God of Pain

By: Rina Kent

Narrated by: James Joseph, Mackenzie Cartwright, Shane East, Jason Clarke, Desiree Ketchum

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

From USA Today best-selling author Rina Kent comes a new stand-alone grumpy-sunshine college romance.

I made a terrible mistake.

Being a mafia princess, I knew my fate was already decided.

But I went ahead and longed for the wrong one.

Creighton King is bad news with a gorgeous exterior.

He’s silent, brooding, and obviously emotionally unavailable.

So I thought it was over.

Until he awakens a beast inside me.

My name is Annika Volkov, and I’m Creighton's worst enemy.

He won’t stop until he breaks me.

Or I break him.

This book can be listened to on its own.

©2022 Rina Kent (P)2022 Rina Kent

Love this story

Story:
I am obsessed! This is literally one of my favorite books of the RK world- I just adored it. It’s just such a compelling and addictive story- the character arcs, the drama, the intricate ways the secondary characters come into play, the chemistry. But most of all, it’s surprisingly sweet, Rina’s most darkly swoony with some epically romantic Romeo and Juliet vibes.

I had been so desperate for Anni’s story because her parents are my favorite Rina couple ever, but then she goes and pairs Anni with another favorite couple’s son- and while our prior pair had some of the worst of their parents’ characteristics, these two ended up more with soft and tender hearts of their mothers’. This couple is everything! A sweet, grumpy sunshine on the surface with a more hidden submissive-sadist connection - they are so delicious! The chemistry is just so great- I love how they bring each other out in their own ways. Creighton makes Anni more independent and brave and self-assured, and she makes him feel lighter and more content. And I love the juxtaposition of their world and their sexual tastes with actually how innocent and sweet their relationship is. Like she’s so in love with him and so vulnerable about it, and he’s so obsessed with her and over the top and it’s kinda sweet and super swoony. They are just SO endearing and compelling together.

Rina also is really amplifying the ensemble dynamic and I am here for it! Each secondary character playing their part and catalyzing or creating obstacles for this couple. For the parents, we get so much GREAT nostalgic content (Adrian and Aiden in the same story! I’m in heaven!) No one outshines the others (or the main couple), but they all sparkle in their own way, and just when I’m like overly obsessed with one, someone else comes along and steals my heart. I was already fascinated by Jer but I am RAVENOUS for him now- his darkness and protectiveness with his sister, gonna be so yummy with his love interest. But the PARENTS. MY GOD. Pitch perfect. I really love how Rina is making the parents flawed even in parenthood, letting them be the true characters we know. Aiden is stil a PYSCHO, Adrian is still a controlling ruthless mafioso, so OF COURSE they aren’t gonna be perfect, loving, Hallmark parents. But they show up for their kids in ways that are just right for them- and I live for those full circle moments.

Without revealing much Rina does some great things narratively that really let us saturate in this couple and the looming conflict- including a great twist that flips this story around. I loved the tension, getting to see them grapple with it, getting to explore it from multiple emotional angles (with each other, in isolation, with their families), and it just made the conflict feel more emotionally heavier. It also sets up some amazing character arcs. The way they understand themselves and each other gives them a lot of complexity. There are real “coming of age” moments, but obviously with the big ole Rina weighty addition of them facing some dark stuff. I loved how their connection to one another was the catalyst to exploring parts of themselves they didn’t fully understand, and ultimately was the catalyst to them facing the baggage they each had.

I AM SERIOUSLY LOVING this second gen series- it’s truly the best compilation of that various tropes and strengths in the various connected series Rina has done, like the most decadent buffet of all my favorite Rina things.

Performance:
Loved having so many narrators- and getting the parents' voices- Adrian! Ah! Annika's narration was perfection- Mackenzie Cartwright captured all the energy and emotion of Annika- her spirit. And I loved James Joseph carefully captured the thinly controlled stoicism of Creighton with the undercurrent of intensity. He wasn't quite what I imagined for Creighton accent wise, but still brought all the energy I wanted for our Cray Cray.

Grumpy Sunshine Indeed

I didn’t notice the post-colon title until writing this review; it is not just a “Legacy of Gods” book, but God of Pain is also a “grumpy sunshine college romance.” It makes it sound a bit sweeter than it actually is, and lord knows that Cray Cray was portrayed as a nearly mute grunter in the last book, so I was pleased to see he had a bit more going on than just Oscar living in the trash can in his head….

So: super sweet, crowd-pleaser girl (masochist—lol don’t I know it!) is attracted to another sadist (slightly less sociopathic than Killian), and I guess we are supposed to go along with the tying up, spanking, and whipping of Miss Daisy Sunshine Pants. This guy takes possession to levels I was deeply uncomfortable with, but Annicka’s family life sort of primed her to become a captive to a caveman someday, so yeah.

The pace and spice kept this one grooving along. I only skipped a few chapters. Highly recommend listening while doing the most banal domestic tasks. It helped.

Terrible story and the narrators did not help :/

Rina Kent didn’t want to write this story, did she? It seems so repetitive to God of Malice with zero new elements. Also, what’s up with the mmc’s voice? He sounds a bit… dumb…

More for the the younger audience

It started quite nice but when things are heating up, it is a bit awkward and does not add up with the plot . More for the 20-30 year readers

✨ 4.25 ✨

God of Pain was an absolutely entertaining, spicy and emotional read. I definitely enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one in the series, as these characters and their romance had a lot more depth and passion in my opinion.

I was able to listen to the audiobook at the same time as well and I have to say that the narrators did a fantastic job and definitely immersed me in the story more.

This is the second book in the Legacy of Gods series and while the main characters of this book are the second generation of the Royal Elite series and the Deception trilogy, those are not needed to be read before starting this one. The family tree and background of these characters were well detailed and explained in this book.

I would highly recommend though, checking the content and trigger warnings before reading.

It is dual POVs of the main characters, Creighton and Annika, and has some amazing tropes like: grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, an innocent heroine and a dark romance.

The overall plot and storyline were beautifully written and well-paced. There were some heartfelt, amusing, action-packed, angsty and heartbreaking moments. There were also some twists that I was not expecting, but definitely pulled on my heart strings and made me tear up a bit.

I will say though, there were a few subplots that weren’t as explored as I would have liked and somewhat rushed at the end, like Annika’s OCD.

The romance and development between Creighton and Annika was fantastic. Their tension, chemistry and spice was perfectly written and explored. I just loved how different but compatible they were; they definitely brought out the best in each other. Creighton’s possessiveness and jealousy was also my favorite.

There were definitely a few similarities with Creighton and Annika’s romance to their parents, which I actually really loved.

I also liked all the hints and snippets to the other potential couples in the series. It definitely made me more curious on where their stories are heading.

The banter and group chat between all the guys was absolutely hilarious as well. This book definitely seemed to focus more on Creighton’s side and group, which I didn’t mind.

I gotta say that my favorite moment was the confrontation between Aiden (Creighton’s father) and Adrian (Annika’s father). So intense but hot as hell. I also just loved Adrian’s chapter, he will always be one of my favorite characters.

The ending was a bit rushed but still good. The epilogue also gave a few hints to the next book in the series and was honestly just the perfect conclusion for Creighton and Annika’s story.

Overall, just a fantastic and enjoyable read and audiobook.

Outstanding Story & Narration🎧 Riveting & Intense

Rina Kent continues to wow me with another amazing novel set in her “Legacy” world, a series of standalone novels that feature different offspring of characters from earlier series. You do not need to have read or listened to those books to enjoy these because everything you need to know is in the descriptive details. This “opposite attract”, grumpy sunshine romance is Annika Volkov and Creighton King’s story and holy moly what a story it is! Annika is a mafia princess and the only daughter of Adrian and Lia Volkov, she has lived a sheltered life and the only reason she could attend art school at Royal Elite University aka REU was because her brother, Jeremy, who attends The King’s U on the same island has a safe place for her to live and he could look out for her. Creighton is one of Aiden and Elsa King’s son, he and his brother Eli are attending REU together on Brighton Island in the UK, the same school Annika attends. Her brother may be rivals with Creighton and his friends, but that does not stop her interest in him. Creighton is a man of few words, but Annika talks enough for the both of them. There is great chemistry between these two and he tries to fight it, thinking he is too dark for her, but she surprises him with having a dark side of her own. Creighton’s past haunts him and still has nightmares of what happened that one tragic night, his parents never talked about it so he is looking into it himself and what he uncovers blows his mind and throws him into the deep end and he is set out for revenge. I loved the layers to this story and the web Rina Kent wove, especially when it unravels. This brilliantly plotted story contains plenty of drama, angst, some twists and turns, thrilling and suspenseful moments, and some steamy hot romance with a side of kink. Rina Kent, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the wonderful narration is performed by a brilliantly talented cast. James Joseph and Mackenzie Cartwright do an amazing job portraying Creighton and Annika. They are joined by Shane East who returns in his role as Aiden King, Jason Clarke returning as Adrian Volkov and Desiree Ketchum as Lia. These versatile voice artists are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. They have a complete understanding of the characters they are portraying, give each a voice that suits their character’s persona perfectly sounding believable in their perspective roles. They set the perfect tone for the story and capture all the character’s emotions and project them in to their performance. Thank you for another exceptional listen.

A great and addictive story!

This book was crazy intense and insanely addictive, once I started listening I couldn't put it down!

Rina Kent really knows how to keep you glued to your kindle and in my case I was lucky enough to listened to the audiobook as well and let me tell you the narrators did a fantastic job bringing a different edge to this story. FANTASTIC, I have no other words to describe this story.

I knew Creighton's story was going to be intense based on his personality but I didn't expect his darkness to run so deep. His past was a shocking revelation to me.

Annika was such a great character. She was not the brat Creighton though she was. She was a ray of sunshine he never thought he could feel and once he decided she was his there was no stopping. Their relation was intense, dark and full of passion. Annika truly showed Creighton that she was not breakable at all and that she could match all his defiant tastes.

The revelations in this book were truly shocking and they took me totally by surprise, amazing plot twist!

Dark, twisty and steamy!

"God of Pain" is a dark, steamy story that took me on a rollercoaster ride of events and emotions.
Annika and Creighton's story was dark, twisty and I loved every word.

Annika is a mafia princess and has had her whole life planned for her. When she is finally to break
somewhat free, she attends university in England. There she meets the quiet and always brooding
Creighton. Creighton has his own demons from his past that he is battling and wants to avenge. Annika
is intrigued by Creighton and even though he warns her to stay away, she is still drawn to him and his
other interests.

I could not put this story down. I loved the innocence and strength of Annika. A mafia Princess needs to be tough, and she absolutely was. Annika never backed down from a challenge and that included anything to do with Creighton. Creighton might have a tough exterior shell and some dark tendencies, but he's a softie for Annika, even if he doesn't want to admit it. These two are the perfect grumpy and sunshine combo. The twists and turns Rina Kent threw in had me threw a loop and I loved every one of them.

James Joseph and Mackenize Cartwright were phenomenal as Creighton and Annika. James was the perfect choice to bring the broody Creighton. This was one of my favorite performances by Mackenzie. Annika had so many emotions to bring to life and she was so good.

One of my favorite universes

I am absolutely obsessed with Rina Kent at this point. I loved Creighton and Annika so much. The story had so much spice and the twists at the end with the plot were crazy! I genuinely did not know what was going to happen next in this book but I was happy to be along for the ride

God of Pain indeed!

I liked it a lot, but Killian is still my favorite so far.

Creighton, what a life he lived. I’m really glad to have gotten to hear his story. As the quiet one of the bunch, I knew there’d be some trauma.

Annika surprised me, I thought being so young and bubbly that she would annoy me. But I actually grew to really like I her.

I’m excited to read the next one!

Disappointing, souless

I like dark, dark, cruel romances - but what’s missing in this book is the romance. The male lead’s grudge, obsession and consuming jealousy are believable and consistent - horribly disturbed, but convincing. It’s the female character’s feelings for him that are puzzling, and nothing in the story-telling helps me to understand and believe in them.
I didn’t enjoy this at all.

Creighton & Annika

Creighton and Annika are complete opposites that match each other perfectly. Creighton is grumpy, quiet and broody; Annika is happy, chatty and friendly. Together they are explosive, the understand each other and what makes each other tick. When old secrets resurface the truce between enemies ends and they are faced with unimaginable decisions.

This book touches the subjects of bdsm, child abuse, violence and depression. But amongst all the chaos there’s also banter and romance. What a combination!!!

James Joseph as Creighton brings the best and worst of this character to life. Creighton is no angel but his voice is perfection.
Mackenzie Cartwright’s narration of Annika is superbly acted.
Shane East, Jason Clark and Desiree Ketchum make a special appearance.

beauty and the beast but make it mafia

You could say I loved this book. I mean my TikTok watch history and liked list may beg to differ that I may even in fact loved this book. I mean why wouldn't I the grumpy and the sunshine falling in love. The plot twist that had me crying so hard I had to make a TikTok about it. Or how about the British accent that had me to my knees every time this man said something dirty. When I say I'm obsessed would be an understatement. They are my favorite in the series. Come on she's literally one of the most amazing people I have ever read. She literally thinks about others before herself. Literally doesn't have a selfish bone in her body. I love Annika so much and no matter how good the plot twist she didn't deserve what she got. She deserved to get her happy ending. As for Creighton babes don't get me started. This man is truly demented in the best way possible. Is he the most psychotic out of the group. The answer is: No. Is he my favorite male lead in the series. The answer is: Yes. I mean Nikolai falls a close second. The books was an amazing. Let me take you through the emotional journey I had while listening to this audio book. I was literally begging for him to even speak to her. I was literally overjoyed when they finally started having even a little conversation. I was literally on my knees for this man the minute they smashed the first time. I was literally pinning to have a man that loved me like he did. Going out of his way to listen to what she had to say. Getting out his comfort zone for her. Now when that 50% mark hit I was ready to throw my laptop across my room. I had tears that one can argue never stopped running for 10 minutes. When she had to pick herself up I was fighting back tears. When he got her back but all she wanted for him was to let those scars go I truly wanted to give up my life for them. I wanted them to never have to carry the burden they did. We are literally around the same age. This book truly was the highlight of my weekend and a book I don't think could ever forget like literally it scarred my heart. When I read about them in the other series I literally go crazy just to see them. This was an amazing introduction to Rina Kent and I'm not disppointed. I can't wait to continue on with the series.

Absolutely fantastic

5*
Creighton is the quiet one of the group he doesn't speak unless he has something to say, but given the right incentives he speaks with his  actions instead.
Annika has a fascination with Creighton despite his warnings she doesn't seem to be able to keep away.
Another great story the twists involved certainly had me drawn in.
I loved this Audio The storyline the narrators definitely one to listen too.

Another deliciously dark and twisted read!

I want to start this review by saying that the narrators did a fantastic job with this audiobook! Their voices fit perfectly to the characters and really brought them to life.

I've been looking forward to Annika's and Creigh's book ever since reading book 1 in this series and it did not disappoint. This book was super spicy and steamy... it was HOT!

We get grumpy/sunshine, a trope I love, but with a dark twist and I was here for it. Creighton King is just that... a king! I loved how possessive and protective of Anni he was but also how sweet and soft he got around her, especially how much comfort she brought to him. It was so cute to read about.

I did not predict the turn this book took after the halfway mark and I can only say, how does Rina Kent come up with this stuff??!

Overall such a good steamy, dark and twisted time... I mean it's a Rina Kent book so when isn't it🤷‍♀️ I loved seeing more of the characters we know and love from the previous generation of books as well as characters I'm excited to read more about in this series.

Can't wait to continue the series... Jeremy and Cecily, I'm ready!

Annika and Creighton Audiobook 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Audio book 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this audiobook and it touched my heart because Rina kent brought back the parents of the characters, And I can say that I was really moved to hear the voice of my favorite characters back like Aiden, Adrian and Lia, Who is fan and loves the characters to have the narrators back is very nostalgic as i said i got emotional yes and i screamed hearing the voice of my dear and favorite Aiden King.

I really liked creig's voice especially when he says small purple, I'm not going to lie and I'm going to confess that I didn't like the voice of the actress who plays annika, not that the actress doesn't do a good job because yes she's amazing more for feeling that doesn't suit annika.

This book is WONDERFUL and after reading the 3 of the Legacys of God Series I can say that this is the best one so far in terms of History, as it has many events that make us crazy to see how the story will end and I love that feeling. what makes me love books.

Next to it is an excerpt from the very cute BOOK
This was the Review I wrote as soon as I read the book

First of all, I need to talk about how I've waited so long for this book and in the last week before its release, I couldn't do anything but think about this book.
Yes, I'm addicted to rina kent's books.
But just thinking about finding my favorite thinks AidenElsa, yes they are my favorites and Eli is my 2nd gen love so imagine how I was and not to mention I love Adrian Lia.
I mean, I almost died from anxiety.

So let's go to the review, I swear what I have to say is that I didn't expect anything that happened that was the best part of me that book was intense and made me cry.

I loved Annika and Creig Since God of Malice, she is the sweetest and not afraid to go after what she wants and I fell in love with her love for her family, it was the most beautiful thing to see.
What to say about Creig oh my god
Hot omg he took my breath away in this book, I got really mad at him at some point but I understand what he went through.
I love that he always looked up to anni but wanted to protect her from him.

This book is for anyone who likes an intense and passionate story.

Best moments
- Kiss on the rain
- Cray cray seeing anni in another woman's face and realizing he wants her.
- Every moment between the two is my favorite
- every time eli and cray and anni and jer
-Aiden and Adrian
- I loved seeing my favorite family and seeing how much Aiden loves his kids, they are the best.
and now i'm going to count the days for the next book cecily and jeremy
- another thing that doesn't get out of my head is the other couples mainly

Spicy hot

The Legacy children are as dark and dirty as their parents. Creighton and Annika are hot and steamy. Creigh was more a possessive and broody arse than a grumpy sunshine. One of my favorite types of anti-hero. Initially distant and cold toward Annika, and well, everyone really, he can't get her out of his head and becomes obsessed. Annika is young and naive, yet not innocent enough to know the ways of the family. She gets to explore her darker side.

I enjoyed the audio with primary narration by James Joseph and Mackenzie Cartwright, with special appearances by Jason Clarke, Shane East, and Desiree Ketchum. James and Mackenzie capture Creighton and Annika's personalities and give them life. I can't wait to start the next in the series.

Creigh & Anni

Story: 3.5⭐️
Steam: 5🔥 heavy smut, see content list
Audio: 5 🎧

CONTENT AT BOTTOM OF REVIEW! Also make sure you read the authors note before reading.

First of all, the way Rina Kent writes is just addictive. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of this series! This book I enjoyed but not as much as book one. It did feel a bit repetitive and I lost interest a few times while reading. I think maybe it’s just too long and could’ve been reduced by a lot. I like Creighton and Anni but I did feel like it dragged a bit.

As with book one, I didn’t really enjoy the cameo POV chapters from the main characters parents. I also feel like the nicknames in this series are awful 😂 little purple? Not feeling it. Lan and Bran? I don’t know why but I hate it so much 😂 on that note, if Brandon and Niko aren’t end game I will RIOT.

CONTENT WARNING: suicidal thoughts, SUB/DOM dynamic

A fun read, an even better listen!

I devoured this book in like two days when it initially released. But this audiobook was leaps and bounds better! I should’ve known because James Joseph & Shane East narration never misses, but the full narration cast was a 10/10!

Creigh & Annika served everything we love like grumpy/sunshine, praise, and dark college romance, all with a side of super swoony date scenes and softness. That’s right, Creigh & Anni actually go on dates, and I loved seeing Anni’s character growth throughout the book.

Intense

This is the second book in the series and can be listened to as a standalone


I found the characters to be intense and well fleshed out.


The storyline was interesting and compelling



The narrators performed an emotional and heart felt audio delivery and narration.


Definitely recommend