Dubious

The Loan Shark Duet, Book 1

By: Charmaine Pauls

Narrated by: Lee Turner Smith, Adara Stevens

A dark mafia romance

I'm a loan shark. Breaking people is in my blood. The Haynes were supposed to be a straightforward job. Go in and pull the trigger twice. One bullet for Charlie, one for his sister. But when I saw Valentina, I wanted her. Only, in our world, those who owe us don't get second chances. No way in hell will my mother let her live. So I devised a plan to keep her.

It's depraved.
It's immoral.
It's dubious.

It's perfect.
Just like her.

Contains mature themes.

©2017 Charmaine Pauls (P)2019 Charmaine Pauls

Critic reviews

"Perversely hot, gritty, and richly textured, Valentina and Gabriel's story is one of the best dark romances I've read." (Anna Zaires, New York Times best-selling author of Twist Me)

I want more Valentina and Gabriel!!!!

This is my third time reading/listening to this book, I fall in love with them each time, and I never wanted their story to end. I absolutely loved both narrators' voices, they were the perfect Gabriel and Valentina for me.

Great story - a little lacking in narration

Dubious is a great mafia romance jaunt. It’s interesting and the storyline is compelling. If you enjoy books in this genre, read this one.

Two things that impact my rating:
1. The male narrator is quite flat, with little change in his tone or emotionality, regardless of the urgency or craziness of the situation (and there are a LOT of these throughout the book).
2. I would prefer a lot more mob action. The book covers the goings on in the mansion like episodes of Downton Abbey, but we don’t get to travel with the male MC to understand much of what it’s like to be an enforcer for a loan sharking operation. We also don’t get a look inside the other “businesses” the family runs. The lack of action is a miss for me, because it’s really an essential element in a mafia drama.

Last, this does not detract from the book at all; it’s just an observation that some other reviewers have also noted. If the book’s description is accurate, Johannesburg, South Africa sounds like a hellish place to live!

I’m sure glad I live in the USA!

First, let me start by admitting that, if this an accurate description of South Africa, I admit I have been ignorant. South Africa sounds like Hell on earth. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am blissfully happy to be a blissfully ignorant American.

Part one of this book is very good. Yes, it is very Dark but, you can see the goodness, beneath the surface, of the Hero. The poor Heroine can’t catch a break. This book is suspenseful and touching. I admit I shed tears more than once. Unfortunately, book two was a let down, after experiencing book one. Book two just didn’t touch me like book one and it let me down. With that being said, you have to buy book two to learn the answers to the questions that arise in book one. Book one is included in the Escape Package but, book two is not. Therefore, one credit for a story this long, isn’t a bad buy!
-V from Kansas

WORTH THE CREDIT

I am only upset it's a cliff hanger... which means I will forget how good it was by the time the second half comes around. So toss the hands in the air and forget about it and make you your own happy ever after.

ORIGINALLY CAPTIVE-ATING!!!!

Holy. Forking. Shirt!!!!

This is such a captivating Mafia story!
I'm so entraweld in their individual dilemmas and drama!
Everything about this story is original.
LOVING IT!!!

A dark romance.

you have to ok with spankings and rough sex. Submissive and dominant relationship. It was a bit hard for me to take at times. But somehow it just kept me hooked. Not my normal read at all. BUUTTT......All in all it was a very good book

⭐️ Stellar Dark Romance ⭐️

It’s been a while since I’ve listened to a dark romance and this book reminds me of why I love them so much. Although Gabriel is a loan shark it’s very mafia style. You really fall in love with the MFC and root for her. The H is deliciously dark and broken in his own way and the more you understand him the more you want him to succeed as well. This ends in a bit of a cliffhanger and geese I have no idea what she’s doing but thinking clearly is not it.

Great Narrators

This was an interesting story. Very well written. Magda has issues and definitely needs an attitude asjustment. The narratoes are excellent.

Dark and Delisious!

Not a book to listen to in the car on the way to work, best to stay home....This book is dark, steamy, and has all the good stuff. Ready for book 2.

I am torn, but I loved this book!

I was poisoned against Gabriel toward the end of this book, and part of me hopes things go in a direction that will cause a lot of pain for Valentina in the next book. Gabriel is a complex character that I instantly warmed up to in the beginning; his unwavering possessiveness and constant need to own and have all parts of Valentina, even the ones she didn't want to give, struck a chord with me for some reason. The way he took such pleasure in her touching his things, wearing his shirt, watching her when she was sleeping to have her so completely it's past the point of obsession is something I think a lot of women wish to find in a man. It could easily be said that he worshipped the ground she walked on without her knowing it in this book, and how she didn't see beyond his contradicting words and actions boggles the mind. Valentina is a character I love as well. Her strength is unbelievable. I thought to myself many times that I would've likely just broken down if I were in her shoes; heck a particularly hard day at work makes me feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I don't get a day off soon and Valentina never has a complaint. A life of horrible misfortunes and mistrust has led us to this moment at the end of the book and wondering what in the world could ever make this okay. I for one would not have the strength to forgive such atrocities that have been committed against this woman and her determination to stay positive is a lesson learned for us all. The power dynamic and hot love scenes are excellent and Gabriel's dominating side is the perfect ying to Valentina's submissive yang. I enjoyed the fact that the sex in this book explored so much, the murky waters of consent, different types of kink you don't always see in romances, and a unique plot to tie it all together with a nice pretty bow put this book on the top 10 list of favorite romance novels I've ever read. This book brought me to many places in my head; I felt real sadness, happiness, compassion, frustration and hope. I listened to this whole book in one night and I'm hooked. On to the next one now because I cannot wait a second more to see what will happen next! If you're on the fence, do it. you won't regret the way this story wraps itself around you the whole way through and will not let you go, just like Gabriel doesn't.