Heartless by Jade West

I'm not sure what to think about this book. It might be the first one to render me speechless. Heartless takes place in the same world as the Dark Fairy Tales anthology, also known as Midnight Dynasty. I was really looking forward to this book but the hero, Lucian Morelli, was a bit more than I bargained for. He is cruel, ruthless, heartless, and a sadist. Some of the things he said and did bothered me a lot. He treats women very poorly and considers them objects, more or less. On the other hand, Elaine Constantine is broken, emotional, suicidal, and a masochist. The Constantine's and Morelli's have hated each other for years and are always trying to one up or kill each other. Lucian and Elaine's relationship could essentially be rendered down to a twisted Romeo and Juliet one.

"I hated the smell of her. I hated the taste of her. I hated her voice, and her stare, and her whole life. But still, I wanted her."

Lucian is obsessed with Elaine and will do anything to have her. Some of the scenes made me a little uncomfortable and I've read a lot of dark romances. Unfortunately, I could not stand Lucian because he wanted to hurt and break Elaine. I felt sorry for Elaine because she was in his warpath. She didn't deserve his cruelty nor her family's. It seems like they hate her. There is a lot going on with Elaine, which is why she continues to seek out drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. This is probably one of the darkest books I've read by Jade West or any author really.

"I could never be with Lucian. I should never want to be. I could never dig myself out of the life I created, amongst the people who'd created me."

In the end, I do believe that dark romance lovers will absolutely love this book. It just wasn't for me because there were a lot of triggers (violence, sexual abuse, criminal activities, sadism and masochism). However, I do think the story is rather compelling and has a lot of promise. Since this is the first book in a trilogy, maybe Lucian and Elaine's relationship will adapt and transform into something truly wonderful. The book ends in a cliffhanger of sorts so be ready for that!

*This ARC was generously provided by Valentine PR & Literary Management and Jade West for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★☆☆