Cruel Beginnings
Cruel World, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Michelle Sparks
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Blake Lockheart
About this listen
I’m not a girl who expects to be saved.
I gave up on fairytales a long time ago.
So when my knight in shining Armani stalks into town and delivers me from my tragic fate, I’m grateful.
Darius Prince shouldn’t be in the seedy strip club where I’m paying off my mother’s debts, one piece of my soul at a time. And he definitely shouldn’t be the one who claims me in exchange for a suitcase full of trust fund cash and a deal inked in blood.
His dark eyes shine with a hatred so deadly, I wonder why he wants me at all. Especially when I find out he thinks I’m somehow connected to his twin sister’s disappearance.
Darius doesn’t rescue me. Instead, he drags me into his web of tragic secrets and forbidden desires. He binds me so tight, I can’t find my way out of his grasp. Not that it would make a difference. Escaping my fate isn’t an option.
They say every ending is a new beginning. I just didn’t expect my beginning to be so cruel.
Proceed with caution: This isn’t just an enemies-to-lovers dark romance. Listener's discretion is advised. Cruel Beginnings features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. For all content warnings, check the author's websites. Cruel Beginnings is book one of Darius and Birdie's story. It is a trilogy, and the books must be heard in order.
©2023 Lyra Parish, Lili St. Germain (P)2023 Lyra Parish, Lili St. GermainListeners also enjoyed...
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Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel - The Vipers. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant.
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Shrek
- By Shemika Holmes on 02-25-21
By: K.A. Knight
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Merry Ever After
- Under the Mistletoe Collection
- By: Tessa Bailey
- Narrated by: Summer Morton, Connor Crais
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.
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An ode to his monster Yule log.
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-13-24
By: Tessa Bailey
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Drop Dead
- By: Lily Chu
- Narrated by: Phillipa Soo, John Cho
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn’t mind being called “Lady Death”. It suits the ice queen persona she’s cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine learns that famous (and reclusive) author Dot Voline has died, she doesn’t hesitate to run the obituary…only to discover that Dot is very much alive. Nadine’s screw-up has brought Wesley Chen of the rival Spear no end of joy—she’s been a thorn in his extremely ambitious side for years. But the renewed interest in Dot also surfaced chatter about a mysterious past scandal.
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Clean and sweet
- By Momma Nae on 08-02-24
By: Lily Chu
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Holiday Hideaway
- A Short Story
- By: Mary Kay Andrews
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.
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I ain’t afraid of no ghosts
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 10-31-24
By: Mary Kay Andrews
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Nocticadia
- By: Keri Lake
- Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Stella Hunter
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I'd find the cure for what ravaged her and leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me. Four years later, I received an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it's rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before, those whose bones are said to make up the island's white sandy shores. And restless ghosts aren't even its most daunting peculiarity.
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Good but a slight miss
- By Destinyreadsbooks on 01-17-24
By: Keri Lake
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Mr. and Mrs. Christmas
- By: Michelle Stimpson
- Narrated by: Marcella Cox, Ian Hackney
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.
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Loved the book!
- By Amazon Customer on 11-15-24
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All by My Elf
- Under the Mistletoe Collection
- By: Olivia Dade
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Nina and William are underpaid adjunct professors at the same university, where winter break is no break at all: ’tis the season to make extra money. When their holiday side hustle has them stranded by a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to do but cuddle up for warmth and play a game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time. But in the game of love, secrets never stay secret for long…
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A cool, considerate romance
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-13-24
By: Olivia Dade
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What listeners say about Cruel Beginnings
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jessica
- 11-08-23
What in the What?!?!?
This book is WILD! I’ve read dark, I love dark and this is DARK. The emotional rollercoaster of enemies to not quite lovers. The bully aspects that dominate the end of this book. Check your triggers!!!!! The storyline is very interesting and will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Birdie, poor poor Birdie. This girl cannot catch a break and yet she is so strong. Darius has an intense darkness to him. This whole island is massively F—-up. This was my first time listening to Blake and he did a great job conveying that intensity of Darius. This being a dual narrative he also had to do the female lines and for a having a deeper voice his female voice was great. Michelle is magnificent as always bringing out her characters form.
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- Molly Prevost
- 11-07-23
Just wow!
I could not stop listening!! Cruel Beginnings kept me on edge. Birdie is such a strong and fierce FMC! And I honestly couldn’t help but have a soft spot for Darius. Michelle and Blake did phenomenal with narration! But holy cliffy… I need book two asap.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-22-23
Be warn! Ooooooo
I highly recommend not listening until book 2 is out! The wait is killing me!.
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- L V Red
- 09-16-23
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️DELICIOUSLY DARk⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️And oh so twisted!! I don’t write many reviews, but when it comes to Lilli , I feel I must!!
Definitely not for the faint of Heart! If you are looking for a feel good romance, this is NOT for you!! But if you want a wicked walk on the wild side, hide under your bed thrilling, and deeply dark ,heart pounding experience, this is it!! Thank you Lilli for another fabulous can’t put it down story!! Lyla Parish is new to me but I will delve in deeper with her after this !( and please hurry the f—k up with the rest of the story )!Yes it is a dreaded cliffhanger.
The narrators do a five+ star performance in bringing these tremendously twisted characters to life, which can’t be easy! Bravo!!
Worth a credit or coin? F—k yes!! All day long! Go ahead take a chance, and buckle up….you won’t be sorry!!
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- Ana
- 09-13-23
Read the triggers warnings carefully
First, I will say that the narrators did an excellent job. Next, this book ends on a cliffhanger.
So, there was a bit to unpack with this story. There are some scenes, especially in the last 30 minutes of the book, which are difficult to listen to. It's so much more than a rape scene. It's the detailed collection of evidence and sex scene almost immediately afterward between the main characters. While everyone deals with trauma differently, these two characters didn't have the trust and intimacy to make it believable to me. I felt like the whole thing was rushed and incomplete.
I don't understand why these two characters went from hate to love. How? When? He went from insisting that she knew some information to suddenly being okay with the fact that she didn't. The earlier scenes were just swept under the rug. Also, the female lead was very confusing. Her actions and emotions were all over the place. She was suicidal one moment and then suddenly was "fine". Because of this, I didn't connect with the main characters.
I don't think I'll be reading another book by this author.
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2 people found this helpful