{"id":6254,"date":"2014-01-13T23:12:09","date_gmt":"2014-01-14T07:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=6254"},"modified":"2018-12-31T10:11:02","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T15:11:02","slug":"review-raw-raw-family-1-by-belle-aurora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=6254","title":{"rendered":"Review: Raw (Raw Family, #1) by Belle Aurora"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook <\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4.5 \u201cRaw and gritty, and dirty as hell\u201d <\/i> stars<\/b><\/p>\n

Warning – don\u2019t go thinking this is the kind of story where the good girl meets the bad boy, they find happiness together despite their differences and live happily ever after. This is not<\/u> that book, but it completely sucked me in, and God, it\u2019s good!<\/p>\n

\u201cNot everyone can be a fairy-tale hero \u2026 The world needs villains too.\u201d <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We all love a bad boy. I think Twitch may be the baddest of them all. He makes most other book bad boys look like pansies. He\u2019s a total antihero, and actually a bit of a sociopath. So much so that it took me a while to warm to him, but the more I got to know him, and the more I saw him reacting to events in the story, I ended up completely falling for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know that thing that people have that tells them they\u2019re doing something wrong or pushing too far?
\nYeah. I don\u2019t have one of those.\u201d <\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cMonsters don\u2019t always lurk in the shadows \u2026 sometimes they hide in plain sight.\u201d<\/b><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lexi has recovered from a less than perfect childhood to be living a happy life with great friends, and a job that she loves helping troubled kids. She also has a stalker. He doesn\u2019t creep her out or frighten her, he\u2019s just a man wearing a dark hoodie that she often notices watching her. When he saves her from a terrifying attack one night, they officially meet for the first time, and this begins a bizarre and somewhat scary relationship between them as Lexi finds herself inexplicably drawn to the mysterious, dangerous stranger. And with the UST at epic levels before they\u2019ve even had a conversation, it\u2019s not too long before\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cSo here I am. Naked. In front of the man who has been stalking me for as long as I can remember.
\n<\/i>What the fuck is wrong with me?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cHe prods, his husky voice hushed, \u201cYou feeling uncomfortable?\u201d<\/em>
\n I immediately nod. Squeezing my ass once more, he places his lips at the shell of my ear.<\/em>
\n \u201cGood. Get used to it. Because I\u2019m going to do bad things to you.\u201d<\/em>
\n And just like that, any warmth or safety I was feeling flies out the window.<\/em>
\n I can\u2019t help but wonder what I\u2019ve got myself in to.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, Lexi makes some stupid, stupid decisions, but I really like her, and found myself empathising with her. It helps that she is a good person with a big heart, who is easily relatable. She recognises that Twitch is not a good guy, and that she\u2019s playing with fire, but she just can\u2019t help herself. And the fact that she berates herself for her behaviour just made like her even more!<\/p>\n

\u201cHoly shit. It just hit me.
\nIt just hit me that I don\u2019t know this guy. Not even a little bit. I\u2019ve basically let a stranger into my home and begged him to have sex with me. Sure, he saved me, but seriously\u2026
\nWhat in God\u2019s name is wrong with me?
\n<\/i>You need him. You need to know who he is. Why<\/i> he is. And why he watches you. Admit it, girl. You want him\u2026as much as he wants you.
\nOh, wow. I\u2019m a stupid asshole. I\u2019ll be having words with myself about this later. Right now, I\u2019m distracted. My distraction is in the form of a sexy, tall tattooed man stroking himself, watching me through a hooded gaze.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Twitch is such an intriguing character, and he is full of surprises! Initially all we know of him is that he is out to destroy her. But why? And how is he planning on doing it? Well, I\u2019m not going to tell you. In fact I\u2019m not saying anything else about the story. Just jump in and experience the ride.<\/p>\n

The story is incredibly raw (pardon the pun). Nothing is held back, and it will definitely shock, scare and devastate you, but it\u2019s not all evil and darkness. Lexi\u2019s friends are hilarious and bring some fantastically funny moments, and both Lexi and Twitch have fantastic inner monologues, frequently providing comment on their own behaviour, making me laugh and further endearing themselves to the reader, and I thought it was really well done.<\/p>\n

Twitch –<\/p>\n

Why did I think I would say what I had to say and she would just jump into my open arms cooing, <\/i>\u2018I\u2019m yours!\u2019?
\nStupid movies and their completely inaccurate argument scenes. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lexi –<\/p>\n

You, my dear, are a stupid ho.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With the story told in dual POV, we get right inside the minds of Lexi and Twitch, and I loved that! Not only is Twitch\u2019s head a fantastically dark place to be, but I loved seeing how his thought processes work, and how things twist and warp in his mind. I also loved watching him trying to navigate Lexi and the ups and downs between them as they get to know each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re poison.\u201d
\nMy chest pangs.
\nWell shit. That fuckin\u2019 stings. Like a bitch.
\nIt\u2019s not a lie, but it stings still.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This book is well written and fast paced with fantastic characters, a clever plot, and lots of twists and turns. It\u2019s dark, it\u2019s sexy, it\u2019s romantic and it\u2019s funny, and it kept me flipping pages madly. It\u2019s very clear from the synopsis and reviews that it\u2019s not all sunshine and rainbows, and it doesn\u2019t have a happy ending. But weirdly, it\u2019s the kind of read where I think I would have felt let down if everything got tied up in a nice neat bow. It wouldn\u2019t have matched the story. And even though my stomach was a churning mess for the last 10% of the book and I was left gobsmacked and swearing \u2013 loudly \u2013 I think it really works.<\/p>\n

It wrecked me, but I loved it. Well done Belle Aurora!<\/p>\n

4.5 stars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Raw Family<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Raw\"\u00a0 \"Dirty\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Raw (#1)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook <\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Dirty (#2)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Raw: Rebirth (#3)<\/strong>
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

For similar reads, check out our Dark & Edgy Recommendations<\/a> page<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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