Kristen Ashley fucking tortures me. This is the second book I've attempted to read by her, and one I managed to complete. I'm now wishing I completed "With Everything I Am" because Callum is a gent, compared to Lahn in this book! Her writing is exemplary. Good. Really good. Yet her themes are...diabolical. I am frustrated. A writer with this much talent, shouldn't be writing such poor heroes like Lahn (and minutely Callum.) 
 So many people disagree with me, but I cling to my morals, because they are all I have. 
 Things I found wrong with this book: 
 -Lahn is a rapist. He rapes Circe seven times, before she starts finding pleasure in his arms. 
 -He hits her. Just the once. But one thing that made me stick with the book, is that Circe is not so easy to forgive, unlike Callum's heroine. That one can barely hold a grudge for two pages. 
 -Sabine is raped. Circe gives her advice. She gives Sabine's rapist advice (moreover, he's a good friend!)...about wooing the girl first. I don't know. It just rankled. Although Lahn and Sabine's rapist don't rape their woman after the first couple of times...the whole thing feels so unsavoury. 
 -Lahn admits his horde "pillages and rapes." Circe asks him not to do it anymore. In fact, she offers to follow him around, so he never feels tempted. Can I say sick! Although Circe has great humanity, she never really brings herself to question what the horde gets up too. She just reacts to stuff visually in front of her. 
 -That said - Lahn. If Circe hadn't spoken up at a few key moments, Lahn would've sat through rapes/murder/violations etc etc and not intervened. At one point, some evil-pig headed dude is forcing his wife to give him head in public, and Lahn just turns Circe's head away and tucks it into his neck until it's over! DA FUCCCK???? 
 There are many other points that bothered me, but you know what really rankled? Was that I LIKED the sex scenes. I found sweet Lahn super sexy and hot. This guy is everything I should hate (and his physical description isn't up my alley either), but at times I'm thinking, "although everything about him is morally wrong, he comes from a land that doesn't know any better, and he does learn from all his mistakes,and improves..." 
 And you know what? Although I was half-hoping that Circe would find her way back to her world, after seducing him, and stay there, so it would be the biggest F-U to Lahn forever, I wasn't entirely flabbergasted by the HEA. (Though I did feel sorry for Harold! Poor guy. His daughter spirited away to another world forever. It would've been nice if Lahn had been forced into the 21st century world, and forced to see how women are treated equal now, and he could use his English to fit in or whatever...oh, and have a haircut! 
 Kristen Ashley, you wound me. I am now hesitant to pick up a book from you ever again. I think I'll avoid you for now, until my common sense lapses, and I pick up another book without thinking. I know sexist, alpha dudes are all the rage, and it's not fun being PC with them...but I respect other heroes more. You can be sexy and Alpha in other ways...I don't know! I wish I wasn't so flipping conscientious! 
 The book wasn't even that bad, hence the three stars. It's written well. Better than most. And Lahn...I actually found him guiltily hot at times. But was that hotness enough for me, to forget? No. I'd need mind bleach for that. 
 PS: How unfortunate Circe named her daughter Isis, because that name is associated with vermin now in the middle east.