Review: Toxic Love

Toxic Love
Venomous Gods #1
by Jagger Cole

Synopsis

A blisteringly steamy, Dark Mafia, Enemies to Lovers, Marriage of Convenience standalone romance by bestselling author, Jagger Cole.

I tried to outsmart the King of Sin. Now, I’m his.

Brutal, cold, and illegally gorgeous, Dante Sartorre isn’t just mafia royalty. He’s also the tyrant owner of the infamously deviant and members-only Club Venom.

He’s also my new husband.

In my defense, I wasn’t supposed to be the bride. But I sealed my fate when I saved my friend: by signing the Venom Devil’s marriage contract myself.

Now, he owns me. All of me…

But Dante thinks I’ll play the part of the obedient little bride he needs in order to keep his club. And he swears he’ll rip out every dark secret and bring me to my knees if I don’t.

Little does he know, this marriage has an expiration date.

And so do I.

You see, it’s not just the simmering heat between us that’s toxic. It’s not just the way I can’t decide if I want to geld him or lose myself in him.

It’s my blood and the secret sickness inside of me that’s poisonous, too.

So if you choose to know our story, you must know three things:

This is not a fairytale.

Dante is the Anti-Prince Charming.

And my name is Tempest Black, and I die at the end.

Toxic Love is a standalone dark mafia, marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers romance with a smart, untamable heroine, and an ultra possessive hero with "look at her and I'll unalive you" energy. This is the explosive start to the Venomous Gods mafia series. Readers are advised to read the TW inside. No cliffhanger; HEA included.

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Toxic Love by Jagger Cole is just the kind of read I needed! I am very particular with the kind of romance books I read. Dark romance is one category that I have to be particularly wary of - if you are a frequent reader of this blog, you are no stranger to this. If you're new, let me tell you that I am not sensitive to triggers, probably because I have a background in clinical psychology and working in a counseling center for the past 10 years can do that to you (not everyone, but definitely me). However, not being sensitive to trigger warnings does not mean that I enjoy any kind of dark romance out there. Quite the contrary, I am very careful about what I read. For example, I don't like traumatic/harsh/etc. bully romances - if I don't see some redeeming quality in my hero or heroine - I don't care about them. And why would I want to read about someone I don't care about?

Now, with that out of the way, Toxic Love does something so great for the kind of reader I am. This book has exactly what I want - a dark mafia, marriage of conveniece, enemies-to-lovers story with a fantastically emotionally independent heroine and a possessive hero who has a heart. First, Temest - UGH. I have a crush on this girl, so our hero stood no chance! She's strong-willed, beautifuly gothy (is my impression), and cares. She cares so much. And Dante? UGH. I'm a sucker for a possessive hero that is not an asshole (I do not think Dante is an asshole even if Tempest thinks so sometimes...). He's smart and stealth. Love. it. These two characters understand each other and have wonderful chemistry on the page. I could picture them perfectly, and it did not take much convincing for me to feel like they were meant to be. 

Cole has done a beautiful job in creating this world that is scary (hello, mafia), but also so comforting because of the trust that exists between Dante and Tempest. The writing and storytelling draws you in and does not let go. I kept reading until I was done because I needed to know what happened. I look forward to reading more from Jagger Cole, that's for sure. 

I recommend this book to all who love their romance on the darker side, but especially those who may want to dip their toes into the dark romance pool, so to speak. And if you like a strong heroine? Say hello to Tempest ​❤