Harvest (#5) by Nikki Rae

Published: 29th December 2020 Goodreads badge
Publisher:
Self-Published
Pages: 297
Format: ebook
Genre: Dark Romance
★   ★   ★  ★ – 4 Stars

The Wolf has captured his prey, but that isn’t enough to satiate him. Like chess pieces, he has gathered all the members of House Chimera except one: Elliot.

Fawn, Odette, and Marius are kept prisoner, forced to perform the Wolf’s most trivial tasks in exchange for a basement cell. The butler of Lyon Estate clings to reality while Master Lyon’s wife is a shell of herself. In the New Order, Fawn is key, and she struggles to infiltrate the Wolf’s mind while the Wolf uses her to lure the head of their House to his lair.

This game has been pre-planned, but that doesn’t mean the rules can’t change. Like any other predator, the Wolf has other needs. Fortunately for Elliot and Fawn, they have been trained all their lives for men with needs like his. Everything leaves a scar, but this might kill them. Can they survive not only the New Order Mansion, but the darkest parts of each other?

Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the author

I am super excited to be participating in the blog tour for Nikki Rae’s latest book Harvest. This is the fifth book in The Order series and it was full of the darkness, lust, pain, and power that this series has been synonymous with over the years.

Where in previous books there has been unease and anticipation, not to mention excitement as Fawn works to defy and bring down the system, there is a feeling of constant tension through this story as you never know where it will go and what these characters will do.

There is a greater focus on the dark romance and BDSM aspects of this story and it fills up a lot of the pages but everything has a purpose and Rae uses it well to show not only who is actually controlling who, but also as manipulation and to highlight how there are two agendas and purposes being played at the same time. There are clear warnings at the beginning of the book regarding the content but this is a topic that can be hard to read about even knowing the subject matter going in.

This isn’t a series you can jump into at any point, this one especially offers little in way of explaining the larger plotlines. Rae has built up a world through the past four books that show the depth of the world and these relationships and with this fifth it is a hint at what I hope to be a fantastic world crumbling conclusion it’s been building up to be.

After the shock of the previous book’s conclusion I wasn’t sure what I was going to be met with but this is a nice balance between furthering the story, enhancing the characters and their relationships, and being another small step in the bigger picture. Fawn alters between being strong and defiant, manipulative and able to master her emotions to trick when she needs to, and being weak and fragile. I’ve said before I love Fawn best when she is defiant and prepared to burn the world down so I’m glad I got a few glimpses of that in this book.

Expectations are tested and we see a few different sides to characters in situations we hadn’t previously. It was interesting to see Fawn struggle seeing different sides of these people, given her situation and experiences she should know people to wear different masks depending on circumstance and with such an imbalanced relationship she can’t expect that she knows everything about these people anyway, no matter how close they become.

This was a slow build but one that wasn’t unsatisfying. The tension and uncertainty around the Wolf’s actions and the unknown of how this group of people will act confined to a house, each with their own roles to play, was one that keeps you guessing and on edge. There are negotiations and punishments on both sides and the sudden shifts and the unexpected are what Rae does best. Spending an entire book on edge never knowing what could happen is a feeling that is perfect for the kind of story Rae is trying to tell.

You can purchase Harvest via the following

Amazon | Amazon Aust

Scorch (#4) by Nikki Rae

Published: 29th October 2019Goodreads badge
Publisher:
Self-Published
Pages: 225
Format: ebook
Genre: Dark Romance
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

With failure after failure, Fawn finally thinks she has a way to escape the Order and make them pay for what they’ve done. Betrayal is a poison—and poison spreads. Elliot’s rising paranoia makes him almost unrecognisable, forcing Marius into the position of Owner. Her bond with both begins to grow and change beyond the roots Elliot planted in her.

Between Marius’ kindness and Master Lyon’s cruelty, Fawn is torn in too many directions while the Vultures lie in wait, prepared to strike while evading a new Mainworld organisation intent on taking them down
Fawn has earned her place in House Chimera, and she will fight for her family no matter the cost. 

Even if that means the Wolves devour her in the end.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review

The next book is The Order series is here and Rae wastes no time diving straight into drama and intrigue right away. Following on from the events in book three we see Fawn hit the ground running quite literally and she raises the stakes from the very start. I enjoyed this book, it went in a different direction than I was expecting but Rae still brings the passion and tension we’ve seen before.

There is a greater focus on the characters and their relationships this time around. Fawn’s relationship with Elliot and Marius is explored, but also the tension and issues of the previous novel are still simmering underneath. With the darkness of the earlier books, there is more comfort and compassion this time round. The connection between Fawn, Elliot and Marius evolves and you see different sides of their relationship. That is not to say it’s all love and passion, the deceit and danger that this world brings is there and I loved how Rae plays without your mind so you never know who to trust, who is right and who is telling the truth.

There are BDSM situations and the relationship dynamic of the trio we’ve come to know and love remains but there is consent and support and all of it plays into the emotional stakes of the overall situation. That is not to say the darkness Rae excelled at in earlier books is missing, but there is a different approach this time around and not as explicit.

I felt like this was very similar to parts of book three in that is halts the momentum slightly to explore more of the personal side. I don’t want to say it felt like a filler but there were moments that I thought were drawn out. But as the story continued I could see what Rae was trying to do; she lures us in and to her credit gives us a rewarding ending that was quite unexpected and a welcome surprise.

I’ll admit though, I’m impatient for the final showdown, I love seeing Fawn find herself and act with her bigger purpose in mind but there is certainly merit to Rae’s approach as we see more of Fawn’s state of mind, her growth, and the connections with those around her. Which is great for character development, but hard when you’re itching for the world to burn.

In true Rae style she brings surprises, lust, passion and pain in this fourth instalment. I can only imagine how this is all going to end because if it is anything like the previous four books, it’s going to be a fascinating tale of love, torture, and revenge.

You can purchase Scorch via the following

Amazon | Amazon Aust

Chrysalis (#3) by Nikki Rae

Published: 30th April 2019Goodreads badge
Publisher:
Self-Published
Pages: 257
Format: ebook
Genre: Dark romance
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

After Wolf Manor, Fawn vowed to never be weak, broken, or scared again. She has wrenched her power from the Vultures, visiting them under the cover of darkness to deliver the same drug they’d given her. This version has a different side effect: death.

It doesn’t stop the nightmares, it can’t erase what happened, but revenge is the only distraction from Lyon Estate. Tucked in the wilderness, she draws back into herself until Master Lyon demands they make good on their deal. In order to continue her vengeance, he is to be her Owner—really this time.

While it is a small sacrifice to make, Fawn isn’t prepared to be pulled back into Elliot’s world, where the rules of the Order exist, but in a new way. Running from him sends her into the arms of others in House Chimera. People who should be off limits, but they also stir something within her wholly different than the emotions Master Lyon can conjure. Marius is patient, and she finds herself clinging to him more now than ever before. People like them don’t believe in love, but can they choose it?

Fawn is no longer the prey, but beyond the trees, a lone Wolf is hunting…

I am honoured to be part of Nikki Rae’s blog tour to help celebrate the release of her new book Chrysalis. This is the third book in The Order series and it continues the story of Fawn and Elliot and the secretive underground society in which they’re forced to live in.

I was surprised by this story but not disappointed. After an impressive start the narrative slows down as we see Fawn try and find out where she fits in the new world she has found herself. I felt this was a much slower narrative than the others, not the same slow burn as we’ve seen before, I think I wanted more events to happen rather than such a detailed focus on the emotional side. That might be my own hangover from the end of the second book though.

The blurb says Fawn will never be weak, broken, or scared again, and yet I felt she spent a lot of this story just that. I didn’t quite see the girl who wanted to burn down the establishment. We’d come from Wilt and while there were recoveries and emotional drain and turmoil, I still thought there’d be less vulnerability. I had to keep reminding myself that it was about her mental stability and recovery and the aftershock of everything that has happened. Elliot mentions that he needs to rebuild her after breaking her but I didn’t see her as broken at the end of Wilt, I saw her as her own renewed person. If we’re to look at her as being broken, I suppose that explains why this novel is focused a lot on her personal journey to be “rebuilt” rather than more external story.

That is not to say it wasn’t filled with wonderful things within this focus. There is a seductive exploration of trust and consent which only enforces the foreign, new relationship Fawn and Elliot have. There are more moments of intimacy between the two but there are also a few new moments with characters both new and familiar. The theme that you can love more than one person is evident and there is a focus on sorting through new emotions from Fawn rather than anything entirely explicit.

I think this is where Rae is clever with her titles. It took a moment for it to click but Chrysalis is the perfect name for this book. It’s that in-between stage, that moment of preparation and while I’d have loved to have it go full throttle into action, we needed that time of preparation. Fawn needed that time. I think remembering that is important in understanding this story and the role it plays in the series. Even though I felt conflicted over Fawn’s actions, I still admired her for her strength and her bravery despite her fear. Her own armour she shrouds herself at the beginning is from necessity and even as it breaks away again I saw it reform in a gentler but possibly tougher way.

I was surprised when I learnt there was going to be a fourth book. I’m so used to Rae having a three act story with her series so I am hoping for my explosive conclusion with the next book and I think based on the final quarter that this is possible. After such intimacy and emotion the focus shifts as the rest of the world intrudes once more and wreaks havoc. The illusion is shattered and reality and the past has come back with a vengeance. Rae brings this book to an exciting conclusion and leads us into the the end. Hopefully this includes an ending where we get to see Fawn bring down the establishment and seek the vengeance she deserves.

Overall I enjoyed the exploration of these characters I have gotten to know, but I will admit it felt separate as well. I am looking forward to seeing how Rae is going to conclude this complicated, emotionally charged story. I have complete trust she will do the story and her readers justice.

Be sure to check out Bloom and Wilt to get the full, fascinating story of Fawn and her life because if you like dark romances with some bite, then this will be right up your alley.

 

You can purchase Chrysalis via the following

Amazon | Amazon Aust

Follow the links to find out more about Nikki Rae

 

Wilt (#2) by Nikki Rae

Published: 30th June 2018Goodreads badge
Publisher:
Self-Published
Pages: 233
Format: ebook
Genre: Dark romance
★   ★   ★   ★   ★ – 5 Stars

When she was sold to Master Elliot Lyon of House Chimera, Fawn could have never imagined he was the same person as Elliot, the man beneath a well-placed mask. A victim. Just like her. She would have never thought he was grooming her for the Wolf she’d already escaped once. That he planned to deliver her to the beast’s jaws in exchange for his wife.

Master Jäger will stop at nothing to have her—even if that means using others as collateral. With more than just their lives on the line, Fawn must become someone else, and Master Lyon distances himself further from Elliot as her transfer looms. 

The roots of the Order run deep within them, but Fawn is beginning to realize another bond has formed between her and her Owner, a man she vowed to destroy along with the rest of their tangled branches. 

In a world where trust is just a tool and love isn’t meant for people like them, Fawn is determined to beat the powerful at their own elaborate games of make-believe. Even the man who Owns her. 

Wilt is the second book in The Order series and Rae draws us back into this dark, dystopian underworld of control and passion with Fawn and Elliot not long after we left them in Bloom. Bloom was such an emotional, conflicting experience I was eager and excited to see where the story went and thankfully I was not disappointed.

The narrative is an intense, captivating read that even when things aren’t necessarily happening, you feel drawn in by Rae’s words and the layers of meaning and emotion behind them. The language implies a lot but there is also descriptions, some more vivid than others. The promise of a dark romance rings true and while there are occasional moments of brutality as a demonstration of control and power, there is purpose to them and are not there just for show.

I love Rae’s writing style because it pulls you in and you feel like you are being sucked into the book. I found myself subconsciously trying to get closer and closer to the pages as if I was going to fall directly into the book. The writing is amazing at creating mood. Her words have the power to control a moment, you can tell slow, sensual, intimate things are happening with her words. Even if nothing explicit is mentioned. She doesn’t rush and it makes it captivating. This never affects the pace of the story at all. It has these moments where time slows down but the story never does. We are taken on this journey alongside Fawn as we take this next stage with her, following along the aftermath of her actions in book one, trepidation over what will happen to her in book two.

With the introductions and establishments out of the way in the first book, Wilt allows us to explore more the relationship between Elliot and Fawn as well as her plans for the next stage. With a complicated emotional and romance style plot you aren’t left unsatisfied as Rae is clever in moving the story forward while still giving us the passion and romance and conflict we love from this series. Seeing the personalities of Fawn and Elliot develop was fascinating as each tried to mold the other to their desires. It was also an emotional ride as each plot twist emerged and you realise to never assume anything in this household.

This is not a subject or genre I generally read but there is something about Rae’s words that are wonderful. They are restrained but brutal and her imagination is fascinating. I don’t ever think I would have thought I’d enjoy this type of story but it certainly fascinates me and as I get deeper into the lives of these characters and the complexity of the world I find myself unwilling to pull away. I have grown to love this series more through this book and while I loved the first one because it was shocking and totally different, and even because it was uncomfortable at times, I adored this one further because I was captivated by Fawn and could see her growth and strength, even if it hid behind her fear.

Even though the cliff hanger lets us know partially where the story will go, I have no idea where Rae is going to take this story for the next book because I cannot even fathom how she plans to follow this. It’s fantastic.

You can purchase Wilt via the following

Amazon | Amazon Aust

Bloom (The Order #1) by Nikki Rae

Published: 28th February 2018Goodreads badge
Publisher:
 Self Published
Pages: 290
Format: ebook
Genre: Dark contemporary romance
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

Given to The Grimm Order as an infant, Fawn was raised in a world shaped by the rich and powerful. When she was sold at the age of nine to a Suitor, Fawn believed he would protect her from the “Mainworld”, where those who know nothing about the Order live. Living with the cruel man who bought her freedom, she finds just what the Order is about: money, control, and status for the Owner and humiliation and abuse for those they own. 

Unwilling to accept the expectations of being Owned, Fawn goes from golden girl to maid, content to live in the shadows of the Order as long as she isn’t Owned again.

It’s been ten years since she disgraced her former Owner’s name, and now the brooding Frenchman Elliot Lyon wants her. Master Lyon is kind, smart, and unlike any man she’s met. She doesn’t want to admit it to herself, but Fawn is drawn to him despite constantly planning her next escape. 

Even the prettiest flowers have thorns, and Master Lyon is hiding secrets that will uproot everything she thinks she knows about him.

Note: I was provided with a copy of this book by the author for review.

Once again, Nikki Rae has delivered. I will admit I was wary when I first began reading. It’s different, it’s certainly uncomfortable and dark at times, but nevertheless, it is everything that makes Rae’s books wonderful.

There were some scenes that made my stomach turn, which is interesting because this is not Rae’s first dark, sinister book. Nor the first with such a dark subject. It wasn’t the concept though, nor the overall situation, just a few scenes that made me feel uneasy as I read. Which I guess was the point. It made my stomach turn but I couldn’t stop reading. My own heart was pounding alongside Fawn’s. My own heart was thudding in my chest because I wanted to know what was going to happen because clearly anything could. I was engrossed, I stayed up late to read, I had to drag myself away at the end of lunch hours, trying to read another sentence, another paragraph.

Rae gets us inside Fawn’s head as we plan, assess, and discover all there is to her new world and her new situation. We discover things about her past life and her experiences with seamless transitions and carefully placed words. I felt the touch of fairytale in there and I loved the society and its secrets hidden in the modern world. Rae brings us into this dark world and the grand forbidden estate. We’re drawn into Fawn’s new life and feel her uncertainty and her defiance, her trepidation but admire the inner fire that keeps her going. An important thing to note is that while it is of a darker sexual nature, it isn’t too terrible, but there are also a few scenes of descriptive violence. In context and in the world in which Rae has created it makes sense, but certain scenes were hard to read.

I finished the final chapter very late at night and immediately wanted to leap into the next book. Rae takes you on an emotional journey with secrets you may or may not guess, and moments wrought with suspense and suppression. Everything you think you know or guess will get turned on its head on a whim. By the end you wish you knew what to expect but are delighted and scared when the story changes direction and you cannot fathom just where this story will take you.

You can purchase Bloom via the following

Amazon | Amazon Aust