SLAY: RIVALRY (Slay Quartet #1) by Laurelin Paige
Release Date: June 4th
OUR REVIEW:
Shel: When I saw my chance to get in on a new Laurelin Paige series I jumped and Slay is just as interesting as I’d hoped it would be. These characters—Celia and Edward—are seemingly awful people. They both seem like master manipulators who view the world as a game board and people as their game pieces. Celia’s convinced herself that her main purpose is to use and hurt people for the gain of her entertainment. Edward appears to only want what she has (or her family has) to gain more power and influence. It’s only through little glimpses of her inner thoughts that we realized that Celia’s game is a defense and protection mechanism and Edward’s? ...to be determined. The ending of book 1 suggests he’s not all that he seems...but that this series is 4 books long suggests there are lots of things at play here and I’m very interested in how it’ll all go down.
Court: Oh my goodness! I loved this book...and I've been in this world a little bit before so I recognize Celia a little bit...but getting in her head this way was pretty awesome. She is definitely not the most likable heroine at first glance - and that is what makes it so intriguing. She still has something about her...something under the surface that bubbles through every once in a while that makes her the best heroine. She isn't just one thing, or black or white...and that is my favorite kind.
Shel: Having not read the Fixed series (gasp!), I’m not sure if there are things I could already know about these characters (to be rectified), but now that I’ve read Slay, I can affirm that you can be completely ignorant of that series and enjoy this one....and most likely be dying for the next book. Court: Absolutely...because the writing is so good! We've read a few of Laurelin Paige's titles, and have not been disappointed. However, I hadn't had the opportunity to look what might be coming next...and yes, by the sound of it we are going to be DYING by the time the end comes around, but we are soooo excited!
Shel: How. HOW will the HEA come to these two?!?!!!!! What’s up with their past lives? What’s he playing at? Inquiring minds want to know! Court: I do not know, but I do know that it is going to probably HURT!
Blurb
Edward Fasbender is a devil.
He's my father's business rival, a powerful, vicious man who takes what he wants and bows to no one. I only took the meeting because I was curious. I thought he was going to offer me a job.
But that's not what he's after at all. His proposal is much more intriguing, and I see an opportunity. An opportunity to turn the tables and bring down the devil.
I've gotten in trouble playing these games before. I know when the risk is too great, when the stakes are too high. I know how to be cold and strong-willed and destructive. I know how to withstand dominant men with arrogant charm and rugged features.
Yet I can't resist taking on Edward.
And I can't resist the pull he has on me.
Soon I'm not so sure which side of the battle I'm standing on--if I'm the warrior meant to slay,
Or the one who will be slain.
Excerpt
Sitting like this, on the arm of the chair, his back straight, we were practically the same height. It occurred to me that this was the closest we’d ever been to having equal footing, and somehow that made me both heady and encouraged.
I reached out to rub the collar of his shirt between my thumb and forefinger, my breath stuttering under the thick weight of apprehension, my mouth watering from how close I was to touching his skin. This close, I could smell the liquor on his breath and the musky scent of his cologne and the fainter scent underneath of pure man.
“Tell me your requests.” Was it my imagination or did his voice suddenly seem darker? Less steady?
“There’s only one.” I leaned in until my lips were near his ear. “I want to add sex to the deal.”
He made a sound low in his throat, half like a laugh, half like a moan. “What, now?”
He turned his face toward mine, and now our mouths were only inches away from touching. I could feel the warmth of his exhale on my skin, sending a trail of goosebumps down my arms.
“Now, sure.” Fuck, I was wet already. “But I meant in the marriage, too.”
His lips danced around mine. “You don’t know what you’re asking for. You want to be humiliated, degraded, and hurt?”
Yes.
Because that was the goal of The Game.
But, also, YES!
Because, in that moment, there was nothing more I could imagine wanting than to be all those things, to be humiliated and degraded and hurt, by him. I wanted it so much I ached. Ached in places I hadn’t known could feel.
I reached my neck forward, pushing my mouth toward his.
Just when I thought the kiss was inevitable, he leaned back. “You couldn’t handle it.”
About the Author
With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however.
When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or Letterkenny, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.
She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.
