Carnal (adjective):
1) Relating to the pleasures of the body
2) Given to sensual indulgence
3) The man who kidnapped me

The devil has blue eyes, an Irish accent, and a hatred for me that runs deep.

He blames me for starting a war. Consorting with his enemies. Getting his men killed. Though I’m innocent on all charges, he wants his pound of flesh. With an eye on revenge, he makes me his captive.

But as we’ll both soon discover, there are more powerful urges than that for revenge.

When the devil meets his match but she’s his sworn enemy, that’s when the real war begins.

Avery’s Thoughts About the Book

#CoupleGoals

I have to amend my summary thoughts on my review of Ruthless Creatures from I want an undomesticated Russian mobster… to I want an undomesticated Russian and/or Irish mobster….

I’m going to try my best to do this without spoilers because I really think you should read the series. Okay…. Stuff happened in Ruthless Creatures. Mafia stuff. That stuff led to some other stuff, and that new stuff led to Sloane being kidnapped by a bunch of Irish mob guys. Enter Declan O’Donnell. Sweet baby haysuess, I love this man.

As I mentioned previously, each of the four Queens & Monsters books follows a different couple but the four books create one story linked by the four parts. So if you read book three first, you’re going to be confused where the overall story arc is concerned. lol This series begins with Ruthless Creatures telling Nat and Kage’s part of the story. Carnal Urges follows Sloane (Nat’s best friend) and Declan (one of Kage’s mafia rivals).

Sloane is one of the funniest characters in this series. She’s whip smart, she’s got bulletproof nerves (I love it when FMCs are not helpless damsels), and she has met her match in Declan. They’re both sarcastic, well-read smarties who happen to be fiercely loyal to those they love. They both keep their trusted circles tight because the universe has dealt them some shit in their time. Neither of them places trust easily. They’re perfect for one another. You can’t really call this an enemies-to-lovers romance because although they’re on opposing sides of a war (a war that was kinda sorta but not really started by her), their banter isn’t about dislike and animosity. It’s more playful and deeply entertaining.

In this book, you find out more about the history and bad blood between the different mafia factions, and on a more personal level, we find out exactly how Sloane ended up becoming the ball of fiery star stuff that she is. Knowing how she got to where she is simply made me adore her more than I already did.

Okay, audiobook nerds. Troy Motherfuckin’ Duran. Let’s talk about him. OMG. This man should read every book boyfriend ever but my favorite performances of his so far have been Irish characters. His voice will make you melt reading as Declan. He also reads as an Irish character in book four and they’re my two favorites from the series. By, like, a large margin. I loved his performance in this book so much that I will be going on a deep dive into his audiobook credits. He can go from steamy sexy one second to sounding like he’s on the verge of extreme violence the next. Chills, people. He’s a great actor with a one-in-a-million voice. And it’s not just Troy Duran. This entire series has an excellent cast of vocal actors. Michelle Sparks, the actor who reads for Sloane, has a great speaking voice and her performance is wonderful. She nails the humor and delivers the dialog as though it’s a natural conversation. Listening to these two read together is like listening to a great song. Truly. I will definitely revisit this series many times.

As for the heat level, these two are scorching together and it’s obvious from their first interaction that the sparks between them are more like a 4th of July fireworks display. Sloane is a woman who keeps things casual with men because she’s never met one who truly excites her. She meets Declan and he flips everything she’s ever known about having a partner on its head. Watching the connection between them evolve is a genuinely fun ride. I loved these two together and would happily read an entire series of Declan and Sloane stories. Once you read this series, you will understand what I mean when I say that their path is left wide open so that’s a totally plausible idea.

Overall, this was an awesome read. I love this couple together and I feel like JT Geissinger could reach into this Irish mob world some more. There are so many great characters when we meet Declan’s crew and it’s just the tip of his world. I wont say anymore because of spoilers. Read the series, you will not regret it.

Heat Level
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Avery’s Rating
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Tropes Used
Dark Mafia Romance
Captive Romance
Grumpy/Sunshine Romance
Dom/sub Romance
Badass Heroine
Alphahole Antihero