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tink2cma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Ableism, Bullying, Murder, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Minor: Classism, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
marucchiato'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Vomit, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
koreydobbert'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Stalking, Classism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture, Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Misogyny
han_olenik'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: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Blood, Classism, Abandonment, Sexual content, Misogyny, Ableism, and Sexual assault
whitedaylilies's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Death, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Murder, Torture, Sexual content, Rape, Gaslighting, Violence, Stalking, and Misogyny
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
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
emiliamaria76'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Stalking, Confinement, Cursing, Gaslighting, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Body shaming, Bullying, Abandonment, Addiction, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
vanessabrown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death, Violence, Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Rape, Self harm, and Sexism