During a recent Saturday afternoon, I was held captive reading this book by a new author for me. It was d[image]
The Blurred Line between Love and Hate
During a recent Saturday afternoon, I was held captive reading this book by a new author for me. It was doubly pleasurable because it was a shared experience of a buddy read with the Hotties from Some Like It Hot Discussion Group. The story gripped my heart through my chest and I was wrung out after the read. It put me in a very contemplative state about a few things and I was amazed at the ideas that presented themselves to me. Let me first say it is not a perfect book…yet I gave it 5 stars. I have a few reasons for my high praise. The first is the largeness of the emotions. This writer creates high drama beyond angst…much like the authors of the romantic period of old. The Bronte sisters are good examples. Some reads sound like they have a contemporary pop soundtrack. This read had for me a soundtrack from composers of the romantic era with their lush, swelling crescendo and full-bodied harmonies expressing the depth of sorrow and the tension of the plot points...like the music written by Hector Berlioz, Fryderyck Chopin, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi to name some. Few authors write with this level of reader captivation. Anything that was less than perfect from here can be easily fixed by an editor. “Our story was made out of broken bones, built on a splintered spine; the pages stained with blood and words cursed with devastation. We were battle worn. And perhaps… if we had met in another lifetime, our story would have been different. Less grief and more tenderness. Perhaps in another lifetime… We would have been just Killian and Julianna–without a past to hold us back.” Another idea that kept bouncing around in my psyche was how the heroine of our story was so damaged with a visible limp, a scarred face and a seizure disorder, yet by the end of the novel she was celebrated for her beauty and sex appeal still with her scars, limp and seizures. Yes, our heroine had issues but her appearance was truly not one that was dwelled upon. I was fascinated with my reaction to the heroine. Thinking that she would get plastic surgery or transform somehow into a beauty. Deep in my core, I realize what a wretched perfectionist I am. The hate dynamic between Julianna and Killian was excruciating, painful…horrible even. The hate sex was phenomenal. (The Hotties as a whole wanted more…but that’s the Hotties...more
The three book series finishes with an exciting climax in this last book offering unexpected and surprising resolutions to the tension created by the The three book series finishes with an exciting climax in this last book offering unexpected and surprising resolutions to the tension created by the plot line and character arcs. I liked this and it shows the imagination and skill of the author. There is some good underlying thematic suggestion in the direction of this story...I wish I had the time to do this series review justice!!! BOLO for it while you read though the book, if you like to see this sort of thing in your reads. The entire read is dripping in sexy which I love... and yes, serious themes can be found in sex soaked words. On any level this is pure fiery delight!
And.... Jace the male protagonist becomes even more enigmatic, swoonworthy, and oh so kissable in this second book of the series!!! It only takes a siAnd.... Jace the male protagonist becomes even more enigmatic, swoonworthy, and oh so kissable in this second book of the series!!! It only takes a single one...kiss...that is for Bethany to fall under his Dominant spell. (She stole his kiss first!) I also appreciated the forthright and courageous female protagonist. Bethany is a relatable character to journey along with as the she navigates grief, desire, suspicion, and a bewildering underworld subculture along with Jace's peculiar erotic exorcisms and ministrations to help her cope with her sorrow. She needs answers. He is trying to keep her safe while providing the closure she desperately needs. Did I mention this is a beautiful love story too!...more
“You’re a walking gift of pain, Gilbert Clark.” “And you’re the ultimate gift of redemption, Olin Moss.”
I recently read Pepper “Love painted in pain.”
“You’re a walking gift of pain, Gilbert Clark.” “And you’re the ultimate gift of redemption, Olin Moss.”
I recently read Pepper Winters blog and basically, she said that really did not like this duet which she wrote. I was baffled a bit by her statements regarding her own work. While she may feel this way, I personally am here to tell you that I truly loved this duet! I love the ideas, complexity, the eroticism and the struggle that the heroine and hero went through as a result of the choices they made while being victims of the evil, cruel and careless villains in their world.
Certainly, the hero Gibert Clark started out as a dark anti-hero and his character progressed almost to the point of repulsive. His slow redemption came from his first one true forever love, Olin, with her noble and loving heart, viewed by some readers as weak. Yet, she proved to be a warrior, advocate and healer. She is a survivor that always held on to the bright side of life with hope, despite life-changing setbacks, traumas and tragedies.
Ms. Winters writing is always simply beautiful and this story was inventive, suspenseful while laying bare the suffering of the naive being coerced and manipulated, a decent and loving man being tortured and blackmailed,Gilbert Clark, and a young women whose parents have all but abandoned her, Olin Moss. She had to suffer the destruction of a her dreams by her body being broken in a life-altering accident. She also suffered the loss of her one true love inexplicably not once but twice. The last time was unspeakably traumatic.
Somehow, no matter how twisted and dark the tale, there are pops of color and light that explode in erotic scenes whether tender or rough or in revealing the core or development of her characters. Ms Winters, I am in awe of your talent for beautiful words and soul deep ideas. You take us to dark places and lead us back to the light..even back to ourselves.
I realize the Pepper Winters has set the bar extremely high for her writing. I have read most of what she has published and I have never been disappointed. Her insight into human nature both dark and light is ever present in your characters. Eventually she takes the reader to a profound and sublime place after dragging our hearts through devastation.
Thank you for writing this, Ms. Winters. It is a triumph and comfort especially for those who have ever been manipulated into false choices by being vulnerable to the evil doers in this world. I highly recommend any reader of complicated, darker romance that stings at first to read this beautiful duet....more
I'm just a "sucker" for cyborgs! This story is twice as nice with twin cyborgs who are madly in love with a feisty beautiful blue alien. I wish I coulI'm just a "sucker" for cyborgs! This story is twice as nice with twin cyborgs who are madly in love with a feisty beautiful blue alien. I wish I could write more than this mini-review. It was an enjoyable read in a reasonably-well described alien milue. I was invested in the story and the characters were engaging. Nice balance of heat and sweet! Just a little too much use of the word "fraxing" for my tastes but then again what do I know?...more
A reasonably well set up adventure in a dark depraved and twisted world. A fearless but terribly naive heroine who captures the attention of a viciousA reasonably well set up adventure in a dark depraved and twisted world. A fearless but terribly naive heroine who captures the attention of a vicious and deadly sexy hero. It is an exciting erotic twisty tale of dark romance....more
Holy Moly...friends, this a dirty, bloody, twisted tale of everything abhorrent brutal and some serious psycho-sexual hell but what a love story...I lHoly Moly...friends, this a dirty, bloody, twisted tale of everything abhorrent brutal and some serious psycho-sexual hell but what a love story...I loved it!!! Excuse me I need to go to my psychiatrist now... ...more
Talk about evil...it's also hot erotic and eventually romantic...review to come.Talk about evil...it's also hot erotic and eventually romantic...review to come....more
...I truly enjoyed this romp with an engaging, (exaggerated a bit) confident good hearted "stipper" heroine. She wasn't irritating...actually likeable...I truly enjoyed this romp with an engaging, (exaggerated a bit) confident good hearted "stipper" heroine. She wasn't irritating...actually likeable. The hero was reluctant, principled, quiet, but wow could he f......k!!!! Uhm....*Pardon me*...more
Talk about whiplash! I feel as if I was just thrown back about 50 feet with the abrupt ending in the denouement of this wildly inventive anHoly Moly!
Talk about whiplash! I feel as if I was just thrown back about 50 feet with the abrupt ending in the denouement of this wildly inventive and intense story of trauma, abuse, and manipulation. Initially, I thought I recognized the shape of this story. I was prepared for an intimate perspective of a rebellious wife in a plural marriage. I imagined the result of her rebellion and looked forward to reading about the ultimate liberation of the first person narrator, who is the middle wife awakening from her complete and total devotion to, infatuation of, and fog of lust for her husband. I was repulsed yet intrigued with this character revealing her complete loss of personal definition of self beyond her identity as a woman sharing intimacy with a man who needed more than one woman to devote most of herself, if not all of herself, to him. While listening to her character develop through the early plot points, she became for me less and less of a reliable narrator and this is when the real fun begins. From this point forward my head was spinning in a dizzy of the psychological pathologies I thought I glimpsed in every character of this twisted tale of "gaslighting "and manipulation. Only to find that my guess was half right or entirely wrong. Readers...this one is heart breaking, but instructive. This woman gains invaluable insight into her self as she unravels this careful construct of her personae rooted in her "love" for her husband and complete disabusement of an authentic personhood rooted in her own unique and separate self. When traumatized enough, isolated enough, damaged enough, we all are susceptible to manipulation by a grifter, sheister, cult-leader, fraudster, public figure (uh...hum) or cold-hearted lothrio. So much so, there is a dissociation from the reality of anything existing outside the perimeter or anything that may be threatening to the construct shaped by the manipulator in the psyche of their intended target In other words, a "cognitive dissonance". Okay here it comes...I wonder if there is a current observable phenomenon in our society that served as a bit of inspiration for the idea that one can surrender their identity and immerse themselves so completely in the fictitious, false and completely self-serving version of events and reality created by a predator posing as a good person or lover... in the public provenance, they are often referred to as...charlatans. How does someone break free from this prison of the heart where the mind follows and dear Lord...what happens after? This is the "juicy part" and sheer brilliance of the read. Oh but that last part...for who I know myself to be... I am ashamed to say I enjoyed it a little too much. Perhaps it is the effect of the times we live in or the frustrations of this day that let my inner demons out to play. I was vastly entertained, yet, duly forewarned. How brilliant!...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and it is not even a genre to which I am normally drawn. Being open to reading anything and everythin[image]
Courage
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and it is not even a genre to which I am normally drawn. Being open to reading anything and everything when given a bit of nudge can yield some wonderful surprises in life. This is a writer’s debut effort of not simply an independently published book, which is an out-of-this-world story sprinkled with eroticism; but, the creation of another world with its own unique history, customs, a manner of speaking, goals and aims, even deities and creeds, saga that progresses through a series of books, seven of them, by my count.
The writer starts you off with an outline of the society in the world you are about to enter. Before each action chapter is writing from ancient texts which flesh out the picture as you read through the story. There is also a comprehensive reference at the end of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this new world in a new imaginary place formed from the experience of our own universe. Similar but entirely different. The characters, for the most part, are endowed with human emotions, fears, and advanced intelligence. Therefore, they become more and more relatable as you read through the book.
Not to forget that there is plenty of hot, hot…inventively hot...sex between the Hero, Lucius and the heroine, Lillian. What? We know what makes this world go ‘round and apparently it makes the “Twelve Systems” hum…this and ambition, greed, power. Although, it is not all bad. Despite the fact they have an almost religious class-based system, there is the “American” ideal that if you work hard enough and smart enough you can achieve a great deal of wealth and power. Also, cleverly, Ms. Manetti has included an alternative to the dogma of classes and the warrior code.
This “warrior code” has determined that Lillian must forsake her former elevated status as a warrior and become a bond slave to one of the most powerful warriors, Lucius Mercio. She is suffering this misfortune not because of any wrongdoing on her part but because of the “sins of her father”. Yet, Lillian will always be a warrior at heart. It is endearing to see how carefully, almost painfully she follows the new rules of the system she has been placed.
Lucius is written as the enigmatic (I really tried to resist this alliteration 😂) luscious Alpha male. We often hear his thoughts but usually after we are surprised by the interaction between Lillian and him. A nice effect.
While this is a series, this first book was a complete episode unto itself well written in the third person while the reader hears the thoughts of both Lillian and Lucius…although we mostly hear from Lillian's POV. There is even a gem of wisdom that I tucked into my mental pocket, and this has to do with the courage to humble oneself in service to their loved ones and/or the greater good.
You see Lillian had a choice when it was determined she and her sister were disgraced by their father’s misdeeds. She could have accepted painless suicide or become a bond slave with no status and derided by society for this “fall from grace”.
“‘It is hard to go from giving orders to taking them, from having servants to doing for oneself. It is beyond difficult to yield control of one’s will to another, to have small transgressions carry severe penalties. It is humiliating to be treated as nothing by those who once honored one. It is unpleasant to be viewed as a coward. In the end, the reward is commoner status and the opportunity to improve one’s circumstances.’ It is not difficult to comprehend why many would choose not to face such a trial and why they pretend that they have chosen the more courageous path.’” – Lillian
Lillian chose her path because of her love for her little sister with hopes of keeping her safe, picking up the pieces of their former life and moving onto a better future. This takes real courage. There is a beauty in this courage that is an example for us all.
I look forward to the development of the Lucius/Lillian (Master/slave) dynamic unfolding and more examples of Lillian's brilliance and inner light and goodness vanquishing the darker competing forces against her and her allies as the saga continues.
My wholehearted thank you to E.G. Manetti for the book. This was a phenomenal May Book of the Month, BOTM read with the dynamic discussion group on Goodreads, “Some Like it Hot!”
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