Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I hated this book. I'm sorry, but there's no other way to put it. I think the author tried to do some mimicking of Christian Grey through her character, Xavier, but unlike Christian Grey, Xavier had no redeeming qualities. Not a one. I didn't like him when he was first introduced into the story and I didn't like him in the end. He took sadism to a whole new level and I did not enjoy watching this unfold. Okay, I've established that I didn't like Xavier and that he is a sadist in the worst way. I despised him while he starved and locked Melanie in a dog kennel for a few days. He was trying to get her to eat from his hand while she knelt on a pillow beside his chair. WTF? That sent me over the edge. We aren't talking about just a Dom/Sub thing here. We're talking about subjugation and breaking the spirit of another human being. We are, as the book says, calling Xavier "Master". Did he break her? Absolutely. She was starving and he eventually started feeding her broth out of dog bowls. Wow, that was sweet of you, you twisted SOB. In addition to that, he didn't let her bathe by herself and she wasn't even allowed to insert her own tampons. Gross! And let's not forget the months of isolation. She had no idea of where she was until the vet came to the ranch and told her she was in Wyoming. If you are into this sort of thing, this book is for you. I am not and I found the conduct of the characters downright appalling. I read it to the end, though. I was hoping for something better than what I got. The blurb did not come out and say there is BDSM in the book. Instead, it said, "Intended for mature audience. Steamy romance with dark themes." That could mean anything. I have no problem reading about BDSM as long as it is consensual between both parties. It was not like that in this book. He had to break her like one of his horses and said he did it so she would trust him. Whatever. Xavier did not force her to have sex for him, but the things he did to her were deplorable. She ended up looking like an idiot at the end. There are three chapters of the next book at the end of this. I read them and thought it sounded like a better book than this one, but I refuse to read another book with brutal Xavier or stupid Melanie in it. Since Isobel is going to go to work on their horse ranch, I'm pretty sure both of them will be in this book in some capacity. I'll pass, thanks. It's hard to give any book this kind of review and so few stars. I know how hard it is to write a book and bad reviews hit hard. It was the content and not the writing that precipitated this. The plot is solid, the writing is good. I just didn't like the characters. I think the author has some real skill. I just wish it would have been used on something more appealing.