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I Know... #2

Love is Strange

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I wanted Elliot. Elliot wanted me.

It sounds so simple, but it's not. It never was and never will be.

It's all darkness now. Dark as the deep, black ocean in front of me. I know I'll never stop wanting him, but fate had other plans for us. Everything broke apart and floated away, so far that I can barely remember what it feels like to touch it.

Years pass, but some people never get forgotten. Some wrongs never get righted. Some memories refuse to stay dead and buried.

There are wounds that never stop bleeding. Believe me.

I thought I knew what love was, but I had no idea.


Warning: This dark erotic tale contains violence, explicit sexuality, and adult situations. The content may be considered objectionable, so please read at your own discretion.

For Mature Readers Only.

251 pages, ebook

First published May 12, 2016

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About the author

Whitney Bianca

5 books664 followers
I originally started publishing in the dark erotica genre and I have branched out into M/M romance/erotica.

My latest M/M book, Golden Boys, will be available in July 2021.

I'm a true fan of LOVE, romance, and sexy times.

I love writing about power plays between two people, whether they're in love or in lust. I love the way people can communicate through sex. I love taking my characters to the edge and shoving them off.

If you like to take a walk on the dark side, you're my kind of person. Maybe we can be friends.

Shoot me an email: [email protected]
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...

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5 stars
462 (35%)
4 stars
413 (31%)
3 stars
276 (21%)
2 stars
98 (7%)
1 star
50 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews
Profile Image for K.
140 reviews165 followers
March 16, 2023
*live footage of me everytime i think of my fav duet psychosis*
〝And you belong to me,I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt a shiver of lust go through him.
He bucked his hips again and I moaned. He loved when I touched him softly like that.
〝Say it,I demanded, then pulled him closer and sucked on the tip of his tongue as he freed his cock. He broke the kiss and stared up at me, his eyes guarded but full of love for me. I could see the love, I know I could, and it made happiness swell in my chest. 〝Elliot belongs to Joan. Say it,I urged.
〝Goddammit, Joanie,he hissed. 〝I'm your fucking slave, aren't I?〞


i know… :

#1: i know what love is ↠ 5 stars!
#2: love is strange ↠ 5 stars!

‧͙⁺˚*・༓☽ second read ➟ May, 2021
‧͙⁺˚*・༓☽ first read ➟ March, 2019
Profile Image for Birjis.
456 reviews309 followers
May 14, 2021
Love is impossible between Elliot and Joan, they are so destructive. They are doomed and nothing they do is normal. After breaking out of prison both Elliot and Joan play house but nothing seems calm and perfect as it is. Elliot is a fugitive and Joan does everything to keep him hidden. But Elliot is selfish and very territorial when it comes to Joan, they had to make a mistake,

'I had to see her one more time.
She was smarter than I would ever be, but she was stupid when it came to me. I was her blindspot, her weakness. She was in denial, but I'd known for a long time that it was going to come to an end. The countdown had started ticking the second I got to Seattle. It was only a matter of time and now my time was definitely up. I'd slipped and fucked up and now there was no other option.'

In a span of five years when Elliot goes missing, Joan moves on. She tries normal relationship living a normal life. She goes through many stages of imbalances during this time - loneliness, isolation, depression. She is attached to a man who is violent and psychologically unwell.
I enjoyed this duet. But I realise there is no romance, I mean there is romance which is something more properly defined as 'destructive, obsessive kind of love'. Elliot always confesses his love but Joan, I'm never clear about her intentions, she is always ping-ponging that she loves and also hates Elliot. This is a perfect dark romance, a perfect treat to satisfy your craving. I enjoyed Elliot and Joan's imperfectness, unstability, craziness. I cannot recommend this duet enough.
Profile Image for ↬ Ⓛ.
378 reviews556 followers
June 28, 2023
Love is strange is giving 🤌🏻 What Is Love 🎶

Where ya going?
Why you leaving so soon?
Is there somewhere else that is better for you?
What is love, if you're not here with me
What is love, if it's not guaranteed
What is love, if it just ups and leaves
What is love
What is love, if you're not really sure
What is love, if it just ups and gos

https://youtu.be/NU1vc9AvosA
Profile Image for Carla Bulian.
1,476 reviews432 followers
April 20, 2021
I’m sick too, because I like these crazy and delirious characters.
They were totally out of control. This story was dark with D.
It’s worth the reading.
Profile Image for Alpha Possessive Heroes.
482 reviews835 followers
September 2, 2016
WOW. I feel like I need to wash my eyes or something..

description

Their love story is a big big fucked up one! It was dark- cringy- mind blowing- over the top and did I already mention fucked-up? Oh yeah I did? Well I'ma say it again- FUCKED UP!

I like to read fluffy books (bad boy meets good girl kinda thing..) and this one has that theme but in a twisted fuck up awful way! I usually stay away from bdsm or any suspense books that would need my big imagination.. in short- this kind of theme is really not my cup! I don't even know why I read the first book or what triggered me to grab it but I did. This book (series rather..) opened up something in me.. and its scaring me coz I think I liked this kind of shit!

description

Yeah, I've read some dark books in my reading life time but this one.. this one.. this book was something else. Its twisted, dark, mind fucking, too much killings, OTT situations that made me say WTF?! but boy-oh-boy it was so well written that I just eat the shit out of the pages!

The hero is insatiable when it comes to sex. I mean I think all he does is fuck the heroine 24/7! The way he fucks makes me think his dick will eventually fall off! hahaha! Anyways, He's unstable and scared the crap out of me! He's just not right in the head.. lol! heck.. even now I'm still not sure if I wanna hump his legs or run far far away from him!

Now I know the hero is the one who's at fault here, really he was.. but for some reason I kinda hated the heroine here more than the hero. TBH she annoyed me specially when she It was just too much drama that she pretty much put herself in it.

description

Its a fucked up story that I think only fucked up readers will appreciate it. lol!

4.5 stars
Profile Image for Meggie.
528 reviews109 followers
February 11, 2019
👍Book 1- 5 stars**Book 2- 4 stars**Duet-4.5 stars👍

**Read for the 2019 Dark Erotica A to Z Challenge**

Book 1 was probably one of the best dark books I’ve ever read in my life. And also one of the darkest. This is not a normal love story. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

”I want to see you gaping open like that,” he whispered. “I want to see how pretty you are on the inside.”

Book 2 was still very good, but it didn’t quite live up to book 1. Then again, how could it? You can’t improve upon perfection.

This is how it should be. We don't need anything else or anyone else. Just each other.”

Elliot is obsessed with Joan from the moment he lays eyes on her. He does very bad things to her, all because he wants to own her. In his eyes, there is no choice for either of them. The first book is pretty much a cat and mouse game where Joan tries to outsmart Elliot. Sometimes she does, but usually, her blinding hatred makes her slip up. She doesn’t realize right away that hatred is still obsession, so it isn’t long before both of their lives revolve around each other. And how do you move on from that? How do you remove someone from your thoughts when they have been at the forefront for so long? For Joan, well, she can’t. I wouldn’t say that I didn’t blame her for that, but I will say that I understood it. Elliot is single-minded in his obsession with her. Joan is-and always will be- the priority in his life. The only time he is consistent is with anything involving Joan. How can any average guy in his twenties compete with that? And even if he could, can Joan even feel “normal” affection and love for another person after she’s spent her formative years feeling an intense mixture of hatred and fear that culminates in obsession?

I wondered if I would ever stop feeling so empty. I wondered if I would ever have real, deep feelings again. I wondered if I'd ever be truly present in my life again, or would I always be somewhere else, searching for something that I'd once had and lost.

Basically, Elliot created the person Joan became. Maybe it was her way of surviving the horrors he put her through. Or, maybe she never really had a choice at all. Maybe Elliot knew exactly what he was doing. Regardless, neither were fit for any other human’s consumption. Elliot is a morally reprehensible, deprived, violent person. Joan is a strange mixture of weak and strong, the type of person that has been a chameleon for so long that she doesn’t know who she really is. That started before Elliot, but before long she decided he was the only one who knew the real Joan. In my eyes, she chose to be that person, but I did understand why she made that choice. I could see why she interpreted his obsession as unconditional love. Because whether or not it was really love, there’s no doubt it was unconditional.

He was the night crawler, the criminal, the hulking dangerous looking one that people avoided on the street. But he was also mine.

Like I said, the first book is better, but it’s also one of the best books I’ve ever read. The second is still quite good. I liked that it didn’t allow Joan and Elliot to ride off into the sunset together. Not only would that be unrealistic, but they also didn’t deserve it. I also liked that while Elliot evolved in that he tried harder, he didn’t just miraculously change overnight. They both made a lot of mistakes, it was just that Elliot’s mistakes were a lot more destructive. The first time they met, Joan acted as any self-preserving individual would. After that, her choices always led Elliot back to her (or her back to Elliot). Their journey was violent and disturbing. I couldn’t look away. The sex isn’t just intense, at times it’s violent, dangerous, and disturbing. That’s why their story is so unique- there’s no sympathy to be had here. They’re chaos together, but apart they’re even worse. They’d burn down the world to get to each other.

Love is strange when it comes to him and me. Undefinable and always on the verge of collapsing in on itself, but never going away. It always lingers under the surface, even if there's a build-up of layers of dark hatred on top.

Elliot’s trained me so well. It’s sick and disgusting and perverted, this relationship I’ve found myself in. But it’s home.
Profile Image for Meredith {semi-hiatus}.
805 reviews591 followers
May 14, 2019
3.5 stars

The beginning was a solid 4 stars, but the plot lost steam.

Profile Image for Hana ♡.
345 reviews199 followers
June 3, 2016
4 WTF Did I Just Read Stars!

First off I'd just like to say that I have waited a long long long time for this book to come out! So my expectations were through the roof. And I gotta say that Whitney didn't disappoint! I found the book a bit pricey for an ebook ($6.99 CAD), but hey I'd pay anything to read more about Elliot and Joan!!!


These characters always leave me feeling so conflicted because they are both seriously messed up... In the first book Elliot mentally affected Joan so much that she loves him so much its an addiction. Its hard to dislike Elliot despite the fact that hes a murder, abductor, and wanted convict...



This book is not for the lighthearted! The sex is brutal, and I seriously felt like my eyes were burning after reading some of the scenes... (P.S. I'm definitely going to Church next weekend)



I gave it one less star because I thought the separation between the couple lasted too long. Also similar to the first book, whenever they are apart Elliot stays faithful and Joan sleeps with other people. I kinda understood why she moved on in this book and saw other people but it was still sad to see.

There was a HFN ending in my opinion, and it left me quite satisfied. I truly hope that this isn't the end! I really want things to settle for the pair and I want them to have a HEA despite being anti-hero's that don't really deserve a HEA from a legal standpoint...
Profile Image for Nikki.
409 reviews19 followers
May 14, 2016

One of the best books and sequal I have EVER read!!!! What a amazing ending, even though I want more more more!!
I need that epilogue to continue on for a little longer. This book was so worth the wait and I am very thrilled that Whitney was able to give us some more of this crazy story.

This was the most fucked up, sick couple I have ever had the embarrassed pleasure of actually loving.
A+++++++
Profile Image for Tink Magoo is bad at reviews.
1,275 reviews236 followers
December 23, 2017
For the most part, I enjoyed this one but it wasn't as good as the first. Parts dragged a bit and Joan became annoying. Plus, as many their reviews have mentioned- the separation went on for too long.

One thing this author does very well in both books is make you feel their fucked up desperation and obsession with each other, they were always meant to be together despite Joan loving to hate Elliot at times. That aspect had me hooked and that's why despite the negatives I'm rating this 3 stars.

Also, I loved the epilogue but it wasn't enough. I wanted to see
Profile Image for Rin W. Vitale.
281 reviews61 followers
May 22, 2016
4 Fucked-Up Stars!!

...so I thought these two are crazy on book one. Surprises, surprises...Elliot and Joan are crazier here!!

Still, I'd stand on the first line to buy cinema ticket if this book made into movie!!

p.s: my only complaint is I wish the epilogue was longer. it feels kinda abruptly stop :c. that's all
Profile Image for daemyra, the realm's delight.
1,078 reviews37 followers
September 8, 2024
They could never make me hate you Joanie and Elliot 😭😭😭

I didn’t want to read this for so long but I am so glad I finally did. If I read this immediately after I Know What Love Is, I think I would have felt let-down.

I Know What Love Is is a fever dream of excess. The only other book it reminds me of is Kaia Bennet’s Die by the Drop. I remember I didn’t enjoy the sequel to Die by the Drop, but I was thinking of it now as I write this review.

The sequels can’t be a rehash of the first book. There needs to be time to sit with the highs and the lows. Process the trauma. The love.

Whitney Bianca cooked with this. The dark romances being published around this time period are just 😭😮‍💨🤌🏼

All I will say is that I was on tenterhooks. All I knew going in was that there was a separation in the middle of the book and I was left guessing. I was worried about their fate.

I can’t even describe it but Joanie‘s one of my favourite heroines in romance of all time. Her POV in being with Elliot, being away from him, all her feelings towards him… the grief in this, the gaslighting/brainwashing yourself to be normal, to be satisfied…

I know a book is wrecking me when I skim hot smut to find out faster what will happen to the couple.

I do agree with GR reviews that it may have retread common ground and feel aimless, at points. Book 1 is the “Hollywood” fantasy ending where their conflict is neatly wrapped up as they sail off into the sunset but book 2 is the reality.

Sure, they got away with it but can you really start anew and can a leopard really change his stripes? It wasn’t the bratty sexiness of the first book, but a more sombre look at their toxic codependency. The ending in book 2 was actually so lovely and felt grounding, safe. Very happy with their forever HEA.

In conclusion. I wish Whitney Bianca wrote more. I don’t know why but this and Mansions are unforgettable, iconic dark romances to go down for the ages.
Profile Image for Miriam still reading! HIATUS from GR.
1,408 reviews69 followers
August 12, 2016
A total disappointment. The heroine was annoying as hell with her back and forth feelings for the hero. Once again there was absolutely no relationship development outside of their sex life. Book 1 ended with the impression that their relationship was going to move forward and develop into something real. This book was like they took 10 steps back and ended without anymore insight or background of the hero. Even the epilogue left much to be desired.
May 18, 2016
Not sure what to think of this one. Not a fan of h and h separating and being with other people. specially if it takes up a bit of the book. parts were really good and twisted though unfortunately the separation part isn't something I enjoy reading.
Profile Image for Michelle .
176 reviews47 followers
February 28, 2017
Me cuesta poner las siguientes palabras, pero... no me gustó.
Es una fea sensación que el primer libro de una serie te guste mucho y después venga la continuación y TODO se arruine.

En I Know What Love Is, tenemos a dos personajes principales locos, totalmente desquiciados, malas personas, abusivos... todo lo que conlleva el género dark-erótica. Y estaba bien, porque de eso se trata ese género, no se desvía del camino a vivieron felices para siempre o que se hagan buenos de la noche a la mañana, como suele pasar en la mayoría de esos libros. Seamos sinceros, si vas a leer libros de esas temáticas tienes que esperar lo más retorcido y lo vuelvo a decir, esta bien porque de eso se trata.

Pero bien dicen por ahí que nunca presiones a un autor, y creo que es lo que pasó con la continuación, porque no me explico cómo todo se fue al desagüe. Este segundo libro no aporta NADA a la historia, es más, se desvía a ese camino que tanto critico de darle un final mediocre y que no tiene nada que ver con la historia de Joan y Elliot.
Prácticamente un 80% es Joan quejándose de todo, teniendo dudas existenciales por todo, amando pero odiando a Elliot, deseando que estuviera con ella, pero cuando vuelve ya no lo quiere.
No había ni pies ni cabeza en el personaje.
Bien puedo aplaudir que Elliot siguió desquiciado como siempre, lo cual aplaudo porque era lo que le daba un poco (pero muy poco) de sabor al libro, ya que eran pocas las apariciones del personaje.
Pero en sí todo lo demás, malo - malo - malo.
Espero que no exista una continuación, y si la hay, que la autora se tome todo el tiempo para hacer una buena historia para estos dos personajes y no lo que pasó con este segundo libro.
Profile Image for Monica Cook.
115 reviews77 followers
January 1, 2023
Spoilers!
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This duet has me entranced. Omg. I loved the first book, and I loved this second one just as much.

The toxicity, possessiveness, darkness and all-consuming love and lust between Elliot and Joanie is all just too much, in the very best way. Elliot is GOALS. I don't give a crap about all of the ways he messed up here and there, he is always forgiven. Lol. Does that make me unhinged? Likely so, but its really fine.

Joan is so headstrong and determined and stubborn and I just love that so much about her. She is the definition of a survivor. And I was so happy that they got their lives together with each other at the end of it all. Although, I would DIE to get a third book and see their lives together as a family unit and as parents. Wishing on a star! Maybe one day we can get another book for these two!

Dark romance at its finest. I am forever ruined for anyone else by Elliot.

5/5 stars & 5/5 spice!
Profile Image for Slice Of Kate.
72 reviews9 followers
November 23, 2020
I'm so confused how I feel after reading this. Was that a happy ending or not?
One thing I do know, is that I enjoyed reading this book. It was dark, psychotic, twisted, intriguing and had me questioning who I empathised with.
I've never read a series quite like this before and enjoyed reading something a little more messed as opposed to regular erotica/romance.

Before you read this make sure you know what you're getting into, the themes in this book are definitely not for everyone and could be triggering.
Profile Image for Lepp.
483 reviews33 followers
May 15, 2016

This story is so fucked up and weird. Yet, I can't help but "ship" Joan and Elliot together. They're both incredibly messed up and damaged....not to mention raunchy af. I think my odd love for a villainous love interest keeps me invested in their strange love affair despite how toxic their relationship gets.

This book is a must-read for anyone who read the first book. I can't wait to read Whitney Bianca's next book.

5 stars!
Profile Image for sandeep.
104 reviews69 followers
May 17, 2018
3.5/5 Stars

I didn't think it was possible for this book to be even more messed up than the first book but Whitney Bianca has proven me wrong. These books are so dark and twisted that make it so interesting. You feel the need to continue reading even though you are left feeling conflicted and somewhat disgusted.
Profile Image for Laura Lee.
957 reviews171 followers
May 15, 2016
Holy Hotness!!! Seems like forever that I had been waiting for this book... Re-read I Know What Love Is.... before diving into this one. So glad that I did. Went into this one remembering all the reasons why I love Elliott!!! He's Hot, He's Brutal, He's intoxicating, He is everything Joan needs!!!

What a ride we go on in this wonderful sequel! From the first page, till the last page, I was engrossed in this Toxic Love story!!!

Very Dark, Very Deep and Very Emotional!!! MUST READ!!!
Profile Image for Darlene.
69 reviews16 followers
July 30, 2016
Twisted - Twisted - TWISTED (and I loved it!) What is wrong with me?
So many parts of this book were just WRONG on SO MANY LEVELS! Red lights flashing, horns blaring, ALERT LEVEL FIVE sirens in the background going off - but it was such a good read!!! Can't wait for book two(and how TWISTED is that?) Darkness has never felt as much as it is with Joan and Elliot!
Profile Image for Judith/books.series.forever  .
337 reviews76 followers
September 14, 2019
Spanish:
“Love is Strange” de Whitney Bianca el segundo libro perteneciente a la serie “I Know...”. Este libro contiene abusos, psicológicos y físicos en una historia erótica con rasgos BDSM. No para todo el mundo, es simplemente… Dark.

Después de ser estar en el hospital durante el episodio sufrido, Joan se verá apartada de Elliot, ya que este se ha ido y no sabe si volverá. Joan tendrá que nuevamente rehacer su vida, aunque no será del todo fácil, aunque sea idílico. También las noticias que le llegarán no serán muy afortunadas y no sabrá si tomarlas en serio o no.

Este libro para mí fue mejor que el anterior, aunque me faltaron algo. Por ejemplo, saber más la vida de Elliot. En todo momento conocemos a la familia de Joan, su antes y después de Elliot, pero con Elliot no pasa lo mismo. También que ambos personajes no hubieran estado durante tanto tiempo separados, pero el final me pareció lo mejor del mundo. Fue una historia que empieza de mal manera, pero con el paso de las páginas mejora por momentos y los personajes cambian significativamente, en cierto modo.
⚜Rate: ★★★★✩

English:
"Love is Strange" by Whitney Bianca, the second book in the series "I Know...". This book contains abuses, physical and psychological in an erotic story with BDSM. Not for everyone, it's just... Dark.

After being in the hospital during the suffered episode, Joan will be separated from Elliot, since Elliot is gone and she doesn't know if he will come back. Joan will have to rebuild her life again, although it will not be completely easy, even if it is idyllic. Also, the news that will come to her will not be very fortunate, and she will not know whether to take them seriously or not.

This book for me was better than the last one, even though I missed something. For example, learn more about Elliot's life. At all times we know Joan's family, her before and after Elliot, but with Elliot, it's not the same. I also preferred that the two characters hadn't been separated for so long, but the end seemed like the best thing in the world to me. It was a story that got started badly, but with successive pages, it gets better, and the characters change significantly, in a certain way.
⚜Rate: ★★★★✩
Profile Image for Julez.
515 reviews2 followers
May 17, 2021
I loved it. It had me guessing with every turn of the page. I was so nervous thinking what will happen next. It was not an easy road for either Elliot and especially not for Joan. They both had to make some life altering decisions. They came together again and under bad circumstances. The adventure begins and nothing will be the same again not to mention death is in the air. Really nothing has been the same since they met each other. Crazy life of Elliot and Joan continues. I loved the ending despite everything.

I have to say that Joan needed years of therapy. Like a lifetime of therapy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 184 reviews

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