Corrupt

By: Penelope Douglas

Narrated by: Tatiana Sokolov, Jeremy York

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Erika: His name is Michael Crist. My boyfriend's older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He's handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team and now gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me.

Michael: Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika. My brother's girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven't had her body, I know that I have her mind. That's all I really want, anyway.

Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college. In my city. Unprotected. The opportunity is too good to be true. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they're out. We've waited. We've been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.

©2015 Penelope Douglas (P)2016 Tantor

Why did he kill the dog?

So, I love a good dark romance. I know how to suspend reality, and the overall chance of SA and revenge didn’t bother me.

However, the love interest kills a dog for no reason at the end of the book and it adds absolutely nothing to the story. I immediately regret listening.

I Just Can't

I guessI am in the minority when I say that this was okay. I couldn't finish it due to awful narration. Michael sounded as if he were her father. His voice did not as if he was someone in early or mid 20s. Female narrator has one of the MOST annoying voices in the world. I have tried books read by her and had to return. I just couldn't. Female lead character also weak, letting male characters push her around. Again, I just can't, so returned.

LOVED IT!!!

This book is full with suspense and twist and turns. There was definitely some OMG moments. I loved the scene at the house when they are waiting for Rika to show and she's not going out without a fight. Narrators did an excellent job.

A little bit psychological thriller, a little bit WTF

Sooo good in such a bad way! I’m not sure it’s a good thing that I liked this so much but I don’t really care!

WOW! Boring to “HOT”

Be patient. This book is a great ride with a slow start. Lots of characters, so a good memory is required. I would recommend!

Surprised me!

This was WAY better than I imagined/feared it would be. I remember this series being allllll over my feed when I joined the romance world on social media, and I kept putting it off, even after I fell in love with dark romance. And now, I’m kicking myself for it.
Corrupt is honestly more of a gray romance- definitely had some darker themes but nothing in the world like I figured it would. It was genuinely a great book! The boys were 100000% idiots, and the “whoops, sorry!” ticked me off royally lol, but I really loved Michael, and the chemistry between he and Rika was off the charts. I’ve heard from fellow book world friends that Damon is going to be my favorite, so onward through the series I go!

OMGOODNESS

HOLY CRAP...this book was a total rollercoaster! Every time I thought the book was good to end something else happened! The dual perspectives is something I always enjoy in a book and finding out about their past as you're going through their present with them was thrilling. There was so much depth in this book and I absolutely loved the characters. There were so many emotions involved and it was an absolute joy to follow Rika and her development throughout the story. Michael is something else all together but it was also fascinating reading about him and following his development. 10/10 recommend!

Lovable heroine, cruel hero

In the end, Michael doesn’t redeem himself anywhere close enough to warrant the HEA forced onto the story’s ending. How poor Rika so easily swept all of the years of brutality under the rug and just caved into his sexually playful advances, as his best effort at making amends, was painful to bear. IMHO, a good quarter of this book should have dealt with Michael groveling on his hands and knees, and being grateful that she ever spoke to him again, rather than having her put out for him on the same day that he had planned her utter destruction.

What was this female narrator?

This was REALLY hard to get though. Not just because of the poor storyline and characters you can’t stand, but the female narrator sounded like a sickly old Russian lady trying to portray a young girl.

I was hooked

This was so well written and a fun read. The suspense and mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. Some of the spice was a little overkill but for the most part it had a good amount of heat and a fresh take on a childhood crush.