Debra E's Never-Ending TBR

What a beautifully twisted tale! This story had me on the edge of my seat, gut churning the entire time. This is not a romance, but it is a dark and disturbing story of physical and psychological torture. If you've made it through and "enjoyed" stories like [b:The Flesh Cartel #1: Capture|15986924|The Flesh Cartel #1 Capture|Rachel Haimowitz|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346752258s/15986924.jpg|21742008] and [b:Antidote|18751334|Antidote (Don't..., #2)|Jack L. Pyke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1383532083s/18751334.jpg|26638783] you'll probably like this one too, but take the warnings seriously if you are thinking of picking this up.

Opening and closing with the men as 30 year old adults, the majority of the story takes place when they are in their late teens, with one horrifying look at the boys when they were as young as 10. Miah is a psycophath and his younger (by only 9 months) brother Alex is the unfortunate focus of his abuse. In fact it's an obsession. Miah wants complete control of Alex. He wants to own every inch of him.

Miah has instilled a fear for his life in Alex, so he takes the abuse when it comes, but he yearns for the quieter times when Miah's attention is on him. As much as he hates what Miah does, he still wants those scraps of tenderness that occasionally come, as few as they may be and knowing they will result in even more suffering. Alex finds out that he does have limits one day and that is the last the brothers see of each other for 10 years, though Alex has never been out of Miah's thoughts.

Joseph Lance Tonlet did a great job in portraying the unapologetic brutality of Miah and his laser focus on Alex. His stated reason for why he tortures Alex seems, however, to be in direct conflict with some of his actions, especially in light of how he unsuccessfully tried to satisfy his needs since the men were separated. The ending chapter proves the lengths Miah will go to in order to get Alex back, but we know little about what Alex has been through in the last 10 years and I am not willing to believe he is the same person he used to be. I'm hoping he'll be able to give Miah a run for his money in the next part. I can't wait to peel back some more layers on these two.



BR with Bev -- I'll schedule us for Part Two as well!