Affinity for Pain – Newborn City Book One

I promise I will hurt you.

Perfect for fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Keri Lake’s Nightshade, Affinity for Pain is a dark paranormal romance that is steamy, action-packed, and full of emotional intrigue.

Hope Turner is the ideal human-hunting assassin, and she is damn good at her job. A daughter of the Chakal, a race of hybrid demons whose females lack physical sensation, Hope was always brutally efficient in her work. She never struggled with a case, that is, until she was assigned to take down Ciaran O’Connor – a stubborn, strong-willed bodyguard with a dark past and severe PTSD.

He also happens to be her soulmate.

When the omaeriku – an inescapable soulmate bond – takes hold of her, Hope is hit with a wave of emotion and physical sensation for the first time in her life. Finding herself unable to kill Ciaran and ending up on her former boss’s hit list, Hope and Ciaran must escape into hiding. Immediately, the chemistry between Hope and Ciaran is electric. However, they must try to direct their focus on finding a way to take down Marcus Dentry, their newfound common enemy, who was both Hope’s former boss and Ciaran’s former captor and torturer.

However, as they spend more time together and succumb to their physical desire for each other, the newfound emotion and pain brought forth by the soulmate bond begin to overwhelm Hope. Can Hope learn to handle her sudden emotions, both the good and the bad, before it drives her away from the only person who can make her feel? And can Hope and Ciaran track down Marcus and exact their revenge before he gets to
them first?

Inspired by the works of authors like Robin McKinley and Neil Gaiman, Affinity for Pain is a great next read for smut-lovers seeking a romance that includes action, intimate vulnerability, and electric chemistry.

★★★★★
WOW! This is a wonderful new paranormal world and characters to fall in love with. The worldbuilding is very well done so that you believe everything that happens in this world and the plot is fast paced.

goodreads review

★★★★★
An absolute 5 star read! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE! It was a fun read especially cuz I haven’t read paranormal romance in a while. 💜 + the spice scenes!? HOLY CRAP it was *chef’s kiss* (Pls check trigger warnings before reading this one)

goodreads review

★★★★★
I genuinely enjoyed reading this story. The storyline, characters, and over detail continuously held my attention. R.E. Johnson does a fantastic job at keeping readers on their toes and I loved all the twists and turns. There were so many important topics that were seen throughout the story; a woman finding her independence, removing oneself from toxic family, and learning to love oneself in the midst of gruesome trauma.

Amazon review