No One Crosses the Wolf by Lisa Nikolidakis

This is a memoir about a troubled childhood full of abuse and neglect. It’s not an easy read and I wasn’t looking for one. It follows her growing up years with her brother and parents and all the trauma you can imagine.

Her father is a piece of crap, to put it lightly. He is an alcoholic that spends most of his at-home hours terrorizing his family. When he isn’t home, they dread his coming home so they are never truly free of him. After reading her recollections of him, I can understand that fear.

And her mother isn’t much better in comparison. She doesn’t abuse the kids but she doesn’t stop the abuse either. She puts her head in the clouds and pretends that everything is just fine. Domestic violence doesn’t go away because you want it to, you have to stop it! Her mother failed them all.

When her father finally snaps, I expected more somehow. More untangling the emotional threads of her life. More in-depth onion peeling. I wanted to see her do the hard work to undo all the lessons that her upbringing taught at such high prices. But she did none of it. She drank, slept around, and went to Greece. I’m healed!!! The end. What?? Yeah, I’m confused too.

My first inclination was to give this a 2-star review. I mulled it over though, for several days I might add. Three is as high as I can go. She writes well. She knows how to create an atmosphere and add texture and shade to a story but in the end, there’s no story. There’s no healing final chapter. There’s no Oprah “Aha!” moment. And that is a true letdown.

⭐⭐⭐ /⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Knotted (Trails of Sin Book 1) by Pam Godwin

Conor has grown up on a ranch in Sandbar Oklahoma with her brother Lorne and her two best friends, Jake and Jarrett. They’ve grown up in the same household after the tragic death of both mothers on the same day. The foursome are tighter than blood. When Conor and Jake fall in love they do so with the full support and blessing of the brothers. The fathers? Not so much.

On the night that Jake and Conor are going to lose their virginity to each other, what happens instead is a brutal, very descriptive rape. This sets them on a path that separates them but always brings them back because they have revenge in mind. Bodies will soon start to stack up but their bloodlust hasn’t been spent. Not yet.

First things first. The names. Why on earth is the heroine named Conor? Isn’t that a masculine name? Does taking an N away make it feminine? Is this a thing? It confused me throughout the book. I actually found myself thinking of both mains as male until the author woud describe her body and it would throw me out of the story. Please authors, enough with the cutesy/edgy names.

The mothers. How were they killed? Did they die in the same accident? Was it an accident? There was so much left unsaid and it bothered me. I know that this is book one in a series but that seems like a big thing to withhold. It leaves the reader to wonder if perhaps something more sinister had happened but why isn’t that at least hinted to in this installment?

The rape. As I said, it was very brutal and is described in detail. That will undoubtedly trigger a large majority of readers but I hope that they don’t ding the book for it. It sets the stage for the whole book and perhaps the whole series. My issue with it is the PTSD that follows.

Jake, who is not a doctor or training to be one, has decided he is going to cure her of this conditon. Singlehandedly. How you ask? He watched some videos and did some research. He googled?!?! Excuse me? As someone that has PTSD, this was beyond infuriating. It goes further though. He only has two weeks to overcome her major triggers! In that timeframe, he works miracles and gets her comfortable enough to initiate ass play and bondage during sex. After being tied up and sodomized – as a virgin – and carrying this fear within herself for years. The man should be nominated for a medal. He’s magical!

The sex is spicy with heavy BDSM influence. It didn’t set my hair on fire but it’s well written without juvenile descriptions to anatomy or to the act. It felt very realistically handled and it was very appreciated for it.

Jake is dominant. That’s clear right from the start. It borders on arrogance when dealing with her PTSD though. Some might view it as borderline abusive since he never encourages her to seek medical help. It could go either way, even for me.

As for the technical aspects, I found a few typos that could be directly attributable to formatting or human error. Nothing major in regards to the flow, or grammar. It’s very linear and easy to read outside of the rape.

Can I recommend this book? Yes. Was it perfect? No. The death of the mothers and some other things that I won’t detail here because it would spoil it for other readers make this a four star book. It’s a standalone for Jake and Conor. The series continues for the brothers. I won’t be reading those. I’m not interested in them. You can find this one here. It’s currently free! It’s not part of the Kindle Unlimited program so anyone can download it for free.

#PleaseReview. Authors love feedback.

Crave (Undone Book 1) by Jennifer Dawson

In Brief

Layla Hunter has been tightly wrapped in her own private hell on Earth for the last year. She has pushed everyone away, kept herself separate, except for the moments when the need escapes and explodes inside her. When that happens, she goes fishing for anonymous, rule following sex with faceless men. It’s not enough – it will never be close to enough – but it’s all she can handle.

Michael Banks is a homicide detective by profession, but a Dom by nature. He spies Layla across a crowded room and knows that he will own her. He also knows he’ll have to break her for that to happen but he knows she will be worth it. Upon introduction, he’s proven right on all fronts.

Their relationship is tumultuous, because Layla isn’t like other women. She’s been a crime victim. Her body knows trauma and her mind is fighting recovery. He sees her and understands. He has to be patient or lose her. When crime comes calling again will they weather the storm or go down in the storm surge?

Nutbarn Notes

The Writing

The plot of this story was very intriguing from the start. I love flawed, damaged characters and Layla spoke to my soul. Michael was a healing balm and a delicious delight. He stood fast when she ran, he pushed when she shut down, he owned her body when she lost control. (Sigh) We all need a Michael in our lives.

Technically Speaking

The flow felt natural and unrushed. I wanted to run headlong to the ending while savoring every written word. This book wrecked me. I loved it. It wasn’t a tear jerker but Layla’s emotional state frayed my nerves, tested my patience, and made me love her.

I spotted only one small typo and it was easily overlooked. No other issues related to grammar, word misusage, etc. It was basically technically flawless.

The extended cast of characters flesh out the book but also give the appropriate amount of depth and backstory to both of the mains. Family members and friends are brought in effortlessly. We are given a complete story.

The author covers a lot of heavier topics. Domination amd submission has to top the list, but it also has to include crime, death, spousal loss, grief, panic attacks and PTSD, amongst others. It’s heavy without being dark.

Sex

There are only passing mentions of dungeons, floggers, or other more traditional elements of BDSM. It’s all covered maturely, without added distractions. It was real talk between two consenting adults. Brilliant.

The way that her panic attacks and obvious psychological traumas are dealt with are true to life. She has coping mechanisms and known triggers. They have very frank conversations about her hard limits, and use a safe word. It’s responsible and realistic. It’s not at all like a ‘Made For TV’ movie. Thank God.

My only gripe? I wanted more. I needed it. I can’t help myself. I want it all! Yes, there is an HEA without cliffhanger. I just wanted more. It’s there, but unsaid. I needed the words. I’m greedy like that.

Rating

Can I recommend this book?

Grab a copy today. It’s well worth a few hours of your time. Get to know Layla and Michael. Fall in love with them and maybe learn a thing or two about yourself. It’s not a part of Kindle Unlimited and it IS the first in a four book series, but it’s a complete standalone.

Remember #PleaseReview. Authors love feedback.

#Crave

#Undone

#JenniferDawson