Debt Inheritance (Indebted #1), by Pepper Winters

Deliciously Dark Erotic Romance – A Top Read for 2014!

18+ Read/Adult Situations

Book Blurb

“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter.

She is no longer free.

Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey.

There are no rules. Only payments.

Deliciously Dark and Freakin’ Amazing!!!

If you are a fan of dark erotica or dark romance and you haven’t already done so YOU WILL WANT TO READ THIS BOOK! It is addictive – I only meant to read the first few pages or so to get a taste BUT my conscious and unconscious mind, which craves such reads, had other ideas. I tumbled headlong into this particular rabbit hole created by Pepper Winters into a world where innocence is consumed by darkness and depravity and I devoured it within a matter of hours. Debt Inheritance is the first instalment of Pepper Winter’s Indebted series and I cannot wait to see how the tale pans out!

I LOVED the two main protaganists and the developing chemistry between them: the talented but sheltered heroine Nila and Jethro, the anti-hero, who is out to break her. I found some of the actions taken by Nila a little naïve at the start of the book, but understandable given that she has an overprotective brother, who is also her twin, and an even more overprotective father. How she copes with the realisation of her fate, the psychology between Jethro her captor and her relationships with others involved in her captivity make this book a fantastic and chilling dark read. Nila needs to draw on previously unknown strengths in an attempt to survive in a situation that becomes more and more desperate as the tale progresses. Her only chance of survival is to persuade the monster that is Jethro, not to destroy her, but this is a task that is his by birth right, ingrained into his very being.

And Jethro – oh my goodness I both loved and feared this terrifying alpha and I definitely crave a LOT more of him. His character is from the dark void, intent on destroying Nila, the first born female of the current generation of the Weaver family, indebted to his own family in a manner most foul. He exhibits no remorse or compassion for what he is to do to this innocent woman. Nila is far from his usual type and he despises her, cruelly taunting her weaknesses and insecurities at every turn – indeed he is a real b******. However, he IS attracted to her, some of her actions take him by surprise and she gets under his skin. Yet will this be enough to save her or is his soul beyond redemption? Characters such as Jethro are exactly why I love dark reads such as this and the way Pepper Winters recounts Nila’s and Jethro’s story in their alternate POVs makes this read ever more chilling and addictive.

The sex scenes in this book range from hot and teasing to visceral and somewhat disturbing. There is some violence but more so the threat of violence against the heroine and psychological torture as her punishment for being one of the women to pay for the sins of the Weaver family begins. I read wide eyed and dry mouthed as the scenes played out, both aroused and repelled at the same time. It takes great skill to do this and the author has a real talent for drawing the reader into the story and keeping them there hanging on every word.

There are many dark, evil twisted characters in this book, which include Jethro’s father and brothers and they have their own role to play. There is also the unorthodox method Nila relies on in an attempt to maintain her fragile sanity through a tenuous link with the outside world – I will not give an more away except to say that the whole read is an inspired foray into the darker realms of power, lust and depravity. Lovers of the dark side are well advised to check this book out! I am new to Pepper Winters but will definitely be reading further instalments of this series and her backlist.