{REVIEW} Tears of Tess by Pepper Winters

TITLE: Tears of Tess

AUTHOR: Pepper Winters

GENRE: A New Adult Dark Contemporary Romance 

PUBLISHED DATE: August 28, 2013

SERIES: Monsters in the Dark

PAGES: 347

~ SYNOPSIS ~

“My life was complete. Happy, content, everything neat and perfect.

Then it all changed.

I was sold.”

Tess Snow has everything she ever wanted: one more semester before a career in property development, a loving boyfriend, and a future dazzling bright with possibility. 

For their two year anniversary, Brax surprises Tess with a romantic trip to Mexico. Sandy beaches, delicious cocktails, and soul-connecting sex set the mood for a wonderful holiday. With a full heart, and looking forward to a passion filled week, Tess is on top of the world.

But lusty paradise is shattered.

Kidnapped. Drugged. Stolen. Tess is forced into a world full of darkness and terror. 

Captive and alone with no savior, no lover, no faith, no future, Tess evolves from terrified girl to fierce fighter. But no matter her strength, it can’t save her from the horror of being sold.

Can Brax find Tess before she’s broken and ruined, or will Tess’s new owner change her life forever?

~ MY REVIEW ~ 

" If anyone asked what I was most afraid of, what terrified me, stole my breath, and made my life flicker before my eyes, I would say three little words." 

Where do I start with this?? I tried to prepare myself before reading, I have heard how powerful and dark this read was. I have to say this, YOU CAN'T prepare yourself. You just have to dive right in. I honestly had to stop reading a few times and walk away. It sickens me how cruel people are, I've seen and handled my own share of sick people I should of known they were still out there. I just haven't been around someone like that in years Thank Goodness. 

So before you do decide to read Tears of Tess know there is Human Trafficking, Rape, and slavery.  If you can't handle that type of stuff then DON'T read this book. If you can just go in with an open mind. 

" Never lie. The truth hurts less than fibs and fakers." 

Tears of Tess is the story of Tess and finding herself through all the cruelty and demons. Tess has one more semester to go before she can begin her career in property development. She has a loving and loyal boyfriend named Brax. Everything is easy...she just has one issue. Tess wants to experiment more sexually, her and Brax have vanilla sex and he's not a fan of PDA. For their two year anniversary Brax surprises Tess with a trip to Cancun Mexico. She is beyond excited and hoping while in Mexico she can bring up everything she wants sexually. 

" I'm not sure I can keep up with you. I love you, Tess. I love being with you, but I don't need to fuck you to be a man. I need you as a friend, as my support. Do you understand?"

Tess opens up about what she wants sexually and Brax is not having it. Tess feels defeated, which I can't blame her. Some people just can't do vanilla, they need more she is one of those people. While going out and exploring Mexico on a moped, they stop at a cafe. That's where their lives change forever. I won't say much about the plot because I want you to read and feel like I did. Tears of Tess will definitely make you feel. It will have you feeling blessed you've never had to deal with that type of situation. 

For me I felt anger, grief, shock, sickness, happiness, and so much more. Like I said earlier I had to stop reading a few times, I myself have had to deal with some pretty demonic people and at a young age...so reading some of the scenes brought my experiences back to life. It's rough, but at the same time It helped me relate more to Tess, hell it even had me feel as though I was there experiencing the things she was. It had me shaking in fear, crying, and at the same time I felt her strength and need to overcome it all. 

" Accept that you are no longer a woman. You are merchandise. And merchandise must have a barcode for sale." 

" Can you feel that esclave? See what you do to me by fighting? By defying me? I'm a walking hard on needing to punish you, fuck you, remind you that your place is beneath me to take my come and welcome my palm." 

For this being Pepper Winters debut novel I have to bow down to her for taking such a leap. Not many people would write about such real situations for their first novel. I absolutely loved this book. It's well written and has you feeling and thinking about things you normally wouldn't. I can't wait to read Q's story. Just a little over a month to go and Quintessentially Q  will be here. 

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING!

I rate this book 5 stars. 

" My fight deflated, leaving under an avalance of unhappiness. Every part hurt: my heart, body, and soul. I was sucked deep into the pit where snakes and monsters lived, wallowing in self-pity."

" I grew from timid girl with secret fantasies, to a fighter who would happily kill her captors in Mexico, to a strong woman who embraced her true desires, to a broken, tired girl who only wanted to sleep and forget--a full, sick circle."

~ SOME SONGS THAT INSPIRED TEARS OF TESS ~ 

- Demons by Imagine Dragons

- Bring Me To Life by Evanescence

- Arms by Christina Perri

-Dark Paradise by Lana Del Ray

- Undisclosed Desires by Muse

- Animal by Disturbed

-ET by Katy Perry

- Halo by Depeche Mode

- Higher Level by Beseech

- My Immortal by Evanescence

- Tainted Love

-Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm

- Gravity by Sara Barielles

- Closer by Nine Inch Nails

- Stay With Me by Danity Kane

- So Far Down by Three Doors Down

- SOS by Rihanna 

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex. 

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. 

Her debut book Tears of Tess will be followed with Quintessentially Q. You didn’t think Q could stop so soon, did you? Her other two titles, Last Shadow and Broken Chance will be coming soon.

You can stalk her here:

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She loves mail of any kind: pepperwinters@gmail.com