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Counts of Eight  By  cover art

Counts of Eight

By: Brynn Ford
Narrated by: Elle Sonali, Jeffrey Holz
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Publisher's summary

An unforgettable dark romance trilogy!

Two captive dancers. One cruel master. A single performance to determine whether they live or die.

Anya

I've served the four families since I was kidnapped three years ago.

I've accepted my fate, knowing that escape is impossible.

My villainous master abuses me, but I've learned to live this lonely life.

I've become complacent in my misery…then my master brings home another captive for me to train, and his presence changes everything.

Ezra

I was violently taken and brought to kneel at her feet.

She demands that I dance with her, but I refuse to recognize anyone as my master.

Yet when I see the horror of her existence with my own eyes, I know I have to save her.

I could never have expected her to break down my walls…. I could never have expected to form an unbreakable bond.… I could never have expected to fall in love.

This is a dark romance series involving many triggering elements which may be upsetting for some listeners. A complete list of tropes and triggers can be found on the author's website.

This is book 1 of 3 in a complete trilogy.

It is not a standalone, and the books must be listened to in order.

Listening Order

Anya & Ezra's Story

Book 1: Counts of Eight

Book 2: Dance with Death

Book 3: Pas de Trois

Spin-Off

Murphy & Stella's Story

Book 4: King of Masters

©2021 Brynn Ford (P)2022 Pink Flamingo Productions

Critic reviews

"Dangerous, haunting, twisted, powerful; this is what true dark romance is meant to be." (The Flamingo Bookshelf Review)

What listeners say about Counts of Eight

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Love!

Great story and the voices are perfection! Sonali and Holz bring these complex characters to life, great flow and tone that grabs you. Can't wait for the next!

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Counts of Dark Suspense

Counts of Eight is a dark romance that is a great starting point for readers wanting to try out this genre. Ford deftly builds the characters and this world to stunning clarify, but be warned the cliffhanger in this one is particularly brutal.

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Dark and emotional

I don't know why I waited so long to read/listen to Counts of Eight. I was hurting so much for what Anya had to endure at the hands of Nikolai and the only way for her to survive was to dance? That is a completely new plot I haven't read before so it was interesting to read. With how sadistic Nikolai was towards Anya, I kept expecting him to do something to Ezra but he never did so that's a mystery in itself and I wonder if it'll be explained in the next book.

The narrators did such an amazing job with the accents. They were able to bring so much emotion into their voices when it was needed and make the scene that much more emotional/heartbreaking and powerful.


I am definitely adding the rest of the series to my tbr especially Dance With Death because that cliffhanger, what the HECK!!

#TheFlockOnTour #TheFlock #PinkFlamingoProductions

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brutal

the brutality in this story is, harsh, depraved. It's physical,.psychological, demanding,.
Anna, a dancer, is a slave to Nikolai. She learned the hard way to obey. His punishments are intense, can be deadly. She knows if she messes up it could be her last.
She has to train her next partner to obey her, to obey her master.
Ezra is defiant, fighting against his imprisonment. He plays the game, not losing his humanity.
Anna never thought she would fall in love with him, that would become her downfall.
Like I said this story is brutally intense, physically and emotionally. It gave me shivers that anyone would yield the power of life and death over them.
Jeffrey Holz and Elle Sonali performance is intense, powerful, emotional. Very well done.
🎧🎧audiobookObsession 🎧🎧 #the flock

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Good

Ah this one made my dark little heart happy! I loved it! Can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series because I’m invested now!

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4 stars

This one is interesting!
It ends in a solid cliffhanger. I don’t know why I thought this book would be a stand alone set in a series…. Like each book focuses on a new lead. This I don’t think will be the case here due to how it finishes. I feel like there’s a bit of instalove due to affection shown when there normally isn’t any. I liked this world building and I’m interested in continuing to hear more about this series as it comes to audio. 3.5/4 star listen.

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Dark romance brilliance!

I’m revealing my bias, but duet narration always gets me. I absolutely loved this story, and I’m diving into the next book as an eread. The narration was wonderful and I will be recommending this audiobook to all of my dark romance loving friends!

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Counts of Eight

This book is brutally good. The things these characters go through are just dark. It certainly sucked me in, and will suck you in, too. I can't wait for the next inseriea. The narration is beyond great. It really fleshes the story and heartache out well, making it that much more believable. Definitely worth your credit if you enjoy dark captive romances.

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Deeply Depraved

It was a little slow at times but so intense. It provokes all of the feelings and rips at your heart. The sadness, the strength, the love and the despair are all overwhelming. The narrators were amazing and did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. I can’t wait to read the next one.

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Great dark romance and fantastic narration

Throughly enjoyed this first instalment in the Four Families series by Brynn Ford. Check TW as the themes in this book are not suitable for all readers. The narration was great particularly the accents of the main characters. Would recommend to anyone who loves a dark Russian mafia book with a captive ballerina love story!

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