Slaughter

by Shantel Tessier

[Eve1972]

This book started really strong, and I was sucked into the story. I was dying to know everything that went down between Avery and Presleigh. However, by 40% in I was starting to get sick of the over the top violence towards Presleigh by the hero and pretty much everyone else. There was no forward movement in the mystery of what happened between them. Just scene after scene of Avery abusing and humiliating Presleigh, and Presleigh trying (and failing) to escape. This continues well into the book (60+%), and it was just exhausting and frustrating to read.

The other issue that bothered me A LOT was the ridiculous amount of slut-shaming Avery did because Presleigh slept around while they were apart. I legit lost count at how many times he called her a "slut" or a "whore." This was especially annoying because he did the EXACT. SAME. THING! But apparently, that was A-OK. However, at 70% we FINALLY find out what all went down, and Avery FINALLY gets his head out of his ass (somewhat), and I found myself sucked back into the story (although we STILL had to hear all about the abuse and rape the heroine suffered).



My issues aside, this wasn't a bad book by any means. This author is a fantastic writer. Even though I got sick of reading about the over the top violence aimed at the heroine, it was still a well-paced and engaging storyline. I can't say I was enamored with any of the characters. Avery was just too filled with hate and self-righteousness to be likable. Not to mention all the abuse he heaped on the heroine with basically zero grovel when he finds out HE was the asshole all along. Presleigh was a bit more likable. Many times with this type of scenario the heroine can come across like a doormat. I didn't feel that way about her. She was a straight up victim, and any time she tried to stand up for herself the hero would smack her around or humiliate her. So really, what could she do? Surprisingly, considering the content, we had zero OW or OM drama. The sex was hot (but a lot of dub consent, and rape (IMO), and it was wrapped up in a satisfying ending.

So yea, a bit of a mixed bag for me here. The violence was a bit too much for me and went on too long. I have read books similar to this before and rated them higher. So perhaps it is the mood I am in today. Do keep that in mind when reading this review and deciding for yourself if this book is for you.