Eliza's Review: Monster by Francette Phal

Title: Monster

Series: No

Author: Francette Phal

Release Date: 11th March, 2014

Rating: 2.75 stars

Cliffhanger: No

Accidental Gold digger. 

Circumstance forced Eden Mercer to sell herself to Dominic Armstrong for half a million dollars and in return she is to play the dutiful wife in public and submit to him completely behind closed doors. 

The Tyrant. 

Dominic is Ruthless, manipulative and sadistic but Eden is determined not to break under his cruelty. But how does one persevere when in the clutches of a Monster?

First off I'd like to say that I was won over by the blurb, I was excited to see how it would dynamic of Dominic and Eden would play out. I envisaged emotional conflict, angst, passion all that good stuff and mostly how someone could become an "Accidental Gold digger".

It started of well with both characters settling in nicely to there perspective roles:

Dominic the Dominant "..bread winner, the Alpha dog with the type A personality"
Eden the Enabler ".. Tasked to do two simple things: be his arm candy in public and a whore in his bed".

To say Dominic was as*hole is an understatement, he took things to the extreme and was often callous and disregarding of Eden's feelings publicly as well as privately. A particular incident occurs that I'm sure had other readers outraged on her behalf. As a result of this Eden puts her plans into motion which ultimately force Dominic to look inwardly.

I liked the aspect of Dominic's growth and self contemplation as we discover he is plagued with unresolved issues from his past and upbringing. However I was not able comprehend Eden's reasons for staying and found that unconvincing. I also disliked how she originally enabled his behaviour by never bringing him to task or sticking up for herself.

There was supposed sexual attraction between the pair with Dominic repeatedly and obsessively referring to her caramel/macchiato skin and her shapely legs. She spoke of a shameful sexual attraction to him but I found that aspect of their relationship lukewarm at best.

I often too wordy and overly descriptive and found myself skimming large portions towards the end. The plot wasn't strong enough to hold my attention or characters warm enough for me to have a vested interest, although I do feel it showed promise that just ultimately didn't deliver.

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