Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Initiation
    The Initiation
    The Initiation
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Initiation

    Written by Nikki Sloane

    Narrated by Savannah Peachwood

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    No one knows how new members are selected to the board of Hale Banking and Holding. But there are rumors of a sordid rite of initiation.

    Whispers how one woman and nine men disappear into a boardroom.

    This time, that woman will be me.

    The Hale family owns everything—the eighth largest bank in the world, everyone in our town, even the mortgage on my parents’ mansion. And now Royce Hale wants to own me.

    He is charming. Seductive. Ruthless. But above all, he’s the prince of lies. My body may tighten with white-hot desire under his penetrating gaze, but I refuse to enjoy it.

    I’ll make a deal with the devil to save my family and sell myself to the Hales. But Royce will never own my heart.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherShady Creek Publishing
    Release dateApr 24, 2020
    ISBN9781949409079
    The Initiation
    Author

    Nikki Sloane

    USA Today bestselling author Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. Now she writes full-time and lives in Kentucky with her husband, two sons, and a pair of super destructive cats.She is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA® & Vivian® Finalist, a Passionate Plume & HOLT Medallion winner, a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist, and couldn't be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.

    More audiobooks from Nikki Sloane

    Related authors

    Related to The Initiation

    Titles in the series (5)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Billionaires Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Ghost Girl, Banana

      Aug 21, 2023

      By the time I was 25, there were only two things I remembered about Mumma. The first was that she smelled of watermelons, the second was that we were happy. We’d taken our father’s name of course, but a name is only half a story. The other half exist

      6 min read

    • Article

      That Particular Sunday

      Jul 6, 2023

      That Particular Sunday
      26 min read

    • Article

      You Have to Suffer

      Sep 23, 2020

      You Have to Suffer
      19 min read

    • Article

      Newspaper Girl

      May 30, 2023

      I'll never forget the summer of 1953. That's when I took over my sister Carol's paper route. The route had been handed down to Carol four years earlier by my oldest sister, Suzanne. At first, I looked forward to the task. But my interest in and desir

      4 min read

    • Article

      One Coyote

      Sep 29, 2020

      One Coyote
      9 min read

    • Article

      Helen

      Jun 5, 2023

      She was a friend of my family—the Carlins, as I have chosen to call them. She and my father met in the fifties through the editor of the architecture magazine where she began her career. My father had taken her out a few times. They were never lovers

      30 min read

    • Article

      The Social Picnic

      May 15, 2022

      The Social Picnic
      2 min read

    • Article

      Not Everything Turns to Gold

      Oct 2, 2018

      Theodore Roosevelt once said, “When I am in California, I am not in the West, I am west of the West.” The Rough Rider’s koan has been widely viewed as a celebration of the limitless California adventure, but it’s also a reminder of the dizzying, vert

      4 min read

    • Article

      Inside Her Dark Web

      Jan 12, 2022

      Inside Her Dark Web
      11 min read

    • Article

      Hello, Grim Reaper

      Dec 15, 2021

      She was a babe. A fully paid-up, card-carrying babe. There was absolutely no doubt about it, and she was heading straight for me. She was almost sprinting towards me across the recently reimagined lobby of Claridge’s. She looked up, her scarlet-anoin

      3 min read

    • Article

      Commentary: 'We Had A Thing For Cher, And Now We Knew Where To Find Her'

      Oct 2, 2018

      It's been nearly 40 years since I've lived in Los Angeles. I still visit every year or so and am always struck by how surpassingly pleasant it is, and how ... floaty. There's a buoyancy particular to my hometown, one I feel nowhere else. I'm an inch

      4 min read

    • Article

      Home Before Sundown

      Sep 29, 2022

      Home Before Sundown
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Last Waylon Party

      Jan 18, 2019

      The Last Waylon Party
      14 min read

    • Article

      Losing The Plot

      Jun 19, 2022

      Our bathroom had dark-blue wallpaper with birds and flowers on it, like the wallpaper in an English country house. The paintwork was putty-coloured, with a putty-coloured bath shelf that Dad had built for Mum. As well as room for Mum’s mug of Nescafé

      9 min read

    • Article

      Manhattan, 2035

      Mar 26, 2021

      There were problems with being the daughter of a former it girl. First of all, the designation, which, as her mother grew older, warped slightly across the society pages, affecting her mood. Most people remembered her mother’s modelling stints, brush

      4 min read

    • Article

      Where Is Black Life Lived?

      Jul 21, 2020

      Where Is Black Life Lived?
      6 min read

    • Article

      Diary Of A Somebody

      Jun 30, 2021

      appendage. Noun. 1. a thing that is added or attached to something larger or more important. That’s me! The appendage, my whole lovely life: daughter of an MP (Sir John Knott, MP for St Ives, 1966-83, and Defence Secretary); wife of one (Sir Hugo Swi

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Tourist at Home

      May 10, 2019

      A Tourist at Home
      16 min read

    • Article

      The Posting

      Jun 27, 2023

      The Posting
      35 min read

    • Article

      Elise Juska on Finally Learning the True Story of Her Namesake

      Jun 12, 2019

      The novelist on her grandfather's very unusual relationship arrangement—a 52-year engagement—and how it led, in a roundabout way, to her own name. The post Elise Juska on Finally Learning the True Story of Her Namesake appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Speedboat

      Mar 24, 2022

      Nobody died that year. Nobody prospered. There were no births or marriages. Seventeen reverent satires were written – disrupting a cliché and, presumably, creating a genre. That was a dream, of course, but many of the most important things, I fi nd,

      14 min read

    • Article

      Lost And Found

      Dec 5, 2021

      Lost And Found
      9 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Initiation

    4.5/5

    392 ratings21 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This isn't my usual "five star" book, but I'm giving it that because for what it is, it deserves it.

      I'm not normally into instalust, or scenes that are, frankly, just salacious for the sake of being salacious.

      Both of which this book has.

      You know what else it has? A strong plot, and character development, that SUPPORTS those factors just enough for you to suspend disbelief and buy into the premise.

      Definitely heed any trigger warnings that exist for the Big Scene, but simultaneously try to go in blind. The situation was actually "worse" than I thought it was going to be, so still packed a punch. However, there was also the relief factor of the situation also being "better" than I feared, which kept it from being completely traumatic.

      Yes, I'm contradicting myself a LOT in this review.

      But there's a lot of books with "taboo" content out there that focus so much on hyping up the spice level that the world building (and relationship building) is inadequate, and (imo) the whole thing just caves in, and feels "empty". This book does not make that mistake. Hence, a rare five star rating, from me.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This was a fantastic audiobook….WOW! I highly recommend it!!! Narration superb, story incredible, steamy HOT, suspenseful, unimaginable twists and turns….OMG! Moving on to the next book now! Got to know what happens next…what a cliffhanger!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Talk about a twisted book. This is like a serious power play thriller with some cult like rituals thrown in.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      OMG! I pulled an all-nighter to finish listening to this. Nikki Sloan’s imagination to create this story is brilliant. Savannah Peachwood’s voice acting bringing it to life is so smooth and natural that it’s magical. This story is hot and decadent but written and told in such a way that it comes out as a love story. And what a cliffhanger, but done in such away that one knows it’s coming and not a surprise; but actually, a necessary part of the story as it all cannot be told in one book. Moving on to the next in series is a no-brainer.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Wow! This is a great series! Has it all. Love it
      Books 1-3 end in a cliffhanger. Book 4 has the end of story. 1.the initiation 2.obsession 3.deception 4.redemption
    • 1/5
      If you’re into books that are dubcon at best, but honestly rape then this one is for you. This book is absolute trash.
    • 5/5
      I’m shocked at how engaging Nikki Sloane’s books are. If you don’t mind a bit of taboo, this book’s kinky tension will have you rapt. Ends on a cliffhanger. I’m kind of thrilled about how Capitalism is being tested in this weirdo erotic tale. Not your grandma’s idea of romance LOL
    • 5/5
      Intense connection. Great plot. Keeps you very intrigued. Well worth the time invested to read
    • 2/5
      2.5 Reluctant Stars for me!

      My rating range of this story... 1-3.75 Stars
      If significant, why? See final notes below for the puke factor.

      Main Character Ratings...
      H (Son) = 1/10
      H (Dad) = 1/10
      h = 3/10

      Narrator Rating(s)
      M = n/a
      F = 7/10
      If below 5/10,why?

      Was cheating involved? Yes but not with the MCs
      Any major triggers to be aware of? Sexual Predators

      Scenes with heat... Yes
      What point does it start? 5%
      How much of the story? 10%
      Anything beyond M/F? Yes
      If yes, explained: see final notes below.

      Heat Rating... 8/10
      Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
      Normal to Descriptive 3-5
      Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
      Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above

      Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No

      The back story... The h's family are idiots with money and continue to spend even though they are nearly broke. The H's family is uber-wealthy, conniving and downright disgusting. The dad offers the h 5 million dollars to pretend to fall in love with his son and she accepts.

      The Romance... None. It looks like it through the 90% mark but the Hs are both pieces of sh!t.


      SPOILERS BELOW - STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY SPOILERS BUT MANY OF THE PREVIOUS REVIEWS AND FILLED WITH THEM.

      Last chance...
      .
      .
      .


      The drama explosion... Dad offers 100k shares with an estimated value of 10 million + dollars to his son in return for his right to sleep with his soon to be wife whenever he wants... and the idiot son accepts.

      Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Felt like B. S.
      Was it OTT? Completely
      Separation involved? No
      Was it resolved properly or rushed? Cliffhanger

      Final Notes... This is a difficult story to review based on the F'd up content.

      1. Son says dad is a snake but to play the game.
      2. The h agrees to an agreement to save her family from losing everything INSTEAD OF LETTING reality smack then in the face.
      3. The h agrees to let 8 men feel her up, stick their fingers and tongues wherever they want and then lets the H1 have sex with her in front of all and his father.
      4. Looks like she will reluctantly agree to stay at the H's family home after Dear old Dad and Garbage Fiance agree to a financial arrangement to let Dad have his way with her. That is the cliffhanger.

      If the story had been admission to a secret society with the sex games and people in their age group... No problem. This just felt creepy, sexist and disgusting.

      I wanted to rate it lower but the author kept me interested enough to finish it and to possibly read book 2 to see if it gets worse or the son grows a pair.

      One more thing... If the sex scenes are supposed to titillate, maybe cut back on the flowery head banter as it was so over the top.


      HEA or HFN?
    • 5/5
      Amazing, so many shocking and crazy moments. I have never cussed so much and despised a character as much as I do in this book. Looking for to the next book in this series.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed listening to this book!
      This would be a great introduction to “ Dark Romance.”
      It was engaging and a solid storyline.
      Check for triggers, and enjoy!
    • 2/5
      It kept me intrigued but it disappointed me because she became a victim. I hate victimized women's stories. You are going to tell me a college educated woman doesn't understand how to negotiate contracts. They gave her choices but she couldn't think on her feet to win in a situation. It could have been more smart plots.
    • 5/5
      Holy smoking guns of thrilling sexy mind games ~ why did I wait so long to listen to this series? WOW~!!! It is all kinds of wrong, and there are some thoroughly dark potentially triggering scenarios....but the dark romance lover in me DEVOURED Marist's journey and her transformation. No spoilers...It's a very painful, twisty f*c&ed up journey that is not for the lighthearted, but this super dirty mythology-driven suspense romance had me hooked! I couldn't put it down and finished the trilogy in 2 days. Marist's journey is difficult, twisted, HAWT as hell, disturbing, basically all the things. This is not fluffy romance. There are mind games and power hungry men who will stop at nothing to win. I'm writing this for the whole trilogy (The Initiation, The Obsession, The Deception).

      Savannah Peachwood is an incredible performer and really delivered every character in this thrilling, steamy, dark romance with a HEA that curled my toes! This series reminded me why I have a crush on her dude voice.
    • 4/5
      I'm disgusted. This woman's self esteem is too low and Royce and his family are manipulative. But I'm addicted!!! It gets better in the other books.
    • 4/5
      Didn’t really like the narrators drag on pronunciations but I get used to it and the story is very good. So I’ll keep listening. Her “guy” voice is pretty convincing tho.
    • 5/5
      Two of the most dysfunctional families in all of Romantica have nurtured and molded the hero and heroine of this story. It’s no wonder then, that they alternatively drive the bus or are driven over, in a well-crafted story with some intense plot twists that you just don’t see coming. The author must be an evil genius. And the sexy-factor is intense. I m moving in to the next book right now!
    • 1/5
      A serious downgrade from the Blindfold Club. It ain’t it.
    • 4/5
      It’s a hard wind up and you end up realizing how easy it is to hate characters.
    • 5/5
      A very intense dark steamy romance with a huge cliffhanger
    • 5/5
      I read this WHOLE series in like two days and what a ride it was. I was nervous about reading though in some ways because I had heard that this series wasn’t for everyone and had some darker elements and as this is Nikki Sloane you just know she will take you on a wild and incredible journey and I had a blast to be honest. I was quite addicted to these books. So get ready for all my reviews and thoughts on this series.So The Initiation is a book that starts off our main couple: Royce and Maris. Royce is the older son of the Hale family, and is tough as nails and has to be with the type of father he has been raised by. He is gearing his way towards taking the reins of the company and will do anything for that to happen. Then we have our heroine, Maris, who has grown up privileged but has been treated poorly by her peers. She has always considered herself the weird undesirable one of the social elites that her family is connected to and a bit of a ugly duckling. And it isn’t until her family is in dire straights, that she takes control and decides to jump into a life she has no comprehension of. Maris is a strong heroine but she definitely has her share of vulnerabilities. I enjoyed seeing all the challenges that she is faced with and the intense chemistry that builds between Royce and Maris. Its that intensity that really draws you in and the writing (as per Nikki Sloane’s style) is utterly addicting. There is a scene here that will NOT be for everyone, and I admired the way that Maris just forges ahead with it despite it being bonkers.Overall I found this first book to be a wild page turner that held my attention and by the end had me thirsting for more.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this and I would have probably have given it five stars if not for the hymen breaking scene. I think that myth is honestly damaging for young girls because it can make them think that their first time having sex will hurt and they should bleed which isn't true. I always subtract a star when there is a scene when the male character purposefully "breaks" the female characters hymen and I would like to kindly request that authors stop writing this and do some more research, even if they're writing a dark romance.

      Beyond that unfortunate flaw, I really enjoyed this book and the characters. This family is so messed up you guys, and it makes for a really good book. I loved the interactions between Royce and Marist from the beginning. The sex scenes between them were generally super fun and very hot. I didn't realize just how steamy this was going to be when I started so a lot of this took me by surprise in a good way.

      As far as plot goes, what was there was interesting but there is clearly a lot of set-up for book two, which I definitely want to read soon. The whole business thing is ridiculous and completely unrealistic but that's what I think most people would expect with a book like this. Don't take it too seriously and have a good time.

      This does end on a bit of a cliff hanger and it definitely left me wanting to know what happens next. I don't know when I'll get to book two but this is a series I will be continuing.