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amyroseb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Look... I get it. He's hot. He's dark. He's large. He's in charge. And you want to fuck him. But are we forgetting that he
I was so excited for Val's story because after reading Payton's, then Savannah's, and having read Cassie's book first, I thought the trajectory for decent men and strong-willed women was heading upward. King and Savannah were better than Nero and Payton, and Hans and Cassie were way better than either of them, so I thought Dom and Val would slot nicely in between but unfortunately Dom was just as bad a man as Nero, and Val turned out to be just as weak-willed as Payton.
And I understand these are meant to be morally grey, dominant MMC's. I get that we are supposed to put up with a little strong-arming and overbearing attitudes. But this book went too far for me. There were times when I felt nauseous thinking about what Dom did to Val... all the ways he tricked her and deceived her, and all he had to do was whip out his dick, and she forgave him. Just doesn't do it for me. Also, it's not believable either. At all. Moreover, it was frustrating to get glimpses inside Dom's mind and see how much he wanted Val to trust him (!!!) and then in the next breath do something so fucked up that he would be beyond crazy to think that would gain her trust e.g.
Anywho, I am overall very disappointed in the characters of this book. Both of them. Which sucks because the writing is so good. The dialogue is great, and this one finally had a plot to stand on.
Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide
culzean's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Torture, Gaslighting, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gun violence, Suicide, Body horror, Cursing, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Sexual content, Stalking, Classism, and Violence
crispycritter's review
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Three stars because the writing, pacing, and plotting were good and like . . . I understand the things that happened are pretty cookie cutter situations for the subgenre despite making me want to call the police.
Big eyeroll for being a man who *dOeSn'T Ap0LoGiZe* ooooh look at you, big strong man.
TL;DR this book was the closest to getting me to like mafia romance but still gave me a big ick. If this is your thing maybe go to therapy and call your dad.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Body shaming
threeundertwopnw's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Val might have decided she was later okay with his actions, but I wasn't. Nothing redeems this level of behavior. She should never have trusted him. He didn't earn it.
Edited to add: Amazon has scrubbed all negative reviews for this book including mine and I can absolutely not support an author who does this. Thank heavens storygraph exists!
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Stalking, Vomit, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Blood, Torture, Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol