Monster Paperback – March 12, 2014

WARNING: THIS MIGHT BE A SLIGHTLY SPOILY REVIEW. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK, VIEW THIS REVIEW AT YOUR OWN RISKI like this book despite itself. I like the premise of the story, rich Alpha male with issues and younger woman who could use a hand up in life. It may be a well worn foundation but it still works. It was done here with a twist that I found particularly enjoyable. The h knows she needs financial stability and it is an acknowledged consideration in her decision to engage in a relationship with the H, hence the whole “accidental gold-digger” title. It gets a little old reading about destitute women who refuse to accept the generosity of their billionaire lovers out of some sense of moral righteousness or just good ol fashioned pride. Of course the h learns that money can’t buy you love, happiness or dignity but I like that she initially at least tried. I also like the complexity the author builds into the h by allowing her to continue relying on the very attributes about herself that she wishes she could move beyond. It’s like that in real life and writing about it added another dimension to this book.The reason I like this book “despite” itself is because it didn’t completely live up to its ambition. The male H was slow to see the error of his ways and then way too quick to see the error of his ways. There wasn’t enough development of the H’s emotional and psychological transition. It was there, I just would have liked to have seen it fleshed out more. The parallel story about the h’s friend Jen really had potential and was a good add-in. The problem was that again, the resolution of the conflict with Jen was shallow and not wholly consistent with the reaction you would expect from the h based on her depiction. The issue with Alex added conflict but the build up to the confrontation didn’t make sense. If you have a physical altercation with someone during work which is observed by your bouncer/boss, is he really letting you walk to the parking lot at 2am by yourself? And are you really walking to the parking lot by yourself at 2am? Probably not. Speaking of unanswered questions, how is it that the male h didn’t know where the female H was working for so long? How is it that the female H was smart enough to escape but dumb enough to make the mistake she made that led to her being caught? An author has to stretch reality to make a storyline work, I get that. Depending on how much of a stretch it is though, it can be hard for the reader to accept and some of the things in Monster went just beyond the realm of the easily acceptable.All of the above being said, if the author releases the novel about Carver, I will be purchasing it. This book was worth the money it cost and I look forward to future releases from Francette.P.S. It was so nice to read about a Black (half anyway) h that had nothing to do with race. It’s just nice to be represented in a sophisticated novel that treats us like normal people who fall in love (with rich sadistic a-holes).

Eden and Dominic had a deal. She wanted his money. He wanted her looks and sex. So the logical move for them was marriage. The deal is simple. She gets access to all of his millions and he gets sex when and how he wants it.Dominic is cruel and sadistic. Eden is a fool to think that she can continue to endure his ways much longer, especially considering she is pregnant.Eden is a smart one. Dominic always took her for granted. That ruled in his favor. Eden was able to save and plan her escape.Eden has left Dominic. Started a new life. Found a job she loved and was good at.Dominic will stop at nothing to find his Eden. She is his. She belongs to him. He will make sure to find her and make her return to where she belongs.Obviously, he finds her. He takes away everything she has, down to her money in the bank and her job. He has made it so she will come running back to him.No matter what Dominic throws at her, no matter what he takes, Eden is dead-set she will not return to him. She wants out. She wants a divorce. She wants what she should have fought for a long time ago... Freedom.Of coarse, things don't go as planned for either of them. Dominic has seen a new side to Eden. He has also found a part of him he didn't know could exist through his son. He slowly learns how to love instead of rule. Dominic's new found feelings have opened his eyes to a new Eden... Well an Eden he was never able to see. She is strong and independent. And mostly, she really doesn't care about his money nor does she want it. He is forced to see her as a woman, not his belonging.Eden can't accept this new Dominic. The only Dominic she has ever known was cruel and vile. This new Dominic shows sincerity. He shows compassion. He possesses her in a whole different way. But she wants out. She knows it will only be a matter of time before he switches back to his old ways. It's only a matter of time before he not only hurts her again but also their son.This story ripped my heart out. It is full of ups and downs. There is always something endearing about redeeming oneself. Francette has done a wonderful job at showing both characters in such vivid detail, that one cannot love this book! The only thing stopping this from a 5-star rating from me was emotion. Yes, I felt a lot of it. However, there were parts where I was ready for a good old, ugly cry. But I just couldn't get there. I am a tough cookie to crack, what can I say?

What could have been a good story was disappointingly a letdown because -1. Written boringly with way too much detail about side characters (all horrible people)2. I love an emotionally unavailable but possessive hero, but this book didn’t have a hero - it’s was more a weird guy who doesn’t mind sharing his wife. So basically no love, no possessiveness, no protectiveness, no emotion, nothing. Why was this guy written so badly? Even when there was a secret baby thrown in the mix, there was no possessiveness or protectiveness or betrayal of being kept away from the baby.3. The author keeps on going on about how the heroine has caramel skin - caramel this, macchiato that, etc etc. Why? What is the need to keep saying this every few pages?4. The book is long, wordy but reads like a boring newspaper. Why wasn’t it edited better?Can only give it 2.5 stars at max. Can’t recommend

Francette Madou Phal is one of my favorite authors she also wrote “The Bet Series” and the “Concubine” all of which I have read and were excellent reads. However, Monster is in a totally different stratosphere as far as I am concerned. The book is extremely well written and is her best book so far in my opinion!This is Dominic and Eden Armstrong’s story.Dominic is truly a tyrant for sure, he is oppressive, a dictator, bully, ultimate alpha male and truly damaged from his background, a very hard and complex man. This does not mean he is unlovable and cannot be redeemed. He needs the love and understanding of a good woman. He has that but does not recognize what he has until it is too late.Eden starts out submissive totally dominated by Dominic but there is chemistry/attraction between them. Eden does not know her own internal strength and power to master Dominic until something unplanned and totally unexpected happens. Eden uses her intelligence and out smarts Dominic at this point in the story. Eden is a loving, forgiving strong woman who is resilient enough to love a man like Dominic, which makes her kick ass in my book!This story captivated my attention from page 1. This book is in my top 5 of what a great read is in my definition, totally engrossing, jaw dropping intense and an emotional roller coaster of a story!! There is a scene in this book where I literally read it with my mouth hanging open because I could not believe what Dominic asked Eden to do and she did it! At this point I was like you have got to kidding me. I actually found it very difficult to find the words to express/describe just how great this story is, again in my view. At first Dominic will absolutely make you want to slap him but if you can persevere with him you will come to love him as I do!! He is totally worth it!!!I highly recommend this read!

Monster by Francette Phal4 stars!!“I wasn’t your wife, Dominic, I was a well paid sex toy, and you were the sad and pathetic a hole who paid for it.”Well, this book was certainly not what it seemed. After reading the blurb I was convinced that this was going to be some deeply dark and twisted read, but I was pleasantly surprised. It certainly does not go the way you would expect but you do get a lot more for your money. I loved the story, the characters could be annoying in parts but this did add to the pull of the book. My only real criticism of this book was that it does need an edit; normally I am one to gloss over the odd mistake as I know that it is an indie and the odd few are bound to go unnoticed, but this one has a lot, to the point where I really began to notice. But pushing that little criticism aside, let’s get to the nitty gritties!Eden has not had the best life, to pave her way through college she worked as a stripper but still managed to accumulate a lot of debt. It is while stripping she meets Dominic’s brother and they become romantically involved. Dominic the over-bearing, egotistical and ruthless business man was not happy with this turn of events and decides to make Eden an offer she could not refuse, don’t marry my brother, I will pay off all your debts and you can come with me and be my public arm candy and personal prostitute at night. Apart from one condition Eden agreed, Eden wanted marriage as part of the deal and to her surprise Dominic agreed. It soon becomes apparent that this is a sham of a marriage in epic proportions and unfortunately for Eden she is stuck. Stuck in a loveless marriage with a man who degrades her and publicly humiliates her, yet she yearns for his touch, yearns for his body and yes the feeling is mutual.There is no denying that these two have amazing chemistry, their respective bodies need each other and call out to each other like a siren, yet their brains are so far behind it is tragic. Deep down I felt that Eden in some warped way loved Dominic from the start, but his actions towards her soon erode any feelings that were once there, or maybe they have just been hidden and forgotten.Dominic, my, my, my, what a complete a hole, seriously, in the beginning I found it really hard to find any empathy for him at all. He was a ruthless, arrogant, selfish, overbearing, over-opinionated a hole and that is putting it mildly. Yet slowly but surely, little by little, we are treated to the reasons why and his back story and you couldn’t help but find that little flicker of sympathy.Something happens that totally changes the dynamics for these two, Dominic needed a reason to change and this event may just be the spark this change needed to catch fire and run rampant. To see this metamorphosis proved that even the biggest a holes can change for the better, they deserve their stab at happiness and warrant forgiveness. It just takes that little something to give them a reason to change, to want to be a better person and more importantly, believe in themselves enough to be that better person.“I don’t know what love is, Eden, but if I did, I know it would not come close to how deeply I feel for you.”This is another one of those books that emphasises how a child’s upbringing can severely determine their future and even their personality and traits and it does make you think about your own children. But this is also a book about forgiveness, self-discovery and second chance love, wrapped in a dark and warped wrapping paper, but once you start ripping and reading the nice sparkly present is inside waiting to make you smile.“You’ve given my heart its rhythm and it beats only because of you. I come to you in fractured pieces with the hope that you will have the patience to help put me back together again.”Really enjoyed this read, as much as I could have killed Dominic in the beginning, I loved him by the end and that is no mean feat! Well done Francette Phal!

A very different love story, for starters their already married but Eden wants out of this emotionally and physically damaging relationship. It turns out I kinda like a love story where the guy tries to make amends for his past actions, Dominic was a monster but you learned about his history and although it's not an excuse I did forgive him a tiny bit. Eden you brave and courageous women, many of us would have run and kept on running but you had responsibilities and you did what you thought best. A few tense moments and a few times I could of slapped Dominic but then you know the book is good if it makes you react!, good story and loved the slow re-building of Dom and Eden. I thought Jenna was a great character and was hoping that she may get her own book?, as well as Carver he sounds like a dirty bird! First read from this author and was pleasantly pleased.

Dominic and Eden.Lord, but that Dominic sure is messed up. A tyranical insane brute that's insane in the membrane...lol. Still, he has some qualities that are loveable and will have the readers, like myself, wanting him to get some much needed help. Then comes sweet and delicate Eden that Dom has totally devour with his alpha attitute and need for dominance...let's not forget his arrogance.Though submissive to Dominic(and the man did some really mean things to her), Eden has a strong inner power that she relied on to beat Dom at his own mad game. I Love how Eden played his ass and had him stunned. It took a bundle of joy to get Dom to recognise he had to change if he wanted to have a real life and family with Eden. That woman sure is strong(and crazy),I would have kicked his hot ass to the curb!Good read!