Tormentor Mine: A Dark Romance

I read the Twist Me Trilogy quite some time ago and it was fantastic, when I learned that there was going to be a story released about Peter who makes appearances in the Twist Me Trilogy I was so excited and really hoped it would be just as good, all I can say is that Anna Zaires did not disappoint. This book gripped me from page 1, I loved learning about Sara who works extremely long hours in a hospital and does not socialise much, straight away you get the impression that there are reasons for this, which we find out later in the book. Peter straight away comes across as the Tormentor that he is, he is a fugitive and he knows what to do to people in order to get the information he desperately wants to make people pay for the pain that they have caused him. But through those dark, grey eyes there lies a man who can love, albeit not in the most conventional way. I love the way this relationship builds throughout the story and the humour that slips through when describing the amusing looks on Peter's face when Sara is doing her best to stand up to him and telling him to get out of her life. Peter is probably not what Sara needs in her life, but does she actually come to want him? I could not put this book down and cannot wait to read the next installment. If are yet to read Tormentor Mine, do not wait another second, you will not be able to put it down.

I read the Twist me books and was hooked from start to finish...so when i came across this i jumped at it. I loved this book, Peter's story broke my heart.... Anna Zaires done a fab job at building his character and I can see clearly the motivation that drove him to that darkness. No matter the awful things he did I found myself firmly backing him which for me is strange as I've read alot of dark romance books and more recently I've struggled to like the men right away. Sara is such a strong female lead. I love how Anna touches on the fact that Sara is suffering mentally after her attack. I feel it gives her more depth. So many times I was like Sara just get in your car and drive but of course he would of found her and well who would mind that 😃 Ita dark, it's deep, it's scary, it's romantic and it's thrilling. A must read. I'm heading for book 2 now lol

Another chapter in the "Esguerraverse", Tormentor Mine is a particularly strong entry as it is confidently and maturely written (as can always be expected from Anna Zaires), the story is strong, engaging and often tense, and it's very refreshing to see that it doesn't rely too much on references to the preceding books - it takes us on a whole new journey that works well as a standalone novel rather than merely the first part of an ongoing story. Although the relationship between Peter and Sara is sometimes slightly similar to that of Julian & Nora and Lucas & Yulia, there are also plenty of new elements and these two characters manage to stand out against those that came before; Peter has unique motivations - pained by the massacre of his family and he quickly accepts that he loves Sara - and Sara proves to be the most pure hearted and selfless heroine thus far. The relationship between them is very well handled and the central battle of wills is very interesting to witness. So all in all, this is a strong continuation of the addictive odyssey that began with "Twist Me" as it goes in its own direction, not relying on characters or plot threads from previous books, and tells a strong, intriguing story that features two unique and well developed characters. And at no point was a character "cognizant" of something! Huzzah!

I read this book in two days, I never realised that I liked dark romance until I started to read Anna Zaires. She is, at the moment, my favourite author and in the last month I've read 5 of her books including the complete Twist Me trilogy. Contains Spoilers You meet Peter briefly in the Twist Me books, he is a side character that immediately interests you, you also meet Sara - she's a Doctor that helps Nora. But this book is about Peter and Sara - Peter the ruthless Russian killer who will stop at nothing to avenge the murder of his wife and son and is working down a list of the people responsible, including George Sara's comatose husband. He tortures Sara to find out where her husband is and then when she resists ends up giving her a sort of truth serum and then she tells him where George is, also she lets a few truths about her fractured marriage and that is when Peter's obsession with her starts. It is unpredictable, kept me reading from the first page, I liked both characters, I don't want to give away too many spoilers. I loved this book from start to finish and am now eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

I forgive the author for having a bit of a cliff-hanger because this book was amazing! I loved the storyline - at first Peter was just trying to get information about the whereabouts of Sara's husband which he did by waterboarding her and eventually drugging her with a truth serum in her home. But even after Peter had carried out his revenge on her husband he just couldn't stay away from her. Although there wasn't a lot written about the secondary characters the story was so compelling that it didn't matter to me on this occasion. Peter and Sara's characters were so good that I felt all their emotions. Their chemistry was sizzling even though Sara tried to deny it for a while. The story grabbed me from the start and didn't let go even at the end that I desperately need to read the second book. This was the first book I have read from this author and it was superb!

Sebastian York was excellent, however, Tracey Marks was terrible, she babbled and I found it difficult to understand her. The books are excellent, but please no more Tracey Marks or at the least tell her to slow her speech down

I have had to really sit down and think about this story after I read it; it is not that I think it is a bad story but it is very complicated and is what gripped me throughout reading it. At the very beginning it is clear who the original tormentor was but then the lines became blurred. If you are looking for a book that is going to leave you pondering about it long after you have finished then this is the book you should get. The story gives you a smidgen of a bit of information about Peter Sokolov. It starts five years in the past in a small mountain village not to terribly far from Moscow. Peter lives there with his wife and five year old son. The two people that have brought light back into his dark world. Peter works for the Soviet Government as a Commanding Officer doing what am guessing like what our SEAL and Rangers do; maybe more. Search out terrorist units, interrogate, eliminate. He was called to Moscow for a briefing when he heard the new and rushed back home. NATO had performed a sting operation with out first contacting, and confirming their information with Moscow. If they had done what they should have done the results would have been different, but they did not. This resulted in more than half of Peter’s village where his wife and son lived they were both killed in the incident. Not soon after Peter and some of him men went rogue. Present day Dr. Sarah Cobakis is an OBGYN, she has her practice at the hospital, works hours in the ER, and when she is not there she works at the Women Clinic. She works herself to exhaustion just so she doesn’t have to think. (Now this is where it got a tiny bit confusing to me but I figured it out I think.) The nurse that she works with complain to her that she needs to get out more but she wont let herself do that. She is wrecked with guilt over the accident that her husband George had had several months ago. When she finally does get home that night from the clinic she is hurting because that time of the month is starting and she get horrific cramps. Walking into the house without turning on any light she went into the kitchen and took some Advil. Just as she finished swallowing it she is attached. She realizes the Mafia has found her and the guy attacking her wants to know were he was. He had to torture her and she still didn’t give up the information finally he gave her an injection and got the answers that he needed. The next thing that Sarah knew was she was waking up in some strange hospital room. There was a single nurse there helping her, and there was also the FBI agent that had placed her husband in a safe house after the accident because of the Mafia. This is when she starts learning the some...not all by a long shot of the truth that the FBI had been keeping from her. She also learned that her husband George and three of the men guarding him are now dead. Remembering some of the attach she now blames herself for his death. This is just the beginning of the story though. Peter her attacker comes back eventually. He was intrigued by her strength, and the truths she had told him while under the influence of the drug that he had given her. For the first time in a very long time being with her though she was the enemies wife made him feel alive again. Close to how he felt when his wife and child were alive. Sarah had been going through some serious PTSD since the attach, and seeing Peter in her home didn’t do much to help that at first. Now here is the question I have for you once you have read this book; and yes this is a very good book to read. Who is Sarah’s real tormentor, Peter, or herself?

Sara is different from most of the previous heroines that Zaires has written, in that she is highly educated, confident and comfortable in her life. Not that everything is perfect – far from it – but she is a full-fledged OBGYN doctor, a homeowner and just generally seems to have all her you know what together. I like that Peter fell in love with her from afar. His traumatic life, from childhood all the way up to the present, has created a need in him to possess love, to be fully in control of his woman. But this violent and controlling nature is tempered by fierce protective instincts. Peter’s wife and son were murdered five years previously and although his marriage was one of convenience, he was affectionate towards this first wife and loved his son fiercely. In his relationship with Sara, he isn’t only protective of her safety or of his position in her life. He respects her intellect and her skills as a doctor, and is proud of her work with mothers and babies. Peter respects her strength and the inherent emotional vulnerability that he sees in Sara. She is loyal, strong, compassionate and good. The type of good he hasn’t seen much of in his life and these are the main reasons that he decides to insert himself into her life. He has already fallen in love with her, knows he wants her to be his permanently, and also recognizes that his previous actions have left her absolutely terrified of him. It is kind of cute and romantic – in a decidedly creepy way – that he inserts himself into her life completely against her will, and almost becomes a sort of househusband. During the daytime while she is working at the hospital, or volunteering at a free clinic, he does his super secret “shadow work” as the head of a team of assassins. But every night this run-down, underfed, stressed out, PTSD-suffering doc comes home to a home-cooked, candlelit meal, and is pampered and taken care of. He doesn’t press her for sex until she initiates it, just sleeps with her in his arms so that she can become desensitized to him and learn to trust him.

Anna Zaires weiß einfach wie man eine gute dark Romance schreibt. Der Böse ist einfach brutal , schlecht und ein Killer und er bleibt auch so. Nur für die Eine ist er ganz anders. Da wird er zum Beschützer, zum wirklich sehr wilden Lover und zum Wellnessexperten (Massiert müde Füße, Schultern und kocht meisterhaft). Es steckt mehr in ihm, als das Oberflächliche, da ist Liebe. Kann es kaum bis zum nächsten Teil erwarten. Tolles Buch.

A Blushing Book Review: Peter Sokolov is a hired Russian assassin on a revenge mission and Dr. Sara Cobakis husband is on his hit list. After torturing Sara to find the location of her husband he leaves her alive although he knew he shouldn’t have. I don’t want to reveal too much more as it will give the story away so I will just say this is a dark romance, but unlike the normal Stockholm syndrome type where the needy victim falls in love with her handsome capture type scenario. The storyline is very different and creative. Although Peter is a trained killer he is very gentle with Sara, he takes excellent care of her. We see more soft side behind his muscles and madness as the story unfolds. Sara is a very strong and intriguing character and she quickly becomes Peters only weakness. The lust is tormenting between the two, the story is twisted and tragic as the pages are filled with pain, heat and suspense. NOTE: This book contains scenes of graphic violence and torture. Blush Rating: 4 Romance Rating: 3 Dark rating: 4 Genre: Dark Romance USEFUL INFO: *Tormentor Mine is a standalone book but you get peek into Peters tragic backstory in the TWIST ME trilogy . *This is Book 1 of 3 -Peter and Sara's story will continue in Obsession Mine. *This book is told in first person and is dual POV Follow me on Goodreads for more reviews on books that make you blush! goodreads.com/KaysBlushingBookReviews Follow me on Goodreads for more reviews on books that make you blush! goodreads.com/KaysBlushingBookReviews Follow me on Goodreads for more reviews on books that make you blush! goodreads.com/KaysBlushingBookReviews AUDIO REVIEW Narrated by Sebastian York & Tracey Marks Sebastian York would be one of my favorite narrators and loved his Russian accent in this, his deep voice made Peter sound as intimidating and powerful as his character. Tracey was a good fit for Sara, she has the maturer tone needed for Sara’s character and was able to portray her flawlessly. I really loved the audio version of this book. *****Stars Follow me on Goodreads for more reviews on books that make you blush! goodreads.com/KaysBlushingBookReviews

Just read it! I loved it! Impossible to put it down! Peter and Sara are just... great characters! So many emotions... cannot wait to read all of their books!!!