I dig. It’s what I do. I’ll literally use a shovel to answer a question. Some answers, though, have been buried too deep for too long. But I’ll find those, too. And I know where to dig—the Blackwood Estate on the edge of the Mississippi Delta. Garrett Blackwood is the only thing standing between me and the truth. A broken man—one with desires that dance in the darkest part of my soul—he’s either my savior or my enemy. I’ll dig until I find all his secrets. Then I’ll run so he never finds mine. The only problem? He likes it when I run.
Author’s Note: This is a mystery/suspense romance with violence and explicit sex. Trigger warning.
Author’s Note: This is a mystery/suspense romance with violence and explicit sex. Trigger warning.
Review
4.25 Stars
“Nothing here is untouched. Everything is spoiled, ruined.”
Told from Elise's point of view, readers follow the hard-headed, determine young woman as she begins the process of locating archaeological dig sites on the Blackwood land. The dig stands for far more though, it's a chance to uncover her future. Right away, it is apparent that Blackwood is going to hold within its pages a dark mystery, but Celia Aaron is known for giving a story so much than just one thing to build upon. Soon, readers are captured by the erotic, dark romance brewing between the brooding, bearded Garrett and young Elise. In a moment of weakness, the two are thrown together, despite both wanting nothing to do with one another. They each carry secrets, the kind that weigh them down, but for some reason neither finds fear in having the other close to them.
"Blackwood's secrets were mine to discover and I would find them all.."
I found myself forgetting the mystery at hand and falling head over heels in love with these two. Their chemistry is alive, it's apparent that neither has felt the same way before. Garrett and Elise are both headstrong characters and I was beyond pleased by how their pasts tied to one another. As Garrett comes to care for Elise he assists her on her search, but that trust puts them both in danger from the mysteries that lay inside, and outside, the Blackwood estate. The mysteries in this book are layered, you won't expect them. They weave together as tangled, bloody lines that readers won't be able to figure out. There's no guessing the ending in this novel and I have to give Celia a round of applause for that one, I was shocked as each mystery was revealed. It's unexpected, it's horrifying, but it brings Garrett and Elise closer, providing closure on the pasts that have forced their hand in life.
"...I'm the wolf. That day you showed up on my front porch in your red coat, if you'd known the thoughts I'd had, the things I'd wanted to do to you- you would never have come back here."
Yes, I ended up rating Blackwood 4.25 stars even though I was totally in love with it and wanted to squeeze myself in between Elise and Garrett. It took me until 30% to even get into the story line, that's a long time for me. I think the combination of several sub-genres and the necessity of world building made for a slow start, but I also think it was worth pushing through. Celia Aaron's prowess as a writer is very apparent from start to finish, my problems with reading were more due to my style and preference. I think readers, whether they jump right in and love it or take some time to warm up to it, will still find that Blackwood is the kind of book you can't walk away from once you're immersed in the world of erotic chemistry, deceit, and mystery.
"I wanted him angry, hungry, and past all reason. And I wanted to be caught."
Blackwood is a must read, there's a bit of something for everyone. Filled with dark romance, mystery, and suspense, Celia Aaron has written a standalone that will keep you on your toes, have you falling in love, and definitely leave you all heated up.
“Why are your nails black sometimes?” I took a bite of the most disgusting chicken salad sandwich I’d ever tasted.
“Sheriff Crow comes to visit and all of a sudden you’re chatty?” Garrett leaned against my doorframe and watched as I struggled to eat the “mayo with a side of chicken” sandwich.
“I’ve always been chatty. Now it shows because the drugs have worn off and I’m not in agonizing pain.” I put the sandwich down and focused on the potato chips instead. “You’re the non-chatty one.”
He tossed my phone onto the bed. “Maybe that’s for a reason, Red.”
“What reason?” I picked it up and swiped across the screen. No service. Shit.
“I told you when you got here that I wanted you out.” He sighed. “That hasn’t changed.”
I dropped the phone with a grimace and picked at my sandwich. “Okay. And I told you that I can’t wait to leave, so we’re on the same page. Why would those facts keep you from telling me why your fingernails are covered in filth sometimes?”
“It’s not filth.” He shook his head. “While you’re lying around eating my delicious food all day without lifting a finger, I’m working.”
“On what?” In all the research I’d done, I never found Garrett to have any real source of income other than timber and oil royalties on the Blackwood property.
“Sheriff Crow comes to visit and all of a sudden you’re chatty?” Garrett leaned against my doorframe and watched as I struggled to eat the “mayo with a side of chicken” sandwich.
“I’ve always been chatty. Now it shows because the drugs have worn off and I’m not in agonizing pain.” I put the sandwich down and focused on the potato chips instead. “You’re the non-chatty one.”
He tossed my phone onto the bed. “Maybe that’s for a reason, Red.”
“What reason?” I picked it up and swiped across the screen. No service. Shit.
“I told you when you got here that I wanted you out.” He sighed. “That hasn’t changed.”
I dropped the phone with a grimace and picked at my sandwich. “Okay. And I told you that I can’t wait to leave, so we’re on the same page. Why would those facts keep you from telling me why your fingernails are covered in filth sometimes?”
“It’s not filth.” He shook his head. “While you’re lying around eating my delicious food all day without lifting a finger, I’m working.”
“On what?” In all the research I’d done, I never found Garrett to have any real source of income other than timber and oil royalties on the Blackwood property.
“Why do you care?” He crossed his arms over his chest, the rolled up sleeves of his shirt revealing some dark ink snaking across his skin.
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Why does it matter?”
I crunched the salty chips. “It wouldn’t matter if you weren’t so stubborn about not wanting to tell me. Now I have to know.”
“You’re calling me stubborn?” He arched a dark eyebrow.
“I see your hearing is working fine.” I plucked out another chip.
His lip twitched, a smile trying to form but failing. “You don’t even know me.”
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Why does it matter?”
I crunched the salty chips. “It wouldn’t matter if you weren’t so stubborn about not wanting to tell me. Now I have to know.”
“You’re calling me stubborn?” He arched a dark eyebrow.
“I see your hearing is working fine.” I plucked out another chip.
His lip twitched, a smile trying to form but failing. “You don’t even know me.”
Celia Aaron is the self-publishing pseudonym of a published romance and erotica author. She loves to write stories with hot heroes and heroines that are twisty and often dark. Thanks for reading.
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