Phew! Where do I start with this one? It's hard to review without giving too much away. That is the best part of this book...it keeps your stomach utterly tied and twisted for about half of it. You know you are in for a dark, twisted ride if you read the prequel 'With You', which I highly recommend by the way. It adds to the character connection you definitely want to feel for the full effect. So let's go back to the beginning.
Emily is our leading female; spunky, strong-willed but lacking in self esteem. She lost her father at a very young age and her toxic, mentally abusive mother was as good as dead to her. She found a safe haven in the form of two young siblings who also lost their parents. Matt and Kat took Emily in as part of the family, Matt playing the role of the protective big brother and Kat her best friend and partner in crime. They were the perfect team, happy as long as they didn't disobey Matt and have to eat beets for a week.
Emily's life tipped on it's axis the night she met Sculpt, an illegal fighter and lead singer of the rock band, Torn. Emily wanted to learn how to fight to protect herself and Sculpt was the perfect instructor. He was undefeated and pure confidence, everything Eme needed.
What neither of them planned on, was the burning desire that would take them both down in flames.
"Shh, relax mouse. I've been taking you down on the mat for five weeks now...feeling your curves beneath me. I don't play games, Eme. If you feel what I do, then your time is up. I kiss you Emily...and there is no going back. No other guy kisses you, touches you, or gets to taste what's mine. I don't share."
Emily and Sculpt were closer than ever but the pain of knowing they were going to have to say goodbye soon when he went on tour was agonizing. The last show before the band was set to leave would be bittersweet for Eme. What was supposed to be a special night for them both turned quickly into a nightmare. Kidnapped, beaten and starved, Eme was scared and confused. She had no idea where she was or in who's hands her fate now rested in...until she hears one voice.
"When I saw him my heart stopped for a few seconds then started beating erratically. It was him, but nothing in his eyes was the man I knew. He was cold and expressionless as he stared down at me. Not a glimmer of sympathy in his eyes. I recognized nothing of the man I had fallen in love with."
Everything shattered in tiny pieces around her followed by an unyielding anger for his betrayal and her failure to see it. Trapped in hell, a sex slave ring to be degraded and treated like property until her spirit was broken was her worst nightmare, but she clung to the hope that somewhere in there, was the man she knew.
"I'd been beaten, threatened and starved, witnessed horrific abuse and lived each moment in terror. I yearned for some kind of comfort - even if it was from the monster who had lied to me about everything. I had tried so hard to stop feeling anything for this man who shattered my heart."
Now the rest is for you to read. I guarantee you'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll scream in frustration. This pulls at so many emotions and contains darker romance-you've been warned! I'm a fan and can't wait to get my hands on the next one for Kat's story! The supporting cast was just as carefully crafted as Emily and Logan so their stories are bound to be just as gut-clenching.
