Black Thorns

A Dark New Adult Romance (Thorns Duet, Book 2)

By: Rina Kent

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Rose Dioro, Jacob Morgan

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A bet turned into a nightmare. 

She broke my heart.
Broke me.
Broke us.
Only one thing could mend the gaping wound she left behind.
Her.
Naomi.
All mine for the taking.
All mine for owning.
All mine. 

Black Thorns is a dark new adult book that contains dubious situations some listeners might find offensive and/or triggering.

This is the last part of a duet and is not stand-alone.

©2021 Rina Kent (P)2021 Rina Kent

IT’S A TURBULENT EMOTIONAL HOT VOLCANO

I spent yesterday shocked and in awe at the unpredictable, uniquely twisted, demonically dark and unapologetically flawed relationship that developed between twenty one yr old Blackwood College Seniors Sebastian and Naomi after the dare in Book 1. And today I really didn’t think this genius of an author could do much to up her game in this book.. wow.. wow.. wow I was so wrong. After the brutal and bloody cliffhanger that ended book one, it will be seven years before Sebastian and Naomi will come face to face again.. but it’s a very different world for both of them. It’s a danger-filled world of secrets, enemies, walls, invisible boundaries, blurred lines, Mafia treachery, power-plays, mind games, misconception, malicious moves.. and pen pal Akira. As Sebastian and Naomi circle each other, their explosive kinky attraction and chemistry flares.. and the sadistic moods and lust-filled looks makes Sebastian’s bitter beast roar with revenge darkening the turbulent skies foretelling doom.. or salvation, for two totally screwed-up souls.

There’s filthy words, sex games and scorching hot claiming as the beast captures his prey.. but there’s also a wide web of twists, revelations, shocks and much more along the way too (no spoilers). And Teddy, Rose and Jacob brought the characters, the fireworks, the frenzy, the friction and the feels to life and absolutely made it a well-everything’d five star audiobook.

Worth a credit? Absolutely I loved it.. but beware it’s dark, it totally deviates from the ’normal’ romance and it’s deliciously debauched too.

Duet Review

I was so excited to start this duet I could barely stand it but I waited for part two to release before beginning book one so as not to frustrate myself with a cliffhanger. Book one in this duet was somewhat of a disappointment for me, and that was very surprising because Rina Kent is one of my absolute favorite authors. I devour everything she writes. I’m a lover of dark romance and I’m definitely not faint at heart...BUT I do not enjoy rape fantasies and the storyline was centered around that particular kink. My goal in this review isn’t to judge someone’s sexual preferences...it just makes for an unsatisfactory read when you are disturbed or turned off by said kinks. For Sebastian, sex is synonymous with violence. He loves the hunt, the begging, the infliction of pain. The way he pursued Naomi and took her virginity so cruelly was difficult for me to digest. Naomi is his toy, his good whore, his filthy slut. And she loves it. Sebastian and Naomi have traumatic pasts and dysfunctional upbringings that have molded them into the people they become. I almost stopped several times but tried to keep an open mind and give into Kent’s masterful storyline and character development. Multiple elements of suspense and intrigue propel you forward as you become a part of a different world. By the time I got to book two, I was hooked and found that my issues with the first book were almost non-existent (almost!!). Naomi and Sebastian went to hell and back and grew so much individually and as a couple. Their HEA was hard fought and well-deserved. Fantastic narration that truly elevates the story! Is this my favorite Kent book? No. Would I recommend? Yes, unless you don’t think you would enjoy due to above-stated issues.

Rina Kent is amazing!!

loved the series and loved that she used some of the characters from her other series royal elite. loved Teddy Hamilton's narration. All in all to fight for love is always a book worthy of reading.

Perfection

I absolutely loved the second half of Naomi and Sebastian’s story. Despite having some questions at the start, by the end every hurt is soothed and every detail explored to it’s conclusion, the standout being the identity of the elusive third narrator Akira. Early on, it’s clear that there are changes. One minute, he is the forthright and filthy pen pal. The next chapter, he is cold and aloof. For the longest time, I couldn’t decide if I hated him or if he was simply misunderstood. The reality is perfectly devious. It’s a great moment.

One thing that is maintained in both books is the couple’s penchant for deviance and the taboo. If you are triggered by certain acts between consenting adults, you may not enjoy reading about what couples get up to in houses, on decks, on rocks, in the forest, etc. if you’re like me and agree people can share and enjoy their bodies however they choose, then, also like me, you will enjoy the shear novelty of what takes places between these sheets. I didn’t find a single moment unsavory, but I enjoy reading on the darker side of the spectrum. You may also agree that Kent affords more leeway in what Nao and Sebastian experience as a couple because of how deliciously depraved she allow them to be in Red Thorns. It’s almost a free pass, and it’s truly inspired.

Don’t wait to read it!

I truly loved these books, absolutely amazing.

I loved everything about these books. I could rave about them forever, but I'll just boil it down to this: these two love each other with a crazy, feverish, demented, amazingly beautiful mentality, and it's my own dream. I think that's why I love it so much, the fierceness with which they care for one another even when separated for so long was swoon-worthy. I love these two characters so much. The Akira thing threw me off a few times, I knew it wasn't what Naomi thought in the beginning of this book but I ended up being right all along (as I'm sure most people were since it's kind of obvious but the author manages to throw in a few monkey wrenches to make you doubt yourself). Again, AMAZING BOOKS. Not for the faint of heart, not for those that can't understand someone else's kink and respect it, but SO worth it for those that can.

Excellent narrative performance

Fabulous actors, Teddy, Rose, and Jacob, brought Sebastian and Naomi's romance to life. This book takes place seven years later when Sebastian re-encounters Naomi and decides to insert himself in her life and husband's due her ill-fated departure. This was an angst, more emotional story with the usual dose of Kent mystery, and there is definitely more to it than an enemies to lovers match up.

I loved Sebastian's character and the re-introduction of favorites of past books including Ashe and Knox. And Nate just seemed heavenly. Less a fan of the heroine this time, especially after book one, though I loved the Japanese cultural references and their creative influences.

The three actors' portrayal of the main characters and influential Akira was sublime. Whether in character, switching to side characters, or simple narration of thoughts, they had huge range and excellent inflection so that everyone felt individual and distinct. Additionally, I liked the rendition of accents, light Japanese interlaced with American accents, though I can’t attest to their authenticity. Overall, I enjoyed the audiobook performance more than I could have achieved reading of the book itself, definitely produced a great mental depiction to further boost the story's appeal.

DARK ROMANCE MUST LISTEN!! #Scorching

What can I say, man? This book. This duet! Rina Kent pushed the boundaries of what I considered dark romance and gave me a storyline, characters, and love that I won’t soon forget. 

Black Thorns picks up where Red Thorns left off on that *massive* cliffhanger and from there it’s a rollercoaster of events and emotions that culminate in epically calculated revelations that I never saw coming. Sebastian claimed my heart in the previous book, but he absolutely seared himself onto my bookish soul in this book. His love and hunger for Naomi is so dark and twisted, but just….*swoon!* This duet was Rina Dialed up to MAX volume. I couldn’t get enough! Dark romance lovers, this is a true MUST READ!! 

Narration was performed by Teddy Hamilton and Rose Dioro and featuring Jacob Morgan. First of all, OH MY GOD. This was casting was spot on! Secondly, I am forever changed. I was used to Teddy Hamilton as my go-to for swoony, sweet heroes, but DAMN! I am forever changed. Teddy as this slightly depraved, deliciously dirty hero was EVERYTHING I didn’t know I needed. Credit worthy just right there, but then you add in the fabulous narration by Rose Dioro (her accents are just effortlessly good) and the sprinkle of yum we call Jacob Morgan, and this is an audio and duet that is not to be missed!

Okay

I liked this but I think I hyped myself for this too much 😔 the story progression was okay and some parts seemed convenient, but omfg I hate Naomi so much as a character and I lost some respect for Sebastian. Also, was really hoping for MFM with Akira lol. The mispronunciation of Japanese words grated hard on my ears too much but I still have to give props to Rose for her consistent effort.

Really Great Ending to a Duet

Black Thorns by Rina Kent

Formats Read: Ebook & Audiobook

I Give this Book a 4-4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 4.

No Spoilers.
This Review mainly is going to be Rating list for Book & Audiobook, due to not wanting to spoil anything about this book. Cause if I start I’ll end up giving things away 🤣😅

HEA(?): Yes!
Relationship Type: MF
Dark(?): Not to me, no :)
Heat: 4/5, Loved the heat that is in this book, but it’s not the focus ☺️
Romance: 4.5-5/5
Pacing: Mid, pacing is pretty good throughout, I do wish I did have Naomi’s POV at certain points but then again I liked how it went anyways ☺️
Drama: 3.5-4/5
Suspense: 3.5-4/5

I’m need Mio’s Book So Bad!! 😍

Audiobook Review:
Overall: 4.5/5, Listing as 5 in audiobook format.
Narrator: Teddy Hamilton, Jacob Morgan & Rose Dioro
Performance: 4.5-5/5
Story: 4-4.5/5

I sincerely love all of these Narrators, they captured each character very well.

Complete Perfection!

OMG I loved this book! This was a WILD ride! I laughed, I cried, I rage, I celebrated... literally ALL the feels! This is definitely in my top fav Rina books! This duet was everything! Absolutely everything!

Meh 🫤

Love ❤️ the narrators. The story not so much. It was not very balanced in details. It had a whole lot of detailed sadistic behaviour, but the rest of the story was either lacking details, kept as a mystery from the reader or summarised by one of the characters to save time (it seems). It seems like all the many sex scenes took up too many pages of the book, which didn’t leave much room for the rest of the story. I love smut in a story like the next person, but I also love a well balance story or else I may as well just watch porn.

The best so far

I’ve literally read all of Rina Kent’s books but this series is the best so far. I recommend reading but it’s definitely not for the faint heart. LOVED IT

Really enjoyed this duet.

I really enjoyed both books in this duet and I liked the characters. There were many emotional highs and lows. The narrators were great. I have been enjoying this writer's stories.

Yet another explosive duet

One thing you'll almost always get from this author is the opposite of the thing you expected. I always think it's going to go one way but every single time I'm swerved. And still surprised by it. This was certainly what I'd describe as an emotional rollercoaster. It picks up right where Red Thorns left off, so as such nothing will be revealed plot wise, except to say I never saw not one of those twists coming and I'm amazed at how it all played out. Ms. Kent got me again and I cannot wait for what's coming next. I volunteered to listen and review a complimentary copy of this. All opinions are my own.