I one-clicked Consequences after reading Braine @Talk Supe's review awhile back. (seriously, I one-clicked this on March 6, 2013!) Braine talked about what a "mind fluck" this book was. So I was intrigued. I started reading Consequences right before heading to Cincinnati for the Queen City Indie Con, because Aleatha Romig was attending. I got to meet her and she's sooo cool! I had to laugh when I was at her table as she had button swag for us and she picked up one that said "I Love Tony". When I told her I was reading Consequences, she said, "Oh, then you don't love Tony right now" and handed me a "I Hate Tony" button instead.
Braine, I can't thank you enough for turning me on to this series. I can't wait for the next "mind fluck"!
***
Consequences
Consequences #1
Release Date:
Genre: Dark, Adult Contemporary Romance
Source: I purchased a ecopy on Amazon
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Synopsis
Every action has consequences.
Waking in an unfamiliar bedroom in a luxurious mansion, Claire Nichols is terrified to discover that a chance encounter led her into the cruel hands of her abductor, Anthony Rawlings. Claire has no understanding of why she's there, but it's been made abundantly clear - she is now his acquisition and every action has consequences.
Learn the rules to survive.
Facing incomprehensible circumstances, Claire must learn to survive her new reality - every aspect of her livelihood depends upon the tall, dark-eyed tycoon who is a true master of deception. Driven by unknown demons, he has no tolerance for imperfection, in any aspect of his life, including his recent acquisition. Anthony may appear to the world as a handsome, benevolent businessman, but in reality Claire knows firsthand that he's a menacing, controlling captor with very strict rules: do as you're told, public failure is not an option, and appearances are of the utmost importance.
Captivate the captor.
To fit together the pieces of the puzzle, Claire must follow his rules. Will her plan work, or will Anthony become enthralled by Claire's beauty, resilience, and determination, changing the game forever? If that happens, will either of them survive the consequences?
Nobody ever did or ever will escape the consequences of his choices. - Alfred A. Montapert
I think y'all know I appreciate twists in stories. Honestly, the twistier the better. Consequences - well, I don't think I've ever read more of a "mind fluck" than this. I've never finished a book with a WTF?? feeling like I had when I finished Consequences. And I loved it. I never knew what was coming. Oh, I knew something was coming, but I didn't know what. I was on edge for so much of the book just waiting for the other shoe to fall. And when it did, it was completely unexpected.
I like villains - those characters you love to hate. I have a new appreciation for villains like Anthony Rawlings. I despised him, the I warmed to him little by little. It never reached love or admiration - but when that shoe finally dropped, I felt duped. The I did admire him - for his evil ways. Tony is sooo good at being bad. I never could figure him out even though we got snippets from his POV. I didn't...couldn't understand his motivations. Although I now know, I still don't understand.
Claire - I did admire her resilience. At times, I felt she'd lost some of the inner strength she'd possessed. I couldn't comprehend how she didn't see how Tony was changing her. But truly, she was resilient in her coping. She managed the best she could - while being taking in by Tony's softer side. I feel under his spell, too. I wanted to believe. I smiled at the return of her backbone and dignity though.
The quotes at the chapter beginnings were masterfully used as clues. This was an incredible psychological thriller...dark and oh, so twisty. I did think it was clunky at times. Perhaps I didn't need all that information. Once I finished, I realized it was all necessary. It was needed to set up that WTF moment. Ms. Romig has now placed herself on my favorite authors list.
