Reading a dark erotica after a long time.

Depredation: An act of attacking or plundering.

Before the book starts, the author forewarns that this is not a romance, that the characters don't have any redeeming qualities, and that it is not a love story (and that it includes extreme violence). And still this Mills and Boon romance reader is giving in to her crazy side and gonna read it anyway.

Harper Roseanne Lane is with her therapist, whom she is visiting for the past seven months on her parents' insistence, and she just states that she is a fucked up person. After reading all that she has to say, I'd say I agree with her!

I spent two years of my life as a fuck toy to a sadistic psychopath who had just as much fun torturing me psychologically as he did physically.

She was kidnapped by J, who now thinks she is dead. And then starts Part One with a flashback. The book is written in the first person, alternating between the POV of Harper and the mystery man J (I would applaud the author here for the twist that is his name!). It gives complete Dexter-esque feels.

Harper works at a gas station. It is a late night, snowing heavily, and a customer comes in, covered from top to toe, with only his silvery eyes visible. From the first meet itself, Harper has an uneasy feeling about him. And that is confirmed when he comes back to kidnap her.

All my girls went through the same thing. They had to be broken in and initiated.

In Harper's words, he is a deranged psychopath. And I couldn't agree more. He is the most depraved anyone can ever be. Having a wife on the side, Minnie, who knows about it all, is just gross. After I started this one, I was so disgusted with J (who wouldn't) but kept on reading just to know the ending. As disgusting as the scenes are, thankfully the author didn't drag them. And when it's revealed how he became what he became, it was nothing less than shocking!

It improved a bit when I got to this:

He deserved to reap everything he’d sowed.

At last, all I would say is: It was totally cringeworthy. But what a bloody revenge story! Full of blood and gore. Aaargh!

This is my first Natalie Bennett, and I think it'll be my last, I simply can't stomach this depraved shit.

She has a penchant for writing about villainous immoral men and crazed anti-heroines and tends to deviate from traditional HEAs.

P.S. There is a playlist at the end of the book, mostly consisting of hard rock/heavy metal songs. Now I definitely know that this book was not for me. I'm more of a Fifty Shades/Takeover kind of reader.