This book earns 2 ⭐ from me due to its bizarre and often absurd storyline, which occasionally bordered on unintentionally humorous. The plot centers around a BDSM club that hosts a "Virgin Auction," a concept that felt both unrealistic and unsettling. The protagonist, Domnhall, encounters his ex-girlfriend at the auction—an ex who supposedly betrayed him profoundly and is now feigning amnesia. In a bid for revenge, he purchases her for an exorbitant sum and subjects her to various BDSM activities. Their interactions lacked authenticity, and the overemphasis on sexual content overshadowed any meaningful plot development.

Moreover, the depiction of familial relationships was discomforting. The siblings exhibited a blatant disregard for boundaries and privacy, engaging in behaviors that were both inappropriate and off-putting. The narrative's excessive length further detracted from its appeal; a more concise approach, with fewer repetitive BDSM scenes, might have enhanced the storytelling.

In summary, while there were moments that elicited a chuckle due to their sheer absurdity, the book failed to deliver a compelling or cohesive narrative. I am unlikely to seek out other works by this author.

This was a no for me- which was super disappointing. I desperately wanted to love it! But it dragged on for me & to be honest I continued on with the hopes at some point it would get better or more interesting but it just didn’t happen, imho.

Definitely of the belief that this will be a huge hit for lots of people- as always, I recommend reading and determining on your own if this book is a hit or miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

*Cherry Auction* by Stasia Black is a fun, over-the-top romance with a wild premise—auctioning off the main character’s “cherry” to the highest bidder. The story is entertaining and super spicy, but it feels a bit rushed at times, and the characters don’t have a ton of depth. Some parts are funny and addictive, while others are kind of predictable or cheesy. It’s definitely not a super serious or deep read, but if you’re in the mood for something playful and steamy, it’s worth a shot. Just don’t expect it to blow your mind.

Brooke and Donny had a past... She has amnesia and can't remember what happened. He paid for her virginity at an auction and promised to get his revenge...

Lots of secrets... totally spicy and very dark. Not for everyone but perfect for readers who like their romance very dark.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

tl;dr: not a bad book, just not the book for me

Though this book was not my favorite, it definitely had me HOOKED. The premise is quite interesting and the plot twists and reveals are absolutely WILD. I'm not a HUGE dark romance reader so this may have been a little too far out of my comfort zone but if you like spice (and BDSM), this book has plenty!

(Also mostly unrelated but I could not stop laughing at the MMC's Irish accent... especially during spicy scenes)

This is a dark romance full of twists and turns. I didn't love it because I felt like when it was going well for the main characters something would come along and ruin it. It wasn't plain sailing and I don't like that in a book after about the half way mark!
The 2 main characters are full of a dark history and the sex is dirty, spicy and wouldn't be to everyone's taste.

I really loved this book! It totally delivered on both the spice and the dark themes. I definitely had my jaw on the floor more than once. If you love a dark romance full of spice and twists, and just a sprinkling of sweetness, this is definitely for you.

If you aren't a fan of HIGH amounts of spice, BDSM Dynamics, Dub-Con, or Mental Illness themes, this probably isn't the book for you. Definitely check the trigger warnings on this one, as some of the dark stuff is HEAVY.

It's very well written, and I will certainly be checking out other books by Stasia Black after reading this one!

3.5⭐️
CHECK YOUR TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK!

If you’re looking for a book with a heavier focus on spice than plot, this is definitely for you! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Billionaire Domhnall helps his friend facilitate a ‘virgin auction’. He gets all his billionaire buddies together and is supposed to just sit back and enjoy the show. Until he recognises the virgin for sale and immediately outbids everyone else in the room… But she has absolutely no idea who he is! He’s intent on making her pay for her crimes against him, but she has no memory of anything prior to the last 2 months.

I’m always a bit skeptical going into dark romance as I am predominantly here for the plot, and although this was very spice heavy in the first half, the plot really thickened in the last half of the book and I was hooked!! I genuinely did not see the twist coming.

I do feel as though the first half of the book could have used more context of the plot sprinkled through it, but it all came together perfectly in the end.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and I have to say this is the first book I’ve read which is true, to the core ‘enemies’ and I loved that about this book! This book broaches incredibly heavy themes including child abuse, dub-con and mental health/psyciatric disorders so please familiarise yourself with the trigger warnings!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing me with a free ARC e-book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book, I didn’t enjoy the premise and found some of the writing style lacked the ability to relate to the main characters, I also found some of the terms a little too jarring for me. I stopped reading this book at around 30%, but perhaps it takes a little longer to be able to immerse yourself into.

i thought this book was okay, it wasn’t my favourite but it wasn’t bad either. i’m not the biggest fan of amnesia thing in books and this was no exception. i also didn’t really manage to connect with the characters but i did like the plot, i thought it was unique and interesting. i finished this book in 2 sittings lol it was easy to get into!

47%
DNF
Unfortunately, I had a very hard time getting into the story and connecting with the characters. After the 47% I skipped ahead toward the end and learned the twists. While the twists were interesting and the book is relatively short, I still couldn’t connect with the characters or feel empathy for the them.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read Cherry Auction in advance.

This dark romance book starts at an auction in a BDSM club where Domnhall, a billionaire, is helping support his friend's club by bringing in all his rich friends for a virgin auction. As the host brings out the virgin, Domnhall loses his mind. It appears to be the girl who ruined and destroyed him in the past, Madison Harper, who is being auctioned off as a virgin named Brooke. The book flips back and forth between the perspectives of Domnhall and Brooke. It turns out Brooke has amnesia and was going to use the virgin auction money to help hire an investigator to figure out who she is. Domnhall ends up buying her from the auction to destroy her. I won't spoil the book by going into any more details.

I will say this book was a little too wild and dark. There was too much going on - all the amnesia stuff, the disassociating, the puppy/kitty play, the sexual abuse as a minor, the torture/abuse from a parent, the sex addiction stuff. I would say pick a lane and stay in it. I get the MMC is Irish - but damn if I had to see the word fecking one more time I was going to lose it. There was so much going on, nothing was really fleshed out. I like smut, but this wasn't for me.

Thank you for allowing me a chance to read this book. I really enjoyed the characters and their development throughout the story. Brooke and Dom's relationship was complicated but ultimately unfolded in a beautiful way that gave their story closure and a happy ending. I especially enjoyed seeing Dom, who is driven by revenge, ultimately come undone because of his love for Brooke. There are a lot of dark topics in this book, but I felt they were handled perfectly. For people who like to know the tropes, this book includes a dark hero, amnesia, enemies to lovers, second chance romance, and lots of kink. :) I would recommend this romance to those who like a dark romance with emotional grit.

Great-ish story but it felt like 50 Shades of Gray if both Main Characters had tons of sexual related trauma. I did enjoy the growth of Brooke and Dom in the end but damn. The aspects of mental health issues were an interesting addition but felt eh about the whole thing. Would recommend if BDSM/Kink Dark Romance with Trauma bonding is your thing but wasn't that high on my enjoyment list.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for a copy.

Did I lose the memo on change of the angsty's meaning? Because tell me why it say angsty (and it was the selling point for me, and I'm sick and tired of all the fast burns, no judgement to people who like that, I'm more of a angst girly) and the first night they met there is action? Yes I understand because of the plot but then do not promote it as angsty. Does that make sense?

Gripping, edgy romance that explores power dynamics, sensuality, and emotional growth. Brooke, a young woman auctioned off to the highest bidder, finds herself drawn into an intense, complex relationship with the man who wins her. The chemistry between them is electric, full of passion and tension, and the emotional stakes are just as high as the physical ones.

This book is doing a great job in blending darker themes with vulnerability, creating a story that’s both provocative and surprisingly tender. A dark romance that offers enthralling, emotional ride for readers who enjoy high-stakes, power-exchange romances.

This book fills the line of dark romance. There is truly some stuff in it that makes you think and question if you're enjoying it and if you are does that mean you're messed up. It takes a deep dive into some morally Grey sides of BDSM with many different kinks. While also taking a huge dive into mental trauma. It's is definitely a book that will have you questioning yourself.
#CherryAuctionStasiaBlackDarkRomanceEnemiesToLoversHateToLove
#NetGalley

Not for me. It's basically soft porn.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

2.75!

Okay so I sat down and thought about this book and it was just two stars because this was such a weird story and to be honest I enjoyed it, nothing really triggered me that much and I knew what I was going into when I read it but this was so dumb at times that it was funny. Okay so theres like this BDSM club and the main guy and his friend host a "Virgin Auction" 😭 and apparently all the members of the club are veryyyyy trustful and would never harm women.

Okay so Domnhall our main character see's his ex who apparently betrayed him in the worst way possible presenting herself at the auction while playing the role of someone who has amnesia and lmaoo so take revenge he like pays 50 million dollars and gets her and yk how he takes revenge??? by keeping her in his BDSM room and trying stuff with her 😭😭 like come on now!! and the girl (luna 2,0 with the amount of names she has) would act like she didnt like it but of course her body would betray her 🌚 so I would say 2 stars for the laugh.

The twists were there some of them were shocking the others were okayy but I feel like this book took such a long time elaborating and focusing on the characters that I just stopped caring because the first 40% was mainly focused on the sexual stuff and tbh I didn't feel their connection so that was meh as well, this was also very long, like my book was 566 pages and it couldve been chopped up if you removed half of the bdsm scenes like ok I know its a book with that trope but lets move the story as well 😭

Another thing that felt pretty 🤢 to me was how okay the siblings were regarding the subject of sex like the main problem in their family is that they are all addicted to something, so domnhall is addicted to bdsm and addicted to calling himself a masochists while his sister is also addicted to sex🤩 and like the word boundary's and privacy was just very foreign to them because during the auction scene the sister would be having sex with a guy near the stage and dom would literally be in the audience and like she would call him while having sex and like?? get a room please but yeah they were sooo dysfunctional.

Overall, it was just meh, there were scenes that I enjoyed but I know that I mist probably would never read another one of this authors books.

Special adult club, virgin auction, amnesia, past betrayal, BDSM - obviously a lot of spice and secrets unfold. No big surprises, and if you like this trope you will like this one.