Take Her

The Moth and the Monster, Book 1

By: Cassie Alexander

Narrated by: Matthew Holland, Bunny Warren

Power, Love, Money: Pick One

I’m her father’s best friend. She’s twenty years younger than me. He’ll kill me if I touch her—but I’ll die if I don’t.

The last time I saw Lia Ferreo I was helping her with a skinned knee—and now she wants to run her father’s company. She has no idea the dark lengths her father and I went through to build the mafia-financed hotel empire we currently run, or where any of the bodies are buried, but I know better.

So much better.

Lia’s gentle, I’m cruel.

She’s innocent, I’m a murderer.

She deserves to be free—all I want to do is control her.

And I don’t think I can hold back my beast around her much longer....

Take Her: A Dark Wall Street Mafia Age Gap Romance is like if the movie Secretary met the TV show Succession, with a Beauty and the Beast themed twist. It is the first book in Cassie Alexander's The Moth and the Monster series, and marks her stunning contemporary debut.

©2024 Cassie Alexander (P)2024 Cassie Alexander

Great start to this series!

Take Her (The Moth and the Monster book #1)

Story - 4/5 ♥️
Narration - 5/5⭐️
Spice - 4/5🌶

This story gives us age-gap, forbidden romance, mafia, kink/sex club all rolled up into a spicy package. It does end on a cliffhanger, so we now anxiously await to see what happens. The character development is fantastic. Rhaim has a dark past, Lia has a dark past. He is trying to keep his distance, she is having none of it. Take Her is a great start to this new Moth and Monster series!

The narration was wonderful. Matthew Holland has narrated for this author before, so hearing him as a made man was a little shocking. Bunny Warren gave us the perfect naive Lia who is slowly becoming the strong woman she is made to be. After all, she knows where the bodies are buried! 5 stars for this duo!

Great dark mafia, age gap romantic suspense!

Take Her is the first book in The Moth and the Monster series, a contemporary dark, mafia, billionaire retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and sets the stage for a very complicated relationship between Lia and Raim. Lia is the daughter of Neo, a ruthless leader and CEO of the family business. She has returned from schooling abroad to take her place in the family business, or so she thinks. She has endured unspeakable trauma at the hand of someone she should have been able to trust. She is finding her strength and is on a mission to claim Raim for herself. Raim is the CFO and her father’s best friend. There is a very forbidden age gap, father’s best friend aspect to this story that could have deadly consequences. Neo is moving pieces on the board in an effort to protect Lia and his legacy. Unfortunately, he isn’t interested in what Lia wants. The dangerous suspense and angst pushes the story into dark territory and we can only hope Lia and Raim will be able to find their way through alive and unscathed. I am all in and can’t wait for the next book!!

Matthew Holland has a wonderful voice and delivers a great performance in this book! Bunny Warren’s performance brings all of the complexity of a traumatized woman who is finding her strength necessary to make this high-risk romantic suspense believable so you are really invested in the characters. They complement each other very well!

Oh that voice!

The male audio reader is fantastic. I love his voice. The female was acceptable. She didn’t ruin it for me but I didn’t feel much emotional connection to her…not everyone can be Stina Neilson.

I liked the storyline more than I thought I would. Knowing that this is a modern take on her characters from her “Bend Her” book series I wasn’t surprised by the male character’s disposition and inclinations toward control.

There was one thing though the intro to the female leads chapters was annoying to me. I don’t feel like the quotes from the female leads fav book were poignant enough to merit existing. If those had not been in the book I’d have given the story a 5.

So In Love With This Book

Take Her is a dark mafia, age gap romance.

OH MAMA. Take Her is a very good book/audio, I'm so obsessed with the characters. It kinda reminds me of another series by Cassie Alexander called The Transformation Trilogy, I was obsessed with that series too. Cassie Alexander made me realize I love the "man taking control" books.
The characters in this book, Lia and Rhaim, are so intriguing. Their story is one that just grabs you and takes you on a hot and steamy ride. I l ike the mean asshole that Rhaim is and the sweet damaged girl which is Lia, I was rooting for them the whole book.
So I was listening to this book and I'm all into it and then BAH. Now I don't know how long it's gonna take for the next book, but I'll be waiting here impatiently. I need more, more Rhaim ... I have found my new book boyfriend.
Bunny Warren and Matthew Holland are new narrators to me but I think they did a wonderful job giving these characters a voice. i look forward to hear them again.

Complicated, Gritty and Steamy!!

Lia is seemingly pampered, yet well educated and has anxiety from events in her past. Her father owns the mafia-financed empire. He has asked Rhaim, his CEO to train Lia, but in reality is just getting ready to marry her off.

Intricate relationships. Lia has grit and backbone which earns Rhaims respect and attraction. Who is the watched, and who is the watcher. Never underestimate your opponent.

I listened to the audio, which was a most excellent dual narration. This will keep you spellbound, and ready for more of their story.

***** I am voluntarily leaving my honest review of this book *****

Rhaim and Lia

Review of the audiobook Take Her by Cassie Alexander.

is my review for the audiobook/Arc of Take Her.
Dual narrators, a slow romance, age gap, s3x club. Ok anyways, the audiobook was just as capitivating as the ebook. Rhaim the older anti-hero, and Lia the daughter of Rhaim’s best friend. The previous Thisnight clandestine rendezvous leads them back to acknowledging who they are. Lia’s father wants her to marry someone else. But after her one night won Rhaim she wants more of him. But secrets are held. Truths are wanting to break free but it’s not within their grasp. This does end with a cliff hanger. Loved every scandalous moment of this audiobook and arc.

Take Her: The Moth & the Monster Book 1

🎧🎧AUDIOBOOK REVIEW🎧🎧

Well, that was unexpected! The story begins with a bang and then ... but it was really well done! I am now obsessed with what comes next!

Okay, so here’s the thing, when I say the story started with a bang and then … I mean there is a one-night-stand that set my mind on fire and then we begin what most would probably call a slow-burn, but I’d rather call it a discovery. I mean, yes, the sexual content of the story is what one would traditionally call a slow-burn, but I honestly didn’t even give that aspect a second thought while I was engrossed in the story.

Before I say anything else, you should know this is the first book for this couple and their storyline does not end with this book. I knew that going in but what I didn’t know was that I’d have to wait a year for what comes next. July 2025 people! I’m not gonna make it! *cries* #sendhelp

There are a lot of circumstances going on in the story and they are intricate and captivating and each one twists the fudgesicles out of the story. To say I was unblinkingly concentrating for almost 10 hours would be very factual. You don’t want to miss a single moment. Hence, my use of the word discovery.

Lia and Rhaim are both strong complex characters, each carrying the weight of their pasts. They are interesting on their own and magnificent together. They hold different power within themselves and those powers fit together like puzzle pieces.

I’m stopping here because a play-by-play of what happens in the story is not useful to any future reader. You should go in blind. Read the blurb if you want, but that should be it. If you enjoy dark, age-gap romances with morally dark gray situations and characters riddled with secrets, this might be for you! :)

With this story not only did I get to experience a new-to-me author, but both narrators, Bunny Warren and Matthew Holland, were also new-to-me. It wasn’t just the story, but also the narrators, that kept me completely hypnotized for 10 hours. Well done!

Obsessed!

Take her by Cassie Alexander

Oh my goodness! This story was everything and more. If you love anti villain, age gap, and possessive MMC, then you’re going to love this story. I’m obsessed with Rhiam and his over protective personality. Lia is a rich, daddies girl and a young princess lady, who has decided that she wants to take over her father’s company when he retires. But her father doesn’t believe she can handle it and with good reason. He also doesn’t know her dark secrets of why she’s behaved the way she has. One thing is straight, she won’t let her uncle take over the company. Rhiam has been put to babysit Lia by her father’s orders. When she arranges him a deal, it’s hard to resist because what ever he wants he gets. Now he will teach her everything she needs to know and get her on top of the ladder of the company. This story leaves in a cliffhanger and that right there was heart breaking I wanted to continue listening. This story is engaging and interesting, I’m now obsessed and can’t wait to listen or read book 2. I definitely recommend this story and the audiobook was fantastic. Matthew Holland and Bunny Warren did an amazing job narrating this story.

Loved It!

Take Her is Cassie Alexander’s debut contemporary book and she crushed it!
Take Her is a mafia, age gap, dad’s best friend romance. There are plenty of reasons why Rhaim and Lia shouldn’t be together, but they can’t deny their attraction. When Lia asks Rhaim to be her “daddy” he can’t deny her. Little does he know Lia has been obsessed with him for nearly 10 years.
I loved this book! Lia is strong, sassy and a little unhinged. I love a good female stalker book. Rhaim is protective, possessive and a little unhinged in his own way. Making these two a perfect dark romance pair!
The narration was so good! This was my first time listening to both Matthew Holland and Bunny Warren and they were wonderful! Bunny did a great job bringing Lia to life, she nailed her vulnerable and innocent side and also her unhinged fierce side. Matthew’s performance as Rhiam was amazing! Rhiam was rude, mean and unapologetic and Matthew captured that perfectly. I am looking forward to book two!

Intriguing book

Overall Thoughts: I enjoyed this first book (for me) by Cassie Alexander, and both narrators were new to me as well. I am very excited for the next book in the series as this one left you on a cliffhanger. As cliffhangers go it isn’t the worst one, but it definitely left me wanting more. If you like mafia, age gap, and father’s best friend, then you will enjoy this book.

Narration: Duet narration, first-person present tense, multiple-POV with a few flashbacks

Tropes: Mafia, age gap, father’s best friend, tormented by family, st@lker, s3x club, she pursues him, DDLG, estranged from her father, dad wants to marry her off (she doesn’t know), brat

Overall: 4

Spice: 2.5

Humor: 1

Drama: 3

Darkness: 3

Lia meets Rhaim at an exclusive s3x club when she approaches him at a bar and convinces him to participate in a scene and punish her, but the real surprise comes when the next day she walks into his office behind his boss, and longtime friend, only to realize Lia is his daughter, who has been in Europe for the last decade.

Lia is determined to take over her father’s empire and will not let anything or anyone stand in her way. Rhaim vows to teach Lia, but he is finding it harder and harder to resist her. All he wants to do is control her and make her his. To hurt her only the way he can.

Rhaim knows he’s a dead man if Lia’s father finds out about them, but when he uncovers secrets from Lia’s past, and truths are revealed about her father, Raim decides he is going to take matters into his own hands and doesn’t care who gets in his ways, he is going to make Lia his.