Reviews

Hurt by Lydia Michaels

75_sweetestbook's review against another edition

5.0

Wow this is a first from this author and will not be my last. I cant wait to read more from this series as it will blow you away and have you on a fast pace read that will have you hooked and on the edge of your seat throughout this book.

pamgodwin's review against another edition

5.0

One of the best books I've ever read. The writing is hauntingly beautiful. The chilling tragedies and heartache seep into your bones and linger long after the story ends. The tortured hero is my favorite trope, and my gawd, this hero embodies everything I look for in a character--complicated, brutal, vulnerable, sympathetic, possessive, protective, and hot as hell. Add in his Scottish accent, and lord help me, I can't get enough. Gah, this love story is so dark and perfect. Everyone needs to read this book.

rachelreadsdaily's review against another edition

5.0

This story was phenomenal. It was my first book by Lydia Michaels and I'm happy to report it won't be the last. The nature of this story was graphic and gritty, but redemption prevails in the end. This is an incredible story of how two people can overcome everything that are faced with and can find each other and create a life together. I cringed a few times while reading this story, my heart broke, and I felt momentous triumph. The journey that Hurt takes you on is like nothing I've ever read before and I highly recommend it. If you can handle it.

spicylittleitalian_reads's review against another edition

5.0

Wow!! What a emotional sad messed up story that ended up with a happy ending. That book destroyed me in every way possible but it was so worth it. This book was beautifully dark and intense but worth it in the long run. It is a MUST READ!

mimireadsromance's review against another edition

4.0

When Lydia Michaels announced she was writing a dark romance, I was immediately intrigued. Heeding her cautionary trigger warnings, I trusted her to entertain me with a story that is outside my normal realm of reviewing. It took me a week to work up the nerve to read the arc, but once I started I found myself captivated by Callan and Emery's stories. This book is NOT for the faint of heart and the content warnings were appropriate. The H/h individual stories are full of pain and suffering, and I found myself choking back tears on more than one occasion. My insides hurt, my shoulders were stiff, and I felt gut-wrenching heartbreak. There were a few times I closed the book, thinking to myself, "That's it. I have to tap out now." Ultimately, I was drawn back in each time by the need to know that Callan and Emery get a happy ending. And they did. Lydia Michaels is a superb storyteller and convinced me that despite all of the terror and trauma they'd endured, this couple found peace with one another. In spite of some really tough moments where I found myself uncomfortable reading certain scenes within the book, I absolutely trust this author enough to look forward to book two in the series. I'm really hoping it'll be Innis' story.

*Personal notes:
*I honestly struggle with rating this a 4 star book. The storytelling was compelling on nearly every level. The deciding factor for me came down to a few statistical information dumps that were just overwhelming enough to pull me out of the story, and an issue with the disappearing/reappearing Scottish accent towards the end of the book.
*CW: violence, torture, rape, sexual abuse

kpixy's review against another edition

Too violent - took too long to get to the romance

csharp0710's review against another edition

5.0

Dark, hot and a tortured hero! What more can you ask for?? Oh he’s Scottish so that doesn’t “hurt” ❤️❤️ I think this is her first dark romance but I haven’t read everything. First in a series! If you like the above, don’t miss this!

jenndoesbooks's review against another edition

4.0

Holy hell - words would not adequately describe this book. I started out intrigued, then I was mad, then I was sad. After that I was blown away!
Such a great book, I can’t wait for the next.

jolene13's review against another edition

5.0

The was Lydia Michaels first dark romance and she really hit it out of the park. The title itself explains one of the biggest emotions you feel with this story. You hurt for the characters. Such horrid experiences they go to through and you can't help feel their pain. But the best is seeing them come together and help heal one another.

I hope Lydia Michaels continues writing more dark romance/thrillers as she just proved she is kick ass at it.

beckiebookworm1974's review against another edition

4.0

"Hurt" was an extremely intense reading experience, one that has some serious triggers that some may find hard to deal with.
This is not going to be for everyone just because of how much it takes out of the reader.
Also, there's a disclaimer at the beginning of this book so please do take notice of this it is there for a reason.
So I liked the main characters Callan and Emery (love their names) and thought both their stories were just so heartbreaking.
I found this to be not so much a dark romance as the relationship at its centre was relatively sweet in nature.
It was all else here apart from this budding potential partnership that was darkness and death, blood and tears, this was where the rot set in colouring the landscape in such violence and brutal shades of black.
I sometimes found so much suffering and despair here that I actually felt like there was no end in sight and I really felt there needed to be some sort of balance to counter this.
So, this was told in a series of flashbacks so it was almost like two separate stories connected by a common theme.
It was extremely well written and so emotive and on that fact, I can not fault this.
There were just some little niggles from my camp that stopped it being a full sweep.
I liked how Callan was not the classically handsome hero, he had scars both inside and out and they only made him more interesting to me.
I also felt that without Emery's own experiences she might not have accepted Callan's past fully.
As awful as it was it has somehow cemented them together.
I also adored the finish it was fitting.
One final observation from my camp I would have liked Callan to own his darkness completely with no apologies to anyone.
So, this is a dark tale that takes you down to rock bottom, its a story of survival and human resilience but it is also a beautiful love story.
Would really love to read the sisters story next.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Hurt (The Hurt Series 1).



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com