ARC Review: Sugar Daddy by Sawyer Bennett

“…the first book in her newest series, Sugar Bowl, just didn’t appeal to me like I was hoping it would.”
~ Under the Covers

Usually, I am a fan of Sawyer Bennett’s books. I really enjoyed her Last Call series that she published back in 2014. I also liked her “spin” of the Tarzan legend, in Uncivilized.

But the first book in her newest series, Sugar Bowl, just didn’t appeal to me like I was hoping it would.

First off, Sugar Daddy is not a book for everyone. The book has flashbacks of a rape that happened to the heroine, Sela, when she is a young teen. So, be warned. There are graphic details about the rape and it is a very difficult read. And these disturbing details happen at the very beginning of the book.

Not much is given on the lead-up of the rape, but Sela was drugged and repeatedly violated by three mysterious older guys. Sela can only remember bits and pieces. A phoenix tattoo, one man who was referred to as J.T. Brown eyes. Laughter. Pain. And thinking she somehow deserved it.

Fast-forward several years and Sela is now in college, in a not-even-remotely-serious relationship with Mark, and working hard toward her degree. Her past comes crashing down around her when she spots one of her attackers on the news. J.T, aka Jonathon Townsend, one of the owners of the Sugar Bowl, is worth a ton of money when he and business partner, Beckett North start up a very unusual business. She recognizes the red phoenix tatt across his torso and his brown eyes. There is no mistaking he is one of the men who raped her.

And she plots out her murderous revenge.

Sugar Bowl is a website business cleverly disguised as prostitution…erm…companionship, where members pay a fee (Sugar Daddies) for young women (Sugar Babies). There is nothing about sex in these contracts, but let’s be real here, folks. It’s implied. And it happens.

This was the ick factor for me in the series. The mission of the company was a huge turn off, but I still continued to read. I wanted to see Sela get her revenge.

The story progresses with switching going of views–Sela and Beck, as well as flashbacks to the night she was raped. I felt like the author beat that horse to death. Too many flashbacks and I found myself skimming. It was painful to read. And it really was unnecessary. I already felt empathy for Sela.

Sela plots and schemes her revenge to run into J.T. at a partner, but ends up meeting Beckett, J.T.’s partner, at a party and goes home with him in hopes to find out more info on J.T.

Beck is not one of Sela’s attackers. Let me make that clear. If that had been the case, I would have stopped reading.

What follows is a little predictable—Sela falls for Beckett and questions whether she should give up her revenge on J.T. He is a good man who just runs a questionable business. This is also where the story fell apart for me. Sela was a little TSTL….I thought she should have come clean to Beckett and hang on to the happiness she had with him.

NOPE.

Instead, Sela’s plans come to screeching halt when Beck discovers her sneaking around and —

Cliffy ensues.

Overall, Sugar Daddy had good points and bad points. It just wasn’t a solid read for me. Will I continue reading?

Maybe….cause I really want to see J.T. hanging by his balls and drawn and quartered for what he did. I also want to know who the other two men were.

I just have a blech feeling after reading…like a bad aftertaste that I can’t get rid of….so I will have to wait and see if I continue with book two of Sawyer Bennett’s dark and twisted tale.

[about-author author=”Sawyer Bennett”]

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