Pennies (twisted, but I couldn't get enough) — Pepper Winters

TITLE: Pennies (Dollar, #1)
AUTHOR: Pepper Winters
GENRE: Dark Romance
AGE RANGE: Adult

SYNOPSIS:
Once upon a time, I was an eighteen year old psychology student. Now, I’m a man’s property. Stolen and sold, I’ve been decorated in bruises since the day my world changed two years ago. I suffer in silence, I crave freedom, but I never break. I can’t. Until he arrives.

Elder Prest, the only man to look at me and see me. The only man more ruthless than my owner. He wants me for reasons I don’t understand. He claims me for one night then leaves and never looks back. Until he returns.

And life becomes much more complicated.

“You’re worth pennies, but I’ll make you worth fucking millions. However, what I expect in return will be unpayable.”

I’ve put off writing this review for months, because it’s just not an easy one for me to write. I don’t even know where to start with this book! Let me put it simply: Pennies is the kind of book you have to experience for yourself, because it is such a ride. It’s a roller coaster from end to end, and there’s a whole lot of terrible, awful, no-good stuff going down, but at the same time, it’s incredibly entertaining and I couldn’t get enough?!

“A penny for your thoughts, silent one. Perhaps, today you’ll speak.”

First of all, this book is brutal at times. There is a lot of sexual violence and assault in this story, so if that’s a trigger for you, please proceed with caution! There were definitely moments I had to skim-read for a page or two to get past the worst of it, but the story held me so tightly that I couldn’t bring myself to put it down (and I’m told there’s a lot less abuse in the next book, though I can’t say for certain yet).

“Once would have to be enough. Because a man like me could never have a second chance.”

And before you think this is going to be one of those stories where the captive woman is rescued by a brave, wonderful, kind, gentle hero, well—*record screech* think again! I honestly hated Elder Prest almost as much as I hated Pim’s abusive “owner”, Alrik. Not because Elder was as abusive as Alrik, but because Elder’s internal monologue was so grating at times. Yes, Elder, we get it—you think you’re a raging monster who can’t control himself, blah blah blah… It got old, but his interactions with Pim were intriguing enough to be worthwhile.

“Do you always oppose the man in your bed or just me?”

At this point, you might be wondering, Okay, Destiny, you’ve had a lot of weird and vaguely negative things to say, so why are you so invested in this book? Let me tell you, friends—because the heroine is fantastic, and I am so invested in her that I can’t fathom the idea of not seeing where she goes with this whole thing. Despite the daily agony and terror she’s put through, Pim never loses sight of herself, never has her spirit broken, and fights tooth and nail to the bitter end. *insert Marge Simpson meme* I just think she’s neat. I may or may not have made myself write this review just now solely to justify buying the next book in the series ASAP.

Buddy read with Taylor! ♥