Sum Up: (Goodreads)
To take back life, one must first face death...
One man stripped of his freedom, his morals...his life.
Conditioned in captivity to maim, to kill and to slaughter, prisoner 818 becomes an unremorseful, unrivaled and unstoppable fighter in the ring. Violence is all he knows. Death and brutality are the masters of his fate.
After years of incarceration in an underground hell, only one thought occupies his mind: revenge...bloody, slow and violent revenge.
Revenge on the man who lied.
Revenge on the man who wronged him.
Revenge on the man who condemned him and turned him into this: a rage-fueled killing machine. A monster void of humanity; a monster filled with hate.
And no one will stand in the way of getting what he wants.
One woman stripped of her freedom, her morals...her life.
Kisa Volkova is the only daughter of Kirill ‘The Silencer’ Volkov, head of the infamous ‘Triad’ bosses of New York's Russian Bratva. Her life is protected. In reality, it’s a virtual prison. Her father’s savage treatment of his rivals and his lucrative and coveted underground gambling ring—The Dungeon—ensures too many enemies lurk at their door.
She dreams to be set free.
Kisa has known only cruelty and loss in her short life. As manager of her father’s death match enterprise, only grief and pain fill her days. Her mafia boss father, in her world, rules absolute. And her fiancé, Alik Durov, is no better; the Dungeon’s five-time champion, a stone-cold killer, the treasured son of her father’s best friend, and her very own—and much resented—personal guard. Unrivaled in both strength and social standing, Alik controls every facet of Kisa’s life, dominates her every move; keeps her subdued and dead inside...then one night changes everything.
While working for her church—the only reprieve in her constant surveillance—Kisa stumbles across a tattooed, scarred, but stunningly beautiful homeless man on the streets. Something about him stirs feelings deep within her; familiar yet impossibly forbidden desires. He doesn’t talk. Doesn’t communicate with anyone. He’s a man beyond saving, and a man she must quickly forget...for both their sakes.
But when weeks later, out of the blue and to her complete surprise, he’s announced as the replacement fighter in The Dungeon, Kisa knows she’s in a whole lot of trouble. He’s built, ripped and lethally unforgiving to his opponents, leaving fear in his wake and the look of death in his eyes.
Kisa becomes obsessed with him. Yearns for him. Craves his touch. Needs to possess this mysterious man...this man they call Raze.
Some scenes contain sexual and violent contents that may offend the sensibilities of readers.
Plot:
Number 818 is free. He has been in prison for years. He does not remember who he is, he does not remember where he comes from but he remembers one thing:
"Alik Durov.Brooklyn, New York.Revenge.Kill."
After being brainwashed and violated, it is time for him to take his revenge. He may have forgotten why he had been sent in prison, but he knows that he is a killer born in prison. Fighting to death to survive is the only thing he knows how to do.
He goes to New York to get his revenge but he never planned on saving Kisa's life that night. Kisa is the little princess of the Russian Mafia in New York and Alik's fiancée and she will stop at nothing to thank him for saving her life one night when a thief threatened her life. She knows this man is dangerous but when she looks right into his eyes, she feels attracted to him. Worse, she knows him. She knows these familiar eyes.
"God put a piece of your blue eyes in mine so we would always know we matched."
But she also knows that the man in front of her has nothing to do with the boy she used to be in love with. Thus, she will stop at nothing to bring him back to her.
Opinion:
I have read quite some books by Tillie Cole now. I am a huge fan of her Hades Hangmen series. I like the stories she tells even though they are always quite dark and intense. And here again, I fell involve with the Scarred Souls series.
