Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I knew I shouldn't have bought this book, but I love all of Christine Feehan's other series so much, I couldn't resist. I should have spent my time rereading those instead. This is why: 1. Reading about the details of sexual abuse that happened to the heroes of these books is beyond upsetting and isn't entertaining. I read for entertainment and this is so confrontational that it gave me nightmares. 2. This book, in particular, upset me because there is a scene at the end which puts the reader in the position of the abuser. I'm not sure that's what was intended, but when you read hot scenes in a book, they affect you, which puts you in the position of voyeur. Normally, that's fine and something you don't even notice because you're also identifying with the love growing between the characters and you're submerged in the world of the story. But in this case, we were watching a hot scene that turned dark because the hero had a flashback to a time when he was forced to perform, and make other children perform, for abusers to watch. Suddenly, I'm feeling sick to my stomach because I'm no longer identifying with the couple, but feel like I've been watching and reacting as the abusers would. It's hard to explain, and I'm probably screwing it up, but the mix of memories about sexual abuse with real time sex, left me feeling sick. 3. The book begins with both hero and heroine trying to get each other drunk so that their judgement will be impaired and the other person will marry them. The writer tried to deal with consent by having the hero state several times that she had to state clearly that she wanted to marry him - but she was drinking. And no amount of telling us that she didn't really get drunk, helps with that. Nor does having her do the same thing to him. None of these justifications made their behavior sit right with me. So I just felt uncomfortable. 4. There are really only three things happening in this book. All of which are described in detail many times over - the horrors perpetrated on children by their abusers, the violence against those abusers, and the sex the couple have that's twisted due to the abuse he suffered as a child. That's it. Over and over again. 5. There is very little plot or character development. There is a lot of sex. Don't get me wrong, I read erotica now and then, but this dark. And the details of pedophilia taint everything. So, in summary, I won't be reading anymore of this series. I just can't read that kind of detail about child abuse and call the book romance. Reading this wasn't an escape for me. It was a tense, disturbing experience. And one I don't want to repeat.