Tainted Love, prequel
I walk into the job expecting to find broken souls and death. I don’t expect to leave with my newest obsession.
The tiny woman who survived torment and terrors others don’t want to imagine.
She curls into my arms like a delicate little orchid but she’s strong.
So much has been taken from her, because I failed.
And by God I’ll get it back.
Because I fell for her that first night when I took her away from the place where she’d been left to die.
The girl who won’t say anything, except to give me her name.
The girl I love, who may never be able to love me back.
Thalia.
Excerpt:
He lowers me onto a large white marble counter before slipping out of the bathroom. I wait with bated breath until he returns holding several items in his thick muscular arms. He opens the water and soon a sheen of steam is coating every opulent inch of the massive bathroom. I watch him add bubbles and a bath bomb before lighting scented candles and placing them all over the room.
If I were any other, less broken woman and he wasn’t a man who just pulled me from a shipping container, I would laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. Watching him putter around the room and pull out pristine fluffy white towels in his apparent nervousness brought a sweet edge to his humanity.
“Um…” He rubs a hand down his face. “I’m sure you want to be alone but I’m worried you’ll fall and hurt yourself.”
I don’t say a word.
“It’s not like I want to take advantage and see you naked or anything,” he rambles, looking at his feet. “Although I already have. Obviously.”
I remain silent. Jesus. Who is this man?
Slipping from the counter, I make sure my legs are steady enough to hold me before releasing the cold stone slab. Tilting my chin in defiance I step around him and make my way to the bathtub. Stepping in, I take a moment to brace myself before lowering my body beneath the bubbles.
Motherfucker! That stings. I can feel where every scrape on my body is. It might not have been the best idea to let him pour all this crap in the water.
“I’ll get you some clothes,” he says before stomping out of the bathroom, his shoulders tight.
I don’t move a single muscle. Sitting in the middle of the tub with my knees pulled against my chest, I wait. Surely, someone will come for me. They always do. It won’t be long before a man enters and uses me for his own pleasure. I see no reason to clean myself up if they will only dirty me again.
I don’t know how long I sit there but when the door opens, the water has cooled a bit. I wait for the inevitable but when nothing happens, I turn to see what’s going on.
“There’s a doctor here to see if you need medical attention,” he says. Anger blazes in the depths of his entrancing gaze. “She’ll wait until you’re done so you don’t need to rush.”
With a stiff nod, he leaves me alone once more.
What the fuck?
Is this real right now? Have I actually been rescued from the men that constantly hurt me? Is this man really my salvation? Do I dare give myself that kind of hope when I know how despair can easily crush me once I find out it isn’t true?
Fuck.
Releasing my knees, I lower my body into the water until my entire head is submerged. I hold my breath as long as I can before coming up for air. I take my time washing my hair and my body, wanting to be truly clean for the first time in years.
Stepping out of the water, I wrap myself in a massive, fluffy white towel before wrapping my hair as well. On the counter sits one of those old-timey shaving blades and I grab it.
If this is a lie, if these people intend to hurt me, I will go out with a fight. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a weapon to defend myself with and I fully intend to use that to my advantage. I slip the blade between my skin and the towel wrapped around my chest before exiting the bathroom.
Sitting in the corner on a black sofa is the man who brought me here and a woman I would assume is in her sixties. She smiles softly but I can see the fear and stress written across her features.
“Thalia,” the man says. “This is Doctor White. She needs to check you and make sure you don’t need anything more than food and rest.”
“Hello, Thalia,” the woman says, rising from her spot. “If you don’t want to do this, all you need to say is no.”
I say nothing. I only lift my chin and walk over to the bed before lying flat on my back.
“Jesus Christ,” the man mutters.
This is a fantastic prequel to a book I am going to have to read. Dom and Rafe rescue Thalia from a warehouse and bring her to live with them. Thalia is broken in many ways cause of what she has endured. Dom has vowed to find and kill all involved. Even though this dark and twisted it is a great build up and I can't wait to read their story.
This was an engaging and tragic series opener. The authors did a fab job with the action, drama and danger in the mafia world but they also broke my heart with the human trafficking that Dom and Rafe work at shutting down. When Thalia was rescued, she was traumatized in unspeakable ways and showed it in her inability to speak. When she feels safe enough to share her story, after much care from Dom, they set on a path to get her retribution and safety. I love that they gave her a future path and that she gave Dom a task before getting her heart. This is not an HEA, it's more of a prequel, and I can't wait for the next book to come out :D
Dominic and Thalia. Oh man I don't know where to start. Quick read that was very interesting, enjoyable read. Thalia's story will have you emotional and invested to make sure she gets the vengeance she deserves.
Brutal and bloody, this is a great introduction to really intriguing characters and story. If you like mafia trope, morally grey MMCs with a code of ethics, this is for you!
There were definitely triggers in this book, but not as bad as I had originally expected. There is also love and brutal honesty which all add to perfect novella and of course a HEA!!
She formed a bond with him even without speaking a single word. And he fell in love with her. He swore he'd do anything and everything to heal her and protect her and that's exactly what he does. Will he get her love and her voice?
This is a short prequel to the story of Dom and Thalia, giving just a taste. We have seen them in the Splintered Vows series so far, but don't know their stories until now. This is a dark mafia romance with some heavy themes running.
This book was impeccable! I couldn't put this one down once I started it! It's one of my top reads of the year! Cannot wait to read what else this author has written! Will absolutely recommend!
This is just the beginning of the story. Dominic is the right hand man and friend to mafia boss, Rafe. They rescue some woman from a sex trafficking ring. Dom immediate feels the need to protect one of them, Thalia. Thalia hardly talks, she is not sure if she is really being saved or just moving on to another jailor. It takes months before she is ready to tell her story. Cannot wait for the rest of the story.
This was a quick but mighty read and I have to say it has me hooked and craving more. This prequel does an amazing job of pulling you in, introducing you to the characters and sinking its claws in deeply to your heart. This small taste of Dom and Thalia's romance broke my heart but also gave me hope and I can't wait to continue reading their story.
This was a very quick intro to the Tainted Love Duet. Gives you enough of a story to get you interested in reading more into the story. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Will saving Thalia prove to be to much for Dom and Rafe. As they race against all odds to save the broken women they rescued a fateful night. Short but a very good start.
This is a very dark mafia romance novella that is a prequel to an upcoming full-length series. Dominic (Dom) and his boss Rafe rescue a small group of young women from being trafficked. Thalia has spent more than a year experiencing hell on earth that has left her mostly mute from trauma. My heart broke for Thalia. Seriously, hearing her story was hard to swallow. I devoured the pages within this novella as I was immediately hooked on the storyline. I wanted MORE and am looking forward to the next release. Be warned, this book touches on many dark subjects that would be triggering to many readers. Not for the faint of heart!
i think is the very good start of the series , it made perfectly clear picture of what was going to be in the following books. finding the men responsible for the kidnapping and human trafficking include the new born babies, i can wait to see if Thalia will get to meet her stolen little daughter again and how. also the beginning of their relation is beautiful too, they seem like grown up matured people.
