Title: Counts of Eight by Brynn Ford
The Four Families Series Book One
Publisher: Brynn Ford
Genre: Contemporary, Adult, Dark Romance, Mature
Length: 322 pages
Summary:
All of my choices had been stripped from me except for one. Dance or die.
Three years ago, I was taken, stolen away, far from the world I knew, far from civilization. I became a slave, forced to serve one of the four families with my talent.
I’d been abused, battered, tortured in isolation. My master brought me men, partners for performance, but they failed to live up to the high standard of dance my master required.
Until one day, he brought me a new man. A blond-haired, green-eyed, dreamy new man who had no idea what was coming.
The men before him had disappeared. I presumed they were dead. I couldn’t afford myself the luxury of hoping they’d made it out alive because that would give me hope that I might someday do the same.
Hope was a dangerous thing and this new man’s spirit still thrummed with that electric spark of lightness. I would be the woman to strip that hope from him piece by tiny piece until he had none left. Only then could I control him, use him. Only then could I even consider the possibility of a predictable, complacent survival in this nightmare life.
And until that time came, I would make the only choice I was given the liberty of making.
Dance or die.
CONTENT WARNING: This book contains explicit sexual content, violence, and mature themes including scenes where consent is not sought or given. The author in no way condones such heinous acts, but rather seeks to immerse the reader in the true horror of the characters’ experiences. This is your trigger warning – reader discretion is advised.
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Excerpt
Though a vast forest surrounds the estate, it’s full of dead trees in the cold of winter that never seems to come to an end. Life is shrouded forever now in cold, lifeless gray.
But Ezra’s green eyes brought back the reminder of vibrant life against this cold, ongoing death march. It was as if he reached inside me and pulled out the dusty box of remembrance and hope that I had kept safely tucked away.
Nikolai had given me three dance partners before Ezra. Three men who hadn’t met his expectations in performance for the Mikhailov family’s turn to host the quarterly meeting for the four families.
Thus, the men before Ezra had disappeared. I presume they are dead. I can’t afford myself the luxury of hoping they made it out alive because that would give me hope that I might someday do the same.
Hope is a dangerous thing and Ezra’s spirit still thrums with that electric spark of lightness. I could feel it when I touched him. I could sense it pulsing from his soul. But because I’m forced to dance, I have to force Ezra to dance with me. That means I need to control him, and not just because Nikolai expects it.
I have to control him to protect myself. If he can’t dance to my master’s expectations, then this may be it for me. I’ve felt Nikolai’s patience with me waning, his frustrations growing, and he takes it out on me.
I will remain in control.
I will make Ezra submit.
I will train Ezra to perform with me in the perfection that Master requires.
I will do this by being the woman to strip his hope from him piece by tiny piece until he has none left. Only then can I control him, use him. Only then could I even consider the possibility of a predictable, complacent survival in this nightmare life. I don’t even consider the possibility of escape anymore. I don’t believe it’s possible outside of death.
Author Bio
Brynn Ford is an independent author of romance in all of its beautiful and sensually taboo forms. She is a lover of the dark, twisted, and playful and strives to bring the unmentionable aspects of passionate romance into her stories.
Brynn resides in the Midwest with her husband and sons, whom she expects will someday be embarrassed by their mom’s books. When she isn’t obsessively writing, you may find her binge watching favorite shows while eating far too much junk food or fanatically reading, always seeking to lose herself in the emotional roller coaster of a damn good story.
She is quite the idealist, despite her fascination with the wicked and warped aspects of humanity. Some of her stories may run out of words before a happily ever after, but she’s a firm believer that her characters continue to live on outside the pages in the minds of her readers. Stories don’t end just because there aren’t anymore pages to turn.
Author Links: Website * Facebook * BookBub * Goodreads * Instagram
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