The Blurb:
Caleb is a man with a
singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into
slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but
vengeance. For twelve years he has immersed himself in the world of
pleasure slaves searching for the one man he holds ultimately
responsible. Finally, the architect of his suffering has emerged with a
new identity, but not a new nature. If Caleb is to get close enough to
strike, he must become the very thing he abhors and kidnap a beautiful
girl to train her to be all that he once was.
Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.
WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.
Eighteen-year-old Olivia Ruiz has just woken up in a strange place. Blindfolded and bound, there is only a calm male voice to welcome her. His name is Caleb, though he demands to be called Master. Olivia is young, beautiful, naïve and willful to a fault. She has a dark sensuality that cannot be hidden or denied, though she tries to accomplish both. Although she is frightened by the strong, sadistic, and arrogant man who holds her prisoner, what keeps Olivia awake in the dark is her unwelcome attraction to him.
WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, dubious consent, strong language, and graphic violence.
Ughhh. I bowed out after the enema scene. Nope nope nope. DNF
Okay, follow up: I circled back around to it and finished it. Doesn't change my opinion. Admittedly, I have a heavy bias against this sort of storyline. I used to work with survivors of DV, sex assault, and trafficking. This topic is simply not sexy to me in any way, shape, or form. It's not "dark romance". It is rape. Rape, rape, rape. Oh, let's not forget the emotional and physical abuse that accompanies it. And the isolation. And the humiliation.
I'll be very honest, as a survivor of violence, this was very difficult for me to read. I would caution other survivors to be emotionally prepared going into this. Some may love it (apparently many do). Some may reallllly struggle, as I did. I guess it's just a matter of perspective.
Do you read it as a gritty realistic narrative of survival and adaptation in the face of something truly awful? Or do you read it under the assumption that you're somehow supposed to be rooting for Caleb to "be a better man" and realize how special his captive is, that she's "different from all the others". You know, the others he casually mentions he has ALSO tortured, raped, and sold. Ugh.
New idea: Caleb is locked in a room with Xena.
Sooo yeah, in summary, I hope Caleb dies a horrible death at some point. Preferably after he's been castrated. But judging by how the book ends, I won't hold my breath (and I'll never know, because I have no plans to read the sequels). So all I can say is, this book left me angry. I stayed up half the night reading another book just to get this one out of my mind before sleep.
Okay, follow up: I circled back around to it and finished it. Doesn't change my opinion. Admittedly, I have a heavy bias against this sort of storyline. I used to work with survivors of DV, sex assault, and trafficking. This topic is simply not sexy to me in any way, shape, or form. It's not "dark romance". It is rape. Rape, rape, rape. Oh, let's not forget the emotional and physical abuse that accompanies it. And the isolation. And the humiliation.
I'll be very honest, as a survivor of violence, this was very difficult for me to read. I would caution other survivors to be emotionally prepared going into this. Some may love it (apparently many do). Some may reallllly struggle, as I did. I guess it's just a matter of perspective.
Do you read it as a gritty realistic narrative of survival and adaptation in the face of something truly awful? Or do you read it under the assumption that you're somehow supposed to be rooting for Caleb to "be a better man" and realize how special his captive is, that she's "different from all the others". You know, the others he casually mentions he has ALSO tortured, raped, and sold. Ugh.
New idea: Caleb is locked in a room with Xena.
Sooo yeah, in summary, I hope Caleb dies a horrible death at some point. Preferably after he's been castrated. But judging by how the book ends, I won't hold my breath (and I'll never know, because I have no plans to read the sequels). So all I can say is, this book left me angry. I stayed up half the night reading another book just to get this one out of my mind before sleep.
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