Released On: March 7, 2014
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Destroyed
by Pepper Winters
5 rockin' stars!
I started DESTROYED fully expecting that this is a romance involving a troubled MMA fighter and a woman whom he considers too good for him. There may be too many books of the same vein out there today, but I didn't mind because I loved reading them. Troubled MMA fighters in this genre tend to be the extremely romantic, protective, caring, and sexy heroes! I haven't read any lengthy excerpts, so I thought it would be the usual.
So then I started reading my review copy. It started out gritty and strong, and I thought good. It still fit into my expectations of a toe-curling romance. Then it proceeded to chapter 2. Then chapter 3, chapter 4... the story doesn't seem to get any lighter. In fact it seems to be going deeper and deeper into dark and serious territory. Chapter 5. Woah. We're officially entering intense-to-the-Nth-level terrirory!
I quickly realized that DESTROYED is so much more than I bargained for! It is just... more. More troubled, more angsty, more intense, more infuriating, more interesting, more magnetic, more seductive, just more everything! I was so hooked to the story, I didn't finish my work because I just couldn't stop reading.
There is so much to say about this story, but I honestly don't know how to begin...! I don't know how to put into words what I thought of it or how it affected me. It made me cry so hard. There was so much push and pull of emotions between the characters, you can't help but feel helpless for them. That was actually a new feeling for me. Most of the time I'd feel sympathy for the characters because even though they feel like there's no solution in sight, I as the reader can still see the possibilities in their future. With this story, I had absolutely no idea how things would end. I was nearing 100% in my kindle, and yet there was still no feeling of "at last!"
The characters.
Obsidian Fox.
Wow. What can I say about him... he's not wow, what a hero! What a romantic, sweet and caring guy! He is not. He is absolutely none of those things. He is in so many ways an anti-hero. When I said this book became way more than I bargained for, it was because of him. He is a perfect study subject for psychologists. You never feel that he is safe. He doesn't like to be touched. Hugs or any form of unanticipated body-to-body contact will mean certain death for the person who dares to do it to him. He is a fighter--literally a killing machine. He went through so much physical, emotional and spiritual pain. Finding out what he went through? Oh my God.... there are no words to describe it! I just felt angry for him, angry at him for his later decisions. However, each time I decide that he has to die a painful death, I recall that he was once a sweet, young boy who loved his family and just strayed too far from home.
Whatever good and pure that was once in him, it all disappeared and all that was left was a ghost.
Invincible. Invisible. Impenetrable.
He now owns a semi-legal club where fighters in all disciplines gather for sport and recreation. Human touch repels him, love and gentleness are such foreign concepts he never even thought those words. What he knew was pain, giving out pain, and death.
He was like a rabid dog, snarling, frothing at the mouth, guaranteed to bite my hand off if I got too close, but in feral eyes lurked a plea. Something that said: don't give up on me even if I bite.
There is so much more to Fox, you could write an encyclopedia about him. Several volumes, even! **huge breath out** He pains my heart, really, I don't know what else to say about him. If I write more, I might end up with spoilers here. I can't say I love him, but after everything that's happened, I also don't hate him. You will have to decide for yourself what he is.
To think I could change was a fairy-tale. I wasn't the handsome knight who won the girl--I was the scarred troll whose only purpose was to be killed.
I was obsessed with finding redemption. Destroyed by love. Possesses by hope. Consumed by a past I couldn't shake.
I wanted to know her. I wanted to earn her trust, I wanted a connection. I didn't want to be feared or hated. I didn't want to be an inconvenience or burden.
It was time to tell her everything, so she could decide for herself.
Hazel Hunter.
Surprisingly, I really liked her. Although many would question her sanity (I know I did many times!), I think it speaks positively about her character that she doesn't easily give up on people. In spite of all the ugliness she experienced from childhood to present, she still manages to have faith and trust in people even if they don't deserve it. She gets hurt--literally, physically gets hurt--so many times, you'd think she's crazy for staying with Fox. It's not that she's blinded by love or even lust. Sure, she was attracted to him from the very first time they met. But, the moment she realized he is extremely dangerous, unstable and could definitely kill her, the ball was already in her court. And she chose to help him.
You might think she's a pansy now, but honestly she's not. She is tough! She can defend herself in more normal circumstances. Life taught her a lot, and she tries to prepare for the worst. It's just that Fox is not any regular man. Oh no sir! He is an entirely different level of danger.
Fox thought I was weak and malleable. He thought he could play with me like a cocky killer who had no mortal enemies.
Well, he'd made an enemy in me. And I had claws.
At least I could thank him for one thing. The Hazel I thought I'd lost--the woman who always won--was back, and I was ready to fight.
At the beginning though, Hazel said yes not for self-gratification but for someone more precious than herself. She needed money, so when Fox proposed something to her, she agreed. As stated in the synopsis, her life really is complicated. Her world is about to collapse, but she's not yet giving up. After all, she still has her best friend Clue and she's fighting for her most precious treasure, her star.
This same star became the bond that sealed Hazel and Fox together.
My left leg gave out, slamming hard against pebbles. My right leg joined until I kneeled before the one thing in my world I couldn't fight.
I toppled to the ground... undone by... pristine innocence.
Oh, it is seriously difficult to write this review...! LOL I'm really not sure what to say! This book is so jam-packed with major events, it's difficult to avoid major spoilers. This I can say: reading it was like having a bad rash! The moment I put my kindle aside, I'd grab it gain after five minutes because I want so badly to know what happens next. I hoped so much for an HEA... and whether or not it does, well, I'll let you find out!
DESTROYED is so aptly titled. You'd think you already understood the meaning behind it, but no... the moment the title is explained, oh my dearies... it is something else.
Prepare to have your heart and head aching with this one. There is very little romance, there is nothing sweet at all about the romance in this book, and even the intimate scenes made my head hurt. What it does have are really compelling characters, the kind for whom you would read well into dawn.
What if you're not a fan of dark romance? Well, I for one do not read many dark romances and yet I was still very much drawn to this book. This isn't exactly dark romance though. This is how the publicist classified it: Dark (Lighter) / Romance (Grey Romance).
Pepper Winters may have been scared of publishing this book because she thought people will hate it, but she made the right call in giving it to her fans. She outdid herself with this one, and I daresay every tear, blood and sweat she shed for this paid off! Her writing, her story, her characters, the entire package is just phenomenal. There are very thrilling and scary recollections. Each chapter opens with a short peek into Fox and Zel's thoughts and feelings. She did it so well, you can't help but sympathize for a monster. The ending? For me it was very unpredictable. Pepper had me on my toes until the very end.
The entire thing makes you think. Hours and even days later, you'll think back on Fox and Zel. It's that good! DESTROYED is definitely a story I will remember for a long, long, long, loooooong time.
Buy Links: Amazon
| Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble
| Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble
Synopsis:
Teasers:
Giveaway!
Pepper is offering up the following goodies below. Giveaway is international and ends at 11:59 PM CST 03/24/2014.
1 signed copy of Destroyed
2 signed Destroyed swag packs
5 eBook copies of Destroyed
2 eBook copies of Tears of Tess
2 eBook copies Quintessentially Q
1 signed swag pack of Monsters in the Dark
Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero the better and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.
She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby (who speaks French—hot!) who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. She loves to hear from her readers so hit her up at pepperwinters@gmail.com
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