Title: Comfort Food
Author: Kitty Thomas
Release: March 21st, 2010
Goodreads Entry: here
Genre: Erotica, Dark Erotica
Rating: 1 Stars

When I was asked to review this book, I excitedly said yes. After all, I am not vanilla in any way, I like kink here and there, and have an open mind. I’m a pretty firm believer that most controversial subjects can be overcome, or at the very least made non consequential, if something is written well enough. Unfortunately Comfort Food is not one of those books. FYI – there will be spoilers.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. The main character is kidnapped, deprived, locked away, and coerced into having sex with her captor. Even tho all of these things are uncomfortable and difficult to read about, after making a few phone calls and conversing with a few people more knowledgeable than I, I was convinced that if written well, I could get past my own hang ups. If you can connect with the characters, if you can connect with their motivations, you can connect and accept their story. I mean look at the tv show Dexter… how many of us absolutely adore that man even tho he is a violent murderer? I know I do.

Unfortunately, I hated the characters. I found Emily to be disappointing. She starts off as an educated and independent woman but is quickly turned into a pathetic shell of who she is. She is smart enough to know her captors motivations but goes along with them almost from the very beginning. I don’t remember her once considering holding out to see if she would be found. As a strong, independent, intelligent woman I found myself quickly placing her in the “To Stupid to Live” category. Maybe if she had held out and fought first? Maybe if she wasn’t so educated in regards to her captives motives? Maybe if her actions at the end were not so predictable? If any of those things had been different I think her character may have been at least tolerable.

Additionally, “Master”, is a cold manipulative bastard who shows no emotion and no concern for her well being. The only thing we get from him is his desire to control and break Emily. Yet, supposedly this is all handy dandy because he is good at delivering on the orgasms and is a handsome guy. I’m sorry, but no thank you. I may love myself a cocky alpha bastard, but good looks and a talented tongue can not overcome cruelty. Further, most cocky alpha bastards act of out love, protection, or wanting to provide pleasure…. “Master” acts out of none of those things. His sole goal is to break her and make her his, to break something beautiful. I’m sorry but what? In the end when his motivations were revealed I was completely shocked and disturbed. I mistakenly thought that the end would somehow justify the means, but the author left him absolutely unworthy of redemption. Because of my complete lack of connection with these two, I found the sex scenes entirely lacking in heat or eroticism.

All that said, unlikable characters do not always mean a bad book. There are many characters we all LOVE to hate, the key to those books is good writing. Comfort Food just doesn’t have the writing chops to pull this story off and could use the eye of an experienced editor. Sentence structure was awkward and distracting at times and I often got distracted or bored by Emily’s inner monologue. To throw the reader off even more the sex scenes are written in an awkward 3rd person perspective when the rest of the book is first person. It caused a disconnect that only added to the lack of eroticism.

As a somewhat kinky girl myself, I “get” the appeal to a kidnapping and/or rape fantasy and I get the appeal of giving yourself so completely to a master. However I don’t “get” or find believable the journey Comfort Food tries to take us on.

Disclaimer: After a discussion on Goodreads the author asked me to reconsider reviewing this book, worried I could not do so impartially. I believe I have done so, but I am posting this disclaimer so you can make your own judgements.
FTC Disclaimer: Book was given to me for review by author in exchange for an honest review