Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Stolen Heir by Sophie Lark

5 reviews

booksalacarte's review

hopeful fast-paced

• 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? No

2.5

2.5⭐️ 3🌶️

Mafia dark romance
Beauty and the beast retelling
Enemies to lovers
Professional ballerina
Opposites attract
“Touch her and die”


The writing is really stilted int he beginning. Maybe it’s the dual first person POV. And it’s needlessly repetitive. Something said in chapter 2 is almost verbatim in chapter 6. 

The monotonous replay of a specific scene in the other POV in first person isn’t interesting, it’s boring. 

The characters are under developed. There is such potential, but their character arcs are rushed and their relationship arc hardly goes beyond Stockholm syndrome. Their on page interactions are very few, making their relationship seem very immature. There is very little on page tension because they hardly ever interact. 

But it was a quick and easy read.



Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books/Sourcebooks for an Advanced Reader Copy of the ebook in return for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Cursing, Suicide, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Murder, Stalking, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Rape, Violence, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

a_libra_library's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Child death, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Drug use, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Death, Self harm, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Abandonment, and Blood

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Miko is out to get revenge for the death of his father. He kidnaps Nessa, the youngest Griffin daughter.

He keeps her hidden away in his mansion while planning his revenge against her family. Over the month, they catch feelings and Miko changes his plans. 

I thought this was a pretty good twist on Beauty and the Beast (the references were a little too in your face). I liked the chemistry between Nessa and Miko. I really enjoyed seeing the evolution of Miko's feelings and all the little things he did for her (ex. Bought her dance outfits). You could tell he had really fallen hard. Nessa's age kind of bothered me, she was young (19), I wish her character had been a bit older. This kind of boardered on insta love.

Tropes: Mafia, enemies to lovers, fairy tale retelling 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Murder, Stalking, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Misogyny

misswirum's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

This is such a cute love story!!! Who doesn't love it when a mafiaboss kidnapps you and keeps you captive in a big old mansion for months?? No, I'm not being sarcastic🥹🥺

Sophie Lark does a really good job at describing the setting and enviroment in this book. I could see the mansion as clear as day. It may be my new favourite fiction mansion. 

Sometime I felt the book was kinda long, because we get many of Miko and Nessa's inner monologues. But would I have been without them? No, absolutly not. 

This book could have more action and interaction between the two main characters, but I see the book as a love story, and not really a dark romance. 

4,25/5⭐️
 4,25/5📝
 2,75/5🌶
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

golden_like_dior's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gore, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Rape, Stalking, War, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, and Hate crime