Blog Tour : Hope Restrained (The Estate, #2) by M.S. Willis

Hope Restrained

The Estate, #2

by M.S. Willis

Release Date: January 30th, 2014

Purchase At: Amazon U.S. | Amazon UK | B & N

Blog Tour Hosted by: Stephanie's Book Reports

Source: Author

eArc received for review

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Synopsis:

She was meant to be his assassin
A forced player in a rivalry within The Estate
Yet her loyalty was to no person but herself
When Hope is taken captive by Xander Black
She becomes the one thing that can ensure Aaron’s reign

Raised within a rival crime network, Hope Delacroix wanted nothing to do with The Estate. A fierce warrior, Hope is given no choice but to kill Aaron Carmichael. Caught in her attempt, Hope is captured by Aaron’s top guard in an effort to discover who sent her.

Ever loyal and protective, Xander Black’s sole objective is to defend Aaron and Maddy. Willing to do whatever is necessary, Xander gives in to darkness in order to force information out of Hope.

As Xander enslaves Hope to break her down completely, he learns that in the two years since Joseph Carmichael’s death, dissension still exists within The Estate.

“I find it ironic that your name is Hope…especially considering that you have none.” 
~ Xander Black

The Estate Series

Joseph Fallen (The Estate, #0.5)

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Amazon | Amazon UK |B & N 

Madeleine, Abducted (The Estate, #1)

Goodreads | Review

Amazon US | Amazon UK | B & N | Kobo

Excerpt:

He smiled, his voice booming when he responded,  "You’re an assassin.  That much is obvious!"  Reaching up, he rubbed at his jaw where she'd hit him. "No woman hits like that and hasn't been trained."

A humorless laugh broke free of her throat.  "Growing up in the shadow of The Estate is enough incentive for all women to be trained.  Do you think nobody knows what goes on here? We notice the disappearance of our families, our friends.  We can smell the bodies as they're burned."

He smiled.  "You've done your homework.  Congratulations.”  Mockery weighed down his last word.  He paused, his eyes twinkling as they moved over her.  The timbre of his voice deepened when he calmly stated, “I can promise you, I will discover who you are, and while I'm at it, I'll also discover who the fuck sent you.  If you make my life easier by giving up the information now, I'll make sure you are no longer breathing when you become one of those burning bodies."


She was amused by his threat.  "You can set me on fire right here, big guy, and end this bullshit game right now."  She winked.  "I'll never tell you a fucking thing."

My Review:

Wow! *Ahem* I am speechless ...

I read Madeleine Abducted a few months ago and I still can't forget about it! I still can remember the book hangover I got once I was done reading it. That book intoxicated me! Dark Romance is not my usual genre. I decided to give it a try a few months ago and I am so happy to say that I found authors that caught my attention with their fascinating writing style. M.S. Willis is one of them. I read her Estate Series and Because of Ellison. Two totally different genres that have captivated me. Because of Ellison made me cry, laugh and swoon. No sign of twisted darkness at all, but with this book ...  Hope Restrained was so dark and twisted that it shook my foundation to the core! Needless to say that I read my favorite ''fluffy'' read after I finished reading Hope Restrained. I needed hearts, flowers and all that jazz!

**Warning**

This book is not for the faint of heart. Some scenes in the book are very graphic and they will linger with you even after you finish reading the book.

This is the second installment of The Estate Series. In Hope Restrained we follow Xander Black and Hope Delacroix. Two people with a tragic past who have been surrounded by darkness since a young age. Xander is Aaron Carmichael's right hand man and best friend. Hope Delacroix is the best female assassin you can find. When her sister, Honor, is abducted she rushes towards the Estate to go save her. She knows exactly what people from The Estate are capable of. She will do whatever it takes to save her sister and bring her back home. When she is ordered to kill Aaron Carmichael in exchange for her sister's freedom, Hope knows what she has to do to accomplish her mission. What she never expected was to fall into the arms of  dark and mysterious Xander Black. He provokes her like no other man ever did. She stands confident and strong even after the humiliations he puts her through. Xander is determined to protect Aaron and Madeleine at any cost. When Hope refuses to tell him who sent her to kill Aaron, he steps into the darkness and will stop at nothing to find out who wants Aaron dead. Even if it means breaking the strong and confident female warrior that stands in front of him.

M.S. Willis has exceeded all my expectations!  She created another couple that is perfect for each other. A couple that needed each other to survive the cruelty that surrounds them. I have to admit that Xander was nothing like I expected him to be. He was even better! Yes, he was an A**hole to Hope! But, soon enough she captivated him and infiltrated every part of his soul. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to keep her away from the darkness that she gravitates around. Hope was an amazing character to follow. She has been trained to survive the worst situations. When Xander pushed her, she pushed right back! She will not back down for anything in the world. You do not want to mess with Hope Delacroix. It gets ugly ... Trust me! I have never read about a heroine like her. I am 100% #TeamHope

I really loved to see Aaron and Madeleine again. Aaron and Hope are so similar, but yet so different. It was fascinating to see how they reacted to each other's presence. Madeleine once again stole my breath away! I absolutely ADORE her! She is such a beautiful human being. I really liked the way she connected with Hope. She knows how to handle darkness and she saw right through Hope just like she did with Aaron. Another thing that I loved about this book is how we got Honor's POV. Her life was HELL! I'm really anxious for the third installment of The Estate series, which is her story. I won't go into details of who her leading man is going to be, and I would suggest not reading the synopsis of Honor Bound until you have finished Hope Restrained. 

**Note to Self** Do not eat snacks while reading a book from The Estate Series!

My Rating:

I give, Hope Restrained, by M.S. Willis 5 gripping, twisted, dark, gut-wrenching stars! The content of this book was so dark that my body convulsed with the desire to cast out the darkness!! From the Prologue to the Epilogue, this book did not let me go! FANTASTIC work by M.S. Willis!

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Author Bio:

M.S. Willis is a romance novelist whose debut novel, Control, was released in 2013.  Although currently writing in the romance genre, Willis has plans to expand her literary pursuits into multiple genres and has no fear conquering difficult subject matters in her writing.  

Willis is a native Floridian who is also a photographer and musician.  When not absorbing herself in written, visual or musical expression, Willis is an adrenaline junkie, a ‘closet’ video game enthusiast, and an avid outdoors person and nature lover.

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