Step Darkly

· Ravenous Book 1 · Kayne Publishing
4,4
10 reviews
eBook
410
Pages
Eligible
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About this eBook

THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO THIS STORY.

WHAT IF THEY ARE BOTH WRONG?

- 2021 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS (IPPY) for BEST EROTICA BOOK


When Emilia Connor returns to face the man she ran away from five years earlier, she's determined to cut him out of her life for good but things have changed. This time Joshua Darkly is holding all the cards and he's got other plans.

Sucked back into a life she never wanted to return to, old wounds are torn open and new secrets are uncovered. When Emilia runs out of options, the last poor choice she makes places her entirely under Joshua's control in this enemies to lovers, possessive guardian romance.


JOSHUA DARKLY

Emilia is a spoiled brat who's had life handed to her on a silver platter and she takes everything I worked hard to earn for granted.

Living off of daddy's dime, her free ride is about to come to a screeching halt. She's heading back here, to the place she should have never run away from, to settle her father's estate.

She's confident she is the sole heir to all of her father's possessions, including the company I worked my ass off to help build over the last seven years, but I have a surprise for her. Not only am I the new owner of Connor Realty, but I'm also her mentor and guardian for the period of one year.

I never asked to own her but now that I do, I'm not sure I can ever let her go.

She's feisty, she has a lot of anger in her and I'm patiently waiting for her to test her boundaries with me. She'll try her luck one too many times and I can't wait to show her how dark my beast has become.


EMILIA CONNOR

Our past always has a way of catching up to us.

I left home five years ago and never looked back. I always thought I had more time to make amends with my father and come home but my time ran out when he died of a sudden heart attack.

Now I'm back to settle his estate and face my demons. Well, one demon in particular; Joshua Darkly, the reason I left in the first place.

Because of a stipulation in my father's will, it looks like I'm here to stay for awhile. I've been declared Joshua's ward for a period of one year and if I don't complete my time, I'll lose everything.

I'll swallow my pride and serve my sentence but I'm not going down without a fight. I'll challenge his patience every chance I get without getting too close to him.

Even now, after everything, I still feel drawn to him and it's something I need to face head on and cut out of my life before it consumes me whole.

* While Step Darkly is part of the RAVENOUS series, each book can be read on its own.

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★★★★★ "Luna Kayne's Step Darkly: His Ward is a page-turning, slow burn, dark romance centered around Emilia Connor and Joshua Darkly written from alternating first-person perspectives. I enjoyed how Luna draws you into the characters' lives through internal monologue and plot development while we learn about parts in each of their pasts which shaped their future, decisions, and relationships. Both characters have their own frustrations and conflicting emotions, and watching them come together to challenge each other made for a gripping read." - Readers' Favorite

~~~~~

Topics Include: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, guardian ward dynamics, private clubs, contracts, ownership, domination and submission, Dominant and submissive, discipline, punishment, romantic suspense, stepbrother, step brother, contemporary romance, romance series, award winning romance, romance books, angst, slow burn, safe words, control and power exchange, sex club, sold at auction, dark, spicy, steamy, alpha male, strong female, secrets, steamy romance series, ravenous, step darkly, his ward, Luna Kayne, sex with consent.

For fans of: Anna Zaires, Renee Rose, Sienna Blake, Zoe Blake, J.L. Beck, C. Hallman, Lee Savino, Charmaine Pauls, Natasha Knight, Aleatha Romig, Skye Warren, Ivy Smoak, CD Reiss, Penelope Ward, L.J. Shen, Kendall, Ryan, Piper Stone, Jane Henry, Vanessa Vale, Stasia Black, Clarissa Wild, TL Swan, Rina Kent, Sophie Lark, Ashley Jade, Siobhan Davis, Khardine Gray, A. Zavarelli, Katee Robert, Penelope Douglas, Helen Hardt.

Ratings and reviews

4,4
10 reviews
Ronel Olver
05 June 2020
This was an ok read. This was a first for me by this author and I am not sure I will read anymore books by the author. I understand a 16 year can be tormented, bullied and fear for her family and own life, however I prefer my female characters stronger especially after going away to college. Take some self defense classes, stand up for yourself. *Spoilers* Emilia is a broken lost soul after what she experienced and suffered through alone and Joshua a dark, opinionated jerk. He is a mommy's boy and believes everything mommy says until Emilia tells him its in his power to request the records. It was easier to blame, torment and hurt Emilia than to verify facts. He pushes her to do the brink and she runs, unfortunately giving him the opportunity to punish own and possess her in 7 days. I lost all respect and any redemption he might have was lost when after he has proof of her assault, he still punishes her because she ran instead of facing her tormentors, after he refused to listen when she tried to tell him, because it embarrassed him in front of his company. Even while having video proof and realizing that he was wrong, he still goes out of his way to break Emilia and own her, possess her in his dark world and he aims to humiliate and degrade her. Sorry but there is just abusive and his reasoning that its because he only has 7 days to train her to love BDSM and to get her addicted to him is an excuse to make himself feel better about the torment he is inflecting on her. His attitude that she can miss her last 2 classes of her degree and redo it next year or take summer classes because he owns her, is an indication of his ck of compassion and having her best interests at heart.This was all about his needs, his wants. Can this guy be any more of an jerk? I can't say I cared much for Joshua's character and I never warmed up to him, nor did he redeem himself. He did spearhead the investigation into the guys that tormented her but that was more to protect the company and himself than Emilia. The option to sit in the meetings with these guys to face her tormentors was an option any court of law would give you and it does not make him likable. As far as I am concerned Emilia forgave him far to easily and he never redeems himself. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Elvira Guerrero
10 June 2020
Joshua and Emilia have a past connection that is going to take a dark turn when she returns to settle her late father’s estate. The characters are well developed and engaging and the chemistry is intense and hot. The flow of the storyline was great. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1 person found this review helpful
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Melissa Cree
24 March 2022
Beautifully written story. Keeps you wanting more. I had a hard time putting it down when I should have been doing other things; like sleeping!
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About the author

Luna Kayne is a multi-published author in the romance genre. Sub genres include suspense, action, paranormal and erotica. Her creative works include novels, novelettes and a collection of poetry and prose. Writing from her home on an acreage in Manitoba, Canada, she can always be found with a cup in her hand; wether it's coffee or wine just depends on the time of day.

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