The Accidental Slave by Elin Peer

I downloaded a free copy of this after listening to Elin on the Self-Publishing Show podcast as I was intrigued by her psychology background and her motivations on writing this Slave series. Apparently, she used to help people who had been badly bullied and in her words 'kidnapping and withholding someone's freedom is the ultimate form of bullying'.

I too write dark romances where the protagonist has a sexually abusive past which affects her present-day relationships, so was prepared for the challenge of the physical subject matter, which actually I found Elin managed to write realistically without turning this into a horror show, (it was enough to make your guts roll, but kept you wanting to read on) however what I wasn't prepared for was the emotional journey that the two lead characters went on.

I had thought that the main guts of the story would be about Aya's kidnapping and subsequent escape, but actually that all happens in the first half of the book - what I found much more compelling was the psychological challenge that had on both Aya and Kato. Is their connection real, or was it just the pressure of the situation that made them believe their love was true? That is what this book is REALLY about.

When Aya receives counselling for her trauma (by a very judgemental professional I might add) it's very easy to see why she would be so confused and questioning of all her emotions. Meanwhile, Kato is struggling with his own internal demons, while he tries to pick up his old life after returning from war.

The ending is not that surprising and will please those who always demand a HEA, but the story is not a straight line trajectory and will keep you wondering how they get there.

I found Elin's style to be very easy to read, and her pace snappy and fast. Her chapters are quite short and I rattled through this book in two days, reading late into the night on two consecutive occasions, only putting it down when my eyelids insisting on closing. I'm not sure I can jump straight into the next slave book, as I need a break from the subject matter, but I've downloaded the first in the Men of the North series.

Overall: different, compelling, challenging subject matter, a solid romance with plenty of heat and at its heart a reflective look at the choices we make as human beings in order to meet our needs and survive. Well done Elin - I'm now a fan!