The Predator

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨✨

First Impressions
The Predator is show more the first book in the "Dark Verse" series and this series has been so intimidating for me if I am being honest. So many rave about this one especially on instagram, its EVERYWHERE. I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest into it but after really enjoying Gothikana, I had to rethink it and decide on this one. Well I grabbed it in audio (and if you are a audio fan, get it in audio, you won't regret it) and it was superb. I loved everything about it. And honestly with how hooked I was into this one, its definitely on the list of favorites for the year too. I was so consummed by this book and literally couldn't put it down, and as a audiobook that is saying something for sure.

First Line
On a cold dark night in winter, with the wind howling and the skies crying in sleet, two men from the Tenebrae Outfit met the two men from Shadow Port in the middle of nowhere.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Tristan Caine
The Heroine: Morana Vitalio

Summary
The Predator begins with our heroine, Morana Vitalio, comes after Tristan Caine and attempts to kill him as she believes that he knows the truth about a mystery and is her target and with him being her family's enemy, she won't lose sleep over it, but Tristan Caine is a not a man you can easily kill and she finds herself on the other end of her own knife and where Tristan makes his own vow to her but ends up protecting her in his own way. Even though Tristan has vowed to kill her, they end up in this sexy tango of secrets and myterious reveals and when she ends up on the run from her own family, Tristan is the man that offers sanctuary. But why does he want to kill her and why does the hate run so deep?

What I Loved
This book tore me upside down and sideways and I never knew what was going to happen next. I absolutely couldn't get enough of this book. In fact, this book is WAY better than Gothikana. And yes I know they are completely different but I was so CONSUMED by this book in a way that Gothikana didn't even come close for me. There was so many delicious alpha vibes and loved how strong these characters are. The heroine I know comes off strong and she may not work for everyone, but honestly, I ended up loving her, and that is a rarity for such a prickly heroine but she really worked for me.

She had such relatable vulnerabilities and how she just wants to be loved by anyone because she has been so neglected was so empowering. Even though she knows how to kick ass and fight on her own terms, she also has a sweet spirit too. She isn't your typical kick ass heroine which I really respected because I found her so likeable in the end. You can see how she has been abused over the years and I really wanted her to find her HEA because she deserved it.

The secrets that surround this book were so impactful and man I was beyond intrigued. I love a good mystery but the way that this book is layered was so intricate in many ways. There is some mystery behind the hero and why he has such a hate filled vendetta against the heroine when she hasn't really done anything to him to actually warrant it, so getting the reveals in the end was so fascinating and really adds depth to the hero. There are so many "touch her and die" vibes and the alpha moments with the hero were so captivating.

What I Struggled With
Not much to be honest. At first I was curious why the hero wanted to kill the heroine so badly but that gets satisfied so I have to say it was just about perfect.

Narration
This narration was PERFECTION! Honestly they made this one so so addictive and really made the world building and the characters jump off of the page so vividly.

Overall View
The Predator is a fascinating beginning to a world that will pull at your curiosity from the get go. You won't want to let go of this story or these characters who literally take your breath away! CAPTIVATING AND ENTHRALLING!

Favorite Quote(s)
Don't you know not to run away from predators, sweetheart? We like the hunt."

" You twitch and you die."
...."Interesting," he remarked evenly (yeah I was laughing so hard)

“No one else gets to kill you, Ms Vitalio, the last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine."

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Dark Romance, Romantic Suspense
Character Types: Alpha Male, Mafia
Themes: Kick Ass, Touch Her and Die, Family Feud, Dirty Talkin'
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers

Book Perspective
1st POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Both

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Penelope Douglas
Ana Huang
Rina Kent

Song This Book Inspires
Russian Roulette by Rhianna

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.

Narrators:
Kai Kennicott, Michael Pierce show less

Oh. My. Dayum.

RuNyx killed it with this one. Holy shit, this was good. This was really really good. My mind is still trying to process all that I've read. It had everything I am looking for in a dark romance: brooding hero with a dark past, a heroine that is vulnerable yet has a back bone, oozing chemistry, mafia related drama, and a fucking epic cliffhanger.

Seriously what the fuck.

I need want sequel and I want it now.

I loved it and will continue the rest of the series. Loved that the spice does not overpower the mafia story as a whole. The characters' stories are so poignant that you can't help but feel deeply for them as you read. However, there are plenty of grammar mistakes that almost seem like they were never edited before being published.

4 stars

This was a lot more suspenseful than I was expecting. I was so invested in the story that before I knew it the book was done.

This is a first time reading this author but it won't be my last. I need answers as to who is good and who is bad. Tristian and More a were fuego.

I thought the mafia setting would be fun to read through, buuut I think the writing needed a bit of cleaning up. Understandably, this is the author's debut - so we let this pass. However, Tristan's blue eyes and his whole 'whiskey and sin' personality was repeated several times lol.

The book wasn't really for me I guess; all those monologues and the drag of an ending. Also the endless staring was just not my thing.

In this book you will find:

1. Lessons in staring, glaring, and sweating.
2. Reasons editors are important: Grammar and Syntax.
3. 2 dimensional characters.
4. Smut - of the nothing-to-write-home-about variety.
5. How to say something 20 different ways on one page, and again on the next for good measure.

This book was definitely one of my faves in the series. Dark, broody and amazing!