I read the first book in this series and thought... wow, this is interesting. This second book is a similar premise with another angry son with daddy issues. Granted, his daddy issues are valid and his father is a complete asshat who should be caned or whipped to death over a course of a month. That being said, I am conflicted with this story. Why? Because the misunderstanding of two characters who cannot communicate after they had said they "loved" each other so very much and would never leave the other... that they could be so easily torn apart from each other is disappointing.

Axel is a hot mess. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how he was in the military in "special ops" and he made so much money on clubs around the world. And really, I don't care. Because I like it and I wish I could be in his inner circle to help run the clubs. How fun would that be? I mean seriously, in my old age, managing night clubs and BDSM clubs sound like a blast. More fun than sitting in front of a computer all day long. And all these young nubile sex pots... flaunting their bodies, what's not to like? I liked this book because of the businesses Axel runs. His issues with his star-crossed lover did not move me much because I felt Cleo was just as dumb as Juliet in the original play. And Romeo was also an idiot. Who I wanted to see more of and learn more about is the Black Widow. Hello... Dominatrix... she is the only character in this story who piqued my interest.

This story did drag out a lot longer than I expected because there were so many subplots for the readers to get through to see how Axel would take down his old man. His stilted interactions with his brothers were ... sad. His brothers were worthless. The tortured love between Cleo and Axel was... drawn out too long for me to care. Near the end, I just wanted the "big reveal" to show up so we could see a possible happily ever after. Overall, the concept of this book is good. The world building I liked. The characters and their behaviour were a bit too YA for me. And the sex in this was not rough or kinky enough to bribe me for a higher rating.

This dark erotic romance is recommended for readers who like dark fantasies and believe Romeo and Juliet is a great romance story.

Let me tell you that this book has twist, turns and moments that had me gasping. Axel and Cleo had had the love many of us wish they had, but as quickly as they had it, it disappeared. Now that Axel is back in the picture he’s not holding back on the revenge he has planned. The one shock was seeing Cleo with his father- a betrayal. Though Cleo wanting to protect Axel knows that staying with his father is the way it has to be- until she can plan her revenge as well. The chemistry is explosive and the sexy!!! This is somewhat of a dark read so expect the unexpected and be prepared for a heck of a roller coaster!

I loved the first book in the series and I had high expectations for this one.It started very good but after the half of the book something happened.I couldn't keep my interest to the story 100% and I'm sad to say this because her books are very good.

I became a fan of Ms. Cox after I read her Beautiful Liar back when it was I, Porn Star. I gave it six stars and as soon as I saw Black Sheep, I was so eager to have it and read it, especially once I saw it was part of the Dark Desires series! It took me longer than I anticipated to start it, but I just read Wicked S.O.B. and couldn't wait any longer to crack Black Sheep open. I'm so glad that I decided to stop waiting because while Axel and Cleo didn't beat my love for Quinn and Elyse, I really loved reading their story!

I have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with Cleo. I love her toughness and strength, but I didn't like how she handled things with Axel. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but I will say that I never hated her, I did like her more than not, and I loved how determined she was in the end. Cleo probably won't be a heroine that you love all the time, but she is a good person and it's worth it to get to know her.

Quinn Blackwood owns my heart, but Axel Rutherford definitely stole a piece of it. Axel is hard and rough and someone you don't mess with, but there's a lot more to him under the surface. He has a great heart, he's protective of the people he cares about, especially Cleo, and he would do anything for her. Axel just makes my heart ache and when I said he stole a piece of my heart, that was no joke. He's a wonderful dark, sweet, messed-up hero and I completely loved him.

Black Sheep was certainly no cakewalk to read. It's dark and frustrating, it will make your heart beat faster, make you want to yell and rant, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's wickedly steamy, heartachingly tragic, and heartbreakingly beautiful and sweet. Black Sheep brought tears to my eyes, a smile to my face, and made me laugh - it was an amazing story and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Black Sheep is the second book in the Dark Desires series and can be read as a standalone, although I recommend reading Beautiful Liar first. It's told from Axel and Cleo's POV and they do have a happy-ever-after ending.

~ A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia,️ 5 Stars

"In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest. Abundantly despised by my three brothers, actively hated by my father. She was the golden princess. Put on earth to test every single one of my hardened edges. And I happily burned away every last one for her."

Addictive.

Mind blowing.

Deliciously sexy.

Those are just a few adjectives that come to mind when referring to Black Sheep. Cox's will seize your emotions from the first few pages and it will not let them go until Black Sheep comes to its conclusion. With a deliciously twisting plot, Black Sheep held me hostage from start to finish.

Cleo hates Axel for reasons he doesn't know. Axel hates Cleo for reasons she doesn't know. And I kinda hate Cleo for reasons I just only know.

"If there were such a thing as born enemies, we would be it."

For so many years, they have been fed lies. Lies that destroyed them. Lies that made them hate the person they once loved. Revenge was what keep them going on. But little did they know that same feeling would be the one that would bring them together again.

My reasons to not rate this book 5 stars are:

1. Finnan's ending. WTF was that?

2. Cleo! I know she was just a pawn in a twisted game but c'mon. That thing with Finnan...

Despite the above, I absolutely love Black Sheep, it's a story that ticks all my boxes. And one that I would recommend to all my romantic suspense lovers. But I have to say that if I had to choose between Q and Axel... I will go for Q. It's a no-brainer.

Zara Cox has spun a mesmerizing second chance romance, with captivating twists and turns, a dirty talking hero, a mind-melting love, and an array of intriguing characters that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I absolutely can't wait for more.

Here's hoping Axel takes me to his Punishment Club. What? A girl can dream, can't she?

★3.5 STARS★

I was instantly attached to the allure of the blurb for Zara Cox’s, Black Sheep. It sold me a world of deceit, betrayal, revenge and a second chance romance that promised to be as passionate as it was dysfunctional.

Axel Rutherford & Cleo McCarthy were born to families whose dealings where on the wrong side of the law. As much as there can be honour among thieves, their fathers were brothers in arms until the glamour of power brought a change that would shatter their childhood romance beyond repair.

Axel is a formidable force who has directed his power and wealth into destroying his father, and along with him, the person he trusted above all others, Cleo. With the Rutherford Empire crumbling, Cleo is sent to negotiate with Axel on his father’s behalf.

There’s a thin line between love and hate and these two tested the theory on several occasions. Their relationship is driven by the potency of hate they have for once another, but even they can’t deny the attraction that burns even after all these years.

When it came to Cleo there was much intrigue into her resentment of Axel, and it’s this intrigue that kept the pages turning. When we finally discover her reason, misunderstanding is the name of the game and I admit I gave way to frustration at times with these two. There were also times where sex took over the story and for personally I felt it hindered the development of the plot.

Maybe I’m more blood thirsty than I care to admit but I felt the resolution came much too quickly without justice being served in the manner it was dished. Even so, I enjoyed my first foray into the Dark Desires series so much, I’ve got my eye on a Wicked S.O.B.

Black Sheep by Zara Cox is definitely a must read!!

There are so many memorable moments in this novel, that I cannot simply explain which ones are my favourite. If I were to list them all, this would be a very long review!

Axel captivated me. He has that bad boy persona, with a heart that beats for Cleo. He may be "bad," but in a novel like Black Sheep, that is oh so good!!!

Cleo is such an engaging character. Her relationship with Axel goes so far beyond what you see on the surface, due to the influence of others, such as their families.

I cannot say enough good things about Black Sheep!! Zara Cox has written an unforgettable novel!

5/5 Stars!

QuickShot Review

*scrunches face* Nope.

It is critical that the reasons for the miscommunication be believable. I need to believe that the misundertanding is so jusitified that there’s a reason their love wasn’t enough. All this miscommunication did was make me doubt that they ever loved each other. Lust, yes. Love? Well, it just fell a bit flat for me. I managed to make it through a good portion of the book because I was waiting for that turn where the miscommunication is addressed and the tables are turned. Also, lots o’ hot sex that, even if the romance was lacking for me, had its moments.

Ultimately, this book dangled the carrot a bit too long for me and the payoff wasn’t enough.
I’ll just chalk this up to a case of “it’s not for me.” I know others who loved this and I usually enjoy Ms. Cox’s writing style (it tends to be somewhat flowery in its prose at times but I can get down with that). I’ll stick to I, Porn Star as my fave in the series.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

Alex Rutherford grew up in Hell, his father has always hated him, it was encouraged brother rivality that turned worse by the passing years, he was beaten constantly, and most of all, he was betrayed by the love of his life before force to enlist. All of this, cause him to become hard and hostile to the world, while doing everything possible to bring down the decaying mob imperial of his father. Most of all, he wants revenge against the person who betray him the most, Cleo McCarthy. For Cleo McCarthy, her life for the past decade has been Hell since her parents died and she became the ward of Finnan Rutherford, Alex’s father. She lives her life in fear of stepping out of the line and seeing someone she cares been kill. Now, Finnan wants Alex to come home, but when Alex doesn’t want anything to do with his family again, Finnan sends Cleo to get under Alex’s skin.

As Alex and Cleo meet again, the passion they felt for one another returns, but each one has a secret that keeps other one away, and won’t let them truly be together.

While at first sight it doesn’t appear so, Black Sheep is a romance story at its core. Even though Alex hates Cleo, you could see when reading that he still loves her and couldn’t let go of what he felt when they were younger. For Cleo it was different, while you can read the sexual tension, I wasn’t sure if she really loved Alex until the end, she might have want him, but I was not sure if she continues to love him.

The storyline was okay. It had plotlines that were interesting and some parts that I want to know more who they would be resolve, but at the same time there where parts were the storyline got bored. I feel that some scenes were rush and could had been layout better, while others took longer than I expected. I was hoping for a more powerful or impacting end to their problem, but it was quite plain.

As the book advertises, Black Sheep does contain erotic scenes such as this type of genre has. Given that the main characters are half of the time plotting against each other, these scenes more like angry sex than romantic. Their constant need for each other and the idea of punishing the other, makes it harder for them to understand what they truly feel for one another. While the story mentions aspect of BDSM, their actual sexual scenes doesn’t have much use of it, the BDSM is more for the punishment of their sins.

At the end, Black Sheep was an okay story, it’s an easy storyline to follow and predictable that you learn from the beginning about the only thing that keeps Alex and Cleo apart; it all comes down to the trust that they had on each other.

If you are interested in the work of Zara Cox or her series Dark Desires, then I recommend Black Sheep. In this story, two lovers meet again after years of distrust and hatred for one another, and learn the truth of what keep them apart for so many years, and some sins need more than one person to carry them.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

I didn't know there was a previous book but this can definitely be read as a standalone.

What I didn't like?
I wanted a bit more of the +1. Ending was too fast for me. Also something left me with a question and it involved who helped Axel towards the end of the story. Will his brothers get a book? I must add Finnan because what a POS of a father. Let's add him to the worse father poll.

What I did like?
The storyline. It was great. Like Romeo and Juliet but the hero and heroine don't kill themselves. It's a bit on the dark side and it could've made one hell of a dark read in my opinion. It was my very first read from this author and I'm sure I will go back and pick up another one.

Yes, I recommend this book. Happy Readings!

Black Sheep was a great 5 star read.

Axel doesn’t want to be a part of the family business and to prove he has control over Axel, his father sends him away to West Point and while he was gone he sends Axel a video that changes his life. Axel thought that he had found his true love in Cleo and was betrayed in the most hurtful way.
Axel has so many questions that he want’s answers to. Why would she betray Axel like she did? And why with him?

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep, I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest.

Now Axel is back with a hardened heart and seeking revenge. He has created an empire with his partner and owns several clubs throughout the world. Cleo has been showing up lately asking to talk to him, but he has been keeping his distance until she shows up at The Punishment Club. The scene that she has created is his old bedroom. Axel gets pushed to the point of need for Cleo that he goes to his father's home and literally takes her for himself.

The animal prowling in me roars its approval then pummels me with its need to ravage.

Lets just say that there are so many things that happen. There are so many shocking secrets and twists that will surprise you. These two have been played in a deceitful way that changed their lives in so many ways. Zara Cox does a great job of pulling you in with her writing. You will not want to put it down until your done. And let me tell you that Axel is quite the hot alpha male who likes to dominate. Yummy. I look forward to reading more from this series. 1-click and get started today..

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by MAustin from Alpha Book Club

A litttttttle too much of the inter-family issues for me. This was hard to start, but ended up all right.

If you have any triggers than I recommend not reading this book. But if you can handle some dark moments and scenes that are triggers than this is a good book for you.

Axel and Cleo have been changed by circumstances manipulated by their fathers. Mainly Axel’s cruel and evil father but hers wasn’t exactly a kitten either. And poor Axel his future was forced on him but he didn’t know the extent of the manipulation until Afghanistan and a mission. A mission that changed his views and had him more bitter and set on revenge. He has a good heart underneath the desire for revenge and justice. I enjoyed how he wanted to keep his brothers out of the fray even though they were doing their fathers bidding. He sees them as victims as well. I loved how one of his brothers finally comes forward to let the demons go and help himself move on. It shows us how twisted Axel’s father really is. And it also shows the deception these two had around them.

Each hated the other for betrayals. Betrayals that weren’t what they thought. The were only given part of the story. One being blackmailed and the other being manipulated. The one pulling the strings was Axel’s father.

Axel was successful despite his upbringing and father. He was dark inside though. His hatred and need for revenge consumed him and hollowed him out. His punishment for himself though was just so heartbreaking. He was in love and didn’t want to be. He always loved Cleo and did not truly give up but was hurt so much that he turned hard.

Cleo was in the same boat. She was slowly losing herself to hate. also the fear of her actions hurting others due to Axel’s father. When she is forced into Axel’s life things change for both of them. We see the protective and loving side of axel but also the demanding side as well. The intimate moments were intense and some may hit readers triggers. Each of these two have some seriously baggage. Anger at themselves, the betrayals and manipulations in their lives. Neither can move on until they let go. And for Axel his love has him willing to give everything to Cleo. Cleo though is going to allow her anger to overtake her even though love is what matters. The last tension filled moment where the truth is revealed to these two is what saves them and their love.

This is a very dark story. It is fraught with anger, manipulation and revenge. We also see two people fight to come from the darkness and find their way to the light and each other. To learn to let go and love. their capacity for compassion is great but they have buried it due to hate and anger. Once this is released they are loving and kind. We see them begin to trust one more than the other and fall in love again. You are constantly on edge wondering what will happen next and if their love can survive it. Wondering if the dad will win or if Cleo and Axel can overcome it all and win in life, justice and love. The writing is amazing and the story entangles you in their darkness and doesn’t let you go until the end. You need to know what happened to them to create such darkness, why is Axel hated so much by his father and will these two be able to release the past and move forward together. a dark romance that rewards you in the end with the intense story, plot and love that is seen and felt.That is the story of Axel and Cleo and how they find themselves, fight to come out of the darkness and fall in love again with themselves and each other.

If I said that I was an insta-fan of this author after I finished I, Porn Star, this book solidified it. Damn. Just damn. Zara Cox knows how to weave one complex and erotic tale that's equally spine tingling and toe curling. It's addicting and twisty and downright intense.

Her eyes tell me she hates me. Her body beckons me with the promise of transcendental lust.

If you like a good second chance romance with a healthy dose of hate lust mixed in to blur the edges, all wrapped in a story with dark undertones and enough twists and suspense to keep you glued to the pages from start to finish, you've found your next read.

Whatever twisted roles fate may have chosen to star us in, the savage power of our mutual feelings for each other will never diminish.

Being born to a cruel and abusive father intent on hardening his sons enough to help run his mafia empire has hardened Axel. He's the black sheep of the family, the son that wants nothing of his father; not his name and not his infamy in the dark underbelly of organized crime. He dreams of escaping the life with the only person that makes his heart beat and gives him hope. But that hope gets ripped away from him with a jarring betrayal that now years later still continues to haunt him. Losing everything and the one person he always thought he could trust is enough to change a man and change the course of his life forever. Now Axel lives and breathes vengeance. His father will pay, and if the woman that's now back in his life after costing him everything is the pawn that he'll have to use in this brutal game, so be it.

Once upon a time, when my addled state didn’t know better, I stupidly believed the phenomenon of our gazes connecting had the power to stop the world from spinning. That view has altered significantly.

As a young girl, Cleo loved Axel with everything she was worth. He was her everything...until he wasn't. Forced back into his orbit by an arrangement in which she's nothing but a puppet on a string of a cruel master that dangles the one thing she wants in exchange for her cooperation isn't what she wants, but she'll do it. Even if it forces her to own up that while she hates the man he is now and doesn't see a remainder of the boy she once loved in him, the carnal effect his mere presence has on her hasn't changed even a little.

You may have condemned my decayed soul and closed your heart to me, but in some respects, nothing has changed. Your body will always sing the perfect tune for me.”

Black Sheep delivers on another twisty story full of betrayal and revenge. Zara Cox is truly a master of her craft and I'm absolutely captivated by her writing style and the characters she creates. I couldn't put this book down for even a second. I walked the edge between hating and loving Axel. But between all the secrets and twists that kept unearthing, my mind was too busy spinning to focus on any singular emotion.

She never needed a gentle knight in shining armor. So I become her marauder.

Axel was perfection. He was a dirty talking, angsty, domineering and deliciously sexy perfection. My heart broke for him and what he'd been through. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for all the secrets to finally get revealed so the puzzle pieces can click together. And let me just tell you, when they did? Mind. Blowing. Yet another addicting installment in what's now become a favorite series of mine. I absolutely can't wait for more!

I want to roar with rage. I want to fuck until I explode into a million pieces. This is what she does to me. What she’s always done.

Each book in the Dark Desires series is a standalone in an interconnecting world. So if you've read the first book, you'll appreciate Quinn's cameo in this one :)

In a family of cold-hearted black sheep,
I, Axel Rutherford, am the blackest.
My father has hated me since the day I was born. The feeling was mutual. In the shady underworld that was my legacy, Cleo McCarthy became my light. She was beautiful, passionate, and my whole world. So naturally my father had to destroy us. First he sent me away. Next he claimed Cleo as his own. But now I've returned, and nothing will stop me from taking back everything that is rightfully mine.

He was the love of my life - when my life was still my own.
We were young enough to believe we would last forever, Axel and I. But neither of us realized how cruel life - and our families - could be. Now I'm trapped in a gilded cage: desired by Axel, who must never know the full truth, and controlled by his father, who would sooner see me dead than free. And I wouldn't even care, except that it's no longer only my life at stake.

Review:

Mob, sex and secrets abound in this story.

These people are all kinds of messed up. Lies and secrets have hurt Cleo and Axel and have kept them apart for 8 years. Brought back together by Axel's need for revenge. Not that Cleo does not have revenge on her mind also, she does Axel just has a better means to accomplish it. I have to say that some of his methods left me a little skeeved out. The sexual need between these two takes on a life of its own and leads to someone intense sexual and emotional scenes. The one thing that bugged me that was the ending seemed a little rushed. Also, they give hints of things going on with Axel's employee, B but we never hear an ending for her. Does she have a story coming??? This is the second book in the series but as far as I can tell they are not related in any way, so can be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed this new to me Author, just had a hard time connecting to the characters.

3.5Stars

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book provided by the publisher.*

@ForeverRomance

This is the second book in this series. This is a very quick read. Each book in this series can be read as a stand alone read. This story is filled with pain, passion, love, lust, secrets and suspense. The characters are fantastic. The author has definitely packed a lot into this book.I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

This book is kinda hard to review due to the many twists and turns and ups and downs throughout the story. And to spoil them would ruin the story. Axel and Cleopatra have a history and though it may of started all hearts and flowers, it certainly didn't end that way. And years later, seeing her again hasn't lessened the ache any less.

Axel has been working something out for sometime now. He is on the path for vengeance and revenge. Axel is many things, but one thing that comes through is his blackness on his soul. He is carrying many demons on his back.

Cleo has been harboring a hate so strong for her ex, Axel that she is exhausted. By the time she comes face to face with him. But God, is he as gorgeous as ever, and in the end she may hate herself more for still loving him.

This was a dark and gritty store of love and redemption. I really enjoyed it, although I did feel it was dragged out in the middle. But I was impatient for the HEA part lol.

Axel Rutherford has spent the last eight years trying to forget the betrayal that changed the course of his life. He’s immersed himself in everything as black as his soul and nothing has even come close to easing his pain - nothing except plotting his revenge.

Revenge on the father that took the one thing that meant so much to him and revenge on the girl who shattered his soul so completely.

"My Romeo. She called me that the day I took her virginity beneath the stars on the beach of our families’ adjoining Connecticut properties.
My Romeo. As if she knew we were doomed. Perhaps she knew I was. Perhaps she’d known of the plan all along. Or she hatched it the day my father enrolled me at West Point. The day he embraced his grand and greedy plan to fatten his bank balance from war instead of just from common mafia mongering.
The irony was that I was the only fool in the piece. I may have accepted my role as Romeo, but her name wasn’t Juliet.
No, the devil’s siren went by the name of Cleopatra McCarthy."

Cleo McCarthy remembers being young and in love. That was long before she became a pawn in such a dangerous game. One wrong move and innocent lives will be lost.

Coming face to face again with the only man she ever loved is almost as frightening as the look of pure contempt that crosses his sinfully gorgeous features whenever she appears. Now the stakes are far too high and if she fails to bring him back into the fold, the darkness that she has fought so hard to contain will be unleashed.

But the desire between them still rages out of control and this time it threatens to reduce their entire world to ashes.

"I walk her down the hall and into the suite in silence. I don’t want to confess what’s on my mind for fear that I’ll spook her.
Because I am possessed. By her.
She’s mine. She’s mine. She’s always been fucking mine.
And regardless of the consequences, I’m keeping her."

Zara Cox has just upped the ante with Black Sheep. It’s more visceral, more savage and more addictive than ever before. Her darkly lyrical prose paints a chaotic landscape that is as equally haunting as it is unnerving. And it’s that feeling of teetering right on the edge that makes this book so utterly delicious…

I have been waiting for Black Sheep since I closed the final page of Beautiful Liar (although it was called I, Porn Star when I read it). The darkness, the complex plots, the intricate characters make this book everything I love in a dark romance, and the wait was completely and totally worth it.

These characters are tragically flawed, coming from two opposing mafia families. Axel, although the son of a mafia boss, wants nothing to do with the family, and although he doesn't want to be involved with his family he is not clean in any way. He deals with bad men, has little to no moral compass when it comes to getting what he wants, but this edge of danger makes him enticing. There is also this underlying honor to his character. These questionable and unethical acts serve a larger purpose of revenge, and one readers will not fault him for.

His counterpart in the novel, Cleo, is also broken. She has been lied to and manipulated, and what she thinks is the truth isn't. The course of her life has been controlled by men who should not have been in control, and readers will desperately want her to realize the clear truth and earn back the life that is stolen from her.

These two characters are electric, and their hate for others, for their circumstances, and to an extent, each other, fuels a lot of steamy scenes. Their hatred though doesn't last, and the reader gets to watch this couple heal and evolve together.

This story has many layers, which is one of the many reasons I enjoy the series so much. There is the expected romance story line pertaining to the two main characters, but there is also the family drama. The family drama spurs the revenge plan, and Zara Cox expertly meshes all of these story-lines together for a story that will grip readers from the opening pages.

Black Sheep is a definite must read. It gives readers everything they could want in a suspense romance. There is darkness, romance, and danger that will suck readers in from the first word.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.