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aarmatm's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
afterthestorms's review against another edition
It was like this was originally a book about heterosexuals and the author just changed the characters' names to make them female. It was terribly tropey and not in the good way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
polzhar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
anperkins's review against another edition
5.0
Look, I can't stand romance novels. But this didn't have the terrible banter or cringy scenes.
moodyreads's review against another edition
4.0
GOODREADS JUST ERASED A WHOLE REVIEW I WROTE ABOUT THIS BOOK JUST CUS I CHANGED MY RATING, IT WAS A REALLY LONG ONE TOO WTFFF!!!
banrions's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.25
iiiiii did not realize how heavily this book deals with rape when I started it. Part of that is on me, I think. I just saw that it was an author I had liked before, and a narrator I am really loving lately, and just downloaded it from scribid and started it on my walk. But, heads up, this is… VERY heavy on details about rape. Dealing with a rape kit, a prolonged investigation, a trial, and (spoilers, but I think worth knowing what you’re getting into, honestly, a homophobic hate crime). ALL that said, this is also… kinda positive on cops, like, a lot. And it’s… eye rolling at times, but was also written years ago and I’ve seen the author make posts feeling uncomfortable with trying to re-engage with that at all despite loving this characters and this universe and I get why. Because I really enjoyed this book, all thing considered. It handled a lot of the contents with great care, and really did its level best to lovingly honor the character of Dawn, (who is raped very early on in the book). I fell in love with Dawn instantly and she was absolutely my favorite thing about this book, but I did also really enjoy the (very slowburn) romance with her and Aiden as it developed. As I’ve said, I listened to the audiobook and LOVE this narrator. I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Hate crime
nonbinaryknight's review against another edition
4.0
This isn’t my favorite work by Jae but it’s a good read. Trigger warning for sexual assault, rape, and the like.
My biggest issue with the story was that it felt a little too bogged down with the police and court side of things and I just don’t normally enjoy those parts. They were well-written, but I couldn’t get into them.
I really liked the two main characters. Aiden is a detective who works with the sex crime department. Dawn is a psychologist who works with victims of sexual assault and rape. The two characters have a fortuitous meeting where Dawn is a presenter and Aiden is forced to attend. Both characters are initially attracted to each other, but circumstances prevent them from going further with their relationship for a long while.
The writing in this story is really good. I loved the case that was being woven and even the court scenes were well-written and intriguing. The characters had chemistry and it was nice to see them interact with other characters as well. It’s a slow burn romance for multiple reasons, one of them being so there’s no conflict of interest, and I honestly enjoyed it. As much as I love books where the characters are meant to be and jump into a relationship with each other, it’s nice to read the other side as well. I like to read about a relationship that starts off with them being friends and their being an undercurrent of attraction between the two characters.
The side characters were nice, and I may have to read Next of Kin just to see how the relationship between Del and Kade develops and progresses. Dawn’s mom and Caleb originally had me a bit worried about the two of them pushing her towards a straight relationship but that didn’t happen. A couple of side characters seemed to be thrown in for no reason such as Aiden’s ex and whoever broke into Dawn’s car (specifically whatever made the other detective say that it was personal) but most of the side characters made sense with the characters that had been set up.
Rape does play a prominent role in this book, not because it’s featured multiple times but rather because both characters work with survivors. Rape is also a fundamental fact that drives the plot of the story forward. However, to my limited knowledge, Jae handled the situation with grace. She didn’t ignore that the event occurred and pretend as though there are no lasting consequences of it. Rather the character suffered trauma from the rape and there was a lasting effect on her.
My biggest issue with the story was that it felt a little too bogged down with the police and court side of things and I just don’t normally enjoy those parts. They were well-written, but I couldn’t get into them.
I really liked the two main characters. Aiden is a detective who works with the sex crime department. Dawn is a psychologist who works with victims of sexual assault and rape. The two characters have a fortuitous meeting where Dawn is a presenter and Aiden is forced to attend. Both characters are initially attracted to each other, but circumstances prevent them from going further with their relationship for a long while.
The writing in this story is really good. I loved the case that was being woven and even the court scenes were well-written and intriguing. The characters had chemistry and it was nice to see them interact with other characters as well. It’s a slow burn romance for multiple reasons, one of them being so there’s no conflict of interest, and I honestly enjoyed it. As much as I love books where the characters are meant to be and jump into a relationship with each other, it’s nice to read the other side as well. I like to read about a relationship that starts off with them being friends and their being an undercurrent of attraction between the two characters.
The side characters were nice, and I may have to read Next of Kin just to see how the relationship between Del and Kade develops and progresses. Dawn’s mom and Caleb originally had me a bit worried about
Rape does play a prominent role in this book, not because it’s featured multiple times but rather because both characters work with survivors. Rape is also a fundamental fact that drives the plot of the story forward. However, to my limited knowledge, Jae handled the situation with grace. She didn’t ignore that the event occurred and pretend as though there are no lasting consequences of it. Rather the character suffered trauma from the rape and there was a lasting effect on her.
htumu's review against another edition
4.0
I would have liked this book more if not for the glorified view of the police department but I still enjoyed it.
digitalpennibs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0