Lord of London Town is live and a fave for 2020!
Amazon | Kobo | Paperback
Blurb
Cheska Harlow-Wright was born into a life of luxury and privilege. She has never wanted for anything. A comfortable future as a married London socialite awaits her. But since the age of thirteen, Cheska has harboured a secret—an unshakeable fixation on a boy who could never offer her anything close to comfort. A boy steeped in sin and draped in depravity. A boy born into the possessive embrace of darkness.
When Cheska’s seemingly perfect world is ripped apart by an unknown but deadly enemy, there’s only one person she can run to. One person in the world who has the power to keep her safe. The one person her weak and shattered heart craves.
Arthur Adley. The new head of the most feared crime family in London.
Forced too young to take the helm of the Adley firm, Arthur has become even more ruthless, formidable, and cold than ever before. His enemies are circling, and he must fight—and kill—to maintain his family’s place at the top of the London crime underworld. There is no room for weakness, emotion, or loss of control.
But then Cheska smashes back into his life with the force of a wrecking ball. She has no place in this dark, vicious, and bloodthirsty world. And worse, she is the solitary chink in his impenetrable armour. He’s already pushed her away once, but this time she desperately needs him. She’s broken, lost, and in danger, and he is the only one who can help.
Arthur must protect her. He must destroy those who dare to threaten her, hunt down those who would take what is his. He would raze all of London to the ground to keep her safe… but can he also protect himself?
The infamous Dark Lord of London Town faces his most brutal battle yet—the crippling weight of the past, the unrelenting enemies lurking in the shadows… and the havoc that Cheska’s presence is wreaking on the granite fortress that was once his heart.
Dark contemporary Romance. Contains sexual situations, violence and sensitive subjects that some may find triggering.
Review
“You made me feel again. After so fucking long. After the blood and the death and all the dark thoughts …” I squeezed my eyes shut. “You made me fucking feel.”
5 stars!
Damn, this book is amazing! Dark, gritty, intense and all-consuming, I could not put this book down, and now that I’ve finished it, I can’t stop thinking about it. A delicious anti-hero, a strong and determined heroine, an exciting story full of surprises set within the raw violence of the London underbelly, and a passionate, epic love story that completely captured my heart, this book has it all, and I freaking loved it! It’s a fave for 2020.
This book will not be for everybody. Set in the world of crime, the death and violence is extreme, and it’s right there on the page in raw, excruciating detail. Kind of stomach-turning in parts, but it certainly sets the scene. On the Tillie Cole scale of dark reads, I would put this on the same level as the Hades Hangmen series – dark, but not completely horrifying, and with enough moments of humour, heart and romance to give the story lots of soul.
Arthur Adley is the only son of the head of London’s most infamous crime families, raised in a world where murder and violence is not only expected, it’s encouraged. When he is forced to step up and take the reigns earlier than he ever expected, he is a young man full of rage, ruthless and cold, and determined to destroy his enemies.
Cheska Harlow-Wright was born into privilege, expected to be a social princess and marry well. But deep down, she wants so much more. She craves the darkness, she wants to feel, and she wants to live her life on her own terms, with the man who makes her burn.
Devil. That seemed a good title for Arthur. Most people were terrified of him. He was unapproachable, with eyes that could cut you where you stood. And he had the allure of Satan too. A magnet to sin and temptation, stirring wants and desires inside of me that were anything but chaste and holy. And if the rumours were true, he had the evilness of the dark lord too.
Arthur and Cheska meet as 13 years olds. That meeting has an effect on both of them, one that is explored further when they meet again at 18. It’s an unspoken thing, but the connection between them is undeniable. So, when Cheska’s life is upended and she finds herself in danger, it’s Arthur that she runs to, knowing that he will protect her.
Arthur rules his world with utter control, but he is in no way prepared for Cheska to literally come crashing back into his life. She makes him feel, and for a man whose well of grief and anger is locked down tight so that it doesn’t swallow him whole, that’s not a good thing. But here she is, the wealthy princess wanting nothing more than to be dragged into the darkness with him.
I loved him. I loved Arthur more than life itself. His darkness and his lifestyle meant nothing compared to that. I loved him despite the malice in his soul. I loved him because of it.
This is the kind of book that you just need to dive in and experience. It’s a wild trip from start to finish, full of twists and turns, and things I never saw coming, and I was captivated the whole way through. The way the characters are introduced, their lives and complicated history, and all that unfolds between them in the present all blends together to create a fantastic dynamic that is explored in detail as Arthur and Cheska’s lives collide.
“Try your best to destroy me, Arthur. Try your best to break me apart. But I’ll still be here when you’re exhausted, my claws sunk deeply into your flesh as you drag us both to hell.”
“I won’t let you go,” he warned.
The romance is intense, honest, real, and so freaking passionate. The sexy time is off the freaking charts, but it’s the emotion that sucked me in, and I rode the ups and downs with them as they fought so damn hard for their happy ending. It’s dramatic and heartfelt, with just the right amount of angst, and it’s functional – within the realms of their extreme world. They have realistic struggles to work through, and it’s all handled so well. Cheska’s strength is awe-inspiring as she fights to stand by her man, and Arthur’s newfound vulnerabilities are blended fantastically with his harsh brutality. I was swept up in the emotion of it all and I just loved watching them find their way forward together.
“I’m here for you. Let me be here for you.” Holding my head close to her, embracing me and fucking keeping me breathing, she said, “Let me love you.”
“I don’t know how,” I hushed out. “I have no fucking idea how the fuck to let you in.”“I am your queen. And you are my king. Your dark kingdom is now ours.”
But danger is still lurking, and the threat is more deadly than ever before. Now, with so much to lose, Arthur is prepared to walk into hell itself to protect what’s his, and neither they, nor the reader, has any idea what’s coming for them.
“They have no idea what the fuck they’ve just started. They’ve opened the gates of hell, and the fucking devil and his demons are now leading the charge.”
Holy shit, this book had my heart pounding, and had me gasping and yelling out loud as it all unfolded – unexpected and shocking in so many ways. The thrilling suspense and action is blended wonderfully with the romance, and the dynamics with Arthur’s ‘family’ round out the awesome. His loyal crew are a big part of the story, each very different with their own unique parts to play, and I loved getting to know them. And with setups there for their own stories, I am beyond excited at the possibilities.
The book ends in a good place, but there is more story to be told, and I am here for it!
We were here. Together. He had let me breach his high, impenetrable walls. I knew it would take time to hammer through the rest. But I wasn’t fazed by the task. I was inspired. To know all of this man. To have him love me and let me see his soul.
It was worth it all.
Tillie proves again that she is one of the masters of dark romance, and I couldn’t have loved this book more.
5 stars!
P.S. I just have to say that the cover of this book perfectly captures the mood and tone of the story. It’s absolutely stunning, and I couldn’t help but stare at it as I read. Pure perfection.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt
I pushed my glasses up my nose and climbed the stairs. The heat of the Spanish sun slammed into me like an iron fist, and I pushed my dark hair back from my forehead. White Mediterranean buildings surrounded us, and tourists sat in restaurants and bars, gaping up at our yacht.
I joined my friends on the rear deck overlooking the restaurants and took a beer from Eric. He spread his arms. “Fucking paradise, boys.” I took a swig of my beer and glanced over to the yacht beside us. I didn’t see anyone on the back deck, but then I heard the people talking at the front of their boat, overlooking the sea.
“So, where are these spectacular views?” Charlie asked Eric, lighting up another cig.
Eric winced as he met my cousin’s waiting gaze. “Well, maybe not spectacular to you, Chuck, but definitely to the rest of us.” He flicked his eyes to Vinnie, who was circling the back deck like it was a track, and screwed up his nose. “Okay, maybe not to our resident nutjob either since he already has a bird. But to me, Freddie and Artie, what a view it is!”
“Story of my fucking life.” Charlie smirked at me. I followed Eric as he headed for the main sun deck at the very front of the yacht.
“The edge gone yet?” I asked Vinnie. He nodded, and I could see by his eyes that his medication had kicked in. His pupils had dilated a bit, and the shaking in his hands had lessened. “Getting calmer by the second, Artie. Getting calmer by the second.” He smiled again, his deep dimples making him look a fuck-ton more innocent than he actually was. I put my hand on his shoulder, right over the face of Nosferatu with his sharp vampiric teeth that was tattooed there.
“So, who are we docked next to?” Freddie asked Eric. Freddie was six feet two with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was slender in build but could fight like a fucking Rottweiler. His old man died a while back, for the firm, shot right through the fucking forehead by a Russian. My dad practically adopted Freddie after that. He’d lived with us in the old church for the past couple of years. He was quiet before his old man’s death. Now, compared to the rest of my gobshite mates, he was almost mute.
“Wait until you see,” Eric said, waggling his eyebrows. Eric was six four, blond and covered in bright-as-fuck horror-themed clown tattoos. His hair looked like something straight from World War Two—combed over like a good little British solider. Claimed birds got wet for it—we all knew that was mainly referring to Betsy, my cousin and Charlie’s little sister. But neither he or Betsy ever talked about that. He also rarely shut his mouth. But that didn’t matter when shit hit the fan. He had your back, one hundred percent without question.
As we turned the corner, I saw movement on the yacht beside us. Birds in bikinis, some topless. I couldn’t care less. Seen one pair of tits, you’d seen them all. Bored already, I lit another cig and moved to the front of the yacht. I looked out over the ocean.
“Nice tits, sweetheart!” I heard Eric shout behind me. I glanced over to the yacht beside us and saw two girls sunbathing, looking our way—one with dark skin and jet-black hair that fell in spiral curls to her shoulders, and one with light freckled skin and red hair down to her waist.
I went to turn my head again, when someone walked out from below deck and toward the two sunbathers. The hand holding my cig stopped en route to my mouth when I saw her long legs and olive skin. The dark hair that was pulled up on top of her head. She was wearing a white bikini, fucking curves like an hourglass.
As if she was feeling my stare, she looked over, and the minute she did, I recognised those eyes. Those big fucking eyes that were fixed on me and widening by the second. Green-brown eyes that I never fucking forgot …
Cheska Harlow-Wright …
About the Author
Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots for the bright lights of the big city.
After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies, Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her first novel.
Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her characters.
Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New Adult novels.
When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | AMAZON | GOODREADS
Check out our Tillie Cole Author Spotlight for more great reads!
