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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I. Was. Sold.
Wow. Thats my review. Just wow. Firstly thank you to my wifey for gifting me this paperback. She told me I would fall in love with Q and she wasnt wrong.
The trigger warnings in this are no joke. It is very dark. PLEASE please check them first.
Tess is on holiday with her boyfriend and is abducted and sold. (Again. Read those triggers) Mr Mercer - Q - is now her owner. Master. She is his esclave.
This doesnt break Tess though. She is quite possibly the strongest willed fmc ive ever read, I def shed a few tears for her. Not only did I fall in love with Q but tess too, everything she went through but also whilst discovering herself and finding a reason to fight. Wow
I didnt expect to love Q, he was very much the anti-hero. There is more to him than we realise and as its slowly revealed I realised he owned me as much as he owned Tess!
Wow. Thats my review. Just wow. Firstly thank you to my wifey for gifting me this paperback. She told me I would fall in love with Q and she wasnt wrong.
The trigger warnings in this are no joke. It is very dark. PLEASE please check them first.
Tess is on holiday with her boyfriend and is abducted and sold. (Again. Read those triggers) Mr Mercer - Q - is now her owner. Master. She is his esclave.
This doesnt break Tess though. She is quite possibly the strongest willed fmc ive ever read, I def shed a few tears for her. Not only did I fall in love with Q but tess too, everything she went through but also whilst discovering herself and finding a reason to fight. Wow
I didnt expect to love Q, he was very much the anti-hero. There is more to him than we realise and as its slowly revealed I realised he owned me as much as he owned Tess!
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Murder
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love that Tess had so much fire in her, no matter how dark life got. The relationship between her and Q was definitely different. However, I understand how they helped each other become the best versions of themselves. Pepper Winters did an amazing job of weaving this tragic story together.
Fucking Amazing
Wow just wow. This book wAs amazing! It was definitely something I was not expecting! So Dark and very Sexy!
Wow just wow. This book wAs amazing! It was definitely something I was not expecting! So Dark and very Sexy!
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
This book is pretty messed up...
With the tones of human trafficking, sex slaves, and mafia-like gangs, it was a very gripping story!
I reeeeally could of gone without the romance between the main character and her kidnapper but, oh well, I didn’t write the book.
With the tones of human trafficking, sex slaves, and mafia-like gangs, it was a very gripping story!
I reeeeally could of gone without the romance between the main character and her kidnapper but, oh well, I didn’t write the book.
For an abduction/slave novel, it's surprisingly soft. You won't find gut-wrenching scenes that challenge you like the degradation you'd find in horror and captivity narratives. The male protag is kinky, but he's temperamentally ashamed of his desires, and keeps them fettered beneath his honorable persona. This might frustrate dark erotica readers. But sans the sappy I-love-you dialogues, I wouldn't label this a lighthearted romance, either. It lands somewhere in between.
The symbiosis of consent and non-consent is the book's psychological core, and the severe disapproval of rape fantasies is scattered throughout it like feathers from a startled sparrow.
Q wants to rape and hurt Tess. Tess wants to be raped and hurt. They're both appalled by this, and their flux from spurn to assent back to spurn is jarring. Once you become sympathetic to one way of thinking, their convictions change again, leaving you disconnected. Some of this might've been alleviated with more showing and less telling. For example, you're told she's broken then strengthened then broken again, though you're not feeling the journey between the named emotions.
Were this book judged entirely by Tess's courage, it would be a masterpiece. She sheds plenty of tears, but she's no wilting flower. Each time she makes up her mind to do something--fight, flight, fight again--she follows through, fearlessly. I only wish she were more consistent in her crusades. And I wish there was more dialogue with Q. He isn't given enough time with you to develop his psychological position. The Epilogue offers the first and only Q headspace, which is a broad summary of the story in his POV.
Overall, it's an entertaining, brooding tale with some memorable moments. I recommend to romance readers looking for a soft psychological thriller with a few well-written sex scenes.
The symbiosis of consent and non-consent is the book's psychological core, and the severe disapproval of rape fantasies is scattered throughout it like feathers from a startled sparrow.
Q wants to rape and hurt Tess. Tess wants to be raped and hurt. They're both appalled by this, and their flux from spurn to assent back to spurn is jarring. Once you become sympathetic to one way of thinking, their convictions change again, leaving you disconnected. Some of this might've been alleviated with more showing and less telling. For example, you're told she's broken then strengthened then broken again, though you're not feeling the journey between the named emotions.
Were this book judged entirely by Tess's courage, it would be a masterpiece. She sheds plenty of tears, but she's no wilting flower. Each time she makes up her mind to do something--fight, flight, fight again--she follows through, fearlessly. I only wish she were more consistent in her crusades. And I wish there was more dialogue with Q. He isn't given enough time with you to develop his psychological position. The Epilogue offers the first and only Q headspace, which is a broad summary of the story in his POV.
Overall, it's an entertaining, brooding tale with some memorable moments. I recommend to romance readers looking for a soft psychological thriller with a few well-written sex scenes.
Wow it was a great read....
My reason for 4 stars was the rape scene... Im not sure the book needed it.... some books it makes or breaks a character... It Made Tess Trust Q... but she still goes back and forth as does Q.... I loved the ending.....
Cant wait to read more
My reason for 4 stars was the rape scene... Im not sure the book needed it.... some books it makes or breaks a character... It Made Tess Trust Q... but she still goes back and forth as does Q.... I loved the ending.....
Cant wait to read more
“This wasn’t a man caring for me because he loved or wanted me—he was my owner, fixing a possession.”
Tess and Q. I gotta say this was a fast paced and a confusing book for me.
I’m not new to Pepper Winters. I absolutely love the books I’ve read by her but Tess’s character was quite confusing. The back and forth emotions were so quick to change, it was whiplash to understand her current thoughts.
Tess gets trafficked while on a vacation with her boyfriend. She ends up as a slave for a man named Q. Her thoughts and emotions were spot on for a woman kidnapped and raped… only… her dark desires of being spanked, whipped, dominated, etc came to life when Q gave her exactly that.
And she very quickly falls in love with him. But also hates him…
Does she try to run away? Yes. Only back into more sex traffickers. And she realizes she only wants Q again.
I mean- the buildup wasn’t there. The angst was non existent.
Yes, Q ended up saving these women and keeping Tess as the one and only to release his dark desires on, but the book fell flat for me.
Which I’m literally shocked because, I’ve loved her other books I’ve read.
“I’m offering you my pain. My blood. My pleasure. I’m offering you the right to whip and fuck. To debase and harm. I’m offering to fight your needs with my own. I’m willing to join you in the darkness and find pleasure in excruciating pain. I’m willing to be your monster, Q.”
I’d like to finish the series one day but I’m in no hurry.
Tess and Q. I gotta say this was a fast paced and a confusing book for me.
I’m not new to Pepper Winters. I absolutely love the books I’ve read by her but Tess’s character was quite confusing. The back and forth emotions were so quick to change, it was whiplash to understand her current thoughts.
Tess gets trafficked while on a vacation with her boyfriend. She ends up as a slave for a man named Q. Her thoughts and emotions were spot on for a woman kidnapped and raped… only… her dark desires of being spanked, whipped, dominated, etc came to life when Q gave her exactly that.
And she very quickly falls in love with him. But also hates him…
Does she try to run away? Yes. Only back into more sex traffickers. And she realizes she only wants Q again.
I mean- the buildup wasn’t there. The angst was non existent.
Yes, Q ended up saving these women and keeping Tess as the one and only to release his dark desires on, but the book fell flat for me.
Which I’m literally shocked because, I’ve loved her other books I’ve read.
“I’m offering you my pain. My blood. My pleasure. I’m offering you the right to whip and fuck. To debase and harm. I’m offering to fight your needs with my own. I’m willing to join you in the darkness and find pleasure in excruciating pain. I’m willing to be your monster, Q.”
I’d like to finish the series one day but I’m in no hurry.