From the Bookshelf of C.D.'s Canaries…

Black (Black #1)

T.L. Smith

Start date: February 8, 2016

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What Members Thought

Jan 04, 2016 TeriLyn rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc

**Black generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

2 "What a beautiful devil he is." Stars

This is a really hard book to review for me. Black, told from the first person points of view of both the hero and heroine, took me for a wild ride. Contemporary romance surrounded by dark subject matter, the story of Black and Rose is a complicated web of betrayals, depravity, and hard subject matter shrouded in mystery.

The two main characters of this book and their plights intri ...more

26 likes · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2015 Cyndi Becker rated it it was amazing

Shelves: author-offer

I LOVE Black - I loved reading about Black so very much that I immediately started collecting other works by TL Smith. Black was a one sitting, late into the night read that left me sleepless.

There’s something about once in a while rooting for the ultimate bad boy - a REALLY REALLY bad boy - that’s so energizing. Black isn’t noble and he works for really bad people and does really bad things, but Black has a place in my “literary world” of would be hero’s and even if he’s irredeemable, I need to I LOVE Black - I loved reading about Black so very much that I immediately started collecting other works by TL Smith. Black was a one sitting, late into the night read that left me sleepless.

There’s something about once in a while rooting for the ultimate bad boy - a REALLY REALLY bad boy - that’s so energizing. Black isn’t noble and he works for really bad people and does really bad things, but Black has a place in my “literary world” of would be hero’s and even if he’s irredeemable, I need to know him. I’m practically doing a full re-read to write this review. Our other lead character, Rose, has a heartbreaking story and is very near her end when the story hits the present time.

So I’ll just get it out there - if you like a dark romantic suspense read Black is a #MustRead. The writing is solid and the dialogue fits the characters so well. And OH the PLOT! Smith leads us down a few roads, leading us to make assumptions about the characters, how they got where they got and why. There’s a few flashback moments, one with Black when he still called himself Liam that explains a lot about the direction his life was going when they met. Black and Rose have a short but rocky history. As Liam he was her only friend in high-school. But 5 years later, he becomes her reluctant savior. Her entrance back into his life is unwelcome at best. And boy did my heart ache for Rose. How she ended up where she did makes for some tummy twisting moments. So much of the story is about her recovery and Black is essential to it - he’s her new, but welcome, addiction.

There’s a great group of secondary characters that both support and antagonize our hero and heroine. There aren’t too many surprises about who and what these characters are. The good ones stay good, and the bad stay bad. But it's where their action take us that matters most. I’m romantic with unreasonable expectations but Smith does right by the characters and makes them work for it. There’s quite a lot of suspense and some very hard images, brutal in fact, that make this story edgy and heartbreaking. The epilogue is disconcerting and then we are left with one stellar cliffhanger. I’m feeling a potentially unhealthy obsession over TL Smith's writing right now. How have I never read anything by her yet? I’m happy it was Black that changed that situation and now must wait patiently for book 2...

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 11, 2015 Lorie rated it really liked it

Shelves: jan-2016

4.25 - 4.5 STARS

Right now all I can say is.... WOW!!! Wow what a fcking awesome book!

It is dark!
It is engrossing!
It was not I was expecting, but everything I wanted!
I want more NOW!!!

The best part of this book was the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself in to. It was both a blinding and eye opening surprise. An intense, twisted, and consuming story. I was hooked from the beginning and devoured this in a single day. I love dark stories with broken characters and TL Smith ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2016 Dana aka ♥Belladonna♥ added it

Shelves: content-mf, darkish-to-darkest, content-multiple-partners, lendable-for-belg-only, a-series, content-abuse, character-criminal, own-on-kindle, genre-contemporary, genre-romance

BR with my Canaries!

2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2016 Say marked it as to-read

Don't get me wrong. I was pulled from the beginning (I finished it in 2 hours). But I felt like it was lacking something. Probably the writing? It was kinda confusing on some parts. The way the story was told? I felt it was kinda rushed especially towards the end. I liked the premise of the story. But I felt the execution was not done perfectly. But nevertheless I liked it and I will be reading book 2. I thought this was a standalone. And I thought he really did "died" but that ending well…..the ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2017 katrina rated it it was amazing

Black is bad
Dark
Deadly
Sexy as sin
Unputdownable
Sizzling
Addictive
What can I say ! He is the devil in disguise. Alluring, tempting but deadly dark and delicious. He radiates everything Evil yet he's like a magnet ! Rose is attracted to him she sees more beneath the darkness.

Black and Roses story is Like a moth to a flame,, Black not wanting to ignite the fires inside , he's afraid of getting to close, getting burnt , but Rose plays with Fire. She ignites the flame within Black that he never deemed ...more

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Feb 02, 2016 Jamie rated it liked it

A few thoughts... The ending was not as developed as I would have liked. It was lacking something. It was also reminiscent of Belle Aurora's Raw, without the high level of emotional tie-in. ...more

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