Review: 4 1/2 stars:  I found it uplifting in it's own way
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2014
I must confess I picked this book up warily based on the comments from other reviewers about the childlike nature of the heroine and how the hero is an unrepentant killer.  I think it would be more accurate to describe the heroine who, for reasons of self-preservation, puts herself into a zombie like state and because she did experience oxygen deprivation as a child, a part of her brain is damaged, limiting her ability to be as articulate as she'd like to be.  However, this doesn't mean she thinks/perceives at a childlike level - once she is under Gator's protection, she really grows to where she sees Gator's insecurities and knows how to calm him.  The childlike behavior you initially read about (her fascination with snow globes for instance) are more a result of lack of socialization which she quickly overcomes once she's out of the clutches of her pimp.Gator is someone who has no problem killing the scum of society (and they are truly scum).  He is not a psychopath about it and he doesn't try to gloss over his killings as a heroic deed.  It is a beautiful thing to read how he slowly builds the relationship with the heroine.  I really liked how, after rescuing the heroine, he had her checked out by both a doctor and dentist.  That really made sense to me, seeing how badly she had been treated throughout her life.  One thing that was unrealistic, was the heroine not having any STDs (highly unlikely with the clientele she was forced to serve) - I know, no one wants to read about that and neither do I, but maybe if her character had been a high class escort whose clients always wore condoms, that would have made the fairly clean bill of health believable.The reason why this wasn't a full 5 stars for me was that I would have liked a Gator's instant attraction to the heroine written out more.  It seems to happen just based on a smile and considering how she's his first "girlfriend," I would expect there to be more explanation on how this gal totally and instantly turns his thinking around.I really found this to be an almost poetic read, despite the dark themes, somehow, the author's writing shows how wonderful and freeing it is when two individuals find each other.