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Saturday, April 26, 2014

Monster by Francette Phal

How much could you forgive? That's a question that I kept asking myself as I read Monster by Francette Phal. Could I forgive a man that degraded and demoralized me? Turned me
into a thing instead of a person? Could I forgive a man who behaved like a narcissistic, manipulative and abusive monster? I'm thinking hellnah... at least that's what I said throughout most of this book. And then the question changed. If I could forgive him, could I love him? The heart is a funny thing and I'd like to say that I wouldn't. Questions, questions...


Eden Mercer is a young woman who could use a little help in the financial department. She works as a dancer and meets Dominic. Dominic propositions Eden (there's more to this but I'm making it quick), however, the proposition turns into a bargain that includes marriage. To Dominic this means he has a bought and paid for a walking talking vagina and sexual pet that he mistreats in and outside of the bedroom. As far as he's concerned he's made a deal with a gold digger and she's paid to take whatever he dishes. She's his whore and possession that he likes to flaunt. The Dominic that we meet has no redeeming qualities. He's despicable and disgusting and abusive. You will not like the things that he does. As for Eden, she's made a deal with the devil for money and knows it. She's endured her marriage for five years; however, something happens, circumstances change and Eden escapes both her marriage and Dominic. She manages to evade him for over a year (I believe it was a year or maybe more) and starts a new life. When Dominic finds her he plays dirty and forces her back. But situations are different and Eden is no longer the girl she used to be. She has new priorities and she's not about to let Dominic treat her the way that he used to. This new situation awakens the humanity in Dominic, something that he's uncomfortable with and fears, and we learn exactly what has turned him into this beast of a man.

Lets just say that I at first hated Dominic with a passion. He was a foul creature and there wasn't a thing that was going to change that. But, as the story progresses the writer manages to pull off a minor miracle in that I started to feel for Dominic. When all is said and done you completely understand why he is who he is and why he behaves the way that he does.

As far as Eden is concerned, she turns into a character that grows a major backbone. She had a weakness for Dominic that maybe I never fully understood, but she didn't just let him continue to treat her like the dirty stuff beneath his shoe. I appreciated her final decision on her relationship with him and that she ultimately handled it her way and on her terms.

I can't really go into too many details about this book without giving too much away. So this is a short review (for me at least). I'm usually long-winded with my reviews, but don't think that I didn't like this book. I did like it and it was surprising because with the way that it started off I was ready to hate it. I'm getting a bit tired of books starring abusive a$-hole billionaires and the needy women who take their abuse because they are handsome and sexy and wow them with their wonder stick in bed.

I don't really think of this so much as a romance or love story. It was more of a journey for Dominic and for Eden to face their past, their present and if there could ever be a future between them. The book is a decent length so learning what you need to learn doesn't happen right away. I believe you have to thoroughly hate Dominic at first in order to fully appreciate the revelations and the book itself.

I'm giving Monster a 4 out of 5 rating. A wonderfully written and executed story.

Rating: 4 out of 5
Pages: 340
Published: March 11, 2014
Publisher: Phal Publishing
Available at: Amazon

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