Rivalry (Slay Quartet Book 1)

Wow. I have put off reading this series about Celia Werner because I was not fond of her character, but in this story, Laurelin makes her look like a saint compared to Edward Fasbender, the CEO of a rival communications firm in Britian. What follows is a game of marks. We've met Celia before. A trust fund baby floating along in life, playing cruel games to amuse herself. Edward Fasbender is British communications icon, and global rival to Celia's father. Edward comes to New York and his set purpose is to marry Celia Werner to get control of her shares in Werner Media and to be able to break into the American market for his company. We know that Celia is the "Master of Games" with people, taught by the master Hudson Pierce, who she thought she would end up with. She was not interested in Edward's proposal to marry him and become his trophy wife, etc. But she was or least she thinks she is interested in playing the Game with him and bringing him down. She doesn't really know the type of man she is dealing with. Edward is a decade older than her. He has two grown children in college and a ex-wife who left him for reasons unknown and is his sister's keeper. Edward on paper is a great catch and seems to be a considerate man who cares about his family, seeing that both his parents are dead. Edward's mother died of cancer and his father killed himself because he found no reason to go on, not even two young children. Edward was 13 when his parents died, and his sister was younger. When he turned 18 and aged out, he got control of his siter and became her guardian and only relative and raised her. Now Edward has Camilla and her son Freddie living with him because she has gone through a divorce. So, the games begin, and boy was my mind blown at all the twists and turns of this drama, especially the one twist at the end. You are in for a wild ride with these two and I am writing this because I want others to know that this story is better than I thought it would be, Celia's story. I enjoyed it and can't wait to read the next story in this series.

Laurelin Paige has woven a lewd adult romance that’s easily the most disciplined, depraved and delicious story I’ve read in ages.Is it wrong to feel such glee reading about Celia? THAT Celia Warner?Slay: Rivalry is the story of Celia, a shrewd wealthy heiress who finds solace in her numbed existence. Instead of intimacy and genuine connection, she tells us, she seeks a sick joy and elation in blackmail and deceit, in destroying the lives and loves of others. She’s been wildly successful, even if she’s met some defeat in the past.And maybe her game playing life would have continued on without remark, had she not been summoned to meet the devil himself. She’s shaken by her reaction to him, and she instinctively understands he's more than an erotic enticement. Once she meets Edward, a dark prince if ever there was one, Celia’s transformation story beings. But what in the hell will her transformation look like? Celia is like no other.OMG I could not look away. This book is mean and kinky, desperate and romantic, and every shameful hunger Celia had right or wrong, pulled me deeper and deeper. I was consumed.To me, this is a dark wicked retelling of Cinderella, with Celia Warner cast as the broken orphan, her Fairy Godmother, and her wicked step sisters all at once. She is her best hope and her worst enemy. The simmering, secretive Edward is the villain, yes, but in this corrupt fairytale, Celia relishes his warped, vicious ways. It's twisted and unputdownable.Reading Rivarly, it’s easy to be lulled by Celia’s single point of view, as Paige walks us through a spider’s web of set pieces and countermoves, seduction in service of ‘The Game.’ With the trap set, it’s easy to miss the signs that you’ve left Kansas—or the wood-grained safety of New York—and entered Edward’s surreal world. The world where Celia Warner becomes the heroine. Or maybe even the one who needs rescued. It’s hard to tell, this pair is so evenly matched.About that devil Edward Fassbender—love the name: He is an enigma. Not only for Celia, but for us as well. By all appearances, he’s a classic throwback, a chauvinistic, bossy alpha who prowls the business world for maximum return. He dominates like a bull with no concern for the collateral dominos spilling out around him. He has his tastes though, and he matches Celia temptation by temptation all to avoid unleashing his baser desires.And here we get to the heart of the matter:Celia Warner is sooooo human! (Count that among sentences I never thought I’d type.) She’s also led a tragic yet sheltered life. Consequently, she comes over as childlike at times, and operates with an innocence that either delivers or undermines her every scheme. But it’s that real humanness that SLAYS. When we are deep into the book, and Celia realizes she is possibly trying to destroy the one thing that will save her, I wanted to both slap and hug my kindle at once.That nihilistic opening, where Celia catalogues the void, and details her survival skills, she’s set a trap for us. The stakes were immediately clear to me: I WANT CELIA TO FEEL! She had more armor than a Trojan Horse, and the games were her safe way of feeling at least something. It’s clear we're to believe that Celia’s numbness is marrow deep, but it’s not. The masochim is something else, a cover for the REAL stakes—nothing less than her dragon heart. Sigh, I loved this book.Celia’s anodyne descriptions of interiors and her history, her offhand references to her schemes and countermoves, demonstrate just how much distance she puts between herself and the world around her. We get it, not much affects her. Until Edward lays his finger tips on her. And then, I felt an internal hemorrhage building within her.Celia could thaw, simmer and even boil. She was maybe close to succumbing, and I wanted the story to go on and on. I needed to know everything that devil was thinking! It’s a deliberate ploy by Paige, to keep Edward’s real motives and leanings hidden, and it makes every scene between them juicy and climactic.This is a brilliant story, intentionally internal. Celia talks to herself, she reasons and strategizes and then tells herself stories. On a topsoil level, this may appear repetitive, or overtelling, but that take misses the point. Paige’s narrative flourishes are actually mini-arcs, twisting and twisting, wrenching Celia into a smaller and smaller Universe-of-Edward, that limits her options, raises the stakes and unleashes a torrent of suspense as we reach the climax. Celia is ensnared, and it is exhilarating! By then I was so wrung out myself, I wanted everything for Celia, every last thing. And in many ways, Slay ends where it began, with nothing. And everything.Celia is an incredible character. Just wow! Thank you Laurelin Paige for spoiling us, so much!PS I wish I talk about that clever feather on the cover. But at a minimum, it would spoil one of the most debauched set pieces I’ve ever read.

Holy crap, what a book! I was totally unprepared for the feelings! I never like Ceclia, but I loved this book! I really can't wait to read more!

Resuscitation required while readingOh. My. Heart.When Laurelin Paige sets out to write a dark, twisty tale, that is exactly what she does. With extra points for over achievement.What follows is a game of marks. We've met Celia before. A trust fund baby floating along in life, playing cruel games to amuse herself. Edward Fasbender is British communications icon, and global rival to Celia's father.Edward arranges a meeting with Celia. She believes he wants her interior design services. He offers marriage. He's after daddy's rival company. For his insolence, Celia is now after revenge.The story is told only through Celia's POV. It's narrowly focused by design. Paige drops the truth of Celia with her internal dialogue, and the very few, brief encounters she has with other characters. But not Edward. No, with Edward, Celia is all about the game of breaking Edward.And Edward? He's everything Celia calls him; rude, arrogant, demanding, controlling. Let's not leave out her favorite accusation, a--hole. And he is. But if you pay close attention, you might just see the chinks in Edward's a--holery, but they fly by quickly. Laurelin Paige is tricky that way.It ends with a jaw dropper. The stakes are dangerously high. And so very real. This is book 1 of of the Slay Quartet. Let the nail biting for book 2 commence!

The book is so well written... the plot is amazing and the ending got me jaw dropping!! Can’t wait for reading Slay 2!

Wow! This book was just wow!Let’s start from the beginning, we meet Celia Werner, you may be familiar with Celia from the Fixed series of books. Chances are you probably dislike her after reading those books. But let me tell you, I actually really liked her. We get little glimpses of who the real Celia is. And what her true emotions are and let me tell you, she very complex and shut off.Celia is called to meet a potential new client for her business. A business which by all accounts isn’t actually doing that well. Instead she’s surviving off her trust fund. Yes Celia is a socialite, living in an apartment paid for by her parents, owns a business that barely breaks even and finds her lifestyle with her trust fund.At the meeting she meets Edward Fasbender. He’s 10 years older than her, he’s intimidating, intense, domineering, gorgeous and has a proposition for Celia.Celia on her part feels things for Edward that she hasn’t felt for a very long time. She’s intrigued by him, drawn to him and completely fascinated by him.He’s awakened something in her that she hasn’t felt for a long time and this despite her better judgment excited her.This begins a game. Only this time Celia is more than evenly matched in fact she might actually be the prey this time without realising it.All I can say is the ending is a total wtf! And book 2 CANNOT come quick enough!

Slay: Rivalry was an intense, intimidating, sexy and seductive story that dared me to read on even though a part of me wanted to put this book down and just stop; simply take a breather and prepare myself for whatever could be delivered to me next. But it was as if Laurelin, Edward, and Celia themselves all dared me to carry on - dared me to turn the page without hesitation; dared me to dive myself fuller into this story with no clue nor worry as to where it would lead to next; dared me to put my triggers aside and just let this story suck me in and blow me away with how unpredictable and unexpected it would be, and blow me away it did.Told entirely in Celia's POV, this novel is a fast-paced read you're guaranteed to devour in one sitting if you're looking for an edgy and angst filled romance. It definitely preceded my expectations, and wasn't in the slightest a story I thought it'd be. It was definitely dark, and even though this author did warn us about that, I still wasn't expecting it to be as dark a billionaire romance as it was.Edward Fasbender truly is what he's said to be: a devil.And Celia Werner has truly met her match in him.He was what made this book intimidating for me. He was what made this story intense, and how Celia managed to stand up against him and hold her own, I have no idea. She was fierce and feisty and didn't disappoint in delivering everything I wasn't expecting; she was every bit the dragon we know her to be, yet she was also surprisingly vulnerable and didn't stand a chance when up against Edward, but her determination to play her game and outsmart the devil is what kept me hooked to these pages until that very last sentence (that sentence that ended this story in a way I did not see coming; that sentence that completely blew my mind; that sentence I'm still recovering from).There were moments throughout this story where I was pushed too far out of my comfort zone, which is why I'm rating this book four stars, but overall, Slay: Rivalry was a good and unique story that has everything you'd expect from a Laurelin Paige novel, and she really keeps her readers entertained and enjoying every moment of reading it - yes, even those readers (like myself) who never thought they'd like anything to do with Celia after everything that occurred in The Fixed Trilogy.But love her or hate her, you don't want to miss out on this story. With the never ending back and forth between these two Alphas, the undying sexual tension that kept this reader hot and bothered, and with a storyline that was as dramatic as I thought it'd be and told in a way that captured and kept my attention from beginning to end, you can tell that Laurelin Paige really delivered her all here for the first and mind-blowing instalment to the Slay Quartet - a one-of-a-kind MUST READ that'll leave you going out of your mind for part two of Celia and Edward's shocking story, Slay: Ruin.

Got to be honest,I didn't read the blurb. So I settled into this storyline perfectly.Definitely a page turner with good characters and dialogue but Very predictable. What disappointed me was the s&m parts.It doesn't need it. The characters and the cat and mouse game is far more entertaining. And perfectly delivered I liked the ending but again I saw that coming.The reason for marrying on her part were really thin.I wouldn't have. I suspect she has hurt his family ,perhaps the sister with her games. The character though appears to be hurt physically and mentally and has been used and is just turning the tables.She's definitely out of her depth.The characters are delightful and gritty and I loved them.Hope part two has the same passion and manipulation.

For those of you that know Celia Werner, like me you probably despise her. If you’ve not read the Fixed series of books, before Slay: Rivalry, I would advise starting at the beginning to get a better sense of the back story. She is the bitch of all bitches. After the revelation in Fixed Forever about where Celia was in the timeline of the series, I was intrigued? Who was this man Edward Fasbender, how had this situation arisen. Well this certainly wasn’t what I’d seen coming. A brilliantly twisted story, evil meets evil. But what’s the back story we’re not aware of from Fixed, we have been fed tidbits of information, allowing assumptions for Celia, Edward not so much. He’s still quite the mystery. However what a manipulator he is, never would I ever thought to be on Celia’s side after knowing what’s she’s capable of. Edward is another level, this is the first of 4 books and leaves us on a total cliffhanger, and wanting so much more. I can’t wait for Ruin to arrive, this is going to be a war of epic proportions and so good. Laurelin you have certainly done it again with this one. loved it.