Read More Sleep Less Blog: ARC REVIEW: A Bedtime Story by L.C. Moon

Laura Spencer. Young, pretty, introverted. She worked at a local deli, where she left more broken plates than collected tips. Apologizing to aggravated waiters and cowering from overfriendly male clients made up most of her social interaction. The only friends she had lived inside the pages of books or on movie screens, offering slim comfort during the long, dark nights of her lonely life. Every two weeks, a postcard was delivered through her mail. She lived for those deliveries.

Peter Spencer. Her brother, her lifelong protector and her only family. The only one who truly knew her, who would sacrifice it all for her. Peter made a bad decision, involving the worst kind of people.

Kayne Malkin. Tall, dark and handsome. He belonged to the Organization, the Quebec fraction of a ruthless Russian Mafia. He was known for many things. He killed and tortured for a living. He seduced and destroyed for pleasure. But above all else, he built his reputation on one trait only. Kayne Malkin never lied. Not to the men he interrogated, not to the women he set his sights on. He got what he wanted, while staring them in the eye. Honest and remorseless. Kayne Malkin’s assignment: The Peter Spencer case.

On the first warm spring night, while Montreal celebrated the passing of winter, Laura reluctantly accepted to accompany a coworker out on the town. Kayne smirked by himself seeing her arrive, all dolled up, looking uncomfortable. Lurking in the shadows, he patiently waited. The trap was set.

WARNING: Contains explicit sexual content and dubious consent. Read at your own discretion.

CHRISTINE'S REVIEW

4 STARS

To say that this book f#cked with my emotions would be putting it lightly! With characters that I loved one minute then wanted to murder in the next... I actually don't know how I made it through this book. For the life of me I still don't think I have these characters figured out, they were in such constant turmoil I found it impossible!

"You think God can help you? No, Laura, God can't help you. I may be a monster but I'm the only one who can help you right now."

Let's start from the beginning. Laura is a recluse when she accepts an invitation to go out and have some fun with a friend, it really is out of the norm behaviour for her. But she goes and there she notices Kayne watching her, there's obviously something different about him. Unlike all the other men leering at her, she finds herself intrigued and attracted to him.

Let's move along swiftly to where the real story starts and Laura discovers that Kayne is not who he says he is. Kayne is part of The Organization, the Russian Mafia. His job was to bring her in for interrogation about her brother who happens to have stolen some very important information from them. Ultimately whether she gave the information they needed or not her life would be forfeit. So Kayne takes her in as unwilling guest in his home. Laura is given an insiders glimpse into the dark and sadistic life Kayne leads.

"Are you going to kill me?" she blurted, out, surprised at her own bluntness. He stared at her right in the eye, his voice betraying no emotion. "Only if you make me...But don't worry, I won't let you."

At first Laura is just a challenge for Kayne, one of the many women he will ultimately break. But as time goes by he finds himself feeling just a little more for her than just carnal lust. She feeds his darkest desires yet she also brings out the good that there is in him. If there is such a thing.

He wanted to get inside her head, to turn her against herself, to hear her utter the words Yes, Master. He wanted to break her apart so he could put her back together again, over and over again.

Kayne and Laura's relationship was a constant tug of war. With Laura trying to resist her inevitable submission to Kayne's seduction. She tried fighting that side of her that enjoyed being at his mercy by using the side of her that realised the entire situation was just plain wrong.

So I've read my fair share of Dark books, but there are situations that aren't necessarily dark but they are my hard limit. So saying this book took me out of my element is pretty accurate. I never thought I'd see the day where I understood why Kayne did some of the things he did. I don't want to spoil but I have to put it out there. (view spoiler)

I'll fight for you. I'll kill for you. You're mine. Always. Wherever you go. I'll find you. Always. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

I will say that this is not a normal romance... Of course. But it's also not dark in the way you might expect. It's more of an emotional beating like someone pounding your feels with a hammer. There is angst, scads of it. Don't expect a conventional ending.

The more he took from her, the more power she held over him. His little white lamb, who willingly penetrated the lion's den, for him. He would slaughter them all for her, would paint the world read and lay it's carcass at her feet.