Throwback: Control

 Paige Stone lived anything but a normal childhood. Having been raised around an abused women's shelter operated by her parents, Paige was a constant witness to the tragedy and heartache suffered by women at the hands of the men they trusted. Out of refusal to ever allow that to happen to her,... Paige built walls around her heart at a young age. Those walls were only fortified when tragedy struck on her sixth birthday and took from her the only friend and love she knew. Now at 22 years old, and working as a private investigator, Paige is driven by a deep need for strength, independence and a stubborn refusal to accept help from another person. Surrounding herself with her three best friends, Paige never assumed that the autonomy she had worked so hard to build could be challenged.

That was, until Paige met Daemon Pierce.

Mysterious, strong-willed, and breathtakingly beautiful, Daemon seemed to instantly know Paige better than she knew herself. Paige is disgusted by Daemon's reputation as a womanizer, but becomes intrigued when she is unable to discover his background. Paige's curiosity about Daemon proves to be her downfall as she is swept up in his charming and arrogant pursuit to possess her in every possible way.

For the first time in her life, Paige will struggle for control while Daemon slowly dismantles the walls she has built around herself. Only time will tell who will be victorious in their battle of wills as Daemon teaches Paige the weaknesses within herself that she never knew existed. Paige stays one step ahead in her struggle against Daemon's controlling ways, but when tragedy strikes her life a second time, she has to choose; will she put her life in danger, or will she finally accept a helping hand?

***Content Warning - This is a new adult fiction with mature themes. It contains graphic sexual situations, mature language and explicit description of sexual violence.***

I absolutely loved this book. The setting. The camaraderie. The suspense. The action. The drama. Pagie’s fierce independence. Daemon’s mysterious nature. The chemistry between Paige and Daemon. The sexual tension. So very, very much to love about Control, even the fact that it’s the first book in a series – which means more Paige and Daemon.

Control is a great start to the series. Ms. Willis creates a character with Paige that I can so easily see as someone I grew up with, despite the somewhat sheltered nature of her life. Actually, it was the scene in the bar when she thinks to herself, “Oh no. He did not just utter fighting words.” and then lunges at the guy that sealed the deal for me. I went to high school with girls like that in the Panhandle of Florida, so between Paige’s mannerisms at times and the setting, it was like a trip back home for me. Of course, to properly balance out Paige’s feistiness, we must have an equally dominant male and Ms. Willis does an excellent job with Daemon. Sweet baby Jesus, that man is hot! I don’t care how many walls she had built around her heart, I cannot believe that Paige held out against him so long, but boy was it worth it. I could keep my apartment warm with the heat those two put off. And while I wouldn’t wish the situation on anyone and I hate how everyone was affected by it (sometimes realism sucks in a book), I loved the action and drama element that the author added with Paige’s stalker.

The only thing I didn’t love about the book was Paige’s inability to put two and two together at times, especially considering her job as an investigator. I was absolutely befuddled that it took her so long to come up with a suspect for her property’s vandalization. Actually her entire demeanor when the damage was discovered baffled me. Rather than getting mad and jumping to the glaringly obvious conclusion, her immediate reaction mirrored depression. I understand how important that particular property was to her, but her reaction seemed out of line with her character, even in the face of caffeine deprivation. That she never once during the course of the book had any thoughts about who Daemon is – even after learning that he didn’t exist until five or six year earlier – also floored me. While I realize that I don’t actually know who Daemon is and that Ms. Willis may very well have left a trail of false clues to make me feel like his true identity is obvious, just the fact that the thought never once crosses Paige’s mind frustrates me to no end. Did these two details keep me from enjoying the book? Not at all. I actually find it comedic that she is an investigator and both of these issues occur. I am looking forward to reading Conflict in a few days so I can get some answers and undoubtedly more questions. 

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