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devansbooklife's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not a light read. In fact it pulls you so far into the darkness you forget what warmth the sun holds. Let me express this to anyone thinking of reading this book: you MUST finish it. I hated this book when I started. I was filled with feelings of hurt, sadness, hate, pain, and emptiness. And it never failed that with each sliver of hope I grasped, I ended up kneeling retching with bile coating my tongue. I can't describe the emotions this book brought out. I didn't want to understand the madness. The darkness. But at the end of the book I understood. It seemed like my eyes had adjusted and even the thought of light caused me pain. This book is not for the vanillas of the world. Hell this book isn't even for the chocolates of the world. But it has it's place. It's just hard to see.
amiascah's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I am not a fan of writing negative reviews, and I'm not a vanilla queen saying negative things cause BDSM scares me and I shouldn't have picked up this book. I knew what I was picking up and I enjoy dark fantasy, when done right, but there was so much just wrong with this.
The first third of the book felt like internal slut shaming. Instead of acknowledging all her wants and desires as normal kinks that people have and enjoy and that it can be an empowering and safe sex life I left the book feeling like all their kinks are their dirty little secret and that both Tess and Q feel ashamed to enjoy what they enjoy, they're happy to find one another but that they are odd freaks, monsters and that neither of them are good people just cause they like bondage and pain.
I don't think other than learning that he's ashamed of how he feels which you learn in the last 10 pages of the book that I learned anything all about Q. How are you supposed to connect with a character if they remain a mystery for the entire book? And why all the secrecy? Why didn't they tell Tess that they are essentially a halfway house for trafficked women? What would be the harm in telling a woman that they are trying to rehabilitate, who's not broken yet that she can go home? Q had to know he was her first owner? So where's the communication?
Tess bothered me, I could have come around to her if her character grew and she welcomed that she was not a freak or a monster, and maybe if she wasn't so dumb. I can't get over the tracker, the big to do about how she's so brave and smart and how she escaped and quickly she has to snip the tracker off her ankle but then.... leaves it in the car she's traveling in? And who leaves the populated town area with just one man? After being abducted I would hope I remember to stay where there are loads of people and I feel like I would gravitate more towards women after being raped with a knife handle (which probably just means that I'll be lured away by other trafficked women if I ever get taken). And then after she gets back and finds out she's being sent away doesn't she blame Franco the guard? I assume it's been a whirlwind of horrible for her, but how is this his fault? I found her incredibly whinny, from the beginning with Brax and how he just can't do it for her cause he's too soft and nice (don't marry him then, take your vibrator and go) and then the back and forth of wanting Q not wanting Q. I did like, at times, keeping her name from him, when she first did it it showed a bit of back bone and I thought maybe things will be better. And at the end I appreciated her finishing school and taking control of her life. There was one line in there about revenge and the doctor/tattoo artist lady that has her in Mexico getting what she's due and I was happy thinking maybe she's gonna go on a killing spree but she just runs back to Q.
The first third of the book felt like internal slut shaming. Instead of acknowledging all her wants and desires as normal kinks that people have and enjoy and that it can be an empowering and safe sex life I left the book feeling like all their kinks are their dirty little secret and that both Tess and Q feel ashamed to enjoy what they enjoy, they're happy to find one another but that they are odd freaks, monsters and that neither of them are good people just cause they like bondage and pain.
I don't think other than learning that he's ashamed of how he feels which you learn in the last 10 pages of the book that I learned anything all about Q. How are you supposed to connect with a character if they remain a mystery for the entire book? And why all the secrecy? Why didn't they tell Tess that they are essentially a halfway house for trafficked women? What would be the harm in telling a woman that they are trying to rehabilitate, who's not broken yet that she can go home? Q had to know he was her first owner? So where's the communication?
Tess bothered me, I could have come around to her if her character grew and she welcomed that she was not a freak or a monster, and maybe if she wasn't so dumb. I can't get over the tracker, the big to do about how she's so brave and smart and how she escaped and quickly she has to snip the tracker off her ankle but then.... leaves it in the car she's traveling in? And who leaves the populated town area with just one man? After being abducted I would hope I remember to stay where there are loads of people and I feel like I would gravitate more towards women after being raped with a knife handle (which probably just means that I'll be lured away by other trafficked women if I ever get taken). And then after she gets back and finds out she's being sent away doesn't she blame Franco the guard? I assume it's been a whirlwind of horrible for her, but how is this his fault? I found her incredibly whinny, from the beginning with Brax and how he just can't do it for her cause he's too soft and nice (don't marry him then, take your vibrator and go) and then the back and forth of wanting Q not wanting Q. I did like, at times, keeping her name from him, when she first did it it showed a bit of back bone and I thought maybe things will be better. And at the end I appreciated her finishing school and taking control of her life. There was one line in there about revenge and the doctor/tattoo artist lady that has her in Mexico getting what she's due and I was happy thinking maybe she's gonna go on a killing spree but she just runs back to Q.
alaina_marie's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
avid_reader_96's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This book is definitely not suited for the faint of heart. It was..... amazingly good. Though I couldn't help myself from comparing it to The Dark Duet, I didn't find this book lacking in the least. I can't even begin to describe Q, he' s so... complex. But I adored Tess, and sympayhized with her so much. I can't wait to see what's in store for them in the next book.
whatthekink's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
karrrlii's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
octopusgarden's review against another edition
5.0
Now to be honest, I didn't expect to like this book. It's been on my "to-read" list for about 4 months. I didn't know how much I needed my Pepper Winters fix until I started reading "Indebted" and I'm in love with Tess and Q. If you're skeptical about the book or the way the description describes the book, it's so much better than you expect it to be. I know that's how it was for me. Their love is unexpected, and it makes you love them even more!
kacelaface's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not very good. Too unbelievable. Had a few glimmers, but ultimately fizzled.
myloveoflit's review against another edition
4.0
This was a dark book that catapults you into the world of human trafficking and sex slavery. There were scenes that were hard to experience and can be triggering to some. I am no stranger to these types of dark romances that punch you in the gut though.
While traveling to Mexico with her boyfriend, Tess Snow was kidnapped and taken captive to be sold into sex slavery. Before being sold Tess showed unparalleled bravery and strength through her horrendous situation. Even when she arrived at her new owner’s estate in France she still had so much fight left in her. This caught Q Mercer off guard. Never had one of his slaves arrived not already broken. This awoken something inside Q that he kept hidden and at bay. He was going to brake Tess.
The things that Tess had to experience were unspeakable and hard to swallow. I was really amazed at how she would ultimately bounce back from it. Q remained mostly mysterious throughout the entire story. He protected Tess, but some of his actions were questionable still. His overall motives surrounding Tess and his slavery involvement remained a mystery for the most part.
While Q remains this enigma to me I was not fully swayed to like him. At times he acted as a protector and other times he craved to do dark things to Tess. I also began to question Tess’ own sanity for her trust and willingness to play the slave role for Q. I liked Tess at first, but by the end I was having a hard time connecting with her. It is interesting how Q and Tess seem to both harbor such dark and extreme desires. I am not giving up on yet. Friends have told me that the subsequent books in the series raise the bar. I want Q to redeem himself.
While traveling to Mexico with her boyfriend, Tess Snow was kidnapped and taken captive to be sold into sex slavery. Before being sold Tess showed unparalleled bravery and strength through her horrendous situation. Even when she arrived at her new owner’s estate in France she still had so much fight left in her. This caught Q Mercer off guard. Never had one of his slaves arrived not already broken. This awoken something inside Q that he kept hidden and at bay. He was going to brake Tess.
The things that Tess had to experience were unspeakable and hard to swallow. I was really amazed at how she would ultimately bounce back from it. Q remained mostly mysterious throughout the entire story. He protected Tess, but some of his actions were questionable still. His overall motives surrounding Tess and his slavery involvement remained a mystery for the most part.
While Q remains this enigma to me I was not fully swayed to like him. At times he acted as a protector and other times he craved to do dark things to Tess. I also began to question Tess’ own sanity for her trust and willingness to play the slave role for Q. I liked Tess at first, but by the end I was having a hard time connecting with her. It is interesting how Q and Tess seem to both harbor such dark and extreme desires. I am not giving up on yet. Friends have told me that the subsequent books in the series raise the bar. I want Q to redeem himself.