Dissent by Jessica Gadziala

I refused to get any more scars from loving edges sharp enough to cut me.

I lost my virginity when I was twenty-five years old to a hooker my sister hired because she felt bad for me. That was six years ago and it's probably the least shocking fact about my life.

That was, until I met Darcy Monroe, and "shocking" took on a whole new meaning...

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Six years after escaping his cloistered, abusive, fundamentally religious upbringing, ISAIAH finds himself still dealing with the demons of his past, detached from society as a whole, and wholly unable to connect with, or trust, women. He engages in constant, meaningless sport sex with women, trying to numb the feeling of inadequacy inside.

Then he sets his sights on his new neighbor...

DARCY is strong, capable, outspoken, and in no way going to put up with some random jackass next door who decides to make a game of trying to get her into bed.

But Isaiah is relentless. And Darcy finds herself torn between not letting him win, and giving into her own desire.

Just as they start to get close, they realize that something more sinister is afoot and they will both be forced to confront feelings of betrayal that will set their lives in an unexpected direction

** This book is NOT "Safety Gang" safe. Triggers for childhood abuse, OW, stalking, attempted rape (not by H). Isaiah is a deeply flawed character and can be hard to love as he tries to overcome his abusive upbringing. He has many missteps along the way. This is not a book for everyone. **

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-- My Two Cents --

3 stars

After dealing with the whirlwind of emotions I got from reading For a Good Time, Call... and learning what I could about Fiona and her background, I needed to know what happened to her big brother, Isaiah. I had to know how well (or not) he was assimilating to society. How would he learn to navigate and develop his own sense of mores and values? When he found a woman to care about, would he know what to do? And I wanted to see how he fit with Fiona's new family.

This novel kind of game me some answers. Kinda.

♬ I tried and I tried and I tried and I tried
To make them understand
I tried and I tried and I tried and I tried
But they just can't understand ♬
- Culture, from the One Stone album
https://youtu.be/Kgb_GJ1ovNU

I tried to connect. I did. But what I got didn't really work for me. I get that Isaiah had a lot of catching up to do when it came to sex. The fact that he was a total manwhore didn't even bother me. What did bother me, despite kinda understanding his issues, was the fact that he continued his ways after pursuing the heroine, Darcy. And what the heck was it about Darcy anyway? Her freely sharing her body with everyone did not work for me. At all. How can I possibly take you seriously when you allow anyone to touch you? All in the name of being treated equal? I get that she was supposed to be this huge metal goddess, but I wasn't feeling it.

I didn't like Darcy. I thought things would change, but they didn't. My feelings for her remained the same. I found some sympathy for her after what happened, as the story was leading up to a horrific climax, but I still didn't like her.

I actually wanted to be around her. Not because I wanted to bed her, though I still did. Not because she was some challenge. But because I just liked being near her. She was interesting. She was funny and sweet and dark and creepy. She was the most unusual person I had ever come across and I wanted to know more. I wanted, suddenly, to know everything. Which was new for me. I had never been good with people.

For the most part, I enjoyed this story. It was more a testament to the author's writing than to the characters themselves, especially Darcy. I really wish there was more to Isaiah's story and that there were glimpses of him with the Mallicks. I was far more interested in his growing relationship with his sister than the romance he was supposed to have.

Dissent is FREE to read with Kindle Unlimited
Amazon US * Amazon CA

-- About Jessica Gadziala --

Jessica Gadziala is a full-time writer, parrot enthusiast, and coffee drinker. She enjoys short rides to the book store, sad songs, coffee in Big Gulp-sized cups, and cold weather, and has recently developed an unhealthy obsession with acquiring houseplants. She lives in New Jersey with seven parrots and six dogs.

She is a big believer in snark, strong secondary characters, and bada$$ women.

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