Torrent Spotlight! ~ Crystal's Many Reviewers

She sent an innocent man to prison. Now, eight years later, he's returning the favor...

I’ve been obsessed with Rafe Mason since I was thirteen. The twisted part of this story is that I still want him, even now.

Now that he's holding me captive on an island.

Rafe has his reasons for doing what he's doing, and if I'm honest, I can't blame him. I’m the girl who sent him to prison for a heinous crime he didn't commit.

But now he's free and the tables have turned...now he's the one driven by obsession.

TORRENT is a new adult dark romance with disturbing themes and explicit content that includes sexual situations and violence. Intended for adult readers 18+ only. If you are easily offended by dark subject matter, this story is probably not for you. Part one of the CONDEMNED series. This is not a stand-alone read. Approximately 43,500 words.

Let’s just get my moaning and groaning out of the way here. OMG what a cliff hanger and when do I get to read the next one? I have read books from this author before, so I knew what I was getting into, but I didn’t expect to go from 0 to 10 in needing more as quickly as I did. I found myself at the end of the book before I realized it, it was that captivating. I was totally lost in the story of Alex and Rafe; the outside world did not even exist for me in those hours.

Rafe has just been released from his eight years in prison for rape. During those eight years he had been abused, tormented and suffered the loss of his father. The only thing he had on his mind when he got out was to go after the woman who falsely accused him of rape. He would take eight years of her life and lock her in a cage, make ever decision for her and she would have to earn every freedom even down to wearing clothes. She was going to suffer and then she would tell him why she lied and wrecked his life. He lost his friends, career and most of all he lost his love for her all because of one lie.

Alex had her reasons for telling the police and courts that Rafe was the one who raped her, but she couldn’t tell anyone nor could she tell the truth. Taking her anger out on herself she became self-destructive during those eight years and gave up her will to decide her own life. Now engaged to the man her father wants her to marry and having a brother who is abusive and jealous of her attention to anyone, she decides to run away and escape the insanity. She knows Rafe has been released and his promise to find her. It is now or never for her if she ever wants a chance to be free.

With a duffle bag in hand and an escape plan forming she opens the door to Rafe and their story begins to take a dark and twisted turn. While I read the events that follow I wanted to hate Rafe, but with the way Gemma portrayed the story, I felt horrible for him. He wasn’t an evil man, he was a hurt man. To some Alex would be crazy to feel how she does, but once again Gemma shows us the whole picture regarding their feelings. I am so glad she does this because once the truth is exposed and we learn what had happen a whole new picture begins to develop, and then we have cliff hanger. There was so much more to this story than revenge, fears and phobias were confronted, truths were exposed and pain unleashed.

On a level for dark and twisted, if you have read her series The Devil’s Kiss series, which I also loved, it is equal to that. There is enough to entertain your dark side, but not enough to leave you with lasting nightmares. The plot is so well done and developed the story flows quickly, as I stated too quickly. I really recommend this to anyone who needs a bit of revenge, evil and darkness in their TBR list.

Gemma James (a pseudonym for Christina Jean Michaels) loves to explore the darker side of sex in her fiction. She's morbidly curious about anything dark and edgy and enjoys exploring the deviant side of human nature. Her stories have been described as being ""not for the faint of heart."" She lives with her husband and their four children--three rambunctious UFC/wrestling-loving boys and one girl who steals everyone's attention.