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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I skipped over a bunch of parts in the middle, not sure why because I found it interesting to read.
I read this series when it was released as serials. I did a reread to be ready to read book two in the series The Master.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will start with saying I love LOVE this book! I have read this series at least three times. The first time I read it I had to wait a month in between getting the next part of this book as it was originally published as three parts.
This man is just *chefs kiss! Sevastyan is tall, dark, handsome, dangerous, and sexy AF. Geesh Natalie, or Natalya like he likes to call her, is one lucky bih!
She meets him at a bar and turns out he was sent by her Russian mafia biological dad to take her back to Russia, against her will of course. He is the father’s right hand man and therefore they are prohibited from messing around BUT LORDT DO THEY MESS AROUND! Lots of kinky fuckery including a sex club! But for reals the book has a great story line, lots and lots of spicy scenes, some deep disturbing trauma and a mafia war that ends with death but the book has a HEA!
Fave quote: “Why do you insist on calling me pet?” “Maybe because you make a man want to collar and keep you.”
i’m a firm believer in critically analysing the literature that you consume which shouldn’t have been the case with this book because it is a mindless read, playing into the typical russian mafia archetype. and you don’t have to critically analyse anything to realise how fucked up this book is. and if you have to then that’s just concerning.
the first problem is the bdsm. a lot of it at its basis is communication and trust. neither of which they had. she went in with the mentality of if she gave up all her control then maybe he would trust her more. that’s problematic and not kink, it is not right to bring up bdsm where it does not belong.
the whole idea of him testing her to “earn” this life was a, infuriating - he was of no position to test her and he knew that as he could not put a collar on her and b, patronising - he wanted this life and so did she but he refused to give it to her or even communicate as to what the issue was because she “belongs” to him (why? because they fucked one time?) and his fragile masculinity could not come to grasp the concept that she wanted more than he was offering, that he knew everything about her because he stalked her for a month so he must also have understood all of her needs and any needs she would acquire in the future, when clearly, he did not. ALSO STALKING IS HARASSMENT AND NOT THE BASIS FOR ROMANTIC OR SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS.
the whole miscommunication trope was also such a subpar way to show jealousy and possessiveness and lust and etc because if they did communicated instead of being cold one moment then hot the next (which is an emotionally toxic cycle and the perpetuation of that being okay and remaining that way is okay because he has had a hard life is unacceptable. because with that, you are conceding that he would not be able to change or cope or communicate or ask for help. it is the same with his intensity. he is not extreme because he is generally that way. he is extreme because he fetishes the abuse he does to another due to the abuse he endured but he is disgusted with himself for doing it. he is extreme because he view himself to be so inferior that he acted superior and egotistical to compensate for it, building up such a false image of himself that he is incapable of shedding this skin. he is extreme because he knows of abandonment and fear it to a paranoid level which causes him to be miserable and misogynistic. he is extreme because his whole personality is i have tattoos, scars and i refuse to ask for help. he would rather learn a billion languages and kill people and transport cheap vodka from the states than ask himself to do better - point is, he is like a really expensive ornament. you know it’s expensive and emphasises so much on its price that people forget it has any other value until it literally has no other value) (what paxan meant by he has these extreme feelings and dark desires is he wears black and does not have a personality) then the story would’ve been about them figuring out their hard and soft limits while learning to live together and communicate about their needs and desires while making money off of murder and breaking the law while getting to know each other - because him stalking her while having sexual fantasies of her for a month does not equate to them knowing each other - but no. it’s about her feeling insecure because he feels insecure. for like, 500 pages. i— wtf. THIS IS HOW YOU RUIN WOMANHOOD.
the second problem is their involvement with the bratva, the story of paxan is this naive little tale of the under dogs fighting for themselves and selling it to her? mildly problematic, since she is not five? and understand that the little story of standing up for himself is barely the whole anything? that he is selling her a story like she is the local newspaper and not his biological child who wants to know him? selling the story to me as a reader? insulting. i’m also not five? and would not believe that the bratva’s story could be so nice a little present santa wrapped up with a bow? it’s beyond naive, it is ignorant and stupid.
paxan’s whole declaration of them belonging to each other is the most bull fucking shit thing ever? like he barely knows her as a person, there is literally nothing to know about sevastyan, what with him literally being 2D but angry. so paxan doesn’t get to declare them belonging of each because this is not five thousands bumfuck years ago and he didn’t even believe that before he died so using the words of a dying man who was probably not sane of mind to dictate how the two main characters fuck each other - did not sit well with me. on a molecular level. maybe atomic.
the fact that this book was written by a woman angers me so deeply.
this book is an insult to bdsm in specific and sexual desires in general. it is an insult to dark romance. an insult to the vory. most of all, it is an insult to afabs fems women and girls everywhere.
the first problem is the bdsm. a lot of it at its basis is communication and trust. neither of which they had. she went in with the mentality of if she gave up all her control then maybe he would trust her more. that’s problematic and not kink, it is not right to bring up bdsm where it does not belong.
the whole idea of him testing her to “earn” this life was a, infuriating - he was of no position to test her and he knew that as he could not put a collar on her and b, patronising - he wanted this life and so did she but he refused to give it to her or even communicate as to what the issue was because she “belongs” to him (why? because they fucked one time?) and his fragile masculinity could not come to grasp the concept that she wanted more than he was offering, that he knew everything about her because he stalked her for a month so he must also have understood all of her needs and any needs she would acquire in the future, when clearly, he did not. ALSO STALKING IS HARASSMENT AND NOT THE BASIS FOR ROMANTIC OR SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS.
the whole miscommunication trope was also such a subpar way to show jealousy and possessiveness and lust and etc because if they did communicated instead of being cold one moment then hot the next (which is an emotionally toxic cycle and the perpetuation of that being okay and remaining that way is okay because he has had a hard life is unacceptable. because with that, you are conceding that he would not be able to change or cope or communicate or ask for help. it is the same with his intensity. he is not extreme because he is generally that way. he is extreme because he fetishes the abuse he does to another due to the abuse he endured but he is disgusted with himself for doing it. he is extreme because he view himself to be so inferior that he acted superior and egotistical to compensate for it, building up such a false image of himself that he is incapable of shedding this skin. he is extreme because he knows of abandonment and fear it to a paranoid level which causes him to be miserable and misogynistic. he is extreme because his whole personality is i have tattoos, scars and i refuse to ask for help. he would rather learn a billion languages and kill people and transport cheap vodka from the states than ask himself to do better - point is, he is like a really expensive ornament. you know it’s expensive and emphasises so much on its price that people forget it has any other value until it literally has no other value) (what paxan meant by he has these extreme feelings and dark desires is he wears black and does not have a personality) then the story would’ve been about them figuring out their hard and soft limits while learning to live together and communicate about their needs and desires while making money off of murder and breaking the law while getting to know each other - because him stalking her while having sexual fantasies of her for a month does not equate to them knowing each other - but no. it’s about her feeling insecure because he feels insecure. for like, 500 pages. i— wtf. THIS IS HOW YOU RUIN WOMANHOOD.
the second problem is their involvement with the bratva, the story of paxan is this naive little tale of the under dogs fighting for themselves and selling it to her? mildly problematic, since she is not five? and understand that the little story of standing up for himself is barely the whole anything? that he is selling her a story like she is the local newspaper and not his biological child who wants to know him? selling the story to me as a reader? insulting. i’m also not five? and would not believe that the bratva’s story could be so nice a little present santa wrapped up with a bow? it’s beyond naive, it is ignorant and stupid.
paxan’s whole declaration of them belonging to each other is the most bull fucking shit thing ever? like he barely knows her as a person, there is literally nothing to know about sevastyan, what with him literally being 2D but angry. so paxan doesn’t get to declare them belonging of each because this is not five thousands bumfuck years ago and he didn’t even believe that before he died so using the words of a dying man who was probably not sane of mind to dictate how the two main characters fuck each other - did not sit well with me. on a molecular level. maybe atomic.
the fact that this book was written by a woman angers me so deeply.
this book is an insult to bdsm in specific and sexual desires in general. it is an insult to dark romance. an insult to the vory. most of all, it is an insult to afabs fems women and girls everywhere.
These books just keep in getting better, I read Master before this one and damn, this one is kinky af and romantic and everything we could ever want in a book. Loved it.
the scenes were super steamy but this relationship was incredibly toxic and honestly at parts it just was too much and completely ruined the storyline for me. The only thing I can see is yes the hero has a sad back story but my god he was a dick in places.
I did like that there was a solid line within the relationship that there was no OW/OM drama and no sharing.
I did like that there was a solid line within the relationship that there was no OW/OM drama and no sharing.
I read (skimmed .ed) this book because I really like Cole's paranormal books. But... I don't get this. I really do not get this. Well I already knew that I don't understand BDSM and wants more, I realised that I don't really want to try to understand it. I might understand a teeany-weany bit of the reasons why someone might be attractede to "the lifestyle", but all I can think of are reasons to OVERCOME this attraction. I guess I see it as an emotional sickness that must be healed for someone to evolve. And that was my thought here as well... I definitely do not see it as something I want to spend hours reading about another time.
But enough of that... because if the story in itself had been better, more interesting, and more realistic and I could have overlooked the lesser parts. But alas...
But enough of that... because if the story in itself had been better, more interesting, and more realistic and I could have overlooked the lesser parts. But alas...
This just was not it for me. It was too fast pace and I did not like how the main characters were insta attracted. It just was too ridiculous to me. I'm trying to push myself to finish the story, but I don't know if I can.