Pretty When You Cry: A Dark Romance Novel

This was a great story. Ivan and Candy are characters that have caught my attention from the beginning of this series. I read this book in one sitting. The story starts off several years before even the first book in the series. Candace is a young 16 year old girl on the streets of Tanglewood. She is about to be mugged or more likely raped by a group of guys when a mysterious guy in an impeccable suit shows up and chases the other guys away. He then takes her back to The Grand, his strip club. He takes her down to his basement office. Here she begs to stay. She wants to be one of the strippers like she saw on the stage. Candace grew up in Harmony Hills. It is a cult compound. When Leader Allen started showing interest in her, her mother sent her away on her own. This cult teaches that women are evil and lead men into temptation. The girls are not taught to read or write. They have barely any schooling. Ivan is not a good man. He is ruthless. Everyone is scared of him. Everyone but Candace. I think that is because he shows her compassion. He takes her in and gives her a home and tutors. Then when she begs and finally is of age, she eventually becomes one of his best strippers in his club. Their romance is a difficult one. They both have had a really tough past. It makes their ability to trust and love very hard for both of them. They had a weird relationship for a long time, but no sex until Candace insist on leaving. Ivan is not able to let her go. Ivan is no prince charming, but he is what Candy needs. He was there when she needed him most. I would've liked to have learned more about Ivan's back story. We do learn some, but I would like to know more about this difficult to read and scary man. He is quite the alpha male and has a dominant streak a mile wide. He does show affection in his own way. You can read this book without having read the previous books in the series, but those are great books as well. I also think it was good addition to have the character build of Ivan and Candy, since they have been major secondary characters from book one. I've really enjoyed this series from the beginning and this is another great addition. **Book was provided to me by the author. This review is my opinion and was not requested or provoked in anyway by the author.

Okay this was the first book and the Stripped Series that I have read but I will Be Going Back to Read the Others that is for sure. Candance/Candy born and raised in Harmony Hill and Radical Religious Compound for 16 yrs until her mother helped her escape the clutches of Leader Allen. A Man so sick and Twisted that he has his followers believe that anyone outside the compound are sinners. Running away on few resources leaves Candance only makes it a few hrs away from the compound believing she has escaped the clutches of her previous home, prison and Leader Allen a few yrs Later she finds herself returning to the home she never believed she would see again. Ivan a man of money and means finds a young Candance right outside of one of his many business endeavors the Grand a strip club in the seedy and ominous part on Tanglewwod. Rescuing her from a bunch of lowlifes he brings her into the Grand down to his office where he intends on calling the police. Candance convinces him not to. When Candy turns 19 three yrs after her escape from Harmony Hills her and Ivan's Relationship takes a whole new turn and becomes something neither of them expected he saved her and took her in but in the long run she saved him more than anyone realizes. I loved this whole story and the characters the would building was awesome and I can not wait to delve back in. My Only hiccup was the Daddy/Little One References between Candy and Ivan, but it was not enough that took away the pleasure of me reading it and I will re read this story many times.

I loved reading about Candy and Ivan!!! This book was well worth the wait with all sorts of emotions going through me. After reading the previous books in the Stripped series I jumped right back in with both feet and I was carried away by the story!! I was annoyed when I had to stop reading in order to go to bed! I definitely don't think of Ivan as my new BBF, he's too intense for me, but he is definitely interesting!! If you have read the previous books in the Stripped series then you are just as addicted as I am and you don't need me to recommend this book, but I'm going to anyways. Go buy this book and become entangled in the dark, erotic, sad, and complex story of Ivan and Candy!! I couldn't wait to read this book, but now I'm sad it's over, and I look forward to the next book!! It's hard to choose what my favorite lines are in the whole book but I think these lines sum up Candy and Ivan's relationship perfectly. "The vines that wrap around me, their thorns pressing in, making me bleed.Being with Ivan doesn't free me from the vines. He doesn't make the pain go away. He makes me want more."