Milk and Honey

by Yolanda Olson

I've spent most of my time in a cage.
A beautiful, steel structure that gives me a sense of safety.
I've been let out and I don't like this. I can't tell if this is a mind game or if I'm no longer of use.
Nothing seems real anymore and I've been left alone.
I want to be put back into the world I know but he's been gone for days, and I don't know when he'll come home, or if he'll come home and it breaks my heart.
I won't try to run.
I won't try to escape and gain some false sense of freedom.
If I've earned that much, there's no doubt he would have granted it to me.
I don't know how much longer I can survive without him.
I want him to come home so that I know I haven't failed him in some way.
Sir? Do you still need me like I need you? Please? Can I go back into the cage?

Genres: Dark, Horror, Novella, Abuse, Erotica, Dark Romance, M F Romance

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2017

About the author

Yolanda Olson is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author. Born and raised in Bridgeport, CT where she currently resides, she usually spends her time watching her favorite channel, Investigation Discovery.

Occasionally, she takes a break to write books and test the limits of her mind. Also an avid horror movie fan, she likes to incorporate dark elements into the majority of her books.

You can keep in touch with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Jesus Christ in the highest! This was absolute perfection in the nastiest of ways. Our main character has no name, no clear background, no direction, and nothing else to live for but her abuser, referred to only as Sir. The author masterfully walks us through the mind of a victim who has been molded and manipulated into an ideal psychological prisoner. And the games that Sir inflicts on her just get deeper and more intense, leading the main character into an evolution of going from prey to predator. The book has a bit of a slow burn effect, leading to a very satisfying conclusion, but due to its brevity and the magnificent writing, never loses your interest. And to further compliment Yolanda Olson, the innuendo and aspirations during the earlier portions of the book are almost more unsettling than the actual execution. I have never heard of this author until yesterday, but I am thrilled to have found her, as her grasp of psychological horror is absolutely divine. Happy Memorial Day everyone!!

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me.

I didn't care for this at all, really.

It was nothing like I thought it would be - which, although that might be my fault for not doing my "due diligence" so to speak when picking it out - that doesn't change the fact that I was not a fan.

There was pretty much NO romance to be had here and, being that I found it through the recommendation of an author whose romance books I love, I just assumed there would be SOME kind of romance here.

Not so.

On top of the main character being one hot mess of straight up crazy, her perspective and thought processes were EXTREMELY convoluted as well. And, being that the entire story was told from her perspective, it made the entire plot and book as a whole convoluted as a result.

The "twist" near the end was very abrupt and hardly explained and, overall, I just wasn't impressed by this book or drawn to the author's writing style.

Onward.

[MadameD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story 5/5
Narration 5/5

I first read this story in 2018 and rated it 3 stars.
This time I listen to the audiobook and I enjoyed it very much.
The second time is a better experience for me.
Maybe I’m becoming more mature, or wise. 🤔😈😆

[Expresso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is why I adore Yolanda's twisted mind! She brings clarity to a genre that is considered murky and unrealistic. This is not the case overall but the "perception. Authors such as Yolanda not only bring clarity but also the "one finger salute" to the naysayers!

Milk & Honey.....hmmmmm. My initial thought was "oh goodness I hope Yolanda didn't bump her head and move to vanilla". Ha! Perish the thought! This story is as dark and twisted as dark and twisted can be! You're thinking and expecting one thing and BOOM! The story is not only at the end of the spectrum, but Yo is there serving hors d'oeuvres!

So if you're looking for a dark and twisted mindf*ck with some deliciously dark and crazy AF brutal sexual acts, then hit the one-click button and begin the journey! If you're still attempting to decide, you're not ready.

Five stars!

[Stepherz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick mind fuck.

[Y.D. Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

If a tree falls and no one is around ... does it make a sound?

Our main girl. She's the story teller here. We are seeing it through her thoughts and her eyes.

If her Sir is not around, will he know regardless?
___________
I can survive without him, can’t I?
___________

Very interesting to delve into the mind of one that is conditioned the way she is. I felt like a scientist who is staring at one ant in an enclosed glass ant farm. As she wanders almost aimlessly ... her mind, like a cogwheel, starts to rotate one click of a cog .. and we get thoughts like

___________
I have to bring him to ruin and in return, gain the worship from him that I so rightfully deserve because I’m the only one that has survived so far.
___________

Fascinating. But she oscillates. Oh does she oscillate. It's almost confusing ... but makes sense.
___________
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. You’ll find your way back.
___________

The reader starts to question .. why? why is she like this? how can she still be like this? well friends...

___________
Nine years in pseudo-captivity destroys a lot about the person you used to be.
___________

But towards the end, we get a glimpse of who she really is. She IS the milk and honey. It is quite the mindf*ck. But at the same time .. the story evokes a sort of constant melancholy.

Have you ever crate trained a dog? over a period of time .. it finds its comfort and safety in the cage that holds it in. All you want to do is just .. pet it's head and watch its tail wag.

[Kayla Bishop · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Loved the story line it was dark and twisted. Everything I come to love from Yolanda Olson BUT it was too confusing. Her personality and mind changed without even a break in the chapter. I didn't feel a connection to the characters at all. Unfortunately this won't be a re-read for me.
3 stars

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturbing. Check.
Graphic. Check.
Depraved. Check.
Mindf@ck. Double check.

Yolanda has done it...yet again!! I just feel like I've been played with! Like I was a mouse being batted around in a game of Cat and mouse, and when she's done toying with me, she just ate me. Ate me up and swallowed me whole!

Jesus, I couldn't put this down, read it in one sitting! But it's taken me a couple of days to realize just what in the hell happened and to digest it and accept that ending for what it is... f@cked up!!!

The brutality of sexual acts are off the charts and I'm really questioning my sanity for reading Yolanda's books. But, honestly, I can't get enough of them! She's found a dark spot in my heart and embedded herself in there.

Highly recommend Milk & Honey if you already question your morality and sanity; if you are looking for graphic and depraved; and most definitely if you love a good mindf@ck!!

[Harris Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yolanda knows how to play tricks with your mind in her stories. Milk & Honey is a trip! While you know she writes dark, twisty, graphic stories. She blew my mind with this one. Yes this is also graphic, and disturbing but I also found this was more of a mindfu*k.

Without much detail girl has been trapped by man she calls sir. She is obsessed with her cage that she lived in because she was very bad. Sir leaves and doesn't tell her. Then all hell breaks loose.

Milk And Honey was provided for an honest review.

[Irma *Irma The Book Whisperer* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Cage - It’s Where He Puts His Bad Girls; The Ones That Are Hard For Him To Control. The Ones That No Longer Serve a Purpose."

Well, I'll be damned if I didn't like this book! I was reading and waiting for IT to come. Oh, boy, did it come!
This is not my first Yolanda's book and I know she tends to blow my mind. I love the way her mind works.

Try it, you'll never be the same afterwards.

It's like a

[Lis Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pace of the story is nice and leads up to the ending perfectly. But the ending, the ending is a mindf*ck and has you questioning your own theory of what you thought might happen.

The author takes you through this gore filled, poetic-horror-tale of desperation, seeking acceptance and freedom. The main character needs "Sir" and she needs her cage. Things are set in motion and there is no going back...and no limits.

Yet again, the author did not disappoint. Blood, mindf*ck and a kick a$$ story.

[Tyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The woman in the story was so twisted. I don't know if she was that twisted before or after Sir got to her. Did she already have the characteristic of psychopath? Where they just dormant waiting to surface? At the beginning of the story, I felt sorry for the unknown woman. However, by the middle of the book, I was doing about face. Sir... I don't know who was being playing more him or her. By the end of the book, I knew she couldn't be a part of the real world. It seemed like she wanted to be one with Sir. She wanted to stand by his side as a equal. I got the feeling she knew as well as Sir that was never going to happen. Could you be her? Be this woman and wait for Sir.
My favorite quote from the book:

He attempts to let out a huff of air, but is still obstructed by the makeshift gag. A kinder person would remove it, but I’m not kind . I wasn’t bred for kindness; I was bred for greatness and this is much too simple an emotion to fall prey to.

[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I completely forgot I read this book last year. I am shelving it now because I saw another of the author’s works come up on my feed, and need a reminder to myself that I have already read this author.

I remember not being impressed with this work, but I think it’s for a different reader. Good for people who enjoy transgressive not a romance works. Unclear what is happening. Foggy POV. Heroine is a slave. Something to do with murder. Reminiscent to Natalie Bennett’s Depredation, but I think I prefer Bennett if I had to choose.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milk and Honey definitely started off giving me a major Stockholm syndrome feel. I know from prior readings of Yolonda Olson's books to always expect the unexpected, as well as the dark and twisted. She always knows the best way to mess with my head. Chapter 2 did just that with the abundance of the main character's raging insecurities. When she thought his leaving was a control issue and was not yet ready to assume his role, I was curious about what would happen next and what it would take to change that if need be. Then the strength seemed to asert itself in her when she decided to go hunting. My interest was certainly piqued. She had an envy and need to be like Sir and do as he had done. She was torn between destroying him and gaining his adoration. The back-and-forth of her emotions screamed from the pages and kept me on the edge of my seat. While on the streets, it felt as if the fear and anxiety had finally been victorious since she didn't know how to behave outside of his walls. She had been confident there and now it seemed she was drifting aimlessly being out in the world. Her plan to get someone to bring home was devious and showed a restoration of her previous confidence, which was a bit scary. Things were really starting to happen and I was both curious and suspicious about what was going on inside of her head. She was so disconnected, and yet driven to be accepted by Sir and herself. And just when I finally thought things are about to happen, Olson goes and stopped me dead in my tracks, pulse racing. I felt as if I was a prisoner of sorts too, to both the story and within her mind. When the door burst open, I thought it was time for the action to begin. I had been on the edge of my seat, held in suspense and waiting. When I discovered what it really was, I felt so deflated and went right back to waiting. The constant ups-and-downs that Olson put me through were torture in this book. The main character's progression in this book from lamb to wolf had been fascinating to watch and I eagerly awaited the outcome. I was also becoming more and more curious about Sir. Sir seemed to have many words of wisdom and an equally gentle and terrifying demeanor according to her. I was ready to see what she would do to her guest. I wanted to see the final transformation of her mind, as well as finally meet the elusive Sir. The main character has been mostly calm all along the way, but the facade was finally beginning to crack as she took him up the stairs to play. The suspense was killing me as I feared what would happen when her calm finally slipped away. When Sir finally made his return, I loved watching her jealousy take over like a tidal wave, especially when it came to the ever-coveted cage. There was a moment where I finally thought she would get a taste of her own twisted medicine, but Sir came to the rescue. This was where things seemed to flip, which really messed with my head. Their worlds, and then their pets, collided with horrorifying results. She had tried so hard to pass the test, and yet seemed to fall short once again. In a way though, she got the one thing she had been craving since the beginning. She and Sir had an interesting relationship together and I enjoyed being along for the ride. Milk & Honey definitely ranked up there with Olson's other "mess with me mentally" books.

[Elizabeth Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Mind Fuck..

Once again I'm sitting here with my mouth wide open, trying to figure out how in the hell I am going to find the right words that will give justice to such an amazing story. But I'm speechless. I can only think of 'WOW'. This is why she is one of my favorites. She never fails to deliver an amazing story that ends with a wicked twist. Milk and Honey was totally not what I expected but I loved every second of this insane read.

[Mandy Tyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING.

Seriously, the whole book was great. I wanted to know what happened next the whole time. I highly recommend this! It's dark, creepy, macabre. Truly amazing.

[Leanne ~ Tales From The Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Olson does it again, took me on a dark journey full of twists and turns. Then the ending made me feel like I slammed into a wall and was left rattled and confused. If you like dark, twisted and gory as well as wtf moments then this book is for you. There were times I just went ewwww but I couldn't look away. My heart is always racing as I read Yolanda's tales and this book was no exception.
This girl has been a prisoner for years, or has she? Perhaps in her mind, perhaps not. I'm not going to spoil it for you. This is a twisted tale of love and desperation for freedom. The characters are interesting and you'll probably love to hate them. The story certainly kept my attention glued to the screen. Go on I dare you to read it.

[Joce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Yolandas style of writing even though this was not a long story it is still one that will have you thinking about hours after you have finished. Milk & Honey is a mind fuck read. This story will have you questioning who is a villain and who is a victim.

Would a victim who has been conditioned to love her cage and life style be known as a villain just because she wants to please her sir? Is she even a victim or merely a wolf is sheeps skin? Do I feel bad for her? Lol these are question running around my mind. Milk and Honey ends on an open note meaning you dont really know what's to come or what will happen next.

thanks Yolanda :)

[Emery LeeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is to say what is normal? We all have our own version of what is normal and what we need to survive. Delve into the mind of a young woman who is determined to stay in her cage. It is not her prison, it is her sanctuary. When she feels like she is abandoned she goes to extremes to show her "Sir" that she is worthy.
And true to Yolanda Olson's writing, things aren't always as they seem! This is a truly psychological mindfuck! Bravo!

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but I was bored shitless.

[Karen - Kazza's Books Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start to read one of Yolanda's book I may as well just hand her my mind because she is definitely going to f*ck with it. She writes Erotic Horror with perfection.

He's always been very honest with me, even when he's masqueraded his beautiful lies with painful truths.

Sir is an enigma and at one point in time I was starting to think the he was just a figure of her imagination. We get to see into her mind and how she fights with indicions on what to do when Sir is not around. Will she, won't she. Will she be punished, will she be put back into the cage? What she truly desires is not what would be expected.

This story drew me in and I spent the entire time trying to figure out the end game but no, in true Yolanda style, boom, she throws in a twist that I didn't see coming but then again she is quite known for that. So if your looking for a delicious, dark, gruesome read then sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a total mind F*! Pure Olson style, she has taken a brilliant story and added in all the proper twisted moments that make it purely evil and messed up. If you are looking for a read that has your guessing all the way through, wondering where the heck the author may be taking you and then riding along, hoping no one dies...not too badly at least, then this is the perfect read for you. Well, except there is death, blood, destruct, losses and complete gore. Genuinely the most mind-warping read I've had in ages and it was done to utter perfection! So much so, my messed-up little minds is screaming for more!

I loved the characters. Our main character is more a work of art than a creation. She is inside her head so much, you wonder if she ever leaves her own mind. Her actions, thoughts and story are deplorable, but yet still have you feeling for her, connection with her and wanting to know more. Along the way, we get to meet a few characters, all of which are given a great amount of detail, blood and all. Loved every little detail we were given, as it really made the story easy to picture.

The action, in many forms (you'll know what I mean by that when you read it), is very graphic. I mean this in the sense that it is dirty, savage and utterly brilliantly described. I found it very easy to become a part of the read because Olson gave us so much of the detail, both in the actions and in the surroundings, to really bring it to life.

Overall, this is a must read if you are into dark horror. The author brings the entire story to life, including viking traditions, and really makes you a part of the sadistic, gorey madness.

**Arc received and I chose to review.

[Paula D · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a disgusting, twisted, crazy, unbelievable story that will have you thinking what in the hell did I just read? "I want you to do well," I say gently and deliberately to him. "I've seen so many fail the test and so few pass" The truest scars are the ones earned, not self-imposed. Yolanda really makes you feel with her stories and you might smile that evil smile back at her. No spoilers here better to read this book clueless with a open mind. Sir, Can I go in the cage? 5/5 stars *** I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Copy of this book ***

[Tyneshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, disturbing and twisted this book is one hell of a mind messing experience. I loved the ride this book took me on and the storyline held me captive right till the end. It was definetly a story that had my mind working over time trying to figure out what the hell was going on and the ending was not what I was expecting.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my third book by Yolanda Olson and she still gets me every time, I get to the end and that's it it just finishes, This made me feel like there were still things left unsaid and i wanted to know. Her books are very twisted and leaves me happy and confused lol. I will be reading more from Yolanda as i really like her writing.

[Suze Prescot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wicked and Bizarre

This, short, story is the strangest one that I have ever read. Sadistic, violent and bizarre, it is nonetheless well written and compelling. Warning: this is not for the faint hearted, oppression and insanity drip like blood from each line.

[Sharon Obelenus Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another dark, twisted read by our Mistress of Gruesome! Everyone has darkness inside of them, but what does it take to unleash it? Stockholm syndrome!?! Sir is EVERYTHING! Sir is the air, food, life. So when he doesnt come home, life seems to end. Freedom is there for the taking, yet what if you decide you can try to take over? Mental overload doesnt help, after all, there are rules that need to be followed. Rules drilled so far into your brain, you cant ignore.

[Stacey Mccarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very weird..

[kristine Marquedant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seen a beautiful quote from this book and just had to read it.
The book was interesting , but not for the weak of heart. It's not easily forgotten.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dark and it's the biggest mind f**k. I don't even know what to say. But this book is written beautifully it's poetic almost. Couldn't put it down. Pulled me and help me captive.