Author: Michelle Horst
Genre: Standalone Dark Romance
Release Date: November 2, 2015
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26126999-saved-by-her---the-monster-series
Book Blurb
I F**K.
That’s all I do, all I’m good for.
People pay thousands just to have a taste of me.
It’s the only life I’ve ever known.
…until her.
River
I work.
That’s all I do, it’s my safe zone.
I get paid well because I’m good at my job.
It’s the only place I feel in control.
…until him.
Authors Note and WARNING: Monster is a work of fiction intended for adult readers above 18. It contains dark and sensitive subject matter that may make readers uncomfortable.
Contains explicit language and descriptions of sexual situations.
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My Review
River has also grown up around sex slavery. Her father ran a sex slave business. He was a ruthless man who forced River to have sex with a stable hand, and then killed him. Upon the death of her father, River has made it her mission to rescue as many slaves as she can.
My heart broke for what Jack and River had to go through. Jack was endearingly naive, having experienced little outside of life as a sex slave. They both have their own demons to overcome.
This held my interest and there was a twist that I didn’t see coming. The story ends at around 70% and the remainder is excerpts of the author’s other books. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a dark romance.
Prologue
(Eight years old…)
I wipe angrily at the tears blurring my sight. I want to see Momma’s smile. Desperation and fear squeeze my heart until it hurts.
“Jack,” Momma says on a heavy breath. I can see it’s hard for her to breathe. Her one swollen eye opens a little. The other one is swollen shut. It looks like it hurts!
I quickly rinse the cloth and try to wipe some of the blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth.
Her head falls to the side and I can see a sliver of green peeking from her swollen eye.
“I’m here, Momma.” My voice is thick with tears. I gently pat her hair, the same way she always pats mine when I’ve hurt myself. I wish I could hug her, but I’m scared I’ll hurt her.
“Promise … me, Jack,” she whispers.
“Anything, Momma,” I say quickly. I’ll do anything to see her smile. My momma has the prettiest smile. It always makes me feel safe.
“Promise … you’ll … look after … David.” Her breaths wheeze in and out, making whistling sounds.
“I promise, Momma.” Her mouth twitches as if she’s trying to smile so I quickly add, “I’ll look after David.”
The words work and a smile pulls at her bloody mouth.
She keeps smiling for a long time, while I sit by her wiping the blood from her face and arms. As long as Momma smiles, everything will be okay.
I must have fallen asleep next to Momma because as the door slams open, I’m woken with a fright. I quickly turn around and see him walk toward us. He always looks angry. He stops next to me where I’m kneeling on the floor and he looks at Momma. He leans over her and takes hold of her jaw, making her smile disappear. He turns her face the other way, his grip hard.
He lets her go with a shove and then shouts out, “Sven!”
I watch as Sven comes in. Sven and Eduardo are always with my father. I’m scared of them. They look scary and mean.
“Yes, Sir?” Sven asks as he stands by the door, his hands clasped in front of him.
“Go burn the body,” my father says with a dark voice.
I blink a few times as Sven comes toward us and then he picks up Momma and tosses her over his shoulder. My eyes widen and a scream is torn from my throat. “Leave her alone!” I run after Sven and slam my tiny fists into his back. I have to make him stop. “Put Momma back on the bed! She’s sleeping!”
A hand clasps hard around the back of my neck and I’m yanked backwards. “It’s time for you to become a man,” my father growls. He then shoves me forward and I have to jog to keep up with his big steps. We walk out the back door and past the pretty flowers Momma loves so much. She always stops to smell them. We keep walking, further than I’ve ever walked with Momma when we come outside for walks. I see a building, the brown one I’ve never been too.
Sven opens the door and goes inside. As my father shoves me inside, I see Sven throw Momma on the floor. She falls with a loud thud but doesn’t move. My eyes are huge and burning. I have to bite back the tears.
I watch as Sven opens a heavy steel door and then he picks Momma up and puts her in the tiny space. It looks like a huge oven.
I can’t see what Sven does because his big body blocks my view. Suddenly flames jump out of nowhere, all around Momma. I yank away from my father with a loud scream. “Nooo!!” I grab hold of Momma’s foot and start to pull. I have to save Momma!
The flames lick at my hand and it hurts so much, but I don’t let go. A hand grabs hold of my neck and I’m flung backwards, slamming into a hard wall.
My father is huge and scary as he towers over me. He looks at Sven when he says, “It’s time for the boy to start earning his keep. Put him with the other slaves.”
I don’t understand what that means. My eyes fall on Momma and the flames eating at her. I can’t tear my eyes away from her. My eyes burn from the fire. My hand burns from the fire. My heart burns because I know that I won’t see Momma’s smile again.
Everything burns.
About the Author
She's been in love with reading from an early age. She has a passion for all things books, but she has an ultimate soft spot for nature and animals.
She first tried her hand at writing in early 2009 and as the first words started to form into a book, she knew she was hooked. Dreams spilled onto pages, and that was the beginning of a wonderful journey.
One filled with joy. One filled with passion and heart stopping moments.
But most of all, it's filled with such pride and peace as a story comes to life, and characters fill your life, living in the very walls of your mind, living in the minds of your readers. There is nothing as satisfying as that.
Thank you for each and every story you share with me.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5242987.Michelle_Horst
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleAHorst
Website: https://michellehorstauthor.wordpress.com