Review: Tabitha McGowan's "The Tied Man."

Review: Tabitha McGowan's "The Tied Man."

~4.5 Hearts Review ~ 

Amazon UK:    http://amzn.to/GWgWlt

Amazon.com:   http://amzn.to/1b2G6rH

Synopsis:

Lilith Bresson, an independent, successful young artist, is forced to travel from her home in Spain to the wild borderlands of northern England, to repay her feckless father’s latest debt by painting a portrait of the enigmatic Lady Blaine Albermarle.

On her first night at Albermarle Hall she meets Finn Strachan, Blaine’s ‘companion’, a cultured and hauntingly beautiful young man who seems to have it all. But Lilith has an artist’s eye, and a gift for seeing what lies beneath the skin. She soon discovers that Blaine is more gaoler than lover, and if the price is right, depravity has no limits.

As the weeks pass, Lilith finds that she too is drawn into the malign web that her patron has spun, yet against the odds she forges a strong friendship with the damaged, dysfunctional Finn. In a dark, modern twist to an age-old story, Lilith Bresson proves that sometimes it’s the princess who needs to become the rescuer.

Please note that this storyline contains depictions of drug abuse, violence and non-consensual sex.

Review: Kirsty Lander:

I. Don't. Know. What. To. Say.

I am not a stranger to the darker reads that are around these days. Two of my favourite series' are The Dark Duet by CJ Roberts and Consequences by Aleatha Romig, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to read when I opened this up. From the blurb and the few recommendations that I had I knew this wouldn't be an easy read, I knew that I'd probably want about a months worth of therapy after but I still plowed through. 

"You're the first person in this whole fucking place who's ever 
asked permission to touch me, you know that?"

I don't want to hash over the plot because, well, I'm not even sure I could get it all out here in a good enough way to sum it up, without giving away a ton and making you run for the hills. Just know that there is Blaine in the mix, who I can't even call a human being. She gives Tony and Caleb a real run for their money. We have Finn who may just be the most beautifully damaged character I have ever come across in a book. We have Henry, who gay 'butler', who just had such a way with words that made me fall in love with him. And lastly we have Lilith. The heroine, Finn's saviour, the strongest book character I have probably ever read about.

Some of the stuff I read in this book actually turned my stomach and made me want to just give up. On more than one occasion I had to put my kindle down and walk away.. wondering was it really all worth it? Well, in truth it was. I had to see Blaine get exactly what she deserved and I was so addicted to the story that I had to see just how the hell the three of them were going to pull it off. I had absolutely no idea if it was possible, but I needed to find out.

"She auctions you off. I almost wish I were shocked."

The only thing stopping me being able to give it 5 stars is the ending. The last 10% or so just seemed to spring up out of nowhere and before I knew it I was at the end, wondering how I actually got there. I wanted more, I needed some normality and I was disappointed I didn't get it. I learnt afterwards that there would be a sequel, which makes up for that slightly, but the ending still felt a little rushed for me.

One of the best things about this book, and there were many, is that in the midst of all this fucked up, evilness, the author managed to weave in bits of humour. Lilith and Finn's way with words and phrases were one of the few things that got me through. I know for sure I would have given up without it.

"D'you think I could maybe hug you right now? ... Because that's all I really 
want to do. Just fuckin' lie there next to you and hold you, 
so I know this shit's for real. Would that be okay?

So if you're looking for something horribly dark, twisted but extremely captivating then give this a go. I would definitely recommend a buddy read though.

I rated "The Tied Man" 4.5 Hearts