Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: By Way of Pain – Assassins
SERIES: Criminal Delights #12
AUTHOR: J.M Dabney
PUBLISHER: Hostile Whispers Press LLC
LENGTH: 166 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2019
BLURB:
Double lives were just the way it was for a man like me. By day I was a man with a reputation above reproach. Even assassins needed backup plans. For fifteen years, life was going without a hitch until I had to take out a witness. When it was time to kill him, beautiful eyes filled with fear urged me to do something else. Yet, in order to do that, I had to break him, and by way of pain, my captive would experience pleasure he’d never dreamed.
This book is part of CRIMINAL DELIGHTS. Each novel can be read as a standalone and contains a dark M/M romance.
Warning: These books are for adult readers who enjoy stories where lines between right and wrong get blurry. High heat, twisted and tantalizing, these are not for the fainthearted.
REVIEW:
Damn. Just …damn. Ok, so, if you guys have been paying attention to this series, you will know these stories are not your every day, average ordinary romances. They are very dark, twisted and can carry some triggers, so please be careful. This one deals with BDSM, whips, paddles and such. It deals in murder, kidnapping, beatings and the like, so if any is a trigger, be aware.
For those of you who are warped like me, (just teasing), and love this stuff, this book is dynamite. Wow. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down. I don’t even know where to start.
You hear about this psychopaths and sociopaths on TV and wonder how anyone could love them. Knowing what they do and how they are, how could anyone love them? I guess the adage ‘love is blind’ comes into play here. I was so torn about Cowen.
I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just Cowen started killing at a very young age. And tried to include himself in that number. He has no emotion whatsoever. For 15+ years, he’s been a professional during the day and an assassin by night. No one has ever caught him and everyone fears him. One night, he slipped. He was seen during a kill. He normally kills witnesses but something about this man won’t let him. So he kidnaps with plans to break him. Only it turns on him. The plans he made had to be altered for what he finally felt. By pain, for both of them, he will get through.
I’ve always wondered if love could make a difference for someone like that. It’s surprising to me, though, that some psychopaths/sociopaths are actually brought up being very loved. Like Cowen, he and they feel like it’s something they are born with. Something in them is broken. The thing with Cowen that’s different, is one thing did change him. Only to a point, but that in itself is huge. I’m telling what or how, you just have to read this book. You will not be disappointed.
I know I wasn’t. I hate to cut this short but I really don’t want to give it away. I just want to remind you, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s twisted but so damn good. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to read this series and see how you guys have interpreted it.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] Read More » […]