most of the time he acts like a mature older man.
“A secret in her smile
Tucked in a rosy furl
I want to pull it out with my teeth
Soothe the paper cut with my tongue
Dip in the well of her blood and write
My own secret on her lips
So that every time she talks
Every lick of those lips
And drag of breath through her mouth
She feels me
Her tongue scrapes the scar of my secret on the inside of her pout
And she can’t deny the truth of it
Of me
Of us
I’ve branded her with it
She’s mine.”
*sigh* Why can't all boys be so romantic like King? I mean who doesn't want some handsome guy who takes you on bike rides off to the sunset, brings you apples everyday, write poems about you, stand up and take your side in front of your exes or family, loves to have apple pies for breakfast, has a big caring family, love you no matter how old or beautiful you are? If only men like them were real.
I think it's the connection, chemistry and their love is what made me love them. Age is just a number. I know it can effect in a relationship, but sometimes you can't choose who you fall in love with.
I really love the way how King handled Cressida's outbursts and temper. He was understanding and gentle. A perfect match for Cressida who has been trying to be a perfect lady her whole life. King bought new colors to her life. He made her laugh, took care of her needs and loved her. Sometimes it's not about finding the perfect man, it's about loving your partner no matter how imperfect they are and loving them for them. And in that case King manage to get high scores.
And I think I love Cressida's bitchy side. She's a woman with some backbone and the kind of girl who would stand up for herself and her man no matter how many people try to burn them down. She's smart, loyal and fierce as hell. I was surprised to see all her sass and fierceness regarding how timid and prim and proper she was before.
But I think more than this couple, it's their family that made me love this book and the series so much. I love the connection between them. They are warm, kind, loyal and brave. The way the easily, warmly welcomed Cress into their family had me tearing up. It was all so beautiful!
And omg! The tension and the sex scenes were so well written!
“Want to take you right here, right now. Spread these thighs and bury my face in your pussy, see if you taste as sweet as you look. I wanna eat you until I’ve had my fill, and Cress babe, I’m a growing fuckin’ boy so I’m starvin’.”
“No God in this bedroom, Cress. Call me what I am: your King,” he growled, rearing up to catch a fistful of my hair and jerk my head back.”
“No God in this bedroom, Cress. Call me what I am: your King,” he growled, rearing up to catch a fistful of my hair and jerk my head back.”
I think I died somewhere among those lines.
And King is an absolutely swoon worthy hero.
“They don’t deserve your tears, babe, but if you gotta cry, do it now and get it out. Don’t want you to do it alone,” King murmured.”
“I got a lotta sweet to give if you promise to look at me like that every time I give it.” “Look at you like what?” “Like I’m worth somethin’ special. Don’t get that much and babe, I gotta tell you, it makes me feel like I’m King of my own fuckin’ castle.”
An amazing forbidden love story of a teacher and her student. A story on love, kindness, family, loyalty, bravery.
Tropes
-Older Woman and Younger Man (5 year)
-Teacher/Student Romance
-Biker Romance
Note: No cheating, HFN, violence and dark themes are included
Highly recommended!!! Enjoy!!
"Whatever pain and ugliness I bring you by bein’ with you, I promise I’ll bring you double that in sweetness and beauty. You hear me on that, because I may be a man without a normal moral compass, but I’m a man who makes a woman a promise, and I’ll die before I break it.”
December 22, 2020
2.5 stars
Seriously, this got me laughing so hard. I didn’t know what to expect from this, but for the first few chapters I was just laughing? I mean sorry, but I just couldn’t take them seriously AT ALL!!
Eighteen years old boys don’t act like that. They just don’t. It’s just not believable. Throughout the book I had a hard time trying to figure out who was the teenager and who was the adult. As for the heroine she was kinda insufferable and kinda drove me crazy. The whole thing just seemed so unreal to me and I couldn’t take the characters or the whole plot or even the “forbidden” aspect of their relation seriously at all. I was laughing the whole time and I’m like for real?? Even every time he called her “babe” (which happened at least three times per page) i’d just start laughing. It just kinda made me cringe so bad.
Their romance was so freakin insta-lovey. This is definitely a me thing, I just don’t like romances that are so insta. I need them to take their time before they start having feelings. Insta love romances just don’t convince me. Even though I have issues with this book and the pacing was kinda all over the place, I think I’ll still continue the series because I heard that the second and third books are better and they seem more interesting.
Seriously, this got me laughing so hard. I didn’t know what to expect from this, but for the first few chapters I was just laughing? I mean sorry, but I just couldn’t take them seriously AT ALL!!
Eighteen years old boys don’t act like that. They just don’t. It’s just not believable. Throughout the book I had a hard time trying to figure out who was the teenager and who was the adult. As for the heroine she was kinda insufferable and kinda drove me crazy. The whole thing just seemed so unreal to me and I couldn’t take the characters or the whole plot or even the “forbidden” aspect of their relation seriously at all. I was laughing the whole time and I’m like for real?? Even every time he called her “babe” (which happened at least three times per page) i’d just start laughing. It just kinda made me cringe so bad.
Their romance was so freakin insta-lovey. This is definitely a me thing, I just don’t like romances that are so insta. I need them to take their time before they start having feelings. Insta love romances just don’t convince me. Even though I have issues with this book and the pacing was kinda all over the place, I think I’ll still continue the series because I heard that the second and third books are better and they seem more interesting.
Read
May 24, 2023"Because I love you," he growled. "Because I fuckin’ love you enough to tear the world apart if it wrongs you, if it causes even a minute of misery for my girl with the whiskey eyes. Never felt this way about anything and I don’t want to ever again."
March 13, 2020
18 year old boys in real life could NEVER 👏🏼.
i mean, have y'all ever heard an 18 year old boy say something like this:
NO ONE.
why? cuz 99.9% of them are i-d-i-o-t-s.
but anyways, let's get on with what i liked shall we?
↠ old Kristen Ashley writing anyone?
this reminded me sooo much of the old KA books because King sounds like your typical KA H and Cressida even sounds like your typical KA h. am i complaining? nahh. i actually don't mind this because i miss the old KA books.
↠ 18 YEAR OLD BOYS DON'T ACT LIKE HOW THE H ACTS HERE!
you know what they do? they vape, play fortnite, or dance on tik tok. well, at least the majority of them. what they don't do is act like alpha, possessive, badass men. this book is based on where i live so my observation is at least 80% accurate (i hope) but all the 18 year olds i know here either play lacrosse or hockey, or they smoke weed. that's it. there's no in between. but what do i know? i've never met anyone who's affiliated in an MC sooo. did i like King tho? hell yeah i did. a lot of the H's in the books i read last month were weak ass boys with a body of a man and they made the heroine fight for their relationship (The Life You Stole & After Forever). so, obviously im going to appreciate a H who knows what he wants and FIGHTS for what he wants (the h).
↠ dislikes
i really did like the beginning of this when there was a lot of tension and i can actually feel the "forbidenness" of their relationship. but after that, everything was too easy. like, all they did was have sex in the middle. was it steamy tho? hell yeah. but, for me, i wanted to see more of the story or at least some more of the push and pull from the beginning. and i was 18 year old once and the fact that i've never met anyone like King when i was 18? sheesh. i could be married to a badass, alpha man right now but nooo.
***
anyways, it's nice to read a book about where i live because i like seeing all the references and how i've been to those places! for now, i think my favorite is still the second one mainly because Zeus is just- yummy as hell.
3.5 stars
i mean, have y'all ever heard an 18 year old boy say something like this:
“Never met a woman like you. Know I won’t again. You find somethin’ worth keepin’, you find a way to fuckin’ keep it. Not gonna stop, and just so you know, I got it that this could get you fired, that this could cause you embarrassment but what I got to say to that is this: whatever pain and ugliness I bring you by bein’ with you, I promise I’ll bring you double that in sweetness and beauty. You hear me on that, because I may be a man without a normal moral compass, but I’m a man who makes a woman a promise, and I’ll die before I break it.”
NO ONE.
why? cuz 99.9% of them are i-d-i-o-t-s.
but anyways, let's get on with what i liked shall we?
↠ old Kristen Ashley writing anyone?
this reminded me sooo much of the old KA books because King sounds like your typical KA H and Cressida even sounds like your typical KA h. am i complaining? nahh. i actually don't mind this because i miss the old KA books.
↠ 18 YEAR OLD BOYS DON'T ACT LIKE HOW THE H ACTS HERE!
you know what they do? they vape, play fortnite, or dance on tik tok. well, at least the majority of them. what they don't do is act like alpha, possessive, badass men. this book is based on where i live so my observation is at least 80% accurate (i hope) but all the 18 year olds i know here either play lacrosse or hockey, or they smoke weed. that's it. there's no in between. but what do i know? i've never met anyone who's affiliated in an MC sooo. did i like King tho? hell yeah i did. a lot of the H's in the books i read last month were weak ass boys with a body of a man and they made the heroine fight for their relationship (The Life You Stole & After Forever). so, obviously im going to appreciate a H who knows what he wants and FIGHTS for what he wants (the h).
↠ dislikes
i really did like the beginning of this when there was a lot of tension and i can actually feel the "forbidenness" of their relationship. but after that, everything was too easy. like, all they did was have sex in the middle. was it steamy tho? hell yeah. but, for me, i wanted to see more of the story or at least some more of the push and pull from the beginning. and i was 18 year old once and the fact that i've never met anyone like King when i was 18? sheesh. i could be married to a badass, alpha man right now but nooo.
***
anyways, it's nice to read a book about where i live because i like seeing all the references and how i've been to those places! for now, i think my favorite is still the second one mainly because Zeus is just- yummy as hell.
3.5 stars
October 15, 2021
3.5 stars
After reading and becoming obsessed with ‘Welcome to the Dark Side’, I wanted to start at the beginning and read King and Cressida’s story. Though I didn’t love this near as much as Zeus and Lou’s story, it was an enjoyable story.
Cressida is a teacher and stuck in a loveless marriage. She married an older man when she was eighteen, and now eight years later, she’s done. She just needs that push to leave. When she sees King across a parking lot, it’s the motivation she needs to leave and start over.
King’s dad, Zeus, is the prez of the Fallen biker club and King is an eighteen year old high school senior. King doesn’t look or act like a teenager. He’s mature for his age, sometimes even more mature than Cressida. King and Cressida start a relationship before she finds out he’s still in high school or as young as he is, but she’s in for a huge surprise when she finds out he’s her student.
There was some push and pull in this one from Cressida which I understood, but after a while I was like come on girl! King was fantastic, though. I loved that he was alpha, devoted, and even poetic. I can’t wait to continue on with this one. I’m loving this series!
I was a good woman who had fallen in love with the ultimate bad boy. Now, I just had to figure out what to do about it.
After reading and becoming obsessed with ‘Welcome to the Dark Side’, I wanted to start at the beginning and read King and Cressida’s story. Though I didn’t love this near as much as Zeus and Lou’s story, it was an enjoyable story.
Cressida is a teacher and stuck in a loveless marriage. She married an older man when she was eighteen, and now eight years later, she’s done. She just needs that push to leave. When she sees King across a parking lot, it’s the motivation she needs to leave and start over.
King’s dad, Zeus, is the prez of the Fallen biker club and King is an eighteen year old high school senior. King doesn’t look or act like a teenager. He’s mature for his age, sometimes even more mature than Cressida. King and Cressida start a relationship before she finds out he’s still in high school or as young as he is, but she’s in for a huge surprise when she finds out he’s her student.
There was some push and pull in this one from Cressida which I understood, but after a while I was like come on girl! King was fantastic, though. I loved that he was alpha, devoted, and even poetic. I can’t wait to continue on with this one. I’m loving this series!
Want to read
November 25, 2018LIVE! | AMZ US | AMZ UK |
SO SO FORBIDDEN!
Stand-alone
LIVE! | AMZ US | AMZ UK |
Blurb:
He was eighteen.
The heir to a notorious, criminal MC.
And my student.
There was no way I could get involved.
No way I could stay involved.
Then, no way I could get out alive.
Books in The Fallen Men series are stand-alones:
Book 1: Lessons in Corruption
Book 2: Welcome to the Dark Side
Book 3: Good Gone Bad
SO SO FORBIDDEN!
Stand-alone
LIVE! | AMZ US | AMZ UK |
Blurb:
He was eighteen.
The heir to a notorious, criminal MC.
And my student.
There was no way I could get involved.
No way I could stay involved.
Then, no way I could get out alive.
Books in The Fallen Men series are stand-alones:
Book 1: Lessons in Corruption
Book 2: Welcome to the Dark Side
Book 3: Good Gone Bad
March 2, 2020
4 Unadulterated Lust Stars ⭐
I wanted to be a part of it. To stand beside the blond king and be his rough and tumble queen.
It was love at first sight, but it would take months until they would properly cross paths or give into their feelings. And it would be done. It would be too late, lines would be crossed, and she would never be just his teacher…
Cressida Irons spent years in a marriage she’d been groomed for. By leaving her ex-husband, meant leaving her family as well. Starting over in a new town with a new job was meant to give her a fresh perspective. What she hadn’t expected was to instantly fall for a man destined to be a king. A man who happened to be her student.
My breath left me all at once, but I didn’t care to get it back. I’d never breathe again if it meant seeing that man with that smile made especially for me.
King Kyle Garro was born with a preordained path. As the son of the president of the Fallen MC, his role was written. But beyond that he was gifted with beauty and brains and a penchant for poetry. He knew instinctively that Cressida would be his, even if the object of his affection needed a little convincing.
“You’re too much for me,” I whispered through my tightening throat.
“I swear, you’ll be bored in a week. I’m no fun.”
“I just gotta corrupt you a little and, just sayin’, I’m lookin’ forward to that part.”
This was essentially a story of entrapment in the most delicious circumstances. And let me assure you that no breathing heterosexual woman could resist King. With that filthy mouth and a soul that yearned for his woman, Cressida never stood a chance.
“You think just ’cause you’re the teacher, I gotta follow your rules?
Well, you’re wrong, babe. Between you and me, I’m the fuckin’ authority figure.
If I gotta fuck you in the library to show you what’s what, I’m only too happy to fucking oblige.”
Lessons in Corruption is a refreshing take on the MC trope. Although gritty in parts when the focus was club business, it wasn't the sole focus. This was a true romance. It was poetically beautiful, raunchy and breathtaking to watch the interactions between King and Cressida. And of course, we meet the infamous Zeus Garro which only makes you salivate for the next book in the series…
I wanted to be a part of it. To stand beside the blond king and be his rough and tumble queen.
It was love at first sight, but it would take months until they would properly cross paths or give into their feelings. And it would be done. It would be too late, lines would be crossed, and she would never be just his teacher…
Cressida Irons spent years in a marriage she’d been groomed for. By leaving her ex-husband, meant leaving her family as well. Starting over in a new town with a new job was meant to give her a fresh perspective. What she hadn’t expected was to instantly fall for a man destined to be a king. A man who happened to be her student.
My breath left me all at once, but I didn’t care to get it back. I’d never breathe again if it meant seeing that man with that smile made especially for me.
King Kyle Garro was born with a preordained path. As the son of the president of the Fallen MC, his role was written. But beyond that he was gifted with beauty and brains and a penchant for poetry. He knew instinctively that Cressida would be his, even if the object of his affection needed a little convincing.
“You’re too much for me,” I whispered through my tightening throat.
“I swear, you’ll be bored in a week. I’m no fun.”
“I just gotta corrupt you a little and, just sayin’, I’m lookin’ forward to that part.”
This was essentially a story of entrapment in the most delicious circumstances. And let me assure you that no breathing heterosexual woman could resist King. With that filthy mouth and a soul that yearned for his woman, Cressida never stood a chance.
“You think just ’cause you’re the teacher, I gotta follow your rules?
Well, you’re wrong, babe. Between you and me, I’m the fuckin’ authority figure.
If I gotta fuck you in the library to show you what’s what, I’m only too happy to fucking oblige.”
Lessons in Corruption is a refreshing take on the MC trope. Although gritty in parts when the focus was club business, it wasn't the sole focus. This was a true romance. It was poetically beautiful, raunchy and breathtaking to watch the interactions between King and Cressida. And of course, we meet the infamous Zeus Garro which only makes you salivate for the next book in the series…
April 19, 2018
NOTE: This coming year I have set a challenge for myself of reading one book a week that takes me out of my comfort zone. A book that may include one (or more) tropes (scenarios) that I avoid like the plague. Cheating. Older women/younger man. OW drama. Just to name a few. Nothing is off limits. I am taking a HUGE step out of the box I usually live in and charting a course into the unknown (HaHa). My reviews for these books will differ slightly from my usual as I will focus more on whether the author wowed me despite it having content I avoid. That said, I will go into each book with an open mind and an open heart and who knows, maybe I will discover a new favorite author on the way!
~THIS BOOK INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING TROPES (SCENARIOS) I USUALLY AVOID~-- Older Woman/Younger Man
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
So apparently hell has officially frozen over because I LOVED this book. L-O-V-E-D it, and I usually HATE the whole "older woman/younger man trope." That said, King acted WAY older than he was supposed to be and the heroine acted younger than 26. Both of which I am sure helped me forget the age difference. On top of that, this was very similar to a KA book. The writing. The way they spoke. Certain things that take place. And since I adore early KA, I loved that aspect of this book as well. The writing was fantastic. The pace was perfect. The plot was super engaging. Last, it was all wrapped up in a very good happy for now ending.
~HERO~
KING...I adored KING. He was smokin' hot. He was sexy. He was smart. He wrote poetry. He was alpha. He knew what he wanted, and he went all out to get it. I felt a little pervy lusting after an 18-year-old, but like I said he acted older so I am just going to pretend he was (lol). King rates up there as one of my favorite book boyfriends ever.
~HEROINE~
CRESS... liked Cress a lot as well. She was a teensy bit annoying sometimes with how judgy she was and all the push/pulling she did. But I did like that she always apologized straight away and knew the way she was acting wasn't fair or right.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There were SO many awesome secondary characters in this book. I LOVED Daddy Zeus. I loved so many of the MC brothers. I loved Cress's students. I loved the biker babes. I loved Officer Danner. I sort of even liked Cress's brother Sander and I am hella curious to see what this author is going to do with his character especially after reading book two of this series.
~HEAT LEVEL~
This was pretty insta-lust, but it takes a bit until we get to the sexy times (50%). That said, this couple has an excellent on-page chemistry, and when we do get to the sex scenes, they are super hot and plentiful.
~ANGST LEVEL - SEXUAL HISTORIES~
Low to Medium. There is a bit of push and pull from the heroine. I am not usually a fan of that, but it didn't overly bother me here. I kind of got where Cress was coming from. The student/teacher thing wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be. Of course, we have some drama from a rival MC that causes some angst. Neither were virgins. There was a bit of OW drama with (I guess) some MC chick that took King's virginity, and she and heroine get into it a bit. It is never really made clear if the stuff she was telling the heroine actually took place or not, so I am going to assume it did. There was also some OM drama in the form of Cress's husband (some to be ex).
~IN THE END~
I ended up loving this book WAY more than I ever thought possible (lol). In fact, I would go so far as to say that out of the very few older woman/younger man books I have read, this was by FAR my favorite. Of course, again, I am chalking it up to the characters not really acting the ages that the author assigned to them. But honestly, who cares? I loved it. I will probably reread it. I can't wait to read book three. Therefore yours truly is going to give this one two HUGE thumbs up
December 8, 2020
3.75 - 3.8 'Bone of my bone' stars ⭐️
King was my apple, my Satan, my ultimate fall from grace.
Age gap ✔️
Student teacher romance ✔️
Older woman, younger man ✔️
I'd like to take a moment to emphasize how important it is to read a series in order, because here's how I read this series:
1. Book #2
2. Book #2.5
3. Book #1
As you might have already guessed, yours truly was rolling in a bed of spoilers while reading this one!
Anyway, moving on, Lessons In Corruption was kind of insta-lovey but sweet, and filled to the brim with drama. But, I really liked it! Maybe even more than book 2 (unpopular opinion, I know! 🙈)
His eyes promised to burn me alive, incinerate my inhibitions, turn my morals into ash and my soul into tinder. He held the torch, the threat against everything I had ever stood for, and he had the balls to dare me to come closer. Yet somehow, I found myself obeying, willingly laying myself on the pyre at his feet with open arms. Because if I was going to burn, I was going to make sure we did it together.
I didn't always like Cressida because she sounded like a broken record at times 🙄
But I loved King so much! I wish some chapters were from his POV too ♥️
He kissed me the way little girls dream about being kissed at their weddings, the way teenagers like to see in movies. The way most grown women have given up on wishing for.
Aaahhh! 😍 and OMG this:
King was my apple, my Satan, my ultimate fall from grace.
Age gap ✔️
Student teacher romance ✔️
Older woman, younger man ✔️
I'd like to take a moment to emphasize how important it is to read a series in order, because here's how I read this series:
1. Book #2
2. Book #2.5
3. Book #1
As you might have already guessed, yours truly was rolling in a bed of spoilers while reading this one!
Anyway, moving on, Lessons In Corruption was kind of insta-lovey but sweet, and filled to the brim with drama. But, I really liked it! Maybe even more than book 2 (unpopular opinion, I know! 🙈)
His eyes promised to burn me alive, incinerate my inhibitions, turn my morals into ash and my soul into tinder. He held the torch, the threat against everything I had ever stood for, and he had the balls to dare me to come closer. Yet somehow, I found myself obeying, willingly laying myself on the pyre at his feet with open arms. Because if I was going to burn, I was going to make sure we did it together.
I didn't always like Cressida because she sounded like a broken record at times 🙄
But I loved King so much! I wish some chapters were from his POV too ♥️
He kissed me the way little girls dream about being kissed at their weddings, the way teenagers like to see in movies. The way most grown women have given up on wishing for.
Aaahhh! 😍 and OMG this:
“Never met a woman like you. Know I won’t again. You find somethin’ worth keepin’, you find a way to fuckin’ keep it. Not gonna stop, and just so you know, I got it that this could get you fired, that this could cause you embarrassment but what I got to say to that is this: whatever pain and ugliness I bring you by bein’ with you, I promise I’ll bring you double that in sweetness and beauty. You hear me on that, because I may be a man without a normal moral compass, but I’m a man who makes a woman a promise, and I’ll die before I break it.”
June 20, 2023
Audiobook- 5stars
Story - 1.5 stars dnf 65%
I am not buying anything the author is trying to sell. I tried but it is a nope.
The H is supposed to be 18 but sounds like he 70. The h is supposed to be 26 but sounds and behaves like a 15 year old.
The dialogue is very iffy.
Anyhoo, I wanted some taboo but this was not it.
Story - 1.5 stars dnf 65%
I am not buying anything the author is trying to sell. I tried but it is a nope.
The H is supposed to be 18 but sounds like he 70. The h is supposed to be 26 but sounds and behaves like a 15 year old.
The dialogue is very iffy.
Anyhoo, I wanted some taboo but this was not it.
March 14, 2021
4.5 Stars
I’m the kind of girl who likes her mafia romances light on the mafia. Im pretty sure I avoided MC romance because I wasn’t into the gritty douchery, so I was hesitant to dive into this. But I am happily surprised that it’s light on the asshole side of bikers. To me this is just the right amount of dark and gritty. I know I love me a dark ass read but sometimes I just want to be swept off my feet by an alpha male that’s not a total dick.
I love that this is very loosely based on Paradise Lost.
“It’s not funny like that. It’s ironic. Paradise Lost is supposed to be about the fall of man from Eden, the fall of Satan and his angels from heaven, about their follies as they compare to the grace and power of God. It’s God that’s supposed to be the hero, the perfect character, but it’s Eve and Satan that we empathize with the most.”
I think it’s ingrained in all women to want a bad boy at least once if your lifetime. More likely, all the damn time.
“You are such a rebel without a cause,” I teased. His eyes lit as they raked me up and down. “I got a cause, babe. Gettin’ you on the back of my bike and gettin’ you to stay there.”
Why did I put off reading this? It’s oddly both so adorable I can’t stop smiling and so smoking hot I’m sure I’m on fire.
“Don’t be afraid to scratch or bite me if you get scared,” he said over his shoulder. I didn’t have to look at his face to know he was smiling. “I won’t get scared,” I lied. “Don’t be afraid to scratch or bite me all the same,” he retorted.
I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a huge fan of the teacher/student trope but this time for the first time it was a cold glass of water in the face. The dynamic is all wrong and instead of it being hot it just feels like an enormous bump in the road.
And then, King had to go and totally prove me wrong. It doesn’t matter that she’s the teacher, it doesn’t matter that she’s 8 years older. He’s the fucking boss.
My personal apple preference is a pink lady. If you’ve never had one, I highly recommend it. And his apple efforts were fruitless. 🤣😋🍏🍎
Omfg I thought I adored King, but Zeus? I think I’m in love.
In all honesty sometimes Cressida annoyed the crap out of me. I’m all for a girl speaking her mind but damn. She can be horribly disrespectful, especially when he’s done something nice for her. Plus don’t even get me started on her lack of loyalty. She’s severely lacking. But, at least she turned into a badass.
Overall the writing is so well done, including the poetry. The cast of characters both good and bad are fascinating and absorbing. You are so sucked it you can feel their blood run through your own veins. And even though Cressida isn’t my favorite h, she still had a spark worth knowing. And last but not least, King is pretty much everything.
I’m the kind of girl who likes her mafia romances light on the mafia. Im pretty sure I avoided MC romance because I wasn’t into the gritty douchery, so I was hesitant to dive into this. But I am happily surprised that it’s light on the asshole side of bikers. To me this is just the right amount of dark and gritty. I know I love me a dark ass read but sometimes I just want to be swept off my feet by an alpha male that’s not a total dick.
I love that this is very loosely based on Paradise Lost.
“It’s not funny like that. It’s ironic. Paradise Lost is supposed to be about the fall of man from Eden, the fall of Satan and his angels from heaven, about their follies as they compare to the grace and power of God. It’s God that’s supposed to be the hero, the perfect character, but it’s Eve and Satan that we empathize with the most.”
I think it’s ingrained in all women to want a bad boy at least once if your lifetime. More likely, all the damn time.
“You are such a rebel without a cause,” I teased. His eyes lit as they raked me up and down. “I got a cause, babe. Gettin’ you on the back of my bike and gettin’ you to stay there.”
Why did I put off reading this? It’s oddly both so adorable I can’t stop smiling and so smoking hot I’m sure I’m on fire.
“Don’t be afraid to scratch or bite me if you get scared,” he said over his shoulder. I didn’t have to look at his face to know he was smiling. “I won’t get scared,” I lied. “Don’t be afraid to scratch or bite me all the same,” he retorted.
I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a huge fan of the teacher/student trope but this time for the first time it was a cold glass of water in the face. The dynamic is all wrong and instead of it being hot it just feels like an enormous bump in the road.
And then, King had to go and totally prove me wrong. It doesn’t matter that she’s the teacher, it doesn’t matter that she’s 8 years older. He’s the fucking boss.
My personal apple preference is a pink lady. If you’ve never had one, I highly recommend it. And his apple efforts were fruitless. 🤣😋🍏🍎
Omfg I thought I adored King, but Zeus? I think I’m in love.
In all honesty sometimes Cressida annoyed the crap out of me. I’m all for a girl speaking her mind but damn. She can be horribly disrespectful, especially when he’s done something nice for her. Plus don’t even get me started on her lack of loyalty. She’s severely lacking. But, at least she turned into a badass.
Overall the writing is so well done, including the poetry. The cast of characters both good and bad are fascinating and absorbing. You are so sucked it you can feel their blood run through your own veins. And even though Cressida isn’t my favorite h, she still had a spark worth knowing. And last but not least, King is pretty much everything.
June 28, 2019
UPDATE: Reread this in 2019 and am bumping it up to a 5 star read! Loved it so much!
------------------------------------
It's no secret that I love a good motorcycle romance, so when one of my instagram friends recommended this series to me, I went to amazon and immediately downloaded it from KU.
After finally leaving her husband, Cress finds herself living for herself for the first time. And that means starting a fling with a hot biker she met at the grocery store. Cress is finally giving into the desires she's hidden deep inside of herself, even though her parents are determined to make her see the error in her ways. When Cress realizes that her new student happens to be the biker she's started an intense relationship with, she freaks. Can she really be the kind of woman who breaks all of the rules just to finally be herself?
I had super high expectations going into this one and, I will say, the beginning was a little slow for me. We got to meet Cress and watch her make new friends with the other teachers at school and slowly learn more about the biker way of life. When we finally got halfway through the story, though, and we got to follow Cress and King more closely as a couple, I really loved this book. I loved how she became friends with people in the gang and really became a part of their family.
I will say, Cress definitely had a very wishy-washy attitude towards her relationship with King because he was one of her students. It was a little annoying at times how she constantly pulled back with the same excuse, but King was soooo swoon-worthy and did everything he could to show Cress he was serious. Half the time, I forgot that King was 18 years old because he was so mature and had such a big role in the gang.
I really ended up enjoying this motorcycle romance and I am DYING to read Zues's story (King's dad) in the second book. If you're a motorcycle romance fan who likes their romances on the taboo side, you need to check out Lessons in Corruption!
------------------------------------
It's no secret that I love a good motorcycle romance, so when one of my instagram friends recommended this series to me, I went to amazon and immediately downloaded it from KU.
After finally leaving her husband, Cress finds herself living for herself for the first time. And that means starting a fling with a hot biker she met at the grocery store. Cress is finally giving into the desires she's hidden deep inside of herself, even though her parents are determined to make her see the error in her ways. When Cress realizes that her new student happens to be the biker she's started an intense relationship with, she freaks. Can she really be the kind of woman who breaks all of the rules just to finally be herself?
I had super high expectations going into this one and, I will say, the beginning was a little slow for me. We got to meet Cress and watch her make new friends with the other teachers at school and slowly learn more about the biker way of life. When we finally got halfway through the story, though, and we got to follow Cress and King more closely as a couple, I really loved this book. I loved how she became friends with people in the gang and really became a part of their family.
I will say, Cress definitely had a very wishy-washy attitude towards her relationship with King because he was one of her students. It was a little annoying at times how she constantly pulled back with the same excuse, but King was soooo swoon-worthy and did everything he could to show Cress he was serious. Half the time, I forgot that King was 18 years old because he was so mature and had such a big role in the gang.
I really ended up enjoying this motorcycle romance and I am DYING to read Zues's story (King's dad) in the second book. If you're a motorcycle romance fan who likes their romances on the taboo side, you need to check out Lessons in Corruption!
December 1, 2017
I mean, how could I not give my own book 5 stars? lol
Lessons In Corruption is LIVE! Make sure you check out Giana Darling on Facebook for a chance to win a signed copy and join in the release party extravaganzas taking place today <3
I hope you all enjoy King and Cressida as much as I did!
Lessons In Corruption is LIVE! Make sure you check out Giana Darling on Facebook for a chance to win a signed copy and join in the release party extravaganzas taking place today <3
I hope you all enjoy King and Cressida as much as I did!
April 24, 2021
This one started as a 5-star book and after the first half, it gradually dropped down to a 2-star book for me. Such a pity, indeed!
I can say it is 3,5 stars for me in the end but because it definitely didn't feel like 4, 3 stars it is!
*********************************************
This is the love story of a 26-year old teacher with her 18-year old student.
Cressida is married but she is not happy. Her husband is too conservative and twice her age. She sees our hero in a supermarket car park and lusts for him, then goes home, tries to get intimate with her husband one more time and when she feels humiliated and ignored again, she decides that enough is enough and wants a divorce. The asshole husband refuses to sign the divorce papers for a long while but she leaves home and they start to live separately.
If you need to know, her relationship with our hero begins when she is technically married.
*********************************************
Our hero, King, is so very sweet. He is hot, sweet and loyal. I normally dislike MC books and bikers but King is something else, he is so dreamy. As Cressida says, he is a blond angel.
Our heroine Cressida is kinda annoying. She wants a lustful life. She is horny all the time. She wants to live a romantic and hot relationship but she is also scared of everything. She lacks self-confidence, too.
And because of Cressida, there is a frustrating vicious cycle in the book:
Cressida wants King but she believes she shouldn't be with him because
1. He is 8 years younger than her
2. He is her student
3. He is in the biker world, which is dangerous.
4. He is young and she thinks he will get bored with her soon
And because she both wants him and thinks she shouldn't, there is a constant pull and push in the book. When he kisses her, she gives in, then she remembers it is a mistake and pushes him away. When he writes her poems, she gives in, then she remembers she shouldn't and pushes him away. When he gives her an oral, she loses her mind with pleasure but then again she thinks it is wrong and pushes him away. This happens so many times that I really got annoyed with her. King, on the other hand, never gives up pursuing her. Such a darling...
He wanted me to know him. How could any woman resist a man who opened his beautiful heart to her without knowing what she would do with it?
*********************************************
King is awesome but when you think about it, it feels impossible that an 18-year-old guy would speak like him... What he says and how he says it is always wonderful but I would believe it if he were 28 or 30. At the age of 18, could any guy feel and speak like this? I am not sure... sounds very unlikely.
But still when you read what he says, you want to believe he could be 18 and say all these things... Wishful thinking it is :)))
“Never met a woman like you. Know I won’t again. You find somethin’ worth keepin’, you find a way to fuckin’ keep it. Not to say to that is this: whatever pain and ugliness I bring you by bein’ with you, I promise I’ll bring you double that in sweetness and beauty. You hear me on that, because I may be a man without a normal moral compass, but I’m a man who makes a woman a promise, and I’ll die before I break it.”
He sometimes speaks like Max in KA's Gamble :)))
*********************************************
OK, back to the book... As I said at the beginning, the book was awesome with sweet King's wooing and all but then lots and lots of other stuff bored me, as in KA's books. Drama about two guys at school, drama caused by her mum and ex, the rivalry and fights in the MC world, the kidnapping, the tortures, the hospitalization, blah bla... While running from one drama to another, I lost interest in the book. The book was totally boring for me in the second part.
*********************************************
And of course, there was lots of sex but most of them were not to my liking and none of them made me feel because after all that wooing, poems and lusting, I expected more emotional and passionate scenes but they were either ordinary or a bit dirty and short. Even the kissing scenes didn't make me feel much. Cressida was saying it was an epic kiss but once again "saying but not showing" resulted in me not feeling it.
I think the more I read this kind of books, the more I appreciate the books such as Veiled Innocence and Black Swan Affair, where the sex scenes are really epic. Of course there are many other books but these two have a special place in my heart.
*********************************************
All in all, if you like KA books and MC books and if you like forbidden romance with a younger hero, you may enjoy this book but for me it fell short.
*********************************************
Writing:
It is written only from Cressida's point of view.
323 pages.
Too many editing mistakes.
Didn't make me feel much.
The book has a HFN ending. They will appear in other characters' books and then Book 4 After the Fall is again their story, where I assume they will have their HEA.
After all this disappointment, I don't think I will continue the series.
*********************************************
You can follow my Instagram page from here
I can say it is 3,5 stars for me in the end but because it definitely didn't feel like 4, 3 stars it is!
*********************************************
This is the love story of a 26-year old teacher with her 18-year old student.
Cressida is married but she is not happy. Her husband is too conservative and twice her age. She sees our hero in a supermarket car park and lusts for him, then goes home, tries to get intimate with her husband one more time and when she feels humiliated and ignored again, she decides that enough is enough and wants a divorce. The asshole husband refuses to sign the divorce papers for a long while but she leaves home and they start to live separately.
If you need to know, her relationship with our hero begins when she is technically married.
*********************************************
Our hero, King, is so very sweet. He is hot, sweet and loyal. I normally dislike MC books and bikers but King is something else, he is so dreamy. As Cressida says, he is a blond angel.
Our heroine Cressida is kinda annoying. She wants a lustful life. She is horny all the time. She wants to live a romantic and hot relationship but she is also scared of everything. She lacks self-confidence, too.
And because of Cressida, there is a frustrating vicious cycle in the book:
Cressida wants King but she believes she shouldn't be with him because
1. He is 8 years younger than her
2. He is her student
3. He is in the biker world, which is dangerous.
4. He is young and she thinks he will get bored with her soon
And because she both wants him and thinks she shouldn't, there is a constant pull and push in the book. When he kisses her, she gives in, then she remembers it is a mistake and pushes him away. When he writes her poems, she gives in, then she remembers she shouldn't and pushes him away. When he gives her an oral, she loses her mind with pleasure but then again she thinks it is wrong and pushes him away. This happens so many times that I really got annoyed with her. King, on the other hand, never gives up pursuing her. Such a darling...
He wanted me to know him. How could any woman resist a man who opened his beautiful heart to her without knowing what she would do with it?
*********************************************
King is awesome but when you think about it, it feels impossible that an 18-year-old guy would speak like him... What he says and how he says it is always wonderful but I would believe it if he were 28 or 30. At the age of 18, could any guy feel and speak like this? I am not sure... sounds very unlikely.
But still when you read what he says, you want to believe he could be 18 and say all these things... Wishful thinking it is :)))
“Never met a woman like you. Know I won’t again. You find somethin’ worth keepin’, you find a way to fuckin’ keep it. Not to say to that is this: whatever pain and ugliness I bring you by bein’ with you, I promise I’ll bring you double that in sweetness and beauty. You hear me on that, because I may be a man without a normal moral compass, but I’m a man who makes a woman a promise, and I’ll die before I break it.”
He sometimes speaks like Max in KA's Gamble :)))
*********************************************
OK, back to the book... As I said at the beginning, the book was awesome with sweet King's wooing and all but then lots and lots of other stuff bored me, as in KA's books. Drama about two guys at school, drama caused by her mum and ex, the rivalry and fights in the MC world, the kidnapping, the tortures, the hospitalization, blah bla... While running from one drama to another, I lost interest in the book. The book was totally boring for me in the second part.
*********************************************
And of course, there was lots of sex but most of them were not to my liking and none of them made me feel because after all that wooing, poems and lusting, I expected more emotional and passionate scenes but they were either ordinary or a bit dirty and short. Even the kissing scenes didn't make me feel much. Cressida was saying it was an epic kiss but once again "saying but not showing" resulted in me not feeling it.
I think the more I read this kind of books, the more I appreciate the books such as Veiled Innocence and Black Swan Affair, where the sex scenes are really epic. Of course there are many other books but these two have a special place in my heart.
*********************************************
All in all, if you like KA books and MC books and if you like forbidden romance with a younger hero, you may enjoy this book but for me it fell short.
*********************************************
Writing:
It is written only from Cressida's point of view.
323 pages.
Too many editing mistakes.
Didn't make me feel much.
The book has a HFN ending. They will appear in other characters' books and then Book 4 After the Fall is again their story, where I assume they will have their HEA.
After all this disappointment, I don't think I will continue the series.
*********************************************
You can follow my Instagram page from here
March 15, 2020
4 "Bone of my Bone" Stars
Who knows my reading habits maybe noticed that I avoid MC books,,,they are just not my style with all the old lady/bitch stuff, but I decided to give this a try and I am so happy I did so because this was a beautiful love story a bit unconventional with reverse age-gap and teacher/student trope.
This book is definitely more tame regarding the MC aspect , but it still held a bot of action and MC business.
Now, about the story: we have Cress and King , she is 26 married and a teacher , he is 18 ,a rebel without a cause, her student and the son of the Prez of MC The Fallen. She sees him one day in a parking lot and his carefree vibe, addictive laughter and happiness made her want more fro her life than being married with an older man that couldn't give her what she wanted from life. So she leaves her husband (who was a creep in my opinion-waiting for her to grow up at be 18 so he can marry her) and settles in a town by herself working as a teacher at the prestigious school there.
After 3 months she sees the handsome guy from the parking again, but this time she gets to interact with him..and so begins their beautiful love story.
To be honest, miss Darling is really a poet, because this book was so beautifully written , and touching and inspiring.
Both Cress and her King are wonderful characters, real life people with fears and insecurities and decisions to make.I loved seeing their relationship grow so much . This is example of couple goals , and King is the perfect boyfriend a girl could have, a poet, a romantic, wild and free and with the right thing to say always. SWOON WORTHY I am telling you.
Who knows my reading habits maybe noticed that I avoid MC books,,,they are just not my style with all the old lady/bitch stuff, but I decided to give this a try and I am so happy I did so because this was a beautiful love story a bit unconventional with reverse age-gap and teacher/student trope.
This book is definitely more tame regarding the MC aspect , but it still held a bot of action and MC business.
Now, about the story: we have Cress and King , she is 26 married and a teacher , he is 18 ,a rebel without a cause, her student and the son of the Prez of MC The Fallen. She sees him one day in a parking lot and his carefree vibe, addictive laughter and happiness made her want more fro her life than being married with an older man that couldn't give her what she wanted from life. So she leaves her husband (who was a creep in my opinion-waiting for her to grow up at be 18 so he can marry her) and settles in a town by herself working as a teacher at the prestigious school there.
"He held the torch, the threat against everything I had ever stood for,and he had the balls to dare me to come closer. Yet somehow, I found myself obeying, willingly laying myself on the pyre at his feet with open arms. Because if I was going to burn, I was going to make sure we did it together."
After 3 months she sees the handsome guy from the parking again, but this time she gets to interact with him..and so begins their beautiful love story.
To be honest, miss Darling is really a poet, because this book was so beautifully written , and touching and inspiring.
Both Cress and her King are wonderful characters, real life people with fears and insecurities and decisions to make.I loved seeing their relationship grow so much . This is example of couple goals , and King is the perfect boyfriend a girl could have, a poet, a romantic, wild and free and with the right thing to say always. SWOON WORTHY I am telling you.
“Look at you like what?”
“Like I’m worth somethin’ special. Don’t get that much and babe, I gotta tell you, it makes me feel like I’m King of my own fuckin’ castle.”
"Happiness is streaking bare-assed naked down the wet sand into the wet waves, it’s drinkin’ too much and laughin’ too loud with your friends, it’s lovin’ so hard you want to devour the flesh, soul and mind of another person. None of that is fuckin’ pure and all of it is fuckin’ sublime.”
"It was irritating that King always pushed me,forced me up against the boundaries of my propriety like he wanted to fuck me from behind in front of an audience of my personal demons. It was even more irritating that it made me feel electric with tension and vitality, that the colors of the world grew neon and sharp.
February 24, 2021
Yeah, I'm definitely a minority here as most of my GR friends just LOVED this book. I totally understand why!
The hero is a 18 year old man, who knows what he wants in life and not afraid to take it; he is intelligent, a freaking POET and drop dead handsome. He's also an ultimate alpha type, who is as sexy as he is confident, experienced in everything and is just generally a sex on legs. Who wouldn't want to be his badass biker babe?
Well, his babe is actually a 26 year old damsel in distress, who went and decided to reinvent herself after seeing our hero for 5 minutes in a parking lot some months ago.
They meet again, sparks fly, they fall in lust, the heroine discovers the hero is actually her student - and from there a forbidden and messy story really begins.
What I really adored was the POETRY, because let me tell you, this boy wrote some absolutely stunning lines!! The literary discussions were wonderful! I guess it was the part where the author really knew what she was talking about - and I enjoyed the hell out of it!! The chemistry between the main characters was h-o-t and well written, so no complaints here.
The rest though...
I donno. I mean we all read MC romance because of the absurdity and the over-the-topness of it and not because we really want to experience on our skin a world full of drugs, violence, misogyny and testosterone-wars. But some things just irked me! For example, it became obvious pretty fast that the author has never ridden a motorcycle in her life, and every time she put our heroine through some ridiculous situations, I found myself just shaking my head (and letting my annoyance go in the updates.)
I'm not saying one has to experience everything to write about it!!! But jeeez, a bit of research would really help. Cliché on top of cliché...
The heroine's WHOLE family (plus ex-husband) was a group of wankers, but what really pissed me off, was how the heroine never handled anything herself, despite her constantly screaming about wanting to be independent and self-sufficient. Every time she had a moment to act on it and to prove she was more than a piece of obedient child and a meek wife, she just shrunk in herself and let the others handle her situations and talk FOR her.
The one time she decided to show her claws was at a party where our heroine got in a catty fight with another woman - and it pissed me off even more!! Because I hate it when authors let the heroines act like aggressive and brainless pieces of meat over a man, while not being able to stand up for themselves in other situations.
All in all, I will still give it 3 stars for the poetry, the hot sex and the absolutely amazing hero.
And yes, I'm gonna read the second book, because hero's father? Damn, that man sounds DELICIOUS!!
The hero is a 18 year old man, who knows what he wants in life and not afraid to take it; he is intelligent, a freaking POET and drop dead handsome. He's also an ultimate alpha type, who is as sexy as he is confident, experienced in everything and is just generally a sex on legs. Who wouldn't want to be his badass biker babe?
Well, his babe is actually a 26 year old damsel in distress, who went and decided to reinvent herself after seeing our hero for 5 minutes in a parking lot some months ago.
They meet again, sparks fly, they fall in lust, the heroine discovers the hero is actually her student - and from there a forbidden and messy story really begins.
What I really adored was the POETRY, because let me tell you, this boy wrote some absolutely stunning lines!! The literary discussions were wonderful! I guess it was the part where the author really knew what she was talking about - and I enjoyed the hell out of it!! The chemistry between the main characters was h-o-t and well written, so no complaints here.
The rest though...
I donno. I mean we all read MC romance because of the absurdity and the over-the-topness of it and not because we really want to experience on our skin a world full of drugs, violence, misogyny and testosterone-wars. But some things just irked me! For example, it became obvious pretty fast that the author has never ridden a motorcycle in her life, and every time she put our heroine through some ridiculous situations, I found myself just shaking my head (and letting my annoyance go in the updates.)
I'm not saying one has to experience everything to write about it!!! But jeeez, a bit of research would really help. Cliché on top of cliché...
The heroine's WHOLE family (plus ex-husband) was a group of wankers, but what really pissed me off, was how the heroine never handled anything herself, despite her constantly screaming about wanting to be independent and self-sufficient. Every time she had a moment to act on it and to prove she was more than a piece of obedient child and a meek wife, she just shrunk in herself and let the others handle her situations and talk FOR her.
The one time she decided to show her claws was at a party where our heroine got in a catty fight with another woman - and it pissed me off even more!! Because I hate it when authors let the heroines act like aggressive and brainless pieces of meat over a man, while not being able to stand up for themselves in other situations.
All in all, I will still give it 3 stars for the poetry, the hot sex and the absolutely amazing hero.
And yes, I'm gonna read the second book, because hero's father? Damn, that man sounds DELICIOUS!!
October 6, 2021
Audio - 4.5 Stars
Story - Embracing the DNF HARD @ 34%
This romance is so shallow! If I have to listen to how fucking gorgeous the hero and everybody in this book is a second more, I'll smash and throw away my earbuds. It's that repetitive!!
And the heroine...WTF kind of teacher is she??!!!! I don't mind the taboo aspect of the story. It's what I came for, but heroine is just as drama and attention seeking and shallow as her teenage students. Why is she sharing her marital status/situation with them?! So GROSS!!! She also can't make up her damn mind on if she wants a bad boy or not.
This book...this series is not for me.
Story - Embracing the DNF HARD @ 34%
This romance is so shallow! If I have to listen to how fucking gorgeous the hero and everybody in this book is a second more, I'll smash and throw away my earbuds. It's that repetitive!!
And the heroine...WTF kind of teacher is she??!!!! I don't mind the taboo aspect of the story. It's what I came for, but heroine is just as drama and attention seeking and shallow as her teenage students. Why is she sharing her marital status/situation with them?! So GROSS!!! She also can't make up her damn mind on if she wants a bad boy or not.
This book...this series is not for me.
January 4, 2022
ugh me encantó
January 21, 2021
New author for me and yay so pleased to say this was a big hit for me, I adore discovering new writers that hit my sweet spot and this one sure did.
Which is strange because I don’t usually go a bundle on a younger hero but here it didn’t bother me one little bit.
The age-gap here isn’t huge King is eighteen the son of the fallen MC’s Prez and Cressida twenty-six and also his teacher, a few years down the line it wouldn’t be even a blip on anyone’s radar, Here it just seems a mountain but only Cress’s side mostly because of her position and also his young age.
Reading between the lines I think she is also thinking of how she was manipulated at eighteen and using that as an additional reason to stay away no matter her feelings otherwise.
Got to say though that King may be eighteen but he’s all man and doesn’t allow anyone to scare him away from what he wants and he has his sights set on Cress as his queen.
He’s an intriguing mix pumped full of testosterone and confidence, with a protective, possessive streak a mile wide.
He’s a romantic at heart with the soul of a poet and a super dirty mouth, my gawd this was bloody smoking that’s for sure.
I loved everything about him including his tenacity he’s going nowhere and making zero apologies for it either.
He’s definitely not like any eighteen-year-old I’ve ever met before that’s for sure.
Cress grows a lot throughout this when we started this she was just breaking free of the cage her life had been up till now.
Leaving behind her older husband and parents and trying to give zero fucks about society’s expectations and normalcy’s
Meeting and falling for king certainly puts this to the test and she finds herself constantly having to push forward with her courage to try and leave behind her fears and embrace this new reality of hers.
She’s not always successful and does stumble along the way but the best thing about her is that she’s willing to take stock and realise where fault lies and that it’s her fear taking over and King well he really is patience personified and extremely loyal and once Cress gets over her preconceived prejudices and judgements these two make quite a team.
So yeh here you get a slight age-gap and the forbidden romance but also gritty MC.
This focused more on the developing dynamic between King and Cress rather than the MC lifestyle but we are introduced here and do get to spend time within this world.
I imagine the next book will delve much deeper being as it is about King's dad, the prez of the fallen MC Zeus, now that’s one I’m really looking forward to.
This really was a great read that I enjoyed so much and definitely recommend reading.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
April 26, 2018
4.5 STARS!!
Before I start this review, I just want to say that I think we should form a new group here on GR . . . I'm thinking we should call it King Kyle Garro Annonymous or maybe The Pervy Woman's Support Group . Our introductions could go something like 'Hello, my name is Melanie. I'm 45 years old and I'm in lust with 18 year-old King Kyle Garro.'
LOL. . .but seriously, you guys, there is nary a straight woman alive who wouldn't want some Lessons in Corruption with the hero of this book. I kid you not! HOT! HOT! HOT!
Ok, now for the actual review. :-)
This was good, REALLY good!! The first 80% was a VERY solid good-girl-meets-bad-boy 5 star read!
Cressida's life was slowly grinding her down.
Don't roll your eyes! Giana Darling did an amazing job of making Cressida and King's relationship believable. These two lit up the pages - physically, mentally, emotionally - with their connection. There was sweetness, great dialogue, and SIZZLING, off-the-charts heat between them!
I empathized with Cressida. Some may say that her waffling between wanting and not wanting King was excessive, but I disagree. I felt the tenuousness of her position and it wasn't one where she could just say what the hell, I'm going for it without some serious thought.
King was definitely the driving force behind them. And oh man, he was completely swoon worthy...
But if you're into a lovingly crafted romance that revolves around a situation that is neither black nor white AND has you fanning yourself, READ THIS BOOK!
Just one more quote:
King was my apple, my Satan, my ultimate fall from grace.WAIT!
Before I start this review, I just want to say that I think we should form a new group here on GR . . . I'm thinking we should call it King Kyle Garro Annonymous or maybe The Pervy Woman's Support Group . Our introductions could go something like 'Hello, my name is Melanie. I'm 45 years old and I'm in lust with 18 year-old King Kyle Garro.'
LOL. . .but seriously, you guys, there is nary a straight woman alive who wouldn't want some Lessons in Corruption with the hero of this book. I kid you not! HOT! HOT! HOT!
Ok, now for the actual review. :-)
This was good, REALLY good!! The first 80% was a VERY solid good-girl-meets-bad-boy 5 star read!
Cressida's life was slowly grinding her down.
I was a twenty-six year old woman acting like a depressed housewife. . . . Why was I lying in the dark like a victim? Because I was ashamed that my perfect life and husband didn't make me happy? Pathetic.Deciding to take back control, she leaves her husband and moves to a small town to be closer to her job. There, she meets . . .
After years of pining for my dream man, I'd found him. A tall, golden blond Adonis, cool in a way only true rebels can be, kind in a way I'd never known a man could be, totally into me, and completely off-limits.After spending significant time with him, she finds out that not only is he only 18, but worse, she's his teacher.
Don't roll your eyes! Giana Darling did an amazing job of making Cressida and King's relationship believable. These two lit up the pages - physically, mentally, emotionally - with their connection. There was sweetness, great dialogue, and SIZZLING, off-the-charts heat between them!
I empathized with Cressida. Some may say that her waffling between wanting and not wanting King was excessive, but I disagree. I felt the tenuousness of her position and it wasn't one where she could just say what the hell, I'm going for it without some serious thought.
King was definitely the driving force behind them. And oh man, he was completely swoon worthy...
"I got it that this could get you fired, that this could cause you embarrassment but what I got to say to that is this: whatever pain and ugliness I bring you by bein' with you, I promise I'll bring you double that in sweetness and beauty."...and he had the most deliciously dirty mouth...
"I want to hear my Queen beg for her King, you hear me?"I'm telling you, Giana Darling can write!
It was irritating that King always pushed me, forced me up against the boundaries of my propriety like he wanted to fuck me from behind in front of an audience of my personal demons.As for the last 20% of the story . . . I was a bit disappointed, but that's just because it didn't center on their relationship, and as some of you know action/suspense is not my jam.
But if you're into a lovingly crafted romance that revolves around a situation that is neither black nor white AND has you fanning yourself, READ THIS BOOK!
Just one more quote:
I had the ridiculous urge to ask him to bind my body with his rope-like words, to bend it and secure it into new shapes using just the weight of that tone.
June 28, 2021
Oh my GOD this was so good. Pleaseeee, a bad ass biker man who’s charming and funny but writes poems and goes after his girl relentlessly!?!? I can’t take it. My heart. It’s everything I want in a book.
Cress was basically groomed to marry her dads best friend at 18 (which like … gross. Why are her parents orchestrating that ?? Shit family) and her life has been dull and unfulfilling because he’s got a stick up his ass and wants an obedient stepford wife. Cress sees King across the parking lot, sitting on his motorcycle laughing with his friends and something changes in her. She falls in love instantly. She wants more for herself. So even though she may never see this hot blonde biker man again, she goes home and she tells her husband she’s leaving him.
Cress sees King again at a bar and he immediately goes about trying to woo her, and after some dates she realizes that he’s been skipping her class because he wanted to get her to like him first before she realizes that the man she saw across the parking lot is actually her 18 year old student and the son of the leader of the fallen men MC. she’s only 26, the age gap isnt insane but cress can’t lose her job because her piece of shit ex won’t give her any money and refuses to sign divorce papers, so she tries to put a stop to their relationship.
Holy shit this was hot. King was a smooth talker, dirty talker, and honestly the sweetest cinnamon bun sometimes. He never wavered in his love for cress and was constantly telling her that she was it for him, chasing after her when she would put walls up between them. There was some ex drama for both of them, but it honestly just gave them both the opportunity to show how devoted they were to one another and how they would resolve issues like that. So hot. So good. Yes yes i understand the hype
Spice a 4 bc i was sweating
Cress was basically groomed to marry her dads best friend at 18 (which like … gross. Why are her parents orchestrating that ?? Shit family) and her life has been dull and unfulfilling because he’s got a stick up his ass and wants an obedient stepford wife. Cress sees King across the parking lot, sitting on his motorcycle laughing with his friends and something changes in her. She falls in love instantly. She wants more for herself. So even though she may never see this hot blonde biker man again, she goes home and she tells her husband she’s leaving him.
Cress sees King again at a bar and he immediately goes about trying to woo her, and after some dates she realizes that he’s been skipping her class because he wanted to get her to like him first before she realizes that the man she saw across the parking lot is actually her 18 year old student and the son of the leader of the fallen men MC. she’s only 26, the age gap isnt insane but cress can’t lose her job because her piece of shit ex won’t give her any money and refuses to sign divorce papers, so she tries to put a stop to their relationship.
Holy shit this was hot. King was a smooth talker, dirty talker, and honestly the sweetest cinnamon bun sometimes. He never wavered in his love for cress and was constantly telling her that she was it for him, chasing after her when she would put walls up between them. There was some ex drama for both of them, but it honestly just gave them both the opportunity to show how devoted they were to one another and how they would resolve issues like that. So hot. So good. Yes yes i understand the hype
Spice a 4 bc i was sweating
April 22, 2020
***First read: 5th April, 2019***
***Re-read: 22nd April, 2020***
I am sad that I couldn't raise my rating after the re-read. My problem with this book was the main characters developement. They didn't seem fit to be where they are. King wasn't the typical 18 years old. He is smart and really experienced for his age. His confidence and association with the The Fallen MC (grooming to be the next President of the MC club) makes him stand out and have us girls swooning over him. Cressida starts a life of an autonomous after living a life where she was tied to obligations and rules. Her life changes in the most unexpected way and soon she realises what she wants, begins to anticipate things she never thought she would.
Lesson in Corruption is a student/teacher MC romance which has the exhilaration of keeping us in a wonderful feeling of dread. The writing was captivating, the main characters relationship was hot and the side characters were developed without error.
Cressida was the teacher whose personality I didn't like. Her relation with the students felt inexperienced. King on the other hand seems to know more than he should. Cressida was always the good girl and when getting involved with the MC's the author wasn't able to change her good girl to fit in the MC's. When King pushes Cressida, she in turn pulls back, almost all the time. I found both of them annoying.
I can sing praises of Giana Darlings writing, they are intense and quite captivating. This books main characters has unsatisfactory character development which is a bummer.
***Re-read: 22nd April, 2020***
I am sad that I couldn't raise my rating after the re-read. My problem with this book was the main characters developement. They didn't seem fit to be where they are. King wasn't the typical 18 years old. He is smart and really experienced for his age. His confidence and association with the The Fallen MC (grooming to be the next President of the MC club) makes him stand out and have us girls swooning over him. Cressida starts a life of an autonomous after living a life where she was tied to obligations and rules. Her life changes in the most unexpected way and soon she realises what she wants, begins to anticipate things she never thought she would.
Lesson in Corruption is a student/teacher MC romance which has the exhilaration of keeping us in a wonderful feeling of dread. The writing was captivating, the main characters relationship was hot and the side characters were developed without error.
Cressida was the teacher whose personality I didn't like. Her relation with the students felt inexperienced. King on the other hand seems to know more than he should. Cressida was always the good girl and when getting involved with the MC's the author wasn't able to change her good girl to fit in the MC's. When King pushes Cressida, she in turn pulls back, almost all the time. I found both of them annoying.
I can sing praises of Giana Darlings writing, they are intense and quite captivating. This books main characters has unsatisfactory character development which is a bummer.
March 10, 2020
I’m totally with Melanie A. on this and I am proclaiming myself as a member or maybe even an officer in the PERVY WOMAN’S SUPPORT GROUP. King Kyle Garro is HOT HOT HOT!!!!! He oozed sex appeal and I want him for my own!
This was a great book!! It has so much going on. A taboo romance, self-exploration, action, a bit of mystery (although I figured something out early on).
Cressida was raised by parents who were clearly stuck in maybe the 1950’s or something. Their way of thinking is just so extremely old fashion. Luckily Cressida seemed to finally break loose from their hold and her husband’s hold.
Leaving her controlled life with nothing wasn’t easy but she was determined and I loved that about her!!!
I cannot stress how good this book was and I have already downloaded the next one which is about King’s dad.
Anyone that knows me very well at all will most likely find this to be hilarious, but I am seriously considering becoming a BADASS BIKER BITCH!!!
This was a great book!! It has so much going on. A taboo romance, self-exploration, action, a bit of mystery (although I figured something out early on).
Cressida was raised by parents who were clearly stuck in maybe the 1950’s or something. Their way of thinking is just so extremely old fashion. Luckily Cressida seemed to finally break loose from their hold and her husband’s hold.
Leaving her controlled life with nothing wasn’t easy but she was determined and I loved that about her!!!
I cannot stress how good this book was and I have already downloaded the next one which is about King’s dad.
Anyone that knows me very well at all will most likely find this to be hilarious, but I am seriously considering becoming a BADASS BIKER BITCH!!!
August 31, 2020
I want to know where can female students openly sit on their male classmates lap in front of a teacher in a class? While discussing on lessons?
Anyway, I liked how Kings family always supported Crassida. Alo the sex scenes are very hot. But it didn't cover the story. I didn't get the protagonists connection. The writing wasn't that appealing. It was all over the place. Way too many characters, silly stuff happened all over the book.
And what's with babe? 🙄 Can they stop?
Anyway, I liked how Kings family always supported Crassida. Alo the sex scenes are very hot. But it didn't cover the story. I didn't get the protagonists connection. The writing wasn't that appealing. It was all over the place. Way too many characters, silly stuff happened all over the book.
And what's with babe? 🙄 Can they stop?
March 13, 2018
Giana Darling blew me away with this forbidden tale between a teacher and a student. But he's not just any student.
As soon as I saw the blurb for this book, I knew in my gut I would love it and devour it. It was so unique and hot and romantic. I couldn't stop reading! Giana's prose is so elegant and detailed.
I seriously can't wait to read more of her work and especially get to know Daddy Zeus more in her next book!
As soon as I saw the blurb for this book, I knew in my gut I would love it and devour it. It was so unique and hot and romantic. I couldn't stop reading! Giana's prose is so elegant and detailed.
I seriously can't wait to read more of her work and especially get to know Daddy Zeus more in her next book!
September 17, 2018
Oh Boy did I dislike this book. After seeing this series every where and all the glowing reviews I went against my gut and decided to give it a try. First I have to say it's because I really want to read book 2 and I can't skip books ever, my brain won't let me lol. Anyway like many reviewers have stated the writing is a complete rip off of KA, which I would have been able to deal with since I do love her but I hated Cressida. There was nothing that I enjoyed about her character, she was judgemental and totally naive that I felt she was on the same mental level as her 18 year old lover. Now for King, I honestly think I could have loved him if he was older but it seemed so unrealistic that this boy could talk and act like him. It felt as if the author wrote the story with King being older and then changed him to being a HS senior just for the whole taboo relationship cause it didn't work for me. Don't get me started on the whole he's my King and I'm his Queen, or her ridiculous nickname of Queenie. This book would have been a totally DNF if i didn't want to read Zeus's book.
April 7, 2024
Reread 04/05/24: No notes bitch. I might love him more now than I did in 2021.
———————————————————————————
HOLY FUCKING HELL THIS BOOK WAS GOOD!!
I had my reservations going into this because the female MC would be the older one in the relationship and that’s not really my thing. However her character was likable and nothing was cringey about it.
“Fit to me
Made for me
Bone of my bone
Broken
Lost or freed
You are a state of mine
Eternal
Bone Of my bone”
That’s the most heart warming and swoony fucking poem if I’ve ever heard one!
King has made it onto my list of book boyfriends, I wanna get on the back of his bike. Loyal, strong, confident, filthy as fuck mouth, poetic, gentle, caring, wise beyond his years, shall I continue ? Ohmigod I can’t even really describe how much I loved this book & to hear this book is only the tip of the iceberg in the series I can’t imagine what else is in store? Fuck
FANNY FLUTTERS
KITTY BUTTERFLIES
ENDLESS BLUSHING & I’m black so that’s hard as it is but you get all that from this book.
———————————————————————————
HOLY FUCKING HELL THIS BOOK WAS GOOD!!
I had my reservations going into this because the female MC would be the older one in the relationship and that’s not really my thing. However her character was likable and nothing was cringey about it.
“Fit to me
Made for me
Bone of my bone
Broken
Lost or freed
You are a state of mine
Eternal
Bone Of my bone”
That’s the most heart warming and swoony fucking poem if I’ve ever heard one!
King has made it onto my list of book boyfriends, I wanna get on the back of his bike. Loyal, strong, confident, filthy as fuck mouth, poetic, gentle, caring, wise beyond his years, shall I continue ? Ohmigod I can’t even really describe how much I loved this book & to hear this book is only the tip of the iceberg in the series I can’t imagine what else is in store? Fuck
FANNY FLUTTERS
KITTY BUTTERFLIES
ENDLESS BLUSHING & I’m black so that’s hard as it is but you get all that from this book.
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