I liked the overarching story of this series that I read all of them. ( )

Want to know if the whole series is worth reading? Read my overall review of the whole series at seriesousbookreviews.com! Spoiler Free!

Sigh... Avenge Me was a huge disappointment. Never did I think I would be upset that a book had too much romance BUT I underestimated a Harlequin Romance.

It's unfortunate that the focus was on Austin and Katy's relationship and not on the task at hand: bringing down Austin's dad. Sure, that plotline was there but it was buried under numerous mild BDSM sex scenes. I was hoping for a book more along the lines of [b: Heated|1372214|Heated|Niobia Bryant|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390347914s/1372214.jpg|1362081] by J. Kenner, which balanced the sexy times with the mystery of the plot, but Avenge Me definitely wasn't in that league.

It was just a little too insta-connection for me with the two of them. I also got real tired of the sex scenes real quick.

This one just missed the mark for me...

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review:http://wp.me/p3txrs-Vw
( )

I freely chose to review this book and I HAVE to read the rest of the series!! I loved the fact that Katy Michaels sought revenge on the powerful Jason Treffen to crumble his dirty empire and get justice for her sister. She alone plotted to bring his sordid kingdom down and save every woman she could so that they never did what Sarah thought she had no choice to end the abuse.

Austin Treffen and his two friends were born to privilege, but they tried to not think about what happened ten years ago. Once Austin received the letter that confirmed his father's involvement that forced Sarah Michaels to choose the only way out she thought she had, he was appalled by his selfishness and he vowed to shock the New York elite and bring his family name down if that's what it took to get justice for Sarah. ( )

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

I chose this title based on enjoying the author’s other books and a skim of the description rather than reading closely, so the dominance/submission aspects caught me by surprise when I should have picked up on this line from late in the blurb: “with an intense sexual attraction that combines a heady mix of exquisite pleasure and sublime pain.” Some of the store descriptions are the same as the one I had while others are different, and a quick skim of the reviews with the one I had shows the same confusion.

I will state again. This is a highly erotic book with strong dominance and submission scenes. If that’s not to your taste, you probably should walk away.

I read 50 Shades of Gray because a friend asked me to analyze it, which I did. It’s not my normal reading material, nor something I appreciate. Having said that, though, Avenge Me solved much of what I found problematic in the other, presenting a view of the people drawn to this kind of sexual connection that seems more in line with the community for all Austin hated himself at first. Both Austin and Katy learn to accept this part of themselves while coming to understand the difference between consenting adults engaging in it and dominating someone against their will, a critical lesson to my mind.

With that misunderstanding out of the way, here is my actual review.

This is a fascinating, complicated novel with about every trigger word in the lexicon. It is a crusade against the abuse of women by powerful and rich men who misuse that power. At the same time, it’s a bondage/dominance love story exposing the way BD works for people who need that and showing how it is different from abuse at every level.

I have no direct experience with the community, so I’m only guessing, but I think this book would meet their approval over something like Shades of Gray. It shows the path of acceptance of who you are as Austin meets a match for desires he’d always seen as twisted. He hates himself the more for them when he discovers his father is responsible for driving a female friend to suicide, but Katy helps him understand the critical differences between him and his father.

This suicide forms the foundation for this novel and the series. On the anniversary of their friend’s death, Austin and two others come together to seek revenge against Austin’s father who uses his position to force women in his employ to submit to his will. The two others have little presence in this novel, though, as it focuses tightly on Austin and Katy.

Katy is also seeking revenge when she crosses paths with Austin, but when their instant attraction takes a dominance turn, she finally finds what she’s been looking for in a relationship. She understands the difference between how he asks for her consent and how his father glories in making the women he abuses fear him.

This is not a book for the light-hearted. It is graphic and emotionally brutal. This is powerful on so many levels and ultimately gives the right message on all of them as it identifies the key elements of consent and mutual desires in any healthy relationship, sexual or emotional, while condemning those who would use their position to harm others.

I would not have chosen this book with a full understanding, and am unlikely to seek out the others, but I’m not unhappy that I read it as it has much to offer in both a strong love—and acceptance—story and a clear statement against abuse.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand this book is like a guilty pleasure. You don't want to admit that you enjoyed it but at the same time you can't help but like it. I did read this book in a matter of a few short hours. While, I did like this book and it was a quick read, I did feel that the plot was a little weak. Really, so let me get this straight...girl meets boy, girl falls for guy, they have sex, girl and boy somehow get their revenge on the boy's father, and girl and boy fall in love. Not original. Austin did have the tormented, soul, but hot guy thing going for him. Don't get me wrong as hot, steamy sex is always a good thing. Sometimes it can be too much when there is not much else happening. This is what I felt like while reading this book. Katy was not the strong, independent woman that I wanted her to be. She seemed to cave under Austin's direction to easily. I hope that the next book has more of a plot line. ( )