Synopsis:

Accidental Gold digger.

Circumstance forced Eden Mercer to sell herself to Dominic Armstrong for half a million dollars and in return she is to play the dutiful wife in public and submit to him completely behind closed doors.

The Tyrant.

Dominic is Ruthless, manipulative and sadistic but Eden is determined not to break under his cruelty. But how does one persevere when in the clutches of a Monster?

My review:

It was extremely disconcerting to see how he treated her in the beginning. He truly viewed her as a possession. It took her escape to make him see that she is a person and for him to realize how badly he treated her. ( )

4.5 stars
Eden and Dominic had a deal. She wanted his money. He wanted her looks and sex. So the logical move for them was marriage. The deal is simple. She gets access to all of his millions and he gets sex when and how he wants it.

Dominic is cruel and sadistic. Eden is a fool to think that she can continue to endure his ways much longer, especially considering she is pregnant.

Eden is a smart one. Dominic always took her for granted. That ruled in his favor. Eden was able to save and plan her escape.

Eden has left Dominic. Started a new life. Found a job she loved and was good at.

Dominic will stop at nothing to find his Eden. She is his. She belongs to him. He will make sure to find her and make her return to where she belongs.

Obviously, he finds her. He takes away everything she has, down to her money in the bank and her job. He has made it so she will come running back to him.

No matter what Dominic throws at her, no matter what he takes, Eden is dead-set she will not return to him. She wants out. She wants a divorce. She wants what she should have fought for a long time ago... Freedom.

Of coarse, things don't go as planned for either of them. Dominic has seen a new side to Eden. He has also found a part of him he didn't know could exist through his son. He slowly learns how to love instead of rule. Dominic's new found feelings have opened his eyes to a new Eden... Well an Eden he was never able to see. She is strong and independent. And mostly, she really doesn't care about his money nor does she want it. He is forced to see her as a woman, not his belonging.

Eden can't accept this new Dominic. The only Dominic she has ever known was cruel and vile. This new Dominic shows sincerity. He shows compassion. He possesses her in a whole different way. But she wants out. She knows it will only be a matter of time before he switches back to his old ways. It's only a matter of time before he not only hurts her again but also their son.

This story ripped my heart out. It is full of ups and downs. There is always something endearing about redeeming oneself. Francette has done a wonderful job at showing both characters in such vivid detail, that one cannot love this book! The only thing stopping this from a 5-star rating from me was emotion. Yes, I felt a lot of it. However, there were parts where I was ready for a good old, ugly cry. But I just couldn't get there. I am a tough cookie to crack, what can I say? ( )

4.5 stars
Eden and Dominic had a deal. She wanted his money. He wanted her looks and sex. So the logical move for them was marriage. The deal is simple. She gets access to all of his millions and he gets sex when and how he wants it.

Dominic is cruel and sadistic. Eden is a fool to think that she can continue to endure his ways much longer, especially considering she is pregnant.

Eden is a smart one. Dominic always took her for granted. That ruled in his favor. Eden was able to save and plan her escape.

Eden has left Dominic. Started a new life. Found a job she loved and was good at.

Dominic will stop at nothing to find his Eden. She is his. She belongs to him. He will make sure to find her and make her return to where she belongs.

Obviously, he finds her. He takes away everything she has, down to her money in the bank and her job. He has made it so she will come running back to him.

No matter what Dominic throws at her, no matter what he takes, Eden is dead-set she will not return to him. She wants out. She wants a divorce. She wants what she should have fought for a long time ago... Freedom.

Of coarse, things don't go as planned for either of them. Dominic has seen a new side to Eden. He has also found a part of him he didn't know could exist through his son. He slowly learns how to love instead of rule. Dominic's new found feelings have opened his eyes to a new Eden... Well an Eden he was never able to see. She is strong and independent. And mostly, she really doesn't care about his money nor does she want it. He is forced to see her as a woman, not his belonging.

Eden can't accept this new Dominic. The only Dominic she has ever known was cruel and vile. This new Dominic shows sincerity. He shows compassion. He possesses her in a whole different way. But she wants out. She knows it will only be a matter of time before he switches back to his old ways. It's only a matter of time before he not only hurts her again but also their son.

This story ripped my heart out. It is full of ups and downs. There is always something endearing about redeeming oneself. Francette has done a wonderful job at showing both characters in such vivid detail, that one cannot love this book! The only thing stopping this from a 5-star rating from me was emotion. Yes, I felt a lot of it. However, there were parts where I was ready for a good old, ugly cry. But I just couldn't get there. I am a tough cookie to crack, what can I say? ( )

I have to say that this was an EPIC love story. It was dark, it was gritty, it had a man i hated in the start that turned to be a character i loved.

These type of stories are hard to deliver, and Phal did it well. The emotional nuances were delivered with such an impact, i was reeling from them after i finished the novel. True emotional abuse, that was described just right, not over the top and not to little to make you feel that the heroine was overreacting. She was described as an interesting woman with really humane thoughts and emotions. I was drawn to her, to him and to the story. This was a damned good read.

The only problem i had with this book was the way it was written. It is clear that the author is eloquent, but the sentences in this novel would make a Shakespearean actor cry. Throughout the book, in certain places it seemed forced to that extent it sounded pretentious. The constant bejeweling of normal, non important sentences took away from the shine of those moments when such lyrical prose would make a deep emotional impact. description of how the MC wore his coat was followed with the same fanfare as describing the key points of his love affair. Think of it as glitter, in some places a sparkle or two will leave you with a glamorous effect, while if you freely shower yourself with it, you wind up looking tacky. Unfortunately for me the overwriting dimmed the sheer awesomeness of this story.

Still i will be reading more of her work. ( )

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this, I really did. Unfortunately, I read Jettie Woodruff's Underestimated just last week and Monster seemed to be an imitation with much more flowery writing. The thesaurus was clearly worn out in the writing of this book.

Example:

"Deep within that feminine mantle that clutched him tighter than a vise, he tattooed his name in slick magma."

Huh???

Magma???

I have no words. except maybe ewwww.

SO many words were overdone (I get it, she had caramel legs. No, really... I get it!)

Like I said, I went into this one with high hopes but it fell flat both in originality and in writing. ( )