Ruby Tears: Dark Romance

Ruby Tears is the first book in Pepper Winters’ new dark romance series The Jewelry Box. This story is about Henri Ward/Mercer. He was sent by his half-brother Q, from the Monsters in the Dark series, to infiltrate the human trafficking ring called the Jewelry Box. Henri’s father was a monster and he had been fighting his against his desires for years. Q required him to prove that he succumb to temptation before he would consider letting him be a part of his family. Henri was afraid that in playing along at the Jewelry Box that the temptation would be too great and he would succumb to his baser inclinations. After six months of groundwork, he had finally gained an invitation to visit. However, when he met the owner at a nightclub, he was given the task of taking a young woman from the club as a condition of visiting brothel. Ily was drawn to the Henri in the club and then he paid her ex-boyfriend to look the other way as he took her. He offered her one million euros to come with him, then tried to let her go. She was intrigued by the man and accepted his offer. Then she was informed that she had become one of the Jewels in the Jewelry Box, and that she would serve the rest of her life as a prisoner in this brothel where there are no limits in what the members might do. This book shows the author going back to her roots. Her early books were all dark like this and most dealt with human trafficking. She has her two main characters joined together in a quest to save the Jewels. I don’t know how to describe the feelings this book evokes other than to say that these two people are thrown into a very dark, twisted world with only each other to cling to. I don’t believe that Henri is as bad as he fears, since many of the clubs’ members disgust him. Readers should check the trigger warnings as there is a lot in this book which could be triggering. It is a very intense situation and Ily and Henri were building a strong connection. There is a lot of miscommunication and internal conflict. Their situation is fraught with the danger of discovery. The book ends in a cliffhanger, which is frustrating, but also expected. I will most definitely be tuning back in for the next volume in the series to find out what happens next. I recommend this book for readers who like very dark romance and are comfortable reading about roles that trafficked men and women may find themselves forced to perform. I am voluntarily writing this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy of this book thanks to Pepper Winters.

This is another great beginning of Henri and Ily’s story. Henri is following his brother Qi’s steps to help those who have been sold to human trafficking. Ily just so happens to be the piece Henri needs to use to get master Victor eye. She doesn’t know this, but the beautiful man Henri that she meets at the French night club pulls her towards him. Throwing caution to the wind is not what to do. After a moment to quickly pass does she regret her decision. Will she be able to escape? Also, can they help the others on that island as well? Good god I hope so and this is so sad that this still happens.

Holy moly, this book! I also listened to the audiobook and I cannot decide which I liked more. This is a why choose moment because they are both fantastic. I must caution those with triggers to read the warnings and take them seriously. This is the first book in The Jewelry Box series and it is a dark, gritty romance that will leave you speechless.

“I am not this body. I am not this skin or form. I’m merely the watcher within it. They can touch my shell, but they will never touch me.”

Ily is in Paris to celebrate with her boyfriend when things go awry. Henri, who readers met in The Mercers Curse, is at the same Paris bar trying to complete a task requisitioned by his brother Q…to find The Jeweler who owns and operates a place that commits the most atrocious and vile acts and infiltrate it. What follows is a deep dive into what occurs in The Jeweler’s home and what Henri is doing to bring it to an end. The burning question is whether Henri will be able to keep his demons in check or will they come out to play? This storyline is a whirlwind of emotion that lifts you up, tosses you about and leaves you dangling on the precipice. It sinks its claws in and hold tight as the chapters progress. Fueled with drama, suspense, conflict, and intense heat, then this needs to be added to your bookshelf and read for oneself.