**REVIEW** ~ Broken Dolls, by Kitty Thomas

Literary Erotica: 18+/Adult Read

Contains scenes of BDSM and violence (including sexual violence)

Blurb

jack5.500x8.500.inddMina Calloway always finds herself in the hands of the wrong master: Gentle at first, then brutally sadistic and abusive. She no longer believes it’s possible to find a man who will be gentle with her. After seeing a kink-friendly therapist for months, the doctor makes her an illicit offer she isn’t yet smart enough to refuse: “Let me find you a good master.”

Brian Sloan is a borderline sociopath with a dark and brutal past. Only taking his sadistic urges out on the women at a submissive training house allows him to sleep through the night. When Brian sees Mina, she should be ripe for the picking, but her damage is too similar to his own. Can he fight past his demons to protect the one person he considers worth saving?

Note: This book happens in the same world as Guilty Pleasures with reoccurring settings and characters. However, it is not a direct sequel and it isn’t necessary to have read Guilty Pleasures first. If you enjoy this book, however, you may also enjoy Guilty Pleasures by Kitty Thomas.

My Review

Compulsive Dark Erotic Read

Broken Dolls is another deliciously dark and dangerously erotic read from the pen of Kitty Thomas.

Kitty Thomas pairs the sadist Brian with an abuse victim Mina. Brian is a psychopath, killer and sociopath rolled into one, and has his own horrific past to contend with. He keeps his demons in check by assuming the role of enforcer at the manor which serves as a training ground for submissives. Mina is broken beyond repair. She agrees to her therapist’s offer so that she does not have to spend her life alone, feeling betrayed when she finds out who her master is. Brian is drawn to Mina recognising her suffering as akin to his own and feels the urge to protect her whilst continuing to dish out his punishment on other women in the manor. How this situation pans out makes this a truly compulsive dark erotic read.

In Kitty’s dark erotica the characters do not redeem themselves, they just unapologetically ARE. They may even be consciously aware that what they are doing is not normal and is morally wrong but they continue anyway. Brian falls very much into this category and although his relationship with Mina feels toxic, it also feels right – it is the best that they will ever have given their emotional scars. Once again it was not long before my concept of what is wrong and right was challenged and blurred and I began to understand and empathise with the monstrous acts that Brian performs to manage his demons.

Kitty’s books stay in my mind long after the read. They test my own boundaries – just as the characters are being tested. They encourage me to examine my own morals and sense of right and wrong. In a twisted way Brian and Mina’s gut-renching relationship works for them and I wanted them to be together. There is a HEA of sorts but it is very much Kitty style in that it is very much up to the value judgement of the reader to judge the extent of it.

Recommended for other Kitty addicts or for those who like a dark read which pushes the boundaries.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Purchase Links

Amazon US   Amazon UK

Connect with the Author

http://kittythomas.com/

About Tina Williams

Book reviewer and blogger and co-organiser of Tamworth (UK) Literary Festival

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