I love this author Carter books. I devour them. Dark and gritty. Cant wait for more books by this author
Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

I could not take to this book, the style of writing isn't for me although I can see that it would appeal to others.

This book was a start to seeing a very different side to Dornan Ross.

What was most shocking having read the Gypsy Brothers series, was seeing Dornan before all that transpired. Cartel shows a much more human side to Dornan and gives so much insight into the younger version of him.

It was almost like night and day. There are so many factors from his younger life that caused the change in him and seeing how he was raised and what was expected of him, is more evident that nurture has more influence in his life than nature.

Cartel is such an emotional story filled with so much turmoil for both characters and what they have to do and who they have to be to survive. Absolutely AMAZING!!

My very first Lili St. Germain book, and definitely not my last.

Cartel is the prequel to St.Germain's Gypsy Brothers series. It's about a girl who was given as a payment for his father's debts. It also follows Dornan Ross's rise to power and descent into darkness.
Cartel is a kind of book you should read without knowing anything about it before, just pick up the book and go into the story blind.

This book was just OK for me. I always recommend going ahead and reading a book, if it sounds interesting to you because I am just one person and just because I might not care too much for something, doesn't mean someone else might not love it.

I found myself completely disconnected from the characters, not enjoying any of them. The plot was a bit jumpy, sporadic, and really didn't have much of a point. I thought this was difficult to get through and even more difficult to enjoy.

While this wasn't for me, I hope some of you out there enjoy it!

I read an advanced copy of this book. While it was beyond dark and had some pretty gruesome scenes it was well written. I could not put it down and cannot wait to start the 2nd and 3rd books of this series.

I did not realize that "Cartel" was a continuing story. This is my first read by this author and I really liked what I have read so far. The story is really dark and very violent, but once I started reading it, I was drawn in. Mariana's (Ana) experiences in this book are so heartbreaking that it is beyond comprehension how someone could survive it. Dornan for me, was both good and bad. Although he is VP of Gypsy Brothers MC, his father is in charge due to being kingpin of the cartel. Mariana must tiptoe each step that is taken, while Dornan must help her place each step to avoid disaster and death. This series may not be for everyone, but I found that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would given the subject matter. I may continue the series and check out the Gypsy Brothers MC books. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins AU for gifting me "Cartel". My opinion is my own. This is mine. 3 Stars due to the cliffhanger ending.

I've read (and loved!) the "Seven Sons" series and was thrilled when I saw this prequel trilogy. You could read either the series or the trilogy first, but you'll definitely want to read ALL of them to get the full story.

After her father loses a shipment of cocaine, Mariana offers herself up to Emilio Ross (the head of the Il Sangue cartel) in exchange for her family's lives. She eventually encounters Dornan (Emilio's son and VP of the Gypsy Brothers Motorcycle Club) who saves her from being auctioned off and hides her away for himself. Even in the midst of all the violence and brutality, these two characters forge a complicated bond.

After reading the "Seven Sons" series, I hated Dornan Ross with a passion. He was evil incarnate and did some truly despicable things. What's funny is...I kind of LIKE him in this book. Don't get me wrong, he's still a horribly dark character and can't be redeemed, but I almost feel sorry for him and realize how he's become this person. Even though I know there won't be a happy ending to this tale, I can't wait to read the next two books in this trilogy.

I'd like a bad boy of my own for Christmas please! Author has such a knack for capturing the darkness in heroes and somehow making them shine. Great read!

To be totally honest, I was really intrigued by this book and was excited to read this entire series from reading the excerpts for all three novels. Unfortunately, after reading all three I just was not too impressed. I just couldn't find myself wanting to keep reading and it took me awhile to finally finish the books because I kept starting other books. I think the main reason for this was I just couldn't get into the storyline or the characters.

***4 "(Un-)Willing Captive" stars***

I'm flirting with "Gypsy Brothers" series for very long time, but to be totally honest with you, i was afraid to read them... And when NetGalley add the Cartel series, I was so exciting because i saw it as a way to read both series since this one is the prequel!!!
Damn, this book was a little bit disturbing because it had to do with delicate matters, but i really enjoyed it and i can't wait to read all the series, plus the Gypsy Brothers since they are connecting so deeply....

Well, this was mostly Mariana's story...
A girl whose father was working for the Cartel and who father was a piece of shit!!!! Yes, he was!!!
Her father fucked up major a drug load for the Cartel and Emilio Ross, the Kingpin, was seeking retribution from all of Mariana's family!!!
He started with Mariana's boyfriend and when he was about to kill all her family, she offered herself as a payment to Emilio with the promise to leave her family untouched...

‘You’re not a college student anymore, cholita. You’re not somebody’s daughter. You’re not somebody’s little girlfriend. You’re somebody’s possession. You’re nothing. You’re mine.’

And from that moment, Mariana was owned by the Cartel and her fate was darker than night....
Emilio was a sick fucker and he wanted Mariana to be the example to everyone for her father's sins and he had awful plans for poor Mariana...

‘I can promise you that if you obey me at all times, you won’t die by my hand,’ he said. ‘But I can’t promise you that you won’t beg me to kill you anyway.’ {Emilio}

"Blood and violence and fucking and pain. This was what my life was reduced to. This was the person I had to be if I had any chance at surviving this hell."{Mariana}

But then added in the equation Dornan Ross, Emilio's son and VP of the Gypsy Brothers MC and those plans slightly changed... and that's because Dornan put his eyes on Mariana.

"He was a dangerous man. And he liked me. Liked my blood. If I could get him on my side — maybe, just maybe, I could get myself out of this mess." {Mariana}

"This isn't a fairytale. I'm not your hero, Ana. Nobody is. Nobody is coming to save you." {Dornan}

So what will happen to Mariana???
Will Emilio make her pay for her father's stupidity??? And what are his plans for her???
Will Dornan persuade his father than Mariana is worthying more than he thinks and that they can use her in other way???
Why Mariana is drown by Dornan even though he is her enemy???
Will Dornan save her??? And with what cost for her???
Is it possible a love to bloom under those nasty circumstances???

"Something burned between us; something powerful. Something that frightened me, because I liked it. I liked him. And I didn’t want to."

"Promise what,baby?"
"Promise that if I stay with you, you'll protect me from them?"
"I promise if you stay here with me and you do as you're told,I'll protect you from the whole world."

Mariana was a strong girl... She used to be a spitfire full of life and energy, but i think that she lost those characteristics as the pages were passing by...
She sacrificed herself for the good of her family, even though that her father didn't deserve it...
She left the life she knew for the unknown life as a slave of a terrible man...
And then came Dornan and he gave her hope...
But was it really love what she was feeling or it was a Stockholm syndrome???
Will he save her after all or he will condemn her in another kind of prison???

"He was a bad man, the worst there was.
But my heart, that treacherous thing inside my chest that sped up whenever he was around?
It wanted to betray me.
I was falling in love with a monster.
And somehow, in this new life of mine, where the old rules didn’t count and power was measured in blood and bullets?
I didn’t care."

Hmm... Dornan Ross...
He wasn't a good man, he was also a sick fucker and for what little i know about Gypsy Brothers series, he was the villain of that story....
Here, he wasn't the villain, but he wasn't good either... He was good only to Mariana and that was happening because he wanted her badly...
But will he worth her??? Will he really save her???

"It didn’t make sense. She didn’t belong in his world. She was much too beautiful, and beautiful things always ended up broken with him."

I won't tell you more about those two... I will say more when i will read the next book, but i don't think that this story is full of hearts and rainbows....
My heart is bleeding for Mariana because she is trapped...
I just wish she will find a way to be free again, but i don't have much hopes...
Oh!!! I forgot to tell you that Mariana was having a secret that she was keeping with tooth and nails.... Hopefully, she will be able to keep it forever!!!!

"How silly I was. I should have feared him the most, because he would be the one to destroy me in the end."

As for Emilio??? He was such a bastard!!!!
I hated him from the very first moment... I hope that somebody will brutally murder him.... He deserve it!!!
And the same goes for this asshole, Murphy!!!
The only kind soul in there was John, even though that we didn't see him very much.... I'm just wondering how he and Dornan were best friends!!!!

***ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

This book begins with Mariana, giving up her life to save her family. Growing up in Columbia, she has always known her father was not a good man and now the cartel has come for them all due to his latest big mistake.

In order to save her mother, sister and brother, Ana agrees to become a cartel slave to save her family and is whisked away to begin her new "life."

Now in America, Ana is trying to come to terms with her fate when she mets Dornan...VP of a motorcycle gang and son of the Cartels head guy. Ana can't help but hope and pray that Dornan will save her from a fate worse than death.

She is shocked when he does but has no idea that she may be setting herself up for an even worse life than she had before.

My review:

Having read the Gypsy Brothers series by this author, I knew I was in for a dark disturbing story. This one was what I was expecting and more.

Ana is a strong willed woman who does the unbelievable to save her family. She handles everything that is thrown at her and gives back even when it means punishments.

Dornan, the bad guy you love to hate...I really liked how he stepped up to save Ana and make her life somewhat live able. He is a twisted soul and I can't wait to see if he finally stands up to his evil father as the series goes on.

My thoughts:

<b>POV</b> switches between Ana and Dornan
<b>Quick hook or slow starter?</b> 5 (I was hooked from the first chapter)
<b>Character development:</b> 4
<b>Level of Romance between characters:</b> 4
<b>Passion/Heat level:</b> 4 (there is sex, some of it is dark though so he warned)
<b>Angst/Heartbreak:</b> 4 (Ana makes some huge sacrifices throughout)
<b>Cliffhanger?: </b> Yes, the story is not over.

Overall, I enjoyed it and can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

I was unable to download this book before it was archived and I thus cannot provide feedback. I would have really liked to have had the chance to read it though!

Dornan Ross. He's proved to be so awful in the Gypsy Brothers series, but this... Lili St Germain, you have made me fall in love with him. This side of him, before all the stuff hit the fan, who wouldn't want to be his. He's ruthless, a killer, a criminal, but somewhere in there is a heart. One that's captured mine. But it would be hard to resist Mariana. The sacrifices she's made, the loss she's suffered. She is a strong woman despite that she's a young girl. She's smart and I can't wait to see what happens. If she can escape Emilio or at least outwit him. What a story. I can't stop thinking about it. I need more Dornan now.

If you think you have read about someones bad luck... you really need to read this and then decide. Mariana sacrifices herself for her family and in doing so witnesses and is the recipient of the worst treatment a person can endure. But there she meets Dornan, her savior. But Dornan is the farthest thing from a savior, a good guy. Can he be better for her? Keep her save? Is a difficult and almost impossible task when his father is the one who holds her freedom and well being in his hands. This two are drawn to each other against their better judgement even when they fight it. and THAT only makes the situation more dangerous for them both. You will need to know what happens next.

copy received through Netgalley for honest review
I found this story strangely fascinating. It was dark and violent. The romance was not really present. Marianna is a young Colombian girl growing up in the middle of the drug industry. She was able to escape briefly to attend college in the US. She had to return when her dad,Marco crossed the cartel. Emilio, the head of the Cartel was ruthless. Her dad/s mistake would cause the death of her lover and the near death of her entire family. Ana had to make a deal to save them all. She is then left in the hands of Dornan. Emilio is his father He is VP of the Gypsy Brothers MC and he his just a ruthless as his father, That is, until Marianna. I can kind of understand Marianna. She did what she had to do to survive. She was in a nest of vipers and had to basically sleep with the enemy. There is plenty of violence and sex making this a hard read for some. I thought the writing was good. The characters capture your interest. A page turner.

Mariana's father has made a major mistake in which his entire family is going to suffer for. Mariana sacrifices herself to the leader of the cartel to spare the rest of her family.

Dornan, the son of the leader of the cartel is VP of the Gypsy Bros motorcycle gang and forced to do his fathers bidding in all things. When he meets Mariana he is inconveniently drawn to her, he knows she is there to be taught a lesson and yet can't help wanting her for himself.

This is a very dark story, and the first of three parts. It moves rather slowly, but kept me engaged and interested throughout. Mariana is a tough girl, sometimes to her detriment, but her biggest failing is the feelings she starts to develop for her enemy. I received this book for free for my honest and unbiased review.

How much is a life worth? The USA Today bestseller and first scorching novel in the Cartel trilogy.

I grew up in Columbia, the daughter of a wealthy drug lord. I lived a life of extravagance, until one day a drug run went horribly wrong and everything came crashing down around me.

I was given away. A payment for a debt. The Gypsy Brothers motorcycle club became my owners, and I did everything I could to survive.

But falling in love with the man who owned me wasn't part of the plan ...

This was a great start to the new trilogy by Lili St. Germain. My heart broke for Mariana and I felt so sorry for her. I fell in love with Dornan Ross in this book but I know in the other books that he's a cruel, murderous, evil man who has no redemptive properties. He's just evil incarnate and you think that it's because of his father but he chooses to be the way he is. He doesn't have to be that way. He could change and throughout all of the series, you see him make decisions and the turning points to all those decisions where he could make a different decision. Mariana is a woman who's in a tight spot. She can't leave, so she's making the best of what she has with what she's got. She's probably got Stockholm syndrome and she's using Dornan as a means to an end.

In the end, she knows what her fate will be and she can't change it. She knows she's going to probably be killed by his family but she still fights back to some extent. This book also ends in a cliffhanger but it's so worth it and I would read it without having the other 2 books.

There should be warnings on all the books regarding sex and violence but I think that people who read the reviews and the authors bibliography will get that when she says she writes "disturbing dark romance" that means exactly that. Is it worth it to read knowing that? Yes, if you can take the language and explicit sex and violence.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

Sorry I could not finish this book. I just couldn't do it.