How does a girl survive sexual slavery?

Today’s book is a heavy one–no doubt. NEARLY BROKEN by Devon Ashley is a contemporary New Adult romance that deals with the horrifying world of human trafficking and sexual slavery.

Claire was only seventeen when she was abducted from her Portland, Oregon home. Not that she remembers that life.

Hiding out in a tiny town, Megan hides the scars caused by the fire that set her free. The fire that she set to kill her captor and escape the brutal rapes she had been enduring the past six months.

Now, two years after her abduction and escape, a new man enters Megan’s life. Nick, a new cook at her diner is relentless in his interest. But, who could love such a filthy girl? And, a scarred one, to boot! At least this is how Megan thinks. She’s had too much turmoil to ever be “normal”, and yet Nick doesn’t seem to care. Because he’s a seemingly homeless drifter, like herself, Megan agrees to let Nick sleep on the couch in her apartment. The attraction between them grows, until something terrifying happens–Megan discovers a photo album in Nick’s possession. Filled with pictures of a missing girl named Claire who looks just like Megan. The love of Nick’s life…

Megan has no memories of being Claire–can’t really accept that she was someone once beloved by many–but she agrees to travel back with Nick to meet Claire’s family and take a DNA test to prove that she and Claire are the same person.

Just when Megan seems to get some of the Swiss cheese holes of her memory filled, she’s thrown into another impossible situation. It’s a shocking and terrifying ride for a girl who has lost so much already.

In the past month I’ve read two sex slavery stories–not the playful BDSM romances, but novels featuring survivors of child exploitation and horrifying abuse. This one featured a female lead, and was just as terrifying as you can imagine the reality being. I was so grateful the book didn’t end on a cliffhanger, not that the end is truly upbeat. Megan has a lot of therapy and healing ahead of her, which will likely be a big part of the sequel, NEARLY MENDED.

(If you are interested in a male perspective of sexual slavery, you might want to check out THE DARKER SIDE OF TREY GREY, a M/M romance that packs a serious emotional punch.)

Interested? You can find NEARLY BROKEN on Goodreads, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Devon Ashley is a rather prolific writer–she has many books available, including WAITING ON MY REASON, a realistic contemporary romance I reviewed a couple months ago. NEARLY MENDED, the sequel to NEARLY BROKEN is coming out soon, as well. Check out Ms. Ashley’s Website for more info on her books!

Thanks for stopping by and keep reading my friends 🙂