This is not a review, but more of an opinion on the book- Consequences. As an author I do not review or comment on a book unless I was inspired, enthralled, or absolutely adored it. Any other type of review can lead to hurt feelings and a backlash on the author/reviewer. This book struck a chord. Since I'm rating the book 3 stars I felt the need to explain. 
 This is not a bash or a negative review. I simply had a few things I had to get out of my mind- whirling thoughts that won't leave me in peace. 
 This type of story resonates with me. I spent the whole of my life in a destructive relationship- from age 12-32. Two years later I am still suffering the side effects of such a relationship. 
 Now this isn't about the story premise. I enjoyed the premise. It's not a 'how could you go there' or 'the premise was too gritty.' As I said, I need this type of read on occasion to mark how far I've come. 
 Currently I am at 47% and I'm forcing myself to read. I have work to do and it's a struggle to come up with a reason not to work right now. Usually a book that pulls me in won't spit me out until the very last page. I was engrossed for the first 7% and then it started to wane. 
 I enjoy a fast-paced read, raw and hard hitting. This book flows like molasses. All readers are different; this isn't a mark against the author. But I feel the need to defend my stance on the pacing. I need something that hits like a ballpeen hammer to the head because I spend my existence inside my mind. Whether it's past memories I refuse to acknowledge or my own stories plaguing me, I need something forceful to overpower my own mind. That is where a star was removed. Several of the scenes felt repetitive and it drained my interest. Business trips and shopping trips replayed several times over. 
 I don't know if this is the author's first book. My stance on pacing was to my detriment- writing wise- and hers. We are on opposite ends of the spectrum and need to meet in the middle. My first book was paced so fast that only I was able to keep up. I didn't show anything that didn't add to the story-progression. I later I changed this. A book flows and it will tell you how long it needs to be. We don't need to write every book as 170k. Maybe the story only needs to be a novella (not this book. I'm explaining). Do not force scenes to fill a quota on what you believe creates a finished book. I don't know if this is the reason for the repetitive nature, but I can see that it could be. It's to my understanding that book 2 is faster. It leads me to believe that Consequences was hit with the first book curse that plagues every author. It doesn't have to be the first written, but it's always the first in one of their series that falls flat. 
 The real reason for the 3 star rating: Emotion. If the emotion was present, no amount of slow pacing or fluff would have torn my eyes from the kindle. I KNOW the emotions that erupt in the abused. In a domestic situation you know your perpetrator. They take the time to seduce you (not in the sexual sense). They manipulate, use cunning, and warp your mind. This creates the perfect victim who somehow blames themselves for every negative word and touch. 
 In this instance, it was abduction. The terror wasn't present and in its absence should have been numb. Those are two emotions this will elicit. The terror leads to fury and numb leads to acceptance. Two types of people, submissive or dominate in nature and those are the emotions that will erupt without fail. The main character went between these emotions without any real reason. It was strange. As someone who equally loved and hated her victimizer, I felt both during the times I was touched or gifted. The main completely went to adoration and that isn't possible. Subconsciously your body and mind never forgets (I'm not talking orgasm; that is physiological) and your instincts WILL take over. 
 This is what was missing from the story for me: Terror, anger, a will to survive, and in its absence, nothingness. You will either plot your escape and take every chance, consequences be damned, or lay down and die- jump from the balcony. I've been through both sets of these traits. And never could you have both at the same time. 
 A victim/survivor: I use both, and not interchangeably because a victim is the one that lies down and dies and the survivor is the one that will chew her own arm off to get out of a trap. Both feel the same shame, self-loathing, loss of self, worthlessness, regret, lost, and lastly, FEAR. The main character only seemed to feel shame on a few occasions when she bathed. A victim/survivor during their entrapment wraps these warped and tainted self-views around themselves like a security blanket. It will be all consuming for them. Stockholm syndrome or not, they will feel it. PTSD will only exacerbate the emotions. The only ones who won't feel are the ones that are dead inside. The main character was not dead inside: she shopped, made love to her captor, and acted happy- internal and external dialogue proved this. 
 Mild spoiler: Her breakdown on the steps was spot-on. Asking the captor to make love to her was utter bullshit. You can't go between terror and adoration within an hour. 
 The need to please and not disappoint was properly written. It was the emotions that lead up to the all-encompassing need to please their victimizer that was missing. The manipulations that occur to create the perfect victim/survivor. This takes time- a lot of time. Longer than what was shown in the book. Anthony ruled by intimidation and total control- her need to please and not disappoint would have been through FEAR. A relationship wasn't established to create a need to please through a twisted sense of love. 
 Every victim/survivor stays for a myriad of reasons. Mine were complex, as is all. I started to wonder at her mental stability, and not in the normal sense. She could have left many times over and it was in her nature to do so. The author wrote her as a survivor, as she tried to manipulate Anthony and her need to seek escape, yet out of character, she didn't take the escape when it presented itself. There was no long-term relationship to bind her to him, no true fear (that she exhibited) to keep her in line. 
 Long story short: At 47% of the book, I've enjoyed the underlying premise, but the factuals are weak. I don't expect an author to be a victim/survivor to write this type of book, but you should ask one what behaviors erupt. A story built on abduction, abuse, and the effects of both, should be based on how a victim/survivor behaves. It needs to be 100% psychological. 
 I don't know if I will continue the story. I may just read a few detailed reviews to get the just of the middle and read the ending before I give the second book a chance.