coffee addict books: Review: Reap (Scarred Souls #2) by Tillie Cole

Title: Reap
Author: Tillie Cole
Series: Scarred Souls #2
Genre: dark, contemporary romance, suspense

Raised as a prototype for the Georgian Bratva's obedience drug, 221 fails to think, act, or live for himself; he's his master's perfectly-crafted killing puppet. Standing at six-foot-six, weighing two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, and unrivaled in to-the-death combat, 221 successfully secures business for the Georgian Mafiya Boss of NYC, who rules the dark world of the criminal underground. Until his enemies capture him.

Talia Tolstaia dreams to break from the heavy clutches of Bratva life. She dreams of another life--away from the stifling leash of her Russian Bratva Boss father and from the brutality of her work at The Dungeon, her criminal family's underground death-match enterprise. But when she stumbles upon her family's captive who is more monster than man, she starts to see the man underneath. A powerful, beautiful, damaged man whose heart calls to hers. But sacrifices must be made--blood for blood...life for life...souls for scarred souls...

Amazon US | Amazon UK

FLO'S REVIEW

Reap by Tillie Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 **You are.....for me?** STARS

“And one day, a man will enter your life and you will know, without a doubt, that he is yours. I can’t explain it, but something will snap within you and from that day forth, you’ll be his and he’ll be yours.”

Falling in love with the enemy has never been more beautiful and heartbreaking. That was one hell of a book. Broken hero with a heart of gold and a resilient heroine who breaks through all the barriers. One of my friends called it a new twist on Beauty and the Beast. Shout out to you Allison! You are absolutely right. It has a lot more sex and no books, but yeah I can absolutely see the resemblance. ;D

Reap is the second instalment in Tillie Cole's Scarred Souls series and it tells the story of Talia and Zaal.

“Zaal Kostava, you’ve stolen my forbidden heart.”

Talia Tolstaia needs a break. After her brother came back from the dead and her whole world was turned upside down, the Bratva Princess needed some time on her own, away from the family business and all the violence.

Her safe and peaceful vacation in the Hamptons is cut short when Luka brings 221 into the house. The man he rescued from the same kinds of people who held him prisoner for so many years.

Zaal Kostova is a trained killer. He has no other purpose in life, no name - just a number '221' and no memories of anything but his Master who controls his every move. Until the beautiful girl with the blonde hair tells him otherwise.

Talking about taming the beast. That is essentially what happens here. Zaal is drugged out of his mind when he first arrived and getting him to detox and learn the world anew is an uphill battle to say the least. But oh so beautiful. There is some instant connection/attraction/lust going on between Zaal and Talia, but I can most definitely ignore that. The excellent writing alone makes up for the suddenness of the events. You just can't help but fall in love with them.

“He’d come into my life like a storm. A storm I didn’t want, one I’d prepared all my life to hate, to fight. But it brought with it refreshing rain. It cleared the skies and brought out only warmth.”

First and foremost this was a stunning love story. Beautifully written and very emotional. But what really got me was the way Ms. Cole managed to write this book as a natural continuation to Raze. Both Luka and Kisa play a vital role. There are still so many demons left to conquer for Luka and it was so wonderful to see their story continued rather than just being there as bystanders.

Of course Russian Bratva is the focal point as always. There is a lot of history between all the families and even more bad blood. Talia and Zaal's love doesn't come easy and there are a few obstacles to overcome. You know...things like going against the family honour and sleeping with the enemy. Just minor issues, really. ;P

All in all I have to say this is an exceptional book and I'm hungry for more. If you like gritty love stories, that don't stray away from abuse and torture...go right for it. You won't be disappointed and Zaal will capture your heart in no time.