I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. The story caught my attention from the beginning and held it until the very end. Gabriel is Mafia and he has possession of Valentina as payment for a debt. He becomes obsessed with her and then comes to love her. She loves him but he can't believe she could love him after what he has done to her. The sexual content is explicit but a good read. There is a HEA but a lot happens before this comes about. This book was read out of sequence and after reading it, I reread the 2nd book which makes it a great 2 book series. I would highly recommend this book but read it first.

This is part II This is an author that I am going to follow! It doesn't disappoint. If you liked the first one you will like this one too.

I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance/erotica simply because the escape into another time and place is as important as my enjoyment of the connection between people. However, when I saw that Charmaine Pauls’ The Loan Shark Duet took place in Johannesburg, South Africa my interest piqued. A dark story set in a uncommon locale definitely sounded like something I needed to try.

Valentina will do anything to protect her brother, Charlie, after the car accident that left him with brain damage. She just never thought she’d have to bind herself to Johannesburg’s most notorious gangster, Gabriel Louw, to pay off Charlie’s gambling debt. For nine years Valentina belongs to Gabriel to be used however he sees fit; she just never anticipated how gentle, caring, and respectful her master could be when taking what he wants…or how he makes her want to be more than just his possession.

Dubious should not have worked for me at all. The basic premise denies Valentina the ability to consent to anything Gabriel does to her, which is something I prize highly in anything focusing on sexual relationships. Frankly the idea of the heroine belonging to the hero repulsed me on a purely intellectual level, but Charmaine Pauls’ writing and careful scenario hooked me emotionally. The deciding factor was how Gabriel proceeded with his seduction of Valentina. Given their agreement he could have forced her and called it fair; of course Valentina has no right to deny Gabriel’s desires, but he lets her set the pace. Rather than setting taking her virginity as a goal, he moves slowly to make his playtoy want his touch and crave sex (okay, Gabriel’s reasons are pretty nefarious, but I still appreciated his focus on Valentina’s pleasure), and penis in vagina sex doesn’t occur until Valentina asks/begs for it. It’s definitely not an example of How Relationships Should Be Done TM, but it transformed a dub con scenario into something palatable.

Gabriel’s kind treatment of Valentina can’t change the fact that he’s in the business of doing unethical things, and his mother and ex-wife exemplify how women generally survive in his world. Valentina is strong, but she lacks the ruthless edge necessary to play the games in mafia society, so just being in the Louw household makes her an easy target. She manages to get Gabriel’s employees on her side (some of the cast seem to magically be drawn to her), but Magda Louw, her owner’s mother, just wants an excuse to make the young woman disappear…permanently.

Magda’s desire to dispose of Valentina sets up the one point in the plot that I found nearly unforgivable. It is so pivotal to the cliffhanger and book two, Consent, that I have to vague book it, but suffice it to say that Gabriel makes a choice that enfuriates me.

At the end of the day I wanted to know if Valentina and Gabriel could make it beyond hot sex and bad decisions to form a real relationship. Despite everything I was rooting for those crazy kids and wanted some type of HEA, not just steamy erotica.

4 Snobby Teenage Daughters out of 5

Valentina is trying to keep care of her disabled brother. He gets into trouble with gambling, then enters Gabriel. He demands payment.

I received a copy of this book through NetGally. This is the first book I have read by this author and it will definitely NOT be my last. What an amazing book! I am so wrapped up in the characters and story line that I cannot wait to read what happens next. This is definitely one of those books that will keep you up and night reading and wanting more and more and more.

Valentina: Beautiful and fragile but very brave girl with big dreams and now stuck in a 9 year commitment bending to Gabriel's every need.

Gabriel: They call him the Breaker. He is a loan shark with a very rough exterior. He knew he wanted Valentina as her property the first time he saw her.

It is amazing how the story unfolds. Left off with a cliffhanger but as the next book is released I will for sure be reading it RIGHT AWAY!

Loved it, The Breaker and the Vet Yes Please Give me more.... I Loved it, and I think you will as well!

So this is set in Johannesburg South Africa. That surprised me, and I Liked it! The author was super descriptive about certain areas and how they were so different but really not so different then here. We learn how people were treated because of were they lived and the status they have because of who they are and how much money and power...it starts out in a small ravaged city that is left in ruins an ran by the mafia, and some Mean Loan Sharks more than the police. Valentina was left to care for her brother Charlie after her parents died, she was in college on a small type of grant and she wanted to be a Veterinarian more than anything. They lived in a terrible area, in a run down shack that was left to her and Charlie whom was also in an accident and left brain damaged and needed constant care, her neighbor was suppose to keep an eye out on her brother for her while she went to school and helped at the vet Clinic. One day she comes home and no Charlie and even though it is about to be dark she goes out when she knows she shouldn't, to look for Jerry and Charlie, she believes Jerry who is very nice to her and Charlie, but he is also a bad guy and loves to gamble, he is a car thief. So she is worried and wants to find her brother and boy does she...she finds much more than she wants. She meets up with the several people one known as "The Breaker aka Gabriel, he is huge and badly scarred and walks with a limp. The Breaker...well he is very hard to get to know and a real bad guy, he does whatever he needs to collect a debt...but once he saw Val, well all bets are off he wants her and he will have her and he doesn't care what he has to do to take her and break her...

Val does get out of the dirty pub were Charlie has racked up a ridiculous amount money he now owes the breakers family but he didn't even understand he was gambling, she manages to get him out, for now and is furious with Jerry! On her way home we meet another character that seems to think he owns "Val" and well he is Vile, this place is just a terrible place and Charmaine Pauls gives us a wonderful view into these people lives and well Val and Charlie they should have never been in this place period! Its drug dealers and thugs that is all that is left and she pays a price but its not near over...because the Breaker is coming....

The ruthless Breaker has a job and its to get the money that Charlie has bet playing cards...instead of making it easy and doing what he is told to do by his Vile mother, he makes a deal with Valentina to work off her brothers bet, at his home, its a quick shot offer and she has minutes to get what little possessions she has and to take her brother to her only friend the Vet. and Gabriel takes Val home, his mom is livid. She will have to live with them for 9 years to pay off the debt. Oh Magda I have nothing good to say about Magda and I doubt you will either...Val knows what her life will be now, a slave to these people, she will clean and do the laundry of a huge mansion and she will be Gabriel's...and boy does Gabriel want her, more than anything he has in a long time. And he has a long time, 9 years to use her, he knows it wont be that long before Magda his mom insists that he kill them instead but she will allow him this time for now and he will take it well because its done its what he did! They have Guards and watch dogs, she will never get away from these people and what about Charlie...

So many secrets in this book...they way this author twists this tale will have you staying up all night trying to finish it regardless of what is going on. And she is descriptive, the erotic sex is built up very well, The juicy tid bits that she slowly feeds us in this first book makes you rush to finish and get to the next book if you are lucky enough as I was to get the privilege to read them both and jeeze are the both so very good. I cannot believe how I started out feeling about these characters, some you just know you will like and some well you will Love to Hate! Its got such a great storyline and for it to be in this place, well it could been in NY or Chicago

I want to thank Charmaine Pauls for a wonderful job writing and setting up this first book of the Duet, it had me on the brink of thinking one thing was going to happen and then bam we would go in the next direction. I offered this Advanced ebook by the Author and NetGalley for my honest review! I hope you will take the time to get to know these people and this Place, its an awesome story, loved it!

Gabriel Louw is a merciless loan shark who destroys lives in the name of his family's business. Physically and emotionally damaged, the respect he earns comes from the fear he imposes on those who break their promises. If you owe, you pay, or you die. In a country devasted by poverty, crime, and corruption, the likes of Gabriel rule. That's what put Valentina on his radar. The Haynes were a job. A bullet for Charlie, the brain damaged man who owed him too much. Another for his beautiful, loyal and fearless sister. The love and loyalty she revealed at the threat to her brother's life, awoke something inside Gabriel that he couldn't resist. From that moment on, she sealed her fate. She became his. He knew he would have to break her first, but soon she would beg for his touch. She would come to beg for his dominance too. Dubious is the first installment of a dark romance series where free will can be taken away, dominance and submission are more than sexual games, and family can be both a life sentence or salvation. Secrets, however, are destructive and when kept can destroy all hope, and risk love and life. An addictive read that will keep readers entranced and desperate for more.

This story was fabulous. I loved the characters and the plot.. The author had me interested from the first page and I could not put the book down.
I am looking forward to book 2 in this series

Now hmmm where to start? I really enjoyed this book more than I thought. It has a Pepper Winters type vibe. So, if you like that author you definitely will like this one. This read is sensual and heart breaking. Valentine and her brother have had a rough go of it. Their parents died, Charlie has brain damage. Valentine has guilt issues thinking that it is her fault her brother is like he is. I really feel like there is going to be a major turn and twist in this story. I Can Feel It Coming!! Magda Despises Valentina.. Why? Well, I am definitely Reading 📚📚 this next one!

I received this E-arc from the publisher via Net Galley for my honest opinion. Thank you Net Galley!

Dubious by Charmaine Pauls is a really good surprise,I didn't expect to like this story as much as I did.
Firstly the book is far way from the typical stereotype indeed the hero is not the handsome billionaire that we can read everywhere,he's scarred inside out,at the begining he even seems repulsive,more beast than man. So it was pleasant to see him change in the eyes of Valentina,to progressively see her care for him.
I like the dynamic between him and her,the push and pull and their fiery attraction.
I can't wait for the next book

A badass loan shark who is called The Breaker. This is not your typical love story. It is dark and dreary and passion-filled. Gabriel. Enough said. How much more can Valentina’s life handle? She just has nothing going right for her until Gabriel. He does skirt the line of dubious consent but he does it out lust (really his love that he does not recognize) for Valentina.

Beware this does end in a cliffhanger which I usually do not like to read. This book was a surprise and I need to know what happens so I am definitely reading the next book.

This book was sexy, interesting, and steamy. Definitely need to read part 1 to understand part 2 and I loved the build up of the attraction and relationship between the main characters and the storyline behind it all.

I did not read this book as I couldn't get into the characters. DNF

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this! The plot was great and grabbed me from the start...add in the bold and beautiful characters and I couldn't put it down! Oh and lets not forget the dirty, steamy hot sex scenes.
Valentina and Gabriel are 2 characters with some deep emotional and external scars..their stories allow you to really get into their heads and believe what is going on. You can feel what they are feeling and see why they act how the act. Their emotions and darkness that surrounds them both make them absolutely perfect for each despite how they came together.
Wonderfully written! I enjoyed it so much I have already started the 2nd book!

<b>I LOVED THIS BOOK!!</b> That being said, it's not for everyone.

This is a dark, gritty, romance. It plays with the idea of consent and at first, I did not know if I would even like it, let alone get through the book. I was proved very wrong about that within the first 10% of reading it. This book is set in Johannesburg, South Africa. I've never read a book set in this location. But it was very interesting learning about the city--it has big class disparities, poverty, pockets of lawlessness, racial divide, and areas that are very corrupted.

The way Charmaine Pauls writes is a revelation. It's intelligent, emotionally-driven, and well done. The minute I had a thought of, "But what about this? Or that?" She would answer those burning questions that if unanswered would have been plot holes or issues I'd have with the book. This particular book is written from both the Hero and Heroine's point of view, which alternates in a clear way.

Valentina is a student getting a correspondence degree to be a vet and lives the crime ridden area of Berea in Johannesburg, South Africa. She's on her own with her disabled brother Charlie. He had a traumatic brain injury as a teenager and can't live on his own. She's had a rough childhood, a mother who was questionable at best and a father involved in crime.

Gabriel grew up in a rich crime family, dealing in loans and effectively is a loan shark that does his mother, Magda's bidding--to a point. They conflict quite a bit about the family business. Magda is basically the boss of the family business. She calls the shots, for the most part. Gabriel is the epitome of a tortured hero. He scarred emotionally and physically. His mother is basically a cruel bitch. She was the arbiter of his abusive childhood. To say they don't get along and butt heads over the family business, is an understatement. Gabriel's reputation precedes him. He is called <i>The Breaker</i> and enforces loans that aren't paid.

He is tasked with killing Charlie who has racked up debt at one of their casino bars, to the tune of R4000,000 (about $30,000 USD). Someone (not Gabriel) loaned him the money even though he's disabled and now he has to pay. The problem is, Valentina barely makes ends meet and the neighbor tasked with watching him in exchange for her cleaning his place, a petty criminal and gambling addict, but the only one she can trust, has gotten Charlie in this mess. When Valentina finds out, she takes Charlie from the bar and not soon after the loan shark, Gabriel is there with two of his thugs to kill them both for not paying their debt.

Gabriel is intrigued and taken aback by her bravery and protectiveness and love for her brother (love that he's never known from his family) and offers her a deal to work for him for 9 years to pay back his brother's debt. It's either that or he kills her brother. She wants to make monthly payments but that's not an option. She has to do anything he says. He wants her as his property. <spoiler>My only big issue with this beginning scene is one of the guards/thugs, Rhett, shoots her dog, Puff. It's later explained it was an act of mercy so he didn't end up a street dog starving to death (a big issue in S.A.) because Rhett is told they're there to kill Charlie and Valentina by Magda to make an example out of them, not strike a deal). The first beginning scenes also involve rape, which is a touchy subject for some.</spoiler>

When he brings her back to his house, his mother, Magda, is not pleased. She lets her know her and Charlie are dead if she so much as makes a mistake (which she is planning on). She doesn't want other "customers" and associates to think they've gone soft on those who don't pay their debts. Magda decides she'll be the maid for their palatial house. She's set up for failure.

Gabriel visits her in her room, on her first night in the house. Thinking she'll be raped by him, he instead says he won't sleep with her until she begs for it. Though they do engage in some sexual activity that night.

This book was emotional, intense and a rollercoaster. I don't normally go for books like this. But I <b>LOVED</b> it. It was so well done.

It reminded me of a mix of the Sopranos meets Sons of Anarchy meets I don't know what. There's crime, murder, rape (if that puts you off entirely, this is not the book for you), betrayal, and lots of dark emotions. It's an intense read. <b>I could not-put-it-down.</b> Pauls really focuses on the character development of both Gabriel and Valentina and some of the secondary characters, which can be rare for erotica novels. Gabriel and Valentina grow to have a deep connection and bond. He does what he can to shield her from his mother, Magda. Ultimately, he wants her trust and love and he made the deal with her to save her and her brother's life.

<b>Fair warning:</b> This book is filled with intense sex scenes, BDSM, including sadomasochism, plays with and focuses on the concept of consent.

I'm not sure what's stopping me from giving this 5 stars. For me, I wish Gabriel was sometimes a bit nicer to Valentina. It wasn't that he was mean or cruel. But sometimes, when she would ask him questions, he didn't say the most endearing things. For example, <spoiler>at one point in the book, he's already admitted to himself he cares for her and obviously has feelings for her. But when she asks if he's sleeping with anyone else, he does say no. But then says, "I'll let you know if I do." It's so unbelievably OFF CHARACTER to me. Given he says he's never had such an emotional and physical connection and previously had thoughts that he didn't want to sleep with anyone else but her. So why be so cavalier??</spoiler>

This book ends on a <b>cliffhanger</b> and I kind of wish it did not. Book 1 is 241 pages and so is book 2. To me, a single book of 482 pages would have been better. But luckily I have an ARC of book 2, so off I go!

<i>This book book was generously provided to me by NetGalley and the Publisher for an honest review.</i>

I really liked this book. It was dark yet there was a ray of hope throughout. The characters were very well developed and I found I couldn't put the book down because I was so interested in what would happen next. I gave it only 4 stars because it was a cliffhanger and I prefer the full story in one book.

The book was well written and fast paced. The characters are believable and the story is well developed. There are a few characters I hope will get their just desserts in the upcoming book, and I hope the heroine catches a break or two. The only thing I might take exception to, was the unexpected ending. It seemed like one really long book had originally been written and the publisher decided to chop it into two to get a series out of it. (That's how I felt about the Fifty Shades Series) That said, I will definitely be reading the second book to see what happens.

4.5*


Firstly this is a cliffhanger but since both books are being released back to back it didn't present the usual wait which is the part I struggle with.

The book paints a desolate picture, it's set in Johannesburg in what has become known as drug valley, everyone with money moved leaving the area for the drug dealers, Mafia and gangs.
It's safe to say Valentina is struggling, after losing both her parents she looks after her brain damaged brother, Charlie. She's trying her best to give them a future by training to become a vet but she hardly earns enough to get by on top of feeding and looking after Charlie she has huge college bills to cover.
She's barely keeping her head above water which is bad enough but the book opens with her arriving home from work one night to find Charlie missing. She knows where he'll be, her neighbour a car thief named Jerry was supposed to be watching him but as well as being a car thief he also has a gambling problem and she discovers Charlie is not only gambling but he's a VIP and owes four hundred thousand rand.
She never thought to declare him incompetent and revoke his financial signing power.

Gabriel Louw is known and feared and he's come to collect, Valentina has nowhere to go and no way to pay the debt.
Gabriel has orders to kill both Valentina and Charlie to set an example and reinforce that's it's a bad idea to mess with the Louw family but Gabriel wants Valentina and offers her a different deal. She's his for nine years while she works off her brothers debt in any way he sees fit.

Magda (Gabriel's mother) is furious she wants Val and Charlie dead and so Valentina finds herself property of the Louw family and made to clean the huge mansion.
Magda pushes because she needs her to fail, she's determined to kill her whereas Gabriel is intrigued and obsessed and needs her alive but his mother is a cruel and powerful woman who always gets what she wants.

Gabriel turned out to be an interesting character and not what I was expecting. I've read books similar to this before and in them the Gabriel character is always top of the food chain with total control and command and while they may have demons they answer to no one.
The fact that Magda is very much at the top of food chain adds another dynamic to this book. Gabriel is also scarred and disfigured and far from the male perfection I'm used to but the attraction between him and Val is unlike anything either of them has felt before.
Gabriel's obsession increases along with Magda's determination to push Valentina to fail. Valentina is caught in the middle with nine long years stretching out before her but we all know one way or another she's not making those nine years as she is now, something has to give.

Valentina is strong, unbelievably strong and her love for her brother is, at first anyway the only thing that gets her through each day. As things progress Gabriel turns into the only thing getting her through the nights.

This in itself makes for compulsive reading but the more Gabriel gets to know Valentina the more both she and her past confuse him and he starts to investigate.

By this point, faults and all I just wanted Gabriel and Valentina to be together and this is the point a lot of books would end, with a nice HEA and I'd be happy.
But here there's Magda and Gabriel needs to find a way to keep Valentina alive.

I'm running on 3 hours sleep since I stayed up to finish this and even then I barely resisted starting Consent.

It's safe to say this book was a surprise, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it anywhere near as much as I did and it's very close to getting 5* which is a rating I very rarely give.

And so it's straight onto Consent now for me.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley and Charmaine Pauls.

I really enjoyed this Duet of books. The characters were well developed. They were flawed, yet each changed. I really really loved it and cannot wait to read more by this author. I devoured these books!

couldn't out it down! So happy to have the chance to find and read! Definitely a new author for me!