The Chronicles Of An Abibliophobiac: Review: "Dubious (The Loan Shark Duet #1" By Charmaine Pauls

A quick note: This book does have darker themes, and falls under dark romance/dark erotica genre. With that said, the encounters between the two main characters IS CONSENTUAL!

Gabriel Louw has been trained from a very young age that if you don’t strike at your victims, you become the victim. That’s not acceptable in the world he lives in. He’s had to be the The Breaker. The one man you don’t want to hunt you down should you owe the family any type of money. You don’t pay it back, The Breaker will make an example out of you. He shows no mercy…..don’t be scared of the dark, be scared of The Breaker who lives in the dark…..

Valentina Haynes has lived a life of chaos from an early age. Her family's involvement in the darker criminal activities and groups around them made her cautious. She isn’t oblivious to the fact that with this comes certain promises and expectations. She’s endured a lot, been through too much at her young age. She’s determined to make it different and to live a better life. Unfortunately for her, tragedy strikes her family. In the aftermath she has to move forward…...but what happens next may ruin her life….

Charlie was left with damages that hinder his ability to live a normal life. Because of that, people take advantage of him. Regardless of Val’s intentions to keep them safe, he unknowingly walks into the darkness.Gabriel is sent in by his vindictive mother to “take care” of the debt.

Gabriel trains her body to crave his, to accept his darkness and to willingly come to him. Its through their dark trysts that he takes things to a new level to keep her forever. Regardless of his mother's insistence that she be dealt with finality, he will bind her to him in every way he can. The truth starts to rain down them in showers. How is the Louw family connected with the Haynes family? Who shares a past with them all that threatens to come to life and really set a tailspin of drama? Who is going to survive?

It’s hard to not give away more!!!! I was blown away by the raw emotions. I wish I could break down everything without giving away too much or writing a novel in return! Charmaine really showed her intense creativity in this phenomenal book. I’m not one for darker romance/erotica usually. However, when it's written in such a way Charmaine did, it had me hooked. Seriously, I encourage you to read this with an OPEN mind and look beyond just the first layer. You’ll be surprised by how much you learn about them. I wish I could give it a gazillion stars!