Torture to Her Soul
(Monster in His Eyes #2)
J.M. Darhower
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: 9.29.14
Blurb
Don’t say it unless you mean it…
It’s a simple concept, one I’ve said time and again, but something people don’t seem to comprehend. You should choose every syllable carefully, because you never know when somebody will hold you to your word.
Somebody like me.
I’m not a good man. I’m not. I know. I have enough darkness inside of me to rid the world of every stitch of light. But there’s one I could never harm, one light I couldn’t bring myself to snuff out.
Karissa.
She thinks I’m a monster, and maybe I am. I taunt her with my touch, get a thrill out of torturing her soul. But I’m not the only one. The world is full of monsters, and I’m not the most dangerous one out there.
Not even close…
God help me, I love her.
I do.
And God help anyone who tries to take her from me.
Buy Links:
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/torture-to-her-soul-jm-darhower/1120418992?ean=2940150601505
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NP4U422
Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Torture-Her-Soul-Monster-Eyes/dp/194220602X/
Review
Justice is in the eye of the beholder.
This idea fits Ignazio “Naz” Vitale perfectly. For over twenty years, Naz has been haunted by the idea of avenging his wife’s murder at the hands of his best friend and making all those of his blood pay for the blood that was spilled that day. Naz painstakingly plotted to get his revenge, and it all started and ended with Marissa. But Naz never planned for her to become someone he couldn’t live without, which is exactly what happens in Monster in His Eyes and what ultimately causes the tormented man to feel things he hasn’t felt since the day he lost his wife. But despite his love for Marissa, there’s still a monster inside Naz that craves the darkness, and there’s still a need to snuff out the light of anyone who threatens his relationship with Marissa or their lives.
Naz was quite the mystery in book 1, so when I found out that book 2 was going to be told through Naz’s perspective, I hoped J.M. Darhower was going to let the monster out to play and allow readers to truly see deep within his psyche. I needed to understand Naz and the way that he viewed the dangerous world he lived in; I needed him to show me how truly dark he thought he was, so I could make my own judgment about whether or not he had a darkened soul with no hope of redemption. And, J.M. Darhower allows me that journey with Naz in Torture to Her Soul.
Naz is no longer a trusting man; he questions everything and tries to see the angle in every play. When you live a life of secrets and deception, it’s no wonder that he’s always looking over his shoulder and never truly feels safe out in the open. He may be torturing Marissa by forcing her to stay with him, but he’s doing it just as much for her protection as her torment. Naz never thought he would love anyone again, especially a woman he’s supposed to loathe and destroy, but he does, and he owns that choice, even with the outside pressure coming at him, and while the title is fitting for his situation with Marissa, I also think Naz is torturing his own soul. Every time Marissa acts out of anger towards him…shuns him…tortures him with her silence, his heart as well as his soul is breaking a little bit more. Naz is a complex man whose imperfections make him that much more intriguing. He owns who he’s become, but Marissa can still bring him to his knees by her disdain and bitterness.
I had a hard time with Marissa at the start of the story. Maybe it’s because I only saw her actions and attitude through Naz’s eyes, but her treatment of Naz and the situation didn’t work for me. Don’t get me wrong, I understand her confliction; it’s an extremely difficult situation but Naz is tormented enough by his own actions and he desperately needs the calm that Marissa used to bring him. I know I sound completely biased and somewhat deranged to feel sorry for a killer, but there’s something about seeing everything through Naz’s eyes that makes me want Naz to not be so tortured, and I know Marissa can help that by loving him.
I truly enjoyed Torture to Her Soul. It’s a fitting conclusion to Naz and Marissa’s story. I loved seeing further into Naz’s psyche and watching him grow and change due to his love for a woman that shouldn’t be his. Naz may be a bad man, but he’s damn good at it.
J.M. Darhower is an amazing writer who creates such dynamic characters and such interesting plotlines that readers can’t help but be drawn in and seduced not only by the words but by her dark heroes.
A complimentary copy was received in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 poison apples
Teaser
“Guess it’s true what they say.”
The sound of Karissa’s voice draws my attention. Turning around, I see her standing at the bottom of the steps, eyes trained past me at the front door. Early morning sunshine bathes the area around it in a soft orange glow, making the brand new locks lining the door shine brightly. I spent all night fortifying the house, doing everything in my power to make the place secure.
“And what, exactly, do they say?”
Karissa’s eyes shift from the door to meet mine. Her hair is a mess, her pajamas disheveled. She clearly just woke up from sleeping hard, lost in tranquility, while I spent the past few hours drowning in paranoia. Every time the house creaked, I damn near clawed my way out of my own skin.
“History repeats itself,” she says, “first as a tragedy, second as a farce.”
Karl Marx. I recognize the quote.
Daniel Santino must’ve taught it to her.
Huh.
I wave toward the front door. “Something about this is funny to you?”
“Not really funny,” she says, slowly stepping closer. “It’s sort of curious, though, that I spent my entire life trapped behind locked doors and here it is, happening to me again. I always knew something was going on when my mother started buying extra locks and nailing down windows. It’s just a bit of déjà vu seeing you doing the same thing.”
Hesitating, I reach into my pocket and fish out a set of keys. I toss them to her without warning, and they hit the wooden floor by her feet with a clang. Bending down, she picks them up, eyeing me curiously.
“You’re not trapped here, Karissa.”
Her fist closes around the keys, her gaze burning through me as she arches an eyebrow, silent for a moment before asking, “Aren’t I?”
“No, you’re not,” I say. “You can leave the house whenever you want.”
“Can I?”
“Of course,” I say. “Doesn’t mean I won’t follow you, though.”
About the Author:
J.M. Darhower is the USA Today bestselling author of books about the hottest hit men and the women who find some hope in them. She lives in a tiny town in rural North Carolina, where she churns out more words than will ever see the light of day. She has a deep passion for politics and speaking out against human trafficking, and when she isn’t writing (or fangirling) she’s usually ranting about those things. Chronic crimper with a vulgar mouth, she admits to having a Twitter addiction. You can usually always find her there.
Author’s links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmdarhower
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JM-Darhower/187907981297867?skip_nax_wizard=true
Website: http://www.jmdarhower.com/
Fairest Of All Book Reviews 