Book Review - Stolen Innocence

Review for Stolen Innocence – A Dark Romance - by Julia Sykes.

4 OUT 5 STARS

CONTAINS SPOILERS ...

14 yo Valentina attends her father’s funeral with her half-brother, Andres, and her grandmother (Abuela), and never sheds a tear. Antonio Moreno’s death leaves her eldest half-brother, Cristian, as head of his cocaine empire. During the service, a powerful friend of her father’s, Vicenti Rodreguez, and his right-hand-man, Hugo, leer at her, making her feel uncomfortable.

That night, at midnight, Valentina’s woken by her grandmother urgently telling her to get dressed because Cristian is coming to see her. But he doesn’t arrive alone. He’s accompanied by Vicenti, and Hugo. Cristian hands Valentina over as payment for a debt his father incurred. She’s taken away and never sees her half-brother, Andres, or her grandmother, again.

Vicenti’s mistress, Mariana, dresses Valentina for breakfast – tries to make a 14 yo girl appear to be a woman with clothes, hair and makeup. Adrian, Vicenti’s son and heir, is a moody teenager, about 2 years older than Valentina. During her first year of captivity, Valentina is schooled with Adrian. On her 15th birthday, Adrian’s body begins to react to her. During a game of chasey into the woods that borders his father’s estate, Adrian catches her, pins her arms above her head on the ground, and kisses her.

“She’s not mine.”

He has to remind himself she was intended for his father. That night, Adrian visits Valentina’s room and tells her how to masturbate. The next morning, Valentina gets her fist period. Mariana explains that means she’s a woman now, and tells her all about sex. Valentina begins to understand why Vicenti took her as payment. Hugo enters her room intent on taking Valentina, but Adrian tackles him off of her.

“No one touches you. You’re mine.”

Adrian wants Valentina for himself. For a year, Adrian sneaks into her room and lays with her to keep her safe from Hugo, but does nothing other than kiss her, and ensures he’s back in his own room at dawn. At 16, Valentina tells Adrian she loves him. After he admits to loving her, he promises to get her away from the estate. When Valentina is late to breakfast, Mariana catches them in bed together. When she leaves to tell Vicenti, Adrian hastily returns to his own room. Vicenti and Hugo barge into his room. A fight erupts and Hugo pummels him. Vicente informs Adrian he’s going to California, and if he tries to come back for Valentina, she dies. Thinking his son has taken what was his, Vicente tells Hugo she’s his, but he has to wait until they’re married before he has sex with her.

I was able to read this book in one sitting as this book is a prequel to Stealing Beauty, so there is no happy ending. I will read Stealing Beauty next. I’m a little surprised that this book is available through Amazon given the insinuations toward the end of the book of a 16 yo girl marrying a man with clear intentions of what he intends to do with her. I know in some countries, like my own, the age of consent is 16. However, I also know that female characters (and male characters for that matter) should be conveyed as being 18 or over in any publications.

And I do have a gripe. Throughout the book, there are a lot of instances where text is underlined with broken lines, that have at one stage perhaps been highlighted. I have come across this in many books I have read, and it annoys the absolute crap out of me.

Overall, the writing is good, and the story is pretty fast-paced. I do believe the author should have put some sort of a warning at the beginning of the book for those sensitive to child abuse as this story line could be a trigger for some. That said, I still think this book is a solid 4 star read.