Review: Well written dark erotica
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2014
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.If you are a fan of dark erotica, then I would definitely recommend reading The Payment Series by Cassandra Carr. But please be aware that this book is most assuredly dark erotica. That means it features dubious consent and it may creep you out a bit, but it has that erotic element that does not fit into any of the normal categories.Catrina Carter is on the verge of losing everything because of her out of control spending. A friend recommends going to Debt Management Associates (DMA) for help. With little choice but to ask for help, Catrina accepts DMA’s unorthodox solution. She agrees to serve a man for one year and in exchange he will pay off her debt. But service means being her new benefactor’s sexual slave. Catrina must service her benefactor, Jared, and anyone that he chooses at anytime, anywhere. In addition, Jared has free rein to punish Catrina as he sees fit, and he believes extreme negative reinforcement is the only way to ensure that Catrina learns her lesson.The Payment Series is not a romance so there is no love between Catrina and Jared, but Ms. Carr was able to show a connection between the two that intrigued me. Jared seems to want to help Catrina, but his methods are so heinous that the reader is left shaking their head in wonder. I was constantly questioning his motivation as well as Catrina’s willingness to accept so much pain and humiliation. But the point was that I couldn’t put the book down as I waited to see if Catrina had a breaking point and where was this twisted relationship going to end.The sexual situations left me squirming and decidedly uncomfortable, but that is the heart of dark erotica. Ms. Carr was able to create an engaging story that pulled me in from the beginning. I winced with each lash of the belt, and cringed every time Jared humiliated Catrina. But that meant I felt and I always appreciate a book that can make me feel even when those feelings aren’t necessarily happy.I was also impressed by Ms. Carr’s ability to create captivating, well developed characters, especially Jared. Based upon Jared’s treatment of Catrina, I really should have hated him. Yet I didn’t because enough of his emotions came through in order for me to not see him as a monster. In fact, I found it harder to respect and admire Catrina because of her attitude and lack of remorse. But that same lack of guilt made Catrina fascinating as I tried to better understand her thought process.If I haven’t scared you away then you really should add The Payment Series to your to be read list because long after you’re finished reading, you will still be thinking about this book and wondering how far you would be willing to go if put in the same situation as Catrina.