What a mind f*uck. A dark erotic PNR that pushes boundaries and blurs the lines between good and evil. No one is who they say, nothing is what it seemWhat a mind f*uck. A dark erotic PNR that pushes boundaries and blurs the lines between good and evil. No one is who they say, nothing is what it seems, and everyone has an agenda.
Merged review:
What a mind f*uck. A dark erotic PNR that pushes boundaries and blurs the lines between good and evil. No one is who they say, nothing is what it seems, and everyone has an agenda....more
Favorite Quote: “I know who you are… Who you really are.”
Five teenagers…
The St. Jude’s Home for Court Placed Juveniles is a nightmare run by an abusive pastor and his wife. Five teenagers try to band together for protection and safety. Carissa, the youngest and non-verbal. Rose, alone and pregnant. Simon, one mistake away from losing everything. Beth, a rich girl who is there for unknown reasons, and Tommy, the boy who loves her.
One deadly secret…
The only good part of living at St. Jude’s for Tommy is Beth and his love for her. When he and Beth are caught making out at school and a teacher tells the Pastor, it puts everyone in danger. Tommy is used to the beatings but when Beth is singled out for punishment, Tommy can’t sit back and let it happen.
A debt owed…
A single act seals their fate in the blood. When a mysterious man shows up, they are given one shot at freedom. The price? They owe a debt to him. And when he commands, they will come.
The Debt is a roller coaster ride as we are taken on a journey through a foster home run by a sadistic pastor and his equally cruel wife. Children are placed there for various reasons and struggle to stay healthy and alive until they are free. Fans of O’Keefe’s Bad Boy Romance series may notice some familiar names in here as this story is set in the same world. I can;t WAIT to see where O’Keefe runs with this. I do want to add a warning that this may trigger some as there is abuse, violence, and sexual assault.
As always, O’Keefe doesn’t hold back as she gives readers a front row seat to the dark and gritty edges life has to offer. O’Keefe offers no promises as she slowly peels back the layers to show us the truth and the price some pay for it. Though this novella is only fifty-two pages long, it reads like a full-length novel with a strong emotional storyline, intriguing characters, and a suspense-filled conflict. I was wiped by the end; completely wore out from the emotional avalanche I experienced while reading.
Heavily character driven, the story is told from alternating points of view. The dispassionate voices of these teenagers hits home far harder than if they were colored in fear and/or anger. O’Keefe does an excellent job setting the scene for the next book-Lost Without You-one of two full-length novels that make up the series. We are only given the bare bones of why these kids are in foster care but the overall feeling is they are victims of fate or bad parenting. We see the extreme length they are forced to go to and the price they have to pay.
This quick dark read is hard in the heart but necessary to understand the journey these kids will take in the future. I wholeheartedly recommend M O’Keefe’s The Debt and am looking forward to book two which releases June 19th. The Debt is currently being offered for free for a limited time. If you miss this deal, I am told this title will be included with book two.
Brenda Novak starts us on a new adventure when a psychiatrist who specializes in serial killers opens a new facility/prison for study in Alaska. This Brenda Novak starts us on a new adventure when a psychiatrist who specializes in serial killers opens a new facility/prison for study in Alaska. This installment is a prequel for the serials; setting the stage for whats to come by introducing us to Dr. Evelyn Talbot and explaining to us what led her to where she is now. ...more
Harmon Ely had a dream. A dream to establish his own town smack dab in the middle of Texas but first, he had to find the right men and women to help mHarmon Ely had a dream. A dream to establish his own town smack dab in the middle of Texas but first, he had to find the right men and women to help make his dream a reality. Forty acres and a home is his offer to anyone brave enough to come settle in this forsaken land. All they need to bring is their willingness to work… and a wife.
Three men take him up on his offer-Patrick McAllen, Clint Truman, and Gillian Matheson. Patrick McAllen, the youngest son of an abusive religious leader, sneaks out of his father’s home in the middle of the night with his best friend and soon to be wife, Anne Spencer, and heads towards Ely’s trading post. A master carpenter, Patrick has no doubts he can be an asset to the town, but Patrick knows his father will be coming for him and this time escape may not possible.
Clint Truman, a former Texas Ranger, has already buried one family and is slowly following them into an early grave one drink at a time. His best friend, Sheriff Lightstone, knows he has only one chance to save Clint from himself and tells him of Ely’s offer. Clint doesn’t want another wife but when his friend takes him to meet a young mother whose situation in-flames Clint’s protective nature, Clint agrees to marry her and help her raise her newborn son if she is willing to trust him and help build a new life for the three of them.
Captain Gillian Matheson has no idea why his wife Daisy has insisted he come meet her and their sons at Harmon’s Ely’s Trading Post but he fears the worse. Married for five years, Gillian and his wife has spent more time apart then together as he refused to leave the Army and she refused to leave her family and follow him from post to post. Commissioned to take a young girl to safety before heading to meet his wife, Gillian is injured and wakes to find himself at the trading post with a parcel of strangers and a wife with some interesting news.
Jodi Thomas’s small town contemporary romance series, Harmony, just keeps getting better and better with each new installment. A tried and true contemporary with a strong ongoing arc written in an entertaining conversational “soap opera” style. After seven books, I can honestly say my attention hasn’t even begun to falter.
Prequel to Briggs’s More Than Music, this novella focuses on the band’s keyboardist and the girl who broke his heart. Sexy with dashes of hum3.5 Stars
Prequel to Briggs’s More Than Music, this novella focuses on the band’s keyboardist and the girl who broke his heart. Sexy with dashes of humor and angst, the book follows a predictable path as two young lovers reunite amidst the jealousy and insecurity of a new band struggling to make its way to the top. Definite chemistry is felt between our protagonists and I enjoyed the backstage look into the battle of the bands contest....more