Dark Obscurity

I'll admit: I picked this because it promised a dark theme and erotica. I was expecting a twisted romp in the gutter with some drug cartel side plot, not award-winning prose. However, I did at least expect everything to flow coherently and the sex scenes to be better than throwing a list of dirty words into a blender then reading the shredded paper. This book does not provide that.

The tenses shifted at least twice every three paragraphs - often a couple times within the same paragraph - and the narrator kept addressing herself in third person as if she were having a poorly-portrayed mental break. It read more like a rough draft, filled with grammatical flubs, incorrect word usage, and typos. There is absolutely no excuse for the state of non-editing this book is in combined with the fact it isn't even free.



I need to start with a big ol' TRIGGER WARNING, ‘cause this bad boy has two graphic rape scenes which are played off as no big deal. Yep, and I don't mean eroticized dubcon or deeply taboo eroticism, either. I mean the first one is a brutal violation and the second one is an unconsented BDSM scene in which someone's limits are deliberately ignored.



With that covered, let's dissect this book!

The narrator, Allison (henceforth Ali), is a complete moron. Seeing inside of her thoughts is a ride on a see-saw where one side makes skin crawl and the other is just the sound of air whooshing through empty space. Her only thoughts are about how she's so over the ex she's ghosting and how much she wants to get laid. That's it, that's all there is to her. She's horror movie levels oblivious.

Ali has broken up with her boyfriend, Mark. She doesn't mind that he cheated, and is glad it “gave her a reason” to break up with him. But... also she's heartbroken over the breakup for some reason and thinks getting laid will fix it, because dick has magical healing properties or whatever.

In walks Jack Corrode. Yep, that's his actual name.

He had dirty blond hair and bright blu?? eyes. Today hi?? h??ir w???? a little chaotic, and his ??l??th???? were a little wrinkled. [...] H?? w????n???t big lik?? M??rk. Jack was a littl?? more n??rr??w in the ??h??uld??r?? and a littl?? m??r?? trim overall.

Corrode

Anyway, Jack is all "I have a crush on you," and Ali is all "I want you inside of me right fucking now." Which, okay, there's some other stuff in between but basically they have a college class together and are only peripherally aware of each other until the day this book begins. They go for coffee together then decide to hook up at Jack's place. Ali has to struggle very hard not to hump him in public, with moderate success.



Jack, by the way, is filthy stinkin' rich. He drives a Mercedes and insists he got rich with his "delivery job." Along the way to his place, he stops at a mansion and leaves Ali in the car while he collects a package in a black duffel bag. And y'know what? Ali never even considers that maybe - just maybe - this guy she's suddenly head over heels in love with could be running drugs or guns. Nope, warning bells are sounding, but Ali's burning loins are over here like:



She makes a move on Jack while they're in the car because... frankly, because she's just a slut. Don't believe me? Ask Alice Ali! I think she'll know.

Nothing about her inner thoughts feel like she's an actual human, much less a female one.

I was having ????x with that idi??t, M??rk when I ??h??uld h??v?? b????n tying to pass this last final. What the Hell am I doing! Ugh. I hate myself. No one in their right mind would treat themselves the way I do. I feel like a total slut.

I nodded and smiled, ???N??t at ??ll, g?? ahead, I???m not g??ing ??n??wh??r??!???
For a moment our ???????? m??t, ??nd a warmth spread across my cheeks.
What th?? fuck? I???m not g??ing anywhere.
I might ???? w??ll h??v?? ju??t ????id, ???Hey J????k, wh?? don???t you unzi?? th?????? j????n?? and l??t????? do it right h??r?????? Geez, I ????und like I???m stupid and desperate.

... What?!

“So, is your family like super wealthy ??r ????m??thing?” I was somewhat curious and been wondering while I played with the ??????t heater kn??b.
Yeah, just ????k rud?? personal qu????ti??n?? ??b??ut hi?? f??mil??. That would g??t him to lik?? ????u!

Ch??teau de Jack

CUM JUICE

Later, Ali leaves her phone number and exits stage left. Along the way, some creep on the street warns her not to get mixed up with Jack Corrode.

Does Ali consider that, hmm, it's probably a warning she should heed after everything she saw about this dude's "delivery job"? Nope! She's all fuck you and fuck your life and fuck the world, I'mma keep seeing this guy even if it kills me. I think there were more f-bombs in the actual dialogue, just fyi.

Jack ghosts Ali, and this is where the story should end. But alas, Ali is a bloody idiot so that doesn't happen. She gets a text from "Jack's roommate," who tells her that he never came home, it's not like him to do this, etc. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours! But, of course, Ali starts freaking out as if it's a long-term boyfriend who's vanished and not just some hookup.

Eventually, the roommate - Garrett - lures Ali into coming back to the mansion so they can "talk about what happened." Instead of having the good sense required to know something is extremely fishy about this, she agrees to meet him. Alone.



In the most transparent 'plot twist' ever, Garrett turns out to be a bad guy and not Jack's roommate. (Say it ain't so!) But before she realizes that, Ali tells him everything she thinks is probably a secret.



Garrett feigns being upset about Jack's disappearance, Ali tries to comfort him, and what ensues is an extremely poorly handled rape scene. It's as if the author can't decide if he's aiming for horrifyingly realistic or erotically taboo and misses both marks to land squarely in the Undeniably Offensive category. I'll try explaining this without excess detail, but the scene is graphic.

Ali tells Garret no, repeatedly, and says it's inappropriate to hook up. She pushes on his chest, even. He keeps going, and she stops to think: "He didn't realize how much I didn't want it."Look, I get that it's a trope and all. But it doesn't work when the narrator is the one who's screaming "no, I don't want this" at the guy.Ali closes her eyes and lets him have his way with her - actual wording in the book - while actively thinking how much she doesn't want it. He puts her on a counter and forcibly gives her oral sex and she never considers how easy it would be to kick him right in the skull. All she thinks about is how big and strong he is while giving a detailed account of what he does.And, boy, is there a lot of detail... including how she gets physically turned on. Except there's an egregious typo so instead of explaining that there's a physical reaction causing her to orgasm - which is a legit thing - we get the description that the "psychological arousal" was too much to contain. A'ight, then.Garrett apologizes and runs off, telling Ali that he'll be right back with a towel so she can clean up. She takes her dear time gathering clothes and not only waits as instructed but actively converses with him to "calm him down" and ask about Jack's job. That's it, that's the impact a brutal rape has on both Ali and the storyline: abso-fucking-lutely none. The worst she thinks about it is that she had sex with a psychopath. Had sex with.

So, Ali is still in the kitchen when Garrett returns with a knife. Blah, blah, she knows too much. Blah, she has to be killed. Blah. You remember how Garrett being so big meant Ali couldn't possibly attempt to kick him off of her a few minutes ago? Well, now that he's armed with a deadly weapon, she suddenly remembers that she knows kickboxing. He catches her as she flees and she finally has the wherewithal to kick him in the face. Which kind of basically means that the only reason Ali didn't kick him earlier is because it was inconvenient for the rape scene. Yay?

He gets dead. Good riddance. Then the creepy guy who warned her against Jack appears! He's an undercover cop named Kevin Manning. Yay, Ali is rescued! He assures her that, because she killed in self defense, she's off the hook entirely. Fuck the legal process. Now, this whole nightmare is over.



Kevin is, like, so dreamy - at least according to Ali. She's barely clothed, just got raped, and is already making heart eyes at this new guy. And guess what? He doesn't even suggest she see a doctor or take a rape kit for evidence to use against Garrett, even though she tells him that she'd been assaulted. He just chooses to endanger her life by recruiting her to go undercover! Ali has zero self preservation, so of course she agrees.

The night passes. Ali has weird sex dreams. Kevin gets the green light to use her as an undercover agent. The police in this town are proven to be completely inept...



Ali and Kevin go over plans to infiltrate the drug cartel. But they get sidetracked because Ali just can't stop lusting - hard enough that she has a mental break!

He really w???? a stud.
Um, can ????u not think ??b??ut h??ving ????x f??r one fr????king ????x??nd?
I m????n ????????nd! Don???t d?? thi?? Allison.

???I have w??nt??d to fu??k ????u ??in???? th?? m??m??nt I l??id eyes on ????u. I w??nt??d t?? fuck you on this t??bl??, in m?? bedroom, everywhere. Ev??r ??in???? I h??v?? ??????n ????ur f?????? I wanted to b?? with ????u, t?? hold ????u, t?? cum inside ??f you ??nd t?? f????l your ??um on my ??????k. I w??nt??d t?? save ????u. That???s why I ????m?? into th?? h??u???? ??????t??rd????. I w??nt to k?????? ??v??r??thing b??d ??w???? from you and m??k?? ????u mine. I don???t ??v??r want you t?? hurt.???