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When Azalea meets Peter Titon, she’s sure it was a one-time chance meeting. But when her overprotective mother leaves for a work trip, and the men left behind to protect her fail—she’s taken by Peter in the dark of night with no explanation.
Peter isn’t one to explain his motives, and taking Azalea is no exception. He takes what he wants. When he sees Azalea at his newest club, Tower, her fire and grit draws him to her. Later when he finds her locked away in her rooms, he decides better to have her locked away with him.
But there’s more at stake here than just a few nights of fun with an attractive woman. While the two of them sway to the sensual waves, old grievances and long forgotten truths dance dangerously close. Azalea and Peter will have to decide where their loyalty and hearts truly lie- and what are they willing to risk to find the truth.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2018

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Measha Stone

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
Profile Image for Bex (Beckie Bookworm).
2,154 reviews1,434 followers
October 4, 2018
41815321

4 Stars
Arc Book Review
Release Date-3/10/18

"Tower" is my first book by this particular author and its one that I really did enjoy immensely.
Its been a while since I read a good Dom/submissive story and this one ticked every one of my boxes if it wasn't for me not quite liking the finale as much as the rest of this book this probably would have been a clean sweep.
No mind this was still an excellent read that kept me on my toes easily capturing and retaining my current attention.
"Tower" tells the story of Azalea and Peter.
Azalea has been kept almost locked in a tower by her over-protective mother and with her long golden locks, the parallels between our girl and the fairy tale Rapunzel are very much in focus.
Only our Peter is no actual prince charming and totally up for using Azalea's current predicament to do his own sort of rescuing: with our fair princess really just swapping one set of chains for another.
In Peter's head, he is doing her a favour as her situation at home in his opinion stinks of something totally rotten.
These two are at logger-heads almost from day one and it's only when a bargain is struck between the two: one that puts Azalea completely under peters control and mercy that an almost deeper accord and connection is attained between our two potential lovers and both finally get what they want and ultimately need.
So this was fabulous and super scorching in nature.
Capturing my interest almost immediately this had just the right balance of action versus romance.
With its many twists and turns, this certainly kept me on my toes.
I found it ever so easy to relate to both Peter and Azalea: though if I'm being completely honest here I did find Azalea's naivety to be slightly unrealistic.
Even as sheltered as she was I believe she would have asked some questions regarding her almost prisoner like existence with her mother: I just find it difficult to digest that someone could be that oblivious and unaware for real.
Just my own personal take really.
And also as I said earlier the finale here wasn't quite to my liking either.
I have a super low tolerance for males who think they know what's best for someone without even consulting the person in question: like real low down low.
So that's it really: everything else was grand here this book was a really good read.
So this is a complete no-brainer in regards to me recommending this: the answers hell yeh!
"Tower" really was a great book.
Thank You to the Author for providing me with an ARC of "Tower" of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

59AE3582-1D31-40E8-A5AF-C7247BE52F1A

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
Profile Image for Maria Dimitrova.
745 reviews146 followers
January 12, 2019
I liked the first book of the series enough to get the second one and almost as soon as I started reading it I regretted it.

You see, what I liked most about the first book was that Ellie had choices. They were not always palatable ones but she could walk away from Ash had she been prepared to face the consequences. Azalea doesn't have that luxury. She's a prisoner throughout 90% of the book - initially she'd imprisoned by her "mother", then Peter kidnaps her and keeps her prisoner in Ash's mansion and than she's again imprisoned by her "mother".

Tower is a retelling of Rapunzel so some things were a given - like the fact that Azalea's mother wasn't really her mother. Or that her mother would end up being a really bad person. So I'm going to ignore her imprisonment under mommy dearest and talk about her time as Peter's kidnap victim. He can rationalize his decision to take her away from her home as much as he want, and believe me, he does - "she was a prisoner in her own home!", "there's something fishy about that I must save her, etc. And that would have been all okay because ultimately he was right and had she stayed at her home she would have ended up in a really nasty situation. But once he "saved" her he keeps her confined and under watch in turn even when she repeatedly says that she wants to leave. He punishes her (and in my book this is sexual assault because she didn't explicitly agree to it in the beginning) for trying to escape and for talking about going home. He's a virtual stranger at the time and just because it ends up being the best thing that could have happened to Azalea (more about that later) it tainted the book for me. Even when things improved and she agreed to play ball, I couldn't shake the feeling of distaste.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

As with any fairy tale retelling just knowing which tale a book is based on is a big spoiler for things to come. Knowing that this is based off Rapunzel I figured out the big twist pretty early on. And no it's not the Azalea's mother is not her mother. However, based on a few comments thrown in the book I knew what Bellatrix planned for her virgin "daughter" way before I hit the midway point. It's an awful thing one can do to a person she's watched over since childhood and it turned my stomach even through I knew it was coming. And had Peter not kidnapped Azalea and fallen in love with her as a result her fate would have been horrible. But as this is a book he, of course, managed to save her from her evil "mother". Somehow that didn't make me feel better about what Peter did in the beginning. Actually it made me feel like the author was trying too hard to make what he did seem like a good thing and it just plain left me feeling a bit nauseated.
Profile Image for Milica's Bookshelf.
880 reviews254 followers
December 17, 2022
Don't let my rating fool you, or anyone else's.
I mean the story is ok, I don't know what exactly I expected... the blurb sounded so promising. I think the story just isn't dark enough for my taste.
I was just frustrated most of the time while reading... regarding some of the characters' actions.
Profile Image for Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog).
5,356 reviews200 followers
October 8, 2018


Azalea is an almost 23-year-old naive young woman who's tired of being locked up in her mother's home. So lately she's been escaping for tiny trips while her mother's out on business trips. One night she heads to a club where she catches the owner's eye. Peter Titon is a dominating asshole and he knows it, doesn't even mind that his reputation is so hard. When he sees Azalea's innocent gaze taking in a scene between him and a sub at his club, he wants her instantly. She doesn't take him up on his offer, though, because she hasn't got the time, literally. If she's not back home before her mother gets back, she knows nothing good will happen to her. Peter still has her on his mind, though, so when his men come to him with a debt collection trip, and it's at the same address where he dropped Azalea off the night he first saw her, he knows she'll be his, even if he has to take her to make it so.



Whew, Tower is H O T!!! I loved it. I'm not always into kidnapping and forced consent type of stories, but Measha Stone does it well here. Peter and Azalea are not just smokin' hot together, they fit together perfectly. With him schooling her in the D/s ways, and her being the sassy sub that he needs and loves, I ate their story up. But Tower isn't just super steamy and erotic, the emotional depth of their relationship is what really makes this story stand out. It's not just some erotic piece of fluff with little or no relationship or character development. It's not just passionate and exciting, it's emotionally fleshed out and substantive. Kudos to Measha Stone for this modern twisty retelling of Rapunzel.

ARC via Ardent PRose for an honest review.

Full review posted on Live Through Books Blog.
Profile Image for Yamna.
360 reviews118 followers
June 1, 2020
Note: Book downloaded for free on Amazon offer via Boob Bub

I honestly only read SMUT when I am going through a really bad reading slump to jolt me out of my laziness. Most of the times, the books turn out to have pointless plots with the world's most horribly obtuse heroines. Some, very rare books have plots that are both decent and intriguing.
Unfortunately, this was not one of those books. The fact that this book has over 4 rating baffles me, not because I judge people who like SMUT but because the plot was so freaking absurd .
******Mild Spoilers Ahead*******

So basically, a woman is in the prostitution business. She purchases and sells young women, and apparently one day she decided to abduct her enemy's daughter and raise the girl as her own out of revenge.
This is a poorly executed rewrite of the classic Rapunzel story, where a young woman with long hair is kept secluded by her mother in a home.
One day, our dear Azalea sneaks out to some club and meets the hero, who barely deserves that title btw.
The hero takes a liking to her, decides to investigate, finds out Azalea's mother is fishy and decides to kidnap her for her "own protection". He locks her up in his own BDSM club, dubbed the Tower, where he then decides Azalea's hot piece of ass is oh-so-fuckable (even if she doesn't want to, because consent is overrated, right?) and proceeds to "train" her into a mind-numbingly meek submissive.
Azalea, for the sake of it being a longer book, resists at first (all the while noticing how absolutely hot the hero is) but then she's all "yes, Daddy, please fuck me whichever way you please".
With barely any thrill or storyline, the book progresses with increasingly erotic scenarios. Then Azalea's mom returns (apparently she has been overseas for God knows what) and forcefully takes her daughter back. She then reveals to her daughter that she'll be selling her to the highest bidder for sexual slaves, hero swoops in, saves Azalea, they live happily ever after, yada yada.

The plot, if there is any, has massive, massive holes. To the point that this can't be called a "dark" or an "erotic" book by a long shot. This is pure porn, with little to no attention to detail given to character development. Besides, I absolutely abhor heroines like Azalea who think from their vagina and have no eyes except for when there's a dick around to fuck them senseless and make them forget they have a brain.

Plotholes:
A. Sure, Azalea is being raised by a kidnapping prostitute ring-head. What kind of a dumb-ass doesn't see it coming? Why did she never question what her mother does? For all those years? She was locked up in a house, had a male bodyguard accompany her everywhere and she NEVER thought to think what kind of business her mother is in?
B. Hero comes and just takes Azalea and Gother, the mother, doesn't find out for weeks only because the hero told the bodyguard to not tell or else he'll be killed? The mother never called? Never checked with anyone else? If she's over protective enough to keep her locked up, why not constantly check to ensure she's safe? How dumb does the author think the readers are?
C. The hero tells Azalea he has kidnapped her for her own protection. He refuses to tell her any reason. And she lets it go because he says he won't tell her? How absurdly stupid is she? Why didn't she push him? She's led an extremely sheltered life in a house, has 0 friends, has never seen the real world, then suddenly she's kept locked up in a BDSM CLUB and she's barely shocked/disgusted and doesn't question it at all?
D. Gothel has an enemy and decides to kidnap his daughter. She keeps the girl locked up because . The kidnapping was never properly explained. In fact, it was described as the stupidest thing to literally ever happen. And how OLD is Gothel to have a daughter before and then have another fully grown one and still look YOUNG-ish? Is she a witch or something?
E. Half the men hero knows purchase and sell girls as well. He never questions them, never looks down on them, never sees them as criminals. He punishes the subs working at his club if they are out late or whatever because "they need to learn better". I mean...why couldn't this book just have been plain porn without these added weird shitty scenarios? Why include crimes such as prostitution in a plot that has a HEROINE who has NO OBJECTIONS to being kidnapped herself and then made to bend to someone else's will without her consent??

Overall, I would give this 2 stars, mainly because it's not the worst book I have ever read. I doubt I will ever read from the author again.
Profile Image for Heather.
1,388 reviews24 followers
October 3, 2018
Retelling of fairy tales as dark romances is fairly popular right now. However, I have to say that this is the first one I have ever read that is a retelling of Rapunzel. But if anyone was going to write it, I'm glad it was Measha Stone! Peter never wanted to be like his uncle and simply take women from their homes as payment or just because, but when he sees Azalea locked up in her own mother's house, he simply acts on instinct and takes her. Peter says he is saving her from a bad situation because its easier than admitting he wants her for himself. Although in truth he is trying to save her and if that means he gets her too that is an added bonus.
This book picks up just after the events of Beast and features some of the same characters. However, you don't have to read Beast in order to enjoy this dark romance. Plenty of steamy scenes, including elements of dominance/submission and some violence.
Profile Image for Kelly_Reads_Books.
1,958 reviews147 followers
October 2, 2018
Measha Stone does it again! Another hot Alpha male dominating a submissive who doesn't know she is a submissive.
Measha writes perfectly balanced stories with strong dominating men who don't apologize for the way they are.
Peter is my dream man to a T. He grabs his woman and takes control, but he is also secretly sensitive about her needs.
Poor Azalea, she wants to feel loved and to belong to someone somewhere.
This story is hot and exciting!
Profile Image for Jenna.
Author 11 books5 followers
August 23, 2020
yall need to read measha if you like the slightly dark side of life. Yummy, dominate men make for a great night in.
Profile Image for Tammy.
324 reviews45 followers
August 11, 2020
I read this immediately after reading Beast by Measha Stone . The first book in the series was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. And I bet you guessed from the title that this a Rapunzel retelling. I'm gonna say it again, consent seems really optional in this series...Peter (Ash's cousin) from the first book is our hero. He too is a dominant, he too has a club, and one of his job's is keeping the ladies in line with his particular brand of discipline. The rest of this is spoiler-y.

Peter pretty much abducts Azalea from her home. Her mom is keeping her locked in her bedroom. She is not allowed to go very many places. She had to complete schooling online, basically the mom is a control freak. She has lived like this for twenty three years under the impression that her mom acts like this because something happened to her older sister. Peter controlled a lot of Azalea's moves and withheld information from her. This really made me feel like she went from one controlling person to another and kept me from enjoying the book overall. Add in that her mother was actually part of a sex trafficking ring and was willing to sell Azalea to the highest bidder and I was just over the whole thing.

Not recommended
1,217 reviews8 followers
October 3, 2018
Tower is the second full novel in the Ever After series, and is a dark retelling of Rapunzel. Azalea is almost twenty three, lives with her overly protective mother, and is dying to experience her own freedom. After meeting Peter in his club, Tower, a chance meeting later entangles their fates, at least until Azalea’s mother returns. Peter takes Azalea back to his home, keeping her safe, keeping her his. Between punishments and rewards, Peter and Azalea are drawn together, feeling more than either intend, but when her mother comes back, what will happen to their relationship and her budding sense of freedom?

Oh. My. Goodness! This book was absolutely riveting! I never wanted to put it down and now that it’s over, I only want to reread both books in the series again! Peter was fantastic, and I loved his absolute dedication to his responsibilities, following his gut, and protecting and loving Azalea. It was definitely a unique situation they found themselves in! Azalea was sweet and innocent and so used to self-preservation and her routine that when her life was disrupted, she almost didn’t know how to react at first! I absolutely loved Peter and Azalea together because there was so much chemistry between them, both sensual and the vibes felt between them every day. I really loved that this felt like Rapunzel, you could guess what would happen next based on the story you knew, but you had to keep reading because this version was darker, more intense, and way sexier - this is not you average Disney romance, that’s for sure! I loved this book, love this series, and already can’t wait for my next book by Ms. Stone!
Profile Image for Badh.
3,296 reviews59 followers
October 3, 2018
I think that this is actually a 4.5 and not a strict 4.

Fairy tales are a great framework for authors to work with. We all know the basics of the story, so it gives the authors plenty of room to work around without the reader having to get come to a whole new world, cold. That's what Measha Stone has done here. She's taken Rapunzel, tied her up a little bit, spanked her a time or two, and given us a new story to read.

Azalea is almost 23 and has spent her entire life under her mother's thumb. The only way she gets to leave her house by herself is if she sneaks out, otherwise, she stays locked in the house or escorted by a guard. But one night, she manages to escape to a kink club called Tower, where she sees Peter.

Peter runs Tower and helps out his cousin Ash with the family business. When he spots Azalea's distinctive hair, he has to go talk to her. When he notices her next, it's because he has left and he sees her running in the rain, in a rush to get home. He offers her a ride.

The next day, Peter decides to go out to help with some "debt collections". One of the guys who owes his family money is Santos, who works for Azalea's mom. When he doesn't have all the money, Peter decides that he'll take Azalea for the debt.

It's a really interesting story. There are a lot of aspects that Measha Stone does really well. The way that she handles humiliation in a sexual situation is beautiful. I love that Azalea is all into it and has fantasized about this for years instead of being sweet, innocent, virginal, and vanilla-ish.

I love this series, and I am really hoping for more.
Profile Image for aãmmÿ.
104 reviews
July 12, 2020
Tower is an erotic retelling of Rapunzel. Azalea slips from her overprotective mothers townhouse to explore her sexual curiosity at the newly opened BDSM club Tower when she catches the eye of owner Peter. When he later recognises her address on an errand to collect a debt he takes her as partial payment.

I liked Azalea, she was feisty and innocent and unafraid to explore her darker desires. Peter recognises this early on and realising he only has her in his possession for a few short weeks sets about exploring her submissive side.

I felt the storyline with Mother Gothel could have been explored a bit more which left the ending feeling a little bit rushed. And without spoiling the ending I did like the addition of the eye patch in a throw back to the original Grimm fairy tale.
Profile Image for Shirl.
1,025 reviews41 followers
December 7, 2023
I screwed up the reading order in this series already....I had book one marked as reading but was actually reading book two.... going back to the beginning now.

This was Azalea's and Peter's story. When you think about someone leading a sheltered life it's nothing like what Azalea has gone through.....at 22 yrs old she is still living at home, being locked in her bedroom so she couldn't go out, and was home schooled. She even defends how her Mother raised her. She don't even know what kind of job her Mother has.

When Peter shows up at her house while her Mother is out of town and her bodyguard owes his family money but doesn't have all of it Peter takes Azalea instead....that is where it gets interesting....
Profile Image for Linda Rea.
2,180 reviews15 followers
November 9, 2020
When Peter meets Azalea he can’t keep his eyes off of her but when he drove her home something bothered him so when he had to go to collect a debt and found her locked away he took her. This is a fairy tale retelling but it stops right there but if you like it a little naughty you are going to want to read it
Profile Image for Sandra Crow.
201 reviews13 followers
October 3, 2018
Tower is a great book. The characters are full of depth, emotionally and in thinking. The storyline has suspense, action and a dark romance to it. I truly enjoyed this book.
Profile Image for Rhonda.
1,274 reviews4 followers
March 28, 2019
This one wasn’t as good as the first as it was a bit predictable and I wasn’t a huge fan that she traded one situation that she didn’t have control over for another but the ending made up for it.
Profile Image for CeCe.
3,503 reviews109 followers
February 12, 2020
I read to 85% and gave up. I am not sure what it was, but I lost interest. I love retellings, but this one just lost its steam. I love these stories, but I felt that the heroine went from one prison to another. The hero was not really possessive of the heroine. He would "spank" her in front of other men. He said he was possessive, but actions speak louder than words.

It may work for you. There is a lot of BDSM. I would describe this one as an erotica. The scenes were okay. Mediocre all around.
Profile Image for Zen.
2,104 reviews
April 29, 2020
Another good retelling with a dark twist. I liked Peter in the last novel and it was nice seeing his story played out.
Profile Image for Kay Folks.
374 reviews1 follower
December 10, 2023
4.5 ⭐️

Overall actually loved this book.

She does get a little annoying at times and he doesn’t give her many choices but he did kinda have a reason…
Profile Image for Renee.
4,188 reviews55 followers
September 5, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review.

When Azalea meets Peter Titon, she's sure it was a one-time chance meeting. But when her over protective mother leaves for a work trip, and the men left behind to protect her fail-she's taken by Peter in the dark of night with no explanation. Peter isn't one to explain his motives, and taking Azalea is no exception. He takes what he wants. When he sees Azalea at his newest club, Tower, her fire and grit draws him to her. Later when he finds her locked away in her rooms, he decides better to have her locked away with him. But there's more at stake her than just a few nights of fun with an attractive woman. While the two of them sway to the sensual waves, old grievances and long forgotten truths dance dangerously close. Azalea and Peter will have to decide where their loyalty and hearts truly lie-and what they are willing to rick to find the truth.

If you like dark retelling of fairy tales then you are going to love Tower. This is the retelling of Rapunzel. Poor Azalea is twenty three years old and lives her mother who is way way way over protective. But, Azalea is dying to have some experiences and finds herself sneaking away in the dark of night so her mother doesn't know to a sex club and the meeting of Peter. However when her moms hired hand messes up and owes some serious money to the people Peter knows he finds her locked away in her room and decides to take her and to take her to his home and lock her away there. Only there are no locks and she is free to roam his home and compound, but just not leave it. Poor Azalea is so overprotective that she is not even sure how to react of any of the things that are happening or going on around her. She no longer has her usual routine and it is freaking her out. But she does have some amazing chemistry with Peter. What will happen when the mother returns and finds out Azalea is gone and who has her? Well you have to read the book to find that out but it is so worth the read. This is a dark retelling and will have you reading as fast as you can. I devoured this book and loved every second of it.
Profile Image for Julia Red Hatter Book Blog.
644 reviews33 followers
September 26, 2018
Tower is deliciously seductive! Peter and his Tower of debauchery will have you drooling within the first chapter. In this naughty retelling of Rapunzel we get the lovely Azalea and the dark delectable Peter. Azalea is a bit naive and is kept on a tight leash from her mom. One night of sneaking out to check out the club Tower starts her on a sexy journey she wasn't ready for. Meeting eyes with Peter while he puts on a show, sets both their paths on a collision course. Peter takes Azalea on a sexual tour and opens her eyes up to so much more.

I loved the suspense that we get trying to figure out who Azalea's mother truly is. I loved the naughty bits and watching Azalea slowly realize what she likes sexually. I loved Peter and his cocky @$$hole demeanor. Basically I just loved Tower. When crap hits the fan Azalea knows Peter will save her. Peter gives Azalea what she needs, and Azalea gives Peter some of his humanity back.

While reading Tower you will need your significant other close by, or a toy. It will leave you hot and wanting! Measha Stone creates a sinful world we all wish we were apart of!
Profile Image for Rhonda Hicks.
4,143 reviews74 followers
October 5, 2018
Peter was filling in for his cousin Ash while he was on hi honeymoon. Trying to help at the Annex BDSM club their family owned on top of running the Tower, a new BDSM club he just opened separate from the family business. He saw her watching him as he was in a scene. He didn't know what it was that had their eyes locking onto each other. They'd never met.
Azalea knew she had a very limited time to be gone and then she had to sneak back into the house before her mother found out she was missing. She didn't necessarily have a curfew because she wasn't allowed outside, especially at night. Her mother was VERY over protective, not wanting anything to happen to her.
This is one HOT book. The storyline is a Dark, Sexy version of Rapunzel and holy cow, Measha Stone has given the characters in this book a chemistry that will set the pages on fire. The plot is cohesive and will keep you intrigued all the way to the end. And just like any good fairytale, there's an HEA at the end, but not before having to work for it.
What a great introduction to a new author this book has been. One to definitely follow
Profile Image for Hazel Harkins.
437 reviews7 followers
September 27, 2018
I found this book to be a smouldering, seductive, mysterious and intriguing with a little BDSM thrown in just to make it more exciting.
This is my first time reading Maesha Stone's work and I am hooked. This book is well written and kept me on the edge of seat from the first chapter til the end of the book. I do wish it had contained an Epilogue.
The chemistry between this spunky heroine and her savior, which is how I consider Peter, is so obvious to me maybe not so much to Azalea but her eyes would open soon enough, is off the charts. Azalea's eyes slowly open as she discovers her sexuality and that Peter will always protect her and give her what she needs. It is obvious from the beginning Peter only wants to protect her.
As Peter tries to figure out all things about Azalea's "mother" it becomes obvious he thinks there is more to discover than just protecting her daughter.
So much to say about this book but alas a review is just that a review.
Grab yourself a copy of this book and get set to enjoy reading the story of a dark tale with lots of twists but a definite HEA.
Profile Image for Sharon.
1,768 reviews39 followers
August 8, 2020
This is a Rapunzel fairytale retelling. After a fluke meeting in his club, Peter decides he has to have Azalea and takes her as partial payment for a debt. Once he has her, he sees a she has a submissive side that he wants to explore with her. Great steamy kinky tale!
#MSBB
Profile Image for SGetch.
265 reviews41 followers
July 16, 2022
Tower is a dark erotic retelling of the fairytale Rapunzel. We first met our hero, Peter, in book one of this series called Beast. Peter immediately stood out and I was excited to read his story.

Measha Stone did not disappoint... I loved the chemistry between Peter and our heroine Azalea. The steamy scenes were HOT and there were plenty of them but still had a great plot. I will say that Measha Stone does a fantastic job pushing you to that dark edge - the balance of power and dominance is perfection! Very well done!!!!

I am rating this 4 stars instead of 5 only because there is never a discussion about protection or birth control. It also bothered me that with all the steam (and there is lots of it) no one ever takes a shower!

Regardless... this series is a must read, please don't pass it up!!

No cheating
Told in both H/h POV
1,594 reviews8 followers
June 15, 2022
Well done, except...

I thought this darker retelling of Rapunzel was well done, except for the last part to do with her mother.

Spoiler alert:

There were enough hints sprinkled throughout the book that Bellatrix wasn't really Azalea's mother, but there were a couple of things left unanswered--why did the dad buy Azalea in the first place if he was so loyal to his wife. Did Bellatrix really have a daughter who died or went missing? And why did she suddenly express such hatred toward Azalea? It would have made better sense for her to have a deranged affection for her. I felt the whole mistreatment and putting her up for sale at the end was an easy way to wrap up the story while making Bellatrix a wholly "bad" person instead of multidimensional.
Profile Image for Aleesha.
522 reviews4 followers
February 12, 2024
I have mixed emotions about this one. In some ways, it's better than book 1. But in others, I think it's much worse.

What makes this book better is that there is considerably more in the way of a plot. It's not perfect--there's a lot of secret keeping from Azalea and hence, from the reader, that ultimately just frustrated and left me wanting.

If you know this is a fairy tale retelling (and how can you not, we're told almost immediately that Azalea's last name is GOTHEL), then you know the "twist" that's deliberately kept hidden for most of the novel. The task of the plot, then, is to figure out how Bellatrix Gothel came by her (not so) beloved daughter.

Bellatrix's past, and her current profession should have played a MUCH bigger role that it did. Because it is complex and really interesting. It's much more complex than you first expect.

Except we don't really get any information until the 11th hour, when it comes from Bellatrix herself. And it feels like a late-stage info dump rather than a meticulously thought-out and planned reveal. There are a few clues dropped, but they're done in such a way that they're not at all revealed to Azalea, and when information is spoken about amongst the male characters in this book, it's vague, and filled with half-answers. People don't finish their sentences, they use pronouns instead of proper names. And it makes it difficult for me, the reader, to keep stuff straight in my head. Even when on an intellectual level I knew what was happening, the details never really fell into place until Azalea herself learned them about 25 pages from the end of the book.

If this book had dropped better hints, if it had involved the reader (if not Azalea herself) in the process the men undertake to figure out what the fuck is up, it would have made for a much more satisfying read. But the men controlling information just ended up suppressing any interest the plot may have had.

And let's talk about control for a minute. Obviously this is a BDSM sort of book. There's a Dom/Sub dynamic. Which might have been fine. Except for the fact that Azalea has zero experience with men, and with the world at large. Her choices are submit to Peter or get whipped anyway. And that's hardly an option for a woman who has never had a man touch her in any other capacity before.

The relationship is what REALLY drags this book down for me. Like in book 1, there isn't really a connection between Peter and Azalea outside of the bedroom. He doesn't really know anything about her outside what she likes in bed and that she's a graphic designer. And I'm not 100% convinced he knows what she likes, because he spends a lot of time TELLING her she likes things, just because she's wet. Wetness doesn't ALWAYS mean we're turned on, right, ladies?

In fact, it's like pulling teeth for Peter to get the truth out of her every time he asks her an intimate question. She fibs and undersells herself constantly, and often when we're in her perspective she feels humiliation, shame and embarrassment. And even when she DOES express desire for something, it's tempered by the fact that WE know she's never known any other way. So do either of them really know anything about her, about what she likes and doesn't? The fact that she never DISLIKES anything is irritating and concerning and wholly unrealistic. Someone that inexperienced should realistically have some misgivings about some things. Instead, everything Peter does to her she ends up just over the moon for.

And outside the bedroom? This book suffers from the same problem as in book 1.

In book 1, Ash only knew that Ellie liked being a sub and painting, so there's a theme here. But what makes this worse for me than Ash and Ellie is that Azalea herself hasn't been given the opportunity to figure out shit for herself yet. She hasn't experienced ANYTHING outside of Peter. She hasn't been out in the world to discover her own personality, likes, and interests (and I'm not talking about just sexual stuff). The girl doesn't HAVE a personality yet, because she hasn't been ALLOWED to have one for 23 years.

You mean to tell me that she goes from entirely sheltered into a Dom/Sub relationship and is 100% happy with it? I suppose if she knows nothing else...

But the thought of that sort of gives me the ick. If she CHOSE that sort of relationship, after having experimented around a bit, fine. But I don't think it's realistic, or healthy, for someone with zero experience to go immediately into that kind of kinky relationship without knowing ANYTHING else. BDSM isn't something virgins just walk into and make their whole personality forever, you know?

It's even odder when you juxtapose the relationship she had with Bellatrix and the one she carries on with Peter. He keeps saying that she's free, but she's not. He's commanding her 24/7. Punishing her when she tries to have a backbone and stand up for herself and speak about what she wants. She asks questions, and gets no answers--HE controls information as much as he does her body. And I'm not sure he says she's free to make her own choices enough to convince me that that's actually true.

Instead, it feels like the information is withheld from Azalea as another means to control her.

This book was another very, very easy read for me. And it's not unlikable, despite the issues I bought up here. If anything, I just wish it hadn't been so short, so that we would have had more time for the plot elements to be fully fleshed out and for Azalea to really come into her own.

This one's a straight 3 for me.
October 3, 2018
LOVED this Rapunzel retelling, the twists and turns and sexy times... with a hint of discipline and BDSM. It was refreshing and fun, I'll definitely be reading more from Measha.

*ARC kindly given in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much.*
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