Consequences BK#1 By Aletha Romig

Besieged by memories of a brutal abduction, Claire Nichols wakes in an unfamiliar bedroom, within a luxurious mansion. Her recollections have one common denominator, the man she just met, Anthony Rawlings.
Unbeknownst to Claire, for a very long time, she has been within Anthony’s sights. Many of the pivotal events in her life occurred, due to his sinister manipulation. Every action has a consequence, and his actions result in their chance meeting.
More than a psychological thriller, Consequences is a vivid story of one woman’s struggle to survive incomprehensible circumstances. Every aspect of her being suddenly depends upon the tall, wealthy, dark haired, dark eyed businessman. Anthony Rawlings is known to the world as prosperous, benevolent, and kind. Claire quickly learns that he can also be a menacing controlling captor.
With few options but concession, Claire attempts to earn her freedom, while enduring a hellish existence that truly appears perfect. Persevering tests and trials, she struggles to retain her pure Midwest values and beliefs. Encouraged by memories of a loving upbringing, she gains strength in the simplest of joys: solitude in nature and good in the face of evil.
His goal in sight, Anthony’s calculated agenda encounters an unforeseen detour. He becomes captivated by Claire’s beauty, resilience, and determination. The interaction of these two compelling characters instigates strong emotions: fear, anger, love, and lust. Claire and Anthony’s tumultuous journey flows into uncharted waters of intrigue and passion.
Utilizing vivid detail, this 167,000-word novel unfolds like a movie, before the eyes of its readers. From the opening criminal abduction, through twists and turns, to the unlikely romantic thrills, the suspense climaxes as Anthony’s motivation becomes evident. 

   Anthony and Claire must decide if they will stay true to one another, or allow preceding actions to result in justifiable Consequences.

Holly's Review

About half way through this book I thought I knew what it was all about and it was horrific and I was angry, I was already writing the review in my head! I was SO WRONG! This book was so many things I don’t know where to start. One thing it is NOT is a love story. There is nothing fluffy or sweet about it, although at times you want to think maybe…but NO! I am going to review and I am going to try really hard not to give any spoilers, but I have to explain~

I LOVED THIS STORY! I HATED TONY – YES, LOVE AND HATE!! This story will evoke so many incredibly strong emotions in you that you will have no idea whether to be horrified, cry, scream or throw the book(I actually did this at one point) Seriously, I am not sure the last time my emotions were dragged all over by a book. I honestly hurt for Claire but understood most(definitely not all)of her actions.

There are times you will want to stop reading but I do believe that it virtually impossible! This story is so engaging and compelling; you can’t help it, even when you are horrified you have to soldier on.

The first thing I need to do is thank Ms Romig for writing a book I absolutely could not put down and was up until 1am finishing because I JUST HAD TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!!

I have to start by saying I don’t think I have ever read a story where there was no hero, even an anti-hero will do but Anthony is NO hero of any kind! He is handsome and cruel, sadistic, manipulative and controlling. The beginning of the book finds Claire Nichols waking up in a strange bedroom in sore and scared from being beaten and kidnapped and she doesn’t remember much. But she does remember going to dinner with handsome Anthony Rawlings.

When Anthony returns to her he explains that they entered into a contract were he paid off all of her debt and he now owns her for as long as he sees fit to pay off her debt to him. Claire is terrified and soon learns that *actions have consequences* so she does her level best to follow Anthony's rules:

Do as your told, do not divulge personal information, actions have consequences, appearances are of vital importance and public failure is not an option

Claire is a prisoner and her capture is cruel and sadistic, but following the rules buys her freedoms and as the weeks and months go by they fall into a rhythm of sorts. Crazy right?! Oh, it gets crazier – think Stockholm syndrome. Claire has compartmentalized enough that she has convinced herself that she can find happiness here, until one major misunderstanding causes Anthony to beat Claire almost to death!!

Oh yeah, you heard right! For days she is unconscious, broken and being fed through a tube while Tony sat at her bedside. When she woke and remembered what happened, she STILL followed his rules(Do not divulge personal information) and claimed an accident while in the woods where Anthony said he found her. So for the rest of the book the beating is referred to as “The Accident”!! – Wait, it gets better, once she has healed and Tony promises not to hurt her again, if she doesn’t give him cause to, they actually begin to fall for each other and eventually she marries him!! You heard me MARRIES HIM!!! HOLY CRAP, RIGHT?!!

Now, you may think you have this story figured out and it is just a sad story of a woman kidnapped to falls for her capture and they live a sick life filled with wealth and riches and domestic abuse!! But…you could not be farther from the truth of where this story is going to take you!!

I could seriously go on and on and on about this book but I will just finish by saying, if you can handle a some darkness in your stories you will love this crazy mind fuck of a ride! I promise!!