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Cynthia Sax

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Dark Thoughts (Refuge Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Cynthia Sax (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 1,587 ratings

Book 1 of 6: Refuge

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Can love redeem a monster?

The Refuge is home to some of the most violent beings in the universe. Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control.

Until he meets her.

Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her.

Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be.

Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.
The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.
He’s truly a monster.
This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.

Dark Thoughts is the first of six stories in the completed Refuge series.
Book 1: Dark Thoughts
Book 2: Dark Flight
Book 3: Dark Strength
Book 4: Dark Fire
Book 5: Dark Warlord
Book 6: Dark Cure
Dark Arsenal officially resides in the Cyborg Sizzle series but features Vicuska from the Refuge series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the Best SciFi Romances of 2017 - #readRchat Romance AwardsScience Fiction Romance Best Bet - Heroes and Heartbreakers "Stunned, in awe and maybe a slight drooling issue are only some ways to describe how awesome Dark Thoughts is. Dark, slightly twisted and so freakin hot, I think I may have given my fingertips third degree burns as I swiped through the pages." - Dark Feather Blogger Five Cup Read - "Holy WOW. Kralj is so different from any leading man I have read." - SnuggleBooks BlogViolent, bloody, gory, and ... cute? - Fresh FictionFeatured on the USA Today Happy Ever After blog

From the Author

This is dark SciFi erotic romance. If you're sensitive to violence (of ANY kind), please read one of my lighter SciFi erotic romances.

Dark Thoughts IS a romance and has the expected romance ending.

There will be six stories in the Refuge series.All of these stories can be read on their own.

Dark Thoughts (Kralj's story)Dark Flight (Orol's story)Dark Strength (Balvan's story)Dark Fire (Dare's story)Dark WarlordDark Cure (the Medic's story)We first meet Kralj in Chasing Mayhem, one of my cyborg stories.You don't need to read Chasing Mayhem to enjoy Dark Thoughts.However, if you enjoy Dark Thoughts, you might consider reading Chasing Mayhem (Chasing Mayhem can be read on its own).
To be notified when stories release and to hear insider information about the Refuge, sign up for my newsletter at cynthiasax.com/

If you ever have any questions (about the science behind the story, any of the characters, or anything), send me an email and I'll happily answer them.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MRAABGC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ (March 14, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 14, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 988 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 232 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #7,347 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #23 in Genetic Engineering Science Fiction eBooks
- #94 in Science Fiction Romance (Kindle Store)
- #168 in Paranormal Vampire Romance

Customer Reviews:
4.3 1,587 ratings

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Cynthia Sax

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For updates on characters and for very bad jokes, sign up for Cynthia's monthly newsletter at http://cynthiasax.com

USA Today Bestselling author Cynthia Sax is currently writing cyborg and alien romances with high heat levels. These stories are set in a shared dark, gritty, sometimes violent world. There is always a romantic happy ending between the main characters and this happy ending is FOREVER. But everyone else is in danger.

Her stories have been featured in Star Magazine, Real Time With Bill Maher, and numerous best of... top ten lists.

She loves writing fated to mate or instalove romances as this is her personal experience with love. She fell in love with her Dear Wonderful Hubby at first sight and 25 plus years later, they're still very much in love. This is what she wishes for her characters and for her readers.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

1,587 global ratings

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Kate

Mutual Monsters

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024

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Absolutely loved this! Kralj and Dita are such a fierce pair. I love the story of their pasts and how they complement each other. Such a great book! After reading another Cynthia Sax book, I expected to cry like a baby! Pleasantly surprised I didn’t with this one!

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Mandy

Dark and Imaginative With Strong Characters

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2018

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This was imaginative, had great characters and held my interest throughout. It is not for the faint-hearted as there is a lot of violence and adult content (hot, steamy sessions) but written oh so well. Yes, there were a couple (very few and minor) editorial mistakes but it did not take anything away from the story.

What could be worse than a monster or a beast - both of them in one. That is exactly what Kralj is. Something (yes, you read correct, not someone) that was made by the Humanoid Alliance but what they never expected was the power he would have. Not only is he stronger, faster, able to heal himself and hear others thoughts, he is also able to destroy entire settlements with just a thought. He escapes his 'makers' when pushed too far and builds the "Refuge" - A place where almost anyone is welcome, your past forgotten, no matter how evil or violent you are, as long as you follow Kralj's rules. And the most important rule is that you are allowed to maim, but not kill anyone. Break a rule and meet the beast.

Dita is an assassin and monster in her ow right. She lives to do one thing only ... kill. Unfortunately her next 3 targets are currently within the walls of the Refuge and she has to get past Kralj before she can complete her mission.

When Kralj first finds out about Dita, he is caught off guard not only because he can't hear her thoughts and the way his body reacts to her, but also to the way she responds when seeing what the beast in him does and even more so the way she acts after seeing what his monster can do.

I'm still not exactly sure what Kralj is but I do know that it takes a monster to love the beast.

Written from a dual pov with a hea. Can be read as a standalone

One person found this helpful

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Redread

Excellent - Monsters but not...

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2017

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Dark? Yes - somewhat. Monsters? OK - maybe... I loved this book. I almost didn't get it because I read reviews prior to buying books. There were many good reviews. However, I read the top good and top bad one. The bad one had me worried - cannibalism, blood painting, lots of BDSM? Oh boy - I wasn't sure I should buy this.

But I did, and I'm glad that I did. They are both monsters. Dita is a lot less of one. She likes to kill. She loves the hunt, but she has her own sense of what is right and what is wrong. Kralj is a cannibal? Yes, he has eaten people. But he is part beast and part human and part other. It also isn't a big part of the plot. Just kind of a side note. Him thinking about eating Dita - yes - that was strange. But again it worked. He is a monster and she was trying to go against his rules. Add to the fact that he thinks she tastes good.... BUT he couldn't do it. She was "his" mate. So I think of it more like a vampire than anything else.

So this has been kind of a strange review for me. Not my normal type book - not a normal type review.

Would you like it? You'll have to read all of these and think about the "Yuck" factor to determine if it is something you'd read. For me I loved it.

So:
Sex - Not for under 18. Yes, some BDSM. Some spanking and light pain with pleasure. Well written and lots of it.
Plot - So interesting. I have to say I haven't read anything like it. At the end it was somewhat predictable but in a good way.
Characters - Loved them both. Also loved the smaller characters in the book. Azalea, Hulagu and Sari all worked together to make the monsters more human.
Overall - In case you missed it - I loved it.
Re-read - Oh yes, I'll be rereading this a lot.

Warning: Not like the cyborg romances that she has written. A lot darker, but oh so good.

17 people found this helpful

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Jcat

A Sci-Fi romance that borders on Horror

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2019

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This is an adult romance due to violence, blood, gore, dominance, and sexual scenes (sometimes all at the same time). This book will not appeal all readers.

This is the first book that I've read by this Author. I didn't feel that it had adequate World Building. It seemed as if I SHOULD be familiar with the World and history based on the way this story was written. Perhaps the World details and background history was addressed more fully in another one of the Author's series.

Surprisingly, I ended up liking the main characters better by the time I got into the second half of the book. By then, it was more apparent why they had become "Monsters". It ended up that they both had some good character traits. The story and the MC were rather twisted, but I did manage to read it to the end. And it was a complete story, even though it is part of a series.

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Di

Interesting twist on sci-fi

Reviewed in Canada on November 2, 2020

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A humanoid the worst monster created through experiments mad by humans. He finally meets his match...the only being that he can’t read her thoughts. She is a monster in her own sense...they are destined to become mates. Great read!

raph

Bon livre

Reviewed in France on December 29, 2019

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Bon livre

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Lorraine L.

They may be dark thoughts but that's what makes it compulsive reading...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2017

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An enhanced beast monster and a sassy assassin monster find refuge together, entwining their dark thoughts to make not only compulsive reading but a most remarkable storyline as well.
Of course they aren't like the monsters we imagine in our heads, these two have the potential to be much worse....
I read this in one sitting. Cynthia Sax outdid herself on her characterisation of Kralj and Dita and they have gone onto my list of all time favourite book couples - so wrong for each other and yet at the same time, so right.
I didn't believe that the Author's Cyborg Series could be beaten.....I was wrong, it has serious competition.
Can't wait for Book 2.

One person found this helpful

Madcapmel

A brilliant Dark Romance!

Reviewed in Australia on April 23, 2017

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Once again a master storyteller has written a true gem... This is unputdownable... It's now 2:30 in the morning and I've just finished! Who needs sleep?
Dita and Kralj two deeply scared characters find acceptance and even love together in a story that's enjoyable from the first page!
He is such a powerful figure..and so completely alone...she too is powerful in an other way, I love how their monsters both play with each other!
I'm hanging for the rest of these stories... I really hope it won't be too long I've got no patience!

AA Lee

When 2 Monsters Meet

Reviewed in Canada on March 5, 2021

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When two broken monsters meet, I generally do not expect to get a touching love story but that is what we have here. As long as you can handle each of the lovers' propensity towards violence, you can take comfort in their occasional forays into altruism. It took two broken people to create one humanly compassionate couple; it did in this story. Hopefully that can happen in the real world, too.