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Review

“You are for me”

4.5 stars

Tillie Cole is a master at writing dark and disturbing, yet highly emotional and heart-poundingly gorgeous love stories. Raze, the first book in the Scarred Souls series, completely blew me away with its perfect blend of brutal violence, tragic themes, and achingly beautiful romance. This book picks up where the first one left off, dragging us deeper into the Cole’s dark and dangerous underworld.

Though this book features a different couple, it is direct continuation of storyline from the first book, so make sure you have read these books in order.

221 is a man with no memory, no past, and who exists to be a mindless killing machine. The stunning prototype of a mind-controlling drug, he is at the mercy of his master, doing what is commanded of him and oblivious to everything except the urge to kill.

Luka Tolstoi has escaped the hell of his captivity in the Gulag where he was forced to become a death-match fighter. He is slowly claiming his life back, but he still yearns for vengeance on behalf of his only friend. That vengeance leads him to discover that a man named Zaal Kostova – from the family that is the sworn enemy of his own – is being held prisoner and known only by the number 221, and Luka swoops in to rescue him, hiding him in his family’s country estate to recover from all that has been done to him.

Talia Tolstoi is Luka’s sister. Fiercely independent, she is desperate for a life of her own, a life where she can find love and happiness with a man and have a family. But instead she finds herself trapped in the world of the Russian mafia, where violence and killing are a part of everyday life, and where no man would dare touch her. Desperate to escape her reality for a while, she retreats to her family’s country estate, however her peace is disrupted when her brother arrives with a wild-looking man who he places in their basement.

Talia is intrigued by fierce man. Day after day she watches him through video feed, finding herself strangely drawn to him, and when she can resist no longer, she approaches him. She doesn’t care that he is the enemy, she wants only to care for him, and in him she finds something she never expected.

“You are for me?”
In that moment I was every hope he’d had. I could see it; see it in those sea green eyes. He moved me. Completely moved something inside of me with those simple, earnest words.

Zaal can’t remember ever receiving a kind touch in his life. He doesn’t know how to respond to Talia, he only knows that her presence soothes him, and in his strange new world he experiences a peace with her that he has never known.

Talia made me someone. I was her Zaal.
But alone, I was nothing more than a number.

The interactions between Talia and Zaal are beautiful, yet achingly sad. Zaal’s distrustfulness of everybody and everything is heartbreaking, but Talia’s kindness and gentleness begin to draw him out, and the chemistry between them begins to sizzle as their attraction becomes a tangible thing that neither of them can resist.

She was mine.
I was hers.
We were each other’s.

I love the way that Tillie Cole wrote Zaal’s story. He is a ferocious killer, yet he has this child-like wonder about him as he discovers life outside of captivity that is beautifully written. And at the same time he is all man, and the way he lays claim to Talia, and the way they come together is nothing short of explosive. Incredibly passionate and full of emotion, their love story develops beautifully as they become each other’s worlds. But Zaal is the enemy of his family – even though he has no memory of them – and more than that, he is a broken man who is desperate to discover who he really is. They have a complicated journey ahead of them before they can claim their HEA. And every moment of it is brimming with emotion.

Talia sobbed as I leaned down to kiss her soft, wet mouth, repeating, “You are … for me, you are … for me…” Then Talia holding my face and whispering back, “I am … for you, Zaal … eternally. I am forever … for you…”

The continuation of Luka’s story is woven into the book, with several chapters from his POV, and I really liked the way that was done. I thought his storyline was incredibly realistic given his circumstances, and I think I may have fist-pumped watching him start to stand strong and be the man he is meant to be. There’s also a great lead-in to the next book, and if it’s heading where I think it’s heading, I am ridiculously excited and can’t wait to see how it’s all going to play out.

I am loving this series! Tillie Cole holds nothing back with her writing, and these books have a rawness to them that makes them incredibly intense, yet she creates something beautiful in the midst of all of the dark and gritty. It’s a unique reading experience, and I’m excited for more.

4.5 stars.