Name: A Pound of Flesh
ISBN: 9781476795591

Sophie Jackson

Committed to fulfilling her murdered father's dying wish to help those in need, Kat becomes a prison tutor and develops a strong attraction to her dangerously sexy student, but his role on the night her father died may force them apart forever.

A Pound of Flesh

Ciska van Bokhorst

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

“The pound of flesh which I demand of him Is dearly bought; ’tis mine and I will have it. —The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1”

A captivating forbidden romance involving a felon, his tutor, and the world standing in their way of true love. Wes Carter is a broken shell of a man. He’s been in and out of prison more times than he can count in his twenty-seven years, and he’s never known how to live a “normal” life. He’s arrogant, violent, and takes out his aggression (far too often) in the form of physical violence, and usually it’s behind bars. He has no desire to better himself, despite his extreme intelligence, and instead lives life in the system where he feels he belongs. When he first meets his tutor, Kat, he’s instantly attracted to her beauty, as well as her brains. She challenges him, makes him think, and definitely gets his motor running. Kat, who’s spending her life as a teacher, paying it back to the world as she promised her father she would, appears strong and put together on the outside, but is a complete mess within. She’s still grieving the loss of her father, which is the result of witnessing his murder as a young child. She can’t get the scene out of her head, nor can she stop thinking about the eleven-year-old child who saved her life, grabbing her from the scene and taking her to safety.

“She had no idea what it was about him. He was, after all, just like the other men she taught. Well, that wasn’t exactly true; he was a lot more combative and exceedingly more aggressive and — she winced at the thought — a lot more attractive, too. She tried hard not to see him in any other way than as her student, but it was too hard to ignore the man who drove her crazy.”

So let’s take a look at how I felt about this book, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED:

- The forbidden romance pull. I’m a sucker for all things forbidden in the romance world.

- The intense chemistry between Kat and Carter was undeniable. That’s quite common in the forbidden world, but still I drank it all up.

- The strong focus on discrimination, especially when it comes to felons. We often see discrimination when it comes to race and gender, but rarely when it comes to a person’s criminal record.

- This is part of a companion series. ALL KINDS OF YESSSSSSS!!! I’m such a standalone girl for the most part, but the only exception is companion series. Oh, how I love that!

- The depth, the twists and turns, and the shock value. This story really had it all. I’m not one to think ahead when reading, I just go with the story from page to page… and this story kept catching me off guard, throwing me for a loop.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

- The length. I don’t do well with books over 350 pages, and this topped in at almost 450! The only saving grace was that I chose the audio route. I probably wouldn’t haven’t made it all the way through if I had chose to read it instead.

This was such a great story, and so different than I had expected. It was heartbreakingly honest, a real look at discrimination and the way judging people can really affect others’ lives. It’s wittiness and charm took this severe and important story to a whole new level. Book 1.5 in this series, a novella titled Love and Always, was released August 3rd and gives us a bit more of Kat and Carter. I will definitely be reading this one soon. Though A Pound of Flesh can be read as a standalone and leaves us with complete closure, I’m still looking forward to another glimpse into their lives. If you’re looking for a romance that will keep you invested 100%, this is a book you won’t want to miss.

Audiobook Impressions:
Grace Grant is one of my very favorite narrators of all time. She continues to impress me with her flawless performances, strong character differentiation, and intense emotional portrayal of each character, no matter how involved it may be. She’s a narrator that I seek out specifically, and will even listen to books narrated by her that I otherwise never would have read. This book was no exception. I wasn’t sure about this one at first glance, but once I saw Grace was narrating it, I grabbed it up. I would DEFINITELY recommend going the audio route with this one.


(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

4.5 STARS

WOW!!! What an incredibly stunning book!

I’ll admit, the second I read the blurb for A Pound of Flesh, I wanted to read it ASAP. A teacher falling for her sexy prison student? HELL YES, sign me up!! I ended up absolutely adoring Kat and Carter’s story – I’m so glad I got to experience them and their profound love.

When Kat was young, she tragically witnessed her father’s murder, but vowed to follow through with what he wanted for her to do in life. She helps others by teaching a literature class at Arthur Kill Correctional Facility. She loves her job – it’s what she’s born to do, but a certain sexy, bad boy student tempts her in ways she’s never felt before. He’s her student, in prison, so he’s off-limits, but she can’t get him out of her head.

“You should be scared, Peaches,” he murmured. “I’ve done things that would make your pretty little head spin, and, you being this close”–he gestured with his chin between them–“well, let’s just say”–his eyes met hers–“it just makes me want to be bad all over again.”

Wesley Carter took the fall for a friend for a crime he didn’t commit and is nearing the end of his sentence in prison. He’s forced to take a literature class, where he meets the beautiful, caring Kat. He believes he’s not good enough but wants her anyway – there’s an undeniable chemistry between them that only amps up once he’s released and they have private lessons together. I absolutely LOVED the way the author was able to mesh the forbidden-ness of their relationship with how genuinely attracted Kat and Carter were to each other. The chemistry between them is a slow, sensual burn that soon ends up consuming them.

“Just one taste. Just one. That’s all I want.”
And then his lips pressed against hers.
Oh God.

Carter is so. damn. sweet. I was expecting this sexy bad boy, and while we get that (and he is HOT!), we also see such a beautiful, heartwarming side to him that he only shows Kat. He completely melted my heart every time he was sweet to Kat, his Peaches. He’s so protective of her, all the while exuding this aura of confidence and sexiness. There are just so many wonderful layers to this man, and as we get to see his vulnerable sides, it’s hard not to fall for him.

“You’re everything to me, Peaches. You always have been. Always. You’re the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.” He kissed her. “You’re my everything.”

Kat is a wonderful heroine. I may not have connected with her as much as I would have liked, but her story hooked me in from the start. She’s a gorgeous, independent woman who sees more in Carter than anyone ever has. She has a big heart, and I just really liked her character.

The thing is, while I never really connected with Kat or Carter, I truly enjoyed their story. It’s gorgeously written, and although the pacing was sometimes slow, I was able to get over that. The romance swept me away, and I loved that there was no unnecessary drama for Kat and Carter. A Pound of Flesh is simply a stunning story of them finding each other and falling deeply, passionately in love. It’s a beautifully written, emotional book, and I highly recommend it.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/1EXLC0w
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1H1Bh67

Liked this review? Subscribe to Booklovers For Life for more!

A Pound of Flesh

Reviews

Highlights