Chains of Nurture

by Max Watson

There's a thin line between devotion and obsession...

Tormented young Damian suffers at the hands of his sinister and abusive family. His saving grace comes in the sweet and innocent Rayna--the light in his dark world. Rayna fills an emptiness Damian never knew existed. Together, the children must commit the unthinkable to survive the evil that is meant to protect them.

But that was then...

This is now...

Damian and Rayna fight different demons as they attempt to forge a path of normalcy in adulthood. When Rayna shows up on Damian's doorstep bruised and seeking his protection, her vulnerable state has her unstable, acting out in ways he can't predict. Damian knows that pain is constant, and he'll do anything to ease any that Rayna endures. But when their pasts come back to destroy them and unearth secrets long kept hidden, Damian and Rayna must rely on their deep bond to survive. Can two shattered souls come together to finally break the chains that have bound them their entire lives?

Chains of Nurture explores how far one's love can push the boundaries of acceptance, and whether one's story is written from birth or rewritten by demons along the way.

Genres: Dark

378 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2020

About the author

Max Watson braves the sweltering heat of Dallas, Texas along with her husband Spencer, their son Jack, and their three kitty overlords. From roofing, to flipping houses and businesses, to building race cars, to ladder-climbing in corporate America, Max Watson loves to jump from one challenge to the next. In her career working for the man, she frequently found herself enthralled by the human psyche and was always daydreaming twisted tales. Running away screaming from corporate America, she decided to tackle the itch just under the skin and begin her writing career.

www.maxwatsonbooks.com
www.twitter.com/maxwatsonbooks
www.facebook.com/maxwatsonbooks

Reviews

[Quinn W Buckland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not what i expected. The characters are super creepy, the plot is strange as hell and there are so many so many spots where I had to ask myself why i was reading it.
I actually damn near put the book down after the second chapter. But, I kept going with the book and I'm so happy I did.
This book is absolutely fantastic, but it is NOT for everyone.
The greatest strength of this book is not so much the content, but the strength of the writing. the words on the page are beautiful and the story and the chosen structure made me feel emotions I'm not used to feeling. It made me think, it made me feel it made me desire. It challenged me to see things in a different light.

As stated, this book is not for everyone, but if you're a person who can handle strong themes, graphic scenes and chapters detailing abuse, you'll get something from this book.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the plot twists and turns in this book and despite the dark subject matter enjoyed the novel entirely. Well written for a first time novelist. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy from Book Siren. I did not care for this book but this is a first time author and want to wish her the best.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, multi-faceted characters. Very interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. I felt every emotion. Kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. Simply a GREAT read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

[Amanda "Coffin Critiques" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Oh wow. It’s been hard to find a contemporary novel idea that hit me so hard. This novel reaches into depths seldom traveled by others, issues surrounding mental health, but beyond just the outsider aspect. This author masterfully, in my opinion, drags you into it. She drags your psyche down with her characters. She makes you believe in them and sympathize in ways I didn’t even realize was happening. She shocks and awes with her plot and the thoughts she makes you privy to devour your sanity slowly so you don’t even realize what is happening anymore. She puts you in a trance when reading this, she normalizes so many things, so many feelings, so much darkness. Then, she twists all those feelings again, the writing itself is devious and deranged. It feels so honest, I felt real pain and devotion to these characters, to their lives. This book destroyed me many times while reading it, only to of course, do it again at the end. It was meaningful and horrifying in a way I rarely experience. I hung on every word craving more and fearful about what more could bring. It really hurt to read some parts of this and I love Watson for every morsel of this fever dream and for giving me one of the most memorable books I have ever read.

[B. Walborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Chains of Nurture by Max Watson to be ultimately an engaging read plagued early by some questionable word choices. The word 'littler' is one example of this. This was tempered however by the introduction of my new word of the week: 'delicigasm.' Early going made for a rough start and I found story progression slow including an overusage of 'my this, my that, my Rayna' etc. The point was understood and appreciated as a statement of possessiveness early on which did not need to be beaten to death so to speak.
Overall good narrative voice that was often poetic in nature however subtle. Rating would be higher with a bit faster narrative beat and fewer repetitious moments. Max Watson shows great promise here.

[Aida Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes you wonder if the way you're raised will shape your entire life or is it something that you can overcome to live a good life. These are the questions I had for this engrossing book that gripped me from the beginning and didn't release until the last page. With it's strong plot and three dimensional characters I highly recommend this book. Happy reading! #ChainsOfNurture #NetGalley

[Jennifer Holloway Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damian and Rayna are raised in a home where alcoholism and abuse is rampant. Their parents have gotten together and this has resulted in Damian becoming a protector for Rayna and ultimately ends up falling in love with his stepsister as the years pass. Rayna, however is gravely troubled. I kept waiting for them to either get together or come crashing apart. This book just ended up being confusing. The past was suddenly seen as completely different, I was not a fan of this book and not sure why I kept reading, but I did. The end just seemed to be thrown together and came completely out of left field. If I hear, "my princess" ever again in my life, it will be too soon.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/22/2021)! 🎁

[Book Lover]

DNF at 30%. Subject matter was incredibly dark, so be prepared for that if you pick this one up. Action just didn't pick up enough for me.

[Tara Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This feels like if incel lit was a genre.

[Lissa Wells · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really had a hard time reading this book and just didn’t enjoy it. It was a dark subject matter for me that just didn’t keep me wanting to know more.

Damian and Raya grew up together in an abusive family . They try to overcome their hardships to live a normal life into adulthood ,when their paths must cross again as they vowed to protect each other always to survive.

I just didn’t feel the connection between the characters and there was a bit of confusion for me with the way it was written

I received this arc from Booksiren for an honest review

[Lady S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
I’m still like WTF? I may have to have another reread, as I certainly got lost in places.