The blurb:
Sela Halstead lost her innocence in a way that no sixteen-year-old should ever have to endure. She’s spent years trying to forget that night even while wondering about the identities of the monsters who brutalized her—until a telltale tattoo flashes across Sela’s TV screen. The incriminating ink belongs to Jonathon Townsend, the millionaire founder of The Sugar Bowl, a website that matches rich older men with impressionable young women. Obsessed with revenge, Sela infiltrates Townsend’s world, only to come face-to-face with a tantalizing complication: Beckett North, his charismatic business partner.
The tech mastermind behind The Sugar Bowl, Beck always gets what he wants, in business and in bed. And yet, for a man who’s done every dirty thing imaginable, there’s something about the naïve, fresh-faced Sela that sparks his hottest fantasies. Because with her, it’s not just about sex. Beck opens up to her in ways he never has with other girls. So why does he get the feeling that she’s hiding something? In a world of pleasure and power, the shocking truth could turn them against each other—or bind them forever.
What I thought:
I've had the first book in this series sitting on my kindle for a while, but I didn't get into it right away. Not sure why – probably because it starts off quite heavy with a rape scene and I was in the mood for something light and fluffy at that time. But I gave it another go, mainly because the cover caught my eye, and this time, I devoured all three books in less than a week.
The Sugar Bowl story starts off with Sela's quest for revenge, but that gets derailed when she realises that love is more important to her. The first book covers Sela and Beck's blossoming relationship and she moves on with her life.
Or so she thinks…
JT, the man she's convinced raped her, is going off the rails in his own way, threatening to destroy Beck's business while he's at it. Sela and Beck join forces to destroy him through a complicated web of mistruths and money. But that goes wrong when Sela has…well…a Too Stupid To Live moment at the end of the second book. And yes, it nearly killed her. It did cause me to shake my head a little in disbelief, but by then, I was invested in the characters, so I put my incredulity aside and moved onto the third book. And all the drama did make a good setup for the rest of the story.
Book three was darker in tone than than the first two as Sela and Beck had to deal with the fallout from Sela's mistake, as well as JT's awful revelations, which were bad enough to threaten their relationship with each other and everyone else they cared about. This book had plenty of action and a great conclusion with some nice twists – I won't say too much because I don't like to give spoilers. The epilogue tied up all the loose threads, although the conclusion of the rape investigation did feel a tiny bit like an afterthought.
All in all, I enjoyed all three books and I'd recommend them. I liked both main characters and the romantic suspense storyline was just my cup of tea. The side characters were also nicely fleshed out, and I'd love to hear more from Dennis and Caroline.
Be warned that the first two books do end on cliffhangers, so if you like everything neatly wrapped up in one book, this series isn't for you.
Sounds like a crazy set of books, but a little intriguing. Might have to read, but not sure. Thanks for the review!
Sounds like a book that my granddaughter might be interested in reading although the review was so good I might be reading!
I hope you both enjoy it!
Looks like a very insane trilogy, and I definitely have to read each one, very slowly!