Review: 2013 Must Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 15, 2013
"She was a slave to his lust, while he was a slave to her pain."I am in absolute  love with M.S. Willis's Madeleine, Abducted. If you're a reader looking for a chilling, all-consuming, dark romance—this book is it.Before I keep going on about this book, you should know that this book is graphic and violent to the max. Willis left no stone unturned when detailing scenes of rape, murder, slavery, and other graphic themes. So, if you're not one who can handle extreme situations, tread carefully while reading this book. Madeleine, Abducted is not your typical, fluffy, generic love story.Willis tells us a chilling and enrapturing story of a young woman who gets kidnapped after her cello performance one night. A timid and shy girl, Maddy is taken to The Estate and her whole life is turned upside down when she learns she is to be a "gift" for The Estate owner's son's birthday. Aaron wants nothing to do with his father and his business, but he can't escape his father's grip. When he accepts his father's "gift", Aaron's resolve gets tested and his true nature gets revealed. Maddy is then left to figure out who to trust, and how to survive."You may be one of those monsters, but there's something else inside you, a kindness that you didn't have to show me."This story is told in the third-person, but it swaps views between Maddy and Aaron's eyes. Beautifully written and absolutely vivid. I could see everything that surrounded Maddy and Aaron, but the most important thing was that I  felt  every single emotion evoked by the characters. Personally, I think that is a hard feat to accomplish when a story is told in the third person, but the descriptions and language used totally consumed me. I kid you not-I read this book in one night because I just could not put it down. Incredibly addictive.Now, I am a lover of dark and gritty romances. I go out of my way to look for new titles that follow this theme—which is how I found this book, by the way. However, this book is brutal! No doubt about it. Even I found myself at times wanting to skip over some scenes because I didn't think I could stomach it. The only reason why I powered through it is because I thought they were incredibly important at depicting the truth about certain characters' lives and expectations.Like I said before, this book is not a generic love story."Dream of me, Maddy. See me as I want to be; not the nightmare who torments you, but the devoted and mystified man who worships at your feet."The hero is so flawed and corrupt to the point that if I hadn't known and seen how powerful his love is, I'm not sure I would have liked him. BUT, that's the thing about Aaron. At first glance, he is a monster, but when you experience his true soul—and that's how I see Aaron, as soulful—you see a side of him that is good. Unfortunately, all that is good about Aaron is hidden to protect himself from his father. In the end, however, his true inner strength—not the physical kind—broke free from his father’s rein. Except for Aaron to get to where he got, he needed Maddy.Maddy is one of a kind. In the beginning, I thought to myself, “Ok this girl is not going to make it if she’s this shy.” But like with Aaron, first glances aren’t always what they seem. The evolution of Maddy was incredible to read and witness. You could practically feel her strength palpitating through the text of the book. Maddy, though, has this quiet sort of strength. You don’t see it until she absolutely needs to use it. Almost like a secret weapon, Maddy hid her power and strength until the time was right. And when that time came, she helped Aaron overcome and conquer his demons as well as finding her own escape."I hope there is a day when my touch does not disgust you; that, rather, you can smile when my hands rubs along your body."While this book was incredibly violent, it was also incredibly erotic and sensual and down-right sexy. Both characters elude sex appeal in their own way, and when they both come together, their chemistry ignited. It totally leaves you all hot ‘bothered as a reader, but completely sated as well.The book’s progression was slow-building. It hints to this bigger drama, but the first 60% of the book is mostly about Aaron and Maddy’s evolving relationship. When it finally came to the climactic ending—which I loved—I don’t know, it kind of left me wanting to know more about how this “Alliance” that gets alluded to came about. See when the book starts, Aaron already has this “plan” to take over The Estate, but you don’t really see it or understand it until the end. Either way, I loved the ending. I also love that although it can be read as a stand-alone, Xander(an important secondary character) will get his own story in the next installment, Hope Restrained."I stayed for vengeance, yes; but I also stayed for you."Overall, this book went beyond my expectations and it is truly a 2013 Must Read for me. I can’t wait to read more of Willis’s books.