Saturday 5 April 2014

Destroyed by Pepper Winters

Reviewed by Donna ~ 3.5 Stars

“I thought she was a saint. She thought I was a sinner. Too bad we didn’t try to find the truth. We both paid the price.”

This is a hard one for me to review, I have read quite a few Pepper Winters books and have absolutely loved them. However, this one I liked, but it didn’t pull me in like the others. For me this one lacked character connection, I didn’t feel this one and I love to feel.

The story though is not what I would call dark, it is more a dark grey, but it is unique and intriguing. I do love a “broken man” and Obsidian Fox is definitely that. Obsidian Fox is the owner of an underground fight club, he was a man to be scared of, he was intense, scarred, extremely strong and highly trained. His past was that of an assassin, the training from a young child had left it’s marks both emotionally and physically, to the point that he could not be touched, only in one to one combat. If you did touch him, not many people lived to tell the tale. He was ruthless, lethal, extremely tortured, but deep down we got the inkling that all he ever wanted was to be loved, but he thought that was never a possibility due to his past. After all, how could you love, when you couldn’t even bare to be touched.

“I was obsessed with finding redemption. Destroyed by love. Possessed by hope. Consumed by a past I couldn’t shake.”

Hazel was another with a troubled past and still had personal problems that were eating her alive. All consuming and not seeing an end in sight she was left desperate, she needed money and fast, after all her daughters life depended on it. Hazel is taken to Fox’s club by her friend, she didn’t expect to meet anyone, neither did Obsidian Fox.

“Life ended.

Then began again.

Noise ceased.

Then came again.

Heat froze.

Then enveloped again.

Sorrow disappeared.

Then settled again”


The instance their eyes met they felt the pull, totally alien to Obsidian Fox as he has never felt anything like this in his life, it was frightening, he was highly trained, trained not to feel, feelings put you in danger, but he was intrigued, who was this woman and why the hell did she make him “feel.” All that he knew was that his life would never be the same again and this led him to make Hazel an offer she couldn’t refuse. How would this work, after all he couldn’t be touched, unless Hazel could do the impossible?

Hazel was incredibly strong and resilient, having been on her own for so long she relied on no-one and was not going to start now. However, Obsidian had made her that offer that could save her daughter and she was willing to put her own life at risk to do it. Even though her common sense is telling her to run, she also can’t help the pull that she feels towards Obsidian Fox, there is that connection, but could she be the one to make Obsidian feel? Could she warm that frozen heart, or would it take a child’s love to do that? After all, there must be a cure, right?

I loved the way that both their pasts were slowly revealed throughout the book, it helps you understand Obsidian so much better, but by being drip fed, you are also left wondering why until you get that eureka moment. The way that Obsidian punished himself was painful to read but yet I felt like I understood to some degree. Their relationship does give you whip lash, however having it any other way would not have read right. It was like walking on egg shells, but it needed to be that way and sometimes we do have to go back, to enable us to move forward.

“We destroyed each other.”

In summary this was a great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I just wish I could have connected to them that bit more, it wasn’t far off, but I just wanted that emotional connection. There were times I should have cried but I didn’t and being a blubberer I noticed.

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