Sovereign

Acquisition Series

By: Celia Aaron

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Robyn Verne

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The Acquisition has ruled my life, ruled my every waking moment since Sinclair Vinemont first showed up at my house offering an infernal bargain to save my father's life. Now I know the stakes. The charade is at an end, and Sinclair has far more to lose than I ever did. But this knowledge hasn't strengthened me.

Instead, each revelation breaks me down until nothing is left but my fight and my rage. As I struggle to survive, only one question remains. How far will I go to save those I love and burn the Acquisition to the ground?

Full disclosure: This book is a DARK romance with elements of BDSM, slavery, violence, and super-hot sex. It is the last of the Acquisition trilogy, no cliffhanger. If you're good with these caveats, enjoy!

©2016 Celia Aaron (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Great But Very Violent

Wow. I just couldn't put this one down. This whole series has been this way. So well written I couldn't stop listening except to sleep. And even that was hard.

These characters are so well developed, complicated enough to hate them and love them at the same time. This messed up family actually sees the light somehow. And it's Stella that can save them but at the risk of her own life. How much does she have to lose for it?

Every time you think you know what's going to happen it doesn't and something beyond your comprehension happens. The Acquisition Trials are hideous and scary but to Stella they are her testaments to her strength. But seriously, how much can she handle?

I love Stella and how her story played out. There were times I wanted to take her myself and run away with her. I wanted to cry for her and cheer her on. If I could have kicked Dylan in the nuts I would have myself. What she endured for the lives of others was amazing.

Sinclair was a complicated man. Many sides to his character and it wasn't until the end that I finally liked him. I think. The roller coaster Stella rode for him but it was all for her and his family.

I was glad to learn about Rebecca and see a good natured side to her. That was important to me in the story. Her voice rounded out the need for the brothers actions.

Stephen Dexter and Robyn Verne were exceptional with the delivery of the story

DARK AND TWISTED PERFECTION

This phenomenal author’s gut-wrenching last book in this dark trilogy has Stella training, preparing for and then competing in the final two chilling and nerve-wracking ‘trials’ which shocked and shook me as the barbaric twisted bloody games continued to see who would be crowned Sovereign.. and who would die. And, as Stella and Sin’s rollercoaster relationship continued to reach epic highs and heartaching lows, the twists just kept coming and coming and didn’t stop.

The pulse-pounding action, the edge of your seat tension and the nail-biting suspense bled through every well-paced riveting chapter. I held my breath at times, lost it at other points and sighed in relief when things went well for Stella and Sin. But there was still drama and angst over the months in between the bouts of bloody horrors inflicted by the twisted cruel monsters of the Sovereign ruled privileged Southern aristocracy. The crashes and lulls between Stella and Sin were driven by a fierce lust, a fiery passion, a single-minded determination and a forgiving love as they were both swept up by the relentless pressure and turmoil of the game.

It took a year to complete Stella’s contract with Sin and through these three books she didn’t break and didn’t give in to her fate.. she forged herself into a honed tool.. but she was also the glue that held a family together. The younger and middle brothers had a large part to play in this awesome awesome beast of a trilogy.. they were at the forefront, at the centre and Sin was at its head.. along with Stella. There were a variety of secondary characters, a mixed bag of good and evil, who weaved in and out of the turbulent waters to briefly calm or create waves in a sea of uncertainty. Finally, after hours of this delicious twisted torture, I could finally breathe a huge sigh of relief and bask in the light again with a HEA Epilogue that finished off a perfect listen.

Worth a credit? Well, you’ve got to like dark, you’ve got be fully prepared to be shocked with never ending twists and you’ve got to like an alpha hero with a terrible legacy on his shoulders.. and hands that would never hurt a woman.. unless, of course, she enjoyed it!! It’s erotic, it’s sinful, it’s so well narrated as Stella's (and sometimes Sin’s) PoV’s played out and YES, for me, this trilogy is VERY creditworthy.

GET IT NOW !!!!

This was awesome. Some parts were very scary but this series is great . Great story Great Narration just ALL AROUND GREAT. Worth five credits!!!!

I'm conflicted

This is a review of the trilogy, rather than of this installment alone. First, I found it frustrating that the second book was not part of the romance package; I was hooked enough to purchase it, but it's not something I would ordinarily spend a credit on. Prior to this trilogy, I had listened to Blackwood, which I surprisingly enjoyed (surprising because this dark, BDSM-rich subgenre isn't really a preference of mine), but this was about a hundred shades darker than Blackwood.

I don't have a particular aversion to violence, but the violence in this series is excessive. My primary complaint is that the characters were very hard to like, let alone love. While the heroine is a sympathetic character, to an extent, the perpetually-abused victim theme becomes tiresome. And, call me crazy, but I have a hard time reckoning how she can be attracted to, and aroused by, a person who is blatantly abusing her (and I'm not using hyperbole here as I refer to a dom/sub dynamic).

As I read about this hero, I kept wanting to fall in love with him, but I found I couldn't, and I wondered how the hell the heroine managed to fall for him. If he had any redeeming qualities, I must have missed them. Don't get me wrong, the author did manage to humanize Sinclair and Lucius enough to make them the faintest bit sympathetic, but not enough to make me root for either of them as winner of the heroine's affection. Instead, I just kept thinking she should get as far away from these demented people as quickly as possible, and then spend the rest of her life in therapy, so that maybe, just maybe she might escape the eventuality of becoming a heroin addict to combat the PTSD that will undoubtedly have resulted from her experiences in this story.

Of course the hero has extenuating circumstances; don't they all! But somehow they weren't quite good enough to justify all the heinous stuff. I kept calling to mind a quintessential romance hero...namely, the one from Outlander. Every time Sinclair did something unforgivable (but somehow, within the context of all this horror, understandable...sorta) I thought to myself: would Jamie ever, under any circumstances, do this to Claire? No matter the extenuating circumstances, Jamie would never make the same choices as Sinclair.

So, I'm conflicted. I can't say I hated it, but I am ultimately left feeling somewhat disappointed by it.

Like a car crash that holds your attention!

Wow, what to say about this trilogy; it royally fu**** up. It focuses on the worst sides of human beings. Horrible things start happening, to the Heroine, right from the start. More and more crap just keeps getting piled on her and the only people she loves, betray her.

I really tried to think about what message the author is try to convey and my best guess is that she is trying to stress that, “ love can get you through any nightmare and heal the wounds that were inflicted.” I also suspect she also wanted to stress that, “ what comes around goes around, make sure you do onto others like you want them to do onto you, and that sometimes love requires sacrifice.” At least I hope that the author had some underlining message to explain the horrific situations, in this book.

With that being said, this book reminded me of a car wreck that you just can’t help but look at. However , in this case, there are so many disturbing things that keep happening, in this book, that you are compelled to continue to listen, in hope that something good will happen, in the story, and that there will be some sort of miraculous event that straightens everything out and leads to a HEA.

Fair warning, there is rape, torture and murder in this book so this book is not for an overly sensitive person or someone with triggers.

The writing is excellent, but I found myself stopping and wondering what kind of disturbed imagination an author would have to have to come up with a storyline like this.

I am glad I stuck with the book and made it to the resolution, but I can assure you that it’s not a series that I would ever listen to again.
-V from Kansas

Disturbing perfection

What in the heck did I just read and why did I love it so much????

Celia Aaron has a twisted mind, and I know some pretty twisty people so this is saying a lot. Celia wove this tale like a blanket. Later after layer, tightening the story and creating something... beautiful? Maybe. Disturbing? Definitely. Enthralling? Most assuredly.

My black heart is full and overflowing with so many emotions. I absolutely adored the Vinemont brothers. Even though Lucius has few redeemable traits, it's also what makes him endearing. Teddy is the little brother that is treated as such but has more strength than anyone could realize. And then there's Sin. Oh my, Sin. From his incredible determination and steadfastness to his ridiculously cocky attitude, he is my favorite Vinemont.

Then there's Stella. A woman created from steel and the sharp whit to back up her smart mouth. I loved how she was on her toes through every twist and turn. She is a fierce protector and no matter the extensive damage that has been done to her heart, she recovers. She is the epitome of a heroine.

So was this book disturbing? One of the most disturbing I have ever read. But it also spoke volumes of humanity and the capabilities of love. This series won't be for everyone, but it certainly was for me and if we should see a story about Lucius in the future? I won't be mad about it.

Stephen Dexter brought to life these deplorable and completely loathing characters as well as pulled off the female characters well enough to not distract from the story.

Robyn Verne is a superstar and although I have read these books before, she brought the story to life in a whole new way that was completely exciting and enticing and just, perfect.

I could not turn this series off!!!

Would you listen to Sovereign again? Why?

I'd listen to the entire Acquisition Series again, and again, and again, and again. Without going into too much detail because I don't want to spoil it for someone else, this series is Hunger Games meets The Story of O, meets the Submission Series, meets, I don't know what. I've never ready anything like it. I'm hooked.. Honestly, I don't know how to put it in words. I've not been this excited about a series read in a long time. I found myself re-counting it to my husband. I literally put my life on hold to finish it. It's gripping, it's graphic, there's intrigue, passion, angst, and one hell of a good story line.

WARNING: there are serious triggers in the series and the author makes that known up front.

I can only say, thank goodness it's fiction ..... and buy the book; buy the series. I promise, you will not be disappointed. Celia Aaron, you are one sick twisted woman ..... I mean that in the most loving way possible.

What other book might you compare Sovereign to and why?

I would have to merge Hungry games, the Story of O, the Submission Series, and some others. I cannot compare it to any one book I've read.

What about Stephen Dexter and Robyn Verne ’s performance did you like?

Stephen's Louisiana accent and the emotion he put into his character were great. Robyn's ability to convey emotion was incredible. Between the two of them and the story line, I cried, I got so angry, so nervous. Nervous! I haven't felt that kind of emotion from entertainment since the scene in Saving Private Ryan where they're waiting for the tanks to roll through - and i could never watched that movie again because of that scene. I will however be listening to this series again.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I can't think of a tag line that would do it justice. I would love, love, love for it to happen though.

Any additional comments?

Buy the series; just buy it. If you start on book 1, Counsellor, you're going to get hooked. Save yourself the time, just buy the entire series. But remember, it's fiction.

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!!

Just finished this trilogy by Celia Aaron, who is a new author for me and has now become one of my favorites. The best part about this trilogy, was I didn't have to wait months to get each part of the story - I want to thank the author or publisher, whoever is in charge of that decision, because there is nothing worse than having to wait for the next book to come out.
You really have to like dark romance, but if you do, you are in for one heck of a ride. The imagination and detail that this author brings to her story is beyond words. Some parts were hard to take, but then that's what makes it so moving and dark - not for the weak at heart.
I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes it dark and no one has paid me or given books for free to state that fact - enjoy!!

Best Series!

Let me start by saying that the narrators were spot on! They truly made this story come to life. This is a crazy gory mess 😳 but oh so good!

Amazing series

This was the most amazing series. The narrators were perfect!! The story had everything from death, greed and love. There was lots of heat as well.