Dishonorable

By: Natasha Knight

Narrated by: Michael Pauley

Sofia

I knew little of Raphael Amado's history with my family, but when he turned up on our doorstep demanding restitution, my grandfather quickly conceded. That restitution? Me.

Six months later, on my 18th birthday, Raphael came for me. He stole me from my home, taking me to his Tuscan estate, where from the crumbling chapel to the burnt-down vineyard, to the cellar that haunted him, the past stalked him like a shadow. It waited for him, hid behind corners for him and trapped him at every turn.

As much as Raphael's cruelty terrified me, his darkness seduced me. But in the end, it was his tenderness that devastated me.

Raphael

Sofia came to me like an offering. Like a virgin to be sacrificed at the altar. But truth was, her grandfather betrayed her. I guess we had that in common. He'd screwed me too.

I knew hate. I'd vowed vengeance. This was never supposed to be about anything else. But in the end, her innocence broke me. The very thing I would destroy, destroyed me.

©2017 Natasha Knight (P)2017 Natasha Knight

Dark and beautiful

This story is long, twisting and oh so good. Be warned though, this is not your everyday dark romance, the love doesn’t sweep you away, it doesn’t win outright. This story is a sad and yet utterly gratifying romance.

If you have any issues with possessive and brutal sex scenes this may not be the story for you.

Debts Must Be Paid

I know it seems like an outdated concept but marrying off the young virgins in the family to settle a debt, especially mafia debt, never goes quite as intended. So this is sorta kinda a mafia romance but not really, there is some indirect mafia interaction. But it certainly is a dark romance and a really good one. Natasha Knight is amazing at weaving complex love stories that requires a little twistedness to really get into. So I guess I am one twisted sister because I like her books and I really like this one. Raphael has his demons he's battling while also fighting his attraction to the very young and innocent sofia who has agreed to marry him to settle her Grandfather's debt. Now how's a guy suppose to resist a young, sweet, innocent girl with a heart of gold? Sofia makes awfully difficult for Raphael to use her for his revenge.

Michael Pauley is a good narrator and sometimes gets really dramatic -- which I totally love -- at intense moments. He is just not very good at the female voices, but he's so good emoting I'll forgive him for that.

This listen is absolutely worth every penny I spent. Can't wait for the next dark romance from Ms. Knight.

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

Great Story, Steamy Romance

Nice, plot, characters and ratio of story vs sex. Michael Pauley did a nice job of narration. However, I prefer narration when an actual woman does the woman's script. It kind of ruins it for me when a guy does both parts. Michael Pauley has a very sexy male voice for Rafael. It was very pleasing.

Dark but good

This book’s storyline was pretty dark; Raphael had a pretty troubling past and could have seriously benefited from therapy. Mr, Pauley did a great job with narration and really got into the psychological issues with Raphael and Sophia. If you are into dark psychological dramas, this is a book for you. Will look at additional books written by this author.

I could not stop listening!!

Which scene was your favorite?

There were a couple of scenes that had me biting my nails so to speak, not to say this was a "favorite"; but a defining scene one when Rinaldo and Sophia are in the cellar, and he is about to whip her, oh my gosh..I was on pins and needles. I swear I could feel what Sophia was feeling, knowing in my heart that Rinaldo just COULDN'T whip her, but then he cuffed her to the pillar and he wasn't really seeing her...would he, NO..could he, NO..but he almost did

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Then in the church, when Sophia is telling Rinaldo she loves him. He lies and tells her he never loved her. My heart actually broke for Sophia. I literally had tears. - and no, that is not the last time this book moved me to tears. In the attorneys office, when Rinaldo finally confesses his love for Sophia then turns around and signs the contract to basically calls off their marriage contract! WTH...I knew why he was doing it, but I swear I crumbled right there. Men are stupid.

Any additional comments?

It was at this point, the anulment, that I was NOT puting this book down for anything. Dinner be damned. I listened while cooking dinner, during dinner - (BAD momma). But I could not put this one down. of course there was the HEA, but my gosh the toll it had on my heart to get there...

Not believable

I find these stories, all of them from this author, so fanstatical! I mean how do so many of these women leads "fall for" men who buy them as slaves! or men who beat them with belt or basically rape them? this is crazy! In this book for example an 18 yr old girl is sold from her school to a man who treats her like a dog ...but when she is being trafficked she strikes up a normal as hell convo with her owner. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE YOU ALL!

What a Combo: Natasha Knight + Michael Pauley!

What a great combo to have dark romance author Natasha Knight choose the talented voice actor, Michael Pauley, to narrate “Dishonorable”.

Contrary to the title, the story does not involve military or former military personnel. “Dishonorable” tells the story of an 18-year-old winery heiress who is arranged by her elderly grandfather to marry a 24-year-old Italian winery “heir” who is an angry, manipulative biker type. The reasons for the marriage of convenience are only partially known, but become critical to the story’s conflict. His twin brother, a Catholic seminarian; and her sister, a teenager in boarding school, have back stories as well.

All four young people in the book have long histories of abuse by scheming relatives. A few questionable Italian power/money brokers, crafty lawyers, and law enforcement authorities are thrown in for good measure. It’s an interesting set-up for an interesting story, with two follow-up books in the series focusing on other characters from the first book.

Without exaggeration, Michael Pauley as voice actor is as important to the books he narrates — including this one — as the books themselves. He is more responsive to the text and emotional rhythms of stories than any other narrator in this genre. In the case of “Dishonorable”, his masculine, raw, and edgy voice fits perfectly with the dark themes, traumatic events, and dialogue.

It is because of Mr. Pauley’s very physical efforts to communicate ideas and the wildly fluctuating feelings of his characters that convinces the reader of his total immersion into the stories he narrates. That the physicality of his performance is so apparent in an audio-only format speaks volumes about his talent. He is a real gem, and more authors would be wise to choose him as voice performer for their books.

Trigger Warning: Ms. Knight’s work is always twisted and dark in the extreme, so survivors may find “Dishonorable” too triggering. For others, I highly recommend the book’s content and especially, the narrative performance of Mr. Pauley.

The Bad Guy's

My goodness... Bad boys, bad Dad's Bad Grand Dads..Dad's... It's a family thing. The Characters were good but hit & miss with action. h was getting on my nerves... Aw... he's a gangster... they don't play nice. SMH. Good but I did struggle a little to finish.

Dark and Sexy

What did you love best about Dishonorable?

I loved the transformation of the characters throughout the story. It starts off pretty rough and gritty and is definitely darker than my normal books, but it kept me captivated and wanting more. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had simply read the story. Michael Pauley's narration really made this book.

What other book might you compare Dishonorable to and why?

Honestly, I have never listened to/read a book like this, so I have nothing to compare it to. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it based solely on the blurb, but I'm so glad I went for it because Michael Pauley was phenomenal as Raphael.

Which character – as performed by Michael Pauley – was your favorite?

No question - Raphael. Michael Pauley was amazing and his narration was incredible, especially during some of the more emotional scenes. Raphael is such a complex anti-hero and there was so much emotion and feeling in Michael Pauley's performance. I couldn't wait to get back to Raphael's chapters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't want to be too spoilery, but the cellar scene was both terrifying and extremely emotional. It was like a car crash that you can't turn away from.

Any additional comments?

Michael Pauley performing Sofia was OK, but I really don't think it's possible for a man with such a deep and masculine voice to pull it off well. His Raphael though is definitely worth the credit!