His name is Beat, and I should hate him.

 

Bound, blindfolded and bruised, I’m tied in his basement, waiting for the men who stripped me from clothes and humanity to collect his debt to them. Me.

 

His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don’t.

 

I’m not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I’m not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.

 

His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I’ve never seen his face, though I hear that it’s beautiful.

 

Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there’s a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.

 

His name doesn’t matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it’s his.

 

Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.

 

 

 

 

Amazon US  Amazon CA  Amazon UK  Amazon AU

 

 

MY REVIEW:

 

“The dust has settled over the blood we’ve shed.”

Non-stop action, plus tons of graphic violence, a feisty heroine and an ex-con with a soul!! BLOOD TO DUST features a kick-ass heroine, a damaged hero and a story that will have you saying, “Did I just read that??” I became a huge fan of LJ Shen’s after reading SPARROW and could not wait to get my hands on Prescott and Beat’s story. She is hell-bent on revenge on a group of men who are dangerous, corrupt members of a crime family. They have ruined her family, and committed terrible crimes against her. The only problem is that she is being held against her will by them. She is outnumbered and defenseless. And of her captors is Beat.

Beat served time in prison with one of the men holding Prescott captive. He owes the a favor to one of the men, the sadistic and all-powerful Godfrey, and Beat (whose real name is Nate) just wants to fulfill his debt as soon as possible. Nate has committed murder in the past but he won’t let any physical harm come to Prescott. As the captor and the captive spend more time together, Prescott and Nate begin to bond. Although he doesn’t trust her at first (and rightfully so!), these two are kindred spirits who devise a plan to to repay their debts, seek vengeance and maybe, just maybe, find their own brand of happiness.

“We’re polar opposites. He’s peace looking for color and I’m strorm looking for serenity.”

I love dark reads and I really liked this book (the author has a GREAT sense of humor) but felt the story spun out of control in some places. With that being said, Nate Vela is an unforgettable anti-hero!! Sensitive, strong, protective and damaged, I won’t soon forget him. And Prescott is one of the strongest, most bad-ass heroines I have ever read. If you love a dark and gritty read, then you will love BLOOD TO DUST. I adore this author and can’t wait to see what twisted story she comes up with next!

“Tell me something beautiful,” his lips speak into mine.
“Us,” I rasp. “We’re beautiful and ugly and broken…and whole.”

(ARC provided by the author in return for an honest review.)

 

 

 

“Food.” He kicks the sole of my boot. So it is him. Somehow, it makes me feel a little less scared. He didn’t want me here, and didn’t slap me across the face. Unfortunately, in my world, this qualifies him as some sort of a black knight.

I hear the clank of a plastic plate being thrown in my direction on the floor, but don’t make a move for it.

“You deaf?” he asks.

“You stupid?” I smart off. “I’m blindfolded and tied. How the hell am I supposed to get to this food? The power of telepathy?”

He offers me another grunt, and I immediately regret snapping at him. I feel his fingers working the black cloth that’s tying my hands together, that peachy breath on my face again.

Once I’m free, he bends down, his warmth engulfing me, and places the plate in my hands.

“What’s for dinner?” I lick my injured lips.

“Whiskey-glazed steak with a side of wine-tossed asparagus.” He lets out a sniffle before adding flatly, “Wait, my bad. It’s just a peanut butter sandwich.”

“That’s better. I’m vegetarian.”

“I’ll let our chef know.” He offers me his own brand of sarcasm, his voice already descending. I realize that he’s about to climb back up. I can’t let that happen. Who knows when he’ll check on me again? The prospect of holding my pee a minute longer is nothing short of tormenting.

“Wait!” I launch forward, crawling on the floor toward his voice. I don’t hear anything, so I continue.

“I really need to take a shower, wash off all this blood. And I really, really need to pee.” I shuffle my way back to the corner, taking a small bite off my sandwich, my teeth brushing against my fingers. “Please?”

I feel his palm pressing flat against the wall I’m leaning on. I swear it moves a little from the impact.

“Finish your sandwich. Make it quick.”

I wolf down my dinner before he grabs my hand and leads me up the stairs. He stalks closely behind, and even though it’s taking me forever to climb up the narrow staircase, he keeps his grunt-count to a respectable minimum.

Leading me to the bathroom by the arm, he throws the door open and we both walk into the tiny room. Still blindfolded, I feel the cold sink stabbing at my lower back, but the warmth of his proximity keeps me from shivering.

“I need my privacy.” I lick my lips, feeling him everywhere. Not only is Beat physically big, he is also somewhat of a human furnace. I swear he radiates enough heat to photosynthesize a whole forest. I guess it’s good, because I always know when he’s around. But also bad, because why would it matter? It’s not like I can fight him in any way.

“Dream on, Country Club.” Another grunt.

“Please.” My voice breaks. Usually, I’m counting on my caramel blonde hair and big Disney-animal eyes—which he unfortunately can’t see right now—to get me out of trouble. I have a feeling this guy is harder to crack. “Just lock me in and stand guard outside. What can I do? Arm myself with a bar of soap? Try and break free through the sink’s hole?”

Is he going to buy it?

Is he sensitive?

Is he hard-nosed?

Maybe he’s both. He’s got some serious codes going on—no beating women, no manhandling your victim—yet he essentially agreed to lock me in here. Then there’s his tone and body language. Peaceful. Like he hasn’t got a care in the world, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve known him for a few short hours and I’m already privy to the fact that he was an inmate in San Dimas, has killed, owes Godfrey a favor and has the Aryan Brotherhood on his tail.

“Be warned,”—his peachy breath tickles my nose—“when people are bad to me, I’m worse. Don’t tempt my demons.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J. Shen is a best-selling author of Contemporary Romance novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

 

She enjoys the simple things in life, like chocolate, wine, reading, HBO, spending time with her girlfriends and internet-stalking Chris Hemsworth. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

 

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