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Synopsis
Her life is like a prison cell.
A self-made, to-hell-with-the-free-world existence that locks from the inside.
Stop judging. Her agoraphobia doesn’t define her. It simply keeps her safe.
He belongs in a prison cell.
The 6x8, make-me-your-bitch variety that locks from the outside.
But he’s free. To hunt. To take. To break.
And he just found a sexy new toy.
Capturing her is the easy part. Her fucked-up mind, however, makes him question everything he does next.
But he’s a determined bastard. If all goes his way, this will hurt like hell.
Warning: Graphic sex and violence. Age 18+ only
My Review
Vanquish can be read as a stand alone but if you intend to read Deliver do not read this review or this book. This review contains hints and spoilers from Deliver that only those that read it will be aware.
If you do plan to read Deliver STOP HERE!! STOP NOW!!!
If not READ ON!!!
If Deliver is Liv’s story then, Vanquish is Van’s. It may be his attempt at redemption or forgiveness for the crimes that he committed. However, Van's main goal is to reunite with Liv and their daughter. He had given Liv her freedom at the end of Deliver, even allowing her to think that she had gained it on her own. However, he let her go because he loved her until he met Amber and realized what love is.
This story is told from both Amber’s and Van’s point of view. He sees her, through all of her cosmetic armor and sarcasm. This Van is so different from the Van we met in Deliver and it confused the hell out of me. I wasn’t expecting him to be so tender and caring. I know that he believed he loved Liv, but she was his obsession, not his lover or his friend. Amber became all three wrapped up in one. First his obsession as he saw her as just a means to an end. Then eventually his friend as they confided in each other about their past and finally his lover. For Amber, Van is her savior. He took her fucked~uppedness and tried to FIX her and she wanted to be FIXED. He methods were the same he used to train slaves and they were exactly what she needed. But with all of that, the truth is that Van is just as fucked up as Amber.
So a little history about Van. Mr. E is his father. His mother was one of Mr. E's first slaves and when his mother died, Mr. E returned only to find Van selling his body for drugs. Mr. E then takes young Van and teaching him how to kidnap and train captives to become sex slaves. Liv was Van's first victim, one that he couldn't let go. Liv was to be sold as a virgin but when the buyer found her pregnant, he returned her and was refunded. For their disloyalty, Mr. E gave Liv and Van matching scars then took their child.
Amber's history is a little less disturbing, but it left her agoraphobic and bulimic with OCD and low self-esteem. She has a problem, on top of a problem, on top of problems. Amber drives her own struggle bus. However underneath all that hides a little sarcastic firecracker. She can give as good as she gets, but she only needs to see herself as others see her, a beautiful young woman with a heart of gold.
As I continued to read it seemed like the story was more Amber’s than Van’s. There seemed to be a lot of focus on her illness than on Van. But the more he dealt with Amber and all of her fucked~uppedness the less he obsessed about Liv. It seemed as if basically traded one drug for another. However, in helping Amber he learned more about himself and became more human.
By the end of the book I was smiling and was glad the story ended the way it did. Van was a changed man in love with a changed woman that still dealt with her insecurities and other issues but they were both better in the end. Earning Vanquish 4 dark hearts and a high recommendation
I still wish that he had avenged Amber but humiliating her ex-husband and the sister that betrayed her, but still had her loyalty. Maybe that will come in another book.
*An ARC was provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Favorite Character ~ Amber and Van
Least Favorite Character ~ Van (I both loved and hated him)
Favorite quote ~ " They both carried a million cracks beneath the skin. Even under the stark light of the fluorescents, it was hard to see which of them was more broken. But for the first time, she felt like she had to vanquish her mental illness not for herself but for someone else. Because she was broken with him, and if she fixed herself, maybe she could make him a little less broken, too. "
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Excerpt
He stalked toward her, mirroring the tilt of her head, knees and shoulders loose, and his gaze holding her prisoner. A breath away, he paused, soaking in the subtleties of her tipped-up chin, parting lips, and glossy but resolute eyes.
With the next breath, he launched, hands on her jaw, fingers spread around the back of her head. His elbows dropped, shoulders raised, and he yanked her to him, lifting her on tiptoes, guiding her mouth, taking it. His grip twisted through her hair as he drew in her upper lip and shoved her against the fridge, following her with the weight of his body.
The kiss went fucking wild, their lips mashing in a frantic battle. His tongue plunged her mouth, attacking, thrusting in and out, possessing her movements, owning her. Breath for breath, lick after lick, he ate at her mouth, tasting, devouring.
He dropped his hands to her breasts, squeezing ruthlessly as he rolled his cock against her cunt. His tongue tingled, his skin burned, and his head swam. God,
she was a drug, and he was so fucking high.
she was a drug, and he was so fucking high.
She gripped his biceps, bit at his lips, and threw her arms over his shoulders, her fingers scratching the fuck out his back. He shuddered, loving it, but he was in control.
Reaching back, he grabbed her wrists and slammed them above her head. Their bodies ground together, his forearms pressing hers to the fridge, their tongues dancing and clashing. Chest-to-chest, hips fused together, he flexed his ass, dry humping her like a horny teenager.
Jesus, fuck, he didn't care. He wanted her.
He leaned back to study her face and found strong smoldering eyes, sharp breaths, and swollen wet lips. Whatever she saw in his expression made her mouth chase his and her fingers curl around his hands. They kissed endlessly, fueling the fire and pushing his control long past the point of discomfort before pulling back and starting all over again.
When he broke the kiss with a hand on her jaw, they panted as one, mouths open and so close their bottom lips brushed. She peered at him through lowered lashes, and he stared back in awe. What trembled between them wasn't an if? Or even a how hard? Those were foregone. The question they shared was simple.
Ready?
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Giveaway
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.
Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.
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