I really wanted to read something by Pepper Winters after a few friends raved to me about her writing. She has an intimidating backlist of 30+ novels, including multiple series. I chose Destroyed because it's a standalone and one of her earlier works. I was in the mood for something with darkness and depth, and that's exactly what I got — I absolutely loved this torturously dark and romantic adventure! This story begins with Hazel Hunter, a 24-year-old single mother, struggling through a low point in her life. Having just received a terrible prognosis for her daughter's illness, she's barely holding on. Through happenstance, she meets Obsidian Fox, the mysterious and attractive owner of an illegal fight club, and enters into a bizarre agreement with him for an obscene amount of money — money she can use to seek every possible treatment for her daughter. What follows is a tumultuous and unpredictable relationship impacted by mental illness, deep emotional scars and a relentless sliver of hope. “𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐞.” I’ve met many tortured male protagonists in my reading journey, but Roan Averin, aka Obsidian Fox, gives almost all of them a run for their money. He is one of the most broken characters I've come across, and his journey is one I will not soon forget. His horrific past has shaped him into a person that is so warped and wounded, I found myself wondering how he could ever recover. On the surface he is a selfish, manipulative and aggressive man who moves through life in a maladaptive way, but underneath his harsh exterior is a somber desperation to overcome his inner demons. Hazel is a resilient and capable woman with her own tragic past and one of the most challenging obstacles in front of her as she tries to process her daughter’s condition. She becomes drawn to Roan's pain like a moth to a flame, compelled to try to help him despite the obvious risk. I could understand her unwavering saviour complex because many times I fell into it myself; I wanted to save Roan, too. I wanted the impossible to be possible. I wanted to comfort him and heal his wounds. Though their situation is unique, Hazel’s motivations are so relatable. “𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭.” Personally, I was frustrated with both main characters at points in this book, but I could empathize with them and understand the driving force behind their actions. They are flawed, raw and real, which is exactly what I look for in dark romance. Winters is definitely skilled at creating complicated characters and relationships! Their relationship is twisted and toxic, but it's also emotional, intense and so beautiful. “𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 **𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” This book has many tropes and elements that I love: single parent, tortured hero, forced proximity, and lots of trauma, drama and angst. But it's unlike anything else I've read. Though some aspects were predictable, I couldn't quite pin down the plot and I love when that happens. Winters' writing is unique and beautiful. It's very repetitive in this story, but it functions to reinforce both characters' persistent challenges and stuck points. I appreciated the poeticism in her words and the angsty narrative. Some aspects of the plot required me to suspend my belief beyond what I thought was realistic, and this is the only reason that my rating is less than five stars. Overall, I loved this book, I'm sold on Winters' writing ability in the realm of dark romance and I can't wait to read more of her work. I would recommend this to dark romance readers who love complicated characters with tragic backstories, toxic love, redemption arcs, and trauma-heavy storylines.