Jake's Redemption: The Angel Eyes Series Prequel (Angel Eyes, #0)

by Jamie Schulz

• ISBN10: 0998025712
• ISBN13: 9780998025711
• Publish Date: 11 December 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Jamie Schulz
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 334
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I usually avoid books that are labeled as sci-fi and dystopian, but I found myself drawn to Jake’s Redemption. When I first picked it up, I did not realize it was the prequel to a series where book one is slated to be released in 2020. It is a long book for a prequel, not that I am complaining. I have never encountered prequels that were 425 pages long.

Jake’s Redemption introduced me to a world where women were ruthless slave owners and men were at their mercy. However, as we find in situations like these, there were women who did not agree with the abuse and atrocities the men faced on a daily basis. Jake, the hero of this complex and intricately woven tale, will learn the difference between the two.

Jake found himself captured and sold at the end of the war, which saw the male population depleting. Unfortunately, for Jake, the woman who bought him was sadistic witch, who took pleasure in breaking and humiliating him. Temporary relief came when Monica Avery needed someone with Jake’s skills to oversee the construction of a building on her ranch.

Monica is not the typical slave owner. She treated everyone who worked for her with kindness and respect. Jake intrigued her and the more she got to know him, she realized that beneath the physical and emotional scars was a man who had a huge heart.

The treatment Jake received before arriving at Monica’s ranch made my blood run cold. No one deserves such cruel treatment. Jakes fears ran so deep; he had a hard time believing Monica differed from, Darla, his sadistic owner. Eventually, he would learn that Monica was everything Darla was not. Eventually he developed feelings for her. Jake’s stay his temporary, so they know there is no hope for a future. All throughout the story I kept wondering what will happen to Jake. Will he have to go back to his tormentor, will he escape, or will Monica be able to save him?

The story moved slowly as it focused on the developing relationship between Jake and Monica. Jakes struggles with the memories of the horrors he had faced and Monica’s attempts to get him to trust her was the highlight of the story. There was a point in the story where my nerves were rattled, as I feared for Jake.

I found the main characters likeable and relatable. I empathized with Jake on every level. Despite, the many attempts to break him, his inner strength remained intact. Monica’s patience proved an asset in their relationship. She understood his fears and never tried to push him beyond what he could bear.

The secondary characters helped to stir things up in the story. I am especially interested in learning more about Angel who will be the main character in the next book in the series.

I enjoyed the story, the world building and the romance. The story delved into areas that paved the way for the next book in the series. As s result questions arose, which I figured would be answered in the sequel.

Conclusion/Recommendation.
To conclude, Jake’s Redemption is a story that has the potential to wreak havoc on your emotions. It touches on topics that may be triggers to some readers. It is a story of sacrifices, love and healing and one I recommend with no reservations.

[chymerra]

Before I start this review, I want to let everyone about some significant triggers in Jake’s Redemption. I usually don’t include trigger warnings, but I felt this book warranted one. The trigger warnings I want to add are rape, the threat of rape, mental abuse, and physical abuse. If any of these triggers you, I would suggest finding another book.

Jake’s Redemption starts with Jake, his best friend, and the group that they are traveling with being captured in the mountains. Jake’s best friend, Bret, stages a daring escape but leaves Jake behind in the chaos. Five years later, Jake is a shell of the man he used to be. Abused in every way by his owner, Jake is waiting to die. Then, he is offered a chance to get away from his owner for six months. He is loaned to Monica. Expecting the worse, Jake is surprised when Monica turns out to be a kind and gentle woman who cares for the people under her protection. He begins to heal and begins to fall in love with Monica. But time is working against them. Jake is slated to return to his abusive owner. What will happen? Will Jake be returned? Will Jake and Monica have their happily ever after?

Jake’s Redemption was not what I thought it was going to be. When I read the blurb, I knew that I was getting a dystopian book with romance elements, which was fine with me. I like dystopian themed books, and I love romance. What I wasn’t expecting was the book to be as raw and gritty as it was. It blew my mind in the right way. I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to find out what was going to happen to Jake. I can’t say that I have had a book have an effect like that on me in a long time!!

I loathed Darla. Her treatment of Jake was horrendous. Then her backstory was explained. She was a victim of domestic abuse before the war. While I still loathed her, I understood why she treated her male slaves the way she did.

Jake was an amazing main character. The author did a fantastic job of showing his transformation. He went from a man who was living free to a man who had been tortured. She also did a tremendous job of showing his recovery and how tenuous it was. I didn’t blame him for not wanting a woman to touch him. My heart broke for him when he told Monica that. I did wonder if he was too damaged to be with Monica. I also wondered that if the brainwashing that Darla did would kick in towards the end of the book.

I liked Monica. I did find her pushy with Jake at points in the book. She knew that he had been abused. She still insisted on trying to kiss him. That made me go “Eeeehhhh” when it came up in the book. I did like that she stood up to Darla. That one scene when Darla tried to visit Jake and Monica intervened is seared into my brain. I also liked that while she had slaves, she still treated them as people. I do think that she should have gotten rid of that one guard who attacked Jake when it happened. I did understand why Monica kept her but still. That was asking for trouble.

There were two significant storylines in Jake’s Redemption. The main one is Jake/Monica’s romance. The second one, which didn’t show up until the middle of the book, is about Angel. I liked that the author was able to intertwine the two storylines but kept them completely separate.

Jake and Monica had insane chemistry and insane sexual tension. Even with Jake denying it, he was attracted to Monica. The author was able to build that sexual tension up until it exploded. That lead to one of the hottest sex scenes that I have read to date. It was fog up my Kindle hot!! It was also bittersweet because of what Jake went through with Darla.

The dystopian angle of Jake’s Redemption was interesting. I liked that the author chose to make the world female-dominated. I did like that the woman discovered that they had a new adrenaline based power. It was interesting. I wish that more detail had been given about that power. Heck, I would have loved to have seen it shown more often

The end of Jake’s Redemption was exciting. It set up for the next book perfectly. None of the storylines were ended. I do wonder what Angel had over Darla that made her cave as often as she did. I am hoping more will be explained in the next book.

I would give Jake’s Redemption an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Jake’s Redemption. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**