Showing posts with label Captive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captive. Show all posts

Twisted Together by Pepper Winters // Review + Excerpt

January 06, 2021


“My name is Tess Mercer. I’m no longer weak or afraid or broken. I’ve taken control of my fate. I no longer need a tower or dark angels or help. I am fear. And I take your soul in penance for everything that was done to me. I take it for the women you’ve raped. I take it for the women you’ve sold. I take it for my master, soul-mate, and husband. I take you for me.”


Twisted Together by Pepper Winters


Monsters in the Dark #3
Release - June 1, 2014
Genre - Dark Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5/a few scenes
Format/Source - owned paperback
Length - 572 pages

“After battling through hell, I brought my esclave back from the brink of ruin. I sacrificed everything—my heart, my mind, my very desires to bring her back to life. And for a while, I thought it broke me, that I’d never be the same. But slowly the beast is growing bolder, and it’s finally time to show Tess how beautiful the dark can be.”

Q gave everything to bring Tess back. In return, he expects nothing less. Tess may have leashed and tamed him, but he’s still a monster inside.

After surviving the darkness, a new dawn has begun. Twisted Together wades through black to grey, chasing the light of true love to banish the shadows forever.

Pain is a requirement, connection a necessity. But ultimately Q and Tess must face their demons, before they can embrace their future.

Review of book 1, Tears of Tess
Review of book 2, Quintessentially Q

I can't begin to explain how much I enjoyed taking the time to re-read the Monsters in the Dark series after all this time. It's given me the chance to fall in love with Q all over again. What I found so intriguing was the fact that I read this story like it was new. I forgot so many of the details that it really was like reading this series for the first time.

So here's what happened...

Tess was blissfully happy with Brax. Or so she thought. Away on vacation in Mexico, she was kidnapped, brutalized, tormented and trafficked. Destined to be a slave, she lucked out when her new owner turned out to be Q. Not only was he unlike all the monsters she'd already met, he was unlike any man she'd ever known. He was a monster in his own right, but his beast called to her in a way that answered all of her unasked questions. He sent her home. She came back. And they should have lived in happiness. But she was taken again, Q rescued her, but she was broken to a point where no one knew how to heal her. Then Q made the ultimate sacrifice and she was back. However, their happiness was stilted because all of the bad guys wanted to take out the hero to slaves everywhere. Too bad the bad guys didn't realize the monster Tess had become.

While this book wasn't as neat or as fluid as the books that came before, it was necessary. How else would we get to see Tess come into her own? I'm still not her biggest fan and I don't understand why Q had to come off so psychotic and abusive, but aside from that, I needed this book. It tied everything up into a nice little bow and gave me a glimpse into the true happiness this couple deserved.

https://amzn.to/3bbNHgp ➤ FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited

I shook my head. I didn’t understand. All I understood was his voice had the power to make me come. The deep tenor vibrated through my heart, sending tiny orgasms exploding in my veins.

I needed to be touched. I needed to be kissed.

Kiss him. Let him know.

Launching upright, I splashed a wave over the tub. Q jerked back, but wasn’t fast enough. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I dragged him down toward me. His hand slipped on the rim, plunging his arms into the water, landing on either side of my body.

His mouth opened to curse, but I swallowed whatever he said. My lips stole his, and the moment I tasted him, I went a little mad.

My core squeezed with delirium, demanding to be filled. My eyes rolled back at the sheer bliss of kissing.

He tasted like freedom and violence and pain.

“Esclave…wait…” Q tried to speak, but he only gave me the opportunity to slink my tongue into his mouth. Joy bounced and fizzed in my heart, demanding more.

I moaned, dragging him closer. My hands dug into his hair, tugging with sharp-laced desire. His mouth opened, either in shock or passion—I didn’t hesitate. I thrust my tongue deeper into his mouth, willingly drowning myself in all things Q.
Pepper currently has thirty-one books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists (USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) thirty-seven times. She dabbles in multiple genres, ranging from Dark Romance to Coming of Age.

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.

Find all of her books and contact info on her website: https://pepperwinters.com/

Quintessentially Q by Pepper Winters // Review + Excerpt

January 03, 2021

Quintessentially Q by Pepper Winters

The moment Tess walked into my life she owned me.
I would never be free again.
I never wanted to be free again.


Quintessentially Q by Pepper Winters


Monsters in the Dark #2
Release - December 11, 2013
Genre - Dark Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat level - 5 out of 5/a few scenes
Format/Source - ebook purchase (I own the signed paperback)
Length - 392 pages

“All my life, I battled with the knowledge I was twisted… screwed up to want something so deliciously dark—wrong on so many levels. But then slave fifty-eight entered my world. Hissing, fighting, with a core of iron, she showed me an existence where two wrongs do make a right."

Tess is Q’s completely. Q is Tess’s irrevocably. But now, they must learn the boundaries of their unconventional relationship, while Tess seeks vengeance on the men who sold her. Q made a blood-oath to deliver their corpses at Tess’s feet, and that’s just what he’ll do.

He may be a monster, but he’s Tess’s monster.

This is a story of eroticism, horror, and sweet tragedy. It contains graphic scenes, but there’s always light in the darkness.

Find my review of book 1, Tears of Tess, HERE

Is there a better man out there than Q? Someone who is willing to do anything, give anything, sacrifice everything for the woman he loves? I'm blown away with the many facets to this man and the ways that the author gave him such depth. While this story featured many characters, it was clear that Q was the star of the show.
I fucking shouldn't want to beat the ever-living daylights out of her, but I did. Oh, shit how I did.
Tess... little miss nothing... finally had everything she could possibly want... until the day when it was all ripped away. Her stupid mistake led to her second kidnapping and the horrors that awaited her. And I couldn't have been more delighted! The way the author captured the brutalization of Tess and how broken she became... juste fabuleux!
You told me you were strong enough
You told me you were brave
Yet now you lie next to me and all I can do is save
I'm here for you. I'm there for you
I'll help you with every fight
But no matter what I do for you, I see no end in sight
And then I came to hate Tess. I mean, I detested this girl with a fierce and fiery passion. Even here, at the end of this book, I still hate her. She hasn't redeemed herself and I'm hoping the next book gives her a chance at redemption. However, my deep disgust with her character can't take away from the absolute pleasure I experienced reading everything she and Q went through. Even at the lowest point, I found something to smile about. I know that says a lot about me, but I don't even care. Pepper Winters is freaking amazing when it comes to creating the darkest and most tormented reads.

It's simple really. If I can adore the hero, hate the heroine, and feel and enjoy the passion of this story... then this book deserves all the stars. And if you're someone who enjoys revelling in depravity, destruction, pain, blood and love, you need to embark on this dark journey yourself!

Side Notes:
- I'm bilingual (English/French) and some of the translations in this book didn't work for me. I'm not sure if they were taken from someone who spoke some version of French or straight from Google Translate (or an equivalent).
- There was this sentence in the book - The penthouse was five hundred square feet of pure decadence. - Do you know how small 500 sq ft is? There is no way a 'penthouse' would be that tiny. And something that tiny would never be referred to as 'decadent'. I'm going to assume it meant to say 5000 sq ft.

Find it on Amazon ➤ FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited

With nerves lodged in my throat, I pulled out ropes, cuffs, bondage of all types.
Tess watched remotely as I piled my arms full of things and headed back to the bed. Placing them on the towel at the foot of the four poster, I looked at Tess. “Tie me up.”
I never thought I’d ever say those words. But I needed her to bind me. I wouldn’t be able to go through with this if she didn’t. I’d run like a fucking coward, or lash out and hurt her.
She picked up the leather cuffs, the buckles clinking. “Where?”
Trying to curb the terror and anger and so many fucking things, I forced myself to sit on the mattress and lie down.
My heart was a fucking crazy thing going a billion miles an hour; I couldn’t look at Tess. I couldn’t look anywhere but at the large canopy above my head. The four posters were sturdy—half a fucking tree sturdy—once she bound me, I wouldn’t be able to get free.
My stomach rolled and I swore I would be sick. Shit. Oh, shit. What the fuck am I doing?
Tess glided closer to the bed, looking like a malnourished ghost. She eyed the cuff, then my limbs. My fists pressed against my thighs, every muscle locked tight.
I hadn’t undressed. The element of having jeans and a T-shirt on was my only armament; I wanted to keep it that way.
I gritted my teeth, spreading my legs for her.
She swallowed and obediently looped the soft leather around my ankle.
Black spots appeared in my vision as she tightened the buckle around the bedpost. She fastened it and I wriggled.
“You need to do it tighter. I can get free.” I hated every word. I wanted to chop out my tongue for being such a traitor, but I wasn’t doing this for me. I was doing this for Tess. To somehow break the barrier she’d fortified. If it took dynamite in the form of making me shatter, then so be it.
Tess nodded, tightening the buckle until it bit into my skin. Heat travelled up my leg, causing me to shiver with helplessness.
Torturing me with fluttering touches and slowness, Tess secured my other ankle before sighing heavily. She looked at me with a thousand wishes in her eyes and no hope. Moving toward the head of the bed, she chose a length of silk rope.
Our eyes never left each other as she bent and captured my hand with hers. The moment her delicate fingers touched my trembling skin, I bucked. My cock roared to life and all I wanted to do was kiss her, fuck her, never let her fucking go again.
She bit her lip, her eyes darkening just a little.
“Embrasse moi!” Kiss me, I demanded, capturing her hand with mine.
We stared so long, so hard, I wondered if I’d die waiting for her to obey. Finally, she bent in half, lowering herself toward me. My legs might be bound, but my arms and torso weren’t. The moment she was in grabbing distance, I wrapped my arms around her, dragging her hard against me.
Pepper currently has thirty-one books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists (USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) thirty-seven times. She dabbles in multiple genres, ranging from Dark Romance to Coming of Age.

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.

Find all of her books and contact info on her website: https://pepperwinters.com/

Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters // Review + Excerpt

December 31, 2020

Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters

He was my home.
My master.
My new life.


Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters

Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters


Monsters in the Dark #1
Release - August 30, 2013
Genre - Dark Romance
Heroine POV - 1st person
Heat level - 5 out of 5/several scenes
Format/Source - owned paperback
Length - 380 pages

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.


Tess Snow was content, yet stifled. Then she was kidnapped, sold, and set blissfully free.

I'm not a big fan of re-reading books. I figure once is enough. I either hated it or loved it and diving in again isn't going to change anything. And then I realized that I never reviewed Tears of Tess and decided if ever there were books I would re-read, they would be the Monsters in the Dark series. Shoot, no self-respecting dark romance lover should be able to pass up the opportunity to read anything that Pepper Winters has published, and my mama didn't raise no fool. Delving back into the depths of Q's depravity had me shivering with anticipation, glorying in the spectacular darkness and pain and pleasure only he can provide.
“I want to hurt you.
I want to own you.
I want to devour you.
I want to make you mine.
I’m already yours.”

I loved the story that was developing between Tess and Q. I loved the mystery of who this man really was and what it meant for Tess, her survival, and her future. However, I no longer suffer under the rule of irrational and foolish heroines. Tess was definitely a lot to take in, most of it not good, but she didn't take much away from the beauty to be found in this book. She was annoying and she grated on my nerves, but everything she had to endure was entertaining as hell. Triggers, triggers all over the place, but still... it's dark romance, what do you really expect?
“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.”

https://amzn.to/3o3kQON ➤ FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited


This was it. My new beginning. My new ending.

“Bonsoir, esclave.”

My eyes soared up to the first landing of the giant blue, velvet staircase. Massive works of art hung like armament on gilded walls.

A man in a grey chequered suit, complete with black shirt, silver tie and short, dark hair, watched from the landing.

My entire body ignited as his jaw clenched. His gaze unclothed and terrified me. Everything about him screamed ruthlessness and power. He held himself proud and regal as if this was his castle and I was the latest subject.

Our eyes locked, and something tingled across my flesh. Fear? Terror? Something inside knew he was dangerous.

His lips twitched as I sucked in a breath. He removed his hands from his pockets and placed them on the banister, his fingers long and strong, even from this distance. The way he stared became too much. I felt undone, stripped to my soul.

I stepped back, bumping against the guard behind. He bent his head, whispering in my ear, “Say hello to your new master.”

The word master echoed like a bad tuning fork.

Master. Master.

No, he wasn’t my master. Not with his short, sleek hair and sharp widow’s peak. Not with his clenched, stubble-smooth jaw and trim physique. He was not my master. No one was.

Tears pricked as I thought about Brax. He seemed a world away compared to this reality. Brax was rough and boyish, a hard worker through and through. The man, staring with pale jade eyes and an unreadable, chiselled face, lived in total contrast. Power radiated like visible waves, unsettling me more than anything.

He wasn’t the fat, repulsive bastard who used wealth to buy sex slaves. He wasn’t gross or any other monstrous things. Who is this man?

My eyes widened, drinking him in—the owner of this house. The owner of… me. No, never.

I didn’t care who he was, because my life belonged to me. I stuck out my chin, glaring. I wouldn’t be intimidated by wealth or stature. I didn’t care he was tall and moved like he expected the world to lick his shoes. I would never lick anything of his.

The man never broke eye contact, ensnaring me in his gaze. Slowly, he pushed off the banister and moved toward the stairs.

I gulped.

He was smooth water—effortless in refinement but just like still water, dangerous if you couldn’t swim. Deadly rips and currents lurked deep below the surface. I eyed him, trying to figure out what sick pleasures he indulged in that normal, willing women were hard to come by.

My heart raced with every step he took, descending toward me.

The guard pushed me forward. “Bow to your new master.”

I tripped, but regained my footing instantly. My fists shook, I clenched them so hard. My injuries reminded me all of this was wrong. In some warped sense, it seemed innocent like the owner of the house merely welcoming a guest.

“I have no master,” I said, putting every ounce of rebellion into the words. “Let me go.”

The man stopped mid-step, head cocked. His fingers curled around the banister, showing manicured nails, no calluses in sight. Once again, pale eyes connected with mine, sucking my thoughts into a vacuum.

Up till now, his face had been unreadable, but as we stared, flashes of emotion buffeted me. Anger. Interest. Annoyance. Resignation. And finally, in a blaze of jade…lust.

My breath quickened and I tried to step back again, only to collide with the wall of the guard’s chest.

The guard placed a hot, heavy hand between my shoulder blades and pushed, forcing me into a struggling, painful bow. “Do as you’re told.”

So many thoughts collided. I wanted to spin and steal the gun in the holster under his arm. I wanted to shoot everyone. I wanted to slash at the gorgeous artwork and priceless artefacts around the room. Such things of beauty did not deserve to belong to a man whose goons forced a sex slave to bow.

“Bastard,” I muttered, hating I couldn’t do any of it. All I could do was obey—for now.

“Stop. If she doesn’t want to bow, then don’t force her.” The masculine voice reminded me of glinting steel, shaped with precision and strength. It was the sound of authority, and despite my best attempts to rebel, I bowed on my own. The sheer weight of his voice compelled obedience.

The guard’s hand left my back. He chuckled. “If she doesn’t want to bow, perhaps she wants to crawl.”

My back snapped upright, and I jumped a mile. My new owner stood directly in front of me. Hands in his slack pockets, head cocked slightly to the side, as if inspecting a piece of art.

“She may crawl if she wishes,” he murmured.

“I do not wish,” I snapped.

Once again, our eyes connected and I searched for the evil like the men in Mexico, but he guarded himself too well. Nothing gave away what he thought, even the emotions I’d seen before were gone.

We stood staring for moments, before the guard behind me cleared his throat. Shattering the fragile silence and condemning me to whatever would happen next.

“Laissez-nous.” The man waved a hand toward the exit. Instantly, the guard left along with a few others I hadn’t seen lurking. The rustle of their suits sounded like a death sentence as they siphoned out the door.

Oh, God.

My eyes flicked to the left, where a massive library beckoned. Sultry mahogany, rich maroons, and gold bookcases. A roaring fire beckoned to read a book and slouch in the wingback chairs huddled around the flames.

To the right, a ginormous lounge full of comfortable designer sofas and chairs. Animal hides of zebra and tiger littered the floor, and huge glass doors reflected me standing under the bright lights of the foyer.

The man stood an arm’s length away. Tears thickened my throat.

I dropped my gaze, unable to look anymore. Tiredness descended, and all I wanted to do was sleep—to escape this nightmare.

“You won’t be able to run,” he said, watching closely.

I sucked in a breath. “Who says I’m going to run?”

His lips, smooth and well defined against his five o’clock shadow, twitched. “I smell it on you—the scent of prey. You’re looking for a bolthole, somewhere no one can find you.” He leaned in, sending a cloud of expensive cologne around me. “You’re different, I’ll give you that. They didn’t break you, but don’t think you can fight me. You won’t win.”

Pepper currently has thirty-one books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists (USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) thirty-seven times. She dabbles in multiple genres, ranging from Dark Romance to Coming of Age.

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.

Find all of her books and contact info on her website: https://pepperwinters.com/

Fifth a Fury by Pepper Winters

June 20, 2020

She was wrong that it was something at first sight with us. It wasn’t something. It was love. Pure, buckling, brutalising love.

-- Synopsis --

"There was a beginning once. A beginning that started with being sold to a monster I fell for. There was an ending once. An ending that came cloaked in bloodshed and fury."

Eleanor Grace is a simple mortal who has the power to topple a god. She captured his heart, fed him a different future, and fought for a fantasy that wasn’t make-believe but destiny.
Sully Sinclair is a man masquerading as a monster. He let down his shields and allowed a goddess to show him a simpler path. However, neither of them could predict the war that was coming, nor the toll it would take.
A fated romance.
A fight that will finish in tears.

Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50277190-fifth-a-fury



Fourth a Lie by Pepper Winters

June 13, 2020

Right now, love was an idea, a promise, a word. It could be snatched away as quickly as we’d conjured it.

Third a Kiss by Pepper Winters

June 10, 2020

It might not have been instant-love when we’d met, but it had been instant-something. And for the first time, I wanted to fight for that instead of killing it.

Twice a Wish by Pepper Winters

June 09, 2020

I only wanted to kiss Sully.
Not this man.
Not Scott.
Not anyone.
Just Sully.

Once a Myth by Pepper Winters

June 08, 2020

...there was a time for violence and a time for patience. Only a few could balance the righteous heat with cold calculation.

DANCING IN THE DARK by T.L. Martin

July 29, 2019

DANCING IN THE DARK by T.L. Martin
Standalone
Release - August 10, 2018
Genre - NA Dark Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5
Format/Source - ebook copy provided by the author

Add it to Goodreads
Find it here:
Amazon | B & N | Kobo | iBooks

THE LOTUS KEEPER by Leeann Mays

July 05, 2019

The Lotus Keeper by Leeann Mays“I believed he was pulling me into a world of darkness, but I’ve come to realize he was showing me the light—a light that illuminated the most unimaginable evil.”

"The Lotus Keeper" follows the story of Adeline Heed, a sweet and innocent, young woman who is forcefully taken by a dangerous drug cartel leader and pulled into a world in which she never thought existed. As she struggles to break free from her captor, she learns that he isn't the only one holding her back, forcing her to adapt, yield and awake a rawness inside if she's ever going to survive.

Hart, the man responsible for her capture, isn’t at all what she imagined. He’s controlling, observant, and dangerous. He demands obedience, set on breaking her down, shaping her into submission but despite his efforts, he's met his match. The longer Hart holds her captive, the stronger she becomes. She's witty and quick and she's intent on doing what no other has done before—unravel the mysteries behind the green-eyed man.

Will Addy break him before he breaks her?

Deliver by Pam Godwin

April 22, 2019

Deliver series #1
Release: February 27, 2014
Genre: Dark Romance - captive/BDSM
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat: Explicit - 4.5 out of 5
Length: 344 pages
Format: ebook purchased from Amazon

Add to Goodreads
#OneClick on Amazon

Review: Twisted by Natasha Knight

February 06, 2019

Twisted by Natasha Knight
Release: February 19, 2019
Genre: Dark Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat: Explicit
Type: Standalone
Format: eARC provided by Give Me Books PR

My brother was right. I always wanted my own Willow Girl.

What happened on that island didn’t break me.
It twisted me.
Corrupted me.
Made me into a monster.

Although, I guess it’s true what she says. You can’t become something that wasn’t inside you all along.