Book 2 of 3.

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CHARACTERS:
** Kassen: **
~ Sexually abused with a horrific past, he’s been isolated and secluded for the last eleven years.

**Gemma Ashcroft:** Age: 26, Rock Climber
- Gemma made a name for herself with her extraordinary climbing skills. Her You Tube channel catapulted her to a successful and financially profitable life.

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OVERALL PLOT:
When a new post on a climbing website catches Gemma’s attention, she knows she needs to check it out. However, when Gemma stumbles across a mansion in the middle of the forest, she’s not prepared for the man (or is it a beast?) who takes her captive and changes her life forever.

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BOOK 2:

Book Two picks up where the cliffhanger left us dangling in book one - which was literally on the edge of a cliff.

Gemma feels guilty and she’s not willing to just abandon Kassen, so she climbs down the cliff to make sure he’s still alive. Kassen is barely breathing so Gemma forgoes her escape plan to nurse him back to health.

Kassen has a severe concussion and a broken arm, but his biggest medical problem is his mind. He switches between lucid “present” moments and flashbacks riddled with horrific memories. His personality literally alters right before Gemma’s very eyes and there was a point where Gemma never really knew which version of Kas she would encounter.

Kassen’s flashbacks were VERY hard to read. The sexual abuse he endured was horrendous and heartbreaking. These sections were descriptive and disturbing, showing the evil of human beings who abuse for their own pleasure.

The story itself was riveting in some ways, but there were a few reasons I dropped this down to 3 stars. Here’s the good and the bad…..

- Good: Kassen was a character I was completely rooting for. He’d been through hell, he’d survived on his own for 11 years and he completely deserved to have the best of everything at this point. My heart broke for him at times and there were so many moments I wanted to wrap him up in a hug.

- Bad: this was soooooooo repetitive. Gemma wanted to run away, Kassen’s health / mind worsened, she stayed to help, Kassen hurt Gemma (either with words or actions). Rinse wash repeat. The story was too long and some of the repetition needed to be cut out.

- Bad: the sex/connection/chemistry - there wasn’t any sex until about the 60-70% mark and then it was quite a bit. Kassen was always hard and ….trigger

Spoiler

he even raped Gemma at one point (although he was lost in his mind and thought she was someone else).

So the sex between them didn’t really feel like they were building something. Except for a really touching bath scene, most of their encounters were raw and gritty because they couldn’t control their lust and it seemed more about seeking pleasure than building a strong connection between the H/h. The heart-connecting chemistry was lacking.

- Bad: I didn’t feel like the story moved forward. Same basic plot as last book. Gemma wanted to leave, Kassen didn’t want her to. It was mostly a battle of wills between these two. I mean, how many times did she need to be choked??

- Bad: Kassen’s character didn’t seem to grow. Yes, he’s totally f’d up in the head. But, he didn’t want to try to work on anything related to his health. Suppression was the only way his mind survived and he wasn’t willing to consider a different way of handling his past. I get it, I wouldn’t want to work through those memories either. But, it just made his character feel stagnant.

- Good: the writing. Pepper’s writing was stellar. Her storytelling ability is always amazing. And even though I was frustrated at times, I kept flipping pages. So, that’s certainly a testament to her ability to weave a captivating story. Also, I was sure I knew what the cliffhanger would be at the end of this book, and of course, I was wrong. Pepper is not predictable and it’s one of the reasons she’s one of my favorite authors.

- Good: the flashbacks and connection to Kassen’s past. Although horrific, understanding what he went through and the family that was built among the nine abused kids was critical to the story. It was heartwarming and heart wrenching to get glimpses into what Kassen was willing to endure to protect the other children.

- Good: the last few paragraphs. I was debating if I even wanted to read book three and go through the same repetitive scenes again. But, with the introduction of the new character I’m super excited to see where this story goes.


****“I don’t know who you are or why you found me. I don’t know how you made me feel such things or why my thoughts aren’t nearly as black when I’m in your company. I don’t trust you. I don’t know how to figure this shit out. All I know is, I would rather you kill me than live another day without you, so...I’m happy with either option.”****