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kiwij96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The characters were 2D, the writing was often repetitive and clearly lacked proofreading with the amount of grammatical errors and repeated words, the way that Amaya's emotions were basically disregarded by everyone until the last 100 pages or so was honestly baffling to me even for a dark romance.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Ableism, Gore, Blood, Sexual content, Bullying, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Murder, Self harm, and Stalking
rickireadss's review against another edition
4.25
⚠️: murder, rape, ableism, bullying, death, violence, religious bigotry, child abuse, torture, domestic abuse, gore, body horror, gaslighting, body shaming, animal death, grief, kidnapping, hate crime, gun violence, confinement, trafficking, pedophilia, stalking, adult/minor relationship
Graphic: Torture, Bullying, Death, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Gore, Ableism, Rape, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Stalking, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Hate crime, Trafficking, and Confinement
ladyleia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Violence, Stalking, Sexual content, Torture, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Torture, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
wanderingpages0718's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Stalking, Child abuse, Blood, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Violence
angiel3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death
julianacosta_01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Stalking, Rape, Sexual content, Abandonment, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Murder, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Death, and Violence
vault_assassin_01's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Physical abuse, Bullying, Rape, Sexual content, Stalking, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, and Physical abuse
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
So yeah, first and foremost this probably ticks a few more trigger/content warning boxes than the previous books in the series. It certainly felt darker than some of the others, particularly since the juxtaposition of Cade's day job compared to his nighttime activities is so stark. Although you do jump into the action very quickly, it is a little unsettling simply because your expectations of the characters based on stereotypes are the reverse of the other books - you'd expect the MMC to be the 'innocent' one here. As a result, I found Cade's struggle between his faith and his desire very engaging as it kept this feeling going even after it became clear that the author was sticking with her usual formula.
The story also felt more grounded than the others. For once, neither of the main protagonists were filthy rich and their lives generally were more relatable. They're certainly no more 'normal' than any of the others, but they had more depth to them. Introducing Quinten as the younger brother with developmental disabilities was a beautiful touch, and he gives the reader a character to truly root for. Weirdly, the story acts as a great social commentary on how hard it must be to have a child with special needs when you simply can't afford all of the extra necessities, and makes you think about just what those necessities are. It also means that you feel as Amaya and Cade do when he is forgotten, which is a great way into their wider mindsets. Plus, the extended epilogue to this one really rounds his story out nicely.
As with the last book though, the added darkness to Cade's character didn't seem strictly necessary. He could still have been the stormy priest struggling with his inner demons and just as dark a character without him getting his hands dirty. Again, I think the author knows what works for her and is blindly sticking with it, rather than exploring alternative ways to tell the story she wants to tell. And while the morally upright to morally grey arc for Amaya works well in the main story, I'm not sold on the ambiguous ending where it's intimated that perhaps she's followed Cade down the darker path. It just doesn't fit her character in my opinion.
The "adult" content in this one give the story much more of a slow burn to it. And actually, while it's still a big part of the story, it came across as more of a physical expression of feelings (or repression thereof) rather than just being there for the 18 rating.
These books are good, don't get me wrong, but having read all five in a very short space of time I can confidently say that was a mistake. These are standalone books that you slot in between other reads, or to get you out of your own head when you're distracted, not a series to be binge-read. I'll definitely be reading them again in future, but probably not for a little while.
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Ableism, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
olenvasynyt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Bullying, Ableism, Torture, Stalking, Sexual violence, Addiction, Blood, Religious bigotry, Gore, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Rape, and Child abuse