Title: You Loved Me At My Darkest
Series: You Loved Me #1
Author: Evie Harper
Author: Evie Harper
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Host by: Book Empire Promotions
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Lily
Ripped from Heaven, Burned in Hell.
Caught and caged in beauty.
Beauty comes at a cost.
One man holds the key to our survival, to our freedom.
Find out how I lived and lost the greatest thing on earth.
Love.
Jake
I didn't see her coming and that will be my downfall.
She will ruin me, take everything from me, and give me everything I can't have.
I can't help her. I won't.
She is innocence. She is strength.
She is my piece of heaven in hell.
I’m not letting her go.
I’m not letting her go.
You loved Me at My Darkest is a good story, but its not a dark romance, there’s little suspense very little thrill and it’s more grey than dark. Overall I rated You Loved Me At My Darkest a 3.5 heart read. Evie Harper took a dark subject matter and turned it into a light romantic read, which I wasn’t expecting.
Lily and her sister Sasha are traveling abroad for the first time since their parents died. While celebrating their last night in New York City they are kidnapped to be sold in the underground world of Sex Trade. When one of the abductors, Jake, sees Lily for the first time he’s immediately attracted to her but struggles with avoiding his feelings for her or acting on them.
It was difficult to connect with the first half of the book. This is a story featured very little about the sex trade world. There was little to no effort made in getting Lily to accept her circumstances. Most of her time was spent in her room or with her guard Jake. It wasn’t until I was 56% into the story that it held my attention, but I still didn’t feel anything for Lily.
The story and the writing are both good and if you are new to dark romances then this would be a good book to start. But if you’re like me and love a dark and dirty read know that this book is not that. I will read the next book in the series because there is a secondary character that we met whose story Ms. Harper will eventually tell and I’m very interested in how that will be told.
PROLOGUE
Hopelessness wraps around my body like a tight cord. Alone and beaten, each breath comes quicker. My eyes are almost swollen shut, with only tiny slivers of light shining through to let me know it’s daytime. Thick, rough rope scrapes harshly against my wrists. A dirty white dress, held up on my shoulders by thin straps, covers my shaking body.
What have I done? I failed in my escape, caught in the grasp of evil again. Have I failed Lily too? Will I die down here—never being able to let my sister know how thankful I am that she did everything she possibly could do to save me? I would give up anything in this world to tell her how much I love her, and to tell her to keep fighting.
So many hits to the head has left it pounding like it never has before. I've vomited twice already. I dread more may be coming up. My lip quivers and my chest expands heavily. Tears squeeze through my swollen eyes and spill down my face.
I hear the door opening, and I sense movement near my body. Hot breath heats my cheek letting me know someone’s there. "Sasha, you need to reveal to us who helped you, or things are only going to get a lot worse for you." A gruff voice I know all too well causes bile to rise and threatens to empty again.
I turn my head away and say, “I will never give up who helped me.” Only my words come out all wrong and slurred. What's wrong with my speech?
He sighs. "Fine then, the hard way it is."
I laugh in my mind. Given what I have already been through, I thought that already was the hard way.
I'm pulled upwards by the ropes around my wrists, and he begins walking. I fall to my knees as soon as I try to take my first step.
"Get up," he growls.
My hands are yanked up, and my shoulders scream from the pain. A whimper tries to escape but can't get past the lump in my throat. He grips my elbow and pulls me along with him.
Light explodes between the tiny cracks in my swollen eyes and heat from the sunshine hits my skin. I realise I’m outside. I smell the salty ocean air and feel the chilly breeze. He continues to walk me for a moment, and then stops. I'm pushed to my knees, and then my hands are lifted above my head and tied to something round. I feel it with my fingertips; it’s hard and rough, and feels like a wooden pole.
"Now, boys, watch and learn. This is what we do to slave girls who try to escape and protect traitors." I can hear the sick excitement in his voice. He has been gunning for me ever since I arrived.
My head is still thumping painfully, and my chest is rising and falling fast, waiting for the first punch to come. Trying to predict from which angle, so I can brace for the pain, I feel it.
A scream is ripped from my throat as a searing sensation runs down my back. I arch in response to the blistering pain. I sob when I realise he's whipping me.
I try to move forward to get away. When I feel it again, I scream. My back forces itself forward, trying uselessly to get away from the attacking whip.
Trying to force my hands out of the ropes to defend myself has caused my wrists to throb with pain. I want to crawl into a ball and try to protect what piece of untouched flesh I have left.
I scream again as the whip slashes through my thin dress and skin. The pungent smell of metallic fills my nose. The sliminess of my blood as the whip flicks down my back, seeps downward. The pounding in my head is growing. My eyes are begging me to open them to see, to escape. My body arches again along with a piercing scream from another strike.
Tears overflowing through my swollen eyes, I can taste the saltiness on my lips. My head sags to my chest, my breathing heavy. I sense my body going faint. I'm so tired. The promise of unconsciousness whispers on the edges of my mind. Darkness begins to envelope me.
All of a sudden, I hear screaming in the distance. I recognise that voice. It's Lily. She's getting closer. Oh, thank God, I can tell her how much I love her. How much she has been the best big sister anyone could ever ask for, and demand that she keeps fighting.
Suddenly, I'm turned over. I hear her sweet voice talking to me; she's crying. Lil's arms feel so warm around my body. Home. I'm finally home. I love you, Lil. I try to say except my mouth won't move. I scream it in my mind to her. I love you, Lily! These are my last thoughts as darkness surrounds me and the light drifts away.
ABOUT EVIE HARPER
Evie Harper is an Aussie author who releases her debut novel, You Loved Me At My Darkest on the 28th of August 2014.
Book #1 will be followed by You Loved Me At My Weakest releasing Nov 2014 and, You Loved Me At My Ugliest releasing February 2015.
Evie is a bookaholic and is never found without her kindle, if by chance she doesn’t have it, she has severe separation anxiety. When Evie isn’t writing or reading, most of the time you can find her playing Uno, Trouble or Monopoly with her husband and two children.
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