Violent Delights by Linnea May

Violent Delights

Kinky Contracts and Dangerous Chemistry

Written byLinnea May
Length6h36m
Release dateFebruary 27, 2018
LanguageEnglish
★★★★☆ 4.4 (222 ratings)

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Quick Facts

AuthorLinnea May
NarratorHolly Warren, Jean-Paul Mordrake
Runtime6h36m
PublishedFebruary 27, 2018
Rating★★★★☆ 4.4 / 5 (222 ratings)
CategoriesLiterature & Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
FormatAudiobook (Digital)
PlatformAudible

About This Audiobook

*Violent Delights* isn’t your typical billionaire romance—it’s a razor-sharp, morally ambiguous power play wrapped in silk and barbed wire. Linnea May’s writing thrives in the tension between consent and coercion, where a "contract" becomes both shield and weapon. The premise—a woman who *agrees* to be kidnapped—should feel absurd, but May’s razor-edged dialogue and unflinching character work make it pulse with uneasy plausibility. This isn’t a fairy tale; it’s a psychological chess match where the stakes are desire, control, and the thin line between performance and truth.

The dual narration by Holly Warren and Jean-Paul Mordrake is a masterclass in contrast: Warren’s voice is honeyed steel, her delivery laced with the kind of defiance that makes you lean in, while Mordrake’s gravelly timbre oozes menace and something far more vulnerable beneath. The production leans into the claustrophobic intimacy of the story—close-miked, with breaths and pauses that make every whispered threat or gasped retort feel like it’s happening in your ear. At just over six hours, it’s tight, relentless, and refuses to let you look away, even when (especially when) it gets ugly.

Tags: dark romance with psychological depthmorally gray power dynamicsdual-narrator audiobook tensionerotic thriller with literary teethunreliable narrators in loveshort-but-brutal romance audio

Why Listen to Violent Delights?

  • Expert narration by Holly Warren, Jean-Paul Mordrake brings every character and scene to life across 6h36m of immersive audio.
  • Highly rated at 4.4 stars by 222 listeners.
  • Free with your Audible trial — keep the audiobook forever even if you cancel.
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Editor's Review ★★★★☆

AudioBook Atlas

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise of *Violent Delights* at first. Another ‘dark romance’? But within minutes, May’s writing disarmed me—not with sweetness, but with precision. This isn’t a love story; it’s a dissection of how power curdles into obsession, and how even the most ‘consensual’ dynamics can rot from the inside. The audiobook’s strength lies in its narration: Holly Warren’s performance as the blonde ‘submissive’ is a revelation. She doesn’t play victim or vixen; she’s a woman recalibrating her own limits in real time, her voice cracking with rage one moment, dripping with calculation the next. Jean-Paul Mordrake, meanwhile, avoids the trap of cartoonish villainy. His narration makes the male lead’s cruelty feel *earned*—like a man who’s convinced himself he’s the hero of this story, right up until he isn’t. That said, the pacing stumbles in the middle. May’s strength is dialogue, and the rare expository stretches (especially around backstory) drag like a fingernail down a chalkboard. I also wished the production had leaned harder into atmospheric sound design—this is a story about confinement, yet the audio never fully *sounds* claustrophobic. Still, the final act is a gut-punch, a reminder that the most violent delights aren’t the ones that bruise the skin, but the ones that rewrite your sense of self. If you’re tired of romance that softens its edges, this one will leave marks.

Download: Violent Delights

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Violent Delights by Linnea May is an immersive listening experience. Performed by Holly Warren, Jean-Paul Mordrake with a runtime of 6h36m, you can start with a free trial that you can cancel at any time. The audiobook remains yours forever, even if you end the trial.