Sarah Mac’s Reviews > A Vow to Set the Virgin Free > Status Update

‘Perhaps she was destined to be at war. Perhaps it was what she craved. She knew for certain that she didn’t want to bend easily, nor did she want anyone to easily bend around her.’

‘He was such a large man, imposing, & she imagined that it was the beauty of his face that had once softened him. And there was nothing to soften him now. Nothing to make him less formidable than he was. She appreciated that. Not that she would have ever wished the scarring on him, but there was an extreme quality to him now. Something she knew most men didn’t possess. He was unique. And terrifying. Marvelous.’

—“It will be our wedding night and…”
—“You will have dinner as you always do. I will take dinner as I do. Do not spin stories about me. How could you, anyway? Do you not see?”
—The problem was she did see. Perhaps deeper than he wanted her to. And she did not find him repulsive.

‘He was not prepared. Not for the devastation of her beauty. Not for the way the yellow gown she was wearing conformed to her curves. Soft & draping around her breasts, highlighting the subtle golden glow of the supple mounds. The waist was corseted, the skirt flaring out in a soft chiffon followed her hips. Her black hair was swept up in a bun, curls trailing down & framing her face.’ ….BALLROOM SCENE. 💛

“She is beautiful,” he said. “And I am pleased with that. Because when I present her to the public, it will be better that she is stunning. She will make a triumphant prize. A tale as old as time, don’t you think?” ….Millie Adams must be a true vintage Disney fangirl. 😗🥀

‘His body was no longer decorative in any regard. All that mattered was that it was able to accomplish exactly what he wanted. His mind had to function more sharply than it ever had, & he prized his physical strength & agility. His endurance. Because those things he could control.’

‘She knew that he was tall. She knew that he was heavily muscled. And smelled of sandalwood & made her feel safe & small. That his voice could be fire or ice. It could cut, or it could warm. She knew he had not left these walls in ten years. What she knew made him even more confusing than what she didn’t know.’

‘Everybody simply thought her a cosseted girl. Nobody knew the fire that was inside of her. The fire that had been ignited by all of this betrayal. The determination that she carried with her. They underestimated her, & they would lose her for it.’ ….Good beginning—very off-kilter & surreal, an unusual start for an HP.