A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance, not suitable for people sensitive to grief, slavery, and nonconsensual sex. A story about finding love in the strangest of places, a will of iron that grows from necessity, and forgiveness that may not be enough.
“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.
Then it all changed.
I was sold.”
Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility.
For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.
But lusty paradise is shattered.
Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror.
Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.
Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?
Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This defiantly falls into the realm of dark but yet its hero isn’t quite what you think he is. Tess Snow was a late oops in her parents’ life. They were ready to retire and instead they had a late in life baby that they never nourished with love. So Tess has always been looking for that something to fill in that void and thinks she found it in her boyfriend as he wants to take care of her. Problem is Tess wants to be taken care of in a more masochistic way, which even surprises her, and her boyfriend is abhorred she could even be thinking such things. They go on a trip to Mexico where Tess is hoping they can rekindle their sex life and instead she gets kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Here is where the story takes a different turn. While still in Mexico with the kidnappers and branded as a slave Tess vows to never let them break her no matter what they have in store for her and she fights them at every turn. She is finally sold to who she assumes is a sex trader and will have to become his slave. But Q doesn’t buy women for the reason you think. Tess doesn’t know this in the beginning and these two are at in a battle of wills which we see turns Q on more than it should. Tess also struggles with how turned on she gets with his rough treatment and punishments. One the one hand its something she also wanted from her boyfriend but Q is the man holding her against her will she shouldn’t be having these feelings for him.
Q history is explained from his POV towards the end of the book which helps you understand why he is the way he is and why he takes slaves on and then releases them back to their families. When the time came to let Tess go neither really wanted that but the saying – Set Them Free. If They Come Back They’re Yours really comes into play here.
I see this was a three book series but I liked the ending of this one so much and from what I’ve read about what happens in the second one I think I am going to stop with this one. If you like dark romances with a BDSM theme and anti hero’s I defiantly say this this book/author a try.
Cindy's 