Knotted

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
Knotted is the first book in the "Trails of Sin" series and this is a trilogy about three cowboys who delve into kink for healing, the country is part of their soul and they will fight for the women that they love. Knotted is a book that I put off for a long while, mostly because I knew that the beginning was very rough and it gave me anxiety. But after finally picking up this book I fell so hard for this one here. I can't believe that I took so long to read it and has one of my favorite aspects in romance which is seeing BDSM as healing and not just as kink. This book can be for fans of dark romance, romantic suspense or a bit more gritty contemporary. As long as you aren't expecting a light and fluffy read, you will fall in love with this book. And I do think this book will appeal to most romance readers even if you don't normally read dark romance. Its pretty tame in comparison to some other books by this author.

First Line
The terrain of childhood shapes the soul, and the soul never forgets

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Jake
He is the oldest of the brothers, was shaped as a teenager who had such dreams for the future which was dashed by betrayal and hurt and determination to protect his own shaped him into a force of nature.

The Heroine: Conor
She fell in love with a boy she knew all of her life, and their love was epic until betrayal damaged what they had and tore them apart. But Conor will fight for the man she loves and the only family she has ever known...

Summary
Jake and Conor grew up together and fell in love and were high school sweethearts. They had their whole lives planned and the future seemed so new and fresh and thrilling. But on the night that they were to experience their first night of sexual love but when they were attacked, and Conor was violently assaulted in the worst way and they lost more than just their innocence that night, truths were revealed and Conor was torn away from the man she loved, her brother put in prison and lived with a abused drunk father. But when she comes back to the man who always held her heart, Jake is not the boy she once knew, and when truths are revealed to her, she is determined to fight for their love, but Jake has more planned than just getting his girl back and revenge, he plans on showing Conor the path to healing so they can embrace their love fully with no boundaries...

What I Loved
Knotted is a story that will melt your heart in more ways than one. I didn't know what to expect fully in this one, I didn't really research any reviews on this one. I just knew it would have some difficult scenes in the beginning. But I have to say that Pam Godwin really upped her game with this book and it was SO different than anything I was expecting. Yes the beginning is rough to see, but the way that its all resolved and how this couple comes together was beyond endearing and just might be my favorite Pam Godwin romance.

Which is saying a lot since she has some amazing books, but there was something so much deeper to this one that just delivered on all fronts for me. I really enjoyed the growths of these characters and the way she sneaks the intrigue of the plot up on you, yeah the author works her magic in this book. I definitely didn't expect to learn what we learn in the later half of the story and the way that the hero is able to get Conor through the healing process, you just knew he did his research and was willing to do whatever it took to get her to a good place again. Loved these moments of healing that he puts her through and it ends up making Conor stronger than ever. Their story was so poignant and melted my heart in so many ways. I couldn't seem to get enough of it. And the way in which the BDSM elements were introduced, beautifully done! Bravo to Pam Godwin.

There is also some great family and friendship dynamics. I just know the next books are going to be as amazing. And there is something about a sexy cowboy who works his BDSM magic on his woman. And its done in a way that doesn't overwhelm the story or the relationship. The author really implements these aspects so delicately that it just works like magic. And the plot of the story, kept me on my toes. I loved seeing everything that gets revealed and I just broke for the heroine. She had it the worst because of how much she was kept in the dark and had to deal with so much darkness before any light shone through. But once that light happens for her, is where the story really delivered on all fronts for me.

What I Struggled With
Nothing if I am being honest, it was pure perfection!

Overall View
Knotted is a deliciously executed romance that delivers on suspense, epic love and fighting for those you love no matter what it takes! ALL THE STARS!

Favorite Quote(s)
We’re an existence that can’t be measured. It doesn’t matter where she is or what I’ve done. We’ll always come back to this place. A place that can’t be found on a map or a time line. Nothing in the world can touch us here.

I am not broken. You don't need me to fix you. You need me to sit with you in the sadness."

Legs tangled. Breaths melded. Hearts knotted together. Mine.

She’s the best parts of my past come to life. Like a phantom dream. Except I know this is real. Because I’m more in love with the woman in my arms than my memories of her.

We're a feeling that goes beyond starts and stops. We're stronger than hellos and goodbyes and deeper than beginnings and ends. We're an existence that can't be measures.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Dark Romance
Character Types: Cowboy, Vet Doctor (student), Abused,
Themes: Small Town, Tear Jerker, Danger/Suspense, Heart/Touching, BDSM as Healing, Book Boyfriend, Family Bonds, Favorite Heroines, Western, PTSD
Tropes: Second chance, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Sweethearts

Book Perspective
Duo POV's

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A mix of both but well balanced

Song This Book Inspires
Whiskey and You by Chris Stapelton

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes, its recommended to read these in order

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.

🌶🌶🌶

It’s been awhile since I’ve read dark romance and whew this was a bit of a doozy but not in the usual dark romance ways. It was so gut wrenching. Characters acting in ways that didn’t always make sense and a bit of a twisty mystery.

CHECK TWs. This was heavier than others & on page. Also this is not a normal representation of treating PTSD and I fully realize it’s fictional.

I wish I could give this 5 stars since I could absolutely not put it down but I still don’t fully know what to rate it. There’s just one action of Jake I can’t fully get on board with and they never truly break down and I felt like I kept waiting for that. Otherwise it was v riveting.

trigger warning : rape.

honestly, i was very wary of reading this book after reading the description. i was not sure if i could handle it, however it was short and i was like okay i can do this.

this book took me through a whirlwind of emotions. especially since i knew what the boys were up to, they just wanted her safe. :( so sweet. i honestly don’t blame her for forgiving them all, especially with their history.

i just WISH they had more interactions between Conor and Jarret. I also wish it would’ve showed them getting married after Lorne got out of jail but i’m just a baby.

overall, im so glad i read this book. it ended perfectly tbh. only gets 3.5 cause of the rape but that’s just my preference.

this book was (unexpectedly) so good? 10/10 would recommend to anyone w/o triggers because this book is probably really heavy for a lot of readers