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Anyone who knows me knows that I am hungry for steamy stories. I love erotica, erotic romance, steamy romance, dark and dirty romance, erotic horror, you name it, the more mature the better. I don't discriminate with my genres, don't mistake me, but I just love when my favourite characters have a good on-screen bang.
It's because of this voraciousness that I became involved with an awesome project called The Twelve Days of Hawtness, hosted by HRCollection here on Wattpad. And it was during that project that I met the deliciously talented AJ_Rella, and her intense brand of dark-ass romance.
It started with The Exploits of Alfie Tell, which is a three-part mini anthology centering around the overly rich and adventurous Alfie Tell. He's intense and sexual and hungry. He's perceptive and particular. But he's raw and honest, and being in his head was a heady experience. With her delicious flow and style, I needed more than just three chapters from AJ.
Lo and behold, Never Tell Lies. Let me set the scene for you. Lola O'Connell is a small-town girl with very few people she trusts with her friendship and love. She's beautiful, confident, ambitious, and though she has a bit of a temper and some tunnel-vision with her own problems, she's endearing and I fell in love with her immediately.
When she meets Alfie Tell, billionaire businessman extraordinaire, it's instant intensity. Of course, Lola hates him, because he's a pompous ass, but of course our plucky protagonist is in for an addiction to the incandescent man.
I'm going to be brutally honest here, but I fucking hate Alfie. But god, do I love to hate him. And as of this writing, the story isn't finished, so I can't tell you if I'm ever going to like him. I loved being in his head in The Exploits of Alfie Tell. I found his curiosity and hunger so interesting. I'm glad I read it first, because from Lola's perspective he's infuriating, and I spend a lot of time yelling at my phone. But I love that. I love a story that can get me so emotionally invested that I can't sleep at night because I'm thinking about what's going to happen to the characters.
AJ has a wonderful descriptive style of writing that really sets the scene, something that I don't often find in mainstream romance. She builds settings and physical descriptions with the little details that add up to make a visceral, whole picture, like bangle bracelets glittering and clinking on a character's arm. It's an immersive experience that makes every sentence, every paragraph engrossing.
This also brings a vivacious flavour to the steamy scenes, which are where I feel like Lola and Alfie have the most organic chemistry. It's undeniable the absolute fire between them, and the scenes flow with gorgeous prose, poignant dialogue, and just... well. I'm not going to ruin just how primal Alfie and Lola's lovemaking is. Because damn, girl. Make sure you have a cold shower or a date lined up for after a reading sesh.
All in all, this story is not a fluffy heartwarming tale. It's a dark romance, a story full of difficult emotions and characters that struggle. It's intense and beautiful and everything you want when you want to get completely lost. And Lola is a protagonist that you can root for, cry with, cheer on, and share in heartbreak. I can't recommend Never Tell Lies enough (and also The Exploits of Alfie Tell, do read that as well!).
