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now_booking's review
emotional
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? No
3.0
This was a cute, relaxing second chance romance with minimal to moderate drama, likable main characters, and of course a satisfying ending. The premise is that over a decade after breaking up, ex-cop Asylum is called in to protect newly-divorced Dauterive whose ex-husband has decided if he can’t have her no one will and has become a threat to her. Instantly, old flames are rekindled as the couple find their way back to each other.
I liked almost everything about this- the emotions portrayed around loss, abandonment, forgiveness, and the maturity of the conversations Dauterive and Asylum had felt very on point and realistic. The plot moved along at a good pace and I never felt bored with the pace or like things were rushed. I can’t quite put my finger on what felt a bit off with this… I think it could be that sometimes, it felt like a series of really good scenes missing linkages… like there was a lot of “2 weeks later”, “a month later”- type timing cues that made it feel a little choppy. And that also made it seem hard to believe that the entire story happens in 4 months. I think the other challenge I had with this was partially my fault for not doing my research. Even though this is a standalone, and the start of a new series, there were lots of character names dropped that clearly demonstrated that this was an established world and indeed Asylum’s and Dauterive’s friends have books of their own already. I sometimes found it a little difficult to keep up with the friends and could tell that there was background I was missing with the way the friends were spoken about.
Overall, I found this a good enough read and would certainly read more in the series.
I liked almost everything about this- the emotions portrayed around loss, abandonment, forgiveness, and the maturity of the conversations Dauterive and Asylum had felt very on point and realistic. The plot moved along at a good pace and I never felt bored with the pace or like things were rushed. I can’t quite put my finger on what felt a bit off with this… I think it could be that sometimes, it felt like a series of really good scenes missing linkages… like there was a lot of “2 weeks later”, “a month later”- type timing cues that made it feel a little choppy. And that also made it seem hard to believe that the entire story happens in 4 months. I think the other challenge I had with this was partially my fault for not doing my research. Even though this is a standalone, and the start of a new series, there were lots of character names dropped that clearly demonstrated that this was an established world and indeed Asylum’s and Dauterive’s friends have books of their own already. I sometimes found it a little difficult to keep up with the friends and could tell that there was background I was missing with the way the friends were spoken about.
Overall, I found this a good enough read and would certainly read more in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Gun violence
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