Review: Antidote
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2014
4.5 starsFirst off you cannot go into this book without having read Don't... as it picks up where that left off and builds upon the ground work of that book. Secondly, heed the warnings that this is a seriously difficult book to read, with many potential triggers including abduction, rape and torture. With that being said, Antidote is a very well done psychological suspense/thriller that again kept me on edge of my seat and left me spent both emotionally and physically.I don't want to give away anything more than the blurb offers. The book picks up a few months after Don't... with Jack, Jan and Gray still settling into their relationship and trying to find the balance of vanilla love and affection Jack gets from Jan with the Dom/sub relationship he has with Gray. I loved seeing the three enjoying each other equally and comfortably blending Jan's maybe not completely vanilla needs with the intensity of what Jack and Gray have with each other. Again, as in Don't..., Jack's past comes back to haunt the men and the brutal, horrifying abduction and abuse that Jack and Jan are subsequently put through tears them all apart.Jack L. Pyke spares nothing in putting us right into Jack and Jan's ordeal. Anyone who has seen my reviews or looked at my shelves here knows I am no stranger to books that push my limits, and this is one of the very few that I had to put down and step away from. The intensity of the emotional and physical torture that Jan and Jack are subjected to had me sick to my stomach, but compelled to read on all the same. As difficult as that part of the story was, the fallout for the three men in the following chapters pained me just as much. Seeing the physical inability of Jack to even be near Jan, yet knowing he loves and needs him brought me to tears. Even when the who and why behind the abduction and torture is revealed it does nothing to bring you a sense of relief.One of my concerns at the end of Don't... when the triad of Gray, Jack and Jan was set up, was that Jan would be marginalized by Gray as yet another tool to be used to keep Jack together. The Jan we see in Antidote may be vanilla, but he has a strength and determination I did not expect and he will stop at nothing to protect Jack and the love they so clearly have for each other. My respect and understanding of Gray's character grew by leaps and bounds. It's no secret I was not a Gray fan and although he again handles things poorly, it is always driven by his love for Jack. Jack is the center of the group and he needs both men to keep himself together. The level to which his disorders affect him were only hinted at in Don't, and the blackouts he experiences are more than just some lost time for him.There is much more healing ahead, but there are also still secrets that are being kept and unknown persons that still may be a threat. I cannot wait to see what Jack L. Pyke has in store for me next.