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merilizabeth's review
2.0
It was just slightly more bearable than the first one, but at least this one had some action and secrets revealed. Was kind of sad that Scarlett lost her edge and became slobbering mess throughout the book, but I guess it was also necessary. Still after all the books I have run through this was quite weak.
blvelances's review
4.0
i love scarlett - and gets extra points for her hilarious inner monlogues. and her sass with basically everyone. it’s not something you come by everyday in a book so it absolutely deserves a mention
dante and scarlett are infuriating, especially dante since you don’t know what’s up with him, and the decision he makes
and i desperately needed to know wtf was up
the angst was SO good
i have to say though - i like to see compatible couples, and imagine how they’ll manage to live their life together after the end of the book. and scarlett and dante ? after all the hurt ? the manipulation and deception and toxicity ? i can’t see that happening. the book didn’t work on showing a good side of their relationship before all the torment, or in the very end. they’re obsessed with each other. okay. he wants to protect her. they like to have sex. great. but toxic relationships, even fictional, end in hurt. i wish the author had shown a improved relationship at some point.
dante and scarlett are infuriating, especially dante since you don’t know what’s up with him, and the decision he makes
and i desperately needed to know wtf was up
the angst was SO good
i have to say though - i like to see compatible couples, and imagine how they’ll manage to live their life together after the end of the book. and scarlett and dante ? after all the hurt ? the manipulation and deception and toxicity ? i can’t see that happening. the book didn’t work on showing a good side of their relationship before all the torment, or in the very end. they’re obsessed with each other. okay. he wants to protect her. they like to have sex. great. but toxic relationships, even fictional, end in hurt. i wish the author had shown a improved relationship at some point.
octopusgarden's review
5.0
YAS R.K LILLEY. YOU DID IT AGAIN.
Okay first off, I just want to say. Anytime I read an R.K. Lilley book, I KNOW I'm not going to be disappointed because in SOME WAY, I'm going to be feeling things. The heart ache, the frustration, the pain, and the flashbacks. DO NOT talk to me about the flashbacks, it was like back and forth and I just wanted to cry cause all I was thinking was "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??????"
For all my goodreads friends, expect to be confused literally 90% of the book and second guess everything you know and read. JUST ALL OF IT. JUST BE SO DAMN CONFUSED BUT EMBRACE IT. EMBRACE THE CONFUSION FELLOW READERS. Learn to love it. Just kidding, you're going to hate it and want to chuck the book and ask yourself "why am I torturing myself with all these lies" but you will LOVE IT.
Overall, I give this book "5 BEAUTIFUL BREAKING STARS YUM YUM YUM"
Okay first off, I just want to say. Anytime I read an R.K. Lilley book, I KNOW I'm not going to be disappointed because in SOME WAY, I'm going to be feeling things. The heart ache, the frustration, the pain, and the flashbacks. DO NOT talk to me about the flashbacks, it was like back and forth and I just wanted to cry cause all I was thinking was "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??????"
For all my goodreads friends, expect to be confused literally 90% of the book and second guess everything you know and read. JUST ALL OF IT. JUST BE SO DAMN CONFUSED BUT EMBRACE IT. EMBRACE THE CONFUSION FELLOW READERS. Learn to love it. Just kidding, you're going to hate it and want to chuck the book and ask yourself "why am I torturing myself with all these lies" but you will LOVE IT.
Overall, I give this book "5 BEAUTIFUL BREAKING STARS YUM YUM YUM"
readfrenzy's review
4.0
**SPOILER-FREE REVIEW**
If there’s one thing I know with absolute certainty it’s that R.K. Lilley is a master at dishing out angst. Breaking Her is the second book in the Love is War duet and it’s every bit as nerve-raking as Breaking Him.
Scarlett and Dante’s volatile relationship continues in this book, only this time we have the benefit of Dante’s point of view as well as Scarlett’s. Lies are uncovered, truths are revealed, and the plot twists mount as the story concludes.
The book gets off to a sluggish start, but it isn’t long before the angst kicks in and I became re-invested in the story. I’m not a huge fan of using both past and present in storytelling—particularly in this case where each chapter alternates between the past and present and switches perspectives as well. It’s somewhat jarring and interrupts the flow of this high intensity drama. I can see why the flashbacks are necessary to keep the air of mystery. I just wish they were grouped together or used more sparingly. That said, I thought the flashbacks were far more engrossing than the chapters that take place in the present.
Despite my objections with the pacing, Breaking Her is a well-developed and sophisticated suspense. I really enjoyed this duet, and I’m officially an R.K. Lilley fan.
If there’s one thing I know with absolute certainty it’s that R.K. Lilley is a master at dishing out angst. Breaking Her is the second book in the Love is War duet and it’s every bit as nerve-raking as Breaking Him.
Scarlett and Dante’s volatile relationship continues in this book, only this time we have the benefit of Dante’s point of view as well as Scarlett’s. Lies are uncovered, truths are revealed, and the plot twists mount as the story concludes.
The book gets off to a sluggish start, but it isn’t long before the angst kicks in and I became re-invested in the story. I’m not a huge fan of using both past and present in storytelling—particularly in this case where each chapter alternates between the past and present and switches perspectives as well. It’s somewhat jarring and interrupts the flow of this high intensity drama. I can see why the flashbacks are necessary to keep the air of mystery. I just wish they were grouped together or used more sparingly. That said, I thought the flashbacks were far more engrossing than the chapters that take place in the present.
Despite my objections with the pacing, Breaking Her is a well-developed and sophisticated suspense. I really enjoyed this duet, and I’m officially an R.K. Lilley fan.
anasatticbookblog's review
5.0
Breaking Her (Love is War 2) by R.K. Lilley
Erotic, twisty romance. Part two of a duet.
HOLY. HELL. What kind of roller coaster did I just get off of!? Oh I know what kind. The RK Lilley kind. Damn, that woman knows how to tell a story! I spent the first book in this duet, Breaking Him, wondering what could have torn this amazing couple apart. I had a feeling, I had inklings, but I had no real idea. It was more than I ever dreamed.
Breaking Her starts out right after Breaking Him ends (there may be slight spoilers if you haven't read Breaking Him). Dante has broken Scarlett's heart again, and she is drowning her sorrows in a bottle. Because, Tequila. She's been there before, it's almost becoming old hat for her.
"Once you’ve been broken, every break after, even when they hurt like hell, can never outdo the profound damage of the first time."
Breaking Her was kind of like two books in one. We have Dante and Scarlett in the past and in the present. I did find myself wanting to go back to the past more, because I just had to know. WHAT HAPPENED? What could have torn this devoted couple apart? RK's foreshadowing and hints of what to come just about killed me. Just when I think I could put the book down and let my family know I'm alive, she throws another zinger my way.
It is so hard to review this book, because, spoilers. I don't want to ruin one moment of the unfolding, but let me tell you, it takes the entire book, but RK Lilley gives us all the answers. All of them. No holes are left. But I can tell you, something has changed. Despite Dante doing it again, Scarlett can't seem to muster up the immense hate she had before they reconnected. So when Dante comes around again:
"I'm here for the same reason I always come back to you. I've come for scraps. Anything you'll give me. I've come because I can't stay away...I tried to."
Scarlett finds her hatred has lost a little steam.
"I did not know how far all of his betrayals ran, how deep or shallow his lies, but I was starting to realize that in one respect, at least, it didn't matter.
Some part of my pathetic heart was going soft for him again."
My heart softened for him as well. In fact it became mush. Because, Dante.
"You're heartless," he told me, sounding like he couldn't quite believe it.
Like he thought I would deny it.
I did not. "Of course I am. Did you think I wouldn't be? You were my heart. And you left."
Oh the angst! The mystery! The hate! The love! The super-hot sex! This duet has it all in spades. I loved Scarlett (even more after I listened to the audiobook for a reread of Breaking Him), but I was still angry at Dante. I mean he was amazing as a boy, but I hated him right along with Scarlett for breaking her. But I ended up loving him. LOVING.
Likes:
- •Completely unputdownable. Every time I thought I could take a break, she'd throw in a line that foreshadowed something, but you don't know what, and you HAVE to read more to find out.
- •Dante...he's way more than a like.
- •Scarlett softening up.
- •Their relationship as kids was amazing. Dante was always so loyal.
- •The back and forth between present and past was clear and I was never confused.
- •I had hints, I thought I knew...I KNEW NOTHING.
- •RK has one twisted mind!
- •The sex was hot as hell, as RK always writes.
Dislikes:
- •A few times I thought I might have missed something as the story unfolded. I didn't, It was all revealed in good time.
The Down & Dirty
I thought it would be hard to end the Love is War duet as strongly as it began in Breaking Him. I mean, it would be really hard to top that! But RK Lilley completely blew me away. She had me guessing right up until the end. Scarlett and Dante were one of the most meant-to-be-together couples I have read, and I wanted to root for them despite the fact that they continued to hurt each other. RK Lilley's writing has improved tremendously and you can really feel her skill in Breaking Her. Her use of foreshadowing made the book unputdownable and it is amazing how she made all these twists in her head and didn't miss one hole in closure.
The Love is War duet may be RK Lilley's best work to date. It combines the best parts of all of her other books in a new, fresh tale. Because, Dante.
"My heart hadn't belonged to me since I was ten and a beautiful blonde-haired boy had shown me that I wasn't alone in the world."
Rating: 5 Stars, 4.5 heat
Purchase Breaking Her by RK Lilley
sher7locked's review
5.0
This duet... This book. I'm not so sure whether it is about breaking Dante and Scarlet or all of us. This love story was so sweet at its beginning and so raw throughout that it simply undid me. I was not expecting feeling so much with these books but hell... this was just too ugly and beautiful at the same time.
fantasyfunk's review
5.0
I didn't love this one quite as much as the first but it was still a hit. It's like saying I love strawberries better than raspberries. They're both delicious but if you put them in front of me I'll always grab the strawberry first.
I think the plot just got too much in the way of this one. Present, no past, no present, past again, now present... Not that I didn't like the past scenes but so much flip-flopping just made me want to pick one. Also I think Scarlet and Dante are drama enough without a crazy over-the-top wild plot. It wasn't too terrible but definitely some "well OK then" moments.
I still love Scarlet but definitely happy Dante had a bigger role in this one. His temper is a beautiful thing to behold and contrast that with the sweet tender moments... I'm sold.
Definitely recommend both of these books. RK Lilley has a great writing style. It's very fast paced and immersive. Scarlet and Dante are wonderful characters with great scenes together. I really loved his brother in the one. Hopefully he gets a spinoff next.
I think the plot just got too much in the way of this one. Present, no past, no present, past again, now present... Not that I didn't like the past scenes but so much flip-flopping just made me want to pick one. Also I think Scarlet and Dante are drama enough without a crazy over-the-top wild plot. It wasn't too terrible but definitely some "well OK then" moments.
I still love Scarlet but definitely happy Dante had a bigger role in this one. His temper is a beautiful thing to behold and contrast that with the sweet tender moments... I'm sold.
Definitely recommend both of these books. RK Lilley has a great writing style. It's very fast paced and immersive. Scarlet and Dante are wonderful characters with great scenes together. I really loved his brother in the one. Hopefully he gets a spinoff next.
lyshabr's review
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25