WARNING: This is NOT a traditional love story. It contains disturbing subject matter, including themes of questionable consent for both male and female, as well as graphic sexual content. This is a work of fiction intended for a mature, 18+ audience only. The author neither endorses nor condones this type of behaviour.
After the devastating loss of her parents and subsequent depression, Olivia Brown decided a move from her parent’s family home in Cambridge to a house in London would give her the fresh start she so sorely needed.
Living off her inheritance, Olivia didn’t need to work, but she knew she needed something to make her feel like life was worth living. Painting was her one true love, but that wasn’t enough. So she started a part-time job in a bar, and the rest of the time she spent at a local soup kitchen, feeding the homeless. In the mornings, she bought hot beverages for her homeless friends, but there was one who never asked. This man, having the most facial hair she’d ever seen, the most captivating eyes she’d ever stared at, remained aloof. He never said a word to anyone, and never once looked her way. However, all this did was make Olivia want to find out more about this mysterious man hiding behind a face full of hair.
One perilous evening, her wish came true.
On the way back from working at the bar, Olivia was attacked. She screamed for help, relieved when her cries are answered...but surprised when she saw who her rescuer was. It was the eyes. It was the hair. It was none other than the mysterious homeless man.
That night, Olivia learned two things. One, his name was Kit, and two, Kit had skills… skills which didn’t fit a man living on the streets.
Day after day, Olivia slowly pushed the boundaries, coaxing out the man hiding behind the hair. Kit Chain wasn’t only trained like men she watched in movies, he was also the most beautiful. Bit by bit, Olivia managed to break down his walls, revealing secrets that would change her life. Secrets that would put both of them in terrible danger.
However, there was one thing about secrets...
Everyone had them.
Jaimie Roberts slays me. CHAINED is the second book of hers that I have read, but she killed me with it just as much, probably even more so than she did with Deviant. I love her writing, it's part of the reason why I wanted to read CHAINED, and it's hard to imagine her writing a book that I wouldn't want to read, but boy, does she put my heart through the ringer with each book! I can't say for sure yet that I loved this book, my heart is still too raw, but I do know that I don't regret reading it and I absolutely still would have chosen to read it knowing what I know.
I felt every inch of Olivia's pain, happiness, and her love for Kit. There were times when I wished she would fight and times where she got lost, but I couldn't really blame her for either and she found and fought for herself when it really mattered. I really did like, admire, and respect her. She's been through a lot in her young life, but she's incredibly kind, giving, and sweet. Olivia has a huge heart and whenever she was hurt, I was hurt and whenever she was happy, I was too. Olivia is a strong, amazing heroine and I loved her.
Kit turned out to be way different than I expected him to be, but that wasn't a bad thing. I really loved him and I don't think I would have loved him as much as I did if he had been the way I thought he would be. If you're wondering, I guess I kind of thought he would be like Dean in Deviant - dominant, controlling, cocky, and rough - and Kit can be some of those things, but for quite awhile I though he was just so adorably awkward. He's not completely confident at first and he has jerk moments, but he's so sweet and protective and loving that he melted my heart. Kit is going to completely steal your heart and own it.
CHAINED ripped my heart out, threw it to the ground and stomped on it, and then stomped on it again for good measure. It's by far not an easy book to read - it made me want to scream and sob and cry and I actually did do them. It's full of mystery, heartbreak, beauty, and pain, but it also has happy moments, light moments, and funny ones too. I know I haven't made it seem like the funnest book to read because it's not and that I didn't enjoy it at all, but I did. It made me laugh and smile big and made me really happy too. I never considered not finishing it and I'm glad I didn't because every tear, every bit of heartbreak was worth it in the end. CHAINED is a hard, but amazing book and I still can't say whether or not I loved it completely, but I definitely feel better and happier about it than I did just an hour ago.
CHAINED is a standalone, it's told from Olivia's POV, and they do, thankfully, get a HEA or I'm sure I would have been a semi-catatonic state or a sobbing/crying mess if it hadn't!
~ Sonja, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars
WARNING: Contains strong language and sexual references.
“Livy, what have I told you about drinking too much?”
I started laughing. “Oh, come on, Uncle. Just a little more. I promise I’ll be good.”
“You’re only eighteen, Livy. You drink more than I do.”...
Uncle stared at me intensely. Even as shit-faced as I was, I could see he was a man of whom to be afraid. I knew his power. I also knew the power he had held over my father…and that was saying something.
I leaned over him, trying to snatch the bottle from his outstretched hand. He was teasing me and I didn’t like it. I was desperate for more Jack Daniels. It was my road to numbness… A road I visited as often as I could since my parents died.
“Please, give me more.” I leaned over again, but Uncle stretched his arm even further away. By now, I was practically on top of him and caught a whiff of his sexy aftershave. “I’ll give you a blowjob if you let me have my drink back.”
He laughed. He actually laughed. I hated that. “What the fuck do you find so funny?”
Uncle stopped laughing and looked at me sternly. “Livy, don’t ever raise your fucking voice to me again. You got that? I fucking own you. Remember that. One day, you’ll see. One day, when you’ve got your shit cleaned up and are ready for me, I’ll be there. For now, you must learn to know your place. Show some fucking respect.”
My mouth was dry as I tried to swallow. “S…s…sorry,” I stuttered.
Uncle looked at my expression and his own softened. He leaned forward, brushed his lips across my forehead and sighed. “You smell like a brewery, Livy. You’ve got to stop moping around the house all day. You need to focus your mind on something and get better. I know you have it in you. You always were my favourite girl.” He tilted up my chin to meet his eyes. He was showing me his kind eyes today. The eyes I thought might love me a little. “What is it you want?”
Closing my eyes, I tried to think. All I wanted was…nothing. I didn’t want to think or feel anymore. I just wanted nothing. I was sick of seeing my dad’s lifeless eyes staring back at me. Sick of fucking everything.
“I want a drink.”
Uncle sighed, obviously unpleased, and pushed me off him. “Where are you going?” I asked, watching him head for the door. He still had my bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand.
“I’m going home, Livy.”
I started panicking. “What about my drink?”
He slammed the door behind him, making me jump. I had no Jack Daniels left in the house.
Fuck!
At that moment, I got angry. Picking up a glass ornament, I threw it at the door and screamed, “Fucking arshole!”
I slouched down and sobbed for the loss of my drink. I could still feel, and needed something to take the edge off. Only Jack could do that for me.
Jack was my best and only friend.
Jaimie Roberts was born in London, but moved to Gibraltar in 2001. She is married with two sons, and in her spare time, she writes.
In June 2013, Jaimie published her first book, Take a Breath, with the second released in November 2013. With the reviews, Jaimie took time out to read and learn how to become a better writer. She gets tremendous enjoyment out of writing, and even more so from the feedback she receives.
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