Dishonorable

De: Natasha Knight

Narrado por: Michael Pauley

Sofia

I knew little of Raphael Amado's history with my family, but when he turned up on our doorstep demanding restitution, my grandfather quickly conceded. That restitution? Me.

Six months later, on my 18th birthday, Raphael came for me. He stole me from my home, taking me to his Tuscan estate, where from the crumbling chapel to the burnt-down vineyard, to the cellar that haunted him, the past stalked him like a shadow. It waited for him, hid behind corners for him and trapped him at every turn.

As much as Raphael's cruelty terrified me, his darkness seduced me. But in the end, it was his tenderness that devastated me.

Raphael

Sofia came to me like an offering. Like a virgin to be sacrificed at the altar. But truth was, her grandfather betrayed her. I guess we had that in common. He'd screwed me too.

I knew hate. I'd vowed vengeance. This was never supposed to be about anything else. But in the end, her innocence broke me. The very thing I would destroy, destroyed me.

©2017 Natasha Knight (P)2017 Natasha Knight

Dark and beautiful

This story is long, twisting and oh so good. Be warned though, this is not your everyday dark romance, the love doesn’t sweep you away, it doesn’t win outright. This story is a sad and yet utterly gratifying romance.

If you have any issues with possessive and brutal sex scenes this may not be the story for you.

Debts Must Be Paid

I know it seems like an outdated concept but marrying off the young virgins in the family to settle a debt, especially mafia debt, never goes quite as intended. So this is sorta kinda a mafia romance but not really, there is some indirect mafia interaction. But it certainly is a dark romance and a really good one. Natasha Knight is amazing at weaving complex love stories that requires a little twistedness to really get into. So I guess I am one twisted sister because I like her books and I really like this one. Raphael has his demons he's battling while also fighting his attraction to the very young and innocent sofia who has agreed to marry him to settle her Grandfather's debt. Now how's a guy suppose to resist a young, sweet, innocent girl with a heart of gold? Sofia makes awfully difficult for Raphael to use her for his revenge.

Michael Pauley is a good narrator and sometimes gets really dramatic -- which I totally love -- at intense moments. He is just not very good at the female voices, but he's so good emoting I'll forgive him for that.

This listen is absolutely worth every penny I spent. Can't wait for the next dark romance from Ms. Knight.

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Great Story, Steamy Romance

Nice, plot, characters and ratio of story vs sex. Michael Pauley did a nice job of narration. However, I prefer narration when an actual woman does the woman's script. It kind of ruins it for me when a guy does both parts. Michael Pauley has a very sexy male voice for Rafael. It was very pleasing.

Not believable

I find these stories, all of them from this author, so fanstatical! I mean how do so many of these women leads "fall for" men who buy them as slaves! or men who beat them with belt or basically rape them? this is crazy! In this book for example an 18 yr old girl is sold from her school to a man who treats her like a dog ...but when she is being trafficked she strikes up a normal as hell convo with her owner. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE YOU ALL!

What a Combo: Natasha Knight + Michael Pauley!

What a great combo to have dark romance author Natasha Knight choose the talented voice actor, Michael Pauley, to narrate “Dishonorable”.

Contrary to the title, the story does not involve military or former military personnel. “Dishonorable” tells the story of an 18-year-old winery heiress who is arranged by her elderly grandfather to marry a 24-year-old Italian winery “heir” who is an angry, manipulative biker type. The reasons for the marriage of convenience are only partially known, but become critical to the story’s conflict. His twin brother, a Catholic seminarian; and her sister, a teenager in boarding school, have back stories as well.

All four young people in the book have long histories of abuse by scheming relatives. A few questionable Italian power/money brokers, crafty lawyers, and law enforcement authorities are thrown in for good measure. It’s an interesting set-up for an interesting story, with two follow-up books in the series focusing on other characters from the first book.

Without exaggeration, Michael Pauley as voice actor is as important to the books he narrates — including this one — as the books themselves. He is more responsive to the text and emotional rhythms of stories than any other narrator in this genre. In the case of “Dishonorable”, his masculine, raw, and edgy voice fits perfectly with the dark themes, traumatic events, and dialogue.

It is because of Mr. Pauley’s very physical efforts to communicate ideas and the wildly fluctuating feelings of his characters that convinces the reader of his total immersion into the stories he narrates. That the physicality of his performance is so apparent in an audio-only format speaks volumes about his talent. He is a real gem, and more authors would be wise to choose him as voice performer for their books.

Trigger Warning: Ms. Knight’s work is always twisted and dark in the extreme, so survivors may find “Dishonorable” too triggering. For others, I highly recommend the book’s content and especially, the narrative performance of Mr. Pauley.

The Bad Guy's

My goodness... Bad boys, bad Dad's Bad Grand Dads..Dad's... It's a family thing. The Characters were good but hit & miss with action. h was getting on my nerves... Aw... he's a gangster... they don't play nice. SMH. Good but I did struggle a little to finish.

Dark and Sexy

What did you love best about Dishonorable?

I loved the transformation of the characters throughout the story. It starts off pretty rough and gritty and is definitely darker than my normal books, but it kept me captivated and wanting more. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had simply read the story. Michael Pauley's narration really made this book.

What other book might you compare Dishonorable to and why?

Honestly, I have never listened to/read a book like this, so I have nothing to compare it to. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it based solely on the blurb, but I'm so glad I went for it because Michael Pauley was phenomenal as Raphael.

Which character – as performed by Michael Pauley – was your favorite?

No question - Raphael. Michael Pauley was amazing and his narration was incredible, especially during some of the more emotional scenes. Raphael is such a complex anti-hero and there was so much emotion and feeling in Michael Pauley's performance. I couldn't wait to get back to Raphael's chapters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't want to be too spoilery, but the cellar scene was both terrifying and extremely emotional. It was like a car crash that you can't turn away from.

Any additional comments?

Michael Pauley performing Sofia was OK, but I really don't think it's possible for a man with such a deep and masculine voice to pull it off well. His Raphael though is definitely worth the credit!

An epic journey full of hurt, betrayal and passion

Any additional comments?

Natasha Knight is one of those authors I heard everyone rave about, and with DISHONORABLE I finally took the plunge. And OMG, what a ride it was!! Sinful and dark; captivating and gritty; emotional and suspenseful. My, my, such an intense and riveting story! …that kind of story that makes it unable to pull away and participate in the real world. I didn’t want to stop listening to the audio book. And now I’m sad it’s over already – letting go of these characters definitely is not easy.

Raphael Amado embodies everything I love about a dark male character. Complex, demanding, possessive and primal – all while being sexy as hell. A man that went from ranging hot to ice-cold in a blink of an eye – first having you swoon over him and then hating him with all your heart within an instant. I felt inexplicably drawn to him from the start, even without knowing his intentions. He is pained and agonized and had gone to his own personal hell the last six years. His soul blackened over this period of time, all of his light evaporated with the horror he had to endure – and now he is out for one thing only: revenge. He is out for blood and goes for the purest possible soul. Never in a million years would he have guessed that this pure and innocent girl will ultimately be the one that brings him to his knees.

Sofia Guardia may be young and sheltered, even somewhat naïve, but do not make the mistake thinking of her as easily breakable, because she is not. She herself had felt terrible loss in her short life, but that does not deter her from her positive outlook on life – until an overheard conversation informs her that her life is going to change drastically – and forever.

While Sofia and Raphael’s path is anything but conventional, spiked with pain and even more heartbreak, it also holds a sliver of hope and passion – and maybe even … love?
Secrets are revealed, slowly and methodically, countless ups and downs have to be endured, but one thing soon becomes obvious: These two were made for one another.

Raphael fulfills needs Sofia never even realized she had and she slowly reveals the good that is still left in him, who thinks himself to be an evil monster, showing and giving him the love he desperately craves. She has to bend a lot for Raphael, but she never breaks, always on a quest to solve the mystery that surrounds him, to lessen the pain that drives him. And Raphael, truly domineering with his take-no-prisoners ways, wants her, more than he first realized – and he is going to do everything in his might to keep her.

The sexual tension is off the charts, their passion palpable, all the while the emotional connection becomes stronger and stronger and turns something forbidden and ugly into something beautiful.

Taking place between vineyards of two different families, this book takes you on a journey full of hurt, betrayal, passion and nail-biting suspense. The story is dangerous and cuts deep.

The audio book the dual POV is narrated by Michael Pauley in a beautiful and powerful way. Listening to his deep rumbling voice adds another intoxicating layer to the story, which brings to life the characters in the most perfect way.

Now I am hoping that the audio book for DISGRACED will be published soon after the release of the book itself, which is due mid-May. I cannot wait!!

Phenomenal Read!!

I so loved this book. It was raw, gritty, entertaining, sexy. Everything I love in a book.
Raphael was such an intense character. He had deep wounds and was so afraid and felt unworthy to accept love from someone. Sofia needed someone to love. She loved her sister, but they were separated while she was in school, and then Sofia was shipped off to marry Raphael.
It was the best thing that ever happened to her though. Raphael thought all the things he did to her would make her hate him and in turn it drew her to him. And him to her. She was more of a woman than he thought.
This is definitely a superb read. U’ll love the characters, their relationship development and all the gritty sex they have.
I read the last book in the series first on accident and I’m super glad I read this one next. Now it’s on to Damon. I hope his book is as good.