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Ripley<\/strong><\/p>\n They call me RIP. Dylan<\/strong><\/p>\n For months, I\u2019ve watched him. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEvery decision you make affects every moment that follows \u2026 It\u2019s like a ripple effect. Choose wisely.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 4 dark, dirty and twisted stars<\/strong><\/p>\n Goddam, Keri Lake can write dark and gritty romance! And wow, was this one dark! Dramatic, violent, sinister and twisted, this book plunges you into the seedy underworld of Chicago, where bad guys rule, the innocent become victims, and a merciless killer can become an antihero who will absolutely still your heart.<\/p>\n Ripple effect: noun Dylan lives a dismal life, living with her aunt and uncle after her mother overdosed when she was just 12 years old. Not that her life was all roses better before then, with her mother prostituting herself to pay for her drug habit, and Dylan being exposed to all sorts of hell. But since then, she has been subjected to horrors that would break a lesser person. The only sense of calm in her life comes when she downs her pills and watches a mysterious stranger from her bedroom window \u2013 a tall, dark and dangerous man that intrigues her like no other, and who she imagines in all sorts of deliciously dirty ways. She is counting down the days until her 18th birthday when she can escape the horrors of her \u2018home\u2019, but when it all becomes too much for her, she grabs her dog and her young foster sister, and she makes a run for it. When desperation leads her into a dangerous situation, her saviour comes in the unsuspecting form of Ripley, the man she has watched for so long.<\/p>\n Ripley (aka \u2018Rip\u2019) is a killer for hire. Ruthless and vicious, he is a seemingly emotionless killing machine \u2013 never missing his mark, and never failing to extract whatever information he is after \u2013 by any means necessary. But when their circumstances bring them together, Ripley is uncharacteristically considerate towards Dylan, and when he makes her an off she can\u2019t refuse, the two of them are bound together for two months \u2013 Dylan getting a roof over her head and the safety and financial security she so desperately needs, and Ripley getting Dylan\u2026. all of Dylan. It may seem like a sketchy deal, but the attraction that sizzles between these two is definitely two-sided, and they are equal partners in their depravity.<\/p>\n Seeing her face drudges thoughts inside my head. Feelings that shouldn\u2019t be there, like how savagely I\u2019d kill another bastard for laying a hand on her. How badly I want to claim her as mine, every ounce of pleasure that spills from her lips. He\u2019s not my saviour. He\u2019s an angel with black wings. A dealer of death. My ruin.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The dynamic between Ripley and Dylan is intense and a little bit twisted. It\u2019s not sweet and loving, and it\u2019s not banter and playful animosity \u2013 this is hard core. Both of them taking what they need, and doing it unapologetically. The sex is hot and dirty, and their interactions are blunt, holding nothing back. But things slowly begin to shift, and as they start to open up to each other, they both find themselves dealing with feelings they never expected \u2013 the consequences of which could be deadly.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as you\u2019re mine, nothing touches you. Simple as that.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you\u2019ve read a book by this author, then you\u2019ll know what to expect going into this one, and if you haven\u2019t, well\u2026 there are dark romances and then there are DARK romances. This one is DARK. Lake writes super dark books, so I sort of knew to expect it, but this one was a bit boundary pushing (I don’t think we needed quite that much detail). If there is a trigger \u2013 this book has it. Abuse, drug taking, violence, rape and hard-core torture. Parts of this book actually made my stomach turn, but it shows the brutality of the world and its inhabitants, and as a world-building tool it\u2019s really effective. Just a bit cringy in places, and definitely not for the feint-of-heart.<\/p>\n But in the middle of all of that brutality, there is a love story. It\u2019s twisted and unconventional, but it\u2019s real and raw, and it develops really well. I could feel the shift of things between Ripley and Dylan, and though their situations are unique and completely out of the realm of \u2018normal life\u2019, I could feel what they were feeling, and I really enjoyed how natural it felt as everything changed for them.<\/p>\n As much as I fear that my demons will ultimately tear her apart, the disturbing reality is, they\u2019d probably get drunk with hers and have a fucking orgy together. A<\/i> woman like that is dangerous for a man like me, but letting her go is no longer an option. I can\u2019t decide if she\u2019s a nightmare or a dream. All I know is that I want more of it. More of her.<\/em><\/p>\n In a killer\u2019s embrace, I feel something I\u2019ve not experience my whole life \u2013 I feel safe.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n But the romance is just a part of the story, woven into the dangerous, deadly world that they inhabit. There are so many dangers and secrets and there\u2019s a lot that happens in the story, and it\u2019s twisted and complex\u2026 in fact I\u2019m still not sure I completely have my head around the intricacies of this storyline. But I enjoyed the twists and turns, and the reveals that had me gasping in shock, and I loved the fact that I kept getting dragged deeper and deeper into this complicated story so that I couldn\u2019t put it down.<\/p>\n I really enjoyed this book. Like I said, it\u2019s not an easy one to get through, but if you\u2019re in the mood for something raw and gritty, then this is a great read!<\/p>\n 4 stars.<\/p>\n An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is a giveaway for a signed paperback of Ripple Effect, a $25 Amazon gift card and Keri Lake swag (3 winners).<\/p>\n The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Amazon US\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU\u00a0 |\u00a0 B&N\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0 |\u00a0 iBooks Blurb Ripley They call me RIP. I\u2019m a killer. A murderer. A psychopath. In the eyes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,47,9,29],"tags":[59,291,48],"class_list":["post-23765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-badasses","category-dark-gritty","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-keri-lake","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Ripple-Effect-Ebook-Cover.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-6bj","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI\u2019m a killer. A murderer. A psychopath.
\nIn the eyes of the righteous, I\u2019m a monster, born of sin and depravity.
\nI want to protect her, but I\u2019m not a good man.
\nI want to love her, but I no longer feel.
\nShe gets under my skin, though, and has awakened something inside of me.
\nSomething I\u2019d kill for.
\nI\u2019m not her savior\u2014not even close. In fact, I\u2019m worse than the hell she\u2019s already suffered.
\nI\u2019m her vengeance. Tit for tat, as they say.
\nAnd if she\u2019s not careful, I\u2019ll be her ruin.<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ve fantasized him as my savior, my lover. My ticket out of the hell I\u2019ve lived in for the last six years.
\nI never dreamed he\u2019d be my nightmare.
\nHad I known what he really is, I\u2019d have never gotten in the car that night, but life is full of cause and effect.
\nAnd sometimes the choice on offer isn\u2019t a choice at all.
\nIt\u2019s the result of something already in motion, and we\u2019re merely left to survive the ripple effect.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Ripple-Effect-Teaser-2.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
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\nReview<\/b><\/h4>\n
\n1. a spreading effect or series of consequences caused by a single action or event<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nI want her. But more than that, I don\u2019t want anyone else to have her.<\/i><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Ripple-Effect-Teaser-1.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
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\nGiveaway<\/strong><\/h4>\n
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
\nAbout the Author
\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Keri-Lake.png?resize=200%2C200\")
Keri Lake is a dark romance writer who specializes in demon wrangling, vengeance dealing and wicked twists. Her stories are gritty, with antiheroes that walk the line of good and bad, and feisty heroines who bring them to their knees.\u00a0 When not penning books, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and their rebellious Labrador (who doesn\u2019t retrieve a damn thing).\u00a0 She runs on strong coffee and alternative music, loves a good red wine, and has a slight addiction to dark chocolate.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nWEBSITE<\/a> | FACEBOOK<\/a> | FB GROUP<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0TWITTER<\/a> | INSTAGRAM<\/a> | NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Give-Me-Books-Button-e1495041822238.jpg?resize=150%2C145\")
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