Blair ~ A Dark Romance #1
by
Anita Gray
3.5 Stars
Bought. Conditioned.
My name is Blaire. I’m head of security to a man who controls the Russian underworld in Europe. His name is Maksim and he’s my master. He bought me ten years ago and conditioned me with brutality to worship and protect him. And I have protected him. I’ve slain everyone who has tried to do him harm. Everyone but a man he loans me to; a man who threatens to break me and everything I believe in.
You’re going to need a strong stomach and a strong heart to follow my story, because take my word for it, it’s no fairy tale.
~ My Thoughts ~
Author Anita Gray bucks conventionality but writing Blaire in her own way. Unlike most dark stories, we don’t begin with a kidnapping, we don’t live through the sadistic adjustment period of conditioning, we are met with well-defined, brutally intense characters that settle deep within you.
Maskim is the definition of evil. He is overpowering in this words and actions. His thoughts are all-consuming. He is hell come to life and you find yourself clinging to his every word and action. Feelings of conflict arise when this character presents himself throughout the story, but you can’t help but be curious and intrigued at what he will do next.
Blair was a tough character for me to accept. It’s her precise training that evoked these feelings. I felt feelings of dislike, compassion, fear and curiosity. The further I read, the more I understood and accepted Blair. My feelings about this character changed as I read. My heart broke for her, the hope for her future exploded and I cringed with her decisions.
Charlie my gawd, what to say about Charlie? He is the hero, he is the villain, he is a jumble of confusion, wrapped in intense longing and lust. Even at his worst, I melted into this swoon-worthy character. He brought light into the darkness. He is the keeper of secrets, the one to right the wrong, he is passion personified. He is also evil, dominate, larger that life and a man who most fear.
James plays such an important part to the story. He is solace in a world of death, he is a protector, a friend. He is the constant that seems to make even the worst of situations better.
I was thrown a bit when the story of Blaire didn’t follow the usual dark path I am use to. I think that’s what intrigued me the most. As I said above I had a hard time with Blaire in the beginning of the story. Again, I believe that writing the victim in such a different way through me for a loop, but I kept on reading and I am glad I did.
Blaire is a complex, dark story filled with so many secrets, twists and turns. The slow reveal of those secrets throughout the story kept me reading, wanting to know more. The inner conflict of the characters was incredible. At times, I wanted to scream my choices to the characters and have them follow my instruction. The intensity of brutality is staggering, written with such attention to detail you feel the pain. The incredible chemistry between the characters is off the charts hot and you feel every touch, the fiery hotness of his mouth upon your body and the intensity of letting yourself go, while fighting a feeling that is so foreign.
Filled with action, a complex storyline, extremely well-defined characters, surprises and secrets and sexual chemistry that will make you weep, Blair is a fast paced, raw, intriguing story of one girl, her master, the past, the hidden truths and hope for a different kind of future that seems so far from reach.
Leave a Reply