I really liked this read. There are plots and twists that you know are coming, but don't see THAT happening!! I mean what gives??!!?? Sooo worth the read. The plot twisting itself is worth it! Great job and great read!! Gabriel and Magda with their relationship! I knew Magda was mean, but that woman I really really really despised! There is so much that happens. Must read series!!

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

Get out the tissues. You will need them for this conclusion to Gabriel and Valentina’s story. This story runs the gamut of emotions. I was furious, excited, sad, hopeful and happy. I wanted to throw the book at the wall a couple of times with Gabriel and whole attitude. Valentina lives through more in a year than anyone should have to live through. Can this woman catch a break? I love how she never gives up and it pays off in the end. Yeah, still crying…..but tears of joy.

Well Charmaine has done it again! You have once again sucked me into the world of Val and Gabriel and I couldn't get enough. The plot twist in this story kept you guessing what was going to happen next and at one point and you know where I wanted to throw the book down and scream NOOO this is not happening! I can't wait for your next book to come out!!

oh wow! I devoured this, I could not put it down. by the end of this book Gabriel was perfect and could do no wrong in my eyes- although it took him a while to get there and do the right thing.
Val just thrived and became what we knew she would from the beginning.
Quincy and Rhett, well what can I say other than I want a set!
this was the perfect end, I cried, I sighed and I ahhed, let me tell you this one is a bit of a tearjerker but it has the perfect ending. it does get there.
fabulously written, fabulously paced and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat,
well worth a read!

This book was just as good as part 1 and only builds on the developing story. I would definitely read more books by this author.

This is a Back to Back, flows from one book to the other. This is a dark romance HEA. Since this is the second I'll get started, since I just finished and fresh on my mind. I gotta problem, I've read this book before but under a different name and minor gender change to some characters but plot is almost identical. I don't know if this plot was stolen from this author or pirated, I am very confused. But I enjoyed the book till about near the end with the 'disappearance after explosion' i got bored and annoyed, and the character change was a bit short lived and I did not enjoy. Some questions were answered, but Sylvia should've been taken care of. My emotions were all over the place in this book, the sex scenes were great, and hey I'm the type of girl where the guy should have more baby time. Would I buy or read this again? Sadly no.

Arc provided in exchange for honest review from Netgalley

I absolutely loved both books! Consent, the second book of Loan Shark Duet was an emotional roller coaster ride! This book was just as good if not better than the first in the set. The ups and downs kept me reading and not wanting to put the book down or for it to End!! I adored both Valentina and Gabriel and how their twisted beginning turned into something they both could not live without. Despite the sad parts, Consent was an exceptional ending to this fantastic story.

I didn't like this second book as much as the first one,but Charmaine Paul clearly got a new fan I can't wait to see what she's going to do next

Kindly provided with an ARC via the Author and Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review.......

Oooh I sooo wanted the next part of this read and I was VERY happy with the outcome !!!
Consent continues Gabriel and Valentina's story. Valentina's taken off and Gabriel's HOT on her heels and NO is NOT in his vocabulary !!!. I loved reading about Charlie, Quincy and Rhett as back characters as I think of them but who are all integral to the plot. Valentina is such a strong, feisty character who wants to show the world she can survive and stand on her own two feet. Then the next breath she is putty in Gabriel's hands *sighs and swoons*.

This was such a edgy, dark, emotional but beautiful read. I just LOVE Charmaine's work and this finale to The Loan Shark Duet did not disappoint me as a reader and a fan !!. I would recommend Charmaine's books to any and all !

Massive Thumbs Up Charmaine ! If only if only Gabriel was real !!!!!!

Many thanks for the opportunity xx

Later peeps xxx

I feel like it's been forever since I've fangirled over a series like this. This dark romance is amazing and brings so many different factors to the table. For one, it's hella sexy and has a lot of kinky sex, and who doesn't like that? It deals with forced seduction and how two people can build a real relationship after having such a rocky start, and how far they'll go to protect each other. 

The last book left us hanging with Valentina running from Gabriel. She takes her brother with her and tries to start over, but she's dealing with conflicting emotions. She thought she'd be happy to have escaped his manipulations, but finds that she still misses him and cares for him even as she's accepting her new future without him. Of course, Gabriel won't let her leave him and does everything in his power to find her. I won't spoil anything, but Gabriel's plan for saving Val in the last book backfires, leaving a mess of miscommunication and angst on both sides. 

When Gabriel finds Val, they try to start their life over, moving out of his mother's house. Val's past is intricately tied with Gabriel's family, and we get a lot of answers as to why Gabriel's mom hates her so much. As they fall in love, they both struggle with accepting that they can have something real, and it leads them to both make some stupid decisions. Gabriel killed me and I couldn't decide if I wanted to smack him for being so dumb or if I wanted to wrap him in a bear hug for being so selfless. Either way, Val's response to Gabriel's actions had me tearing up for basically half the book and let's just say that their connection is the only thing that keeps her going for a while.

I was so pleased with this series for so many reasons. I've found it so hard to find dark romances that have solid character development and plot arcs, and this had it all. Great plot, packed with action and sexual tension, and a sizzling connection between the hero/heroine that went beyond the physical. A must read!

This author shines writing erotic romance especially with the backdrop of the mob lifestyle, which I love!
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I had to add to this review after I thought about this book for a few days. Charmaine needs to write erotic suspense exclusively. Her other books are wonderful but I was BLOWN away by 'Consent'. I loved that regardless of how emotionally stunted Gabriel was he always had some show of tenderness towards Valentina. There was nothing overdone or eye roll worthy which I find happens a lot when I'm reading other authors. So best part - once I finish reading 'Consent' I rush to amazon to see when book 2 is released and to my dismay THIS one doesn't come out until October! So I go to netgalley to see if there's a release date for book 2 and Christmas came early this year!!!!! I looked up the books penned by Ms.Paul and found book 2!(Dubious) . Seriously made my day, I could've never waited, not even until October. Ok I'm done rambling.

Bottom line: there needs to be more erotic suspense authors like Charmaine. I ate this up, I haven't been this giddy over a book in a long time.

After reading the first instalment in this ‘The Loan Shark Duet’ I was eager to read what happened next and I wasn’t disappointed. ‘Consent’ by Charmaine Pauls was a brilliant end to the series and a four star read.

Gabriel and Valentina’s story literally continues on from where things left off in book one. Thinking that Gabriel would be angry with her Valentina is on the run but having giving little thought to how she will survive Valentina finds herself quite desperate. After searching for her Gabriel finds her and brings her home.

The characters in this definitely evolve from the characters they were when we first met them in the first book and it was great to see. Full of twists and turns, some expected but some not this book keeps you engaged and enthralled right up to the last word. This was a great duet by Charmaine Pauls and she gave a brilliant conclusion to Gabriel and Valentina’s story. For me it cemented how much I enjoy the writing of Charmaine Pauls.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic conclusion to the 1st part of the story (Dubious). I was still glued to every page. You could tell where the story was heading and certain things happened in the story to help the story along. Still very enjoyable.

5 stars. This was such an emotional ending to the duology and I loved every heart stopping moment of it. While the first book was a lot darker and heavier in subject matter, this one was really damn sad. Beautiful ending, but sad nonetheless. I can’t decide which book I loved more, they were both so fantastic!

This picks up exactly where <i>Dubious</i> leaves off and the beginning half of this novel had me on edge because I was terrified of how everything would turn out. Just when I thought the author was going to take the story one way, she threw a curve ball and took it in a completely different direction and I couldn’t keep up. The ending was nothing how I thought it was going to be and I loved it. It could’ve easily came off as cheesy but I think she handled it really well.

The character development in this series was so on point. Valentina from book one to the end was such an amazing transformation. I’m proud of the person she became and how life ended up for her. She’s incredibly strong but yet still so beautifully flawed.

Gabriel’s character made my heart ache. The things he went through were just devastating and seeing how much everything changed him was great. I felt for him and just wanted to hug him the entire time. The things he did were never justified but his redemption was worth it.

I think both characters got the most perfect ending for them. I really couldn’t imagine it ending any other way than what it did.

I also really like that we got to see a lot more of the side characters such as Rhett, Quincy, Kris and Charlie. They were a great and lovable cast of characters and I loved getting to know them more.

Overall, this was a beautifully dark series and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Dark and seductive conclusion to the Lone Shark duet!

I am in love, completely in love with Gabriel Louw and Valentina! These two characters are so right for one another that I did not want this book to end! Consent by Charmaine Pauls is the second book in this Lone Shark duet series and it tore at my heart the whole way!

You are thrown right back in where Dubious ended, wondering what will happen to Valentina in her quest for answers, "what ifs" and freedom. In keeping her and her brother safe she does what she only knows to do... survive, but Gabriel is never far and when he finally catches up to her, what will happen? Will the Breaker, break her? Love her? Free her?

The Lone Shark Duet is a MUST READ for sure! The covers are enticing, the story is well written and the characters are entertaining that you fall in love with every second of the book. I was new to Charmaine's work, but not anymore. she is on my radar and I will be adding her to my list of authors to look out for. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book!

5+ Stars for both Dubious & Consent!

***ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review***

A great steamy smoking hot romance book that will leave you breathless and wanting more from this author. Gab and Val will make you feel their pain and their love. Twisted bug in a great way. Need more

A book with unexpected twists. And a very fine ending, that feels like it concludes the story, without "closing" Valentinas and Gabriels lives. I would absolutely recommend this for any romance and erotica fan out there! Just remember to read Dubious first.
The two books are wellwritten, giving a good look into the main characters motivation and thoughts, without that pesky feeling of trying to explain every little detail.
For me, both the locale and the forced seduction was a first, but Dubious and Consent certainly made me want to read more of both.

4.5*

This is part two Dubious has to be read first and the same goes for this review.

So Consent picks up exactly where Dubious left off. Valentina is scared and running but her fear overruled her common sense, she grabbed Charlie and ran not giving a single thought to money. Now it's too late, if she withdraws any money she'll give away their location and so she finds herself alone with Charlie, no money, no where to live and no job.

Gabriel is beside himself and desperate to find Valentina but he's not the only one searching for her Magda now has the excuse she needs to kill her.

We know it's only a matter of time before they're reunited but the question is what will happen then?

I only really had two small issues (and they are very small) with this book the first was Valentina not considering how she'd live once she ran (yes I know there's extenuating circumstances) and the second was the tragedy, Gabriel gets lost in himself and while I understood and sympathised I felt it went on just a little too long for me but it's difficult to imagine how someone would deal with that so...

This book has a load of stuff going on and I'm not even going to attempt to touch any of it (so no spoilers here) you need to find out for yourself as you're reading. It twists and turns some of which I saw coming some I didn't and it certainly kept me glued the whole way through.

It's a fabulous book (well two books) and the author has created characters I'll never forget, it's clever and interesting and I'm still a little surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it.

I'm all about the HEA and so I loved the ending for me it was perfect, the icing on the cake and I'll be looking out for other books from this author but....

I'm mentioning this only because I have friends who don't feel the same way. Dubious started as a dark read, Gabriel was a powerful and dominating man (although we always knew Valentina was his weakness) but in Consent he changes, the tragedy he suffers affects him greatly and he becomes a different man. I liked this change, I liked him and just about everything about this book but if, like my friends you like a man to stay dark and true throughout then this maybe isn't the book for you.

For the rest of us who love a great HEA then start reading now.

I very rarely give 5* but again this came very very close.

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!

Wow, I loved the conclusion of this duet. Again, it's not for everyone. But I loved it. There were so many twists and turns and shocks to my system. None of which I can say here without spoiling!

This is the conclusion and second part of Valentina and Gabriel's story. If you haven't read book 1, you must read that before reading this story.

(view spoiler)You get resolution to all the mysteries from book 1 and Pauls intense, can't-put-down, engrossing writing. Did I mention shocks to my system? Revelations I did not see coming! This book was a rollercoaster! And I loved every minute of it.

If you read Book 1, this is a MUST unless you're very masochistic!

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

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