Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Ritual by Shantel Tessier

61 reviews

bookswithca's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Kidnapping, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Stalking

cookies101's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Death, Rape, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

ellykristina's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

Even porn needs a plot, Shannon

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexism, Trafficking, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

jess_thefacts's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

4.0

"The Ritual" by Shantel Tessier is a dark and gripping tale that delves into the depths of obsession, revenge, and the consequences of choices made in the name of love. In this captivating novel, Tessier introduces readers to a world where power and control reign supreme, and the lines between right and wrong blur with each turn of the page. Tessier's expertly crafted plot keeps readers guessing until the very end, while her vivid descriptions and well-developed characters bring the story to life in chilling detail. "The Ritual" is a haunting and atmospheric read that will leave readers spellbound from beginning to end. With its gripping narrative and unexpected twists, this novel is sure to captivate fans of dark romance and psychological thrillers alike.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death, Stalking, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, and Violence

quietmarki's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

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

1.0

Please send Shantel Tessier to therapy please! This book is bad, has every trigger warning that exist!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, Stalking, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Misogyny, Classism, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Addiction, Blood, and Sexism

luna_lovelace's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Reading this book felt like a fever dream. I was awed by some scenes and couldn't believe it was actually happening!

Her mother not being her mother, didn't expect that! Blake and Ryat having sex near someone they just killed. Just to name a few!

It's heavy on the sexual content but there's definitely a solid plot. The plot is what kept me reading on, I didn't expect it to be this good! Definitely going to read the rest of the series. 

I loved all the song references, I played some of them as I read it through. It definitely gives a nice ambiance as you read!

I would definitely say this is 18+ and a very dark romance. Just know what you're getting into before diving in!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Murder, Cursing, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Torture, Vomit, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Pregnancy and Stalking

midnightrose_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The Ritual is the first book in The Lords series and is a dark romantic suspense about a secret society, that resembles an assassin guild. Ryat and Blakely attend Barrington University, a college for the super wealthy. Ryat has been in The Lords secret society since freshman year, and in his senior year, he is ordered to take Blakely as his ‘Chosen’.  Blakely, agrees to the arrangement in order to get back at her very controlling boyfriend Matt. Little does she know how much her life will change….

This is a pretty solid start to this series, with plenty of scorching hot spicy scenes, and tense nail-biting moments. It’s not a five star, for me, however. I feel as though because this book is clearly half romantic suspense the page count should have been tightened up considerably. I feel as if the suspenseful parts would have popped even more if it didn’t feel like in parts it was starting to drag. I don’t mind a long romance book, but for books that contain romantic suspense elements the page count needs to be much shorter than 600+ pages to really be effective in those parts.

(Just as an aside: I hope the word ‘whimpers’ is decreased in the next installments of this series. Its constant mentions in this story drove me nuts! LOL.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Rape, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

kenziescoggin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Domestic abuse, Murder, Child death, Sexual violence, Gore, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Rape, and Violence

kazandrov's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Rape, Torture, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Sexual content, Stalking, and Violence

mykindamagical's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Read the triggers. It borderlined non consent in many chapters (aside from fantasy play). You either like the guy or you don't. He was meh. Just did too much because he "could". 
Id recommend for a fun yet cringy laugh out loud "dark romance" with A LOT of spice. It's almost so over the top it's not exciting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, Bullying, and Stalking