...there was a time for violence and a time for patience. Only a few could balance the righteous heat with cold calculation.
-- Synopsis --
There was a girl once. A girl called Tess Snow who sat with me in the dark, waiting to be sold.
There was an owner once. An owner who bought me, entrapped me, and made me his unwilling goddess.”
Eleanor Grace is a naïve dreamer. Trusting and young, she believes her travel-loving boyfriend can save her when her freedom is snatched and sold. Squirrelled away to an island at dawn, delivered to a man even darkness won’t touch, she’s bound by a contract.
Four men.
Four fantasies.
Four pieces of her soul.
Sullivan Sinclair is the giver of fantasies. Any wish, any desire—he is the master at quenching even the filthiest appetites. His private paradise and perfectly trained goddesses are there for one purpose: to ensure every guest is extremely well satisfied.
He bought her.
He trapped her.
She belongs to him.
Find Once a Myth on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51690368-once-a-myth
-- My Two Cents (5 stars) --
Reading Once a Myth let me know that the Queen of dark romance is baaaaackkkk! Eleanor was backpacking the world with her boyfriend of five months. She was living her dream until the day she was kidnapped, brutalized, and then sold. Was Scott looking for her? What would her parents think? Would she be living every girl's worst nightmare? And how would she survive?
Patience was a virtue. Patience was a gift. Patience will grant my freedom.
Enter Sullivan Sinclair. Billionaire. Gorgeous. Scientist. Inventor. Creator of the Goddess Isles, an idyllic getaway for the insanely rich to indulge in their filthiest fantasies. A man who appreciates beauty, who deeply cares for the living, and has questionable morals.
Sully was a god amongst the goddesses who inhabited his world. However, when Eleanor steps foot on his island, everything changes. He actually has feelings and he's at a loss with how to control a woman who seems uncontrollable. How does one dominate the indomitable?
This one moved like she had a crown upon her head. A crown made of dignity and diamonds, heavy on her brow but invaluable to her sense of worth.
When I finally reached the end, which left me with a doozy of a scene and I have no idea what is next for Eleanor, I was left with loads of unanswered questions after being doused with loads of unbridled chemistry. Eleanor's hate game is strong but we all know that it won't last. Sully is just too much for a naive girl like her to resist!
—————— ◦°•♛•°◦ ——————
So I obviously loved this story. I loved that Pepper Winters was able to give me just the type of story that made me fall in love with her writing in the first place. He's mentioned a few times in this book... Jethro was the first anti-hero I fell in love with and I'm eager to see if Sully measures up.
So here's what I didn't like...
I'm not Eleanor's biggest fan for a number of reasons
a) I was tired of hearing about Scott. She already admitted that she wasn't in love with him. She already admitted that their relationship was more about a mutual love of travel and the fact that they were both vegetarians. I get that she was holding on to the illusion of Scott because he was the last person she was with, the last tether to her old life, but it was dumb.
b) If you're kidnapped, mistreated, and sold to a person with questionable values... maybe you shouldn't cause trouble. If this were real and Sully wasn't so damn soft, I would expect Eleanor to receive adequate punishment. I didn't understand why she was allowed to question and demand and command at will with no repercussions.
c) I don't like people who act like they're better than they are. She constantly had something to say, even when she had nothing to say. Eleanor, you don't know everything. You are not on the same level as a man who could buy and sell you a million times and still have billions in the bank. You are not on his level when you are dependent on him for your very survival. Granted, he's part of the reason you're in that situation in the first place, but it could be so much worse!
d) She was immature, rude, and she had a grandiose sense of self. She wasn't elegant to me. She wasn't graceful or regal. I really wish the author didn't go this route with this character. She offers nothing to make me think of her as dignified or as someone worthy of my respect.
Wow. I went in a bit there and what's funny is that I could say so much more. So it's safe to say that I don't have much affection for Eleanor, however, I did love the story so I'll be around for book two.
-- Purchase Links --
-- Excerpt --
“You’re saying you’re a loss?”
“I’m saying I’ll cause you untold problems if you keep me here.” I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not afraid of you.”
He stepped toward me quickly, crowding me, bringing naked, masculine flesh and scorching body heat.
I backpedalled, losing ground, hating myself the second I tripped.
He laughed coldly. “Not afraid? I think you’re fucking petrified.”
Digging my toes into the sand, I cocked my chin. “I meant what I said, Sully Sinclair. Keep me trapped against my consent and I will make you pay. I’ll find some way to curse—”
“Curse me?” His arm shot up, his hand sinking into my hair. In a single heartbeat, we went from apart to linked. His fingers curled tight around the strands, tugging my scalp, sending more chills scattering. “You’ve already cursed me. You cursed me the second you arrived.”
I tried to pull away, but his hold turned aggressive.
“Let me go.”
His eyes flashed navy in the darkness as his tongue ran over his bottom lip. “Let you go? I should, shouldn’t I?” His stare landed on my mouth, and lust became a sapphire fire in his gaze. “Too bad I’m not going to.”
-- About Pepper Winters --
Pepper Winters is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today International Bestseller. She loves romance, star-crossed lovers, and the forbidden taboo. She strives to write a story that makes the reader crave what they shouldn’t, and delivers tales with complex plots and unforgettable characters.
After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She’s also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller.
After releasing two books with Grand Central, Hachette (Ruin & Rule and Sin & Suffer) Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work.
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