Mysterious. Dark. Deadly. They say crows are bad omens, but until I met them, a single crow was my only friend.
Then, the boys next door come to welcome me to the neighborhood:
- Maddox, the mysterious, tattooed, six-foot-four wall of muscle who glares at me like I’m the enemy, but protects me like I’m a treasure.
- Lennox, the devastatingly gorgeous flirt who charms me with his criminal smiles and melts me with his gentle kisses while hiding a sinister secret.
They’re twin brothers, each one more dangerous than the other, each more irresistible. Loyal only to their crew, the Murder of Crows, they refuse to let an outsider like me get too close.
That is, until they find out the abuse I suffer at home.
They take me in, but I soon realize these men are no saviors. They’re ruthless kings in a community governed by gang law, where depravity reigns and favors are repaid in blood.
I should have seen the omen and run, but now it’s too late.
I’m in their debt.
The Crows own me now—body and soul.
The two kings want to play with their pretty, broken toy, but they don’t want to share.
One of them wants to trap me. The other wants to punish me.
But which one gets to keep me?
The Rain King is a m/f dark romance meant for 18+ listener who have *no triggers.* It is a complete standalone within a series.
Review by Brandy
This story is a coming-of-age story strewn with gang affiliated chaos. Rae is about as innocent as the day she was born except for her physically abusive stepfather when she moves into a new house and meets the boys next door. Madox and Lennox are as far from innocent as you can get with their gang ties and dating history. They push Rae’s boundaries a bit, but everything changes the night they find out what her living situation is really like. She is drawn to both boys and both boys are drawn to her, creating a lot of strain between the brothers. However, the real problem is that the brothers are both dangerous but for different reasons and they have different ways of showing that danger. As Rae deals with bullies at school and problems at home it all comes together in a violent clash that changes not just their families but the affiliation of all of their friends. The world building and characters are excellent and the storyline is gripping. Your never quite sure what is going to happen.
If you have any triggers, you really may not want to read this book. It’s mostly a slow, quick, slow explicit burn romance but man after that 2nd slow burn things explode and the chaos is wild. The story is told through the point of all three at different points but mostly through Rae and man if Rae could have know their thoughts she would have been worried about a whole different set of issues. One brother’s compass is so far off in his head that it’s wild he can hide it. I definitely recommend over 21 in age for this story as you are in for a wild, violent ride. Hold on to your seats folks!
This is available through KU on Amazon.
You might not guess it when you pick up your first Selena novel, but Selena is a true romantic. She writes gritty, realistic New Adult contemporary novels with characters you’ll love to hate and hate to love.
If reading about teens behaving badly upsets you, steer clear because these are full of drama, angst, fighting, drugs, sex, and rock & roll. There will be times you want to throw your Kindle. There will be lying, cheating, bullying, backstabbing, violence, and hard-earned, sweet redemption for those who won’t give up on love. Because life’s not always picture perfect, but every heart, no matter how broken and damaged, deserves love.