Sweet holiest of titfires.

The Mesmer world is my favorite that this author creates. There is something so scary and also tantalizing about the notion of all things Mesmer. I shouldn't find it beguiling but I do. It is my guilty pleasure. Imagine my surprise though after having read Used that the author was going to create a happily ever after (in a roundabout way because this is still Isak) from a story that was definitely Erotic Horror. There was no go and collect $200 dollars in that story. I shouldn't have doubted her ability at turning one of the most repugnant men, that I have ever read, redeemable. Yet, oddly enough, she did.

The story isn't conventional, to say the least. It is a world that thankfully only exists in fiction. Isak is a monster but as his character grew in this story so did the line of what truly was bad or "monstrous" in his behaviors. It made me question some of the things that I might do in certain situations. I can say, in one breath, that murder is wrong, however, in the next or the "right" circumstances would I not perhaps murder? ESPECIALLY, if I had the abilities of a Mesmer and could right the wrongs of the world. The story made me think and I appreciated that. I liked Red in this story, but to be perfectly honest, my focus was on the "growth" of Isak.

The world-building was exceptional, as always, the steamy kinkery was titillating, and the storyline was believable. This is an uncomfortable book but is one of my favorites that this author has written because of how it made me think. This book can be read as a standalone, however, I did find more enjoyment out of the character growth by having read Used beforehand because it gave me a chance to see the spectrum of how much Isak grew.

Off-topic, I did have to wonder what it would be like if there was a role reversal to being a Mesmer. I realize that it only affects males in this story, but what if there was an exception. How would the story change then? ( )