This ARC was kindly given to Sizzling Pages by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Well you all know that those are the only kind we do, unfortunately in this case, it wasn't for me.
Initially, the blurb sucked me in and I was really keen to read it.
However, if I'm honest I decided after finishing it (I'd never NOT finish an ARC)
that this is a direction within 'erotica' that I'll never take again.
In my opinion the Prologue was nothing more than vile.
It wasn't erotic or even necessary to enhance the story.
I'd have been comfortable to understand that Mason had been the victim of
child sodomy/rape/forced oral, group... (that's enough)
than I ever was to read through it in horror
(We've all read erotica where the H/h has had an abusive past - we need no more detail than that)
I want to point out that the author does give a disclaimer of the fact that
the book contains distressing content:
***** THIS PROLOGUE CONTAINS DISTRESSING CONTENT.
IT IS ONLY SUITED FOR READERS OVER 18. *****
Well, to be fair, that's never stopped me before and so I happily (unwittingly) continued.
But, in my opinion graphically writing the abuse of a small boy
by his Uncle and Uncle's paedophile friends isn't erotica or erotic, it isn't even close.
If you know me and my reviews then by now you'll also know that I love a dark, gritty story.
I have no problem with adding dubious or non consent, menage, M/M, M/M/F taboo etc reads
onto my kindle (although my main love will always be a simple possessive Alpha H/h read!)
But even if I love the full, erotic spectrum of sub genres,
the point is I'm an adult reading about adults, NOT children.
I don't ever want to read the sexual abuse of a child.
And I don't believe the graphic, disturbing prologue and flashbacks throughout this story
add anything to it that couldn't have been hinted at or written as suggestion.
In my opinion the disclaimer didn't even come close to where it needed to be.
I would NEVER have started this book had it explained it's detailed content properly.
My heart just isn't in it to go further with this review.
To finish I'll say that for me, I've hit my first 'hard limit' in reading.
And a couple of weeks on I actually find myself thinking
to what end did the author attempt such a traumatic, difficult, somewhat unspeakable subject?
It would have been just as gritty and awful to have known
that Mason had been abused without the detail.
And for me it would have been a much more enjoyable, erotic read without it too.
I just hope it wasn't for the reason I suspect...
But I'll leave you all to read it and judge that for yourselves.
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