Carnage
L.O.R.D.S., Book #5
By Shantel Tessier
ISBN# 9798865710806
Author’s Website: shanteltessier.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Review
*Beware of spoilers and trigger warnings (Rape, degradation, gore)*
There are Lords … and then there are Spade Brothers. Spade brothers are still Lords, but they are also so much more. They run Carnage, the Lords’ version of hell. Most Lords don’t even know Carnage exists until it’s too late and they’re living there, being tortured until the end of their days. How long will that be? Depends on the mood of the Spade brothers.
You may ask, how does a Lord get the punishment of running Carnage? It’s nothing they did. They were born into it. Each set of Spade brothers, who are not actual brothers, by the way, create the next set of brothers … so on and so forth. Rinse and repeat.
It’s not easy becoming a Spade Brother. You can’t trust just anyone to keep the worst the Lords have to offer under control. The Spade brothers go through the same things as Lords … initiation, vow ceremonies, and the like. However, the ones the Spade brothers must endure are much more intense. If they survive, they will eventually take over Carnage from their fathers and unleash their own kind of hell on whoever is brought before them.
“A Spade brother: A Lord is placed strategically out into the world. But no Lord is safe from their own if they break their oath. If you don’t believe in hell, the Spade brothers will change your mind. They are a special kind of Lord. They will sit on their thrones and watch you burn to death for eternity with the fire they started. They give no fucks and have no limits. They collect the names they are given, and erase you from the world as if you never existed, and make you wish that was the truth.”
Saint and his three fellow Spade brothers: Kashton, Haidyn, and Adam have just completed their initiation. They will one day take over from their fathers that run Carnage now. However, something they’ve looked forward to even more is their vow ceremony. When they can finally take a chosen and have all the sex they’ve dreamed about the last three years during the required celibate period of their initiation. And, Saint has had his eye on one girl, in particular. Ashtyn Price. She is Adam’s twin sister and a daughter of a Spade brother. Any daughters of a spade brother must be gifted to one of the brothers of the next generation of brothers. And, Saint has gone out of his way to ensure that Ashtyn is gifted to him.
“I’ve watched her sleep and touched her face while hoping she was dreaming of me. I’m a man obsessed with a woman I haven’t been able to have. Some would call it creepy or pathetic. I call it devoted.”
Meanwhile, Adam has been extra irritable of late and nobody knows why. He’s gotten into some kind of trouble with the Lords and he goes on the run. When the Lords can’t find Adam they go after the next best thing, his sister, to try and lure him out.
“I vow.
You vow.
We vow.”
Saint has worked too hard to bind himself to Ashtyn to lose her so soon after taking their vows.
Saint will do whatever it takes to keep Ashtyn, even if it will leave her hating him forever. And, when she runs from him, he will scour this earth to bring her back home to her own version of hell. And Saint will be her own personal devil that holds the keys.
“Yes.” I nod. “I’ve been in love with you.” She sniffs, and I run my thumb over her parted lips. “And when forced to choose—keep you or let you go—I will hurt you before I live a life without you.”
Carnage [ kahr-nij ]:
1. the killing of a large number of people
2. fighting or other violence
3. great damage, utter defeat, or chaos
4. Archaic. dead bodies, as of those slain in battle
I know that this book is named after the place Carnage. Where the fallen Lords are taken to disappear. Once you’re in Carnage you are considered dead and the brothers will make you wish you were. This book was a wild ride and the title was so fitting.
Since we already know that Saint’s chosen escaped and he’d been looking for her for YEARS, I wasn’t expecting to have more than memories of the past. So, I was actually surprised the book started from his initiation, like the others, and went all the way to when Ashtyn escaped. Then, it picked back up after Saint got his hands-on his biggest lead, Whitney. She was not yet done wreaking havoc on people’s lives.
I really wanted to like Saint, and parts of him I did. I liked that he was willing to put it all on the line for the girl he was obsessed over. Even if it meant going against the Lords and risking landing himself in the hell he was meant to rule over. I liked seeing his protective side. The way he handled Emerson was great, although it was probably overkill after Haidyn had already handled the initial slight against Ashtyn. Saint is definitely part of the ‘my wife’ movement in books.
“I heard you were in a fight,” I speak.
His eyes snap up to look at mine before they go to Haidyn. “Saint…I didn’t…”
“Hit my wife?” I arch a brow, and he swallows. “I guess the footage I saw of you and her in the elevator must have been fake as well?” I look at Haidyn who snorts.
“I…uh, no…I didn’t—” he rambles unable to lie but refusing to tell me the truth.
“Threaten to rape and kill her.” I finish for him. Not caring what else he has to say, I push off the counter and step forward, and he starts screaming, trying to pull away, but he’s not going anywhere.
Devin pushes the cart over to Emerson and removes the syringe as Emerson begins to scream. He knows what’s coming. He’s been through it before. It’s routine for brandings. But this one will be a little different. The Spade brothers pride themselves on being creative. It’s not as if there is a rule book on how to torture and kill people. But if there ever was, we would be the ones to write it.”
I didn’t like how Saint was with Ashtyn after he brought her back to Carnage. I can understand him being hurt still even if she had been gone for four years. And, I can understand a bit of a punishment period as well, but I think he let that go on way too long for someone he claims to love. He didn’t get his act straight until she was in actual danger and he risked losing her for good.
This book actually made me fall in love with Haidyn. He didn’t think keeping Ashtyn caged (even if she wasn’t in an actual cell) in Carnage for something she didn’t do was right. He tried to help her when he could. He truly seemed the most empathetic of the brothers and I really didn’t think he would be at the beginning of the book, when we ‘met’ him. I was devastated at a certain event in this book involving him, and I was hoping for a miracle book moment or redo. I will not say if I got my wish, or not.
Nothing ever quite prepares you for the fucked-up-ness of Lord parents though. The things they will do to their own children is horrifying. I still can’t figure out what Ashtyn’s mother was thinking. I guess she was trying to get her shunned and turned over to a pimp instead of having to serve a Lord. I really don’t know. And, her dad was no prize either … watching her the way he did was creepy.
“You will never be enough for a Lord.” Sitting back in her seat, she mumbles, “No woman ever is…and you’re nothing special.”
Also, this book states it can be read as a stand-alone. I think it would be really hard coming into this book having never read the others. This one connects so much to previous books, The Sinner & The Sacrifice. And, I don’t think certain things would make sense if I hadn’t read those books. Like Sin’s connection to Laura. Not only that, but now this book introduces us to some characters from Tessier’s mafia series, The Dark Kingdom. It’s another series I will now need to read as it looks like the next book will be involving them as well.
This novel was such a roller-coaster and I loved it. We started out as you would expect with initiation, slowly went up the hill as Saint and Ash’s relationship started to develop and then we came rushing down the first loop when everything went to crap and Ashtyn fled. Everything settled back down as we had a nice long straightaway and made the climb to the next drop and that drop was such a huge one. I couldn’t put this book down for the last 9ish chapters. This book is very bad if you enjoy sleeping because I just couldn’t stop reading it. However, if you enjoy the thrill this book is so good and is easily my favorite of the series so far. I had been dying to read this one since I was introduced to the brothers in The Sinner and it did NOT disappoint.
The second epilogue was hilarious as well. Tinsley is going to give Saint a run for his money.
“I’ve been a sucker for that smile since the moment I held her. It’s amazing how cute and evil something can be at the same time.”
Now I am sadly caught up on this series and will need to wait for Tessier to complete Madness. I’m assuming Madness will be Kashton’s story … with Jasmine (from the Dark Kingdom), perhaps? I cannot freaking wait. Guess I can bide my time with her mafia kings. *Update: Madness was NOT Kash’s story*
“I was born a Spade brother, but I will die a husband and a father. And when I am buried in our cemetery and arrive at the gates of hell, I’ll smile because I’ll already know what to expect from the devil. A very short life with my family is worth an eternity of damnation.”
