L. K. Shaw

Betray (verb): to deliver to an enemy by treachery Sold to a sex trafficker by her drug-dealing boyfriend, Phebe Lawson possessed first-hand knowledge of the secrets of betrayal. She'd given up all hope. Her life no longer held any meaning. She would have wished for death to come and take her away, except, she knew wishes were wasted on people like her. Until the day he entered her life. He was a beacon of light in the bleakness she called existence. His arrival sparked a longing inside her that, maybe, hope wasn't a useless emotion after all. Heal (verb): to make sound or whole Donovan Jeffries was the charming one. The flirty, social Dom of the local BDSM club, Eden. He thought he'd found the perfect submissive. Until she betrayed him with another. He closed himself off, vowing to never give his heart to another woman. Until the day she entered his life. Her despair touched a part of his soul he'd thought forever lost, and he would move heaven and earth to piece all her broken parts back together.

Secrets of Betrayal

Cat Imb

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you L.K. Shaw!

This book's storyline was so up my alley; sex slavery, broken main character, learning to slay inner demons, and some BDSM. Match made in heaven right? It should've been, and has the potential to be; it just isn't there yet. Here are a few things that made me unsure about this novel.

First, I felt that the BDSM aspect was not explored enough. I think the author could've pushed it through more. It is such an integral part of the story in my opinion, as a main topic is "submission" in various senses of the word.

Second, I think the whole Russian bratva side of the book was not developed enough; the organization was denied its complexity, hierarchically and operationally. 

Third, I would have liked to see more of the police and judicial facet of the story. I found that this portion of the book was nearly inexistant. I do realize that Donavan is an attorney, but he doesn't really act like one, and I didn't get a feeling that the police was involved. If anything, the FBI should have been more of an acting party in the novel for realism. 

Basically, this story has good bones, but I would have liked the author to have pushed her main themes and topics more. 

Now, on a positive note, I loved the way the author wrote Phebe's PTSD. The flashbacks, the panic attacks, the descriptions, were all well executed and well timed. In fact, this was my favourite part of the book - the way Phebe felt at the beginning; it was graphic, and chilling (I thought I would have to wear multiple layers).

Secrets of Betrayal

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