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kat7794's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Blood, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Violence
sarah_thebooknerd's review against another edition
I was trying this book out to see how I would like it so I’m not going to rate it since I’m not an avid dark romance reader. I will share my thoughts below.
It started pretty strong if I’m not lying I was getting into the storyline of this hockey player being obsessed with the woman who will not give him the time of day.
It’s a little weird to me to risk losing your entire career over someone you met 1 time by stalking her and becoming obsessed but at least she knows he’s all in.
Then…. The plot thickened with another psychopath stalker.
We get some sweet and spicy moments I was digging and heartbreak for the couple.
Then bam 💥 3 years later love interest is going to hunt her down and force marriage and wants revenge on the psycho stalker. Okay… then this where I started to get bored at the 80% mark before DNFing.
The MMC is an alpha hole controlling jealous the whole nine yards and freaks if she so much as blinks at another man he wants to murder them and that repeated through the whole book and was annoying. Coupled with her shock of how he would react to finding out all the stuff the psycho stalker man did to her and she thinks that the Alphahole is going to just be like cool cool. Come on….
The love parts became pretty cheesy and I just needed more action, less pages, less repetition and honestly better CW.
Please note there are CW provided by the author but I would add the following: car accident, drugging, death on page, murder, and rape - author had that it was off page but it’s not if you go into detail so please be advised ( of minor in detail recounted and as adult).
I can definitely see the appeal and this book hooked me in the beginning for sure and even when he found her 3 yrs later but I think it should have wrapped up earlier with the side stalker plot-line.
It started pretty strong if I’m not lying I was getting into the storyline of this hockey player being obsessed with the woman who will not give him the time of day.
It’s a little weird to me to risk losing your entire career over someone you met 1 time by stalking her and becoming obsessed but at least she knows he’s all in.
Then…. The plot thickened with another psychopath stalker.
We get some sweet and spicy moments I was digging and heartbreak for the couple.
Then bam 💥 3 years later love interest is going to hunt her down and force marriage and wants revenge on the psycho stalker. Okay… then this where I started to get bored at the 80% mark before DNFing.
The MMC is an alpha hole controlling jealous the whole nine yards and freaks if she so much as blinks at another man he wants to murder them and that repeated through the whole book and was annoying. Coupled with her shock of how he would react to finding out all the stuff the psycho stalker man did to her and she thinks that the Alphahole is going to just be like cool cool. Come on….
The love parts became pretty cheesy and I just needed more action, less pages, less repetition and honestly better CW.
Please note there are CW provided by the author but I would add the following: car accident, drugging, death on page, murder, and rape - author had that it was off page but it’s not if you go into detail so please be advised ( of minor in detail recounted and as adult).
I can definitely see the appeal and this book hooked me in the beginning for sure and even when he found her 3 yrs later but I think it should have wrapped up earlier with the side stalker plot-line.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
ymread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Stalking, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Mental illness
Moderate: Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Medical content
Minor: Infidelity and Suicide
what_karla_reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
5/5 stars
3.5/5 spice
A dark sports romance that will completely consume you from the first page... first sentence...
"Sometimes wings are built from despair."
Tropes:
Hockey romance
Possesive MMC
Strangers to lovers
Opposites attract
Anti-hero/Alphahole
He falls first
"Touch her and die" vibes
The angst in this book was intense. So much happens in the first part. You think that there will be some relief in the second... but no. You will suffer... but you're going to be happy about it. There are dark themes in this book that add suspense to the storyline.
Lyla is a survivor. I want to wrap her in warm hugs and comfort, so I can totally understand Lachlan's protectiveness with her. But she's also strong and resilient. She sacrifices so much and survives so much. I loved how she was the complete opposite of what Lachlan was used to from women. He had to work hard for her trust and affection, but once these two admitted their feelings, they were so good together. Was he a possessive, alphahole ready to break/kill any guy who tries to talk to his girl? Yes. Do we love him anyways? Yes.
Their story spans a little over 3 years, starting in college and their lives after college. It's such an emotional roller coaster. Just when you think they are going to be OK, something happens to derail their plans. But the love they share for each other is so much deeper than anything I've read... they are soulmates. The connection, the love, the passion they have for each other is just next level.
'“You can shut out the entire world, Lyla James.” He kisses my lips hard, making my heart skip a beat. “But never me.”' 🥹🫶🏽
I highly recommend reading the trigger warnings with this book because of the trauma that was experienced and discussed my the MCs.
I received an ebook ARC from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered freely.
3.5/5 spice
A dark sports romance that will completely consume you from the first page... first sentence...
"Sometimes wings are built from despair."
Tropes:
Hockey romance
Possesive MMC
Strangers to lovers
Opposites attract
Anti-hero/Alphahole
He falls first
"Touch her and die" vibes
The angst in this book was intense. So much happens in the first part. You think that there will be some relief in the second... but no. You will suffer... but you're going to be happy about it. There are dark themes in this book that add suspense to the storyline.
Lyla is a survivor. I want to wrap her in warm hugs and comfort, so I can totally understand Lachlan's protectiveness with her. But she's also strong and resilient. She sacrifices so much and survives so much. I loved how she was the complete opposite of what Lachlan was used to from women. He had to work hard for her trust and affection, but once these two admitted their feelings, they were so good together. Was he a possessive, alphahole ready to break/kill any guy who tries to talk to his girl? Yes. Do we love him anyways? Yes.
Their story spans a little over 3 years, starting in college and their lives after college. It's such an emotional roller coaster. Just when you think they are going to be OK, something happens to derail their plans. But the love they share for each other is so much deeper than anything I've read... they are soulmates. The connection, the love, the passion they have for each other is just next level.
'“You can shut out the entire world, Lyla James.” He kisses my lips hard, making my heart skip a beat. “But never me.”' 🥹🫶🏽
I highly recommend reading the trigger warnings with this book because of the trauma that was experienced and discussed my the MCs.
I received an ebook ARC from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered freely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Stalking, Physical abuse, Grief, Rape, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Blood
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