This is War, Baby (War & Peace, #1) by K. Webster Series: War & Peace #1
Published by Self-Published on February 29th 2016
Pages: 261
Amazon
My life had a plan. Until he invaded it and stole it all away. My captor took me and I became a pawn.
His strategy changed and he sent me away to WAR, because money is everything in this world.
In my WAR, though, I found peace.
I couldn’t help but find love where I least expected it, with a man who lived a battle every day of his life
…all inside his head.But then my captor came back for me.
Yet, this time, battle lines had been drawn and I was protected.So we thought.
Even though my WAR was raging,
my captor would fight to the death.The good guys always win, right?
Not always.All’s fair in love and WAR, right?
Not this time.***WARNING***
This is War, Baby is a dark romance. A really dark one. So dark you’re going to wish you had a flashlight to see yourself to the end and someone to hold your hand. Human trafficking, dubious consent, and strong sexual themes that could trigger emotional distress are found in this story. This story is NOT for everyone.
It’s a fair assessment to say this is a dark book. I don’t read a lot of these types of books so I was hesitant, but it’s not quite as dark as I feared. Baylee is victimized, but the most disturbing things occur in the first half of the book when Baylee is being held captive by her twisted abductor, Gabe.
Gabe is the perfect bad guy: sadistic and menacingly affectionate; delusional and greedy. War is fascinating to me. It’s clear he’s deeply troubled and trapped in his own horrific world. His loneliness, torment, and fears touched me. He’s a puzzle I couldn’t wait to solve.
It’s the heroine that lessoned my enjoyment of the story. When Baylee is first abducted my heart ached for her. Nobody should experience such abuse. Once she goes to live with War though, my sympathy started to wane. I get that she wants to go home (Who wouldn’t?) and it’s a strange environment, but War is quite accommodating, especially compared to her previous living conditions. However, Baylee actually has tantrums and can be very whiny.
“The food sucks. And I’m still donning a stupid robe.”
Really? That’s her biggest concern? Shouldn’t she be thankful she’s not being brutally abused?
Baylee is 17 years old—just a couple months from turning 18—yet she seems much younger. Even with her sexual desires and cruel life experiences, there’s an underlying immaturity. Some may call it innocence, but it was difficult for me to imagine War—who is a volatile 28 year-old—being in a relationship with someone who behaves like an adolescent. There are also a few plot points that are rather peculiar. War is, by far, the most interesting character and the highlight of the story.
The author does a good job of balancing light and dark, and adding enough mystery and suspense to keep me interested. There’s a doozy of a cliffhanger and a ton of unanswered questions. I’m curious to see how the story ends.
Recommended for fans of:
Dark romance
Captivity stories
Mysteries
**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.**
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