REVIEW: A Pound of Flesh by Sophie Jackson

In A Pound of Flesh (A Pound of Flesh #1) by Sophie Jackson, Kat Lane’s life was forever changed when she was nine years old. Losing her father to a senseless murder on NYC streets set her on a path to make his dying wish come true: give back to those in need through becoming a teacher. Hoping to finally put years of nightmares to rest, Kat begins teaching literature at Arthur Kill Prison and soon finds herself actually enjoying being able to help the students she meets. Until smart-mouth Wes Carter enters her classroom.

“And why should I be scared of you?”
“You should be scared, Peaches,” he murmured. “I’ve done things that would make your pretty little head spin, and, you being this close”–he gestured with his chin between them–“well, let’s just say”–his eyes met hers–“it just makes me want to be bad all over again.”
Holy. Shit.

There is an instant physical awareness between Carter and Kat, one that will not be denied. But when Kat starts to see the man underneath the sneers and jibes, he knows the jig is up. Carter has a connection to her from over a decade earlier that he fears will alienate him if he confesses. But the girl that has haunted him for so long, his Peaches, is finally in his life again. He will do whatever it takes to prove to her, as well as her family and friends, that what they feel is absolutely real and that he will protect her until his dying breath.

“We can’t do this.”
“I know,” he answered, cupping the side of her face. He tilted his head, his mouth a luscious whisper across the edge of hers. “Just one taste. Just one. That’s all I want.”
And then his lips pressed against hers. Oh God. She was kissing her student. Her beautiful, lost, broken, angry student…

Gritty and bold, while still remaining utterly passionate, A Pound of Flesh was a dynamic debut novel from Sophie Jackson.

‘Theirs was a love beyond words, beyond reason, beyond even the two of them. It was indescribable, inexplicable, but unbreakable and unyielding. Their connection, their bond, was sixteen years in the making.’

Going into this story, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, especially where the reviews showed readers either loving it or hating it with not much leeway in between. I guess what surprised me most was the tender, all-encompassing love story between Carter and Kat. The cover and book synopsis made this seem like a dark story, which it certainly was. But the connection between our hero and heroine as well as the loyalty they felt was so powerful that it negated the darker undertones. At least for me.

There’s so much I want to mention about Kat, Carter, Austin, Eva, Beth, and Adam…but can’t without giving away key plot points. What I can say is that author Sophie Jackson did a phenomenal job with all of the characters in how she conveyed a true sense of who they really were underneath the bravado and thick emotional shells. This was such an emotionally charged novel, most of it centering around tragic events in the past, so each character reacted in their own way, adding a sense of realism to the storyline.

Carter was a wonderfully complex character who blew me away with his intelligence and devotion to those he loved. I will warn you that his part of the conversations were laced with profanity, and there were some rough scenes both in and out of jail. However, it didn’t overshadow the growing attraction between Carter and Kat. I thought she was a courageous woman taking a job at the prison even though it scared her, all to fulfill her father’s dying wish. And Kat’s insistence in holding on to what she knew deep in her heart about Carter–that he was loyal, caring, and a genuinely good person who needed love–solidified for me that they were soul mates.

A Pound of Flesh was an epic bad-boy-gets-the-good-girl story. With everything from heartrendingly sad scenes, to those showing how two people came to completely cherish each other, I highly recommend meeting Carter and his ‘Peaches’, Kat.

Book Info:

Published June 9th 2015 | by Gallery Books | A Pound of Flesh #1

Lose your heart to your new bad boy book boyfriend. Wes Carter – sexy, edgy, behind bars, with emotional scars as permanent as the ink on his skin, just waiting to be healed by love…

Fans of Samantha Young, Jodi Ellen Malpas, Jamie McGuire, Katy Evans and Prison Break will find this powerful love story utterly addictive and unforgettable.

Their love is forbidden. But won’t be denied… Can true love heal the deepest scars?

For Kat Lane, teaching inmates at a New York prison is her way of upholding the legacy of her beloved father, murdered fifteen years ago. But when new student Wes Carter walks into her classroom, she’s shaken by the strength of her attraction to him. Carter is as handsome as he is dangerous, as mysterious as he is quick-witted – and he ensures people keep their distance. Yet vibrant Kat bypasses his defences and challenges him to reveal the real man behind the intimidating reputation. As their emotional barriers crumble, their inescapable but forbidden feelings cannot be ignored. But will Kat’s discovery of Carter’s role on the night her father died force them apart…or bind their hearts for ever?

A Pound of Flesh is a tale of loyalty, redemption and all-consuming love against the odds, introducing an irresistible bad boy hero…