BLOG TOUR, REVIEW, and GIVEAWAY ~ Quintessentially Q by Pepper Winters

Series: Monsters in the Dark, #2

Genre: Erotic/Dark Romance

Release Date: December 15, 2013

Synopsis

“All my life, I battled with the knowledge I was twisted… fucked up to want something so deliciously dark—wrong on so many levels. But then slave fifty-eight entered my world. Hissing, fighting, with a core of iron, she showed me an existence where two wrongs make a right."

Tess is Q’s completely. Q is Tess’s irrevocably. But now, they must learn the boundaries of their unconventional relationship, while Tess seeks vengeance on the men who sold her. Q made a blood-oath to deliver their corpses at Tess’s feet, and that’s just what he’ll do.

He may be a monster, but he’s Tess’s monster.

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6 SPELLBINDING ~ TITILLATING ~ SENSUAL STARS!!!

Signs you’re reading a phenomenal book:

1. You highlight the shit out of everything. Like on every page. With rainbow colors.

2. You bite off your nails without realizing it.

3. You hang up on your concerned mother who is asking after your welfare.

4. You feel the urge to fangirl all over the author and spam her with your afterthoughts.

5. You go back and re-read some of the EPIC quotes and scenes.

Never in a billion years would I have imagined the things Pepper reveals in QQ. As a reader whose tastes run along the dark side, I can 200% say that this story will satisfy both fans of ToT and lovers of twisted romances. Unanswered questions in ToT are all answered here.

The story picks up just days after the ending of ToT. Tess and Q are finally reunited, but not in their most primal sense. Tess yearns for the beastly urges Q desperately tries to hide; Q’s afraid his inner self will destroy her.

I absolutely loved reading this book with Q’s POV. This is a monster-man who has his shades of grey, not fully possessing a black, soul-less heart, but still a ruthless man who does what he wants, when he wants. He’s not afraid to admit to himself that yes, he does have his faults and fears. I saw the struggle. I saw and felt the constant battle between ‘take her, destroy her, bleed her’ and ‘leave her, save her, protect her’ warring within him.

For the first 25%, I followed along with the book, read and saw Tess and Q’s struggles, but not really knowing where the story plot would go. But then I got to the most pivotal and climatic twist, and my body went into full alert mode. My heart began to race. I knew then things were gonna change, Tess knew things were gonna change, and let me tell you, my wicked, kinky self was right there with welcoming arms, just waiting for this moment.

“His passion, his rage, chased the rest of my panic away. But no matter how touched and honored I was about his vow to protect me, he couldn’t stop the residual instinct that something wasn’t right.” - Tess

I’m not going to go in full details about what this twist is, what happens as a result, but just know Pepper blew.my.mind. You asked for dark? You got it here. You wanted a true mindfuck? You got it here too. Though my heart cracked to see how far these characters have fallen, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling impressed. Impressed that their brokenness rose from the page. I felt it happen. I heard the exact moment when they snapped. And most of all, impressed that Pepper explicitly and expertly made sure her characters know they hit their rock bottom too. And oh, how deliciously low they have fallen...

Remember earlier when I said I wasn’t really sure where the first 25% of the book was going? Well HOLY HELL. The last 25% basically smacked me on the face with an epiphany. I finally understood. Pepper has shown me the stark contrast between then and now. Pleasure and pain. Captive and captor. Love and hatred. Tess and Q. She’s shown me just how far they are willing to go to save each other.

As an author, Pepper has really gained my trust, and is now an auto-buy for me. I love the direction her stories have taken and so I can always count on her to gobsmack and shock me (every dark reader’s dream). I cannot wait to see what she has up her sleeve with Last Shadow.

P.S. There’s something super sweet in store for you at the very end of QQ :)

P.P.S. Music always enhances my feels towards a book, and so true in this case. Here's a few songs I listened to that multiplied the emotional effect by 10.

Moondust by Jaymes Young

Endorphins by Sub Focus

I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys

Fireside by Arctic Monkeys

Skyscraper by Demi Lovato

ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review. Please note that all quotes are from an advanced copy and may be subject to change in the final edition.

~Review by Feifei

GUEST REVIEW

As a dark read enthusiast I went into reading Quintessentially Q by Pepper Winters with some pretty high hopes and let me tell you this book ripped me open and tore me to shreds. I expected a hot, intense, slightly dangerous love story as is seen in the beginning of the book where Tess and Q’s relationship is explored and the two must come to terms with how to merge their individual needs and urges. Quintessentially Q took me places that I never thought I would go, through twists and turns I never saw coming. It was absolutely superb.I fully expected this entire story to be told from Q’s perspective and was incredibly excited to be able to see inside this man’s head. I can’t say I wasn’t a bit disappointed when I found that much of the book was from Tess’ point of view as well, but that thought was quickly obliterated once the story really took off and I actually loved the fact that both viewpoints were included and each turned out to invaluable to the story. Experiencing Tess’ point of view even in the scenes that weren’t uniquely hers really helped to put me in the right frame of mind and definitely helped me understand and connect with the extremely complicated and ever evolving relationship the two share.The direction this story went in was completely unexpected and absolutely captivating. It was like a car crash in that though it was unbelievable and appalling you just couldn’t look away, you couldn’t put it down, and you couldn’t get it out of your head. The range of emotions experienced was vast, all-encompassing and astonishing. At its core QQ is a love story. It’s a love story where two people must learn to trust, bend to the others’ needs and desires, and accept the depth of their intense connection without fear or insecurity and without withholding or withdrawing. A love story that shows just how far love can take someone, how far love can push you over the edge, and how hard love can make you fight for the your other half. A surprising love story of a different kind where two dark halves can come together to make a whole that can not only live in the light but is unforeseen and dramatically different than ever anticipated.

This story messes with your head for sure. There were many times while reading that I had to take a breather to settle from the shock of what I had just read, many times when I had to think happy thoughts to clear my mind, and many times when I felt like asking why I do this to myself. But the ride is well worth all these conflicting thoughts and emotions and what we are left with at the end of the book actually makes you feel good about your turbulent journey.

5 stars!!

~Review by Michelle T.

Purchase Book 1 of the Monsters in the Dark series

Buy Links - Tears of Tess

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*About Pepper*

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero the better and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex. 

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby (who speaks French—hot!) who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends. She loves to hear from her readers so hit her up at pepperwinters@gmail.com

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*Giveaway*

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