This book is absolutely horrid
926689
This woman has no clue what abuse is, who is an abuser and who is a victim.  I find her to be not just flat out wrong, but actually dangerous.  She knows nothing about the subject of abuse.  I do not recommend this book to anyone; it should be taken off the "shelves".  or listed in FICTION.  Just horrible!
1754784
Horribly disturbing and is full of despicable characters.
Had to return the book
3815932
This book was horrendous!  I enjoy a good horror book, but this crossed the lines into some crazy perverse, unmedicated psychotic babble.  I got the kindle version because it was free and now I know why.  If you want to feel like scrubbing your brain cells with bleach then go right ahead and read this book!!  (I only gave it a star because Amazon made me!)
1873640
Really Really sucked!!!
I have never read a book that was so unbelievably terrible that made me want to scream and yell at the author, to say the least. There's absolutely no substance to the book, no reference to anything factual that would support her story line. I believe the author would have hated this book too, if she had only read it once before having it published!
One star is a treat
1937861
If I could give this book zero stars I would.  It was required summer reading for 11th grade and it was awful.  The main character is portrayed as someone who is disabled which is an insult and affront to people who actually are disabled.  When you can leave the reservation because you are so gifted academically that you get put into a high level private high school and you can play on the basketball team for said high school how on earth could you possibly be disabled?????  Not to mention the absolutely disgustingly detailed description of the characters thoughts about his female peers. I can't imagine anyone reading this book by choice.
4872121
I NEVER write bad reviews, I try to be fair with every book, but this is beyond bad. Did the author take an English class? Don't even get me started about the overuse of the word whilst...I had previously read Claimed, hoping that the series would improve. It doesn't. There are so many things wrong with this book it's not even funny. She doesn't explain what a circulate is and honestly I don't care. Oh, it's also totally normal to be assaulted by a guy but still kind of like him and agree to marry him. The supposed"heroine" is a half wit Mary Sue, she's so pretty and popular. What a waste of time and money, don't buy this book! Luckily I couldn't make it past the sample chapters. Interesting idea horribly executed. Anyone giving it anymore than one star is being generous. Seriously I'd have given this negative stars if I could have. This just infuriated me to see the English language butchered so horribly. So much so that I decided to write this review.
2227056
HOW did this series get such a high rating?!?! Did I read the same book? I had to put this down about halfway through, I couldn't even force myself to read any farther. It was absolutely horrible. HORRIBLE. It was so cheesy I actually laughed out loud at several parts. Their names were COMPLETELY ridiculous (example: Vishous, Rhage..etc)I don't know if that was supposed to be cool and creative, but it wasn't. And they all wore black leather pants (seriously?!) I couldn't even imagine a real person using the slang they did. To me it sounded like the author was trying really hard to make them seem "cool" but just failed miserably. If I ever heard a grown man say I "outie" while being completely serious,I would probably laugh in his face. Nothing could be farther from badass than they way these characters talk. I can't believe an adult even wrote this. It was a total joke. I'm writing this review quite a while after I read it so all the details aren't fresh in my mind, but I know there were many many reasons I couldn't stand this book.

I thought it was a waste of time and money and I wish I could get back both. It's very hard for me to hate a book this much, but Dark Lover pulled it off.
1785832
I picked up this book because it was left at our house by a visitor. I lived in Charlotte, NC for several years, so I was curious as to how this city was represented. Honestly, this book was so bad that I couldn't even finish it. I read more than half way and was so startled and confused by how bad it was I am truly convinced that this book is in fact an experiment by Ms. Cornwell to see if she can make money without having to actually write a novel.
I am a huge fan of the police procedural genre and mysteries in general. But, this "book" is neither. It is rather a large description of mainly three very pitiful human beings who live totally fabricated lives that are founded upon thier own beauty and desirability. They are two dimensional and trite and I was actually hoping at least one of them would die, but I couldn't withstand the punishment any longer and decided my time was more valuable doing something else - like cleaning out my gutters!
This is the kind of writing that gives women authors a bad name. Cornwell is so wrapped up in how these people look in their uniforms that we never even come close to getting wrapped up in something as minor as a plot. If this book was written to be a romance or even a human interest story, it is still horrible, but at least I would see what she was shooting for. But it isn't. It's supposed to be a mystery based on a senseless string of serial killings. Agghhhh!! Do not buy this book. For the love of all that is worth reading, do not buy it. Unless of course you want to read 300+ pages about two beautiful people who've been hurt before and don't want anything to do with the opposite sex, who happen to be chasing a serial killer between their visits to the firing range, after one of them writes 3 articles for the paper and helps his drunk of a mother into bed. Ridiculous.
The only reason I chose to write this review is to help others not make the mistake I made. If this book is sitting anywhere near you unread, run as fast as you can and throw it into the trash, better yet, burn it. That way not even the sanitation workers would be at risk of reading this horrible novel.
887006
I've read many gang accounts over the years, some better than others.  This book is the bottom of the barrel. It is absolutely horrible.  My head hurt just getting through the very first paragraph.  The grammar is beyond atrocious,  incorrect words are used repeatedly, and the "story" itself just does not make any sense.  It is apparent that there was no editor and no publisher.  Read "inside the cover" for the extended synopsis and you'll be able to judge for yourself how truly terrible this book is.  I wouldn't even recommend checking this book out of the library for free.
2578193
Absolutely horrible.  Do not buy this book,  you will regret it!!
1251447
This book is horrifically bad. I couldn't even read it all and I am a voracious reader of all genres but especially romance. I have read plenty of terrible romances but this one takes the cake. Riddled with purple prose and beyond stupid...if you're into reading chapter upon chapter of sex for ONE SINGLE SCENE; one in which the lead female character must be coerced into participating and the lead man ALL BUT rapes her, then this is the book for you. For myself? I plan on avoiding this author like a plague.
842440
I have read many books and I can say that this is the most horrifying of all of them. Then, it is unrealistic and descriptions are written poorly. These boys go from acting like a 5 year old to a 45 year old general of war in a heartbeat. I am appalled by the fact that schools have this book as required reading and can say that I would be happy if I never played eyes on this again.

The only reason that I gave this book 2 stars instead of one is because it was mildly engaging. As in the exact minimum extent to keep me from just closing the book.

Overall, I very much disliked it
2397407
This is the most loathsome book I have ever had the misfortune to have come across. Terrible writing, terrible grasp of language of the time period, and an absolute lack of understanding by the author of Jane Austen and her characters. It was pornographic garbage-not even good porn-just gross unappealing grossness of the grossiest, messiest grossiness.

Ugh please, I beg of you, let me at least save one of you reading this horrid mess at an attempt to redeem my own forever tarnished psyche from being exposed to the malignancy mine eyes have endured!
1797199
This is a horrible book. It has caused 3 meltdowns until I finnaly got wise and closed it permanently. I have fourth edition. If there were an option I would give it negative stars. The first chapter is entitled "Are you Pregnant?" subcategory, "What you may be concerned about." Personally the first thing I did when I found out, was rejoice. Not worry. Reading that chapter only put silly ideas (that have absolutely nothing to do with my pregancy) in my head to worry about. The part about toxoplasmosis is the worst, I came out of it positive that because I have 2 affectionate INDOOR cats, I was going to kill my fetus and endanger my health. I suggest that only the severely masochistic read this. I do not understand how this came to be the commonest pregnancy book. I am apalled.
820350
This is without a doubt the WORST book I have ever tried to read.  It is the only book I knew I hated after the first paragraph.  Why oh why did I waste my money on this trash.  If I could give it a minus 10 I would.
1038100
If I could,I would give this book ZERO stars.  Although it is a well written and researched historical novel, I kept asking myself "WHAT is WRONG with this author!?". It seems she has a perverse delight in all the ugliness she describes in utter detail (without a shred of redemption or hope). It is unnecessarily macabre to the extreme and describes utter and complete ugliness, depravity, perversion, cruelty, and despair WITH ENTHUSIASM AND RELISH.  ALL ugliness, ALL the time.  It's unrealistic.

After reading this novel, the most abject horrors described by Charles Dickens, would seem like paradise in comparison. Holman REALLY "gets into" the grotesque and disgusting. Sick Sick Sick.
4222816
This is by far THE WORST book I have ever read. Completely absurd.  How so many readers gave it five stars is completely unexplainable, as I found myself grinding my teeth and cringing. I know this review will be longer than I intend, but if you are a reader of good erotic historical romance  please do yourself a favor and read on.  Otherwise you will be gritting your teeth as you read this book. And you will regret the stupid 99 cents you paid for it and the wasted time.  About a third of the way through I really wanted to give up but I was so curious why so many readers had given it five stars. After finishing the book it is still mind boggling. I can only assume all the ratings were given by the authors friends. I don't even know where to begin to enumerate all of the books problems. Ill start by saying that it reads as though it had been written by a high school junior.  The style of writing is simplistic and artless. The poor grammar, spelling mistakes, wrong context of words, missing words or added words are atrocious. Was there ever an editor involved? The author loves the word grabbed and grabbing. No one ever picked anything up, reached for it, held it, took it  they all grabbed whatever it was -- She grabbed the tray, He grabbed her hips.  I don't think there is a page without the word grab on it. Furthermore, a COMPLETE lack of knowledge of history or research as to how people of that time period behaved and referred to one another is appalling. The dialogues read like high schoolers talking. Sometime in the book there are references to Napoleon so we gather this is the time frame. As for the historical missteps, lets start by saying that in this book servants and maids are referred to by the nobles as Miss as in Miss Black, Miss Greenwood,  Miss Van Gogh, etc. In the 19th Century the nobles of the household had no idea who the servants were, with the exception of Butler, Head Housekeeper, personal maid and valet, always referred to by their last name only.  They would never know the lower servants surnames and refer to them by such, with the added courtesy of Miss. In this book there is no mention of any elevated staff. The heroine does everything in the castle from helping in the kitchen, to arranging banquets, to being a ladys maid, to dusting rooms, to serving tea in The House of Lords! Oh, for Christs sake! No woman would be allowed to serve tea in the House of Lords or anywhere. There were footmen and high ranking men servants for this. In addition, the servant girls were constantly referred to as ladies. For Gods sake! Lady was a term used for titled women only. And on top of that, in this book, members of nobility would use phrases like And now ladies, if you will excuse me, I must go, when talking to servant girls. Absurd. And the horse grooms  in the stables when spoken to were referred to as gentlemen. Again absurd. AND the heroine was ALSO a ladys companion to the Princess of Spain and rode in the same carriage as the Princess. Oh Jesus. And servants who shared dormitory rooms were referred to as flat mates. Really? They didn't live in flats  they lived in servants quarters.  And now lets get to the sex. WHAT the sexual acts were, did show some knowledge of what would be pleasurable and satisfying sex. HOW it was described made me think this knowledge came mostly from watching pornography. The author seemed to get her jollies from making it dirty. The crude and vulgar descriptions put a compete damper on the passages. Using words like prick, tits and twiddling her twat do not make the interlude erotic, only lewd. Again, written as though by a high school boy and one who doesnt know women don't actually ejaculate just like men. And the sounds they made as they cummed together (seriously, the cummed is not my typo, its how it is in the book) were all written in shouty capitals and were interminably annoying. Way too much of UHHUNNGGGHHHUUHGGHHH! Im serious here. UGH indeed. This book is neither erotic nor historic. Its stupid. Dont waste your time.