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Big Sky
"Big Sky is my favorite Kitty Thomas story. It's taboo, hot, and so memorable, that years later I can still remember my feelings while reading." ~ Aleatha Romig New York Times bestselling author
"I've broken horses. I have never-ending patience with women."
I’d lost my high-powered ad executive job in the city and was deep in debt. I was about to become homeless when a sinfully attractive man offered me a job on his ranch that felt too good to be true.
I turned him down, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Now I’m his captive, a mere servant on his beautiful ranch in the middle of nowhere–for my own good, supposedly.
And of course he wants so much more from me than domestic labor.
NOTE: This is a standalone dark contemporary romance.
Includes New Bonus Epilogue from Luke's POV.
"I've broken horses. I have never-ending patience with women."
I’d lost my high-powered ad executive job in the city and was deep in debt. I was about to become homeless when a sinfully attractive man offered me a job on his ranch that felt too good to be true.
I turned him down, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Now I’m his captive, a mere servant on his beautiful ranch in the middle of nowhere–for my own good, supposedly.
And of course he wants so much more from me than domestic labor.
NOTE: This is a standalone dark contemporary romance.
Includes New Bonus Epilogue from Luke's POV.
190 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
About the author
Kitty Thomas
52 books4,733 followers😈 Author of Comfort Food, published in early 2010: The OG (original gangster/the first) Dark Romance 😈
NEW RELEASE:
🐻 MATING SEASON: A Bear Shifter Captive Romance: 🐻
You're a woman alone in the forest. Would you rather meet a strange man or a bear? What if the bear is a shifter who thinks you're his fated mate?
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9CMVC8J
All Links: https://kittythomas.com/book/mating-s...
"Love a Kitty Thomas story. Her stories are FAST, and resolve quickly, which makes them fun and easy reads. This is no exception. We get a romance, danger, and a happy ending in a book you can read in one sitting.” -Brooke, Goodreads
"So my inner voice was telling me that if I were in Rosalie’s running shoes, I would eyes-to-heaven be thanking the universe and riding hot and sexy Cooper as if my last quarter was permanently stuck in the pony ride.” -Buffyanna, Goodreads
Get a FREE ebook when you subscribe to my newsletter: https://kittythomas.com/free-book/
🔥 COMFORT FOOD, the OG Dark Romance: 🔥
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Food-K...
All Links: https://kittythomas.com/book/comfort-...
🔥 BOOK OF THE WEEK: 🔥
For readers who like to share promotional images on their socials or in groups, you can get those here: https://bookbrush.com/reader-hub/Kitt...
Kitty began publishing in early 2010 with her bestselling, COMFORT FOOD.
Thank you for reading!
Kitty ^.^
NEW RELEASE:
🐻 MATING SEASON: A Bear Shifter Captive Romance: 🐻
You're a woman alone in the forest. Would you rather meet a strange man or a bear? What if the bear is a shifter who thinks you're his fated mate?
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9CMVC8J
All Links: https://kittythomas.com/book/mating-s...
"Love a Kitty Thomas story. Her stories are FAST, and resolve quickly, which makes them fun and easy reads. This is no exception. We get a romance, danger, and a happy ending in a book you can read in one sitting.” -Brooke, Goodreads
"So my inner voice was telling me that if I were in Rosalie’s running shoes, I would eyes-to-heaven be thanking the universe and riding hot and sexy Cooper as if my last quarter was permanently stuck in the pony ride.” -Buffyanna, Goodreads
Get a FREE ebook when you subscribe to my newsletter: https://kittythomas.com/free-book/
🔥 COMFORT FOOD, the OG Dark Romance: 🔥
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Food-K...
All Links: https://kittythomas.com/book/comfort-...
🔥 BOOK OF THE WEEK: 🔥
For readers who like to share promotional images on their socials or in groups, you can get those here: https://bookbrush.com/reader-hub/Kitt...
Kitty began publishing in early 2010 with her bestselling, COMFORT FOOD.
Thank you for reading!
Kitty ^.^
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 404 reviews
October 9, 2012
Which door is the tiger behind?
First a warning – this is Dark erotica with a big old capital D and you should be aware of that before you embark on this one. If issues of dubious consent and all that goes with it are going to be an issue for you, don’t even consider reading it. It is intended for a mature adult audience.
Personally though, I love dark erotica – I love books that push my boundaries, books that shock me and force me to curl my toes in a kind of fascinated disgust and Big Sky most definitely ticked all those boxes. It’s challenging, will make you question long held principles as Kitty Thomas has this magical ability to turn scenes of very dubious consent into something deeply erotic. I have to say that Big Sky and what happens to our heroine is maybe a step too far even for me as a seasoned dark erotica reader and reviewer, but I firmly believe that Kitty Thomas’ wicked intention was to shock and my rating reflects the fact that she most definitely succeeded in that and also because I was completely unable to put this book down – it’s so incredibly compelling.
So, to the story – our heroine is Veronica Cason, a big deal ad executive earning a six figure salary in New York but she’s a complete shopaholic and is struggling under crushing debt. We join her as she is staring out of her apartment window staring up at the sky – just a grey sliver that she can see in the gap between her building and the next. She wishes for a bigger sky and I just wanted to yell at her ‘Be careful what you wish for!’
She meets Luke Granger in a diner when he attempts to hold the door open for her and she is incredibly rude to him. She can’t help her attraction though as he looks a little like the Marlborough Cowboy. Veronica is a hard-assed, ultra feminist and much too stubborn to accept help from anyone. When Veronica loses her job, Luke is on hand to offer her work at his Ranch in Vermont but she turns him down, again. When her financially destructive ways find her homeless, Luke is once again on hand to offer help – she flatly refuses but he decides an intervention is in order and abducts her and takes her to his ranch.
When she gets there, it’s apparent that he intends to keep her barefoot in the kitchen as some kind of sex slave and is to be shared with the ranch hands. Worse, she’s the image of his dead ex-girlfriend and slave, Trish, and he wants her to replace her and assume her role in his life.
Veronica is horrified at first and wants desperately to escape but she realises she has nothing really to fight to get back for. Despite her outrage and indignation at what Luke is doing, her body is betraying her with arousal. She’s always had bad vanilla sex in the past, going out with men with the pathological need of a nymphomaniac to be fucked even though the act brought her no satisfaction – a form of masochism in itself, perhaps.
She’s a warring mass of contradictions – the part of her that hates and mistrusts men is being won over by the part of her wants to surrender, to be owned and dominated as she is now faced with the embodiment of all her sexual fantasies. The wrongness of it all is what is arousing her as half of her wants to rebel while the other half craves the glimmers of kindness that Luke shows her, if she behaves as he wants. She struggles against her mind which wants her to escape as her body instinctively craves to submit and please her Master. His inexplicable pull on her is so strong, the proprietary way he treats her as if she has been brought into the world solely for his use is so arousing to her despite her long-held principles. She soon begins to believe that this is not about imprisonment and misogyny but more about pure and raw animal lust.
Then, of course, Kitty Thomas takes it even further than I think she’s ever taken it before and there a couple of plot lines which I believe will ensure this book will thrive on its notoriety – not things I was entirely comfortable with but it sure didn’t stop me from reading and devouring this book in one sitting! Let’s just say that Luke Granger is no fluffy kitten even though parts of me really did adore him but I do think he is a little unhinged by his grief.
The opportunity for escape does present itself to Veronica and you have to wonder if she has just traded one form of slavery for another. Before she was a wage slave, a life dedicated to the nine to five dressed up as free will – now she has a roof over her head, will never go hungry and has all the sexual pleasure she could ever have hoped for but she is not free. What will she choose?
Once again, Kitty Thomas has found the means to shock even the most jaded erotica reader, I feel and I warn you – I did find this one really SHOCKING but I think this is right up there with Comfort Food for me as a favourite Kitty Thomas.
4 darkly shocking erotic stars
With kind thanks to the lovely Kitty Thomas for a review copy of this book
For more of my reviews, please visit my Sinfully Sexy Book Blog
First a warning – this is Dark erotica with a big old capital D and you should be aware of that before you embark on this one. If issues of dubious consent and all that goes with it are going to be an issue for you, don’t even consider reading it. It is intended for a mature adult audience.
Personally though, I love dark erotica – I love books that push my boundaries, books that shock me and force me to curl my toes in a kind of fascinated disgust and Big Sky most definitely ticked all those boxes. It’s challenging, will make you question long held principles as Kitty Thomas has this magical ability to turn scenes of very dubious consent into something deeply erotic. I have to say that Big Sky and what happens to our heroine is maybe a step too far even for me as a seasoned dark erotica reader and reviewer, but I firmly believe that Kitty Thomas’ wicked intention was to shock and my rating reflects the fact that she most definitely succeeded in that and also because I was completely unable to put this book down – it’s so incredibly compelling.
So, to the story – our heroine is Veronica Cason, a big deal ad executive earning a six figure salary in New York but she’s a complete shopaholic and is struggling under crushing debt. We join her as she is staring out of her apartment window staring up at the sky – just a grey sliver that she can see in the gap between her building and the next. She wishes for a bigger sky and I just wanted to yell at her ‘Be careful what you wish for!’
She meets Luke Granger in a diner when he attempts to hold the door open for her and she is incredibly rude to him. She can’t help her attraction though as he looks a little like the Marlborough Cowboy. Veronica is a hard-assed, ultra feminist and much too stubborn to accept help from anyone. When Veronica loses her job, Luke is on hand to offer her work at his Ranch in Vermont but she turns him down, again. When her financially destructive ways find her homeless, Luke is once again on hand to offer help – she flatly refuses but he decides an intervention is in order and abducts her and takes her to his ranch.
When she gets there, it’s apparent that he intends to keep her barefoot in the kitchen as some kind of sex slave and is to be shared with the ranch hands. Worse, she’s the image of his dead ex-girlfriend and slave, Trish, and he wants her to replace her and assume her role in his life.
Veronica is horrified at first and wants desperately to escape but she realises she has nothing really to fight to get back for. Despite her outrage and indignation at what Luke is doing, her body is betraying her with arousal. She’s always had bad vanilla sex in the past, going out with men with the pathological need of a nymphomaniac to be fucked even though the act brought her no satisfaction – a form of masochism in itself, perhaps.
She’s a warring mass of contradictions – the part of her that hates and mistrusts men is being won over by the part of her wants to surrender, to be owned and dominated as she is now faced with the embodiment of all her sexual fantasies. The wrongness of it all is what is arousing her as half of her wants to rebel while the other half craves the glimmers of kindness that Luke shows her, if she behaves as he wants. She struggles against her mind which wants her to escape as her body instinctively craves to submit and please her Master. His inexplicable pull on her is so strong, the proprietary way he treats her as if she has been brought into the world solely for his use is so arousing to her despite her long-held principles. She soon begins to believe that this is not about imprisonment and misogyny but more about pure and raw animal lust.
Then, of course, Kitty Thomas takes it even further than I think she’s ever taken it before and there a couple of plot lines which I believe will ensure this book will thrive on its notoriety – not things I was entirely comfortable with but it sure didn’t stop me from reading and devouring this book in one sitting! Let’s just say that Luke Granger is no fluffy kitten even though parts of me really did adore him but I do think he is a little unhinged by his grief.
The opportunity for escape does present itself to Veronica and you have to wonder if she has just traded one form of slavery for another. Before she was a wage slave, a life dedicated to the nine to five dressed up as free will – now she has a roof over her head, will never go hungry and has all the sexual pleasure she could ever have hoped for but she is not free. What will she choose?
Once again, Kitty Thomas has found the means to shock even the most jaded erotica reader, I feel and I warn you – I did find this one really SHOCKING but I think this is right up there with Comfort Food for me as a favourite Kitty Thomas.
4 darkly shocking erotic stars
With kind thanks to the lovely Kitty Thomas for a review copy of this book
For more of my reviews, please visit my Sinfully Sexy Book Blog
June 17, 2014
3 stars!
Oddly arousing but disturbing to the nth degree, Big Sky is a boundary-pushing, vomit-inducing, WTF-was-that!!! kind of book. It’s twisted, it’s kinky, and it’s downright filthy.
For someone who’s so independent and haughty, Veronica just can’t stop spending money and has accumulated over $200,000 in debt. And she thinks she's all that...
What a smartie. Anyways, she’s fired from her job, evicted from her apartment and has nowhere to go when all of a sudden, she meets Luke and he offers her work at his ranch but she turns him down. Not one to take no for an answer, Luke kidnaps her and takes her to his ranch to work as a sex slave. It’s there that Ronnie truly learns how depraved and sick Luke is.
Here's a list of things you might want to know about the book:
- Orgies: M/M/M/M/F. Oh and some F/F action. Yum. (Not)
- Kinky BDSM – most are M/F but some involve the ranch hands.
- Breast milk obsession: weird kink but ok, these guys love drinking breast milk.
- Strong animal imagery: calling Ronnie a cow after they drink her breast milk, branding her with the Ranch’s symbol, etc…
What’s worse is that Ronnie is the spitting image of Luke’s dead ex-girlfriend Trish and he kidnapped her so she could replace Trish and take up her role in his life.
I think Kitty Thomas is a strong dark erotica writer and she’s great at shocking the reader; however, I’m finding that I dislike her endings. Similar to Comfort Food, I’m left heavily dissatisfied with Big Sky’s ending – it was rushed, tad bit unrealistic, and didn’t even read like an ending (I thought I was missing a few chapters) but maybe that’s just me.
If you’d like to be shocked and disgusted out of your mind, then give this book a go!
Oddly arousing but disturbing to the nth degree, Big Sky is a boundary-pushing, vomit-inducing, WTF-was-that!!! kind of book. It’s twisted, it’s kinky, and it’s downright filthy.
For someone who’s so independent and haughty, Veronica just can’t stop spending money and has accumulated over $200,000 in debt. And she thinks she's all that...
What a smartie. Anyways, she’s fired from her job, evicted from her apartment and has nowhere to go when all of a sudden, she meets Luke and he offers her work at his ranch but she turns him down. Not one to take no for an answer, Luke kidnaps her and takes her to his ranch to work as a sex slave. It’s there that Ronnie truly learns how depraved and sick Luke is.
Here's a list of things you might want to know about the book:
- Orgies: M/M/M/M/F. Oh and some F/F action. Yum. (Not)
- Kinky BDSM – most are M/F but some involve the ranch hands.
- Breast milk obsession: weird kink but ok, these guys love drinking breast milk.
- Strong animal imagery: calling Ronnie a cow after they drink her breast milk, branding her with the Ranch’s symbol, etc…
What’s worse is that Ronnie is the spitting image of Luke’s dead ex-girlfriend Trish and he kidnapped her so she could replace Trish and take up her role in his life.
I think Kitty Thomas is a strong dark erotica writer and she’s great at shocking the reader; however, I’m finding that I dislike her endings. Similar to Comfort Food, I’m left heavily dissatisfied with Big Sky’s ending – it was rushed, tad bit unrealistic, and didn’t even read like an ending (I thought I was missing a few chapters) but maybe that’s just me.
If you’d like to be shocked and disgusted out of your mind, then give this book a go!
July 16, 2014
How much do I dislike this book? Let me count the ways...
This book actually makes me wonder if Thomas is a misogynist. I think this is the final nail in the coffin as far as reading Thomas's books go. I've read several and while the storytelling was less mindnumbingly dull in others, all of her heroines are such wastes of space that I have zero interest in reading about them.
Overall, this book is a train wreck and a boring one at that.
Recommended to readers who think Wuthering Heights is a romance and think "Every Breath You Take" is a love song.
Favorite quote:
1. The "heroine", Veronica, is so incompetent and disassociated from herself and her surroundings that she inspires nothing but contempt.
2. The "hero", Luke, is equally as mental as Ronnie and disappointingly never managed to snap enough to kill her. Talk about let down.
3. The 70s bodice-ripper attitude of "Please...please...no...no--orgasm". If you can't accept your own desires, you don't deserve good sex.
4. The utterly misguided/moronic understanding of feminism espoused. It's not about behaving a certain way, it's about having the rights and abilities to choose what you want in a society even if that choice is to give up choice for yourself.
5. The sex-- 'cause lets face it, it should be a significant factor in rating this book--was boring. Had to be the most uninteresting gangbang I've read. The non-con elements--boring. Lame D/s.
6. Read the status updates because I pointed out things that I'm not going to reiterate. But I categorize this under "chronically stupid".
This book actually makes me wonder if Thomas is a misogynist. I think this is the final nail in the coffin as far as reading Thomas's books go. I've read several and while the storytelling was less mindnumbingly dull in others, all of her heroines are such wastes of space that I have zero interest in reading about them.
Overall, this book is a train wreck and a boring one at that.
Recommended to readers who think Wuthering Heights is a romance and think "Every Breath You Take" is a love song.
Favorite quote:
"Let the fucker kill her. What difference did it make at this point?" --my sentiments exactly
January 1, 2015
Wow, that was udderly crazy .. .
. . . ..Nuff said. :-)
. . . ..Nuff said. :-)
October 13, 2015
KITTY THOMAS MARATHON!
** 4,5-5 STARS **
“Please what, princess? Please stop? Please keep going? Please treat me like the livestock I am? (...) You’re going to give me milk like a good little animal, aren’t you?”
Holy f*ck. That was disturbing.
I LOVED IT!
January 18, 2024
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Kitty Thomas is one of my autobuy authors but I don't always love her work. BIG SKY is a tough book to rate because there were some things about it that I liked but it also has some really out-there kinks that I wasn't into and wasn't warned about, and the hero is kind of a jerk (and not in the usual morally black, "you are mine or else" way).
The book actually has a similar format to a Hallmark movie, hilariously enough. Veronica is a big city girl with a six figure job but she's being evicted from her home due to a mountain of credit card debt. At a diner, she sees this hot 6'5" cowboy who ends up offering a suspicious job at his "ranch" and Ronnie obviously says how about no, creep.
Mr. Cowboy thinks no is like Santa Claus: it doesn't exist. Not for him.
Spoiler: Ronnie ends up kidnapped and taken to the ranch anyway.
***WARNING: SPOILERS TO FOLLOW***
I have no problem with captivity romances when done well, which this one does, and Thomas is excellent at plunging into the psychology of the characters. But this book goes so much further than I was prepared for in a dark romance. It's basically like tradwife meets hucow. The heroine has to wear sundresses and be submissive to the hero in all ways, BUT he also brands her on her ass like his cows and then injects her with hormones so she lactates, and he and all his ranchers feed on her every morning and also there's a milking machine that, you know, doubles as a sex device.
Even that wasn't *too* much of a shock since I actually read a couple other hucow books for a dare, but the hero doesn't really seem all that into Ronnie. He's still in love with his ex-wife. He uses his ex-wife to guilt Ronnie into performing these humiliating acts "because his wife would have done it." Even by the end of the book, it doesn't really feel like a true HEA. That was really disappointing to me because in books like THE GAME MAKER and THE MONSTER KEEPS ME SAFE, which I loved, I bought those happy endings, even though they were fucked up. Because in those books, the hero did things for his woman that were exceptions he wouldn't grant anyone else. I so did not get that vibe here.
This was an interesting story and not a badly written one but it kind of left me feeling disappointed and sad.
2 to 2.5 stars
March 26, 2014
4 mindfucking stars
Ronnie once had it all, the perfect job and home, but her need for useless things brought her perfect little world crashing down. Now jobless, homeless and utterly alone, she is taken against her will to a place where the sky is big and blue, and a man who makes all the rules.
What can she do, run & scream? and where will she go, she has nothing...at least with him she has a roof over her head and food on the table, even if it means going against every single belief she has. When you have nothing else to live for, to fight for, what would you do???
Luke is a broken man, who lost the love of his life, but finding Ronnie has given him a second chance to make it all right, to live the life that he was supposed to live, happy and free. How do you know what you feel is real when you don’t even know what you want or need; when the rules you used to play by no longer pertain … is it all a lie or are you just making your self believe that everything is ok???
Big Sky was a darker read, full of mind fucks and some kinky ass shit, but I liked it, no surprise there… The story has a lot of triggers that may make most uncomfortable, their brand of kink isn’t for everyone, but it was theirs, it’s what made the story unique. In a twisted way, I understood why she did what she did, to me the author was convincing enough, that there was no other choice but to submit, making everything seem alright. The scenes are not overly erotic, this story was more about fucking your mind, than the actual act.
Just give in. Whatever he wants. Just do it.
Ronnie once had it all, the perfect job and home, but her need for useless things brought her perfect little world crashing down. Now jobless, homeless and utterly alone, she is taken against her will to a place where the sky is big and blue, and a man who makes all the rules.
No family. No friends. No one to miss her.
What can she do, run & scream? and where will she go, she has nothing...at least with him she has a roof over her head and food on the table, even if it means going against every single belief she has. When you have nothing else to live for, to fight for, what would you do???
“I want everything, Ronnie. Not just your body. I want your soul, your every thought and desire. I want it all. By the time I’m finished, you’ll give it to me.”
Luke is a broken man, who lost the love of his life, but finding Ronnie has given him a second chance to make it all right, to live the life that he was supposed to live, happy and free. How do you know what you feel is real when you don’t even know what you want or need; when the rules you used to play by no longer pertain … is it all a lie or are you just making your self believe that everything is ok???
Big Sky was a darker read, full of mind fucks and some kinky ass shit, but I liked it, no surprise there… The story has a lot of triggers that may make most uncomfortable, their brand of kink isn’t for everyone, but it was theirs, it’s what made the story unique. In a twisted way, I understood why she did what she did, to me the author was convincing enough, that there was no other choice but to submit, making everything seem alright. The scenes are not overly erotic, this story was more about fucking your mind, than the actual act.
December 18, 2020
Kitty Thomas is a hit or miss author for me. I enjoyed Guilty Pleasures and Comfort Food so much I keep coming back for more.
This wasn't a hit, but it wasn't a miss for me either.
It was okay.
The mmc, Luke, creeped me the hell out. I'm okay with mmc's previously having spouses...but how Trish was constantly brought up made this book go into creepy-weird territory for me. I'm ok with creepy, but I'd rather a Kitty Thomas book feel dark and twisted to me vs. creepy-weird.
I had problems suspending disbelief with all the ranch hands, dead wife biz, and kidnapping exploits.
I'm ok reading about taboo kinks, but how the erotic scenes were written came across as a bit dull and lackluster to me? The last two books I've read that explored kinks like this were Trent Evans books that dipped fully into TPE and then after reading Owned and Owner by Anneke Jacob...the bar is high. I don't know it's like I read a different book than all my friends who five starred this. So many people have recc'd this book to me; I was expecting something truly twisted and ended up with a slightly boring creepy weird book.
When it comes to dark erotica/bdsm kink I'm learning I do prefer the old school authors: Annabel Joseph, Anneke Jacob, Claire Thompson, Trent Evans, CP Mandara and Kitty Thomas. Besides having a large backlog of quality books, the authors that were writing from 2010s to 2015 have marketing that is classier than the newer authors coming into dark romance. There are less ploys/author shenanigans. I can just read a good book if I go to any of these authors. My intelligence doesn't feel insulted by OTT marketing schemes. I can call myself a fan without feeling like I'm joining a cult. So, Kitty Thomas is still a go-to author for me. I plan on reading Tender Mercies & A Mafia Captive next. Then I seriously need to read more Annabel Joseph.
This wasn't a hit, but it wasn't a miss for me either.
It was okay.
The mmc, Luke, creeped me the hell out. I'm okay with mmc's previously having spouses...but how Trish was constantly brought up made this book go into creepy-weird territory for me. I'm ok with creepy, but I'd rather a Kitty Thomas book feel dark and twisted to me vs. creepy-weird.
I had problems suspending disbelief with all the ranch hands, dead wife biz, and kidnapping exploits.
I'm ok reading about taboo kinks, but how the erotic scenes were written came across as a bit dull and lackluster to me? The last two books I've read that explored kinks like this were Trent Evans books that dipped fully into TPE and then after reading Owned and Owner by Anneke Jacob...the bar is high. I don't know it's like I read a different book than all my friends who five starred this. So many people have recc'd this book to me; I was expecting something truly twisted and ended up with a slightly boring creepy weird book.
When it comes to dark erotica/bdsm kink I'm learning I do prefer the old school authors: Annabel Joseph, Anneke Jacob, Claire Thompson, Trent Evans, CP Mandara and Kitty Thomas. Besides having a large backlog of quality books, the authors that were writing from 2010s to 2015 have marketing that is classier than the newer authors coming into dark romance. There are less ploys/author shenanigans. I can just read a good book if I go to any of these authors. My intelligence doesn't feel insulted by OTT marketing schemes. I can call myself a fan without feeling like I'm joining a cult. So, Kitty Thomas is still a go-to author for me. I plan on reading Tender Mercies & A Mafia Captive next. Then I seriously need to read more Annabel Joseph.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2013
I’m kind of at a loss for words.
Did I hate it? Yup.
Did I love it? Yup.
So this will work for now until I can figure it all out.
In a few short moments of reading:
Now this is getting interesting!
Whoop! Here we go!!
Hmmm, where is this going?
OK. So, WHAT is this guy's damage!?!?
A little over half way thru ! I was like umm, say what now?
Oh then I went to full blown:
But quickly went to a stronger reaction of : Aw Hell No!
The End:
Did I hate it? Yup.
Did I love it? Yup.
So this will work for now until I can figure it all out.
In a few short moments of reading:
Now this is getting interesting!
Whoop! Here we go!!
Hmmm, where is this going?
OK. So, WHAT is this guy's damage!?!?
A little over half way thru ! I was like umm, say what now?
Oh then I went to full blown:
But quickly went to a stronger reaction of : Aw Hell No!
The End:
August 16, 2023
Big Sky has always had a special place in my heart. Every time i read it,it made me ache,it made me cry,but most of all,it made me feel.
For Veronica,but somehow for Luke as well.
Now,with the re-release,Kitty has added an epilogue where we get Luke’s POV.
It confirms what i’ve always thought about him.
Does it justify his actions? No.
Does it make me feel better about him?
It makes him human,and it does give me hope he’s going to do better in the future….
Veronica is slowly crumbling under the pressure.
Work,appearances,money.....until it all falls apart.
Just before she loses her job,she has a collision with a stranger.
He thinks he’s polite by holding the door open,she scoffs at the gesture.
After she loses her job,they meet again.
He offers her a job at his ranch,but she doesn’t trust strangers.
She just doesn’t get a choice at refusing......
Forcefully taken,she tries to fight him every step of the way.
But Luke isn’t fazed by her attempts at changing his mind,and instead goes ahead with his plan to make her see she’s his.
He doesn’t give her any choice,but to surrender to his will.
And to that of his ranch hands.....whenever he wants her to.
It soon becomes clear though,why he’s taken her.
She looks so much like his late wife,reminds him so much of her....
And he’s forcing her into that mold,making her like things she never thought she could.
Pushing her further and further down the rabbithole,until she can’t see any way out.
Except looking up at the big sky.....
Seeing Veronica’s struggles to first find a way to escape,and later find a way to obey,to surrender without completely losing herself......it was a painful journey.
But it also showed how strong she really is.
What she was willing to do to survive.
And not all of it was bad….even if she thought so at first.
By allowing Luke to do what he did,she also allowed herself to acknowledge she did have a darker side….even if it wasn’t as dark as he wanted it to be….
Luke…that man is difficult to understand.
Sure,he hurts….but to go thís far to ease his pain?
To do all those things to Veronica?
Was it justified? No.
Was it fair to her? No.
But did he harm her beyond repair? Also no.
Did he break her spirit? Nearly….
He changed her,thát’s for sure!
But did she change something in him,too??
For Veronica,but somehow for Luke as well.
Now,with the re-release,Kitty has added an epilogue where we get Luke’s POV.
It confirms what i’ve always thought about him.
Does it justify his actions? No.
Does it make me feel better about him?
It makes him human,and it does give me hope he’s going to do better in the future….
Veronica is slowly crumbling under the pressure.
Work,appearances,money.....until it all falls apart.
Just before she loses her job,she has a collision with a stranger.
He thinks he’s polite by holding the door open,she scoffs at the gesture.
After she loses her job,they meet again.
He offers her a job at his ranch,but she doesn’t trust strangers.
She just doesn’t get a choice at refusing......
Forcefully taken,she tries to fight him every step of the way.
But Luke isn’t fazed by her attempts at changing his mind,and instead goes ahead with his plan to make her see she’s his.
He doesn’t give her any choice,but to surrender to his will.
And to that of his ranch hands.....whenever he wants her to.
It soon becomes clear though,why he’s taken her.
She looks so much like his late wife,reminds him so much of her....
And he’s forcing her into that mold,making her like things she never thought she could.
Pushing her further and further down the rabbithole,until she can’t see any way out.
Except looking up at the big sky.....
Seeing Veronica’s struggles to first find a way to escape,and later find a way to obey,to surrender without completely losing herself......it was a painful journey.
But it also showed how strong she really is.
What she was willing to do to survive.
And not all of it was bad….even if she thought so at first.
By allowing Luke to do what he did,she also allowed herself to acknowledge she did have a darker side….even if it wasn’t as dark as he wanted it to be….
Luke…that man is difficult to understand.
Sure,he hurts….but to go thís far to ease his pain?
To do all those things to Veronica?
Was it justified? No.
Was it fair to her? No.
But did he harm her beyond repair? Also no.
Did he break her spirit? Nearly….
He changed her,thát’s for sure!
But did she change something in him,too??
January 26, 2020
I imagine Luke's tagline to be "FLORIDA MAN...."
Such a complex character, I can't help but FEEL for him! He does this awful thing- kidnapping a woman who was practically homeless- he knows its wrong by HER definition. HE FEELS and he cares. He wasn't a cruel lover to her (imo), but my goodness he sure did know how to push her limits.
I LOVE RONNIE. The girl is making a six figure salary, drives herself in debt and she can't even afford a shrink, even WITH co-pay.
Also, if you really want Manolo Blahniks you need to put it on your dad's credit card and tell him its a gift for your mom. DUH!
I can see why all my GR friends are in love with this author, I think I love her too. The writing is so beautiful, I love everything about it. To the characters, the scenes, her mentioning the fucking sky and the fucking dialogues. HELLO SO GOOD.
The ending isn't a "HEA" exactly. I think it is because from the opening scene, Veronica talks about how she wants to see the sky, out there in the ranch she sees it. Gets lost in it. She gets the thing she wanted from the very beginning. Also, I never realized how the word "Moon" is so beautiful in every language. I guess what I am trying to say is wait for me, I will be finding this ranch.
Such a complex character, I can't help but FEEL for him! He does this awful thing- kidnapping a woman who was practically homeless- he knows its wrong by HER definition. HE FEELS and he cares. He wasn't a cruel lover to her (imo), but my goodness he sure did know how to push her limits.
I LOVE RONNIE. The girl is making a six figure salary, drives herself in debt and she can't even afford a shrink, even WITH co-pay.
Also, if you really want Manolo Blahniks you need to put it on your dad's credit card and tell him its a gift for your mom. DUH!
I can see why all my GR friends are in love with this author, I think I love her too. The writing is so beautiful, I love everything about it. To the characters, the scenes, her mentioning the fucking sky and the fucking dialogues. HELLO SO GOOD.
The ending isn't a "HEA" exactly. I think it is because from the opening scene, Veronica talks about how she wants to see the sky, out there in the ranch she sees it. Gets lost in it. She gets the thing she wanted from the very beginning. Also, I never realized how the word "Moon" is so beautiful in every language. I guess what I am trying to say is wait for me, I will be finding this ranch.
September 20, 2013
When I need a break from reality, I can always count on Kitty Thomas to give it to me! This wasn't as dark as some of her books--which is neither good or bad. I love her writing, and how she can totally capture me in her world. If you like erotic with a hint of dark...I recommend all of her books!
January 25, 2013
Veronica aka Ronnie is an advertising executive who is shallow, spiteful, insecure and beyond vain. Honestly, other than her looks, she's a worthless excuse of a human. She earns a wage of 6 figures yet she's in hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and she's homeless. How is this possible? This is obviously a woman who wasn't spanked as a child and has absolutely no impulse control. I can't stand people like this; I want to smack them upside the head - repeatedly.
She hits rock bottom and what happens? A handsome, 6'5" cowboy SAVES HER! How does this happen? Why is she so lucky? Well, Ronnie doesn't think she is lucky. Destitute and homeless, Luke finds her and basically kidnaps her. This non-con story just takes off! Thank goodness, because the first couple of chapters reading about Ronnie was painful to say the least. It was cruising at a 1 star for me. Even though it was well written, the character was just so disgusting for me. Her hatred of men which seems to stem from some "Daddy abandonment issues" *rolls eyes* was too much for me. Her self sabotage was unpalatable for me - what a wasted space.
Back to the good stuff! Luke save Ronnie only because of her looks. She resembles someone he knew before and wants again. The entire story of it is so sad. It makes me want to cry. Yes, Luke does a bad thing, but good golly he's so hot. I melt just thinking about it. And, this is a good question on if the ends justifies the means. In this case, I'd say yes.
The branding in this story was unexpected and totally turned me on. Actually, everything kinky in this dark erotica turned me on. I'm not a waterplay fan for myself, but reading about Luke doing it to Ronnie was so good. Personally, I think Luke needs to exert more corporal punishment for Ronnie. Ronnie definitely flourishes and becomes a better person under Luke's care. She's literally been given a new life. And she's still not exactly grateful for it.
What really caught me off guard was the cow play which ended up as milking/lactation fetish. I love this one. It was so hot. The added humiliation and with another woman too was so bloody hawt! I do love how Ms. Thomas writes her BDSM fantasies. The progression of Ronnie as she slowly submits to Luke is a lovely journey. Ronnie becomes someone I can now stand and even at times feel pity. The ending of this story is rather bittersweet. I'm not sure if it is a happily for now or completely an unhappy ending. I can see it both ways. I will say, it is a perfect ending and I enjoyed it. I also wish there will be follow up scenes with Ronnie further humiliated, used and abused. Because Ms. Thomas does these so well and in a manner that just always arouses me. Love it! This dark erotica is recommended from bdsm readers who enjoy the fantasy and particularly the darker ones with hot lesser know fetishes.
She hits rock bottom and what happens? A handsome, 6'5" cowboy SAVES HER! How does this happen? Why is she so lucky? Well, Ronnie doesn't think she is lucky. Destitute and homeless, Luke finds her and basically kidnaps her. This non-con story just takes off! Thank goodness, because the first couple of chapters reading about Ronnie was painful to say the least. It was cruising at a 1 star for me. Even though it was well written, the character was just so disgusting for me. Her hatred of men which seems to stem from some "Daddy abandonment issues" *rolls eyes* was too much for me. Her self sabotage was unpalatable for me - what a wasted space.
Back to the good stuff! Luke save Ronnie only because of her looks. She resembles someone he knew before and wants again. The entire story of it is so sad. It makes me want to cry. Yes, Luke does a bad thing, but good golly he's so hot. I melt just thinking about it. And, this is a good question on if the ends justifies the means. In this case, I'd say yes.
The branding in this story was unexpected and totally turned me on. Actually, everything kinky in this dark erotica turned me on. I'm not a waterplay fan for myself, but reading about Luke doing it to Ronnie was so good. Personally, I think Luke needs to exert more corporal punishment for Ronnie. Ronnie definitely flourishes and becomes a better person under Luke's care. She's literally been given a new life. And she's still not exactly grateful for it.
What really caught me off guard was the cow play which ended up as milking/lactation fetish. I love this one. It was so hot. The added humiliation and with another woman too was so bloody hawt! I do love how Ms. Thomas writes her BDSM fantasies. The progression of Ronnie as she slowly submits to Luke is a lovely journey. Ronnie becomes someone I can now stand and even at times feel pity. The ending of this story is rather bittersweet. I'm not sure if it is a happily for now or completely an unhappy ending. I can see it both ways. I will say, it is a perfect ending and I enjoyed it. I also wish there will be follow up scenes with Ronnie further humiliated, used and abused. Because Ms. Thomas does these so well and in a manner that just always arouses me. Love it! This dark erotica is recommended from bdsm readers who enjoy the fantasy and particularly the darker ones with hot lesser know fetishes.
March 7, 2013
2.5 rounded up.
Well, son of a .... What a let down.
I love this author. She's not afraid of writing really messed up stuff and allowing the dark side to come out on top, but this just left me with a knot in my gut and a heavy heart.
It started out wonderfully dark and creeptastic. Guy kidnaps the heroine (I hated her so it was ok ;D) and makes her his sex slave. There was lots of crazy BDSM type scenarios, the H being all crazy and controlling, freaking the h out, and her coping while being terribly turned on. Of course it's just as well (wink wink nudge nudge), because the h's life was going into the tank, he save her from living under a bridge, and now she's satisfied sexually for the first time in her life.
Some stuff was more weird and harder to take than others. He's not above sharing. (I thought it was strange, but I got used to it.) And come to find out, he only kidnapped her because she was a doppelganger for his dead girlfriend.
The worst was the milk thing. That was just...ugh...not hot. It made me think about men and sheep (or in this case, cows), which is not something you want to be thinking about when you're reading a psychological thriller/dark erotica. And then there was that ending that left me feeling like crap, and not in the fun angsty way either.
I can't recommend this one, not even based on the WTFery. There was that, but it wasn't fun. Don't get me wrong, the first 75% to 80% was a blast, but then came the milking machine and then that ending...just...no. Like I was saying, Thomas's stuff (the ones I've read before this one) have always thrilled me because they delve deep into the dark side of the human psyche, and things don't always end cookie cutter. In fact, the bad guys win. This is no different, but it just feels more desolate or something.
Too freaking bad, too. I just loved Comfort Food and was hoping for a repeat. But, alas.
Well, son of a .... What a let down.
I love this author. She's not afraid of writing really messed up stuff and allowing the dark side to come out on top, but this just left me with a knot in my gut and a heavy heart.
It started out wonderfully dark and creeptastic. Guy kidnaps the heroine (I hated her so it was ok ;D) and makes her his sex slave. There was lots of crazy BDSM type scenarios, the H being all crazy and controlling, freaking the h out, and her coping while being terribly turned on. Of course it's just as well (wink wink nudge nudge), because the h's life was going into the tank, he save her from living under a bridge, and now she's satisfied sexually for the first time in her life.
Some stuff was more weird and harder to take than others. He's not above sharing. (I thought it was strange, but I got used to it.) And come to find out, he only kidnapped her because she was a doppelganger for his dead girlfriend.
The worst was the milk thing. That was just...ugh...not hot. It made me think about men and sheep (or in this case, cows), which is not something you want to be thinking about when you're reading a psychological thriller/dark erotica. And then there was that ending that left me feeling like crap, and not in the fun angsty way either.
I can't recommend this one, not even based on the WTFery. There was that, but it wasn't fun. Don't get me wrong, the first 75% to 80% was a blast, but then came the milking machine and then that ending...just...no. Like I was saying, Thomas's stuff (the ones I've read before this one) have always thrilled me because they delve deep into the dark side of the human psyche, and things don't always end cookie cutter. In fact, the bad guys win. This is no different, but it just feels more desolate or something.
Too freaking bad, too. I just loved Comfort Food and was hoping for a repeat. But, alas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2024
Is this a romance? I'm not sure it is, and that ending.... my word I can't remember the last time I felt that sad at how a story finished. Yet I loved the story, I devoured it in the same way Luke and the guys devour Ronnie's milk. I gulped it down greedily and quite simply couldn't get enough.
I'll be honest, I read spoilers for this book and you know what? I'm glad I did. Forewarned is forearmed and all that jazz (and jizz). I knew this wasn't going to be a 'traditional' happy ever after ending, and as I've already said it did feel sad. But it was that happy sad that only truly brilliant writing can elicit in you. Was Ronnie a victim of Stockholm Syndrome? Did it matter? At the end of the day, and the book, she might not have had everything her heart desired, but she was happier than she had ever been in her 'before Luke' life.
Was Luke crazy? I'm still on the fence with that one. Grief can make people do the strangest things. If Ronnie had hated the kink would he have pushed her the way he did? Who knows, that wasn't the story that was written, and it's fiction at the end of the day (even if it didn't really feel that way when I was reading it.) There were times I wanted to hit the man, his actions were frequently indefensible, yet if Ronnie loved them were they truly wrong? And there we have just why I love this author's writing. She takes such wrong storylines and weaves them into something that has you questioning your own morals and sanity.
I even questioned Ronnie's sanity on several occasions, yet even as one half of my mind yelled at her to resist, to fight, to refuse, the other half pointed out that she was a girl with severely limited options.
To truly enjoy the story you do have to allow some flexibility on 'reality'. Whilst I totally bought that looney Luke might take a vulnerable woman who reminded him of his , the complicity of the 3 ranch hands seemed to be pushing it slightly. But then they all had a 'reward' in keeping schtum and had helped Luke keep other secrets that could get them all in trouble, so in the end I found that I could let it pass.
The book involves the sharing of Ronnie and hucow kink, if either of those is a hard limit for you then you will need to take a pass on this one. However Kitty Thomas knows how to write kink, even dark and depraved dub-con kink, in a smoking hot, can only read one-handed😉 manner, so if you're on the fence get down and get kinky! Oh and yes, I do recommend this one.
I'll be honest, I read spoilers for this book and you know what? I'm glad I did. Forewarned is forearmed and all that jazz (and jizz). I knew this wasn't going to be a 'traditional' happy ever after ending, and as I've already said it did feel sad. But it was that happy sad that only truly brilliant writing can elicit in you. Was Ronnie a victim of Stockholm Syndrome? Did it matter? At the end of the day, and the book, she might not have had everything her heart desired, but she was happier than she had ever been in her 'before Luke' life.
Was Luke crazy? I'm still on the fence with that one. Grief can make people do the strangest things. If Ronnie had hated the kink would he have pushed her the way he did? Who knows, that wasn't the story that was written, and it's fiction at the end of the day (even if it didn't really feel that way when I was reading it.) There were times I wanted to hit the man, his actions were frequently indefensible, yet if Ronnie loved them were they truly wrong? And there we have just why I love this author's writing. She takes such wrong storylines and weaves them into something that has you questioning your own morals and sanity.
I even questioned Ronnie's sanity on several occasions, yet even as one half of my mind yelled at her to resist, to fight, to refuse, the other half pointed out that she was a girl with severely limited options.
To truly enjoy the story you do have to allow some flexibility on 'reality'. Whilst I totally bought that looney Luke might take a vulnerable woman who reminded him of his , the complicity of the 3 ranch hands seemed to be pushing it slightly. But then they all had a 'reward' in keeping schtum and had helped Luke keep other secrets that could get them all in trouble, so in the end I found that I could let it pass.
The book involves the sharing of Ronnie and hucow kink, if either of those is a hard limit for you then you will need to take a pass on this one. However Kitty Thomas knows how to write kink, even dark and depraved dub-con kink, in a smoking hot, can only read one-handed😉 manner, so if you're on the fence get down and get kinky! Oh and yes, I do recommend this one.
April 26, 2013
Big problems with this book for me. This is the third Kitty Thomas book I have read; actually, I tried reading Comfort Food and then Guilty Pleasures and could not finish either one. I did finish this one because "I read it like I was mad at it", shout out to Bad Teacher. I HATED, HATED, HATED this book. The main characters were cold, self-centered, nasty and mean. Veronica was a "drab" as my mother would say and Luke was a sadistic pig. NOTHING redeeming about either one. The supporting characters were idiots and in all truth flat out rapists. Some of the situations were so ludicrous and sickening I cannot believe anyone can find this erotic.
The Author tries to assign heavy emotional baggage to her "heroes" and to have her "heroines" (I use these terms loosely) capitulate to them via extreme psychological manipulations that border on psychotic. The author thinks she is writing outside the box and tries to explain it away as human nature and sexual need at our most basic level; however, it all comes across as flat, banal and desperate. There is no hint of sexiness or eroticism. It was all just so cold. No warmth or love at all. This will be the last attempt at Kitty Thomas. Some readers really get her, I do not.
The Author tries to assign heavy emotional baggage to her "heroes" and to have her "heroines" (I use these terms loosely) capitulate to them via extreme psychological manipulations that border on psychotic. The author thinks she is writing outside the box and tries to explain it away as human nature and sexual need at our most basic level; however, it all comes across as flat, banal and desperate. There is no hint of sexiness or eroticism. It was all just so cold. No warmth or love at all. This will be the last attempt at Kitty Thomas. Some readers really get her, I do not.
May 28, 2013
Here goes!!
Dark and Twisted
Meet Veronica... She has an attitude, she's rude and she likes to spend money.. on her credit cards. She has a good job, a home. But the debt is Spilling out of control to such an extent she not only loses her job but in the end her home as well.
She also hasn't any real time for men.
Enters Luke... tanned and rugged, he has been watching her. On his first meeting with her she is rude but that doesn't put him off. He follows her, he watches her..
When Veronica eventually becomes homeless Luke makes her an offer.
He asks her to work for him on his ranch.
All pretty normal!!
Hell no... crazy is about to start
This was dark and twisted but the story kept you on the edge not quite sure what was happening next.
This was one crazy story.. but I liked it...
Dark and Twisted
Meet Veronica... She has an attitude, she's rude and she likes to spend money.. on her credit cards. She has a good job, a home. But the debt is Spilling out of control to such an extent she not only loses her job but in the end her home as well.
She also hasn't any real time for men.
Enters Luke... tanned and rugged, he has been watching her. On his first meeting with her she is rude but that doesn't put him off. He follows her, he watches her..
When Veronica eventually becomes homeless Luke makes her an offer.
He asks her to work for him on his ranch.
All pretty normal!!
Hell no... crazy is about to start
This was dark and twisted but the story kept you on the edge not quite sure what was happening next.
This was one crazy story.. but I liked it...
October 5, 2012
This story is dark, no doubt about it. There is no HEA with this one and given the complexity of the characters and the situation I really did not want one. I liked how Veronica changed within herself and really felt for her situation as the story went on. I also had surprising empathy for Luke even though he does some srsly screwed up things, but he does them in the grip of overwhelming despair so in a sense I really understood his motivations. I left this one with a very unsettled feeling about the future for both of the main characters but I also felt that there was no good resolution for either them in their relationship without them changing into unrecognizable people and that wouldn't have worked in the context of the story.
Be warned, there are scenes in this book that are not for the faint of heart and there is a real and ever sense of danger for the heroine throughout the book. If you like dark psychological exploration and can handle the humiliations, give this one a read - just don't expect or be shocked when true love doesn't conquer all and life still has to be faced in all its stark reality.
Be warned, there are scenes in this book that are not for the faint of heart and there is a real and ever sense of danger for the heroine throughout the book. If you like dark psychological exploration and can handle the humiliations, give this one a read - just don't expect or be shocked when true love doesn't conquer all and life still has to be faced in all its stark reality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2012
The beginning of Big Sky hooked me from the first page. It begins lighter than Kitty Thomas' usual novels. Knowing Kitty's writing, I was prepared for it to turn into something dark and twisted and I wasn't disappointed.
I realize that from the beginning it wasn't hearts and flowers, but I'm a bit jaded. Even as Ronnie was abducted by the Cowboy from Vermont, I had a shit-eating grin on my face. I chuckled a few times and even I wanted to smack Ronnie. But who I'd actually be smacking is myself. Ronnie and I share a few attributes- feminism being one of them. I'm not a man-hating feminist, but after how my teenage years and my early adulthood played-out, I have a few triggers to contend with. So Luke and I agreed on a few things that we wanted to do to Ronnie (myself).
Now Luke was awesome in a creepy kind of way for a large part of the book. Now the above mentioned triggers of mine reared their ugly head and I winced as I read. I wanted to stop reading, but didn't allow myself the comfort. There is a reason I read Dark Erotica. It's the same reason I write Dark Erotica- self-therapy. Every word resonates to my soul bringing emotions screaming from its depths- emotions I've buried deeply. My numbness thaws as I read and feelings erupt in its absence. This aliveness lasts for a while and then I seek my next fix- either I read another story that evokes feeling or I write my own.
There is a reason Kitty Thomas is one of my favorite authors, sometimes she puts my feelings into words that I have no name for. She writes my thoughts better than I can, and as a writer saying that about another writer, that is a huge compliment. I am honored that she wanted me to review this book for her.
I will not go in-depth on the actual storyline as I do not want to ruin the reading experience. I will say that this novel is largely psychological and thought provoking. As with all of her novels, the story never truly leaves your thoughts and it's long lasting.
I'm writing this review at 80% read... My thoughts at this point of the novel. I wanted to capture them before they fled or changed upon the completion of the novel. I'll be back...
...Finished...
Psychological, as I stated before, doesn't cover it. It is all a progression. Ronnie, the feminist, would have baulked at the things Veronica, Trish's ghost, did. I read these novels because when it is over I feel ME. I am happy to be me. I have similarities to Ronnie and I've fallen down the rabbit-hole of allowing your power to be taken away by someone undeserving as Veronica is now doing. I know about the pretty lies you tell yourself to make it alright and when the lies don't work you simple pull into yourself and pretend it's normal. I know about how now's normal is what the past you would find disturbing. I understand that normal for one person isn't normal for the next.
***Warning***
This type of book isn't for everyone. The majority would enjoy the first half while laughing off the uncomfortableness of the abduction. They would try to reason it into a romantic entanglement between two broken people. They would believe that Veronica would heal Luke. Life doesn't work like that- you heal yourself; no one does it for you. That is romanticized BS. If you have no issue with raw, brutal reality or if you aren't squeamish about humiliation then go ahead and read Big Sky. If you find it not to your liking, don't forget, I warned you...
I realize that from the beginning it wasn't hearts and flowers, but I'm a bit jaded. Even as Ronnie was abducted by the Cowboy from Vermont, I had a shit-eating grin on my face. I chuckled a few times and even I wanted to smack Ronnie. But who I'd actually be smacking is myself. Ronnie and I share a few attributes- feminism being one of them. I'm not a man-hating feminist, but after how my teenage years and my early adulthood played-out, I have a few triggers to contend with. So Luke and I agreed on a few things that we wanted to do to Ronnie (myself).
Now Luke was awesome in a creepy kind of way for a large part of the book. Now the above mentioned triggers of mine reared their ugly head and I winced as I read. I wanted to stop reading, but didn't allow myself the comfort. There is a reason I read Dark Erotica. It's the same reason I write Dark Erotica- self-therapy. Every word resonates to my soul bringing emotions screaming from its depths- emotions I've buried deeply. My numbness thaws as I read and feelings erupt in its absence. This aliveness lasts for a while and then I seek my next fix- either I read another story that evokes feeling or I write my own.
There is a reason Kitty Thomas is one of my favorite authors, sometimes she puts my feelings into words that I have no name for. She writes my thoughts better than I can, and as a writer saying that about another writer, that is a huge compliment. I am honored that she wanted me to review this book for her.
I will not go in-depth on the actual storyline as I do not want to ruin the reading experience. I will say that this novel is largely psychological and thought provoking. As with all of her novels, the story never truly leaves your thoughts and it's long lasting.
I'm writing this review at 80% read... My thoughts at this point of the novel. I wanted to capture them before they fled or changed upon the completion of the novel. I'll be back...
...Finished...
Psychological, as I stated before, doesn't cover it. It is all a progression. Ronnie, the feminist, would have baulked at the things Veronica, Trish's ghost, did. I read these novels because when it is over I feel ME. I am happy to be me. I have similarities to Ronnie and I've fallen down the rabbit-hole of allowing your power to be taken away by someone undeserving as Veronica is now doing. I know about the pretty lies you tell yourself to make it alright and when the lies don't work you simple pull into yourself and pretend it's normal. I know about how now's normal is what the past you would find disturbing. I understand that normal for one person isn't normal for the next.
***Warning***
This type of book isn't for everyone. The majority would enjoy the first half while laughing off the uncomfortableness of the abduction. They would try to reason it into a romantic entanglement between two broken people. They would believe that Veronica would heal Luke. Life doesn't work like that- you heal yourself; no one does it for you. That is romanticized BS. If you have no issue with raw, brutal reality or if you aren't squeamish about humiliation then go ahead and read Big Sky. If you find it not to your liking, don't forget, I warned you...
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August 22, 2023
You're invited to my BIG SKY wrap party to celebrate the end of release week! There will be games and prizes!
DATE AND TIME: Wednesday August 23rd (tomorrow), from 6pm to 7pm Eastern Time (if you can't make it live, posts and giveaways will remain open for entry and participation until Saturday.
WHERE? My Ream Subscription (note it is FREE to come to the party, all you have to do is click "follow" on this page): https://reamstories.com/page/lec8nhxuju
The party is for the follow tier AND the paid subscribers!
Hope to see you there! 🩷
BIG SKY is now LIVE for only $2.99 for a limited time!
This is my darkest and filthiest title! If you haven't read this one yet, you're missing out!! If you HAVE read it, there is a new epilogue at the end from Luke's POV which you will LOVE!
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Sky-Kitty-...
All Links: https://kittythomas.com/book/big-sky/
“Big Sky is my favorite Kitty Thomas story. It’s taboo, hot, and so memorable, that years later I can still remember my feelings while reading.” ~ Aleatha Romig New York Times bestselling author
“I’ve broken horses. I have never-ending patience with women.”
I’d lost my high-powered ad executive job in the city and was deep in debt. I was about to become homeless when a sinfully attractive man offered me a job on his ranch that felt too good to be true.
I turned him down, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Now I’m his captive, a mere servant on his beautiful ranch in the middle of nowhere–for my own good, supposedly.
And of course he wants so much more from me than domestic labor.
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Kitty ^.^
November 10, 2015
*** 5+++ FREAKISH STARS!!!! ***
Yeah, bizarre, quite disturbing and oddly arousing enough to be one of my favorite one-handed read. *I already re-read this 3 times* #DontJudgeMe #FuckingHangover
THIS BOOK is really pulling me into the dark twisted side. Of course, in the beginning it was still a light read, hardly enjoyable with slow paced.
This book is the most 'flawless' with amount of dirty and kinky fuckery. #SuspendAllDisbelief
Veronica aka Ronnie was almost homeless woman with no future. She mess up her perfect life with debt and jobless. Luke is came out from nowhere offer her a job in his ranch. The perfect Marlboro guy has been stalked and kidnap her. He give her food, shelter, clothes but no shoes. Luke want to possessed her because she's reminds him of Trish, his death girl. He forced her into submission until the day she will say yes to him.
Looks like it wasn't a bluffing or random talk. Luke really inject her with hormones every freaking day.
"Give me one week, Ronnie. One week without resistance, doing anything I ask without question or begging or name calling and yelling. One week without fighting me. You might surprised by how kind I can be, but my favor must be earned."
Yeah, bizarre, quite disturbing and oddly arousing enough to be one of my favorite one-handed read. *I already re-read this 3 times* #DontJudgeMe #FuckingHangover
THIS BOOK is really pulling me into the dark twisted side. Of course, in the beginning it was still a light read, hardly enjoyable with slow paced.
This book is the most 'flawless' with amount of dirty and kinky fuckery. #SuspendAllDisbelief
Veronica aka Ronnie was almost homeless woman with no future. She mess up her perfect life with debt and jobless. Luke is came out from nowhere offer her a job in his ranch. The perfect Marlboro guy has been stalked and kidnap her. He give her food, shelter, clothes but no shoes. Luke want to possessed her because she's reminds him of Trish, his death girl. He forced her into submission until the day she will say yes to him.
"Princess, you're in my castle now. You'll do what I say when I say. Pleading and begging isn't going to save you. All I want to do is look at you. Is that so bad?"Yeah, so far Luke only give her simple chores around the ranch. Cooking, feeding the animal, cleaning, etc. Luke has loyal friends as his ranch hands and strangely handsome enough. Days after days, Luke push her out of boundary and her 'feminist' thinking.
"Your indignant behavior over the slightest perceived gender inequality makes it almost certain that inequality is what you masturbate to at night."Ah yes, she did that. Because he's aroused her so much.
He'd been intent on building a new Trish since he'd seen Veronica in the diner, and she'd fallen right into it. The part of her that wanted to fight and them him and hate him and everything else with a dick had been beaten down by the carnal part that wanted to surrender.She was always fight him. No matter what. She didn't want to be a domestic slave for Luke but she also didn't want to end up as homeless woman. Now, Veronica is in the state of disoriented with everything happened to her even with the most disturbing act.
She wanted him. She wanted to live out every filthy fantasy she'd ever had with him, but she couldn't get past he fact that she hadn't come here freely.Until the day Luke decide to have a little party with Veronica and his ranch hands.
"We should milk her," he said.
Looks like it wasn't a bluffing or random talk. Luke really inject her with hormones every freaking day.
"When your body starts doing what it's supposed to do, we'll milk your every day. You'll start to get aroused every time your breast get heavy with milk. You'll beg me to do it to you like a good little milk maid."He train her every day to be his... Yeah, with all that filthy sensation around him. She 'broke' her soul to accept all of this. Couldn't blame her, though.
"Feeding the men like this made her feel a touch less human—more a thing or animal and less a person. It should have distressed her more, but it was too easy to get lost in the pleasurable sensations, in someone else's satisfaction and happiness. "The premise of the story is... MADNESS HOLY-F-SIN. Kitty Thomas write this differently than her others book I had read. Like a slap, Big Sky is an imagery of life beyond common sense. Open-minded, they said. I think that's what happened to Veronica and her kinky life with Luke. GAH!!! The ending. Even it's not 'happy' enough but quite hanged because I wanna know how Luke's attitude towards her since he change all Trish's stuff. Of course, I wanna know more their freakish lifestyle in the future!! :))
August 26, 2019
Well, I was curious, but OMG, I don't even have words on this one. What in the fresh fuck?!
Don't y'all judge me... (Who am I kidding, I'm judging myself!)
Let me begin by saying that Kitty Thomas is one of my OG FAVE dark romance authors. Comfort Food and Guilty Pleasures are two of the absolute HOTTEST books I have ever read. She has a way of luring the reader out of their comfort zone with dark, questionable situations that are wrong AF but you like them, and you're not sure why. At least for me.
I've read some kinky books in my day, don't get me wrong. Daddy kink, pony play... there's nothing that I shy away from and I have no hard limits because I've found that if it's written well, I can "go there" with just about any topic. Until this one, apparently. When I read the blurb, I thought it would be like some reverse pony play book like Pony which was a kinky topic done VERY well that I really ended up enjoying. This book, however.....just, no. I can't go there. This might be a kink (I had no fucking clue it was, if it is), but I just can't go there, no matter how hard I tried.
The writing was strong, as always. I just couldn't get on board with the hero's motives and what this story was ultimately all about.
Because I love this author, I kind of stuck with it and began skimming to see what the resolution was. Had it been that this was something they were going to get through in order to grow together, I maybe could've gotten through it? Maybe? But yeah, no.
Warning, MAJOR spoilers ahead: It's one of those totally unresolved endings (kinda like the one in Comfort Food actually) that just piss you off because, what was the fucking point of all this really? He's still not over his ex. She didn't grow, or move on, or find love. Just had a few orgasms. And now she has this totally obvious, permanent, and hard-to-explain brand on her ass.
I don't know. Still scratching my head and wanting to scrub my brain of what I exposed it to here. Feeling disturbed and in need of a shower or 10.
Don't y'all judge me... (Who am I kidding, I'm judging myself!)
Let me begin by saying that Kitty Thomas is one of my OG FAVE dark romance authors. Comfort Food and Guilty Pleasures are two of the absolute HOTTEST books I have ever read. She has a way of luring the reader out of their comfort zone with dark, questionable situations that are wrong AF but you like them, and you're not sure why. At least for me.
I've read some kinky books in my day, don't get me wrong. Daddy kink, pony play... there's nothing that I shy away from and I have no hard limits because I've found that if it's written well, I can "go there" with just about any topic. Until this one, apparently. When I read the blurb, I thought it would be like some reverse pony play book like Pony which was a kinky topic done VERY well that I really ended up enjoying. This book, however.....just, no. I can't go there. This might be a kink (I had no fucking clue it was, if it is), but I just can't go there, no matter how hard I tried.
The writing was strong, as always. I just couldn't get on board with the hero's motives and what this story was ultimately all about.
Because I love this author, I kind of stuck with it and began skimming to see what the resolution was. Had it been that this was something they were going to get through in order to grow together, I maybe could've gotten through it? Maybe? But yeah, no.
Warning, MAJOR spoilers ahead: It's one of those totally unresolved endings (kinda like the one in Comfort Food actually) that just piss you off because, what was the fucking point of all this really? He's still not over his ex. She didn't grow, or move on, or find love. Just had a few orgasms. And now she has this totally obvious, permanent, and hard-to-explain brand on her ass.
I don't know. Still scratching my head and wanting to scrub my brain of what I exposed it to here. Feeling disturbed and in need of a shower or 10.
October 14, 2012
This is a pretty quick read, but is really dark, as are all Kitty Thomas's books. I knew a little about this book because she blogged about it a couple of times. I don't consider this review to have spoilers because Kitty has blogged and tweeted about this issue a lot, but if you want to go into this story without knowing anything, then stop reading now.
**possible spoiler, but author blogged about this part of the book**
In this book, Luke kidnaps Ronnie while she is extremely down on her luck. He takes her back to his ranch and turns her into his homemaker and eventually into his sex slave for him and his ranch hands. It goes even further to give her hormones so that she start lactating. He and his farmhands proceed to milk her. It is a little weird to me, but people drink human milk all the time. I know people that have tried drinking "straight from the tap" after their wives give birth. I've never heard of taking hormones for this purpose, but to each his own.
The part that kind of got to me, was the Luke was trying to use Ronnie to replace his ex-wife. He even calls Ronnie by his ex-wife's name. That creeped me out the most. Very serial killer. Ronnie already looks like her. He then makes her wear the same clothes, no shoes, etc.
I really enjoyed this book, but it is not for everyone. It is extremely dark and includes some non-consensual kidnapping, and what amounts to rape. If you've read any of this author before and liked it, you will like this too. If you haven't read this author, just know that the stuff is really dark and will play with your mind.
**possible spoiler, but author blogged about this part of the book**
In this book, Luke kidnaps Ronnie while she is extremely down on her luck. He takes her back to his ranch and turns her into his homemaker and eventually into his sex slave for him and his ranch hands. It goes even further to give her hormones so that she start lactating. He and his farmhands proceed to milk her. It is a little weird to me, but people drink human milk all the time. I know people that have tried drinking "straight from the tap" after their wives give birth. I've never heard of taking hormones for this purpose, but to each his own.
The part that kind of got to me, was the Luke was trying to use Ronnie to replace his ex-wife. He even calls Ronnie by his ex-wife's name. That creeped me out the most. Very serial killer. Ronnie already looks like her. He then makes her wear the same clothes, no shoes, etc.
I really enjoyed this book, but it is not for everyone. It is extremely dark and includes some non-consensual kidnapping, and what amounts to rape. If you've read any of this author before and liked it, you will like this too. If you haven't read this author, just know that the stuff is really dark and will play with your mind.
April 3, 2015
Well, this book was amazing..how sick am I...I loved it!!!, at the same time I feel so sad. This book unfortunately for me has a sad ending. I just wish that Veronica could be loved for who she has become.
Luke finds Veronica struggling with increasing debt. The worry causes her to loose her job, and her credit cards spiral down and down. She looses her apartment and everything. She has no family or friends, so after offering her help, he decides to sort her out, by taking her and keeping her captive. It turns out she's the double of his dead girlfriend. He slowly turns her into the girlfriend, who it turns out was one very kinky lady. Veronica wasn't, but is soon persuaded. She's branded and drugged, turned into a human cow. She endures it all, and slowly falls in love with Luke. Trouble is, by the end, you think he starts to see her as Veronica, but you get a clue from her perspective...I so hope Veronica is wrong again, but I have a feeling she's not.
What a sad way to live, but at least she's alive and relatively happy.
Luke finds Veronica struggling with increasing debt. The worry causes her to loose her job, and her credit cards spiral down and down. She looses her apartment and everything. She has no family or friends, so after offering her help, he decides to sort her out, by taking her and keeping her captive. It turns out she's the double of his dead girlfriend. He slowly turns her into the girlfriend, who it turns out was one very kinky lady. Veronica wasn't, but is soon persuaded. She's branded and drugged, turned into a human cow. She endures it all, and slowly falls in love with Luke. Trouble is, by the end, you think he starts to see her as Veronica, but you get a clue from her perspective...I so hope Veronica is wrong again, but I have a feeling she's not.
What a sad way to live, but at least she's alive and relatively happy.
January 5, 2015
Uh-oh, how do I say this.
It's pretty nasty, I think. LOL. At first it was just normal dark read book, kidnapping, force to do this and that. Things like that. But then... He shared and going to share his woman? To his ranch hands?
There's something wrong with Luke (and all his friends, Freida including!), or I may say his (death) wife. Because she's the one who get off being shared and being watched. So then, he thinks it's fine to do the same thing to Veronica a.k.a Ronnie, because his wife loved it after all.
BUT THEN, those man decided to inject her with some milk hormone?!!
This was pretty shocking read. And oddly I enjoyed it :|
It's pretty nasty, I think. LOL. At first it was just normal dark read book, kidnapping, force to do this and that. Things like that. But then... He shared and going to share his woman? To his ranch hands?
There's something wrong with Luke (and all his friends, Freida including!), or I may say his (death) wife. Because she's the one who get off being shared and being watched. So then, he thinks it's fine to do the same thing to Veronica a.k.a Ronnie, because his wife loved it after all.
BUT THEN, those man decided to inject her with some milk hormone?!!
This was pretty shocking read. And oddly I enjoyed it :|
October 11, 2012
I read in another review that this book rivals her debut, Comfort Food, and I have to agree. In terms of mindfuckery (which is what we come to Kitty for, right?) this one is up there with CF, both being above her other books. It's also relevant that her two most "fucked up" books are the least romantic. So if you're looking for romanticism... eh, not really gonna find it here.
Still, it was a great ride. As for "the fetish", , I wasn't sure what to expect, but Kitty Thomas did not let me down! Oh Lord, that pun was not intended, but I'm leaving it. Anyway, she handled it in a very intelligent, very sexy way. It's not my kink, but I still got off on it. Maybe that was because it was also heavy on the humiliation aspect, which is definitely my thing.
Still, it was a great ride. As for "the fetish", , I wasn't sure what to expect, but Kitty Thomas did not let me down! Oh Lord, that pun was not intended, but I'm leaving it. Anyway, she handled it in a very intelligent, very sexy way. It's not my kink, but I still got off on it. Maybe that was because it was also heavy on the humiliation aspect, which is definitely my thing.
October 17, 2012
Weirdest shit I've *EVER* read. As soon as I finished this I felt the urge to read the Bible or something..... Purify myself. Or boil my eyeballs. Holy Shite.
February 8, 2017
More reviews at Li'l Kit’s Reviews.
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Overall rating: 4.0
I really enjoy Kitty Thomas's books and her descriptions of all the wonderfully twisted events throughout this book really did seem to tell a story that I could picture in my head. This story really grew on me. It wasn't a book that I probably would have chosen to read on my own, but was picked for me in a challenge. And I'm really glad it was!
Writing: ★★★★
Story: ★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Overall rating: 4.0
****Holy (Hu)COW, Cowboy!****Veronica "Ronnie" has a good life... on the outside. She's an advertising executive with a 6 figure salary, living in a beautiful penthouse. But her love of spending soon causes a downward spiral into debt, falling from a penthouse with a view to a small dingy apartment with the view of a brick wall, to living on the streets, and no job.
Luke, a rich ranch owner, watches her though this downward spiral, and feels it's his job to "save" her. By "save her" I mean he kidnaps her and takes her home to his ranch, and enslaves her. It's how she has to pay for this "kindness" that makes this story.
"Give me one week, Ronnie. One week without resistance, doing anything I ask without question or begging or name calling and yelling. One week without fighting me. You might be surprised by how kind I can be, but my favor must be earned."
Luke is obsessed with his past love, Trish, and poor Ronnie is Trish's doppelganger. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, it puts Ronnie right in line to be Luke's next obsession. Arriving at the Ranch Ronnie finds that she is to cook, clean, take care of the outside animals... and give Luke anything he wants. Oh and let's not forget the ranch hands, Robert, Jake, and Will... and Will's wife, Frieda, who Luke decides that Ronnie will pleasure whenever he decides also.
"You will be her. Or else. You'll make me forget you aren't her. I'm not going back to before I found you. You will love me and obey me and submit to me, and you'll do it with that look of adoration Trish used to give me or I'll never stop making you regret wearing her face."
Ronnie fights the first few days, until she's branded, strapped to a St. Andrew's Cross, and nearly drowned by Luke, followed by Ronnie's near acceptance of it all. I felt at this point things moved REALLY too fast! She went from being taken against her will to craving him bangin' her like a screen door in a hurricane within a few days.
However, things did finally move on, and the whole Hucow/lactation fetish plot line turned out to be pretty hot! I *totally* didn't expect it! And *throwing up my freak flag* I totally enjoyed it!
I really enjoy Kitty Thomas's books and her descriptions of all the wonderfully twisted events throughout this book really did seem to tell a story that I could picture in my head. This story really grew on me. It wasn't a book that I probably would have chosen to read on my own, but was picked for me in a challenge. And I'm really glad it was!
Read
January 1, 2022I can’t rate this or it would be 1 star. I’m not sure it deserves that even though the kink was extra icky to me…that’s not why I hated this.
The h is a ringer for the H’s dead lover. I could live with that if he ever moved on. He doesn’t and there’s no hope at the end he ever will.
I hated the ending. The h is nearly suicidal over his lack of love and she doesn’t even realize it. I think at one point she would end her life if their emotional relationship continued as is.
H has a friend color and cut the h’s hair…followed by this ending…
——
A tear slid down her cheek, but Luke didn’t see it. He seemed preoccupied with pretending he wasn’t crazy—as if he could allow her to be a separate person from his tragic love. But the gestures: the hair, the boots... they meant nothing. When he’d looked at her, after Freida was finished... it hadn’t been with the same intensity as before. There had been a note of disappointment that had registered in his eyes for a moment before quickly flitting away.
No, Veronica saw clearly. Soon her roots would grow out, and Luke would let them. She’d be back to the way she’d looked before, as if today had never happened. She’d traded one slavery for another, one lie for another, no more in control of her destiny than before—no matter how much hedonistic pleasure this version brought her. The irony of it all was that she could have been the gold standard, but now she’d stand in the shadow of a ghost, forever clawing for the love and approval that had so easily been given to the other woman.
She blinked back the tears before they could overwhelm her. If he couldn’t love her, this had to be enough. The pleasure. The clean air and peace. The freedom from her debt. As she looked up, bright blue with dots of cotton candy clouds filled her vision. In the end, the sky was the only thing that was real.
The h is a ringer for the H’s dead lover. I could live with that if he ever moved on. He doesn’t and there’s no hope at the end he ever will.
I hated the ending. The h is nearly suicidal over his lack of love and she doesn’t even realize it. I think at one point she would end her life if their emotional relationship continued as is.
H has a friend color and cut the h’s hair…followed by this ending…
——
A tear slid down her cheek, but Luke didn’t see it. He seemed preoccupied with pretending he wasn’t crazy—as if he could allow her to be a separate person from his tragic love. But the gestures: the hair, the boots... they meant nothing. When he’d looked at her, after Freida was finished... it hadn’t been with the same intensity as before. There had been a note of disappointment that had registered in his eyes for a moment before quickly flitting away.
No, Veronica saw clearly. Soon her roots would grow out, and Luke would let them. She’d be back to the way she’d looked before, as if today had never happened. She’d traded one slavery for another, one lie for another, no more in control of her destiny than before—no matter how much hedonistic pleasure this version brought her. The irony of it all was that she could have been the gold standard, but now she’d stand in the shadow of a ghost, forever clawing for the love and approval that had so easily been given to the other woman.
She blinked back the tears before they could overwhelm her. If he couldn’t love her, this had to be enough. The pleasure. The clean air and peace. The freedom from her debt. As she looked up, bright blue with dots of cotton candy clouds filled her vision. In the end, the sky was the only thing that was real.
October 4, 2012
PLEASE NOTE BEFORE READING REVIEW: KITTY THOMAS WRITES VERY DARK, LITERARY EROTICA WITH OFTEN DISTURBING THEMES. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN READING THIS REVIEW AND DECIDING IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ.
As usual, Kitty Thomas has created another story that had me glued to my Kindle. The characters are compelling, interesting, and keep you wondering what they're going to do. I can't read her work without wanting to know what happens in the end, even if it's not usually a traditional "happy ending".
Having said that, this was a difficult read. I know of course going into one of her novels that they are always dark, disturbing, and ALWAYS challenge the reader psychologically, i.e. what you thought was your comfort level.
Kitty's characters are always deeply flawed, damaged, and not always admirable people. Big Sky is no exception. It's a credit to Ms. Thomas' ability as an author and storyteller that she finds a way to make us connect, relate, and sometimes even like and "root for" the main characters. Except not this time. At least for me. I really wanted to "like" the male main character, Luke Granger, to relate to his reasons for doing what he does to to the female main character, Veronica, even if I don't condone or agree with it, but it just never happened.
SPOILER ALERT BELOW:
Luke never "redeems" himself or does enough to in the whole novel and the small token things he does in the very end just didn't cut it. I understand that he's not going to become a great guy and this is not a romance. Maybe what I was looking for was for him to feel remorse for what he did or at least "see" and acknowledge what he did to Veronica. He remained despicable, completely mentally unhinged, and wholly unlikeable. I can feel a little sorry for him, but the appalling way he treated Veronica doesn't even make up for that at all. Because of this, his hired ranch hands in turn behave like animals in their abuse of Veronica. And even Veronica herself is not the most sympathetic of characters, but you can't help but feel the utter defeat and hopelessness of her situation. Abandoned by her parents, no other family, no friends, no money, no home, outnumbered and physically powerless to get away, she adapts and transforms to please these horrible men in order to survive. The end of the book just left me feeling sad.
As usual, Kitty Thomas has created another story that had me glued to my Kindle. The characters are compelling, interesting, and keep you wondering what they're going to do. I can't read her work without wanting to know what happens in the end, even if it's not usually a traditional "happy ending".
Having said that, this was a difficult read. I know of course going into one of her novels that they are always dark, disturbing, and ALWAYS challenge the reader psychologically, i.e. what you thought was your comfort level.
Kitty's characters are always deeply flawed, damaged, and not always admirable people. Big Sky is no exception. It's a credit to Ms. Thomas' ability as an author and storyteller that she finds a way to make us connect, relate, and sometimes even like and "root for" the main characters. Except not this time. At least for me. I really wanted to "like" the male main character, Luke Granger, to relate to his reasons for doing what he does to to the female main character, Veronica, even if I don't condone or agree with it, but it just never happened.
SPOILER ALERT BELOW:
Luke never "redeems" himself or does enough to in the whole novel and the small token things he does in the very end just didn't cut it. I understand that he's not going to become a great guy and this is not a romance. Maybe what I was looking for was for him to feel remorse for what he did or at least "see" and acknowledge what he did to Veronica. He remained despicable, completely mentally unhinged, and wholly unlikeable. I can feel a little sorry for him, but the appalling way he treated Veronica doesn't even make up for that at all. Because of this, his hired ranch hands in turn behave like animals in their abuse of Veronica. And even Veronica herself is not the most sympathetic of characters, but you can't help but feel the utter defeat and hopelessness of her situation. Abandoned by her parents, no other family, no friends, no money, no home, outnumbered and physically powerless to get away, she adapts and transforms to please these horrible men in order to survive. The end of the book just left me feeling sad.
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