Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Credence by Penelope Douglas

174 reviews

luunacy's review against another edition

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The taboo nature was a little excitimg at first and there was a lot of good spice, but ultimately it became disturbing to me as they all became possessive.

I was so upset when Noah showed up on the beach in LA. These men are so entitled and felt so much ownership of Tiernan they couldn't let her live her own life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Incest, and Domestic abuse

booksalacarte's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Credence- 1⭐️ 5🌶️

Contemporary Romance

Taboo Romance

Multi POV 

Small town

Polyamorous FMC

Tw: suicide, parental death, SA, Rape, emotional abuse, physical abuse, pedophilia, predatory behavior, grooming a minor

The start of this book is interesting. A 17yo, raised by her parent’s assistant, looses her narcissist parents to suicide and goes to live with her step uncle in the middle of nowhere… but then the FMC turns 18 and things take a turn that I knew was coming, but by the end I felt like I was reading a train wreck I wanted to just finish and be done with. I think the setting was the only thing I enjoyed about the story. The rest just was a giant red flag. I think I kept reading because I was interested in how the situation could be sustainable enough to be considered a happily ever after.

This… was not the book for me. I don’t enjoy reading about the romantic couples abusing each other. I don’t consider that romance.

All of the characters were sad and depressing. There wasn’t a single person in this book that knew what joy or contentment looked like. Every single person in this book needed interventional therapy. The men were all misogynistic and gross. And once they had their “turn” they basically disappear from the plot . How? What? 

The POV shifts were fine, but the 1 POV from the MMC (who is barely in the book other than SA/R scenes) was written to make his internal monologue sound like an absolute psychopath. 

 This was definitely a “taboo romance”. Although there was not really anything romantic about it. The girl sleeps with her step-uncle and step-cousins, who are supposed to be alpha males, but didn’t get possessive when it came to their own family. Nope. The spice was very disjointed and flipped on and off like a switch. It read more like Stockholm syndrome. The only character that showed her any type of romance was her pedophile step-uncle. 

As if it could get any worse, it was over written. There is more than enough plot with the step-family…. Absolutely no other plot tools were needed to add to the drama. 

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual content, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse

xteniola's review against another edition

I don’t even know what page I stoped but the last thing I remember about this book is

her getting raped on like a car whatever by the one that doesn’t speak I’m so extremely disgusted by this book and people that rate it at all because there is a limit obviously if she consented to a bit of rough play or whatever kink it was there’d be no issue but anyone actively reading and enjoying reading rape right infront of their eyes and rate it you’re so abhorrent this book was nothing but disgusting they might not have been biologically related but the 40 year old man she has sex with is her uncle that is enough for me to not continue this book. Penelope Douglas you are disgusting anyone that enjoys this book and found it such a good read or whatever you’re all disgraces to society and you need serious help 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Body horror, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

avahope's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness

katharina90's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

Awful, problematic, big pick-me energy.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction and Gun violence

Minor: Cancer

lotta_lip's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you take the age of the main character this book would probably get 4.5 stars for me. However, I cannot get down with a 17 to newly turned 18 and grown ass men crossing lines when the MC has starved her life for love and affection! It’s too taboo for me! Also would have liked to have seen it end differently. As we go through different seasons/phases/chapters in life that it should have been a chapter ending and new one beginning!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Emotional abuse

katieitup's review against another edition

dark tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Mental illness

audreytwo's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Morally, this book is wrong. Suspend your morals and the book is really good, I thought. I've read it over and over, and I enjoy it every time. The family is for sure a little... too close... but ya know, that's what fiction is for, right?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Child abuse, Suicide, Incest, and Sexual assault

crispr_breadboard's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Death of parent

dawnlayla0715's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, and Violence