We’re going to go with…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one was pretty, pretty, interesting! It wasn’t too heavy but it also wasn’t too light.

Echo: A Dark Billionaire Romance (Bleeding Hearts) (Volume 1) by A. Zavarelli was a really twisted story. Seriously! Who comes up with this stuff? Oh, yeah, that’s right, A. Zavarelli does. Why? Because she’s fucking awesome!

I’m going to get a wee bit messy on this one but I’m going to keep it pretty too.

But first, a quick word from the author…

Synopsis

How far would you go to save someone you love? Would you give up your body? Your mind? Your heart?

I did and it cost me everything.

He says he owns me. And it’s true.

I’ve signed over complete control of my body and life for six months to a man I don’t know. Five years he’s been planning this. They say revenge is a dish best served cold. But my blackmailer serves it up white hot. He’s addicted to my innocence, and I’m addicted to him.

He likes to hurt me. I love to let him. He brings me to life. He sets me free. He makes my heart feel things it shouldn’t.

But he also scares me. He holds the fate of my brother’s life in his hands. A life behind bars for crimes I know he didn’t commit. My blackmailer can’t give up his revenge on my family, and I can’t be with him if he doesn’t. But I’m nothing more than a butterfly caught in his net. Do I really have a choice?

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Let’s get messy…

I don’t really know what I expected this book to be about but it sure as hell wasn’t this.

I’m going to start with our main lady, Brighton, I loved her because she was willing and ready to do anything for her family. Mainly her twin brother, Braydon, who is sent to prison at the age of sixteen.

There was also sexy Ryland. For a long time we are not exactly sure what the hell he was up to. He’s a very secretive man. And he has a really big fucking secret. The author does a spectacular job at slowing building up his character and drawing the reader in to him. I wanted to know everything about him. What made him tick? Why was he the way he was? What happened to him in the past to shape the man he was today? Who or what broke his heart? I was dying to know these things.

I’m going to fast forward to the good stuff now, starting with the letter. You know the one that was sent to Brighton that basically told her she had to be a sex slave for six months? Yeah, that one. You see, if she agreed to being at someone’s beck and call, we don’t know who yet, she could free her brother from prison. And it wouldn’t be a good book if she doesn’t agree.

As a part of the agreement he demands… complete control over your body and life for six months. 

The shit just got real…

Who is blackmailing her? She doesn’t know because they make her wear a mask whenever they’re together. Can you imagine what that’s like? To be fucked in a million different ways with someone who you hate. Crazy or… sexy!

The things he would have her do like, crawling on the floor blindfolded and naked to him, tying her to the bed post all night, etc. That’s just all kinds of fucked up. But then he starts to do sweet things like, feeding her since she can’t see, rubbing her gently with lotion to soothe the pain he caused while having sex, cuddling with her all night, etc. Doing all of these things while she still has on the blindfold.

(I’m sure you can guess who’s blackmailing her.)

That crawling thing killed, so demeaning. And then when he just rams his big willie into her virgin vajay without warning, ouch! Poor thing. In his defense, he didn’t know she was a virgin.

At some point I felt like something was wrong with me because I started rooting for her to actually “be” with her blackmailer. At least I wasn’t alone because Brighton starting wanting to be with him too.

This was the devil himself snaking his way inside of my heart and bending me to his will. This was addiction, quickly morphing into obsession. And somewhere in the clouded fog that was my brain, I knew this was a game I was going to lose. – Brighton

She was feeling his kink and started giving him her heart. Awe, how sweet! (maybe)

“I wanted to break you, Brighton. I never expected you to like it.” – Ryland

I guess he underestimated her.

“You’re not a monster,” I protested.

“Oh but I am,” he growled, gripping a handful of my hair in his hand and tugging it. “I want to hurt you. I want to do all sorts of depraved things to you, Brighton. Simply because I can.”

“I like the depraved things you do to me,” I whispered. “I like the way you fuck me.”

She fucking loved it! I would have too.

Who thinks that? I need therapy.

As Brighton was falling for Ryland the big question was what did Ryland feel for her.

“I can’t tell you the things you want to hear,” he said finally. “I could give you a thousand pretty words, but they wouldn’t change anything. I’m not the man you want me to be, and someday soon, you’ll understand that. You will loathe me, and I won’t blame you. But even then, I doubt I’ll be able to let you go. Our feelings are irrelevant, and that’s the truth. But the fact that I want you so much should tell you how I feel about you, baby girl. I waited five years for you.” – Ryland

Before we move on, did I ever share with you how much I love being called baby girl. If a man calls me baby girl, you can almost be sure that he can get it. If you know what I mean.

But then the lies became too much. His secrets started coming out little by little and it was fucking juicy. Like when we find out the real reason Ryland wanted to get Brighton’s brother, Brayden released from prison. And it’s good let me tell ya!

There was so much drama, good drama, that drama that makes you feel like you are watching a movie. This book is called a dark romance for nothing.

I ain’t going to lie to kick it… when the truth about what Ryland had been up to came out I wanted to kill that motherfucker myself. The shit really hit the fan. And after I finished with Ryland I wanted to beat the shit out of Brighton for taking his side at all.

The book does end on a cliffhanger but it doesn’t matter because book 2 is out. I will review that one as well.

I didn’t get to messy and I kept it pretty, I’m so proud of myself. Until next time. TTYL!