Breaking Beth (The Beth Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

I first read this novel when it was part of the Win the Dark Wins anthology, and it was one of four stories in that novel that I really enjoyed. As dark and twisted as this story is, I actually enjoyed it more as a stand-alone novel this time, because it works so well as a separate story not colored by reading it in conjunction with the other fantastic stories that were in that anthology.Breaking Beth is very, very dark and intense novel, and though there are some very disturbing scenes within the story, the real impact here comes far more from the author’s descriptions of the mental aspects of what is taking place within the context of both of the main characters. These insights are by far more powerful and impacting than any of the physical descriptions of the acts related. That is not to say that the physical descriptions are ‘light’, or trivial. They aren’t. They are brutal and disturbing, and this novel is not for the faint of heart. For me, however, it is stories of this style that really get under my skin, and tend to stick with me for a good while. This is certainly true in Breaking Beth. The insight into the cold, emotionless, clinical, brutal way in which Anthony approaches breaking Beth is just chilling, gut wrenching, and at the same time so incredibly fascinating that you find yourself ‘wanting’ to stop, but you don’t. For every explanation Anthony puts forward for why his methods are right and will achieve success you are drawn a bit further into his screwed up mind and world. No less so than for every moment of despair followed by resolution to continue to fight that Beth gives to the reader grips you and makes you follow along to see who will win.And who does? Well, you’ll have to read the novel to find out, but word of warning; there is no HEA here. Nor a HFN. There is just… an end. Nothing more.In conversations with other readers about this novel (going back to when it first came out) I found that there were scenes (one in particular which has now become referred to by many as The Cheese Girl scene) that are reminiscent of similar sections of some rather popular movies of recent years. The Cheese Girl scene (where the main antagonist is speaking to a store clerk at a cheese counter) is eerily reminiscent of the Chigurh / gas station attendant scene in No Country For Old Men. It is also evocative of the Col. Landa with the French farmer in Inglorious Basterds. The implied threat to the innocent clerk at the counter taking place while the character talks with his brother over the phone is far more intense than anything that could have been conveyed by describing any actions he may have wished to perform in detail. The malevolence of the character is increased exponentially by the lack of gory details, rather than decreased by it. Bear in mind that the character the antagonist is engaging with in this scene is a minor, secondary character; this is only increased several-fold when actually dealing with the main protagonist character of the story! The protagonist is very, very strong woman, so much so that it becomes almost unbearable to read what she allows herself to endure. Beth is a woman of iron will that you cannot help but admire as she pushes back against what Anthony is demanding of her. However, at the same time, you want to scream at her to give in and put to an end to what she is enduring because she is clearly being pushed to the brink of madness. You want her to just give in, if only to prevent what ultimately happens from occurring. In that light, by the end of the story you are left with the sketch of a mentally brutal, downright sadistically evil psychopath so vividly drawn, and one who embodies the concept of what Hannarh Arendt called “the banality of evil” so well, that your actual hatred for the antagonist character of the story is unrelenting. As he brings Beth to the climax of the story, you desperately want to see the antagonist get his just due. Which makes what actually happens even more disturbing, powerful, and impacting.This is not an easy novel to read, but I don’t think that was the author’s intention. Nor is this a novel intentionally meant to titillate or be ‘sexy’. It is a raw, brutal story about a psychopath coming up against a woman who stands with every fiber of her being against being ‘broken’, and the result is a story that is a powerful as it is bleak. Not one that I think I can truthfully say “enjoy.”

Anthony is a human trafficker, an evil man with no human sensitivities. He takes girls in order to train them to be submissive slaves. He uses torture and rape to break them and strip away their personalities. Beth proves to be the strongest victim of his depravity. Unable to get her to submit, his tortures become more and more sinister. This is a very dark story with no romance, just non-consensual sex. Hard to read but I have no doubt such heinous individuals exist. Shocking, to say the least. I found it interesting and hard to put down. But be warned!

As soon as I saw Jennifer Bene was writing a book about Beth from the Thalia Series (which if you haven't read this series yet, you absolutely must --not just because of this book but because the whole series is amazing), I knew I would be one clicking to purchase it. Trust me, I one-click every book by Bene but anything related to the Thalia Series I can't one click quick enough.The world of Marcus and Anthony is beyond dark, demeaning, demoralizing and degrading. Bene makes it abundantly clear from the get go to us readers in this book that there is no happy ending when this book ends. So beware of the warning. It is true. However, we also know that there will be more to Beth's story and knowing the background from this story is vital to understanding Beth when those books are published and trust me I will be reading them.When it comes to this storyline, I am enthralled in the psychotic minds of Marcus and Anthony and also how anyone survives them. In Breaking Beth, Marcus kidnaps her but Anthony is the one who is to "train" her to be a sex slave for their lucrative sex slave business. Women are trained to be less than human to serve their master as they are actually bought and owned by one of the "viewing" customers once they are properly trained. Needless to say, some of the women are more easily "trained" than others and by the title Beth is not easily trained. We get to experience from both Anthony's warped mind and Beth's devastated mind what happens during her training by Anthony. It is not easy to read but you also can't stop reading because you are caught in the tragedy as it unfolds and can't escape it yourself.I don't want to give many details about the book; I think you should just read it for yourself. Trust me, you want to. Again just a reminder, it is not a romance, it is not a happy ending, it is not a feel good story, but it is a book you must read. I trust Jennifer Bene to give Beth her romance, her happy ending, her feel good story, but we need this story first to truly appreciate Beth's journey when we get her next story.

This is a graphic horror novel - Not a romanceIn case you didn't read the warning..."A body she wasn't sure she wanted to hold on to anymore"Anthony is the perfect for the "career" he has chosenA psychopath with power, money, and a curiosity to understand emotions. Such as fear, pain, and the loss of hope.He breathes their cries like airSavors the moment hope abandons them like a fine whiskeyHe found a subject that was too perfect to pass upHe will savor the breaking, the remoldingShe may fight but she will bend"No matter what he does, I won't give him my mind"Beth knows that once she utters the word all will be truly lostShe will beg, plead and screamBut she will never submitI'm not going to repeat the warnings - they are there for a reasonFor those who choose to ignore them - be preparedThere is NO HEA, NO HFN, NO hope, No white knightThere IS pain, There IS loss, There IS desperationand there IS the inevitable crack

Breaking Beth broke me, and I want more!I am warning no happy ending yet.If you’re planning to read this book I recommend to read first the Thalia series, your hatred for Anthony will be 100x more.Anthony, I despise him so much, he is not man, he is putrid of humankind, your worst nightmare, a psychopath on steroids and I got chilled just thinking how horrid he is.Beth is a strong woman, she fights for her soul till the end of her sanity, she is my superwoman, and I love with her.Jennifer Bene writes dark romance always with strong female characters, and every book and is a pleasant experience of reading.Can’t wait for the next book.Hurry UpAll the Stars

This series is dark doubt, in fact it's one of the darkest books I've read, there for me.for the desire in.a.completion of a story for others this my be the level that fits them. I say read Thallias first because you meet the bad guys here, and this book has bad guys, no hero, no saviour no alpha that's just damaged but he's redeemable....nope these dudes are plain and simply evil. Anyway I was saying the bad guys, we meet them in Thallias story, and this not only fills in some of the gaps about their relationship, it also lets us meet Beth who we hear about first in book 3.Now the sick and twisted here had a purpose, for me that was to make the make characters more filled out and abhorrent. I'm not a girl who doesn't know how dark the world is, it's hard to shock me but this was a hard read. if you are reading to complete the story and forcing yourself to do so please don't push yourself or if your stubborn take in small stints with someone to talk to. If you reading for pleasure have at it, it takes all and sadism is a style be it not my own. I want the rest of you looking at just the dark romance tag to just think and take this information onboard Jennifer is a brilliant author, she sees the world in its true colours lightest and darkest. Thalia is the shining light, all that is good and worth fighting for. Beth is not a submissive at least in this book she has no signs, she is a warrior, she is not against an opponent that she can beat. Marcus and Anthony, well Anthony is a sadist, he's psychopath and a narcissist. Marcus he's got major aggression issues, I would say sociopath for him and a narcissist.So as you can probably guess it maybe a dark romance but it's also violent, it is psychological, involves torture and only just stops short of death. So please please know what your heart and mind can take. With that in mind , I really think I've made it clear but trigger warnings.

This is the story of a woman abducted off the street, raped and tortured, as part of an "assembly line" of women so as to become saleable within a slave market to men who don't want to do the "breaking" themselves, but will pay per view) to watch it being done on their behalf.There is no consent. There are no heroes. No stockhom syndrome. There is no redemption.& it turns out that if you head down this path, according to this narrative, you end up with either a brutalised but obedient "slave" or a victim so disassociated that she becomes nothing more than a body, unable to feed herself, truly just a collection of "holes"

I don’t know wether to thank the author or get her therapists name 🙄Beth is taken for the slave trade, she needs to be dehumanised and trained first, enter (__*__)hole Anthony.This has to be one of the darkest reads that keeps you on edge, you keep waiting for the antagonist to show the smallest piece of humanity or mercy and it just doesn’t come.Beth was just wow, how she just didn’t break for him take the ‘easy’ way out I don’t know. She did win, in her own way.I’ve been waiting a long time for the next book it’s driving me crazy. I won’t be giving any spoilers the book should be read by individuals as this level of darkness won’t appeal to everyone.

It was to much the same through the book, but shall look forward to part two of the Beth serial, when it comes out? I gave it five stars, as I felt Beth was a stronge character.Mrs T Hayford