Customer Reviews

Sleeping with the Devil

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Meg White lives a quiet little life, content with her job as a chef, and a fiancée who is comfortable, if not particularly exciting. One night changes her life forever when she meets the mysterious and wealthy recluse, Jordan Blair. The attentions of the handsome millionaire are heady, to say the least, as the man focuses completely on Meg, introducing her to passion she has never imagined.

The passion soon leads her to experimenting with the sexual kinks Jordan presses her into, and soon her life is a whirlwind of excess, leaving her dizzy and out of control, a state Jordan seems all too happy with as he asserts his own control over her more fully.

Before long, Meg finds herself isolated, having lost all of the friends she knew before Jordan, and at the mercy of a man she begins to fear.

Let me just say for the record that SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL is not a romance, although the beginning may feel like it at first. It is really more of an erotic thriller. Fans of the author's other work under the name Cheryl Holt may expect a romance here, and so should be warned ahead of time. If you read this book expecting romance, you take the chance of being disappointed. If you read it understanding what it really is, you will undoubtedly be as awestruck by this story as I was.

Meg, our heroine, is systematically isolated and controlled by Jordan. His control is so insidious that at times she begins to doubt her own sanity and his sociopathic nature as he manipulates her into his every whim, no matter how extreme. At first flattered by his ardor and attention, she is easily seduced, until she descends into utter dependency on him, severing all ties to her old life.

A study of a sociopath and his victim, SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL is intense and compelling . If you have a low `ick' factor, avoid the book. The lead male does some really atrocious things to the heroine, but they aren't detailed more than is necessary to get the point across and create the right mood for the story.

Written in first person, we see the story unfold solely from Meg's point of view, allowing the mystery of Jordan's motives to build as the story progresses. I can't imagine this book being written another way.

It is very well written, and the plot is intriguing, but the material is most certainly disturbing. SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL is not a cozy read, but one that will make you appropriately uncomfortable while you read it. That said, it was highly entertaining and I really can't recommend it strongly enough.

**5 Bookmarks, courtesy of Wild on Books**

Meg White and her boyfriend Steve were enjoying their anniversary when they met Jordan Blair. Instantly, Meg is uneasy about Jordan and his cool, possessive stare unnerves her. She's amazed that someone so handsome and sophisticated would be interested in little ol plain her. She's nothing special but Jordan makes her feel like she's the most amazing woman on earth and when he steals her away from Steve, she follows only too happily. He showers her with attention and gifts and his sexual appetite for her is insatiable. It's as if he can't sate himself enough on her flesh, as if he can't brand himself deep enough in her body. At first, Meg luxuriates in his lifestyle, enjoying everything he has to offer but it quickly goes wrong. It started with simple requests and gentle coaxing, a change of hairstyle or a suggestion about a dress. Before she understands what is happening, Jordan has completely taken over her life. Everything he does is a manipulative step that will place her further and further under his control. Meg at first fears for her personal identity, her sanity and then her life. When Jordan begins to tire of his games and ultimately her, Meg desperately tries to claw herself out of her stupor. What follows is the most evil game of cat and mouse ever construed and Meg's frantic bid for survival.

After I read Sleeping with the Devil, I really had to ask myself why I read it. This was seriously one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. There are no sexual kinks to explore and be titillated by in this book and this is not an erotic or sensuous read as the synopsis would suggest. The sex that occurs in this book was clearly used to punish and to destroy. The antagonist Jordan Blair was one of the most deranged, socipathic, evil characters I have ever read about and he tortures and destroys Meg White for no other reason than the fact he enjoyed it. He sadistically and systematically strips her of her sense of self and molds her into his ideal woman, an emaciated blonde. He's beyond sick. He's evil. He will give you nightmares.

Reading about Meg's downward descent into hell was so disturbing, yet I was completely fascinated. Vanessa Marlow (or Cheryl Holt) has created a unique and compelling character in both Jordan and Meg. While the story is told entirely from Meg's point of view, the glimpses that Meg gets of Jordan's psyche is for lack of a better word, fascinating. I literally couldn't put the book down and after I was finished, I had to grab my safe and sane husband for a comforting hug. To know that there are possibly men or women out there like Jordan gave me chills and this book left me feeling sick to my stomach. At first, everything that Jordan does, Meg allows. He picked his victim well, for she's too submissive and too naive to comprehend what he wants from her. You are going to be horrified by her seeming acceptance and stubborn denial of the situation, your going to will her to run, and you root for her when she does fights back, even when all it does is make it worse. While we are given small glimpses as to why Jordan gleefully ruins her, this is all about Meg and her slow descent and then her desperate struggle to bring herself back from the dead.

While it was very, very, very hard to read, Sleeping With The Devil was extremely well written and a finely crafted foray into one woman's hell and the monster who put her there. Read at your own risk.

Desert chef Meg White enjoys her mundane middle class lifestyle although she almost always is broke as her pay stinks. However, when she meets affluent older Jordan Blair while vacationing with her fiancé Steve the salesman on the rainy Oregon coast, she is immediately attracted to his sophisticated charm. He is just as hooked. She ends her engagement rationalizing Steve is hooked on Kimberly whom he just met, gives up her job, and quickly moves into Jordan's expensive penthouse.

He expands her sexual encounters into a variety of S&M and other partners, but reduces her world to his apartment. Meg soon becomes concerned as she realizes Jordon is controlling every aspect of her life. She fears if the bird escapes the gilded cage, this control freak will hunt her down.

This chilling character driven psychological thriller focuses on control by an obsessed person using any means from sexual to economic to guilt inducement in order to maintain domination and supremacy. Meg's first person account showcases her change from euphoria to doubt to abject fear as she reassesses just who Jordan is. With a superb final twist, fans will appreciate this strong look at abuse that comes in many ways not just physical and emotional, but sexual and economic terrorism.

Harriet Klausner

This story is really interesting. Jordan, the protagonist's lover, is really obsessed and clearly has a complex of some sort because he takes control of everything in Meg's life. I can only hope that no one will have to deal with something as extreme as this.

The relationship is really intense and any reader going into this should keep in mind that this isn't a true romance... at least that's my opinion. It's rough. The story takes Meg through a whole lot of terrible things. I understand that the author wants me to feel exhausted for her, but I could only take so much as I was reading it. That's why I gave it only four stars as opposed to five. Every time the heroine got ahead, Jordan brought her back down again, and it continues like this for a good portion of the novel.

Don't get me wrong, this story was wonderfully written. I had no trouble understanding the text. Several words became favorites of the author for she repeated them several times, but other than that it was a quick read that brought you into the trapped life of Meg White.

The verdict: Try renting it from the library first. The references to torture and the brutality of some situations will not appeal to the general audience.

I only wish the author had provided more depth into the characters. The villain - what a villain! and his cohorts: who were these people? I don't mean this critically, only, I wanted to know what motivated them. (Or, they might have been just plain bad, no explanation necessary.) But I had too many unanswered questions at the end. Still, it was fast-paced and well-written, just be prepared for a very dark story with a most disturbing subject. (And as another reviewer mentioned, fans of Cheryl Holt be forewarned: this is not romantica, it is definitely an erotic thriller as advertised.)

My first impression of this book from reading the summary was that is was going to be an intense and sexual erotica to read. While the sex at times tended to be kinky and unnerving at times, the overall dominance of Jordan was downright appalling.

I have never been squeamish about reading an erotica novel. Heck, the more sexy fun in a romance the better because I am an adult and can handle reading about it. When you venture into the realm of Jordan Blair though, be prepared to enter a dark and violent life. Jordan was a horrible but attractive man. He wanted things done a certain way and you had better listen to him. He wasn't above punishing the women if they didn't do as he asked. That's fine when you are reading am erotic book, but the way he went about it was just stomach turning. He whipped her with a belt for no reason at all except for voicing her feelings to him. He would drug her and make her do things that she never wanted to do including sex with strangers and having it all videotaped. When she calls her ex boyfriend to rescue her though, Jordan takes it a step further and kills the man just so Meg will have to stay with him. The whole time Meg is suffering through all of this, Jordan convinces others that she is losing her mind and needs to be committed.

I was not a fan of this book. I almost didn't want to finish this story due to the violence and sexual acts that Jordan puts Meg through. This book is definitely not for the squeamish readers. If you want to step into a suspenseful erotica were the relationship is based on sex, violence and women degradation, then this is that book. I unfortunately will never pick this book up again.

This book was just way too disturbing for me. The ending left you guessing as to what happens to her. Too many loose ends that just didn't get answered. I really dislike books that have you into the character and then just ends with no definite answer to all the questions that are present. It leaves you feeling cheated. I felt cheated and maybe she should have left off some of the repetitive descriptions of what was happening and focused a little more on where the story goes. Very disappointed and glad I picked his book up at a used book store for $1.00!!! If I had spent the full price, I would have been very mad at myself and the author!

This book was so dark and disturbing. I love erotic stories, this was not an erotic story. It was about abuse(physical and mental)and rape. I have never read anything like this and hope to never again. This author was new to me and I am wary of reading any by her again.

I had read a message from Cheryl Holt that this novel was a complete departure from her normal stories. This is completely accurate. Cheryl is known for her period romances which are typically very hot and steamy. This novel is completely different. I really enjoyed the characters and the dark places Cheryl takes the reader. As a woman who has been involved in less than ideal relationships, I recommend this book as a great thriller. Enjoy!

The story overall was pretty good. It leaves you hanging in the end but at least it provides some closure. The author does a very good job leading you on the roller coster of emotions along with the main character in the begining. But then I think she gets so caught up in writing about the sexual aspect that she forgets about the plot line.