R. Phoenix plunges us into the dark world of her RISQ series with the immediacy and visceral intensity of tripping on the stairs down into a scary basement and having the light bulb go out. BOUGHT isn't for the squeamish or light-hearted. For those who might mistake this short story as romance, it is most definitely not. For those who need trigger warnings, please know that there is non-consensual sex and "human" trafficking (okay, so Jace is a dog) (yes, that was a reference to Ghostbusters, I couldn't help myself) in this work.
With that out of the way, if you're looking for a story that places you in the middle of the action and reveals a fascinating, dangerous world before thrusting you into a horrifying situation for the protagonist, this is it. There are vampires, werewolves, and witches so far, and it's a heady mix--plus, throw in an ample amount of sex, and what you have is *not* Twilight or TrueBlood, but something disturbing--and intriguing. I wonder where the author will go with her story, and reading the descriptions of her other books, it looks as if there will be a shift from dark erotica into dark romance.
It is always interesting to me to see how the paranormal would function in the normal, whether in a story that inverts, subverts, or deconstructs the trope. Phoenix works more at an inversion, turning things around to see what would happen. It's a scary playground, an alien invasion not from space, but from the pages of horror novels and whisperings around campfires.
I think the only thing I would want more from the story, would be to see the actions of the characters more subtly reveal their thoughts and feelings, and for more anticipation to be built before the sex (I guess this reader is asking for more foreplay in his erotica).
Overall, a fun read, but not for the faint of heart or those wishing for a happy-ever-after ending. This author doesn't promise roses, but she guarantees there will be blood, and the color will be rich.