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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
um ??? someone get me a fan because this book was HOT.
again, I am not a fan of dark romances at all. I find a lot of the subject matter hard to deal with personally but this book was another level.
Q was a gentleman. not a rapist, not an abuser, he was the quintessential example of how I wanted someone to react in that situation.
Tess was fire and defiant. She never backed down and I loved this. She knew what she liked, what she wanted and it worked.
Also, the writing was fab. Fast paced and lots of action. Just the right amount of interaction and dialogue and Tess’ monologue.
I think what sold me on this was I could really see their bond they had together. In most dark romances, I find it comes off as submissive and unequal whereas this book plainly shows they both need each other.
I genuinely did not expect to like this at all and I love pleasant surprises!! I will definitely be picking up the second book at some point.
again, I am not a fan of dark romances at all. I find a lot of the subject matter hard to deal with personally but this book was another level.
Q was a gentleman. not a rapist, not an abuser, he was the quintessential example of how I wanted someone to react in that situation.
Tess was fire and defiant. She never backed down and I loved this. She knew what she liked, what she wanted and it worked.
Also, the writing was fab. Fast paced and lots of action. Just the right amount of interaction and dialogue and Tess’ monologue.
I think what sold me on this was I could really see their bond they had together. In most dark romances, I find it comes off as submissive and unequal whereas this book plainly shows they both need each other.
I genuinely did not expect to like this at all and I love pleasant surprises!! I will definitely be picking up the second book at some point.
I've never read a book like this before. And the only thing I knew about this book before I started it was that it was a dark and gritty romance. Literally, that was it. So it was ultra shocking to read about sex trafficking, kidnapping, rape, and some sick, twisted sex. But I won't lie - it worked. I found myself needing to know how the hell they'd work their stuff out. And wow. Just wow.
Tess is an intriguing heroine. We're so used to reading about different kinds of female characters. She knows what she wants, but she's not strong enough to go after it. Then it comes to her in a horrible way, and she still has trouble with it. It was interesting to see the way she adapts, changes, and works through everything that happens to her throughout the novel. Because the things that happen to her are devastating.
Then we meet Q. That's really all I'll say. I'm going to take a break before diving into book 2 about Q, because this book was heavy. Whoa boy.
And I don't get to read a lot of books for fun, so I'm glad I spent some time with this one, but I also find this writer's subject matter fascinating and I'd love to edit one of her novels. It's so different, and I love it. On to book 2!
Tess is an intriguing heroine. We're so used to reading about different kinds of female characters. She knows what she wants, but she's not strong enough to go after it. Then it comes to her in a horrible way, and she still has trouble with it. It was interesting to see the way she adapts, changes, and works through everything that happens to her throughout the novel. Because the things that happen to her are devastating.
Then we meet Q. That's really all I'll say. I'm going to take a break before diving into book 2 about Q, because this book was heavy. Whoa boy.
And I don't get to read a lot of books for fun, so I'm glad I spent some time with this one, but I also find this writer's subject matter fascinating and I'd love to edit one of her novels. It's so different, and I love it. On to book 2!
Spoiler
All along I was waiting for the justification part. It had to show up because of what he is, how he treats her. And it was there. And I swallowed it like it wasn't cuckoo crazy. Because to them, it is normal. It all works for them. It's okay to her that he wants to beat the shit out of her because she wants the shit beaten out of her. And he'll try his best to pick up the pieces afterwards. That's all they want. It's sweet and romantic in a morbid, horrifying way.
Tess Snow is kidnapped while on holiday with her boyfriend, Brax, and sold into sexual slavery. Moved through Cancun and eventually ending up in France, she discovers that she has been sold as part of a business deal to a wealthy French property investor, a man who insists she refer to him only as 'Q' and with whom she has an immediate, unwelcome spark.
I've been hearing a lot of great things about Pepper Winters but this book just didn't do it for me because the whole plot was too ridiculous. What started as something that almost seemed to want to make a comment on the awful realities of human trafficking side-lined into a predictable romance sprinkled with BDSM and an uncomfortable amount of comments about how Tess is "broken" because she enjoys rough sex. Apparently this is also why her parents never wanted her. 80% of the book could be broken down into quotes about how much Tess wishes she could have rough sex, how she's sad that Brax was more vanilla, how she can't stop fantasising about Q. This woman has literally been sex trafficked and all she can think about is how horny she is.
Naturally, Q is just as "broken" and so Tess forgives him almost overnight for the awful things that he does to her. Low and behold, he has a reason for his actions which I'll not spoil, but the book does a complete 180 in the space of a handful of chapters, framing this man who beats, rapes, mentally and physically abuses a woman he tells in no uncertain terms is a slave who only exists to please him, as the victim who "just can't help himself." Tess, mere days after her kidnapping, is told to get over it and give Q a chance because he's not really that bad of a guy. She even goes so far as to then begin claiming that he never did any of these things, literally less than 100 pages after they happen, which I've chosen to assume is just the world's quickest case of Stockholm Syndrome and not bad writing.
There were some nice scenes sprinkled in and I enjoyed some of the background characters so this wasn't entirely an awful read, but I didn't like how it tried to tackle a difficult setting, swerved around it for the sake of what turned into a mediocre romance and then ending with very little changed about the whole situation Tess wanted to fight in the beginning. I don't think I'll be picking up another Pepper Winters book any time soon, I don't think she's the forbidden romance author for me.
I've been hearing a lot of great things about Pepper Winters but this book just didn't do it for me because the whole plot was too ridiculous. What started as something that almost seemed to want to make a comment on the awful realities of human trafficking side-lined into a predictable romance sprinkled with BDSM and an uncomfortable amount of comments about how Tess is "broken" because she enjoys rough sex. Apparently this is also why her parents never wanted her. 80% of the book could be broken down into quotes about how much Tess wishes she could have rough sex, how she's sad that Brax was more vanilla, how she can't stop fantasising about Q. This woman has literally been sex trafficked and all she can think about is how horny she is.
Naturally, Q is just as "broken" and so Tess forgives him almost overnight for the awful things that he does to her. Low and behold, he has a reason for his actions which I'll not spoil, but the book does a complete 180 in the space of a handful of chapters, framing this man who beats, rapes, mentally and physically abuses a woman he tells in no uncertain terms is a slave who only exists to please him, as the victim who "just can't help himself." Tess, mere days after her kidnapping, is told to get over it and give Q a chance because he's not really that bad of a guy. She even goes so far as to then begin claiming that he never did any of these things, literally less than 100 pages after they happen, which I've chosen to assume is just the world's quickest case of Stockholm Syndrome and not bad writing.
There were some nice scenes sprinkled in and I enjoyed some of the background characters so this wasn't entirely an awful read, but I didn't like how it tried to tackle a difficult setting, swerved around it for the sake of what turned into a mediocre romance and then ending with very little changed about the whole situation Tess wanted to fight in the beginning. I don't think I'll be picking up another Pepper Winters book any time soon, I don't think she's the forbidden romance author for me.
This series is the i-need-holy-water type.
Rating: 3.5 Rounded
Genre: Dark Romance
Rating: 3.5 Rounded
Genre: Dark Romance
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I quite enjoyed this book a lot and also LIVED for Q plot twists, like I did notice that there were some dark secrets hidden but that??????
And the humor here got me snorting at 3am, some examples: (BEWARE, MAY CONTAIN SPOILER)
“I’ll buy back my freedom. Bubbles of manic laughter tickled. I’ll walk into a bank and ask for a loan to buy myself. Because I’m such a good investment. I snorted. Oh, God, I was losing it.”
“I’m happy he stalked and spied. Damn right, I was. Ecstatically happy.”
“Kick her from my room after she let me whip her to the point of drawing blood? I’d been a bloody saint with the willpower of an angel.”
If you're thinking of reading this book while reading Goodreads reviews looking for a sign, THIS IS THE SIGN! GO READ THIS MASTERPIECE!!!
And the humor here got me snorting at 3am, some examples: (BEWARE, MAY CONTAIN SPOILER)
“I’ll buy back my freedom. Bubbles of manic laughter tickled. I’ll walk into a bank and ask for a loan to buy myself. Because I’m such a good investment. I snorted. Oh, God, I was losing it.”
“I’m happy he stalked and spied. Damn right, I was. Ecstatically happy.”
“Kick her from my room after she let me whip her to the point of drawing blood? I’d been a bloody saint with the willpower of an angel.”
If you're thinking of reading this book while reading Goodreads reviews looking for a sign, THIS IS THE SIGN! GO READ THIS MASTERPIECE!!!
I’ll give it 2 stars cause the first half of the book was well written but unfortunately DNF. I got 75% through the book and just couldn’t read anymore. The storyline got boring and repetitive.
This book is so many things. The best way to describe it is a disturbing erotic depiction of a twisted love story. Two confusingly strong characters who refused to back down from each other. Fair warning... It's dark and dirty and not for the faint at heart. There are situations that may be a trigger for some, but if you're not easily triggered, it's guaranteed to be an entertaining read. The story certainly kept my attention from the first page to the last.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
After having this book on my TBR for a while I finally decided to give it a go. I can confirm this book is Deliciously Dark and Sinful!
Well this is way out of my usual kind of dark romance. It was and wasn’t what I expected. I loved and hated it but the more I got a deeper understanding of Q, the more I saw his brokenness and the war with his darkness. Tess is brave and a spitfire and just the heroine for this story.
4 I-Am-Yours-Stars
Well this is way out of my usual kind of dark romance. It was and wasn’t what I expected. I loved and hated it but the more I got a deeper understanding of Q, the more I saw his brokenness and the war with his darkness. Tess is brave and a spitfire and just the heroine for this story.
4 I-Am-Yours-Stars