Auctioned: 8392 Book 1, Cara Dee

Holy.  Freaking.  Intense.  There's no shortage of action here and the sweet, honorable young man we met in Power Play is forced to change as he goes through a harrowing situation none of us can truly fathom.  When his savior and protector plays his part a little too well, it's clear that Gray will have to fight through the fog of despair and lies to make sense of everything and hopefully make it home alive.

Gray is abducted.  Stolen one night on his way home and subjected to degradation, torture, humiliation, and pain.  For months he's biding his time and fighting against his desire to just give up.  Just when it looks like things can't get any worse, he's purchased by someone he's sure will subject him to a life of misery and torture.  But appearances aren't what they seem.  His new owner just might be able to rescue him physically and maybe, just maybe, give his mind and heart a safe place to heal when it's all over.

But that future is nowhere in sight for most of the story.  We follow them walking a fine line between truth and lies trying to maneuver around and through the minefields of their captors.  I liked seeing Gray in both his weakness and his strength.  It's not something I could ever really relate to, what he went through, so seeing the ups and downs, the utter defeat he has to fight against, was quite powerful.  Written superbly, of course, we are made to feel his anguish and frustration.

I do wish we had gotten Darius' POV but since their story isn't at an end yet, I'm sure we'll get his side of things in subsequent books.  What we do see of him through Gray's eyes is a bit biased.  There's humanity right alongside hero-worship and both are well-earned.  Darius is smart, calculating, brutal, and efficient.  He's also tortured in his own mind by past events we aren't yet privy to.  Add in his hauntingly beautiful body, riddled with scars, and Gray can't help but slide into the confusing attraction for a man he's not sure he'll ever truly know.

The brutality was graphic but described in a way that isn't over the top or gruesome.  There was honesty in the telling that I appreciated because there are many, many moments that are incredibly tragic.  Certain moments were also shocking in their horribleness.  What the main villain of this story does near the end that sends Gray over the edge into an almost uncontrollable rage is a grisly and cruel surprise.  If the hatred for the enemy wasn't there before, it sure was after that.

Gray and Darius were a fantastic team and played well off of one another.  By the end we can see all the conflicted thoughts and feelings Gray has and I was supremely grateful for that.  Instead of pushing a romantic entanglement as a way to cover Gray's ghastly experience, we see inside Gray's head as he acknowledges that things are immensely confusing and conflicted.  Realizing that there's a new normal to be found, a way of reconciling the trauma, grief, and healing and that Darius may or may not play a role in that was much better than having Gray fall quickly for his savior without all the turmoil that surrounds the possible romance.  It helps that there will be more parts to their story and I'm crazy excited to see how everything plays out.

*$2.99 on Amazon!