A Pound of Flesh (Pound of Flesh #1) by Sophie Jackson

Available on
Amazon.com * Amazon.de * Goodreads
Synopsis:

Lose your heart to your new bad boy book boyfriend. Wes Carter - sexy, edgy, behind bars, with emotional scars as permanent as the ink on his skin, just waiting to be healed by love...

Fans of Samantha Young, Jodi Ellen Malpas, Jamie McGuire, Katy Evans and Prison Break will find this powerful love story utterly addictive and unforgettable.

Their love is forbidden. But won't be denied... Can true love heal the deepest scars?

For Kat Lane, teaching inmates at a New York prison is her way of upholding the legacy of her beloved father, murdered fifteen years ago. But when new student Wes Carter walks into her classroom, she's shaken by the strength of her attraction to him. Carter is as handsome as he is dangerous, as mysterious as he is quick-witted - and he ensures people keep their distance. Yet vibrant Kat bypasses his defences and challenges him to reveal the real man behind the intimidating reputation. As their emotional barriers crumble, their inescapable but forbidden feelings cannot be ignored. But will Kat's discovery of Carter's role on the night her father died force them apart...or bind their hearts for ever?

A Pound of Flesh is a tale of loyalty, redemption and all-consuming love against the odds, introducing an irresistible bad boy hero...

Review:

A Pound of Flesh was such a good read. I wasn't expecting it to grab my attention from the first pages, but it did. I couldn't put it down once I started. Carter and Kat are so great together!

Kat teaches literature at a prison in New York. She has always wanted to do something to help people, to make a difference, and to try and get over her fears. When she was young her father was attacked while she was with him and beaten to death. She probably would have died as well if a boy hadn't dragged her away and saved her. She still has nightmares about that night, but she is hoping that working at the prison will help. She finds her work very rewarding and she loves it. If only her mother and best friend would stop getting on her case about it all the time. Her mom worries for her safety, but goes a bit overboard with it. 

Carter is a tough guy with an anger issue. You don't have to do much to set him off, but he is also incredibly intelligent and loyal. When he cares about you he really cares about you. He would do anything for you, though he doesn't have many people who would fit into that category. His home life growing up was horrible. Not in a usual way, but really destructive none the less. He doesn't have very many good experiences with family and love, but he is what he is. Or so he thinks. He is really hard on himself, knows he has messed up in the past, but doesn't really know what to do to fix it moving forward. He was so broken at times, but so strong as well. I really loved him. 

When Carter starts taking Kat's class to help with his parole neither of them were expecting the attraction that was there. They can't do anything about it, Kat has a non-fraternization policy that she signed. She could lose everything if she gives into her attraction, but it is hard. Especially once he is on the outside and no one is watching their lessons. 

I loved both of these characters. Kat sees the goodness in Carter when he can't. She knows what a kind, gentle, loving person he really is. She sees how life has not been kind to him and never judges him for his past. She just wants to move on with their future. She really helps Carter see more for himself and helps him get over some of his issues. She was wonderful. And Carter? Oh he is fierce when it comes to protecting her. He was just as amazing. I loved how he helped her bridge the gaps with her family, how he was so kind and caring with her. How he was just there and amazing. He was really vulnerable most of the time and it was really sweet to see. I loved him so much. I especially loved all the discussion about how your past doesn't define you. Just because you made some bad choices doesn't mean you have to keep doing so. He comes such a long way in this story and I loved every minute of it. 

Overall this story was really wonderful. I couldn't stop reading once I started. I loved that the author didn't add unnecessary drama just because. There were a few times I was worried it would go a different direction, or that some of the other characters would cause problems, but the author didn't go there. It was a really great story. I loved the characters and everything that happened. Carter and Kat were just so sweet together! 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★1/2