Where the darkness lies (Criminals of the ocean #2) By Bella Jewel

Buy Link: Where Darkness Lies

Anger and pain brought them together, but their passion might just set them free.

Dimitri wants only one thing: revenge. His stepfather, Hendrix, has caused him nothing but pain and heartache. At last Dimitri can take something—someone—important to Hendrix and make him pay: Jess.

Jess is feisty and strong headed. Her past haunts her and connects her to the dangerously dark Dimitri in an unexpected way. Dimitri keeps his secrets locked deep inside, and Jess is drawn to this broken man like no one before.

With little to cling to besides their haunting pasts, both could have been doomed to lives spent raging against the darkness that holds them prisoner. Instead, it seems that as their pain draws them closer together, it is their desire and combustible passion that will set them free.

Where Darkness Lies is a sizzling romance and the second book in the popular Criminals of the Ocean series.

Well well well, what can I say? I really don't know how to describe the book to you other than it was freaking awesome. 
I couldn't put it down. Like literally. I felt like I was going to miss out on something if I did lol. 
Bella Jewel really knows how to surprise you to because I thought I had the book planned out in my head, then bam, something else happened instead. 
There were so many times I was literally hanging on to the edge of my seat, shitting myself on what was going to happen. I loved it. 

I felt so much for both characters. Usually when two people, both with traumatic backgrounds get together i see it heading for disaster, but with Demiti and Jess all I see is broken perfection. They are so right for each other yet completely wrong and yet they make it work for one another. 

In book one Jess is reserved, laid back and keeps to herself and doesn't fight back or stand up for herself. Whereas in this book we see a strong, witter side to her and I prefer this side to her. I liked how she made me laugh, made me cry and the way she held herself throughout her kidnapping journey. Most would have crumbled, but some how her strength kept me wanting more of her story. 

It was the same with demitri. When we get a glimpse of his story in the first book I never would have guessed what had actually happened to him happened. It made me sick to my stomach. 
One part in the book he tells himself he's weak because of the way he let revenge consume him, but he has the right to feel how he wants to feel. Everyone copes differently to small things to big things. There is no right or wrong way to act. Especially people in such a traumatic background like his. Most people would block it out their mind, close off, kill themselves, so I don't think he needed to judge the way he thought about himself. 
I do however believe his anger was aimed at the wrong person. I don't believe Hendrix deserved his hate, his anger or his revenge. To me, his mother and the people that did what they did deserved it. 
Such a well written book with so many twists and turns throughout. 

Loved it. 

5* wish I could rate it more. I do hope there will be more to the Criminals of the Ocean series. 

Enslaved by the Ocean (Criminals of the ocean #1) By Bella Jewel

Enslaved (Criminals of the Ocean #1) By Bella Jewel

Indigo has a troubled past and there’s no denying it. Tired of being scared, she sets sail aboard a private yacht, hopeful that the open waters of the Atlantic will give her and best friend Eric a much-needed respite.

As if trouble followed her, the yacht catches fire. Stranded in the ocean, cold, hungry, desperate, and alone, Eric and Indi struggle to survive.

Just when they think things couldn’t get much worse, they are captured, held hostage by a band of modern-day pirates. Now they’re in even more trouble than they could have ever imagined.

What Indigo couldn’t have predicted is how broodingly handsome Hendrix, their captain, is. The moment Indi lays eyes on him, she feels sparks fly and a carnal attraction she’s never felt before. Hendrix is pure alpha male: hotter than hot, determined, powerful, and hard to crack.

Hendrix has plans for Indi, dark plans that will put her life at risk. If only Indi could connect with him, it might be more than just lust on the line...it might save her life.

Enslaved by the Ocean is a steamy romance and the first in the Criminals of the Ocean series.

Holy hell. 

Not going to lie, I really didn't see me liking this book, so imagine my surprise when I found myself loving it. 

Oh god, it was just what I needed. It's so good. 

It starts off with the two friends Eric and Indi on a yacht travelling across the seas to Indies new future. 

Having an abusive ex-boyfriend who is released from prison and the first thing he does is threaten her. So her running to another country was the right decision. 

In the book it gives us a glimpse of what her relationship was like, so we aren't going into the book blind. 

Then the yacht explodes killing the captain and sinking the ship. Eric and Indi are on the rescue boat when it explodes and for days they burn, starv, and dehydrate being in the hot sun in the middle of the ocean. That is, until the pirates come in.

After Indie overheard the yacht captain talking about real life pirates, something she thought was a story tale, sees the boat and for what it is and starts to panic. Her friend on the other hand sees it as rescue. Not a very good idea on his book, but then Eric is very black and white like the book describes. He drove me mad at times. There's reassuring, then there's living in denial, Eric, bless him, lived totally in denial. I actually disliked everything about his character. I couldn't seem to like him. It felt like his friendship towards Indie was one sided. 

The minute they get on the ship their friendship is really put to a test. 

Hendrix, the ships captain on the pirate ship, is a god, he's a living, walking, modern day pirate, with a debt to pay. So when he sees Indie, he sees her as a way to settle his debt by selling her as a sex slave. 

This is where Eric and her friendship come to blow. She sacrifices herself, her life, her dignity to make sure he's fed, clean, and safe from any harm until they can get him off to an island where he'll be let free as long as she agrees to behave until he sells her. Eric, being the shitty friend I felt he was belittled her every chance she got. 

Anyway, back to the story. It's freaking amazing. I honestly thought I had it all guessed out, but nope, i was completely surprised to find Bella had little surprises up her sleeve.

I liked both male and female heroins. I could see her attraction towards him, even though he had kidnapped her to sell him, but the further into the book you go, the more you come to love him. 

There's humor in the book and the pirate jokes that she tells when she is drunk one night had me in stitches. I didn't get the one and had to read it a few times. I still laughed lol and I still never got it aha. 

The only problem and i mean only one I found whilst reading was a part where Indie overhears the policemen talking about her yacht exploding. They said the boat had gone a different route, taking them longer or quicker I don't know, but I just felt like we were missing something there. 

Did the Yacht captain plan it? 

Was the boat sabotaged?

Did her ex do it? 

Why did he take a different route? 

was it to run into the pirates?

All these questions ran through my head but I never got an answer to any of them because it never mentioned it again, but it seemed so significant at the time when it was mentioned.

5* and reading the second one now. It's just as good.