Reviews with content warning for Cursing - The Ritual

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Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Ritual by Shantel Tessier

72 reviews

smolone13's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Ratings:
Goodreads: 4/5

Storygraph: 3/5

My Rating: 3/5

Synopsis:

Blakely entered Barrington University thinking that by the end she would be graduated and married to Matt but everything takes a turn when she lands in Ryat’s arms. Ryat is a L.O.R.D. which means he has to follow certain rules, regulations, and even do things that people in society have no clue about.

My Review:

This book was honestly really hardcore and it was hard for me to get into because for a while I was thinking that a lot of it was nonconsensual. It wasn’t until about halfway through that Blake talks about it and says that she enjoys the interactions and likes CNC but at first it wasn’t mentioned so it looked like a lot of things that were occurring between the two of them was rape. I will put that out there as a heavy trigger warning. So before you read it, if you have a hard time with that, there is that in there.

Moving on, I hated both of the characters, I am going to be quite honest. I didn’t find either of them likable. Let us start from the beginning with the two introduced characters Ryat and Matt. Ryat and Matt used to be best friends until Matt decided he was going to compromise their mission and not only murder the intended person, but also try to rape the woman that was next to the man in bed. That being said, wow what a start. Ryat doesn’t like this and tries to stop him and ends up “killing” the woman. Yes, I am already spoiling the book. However, Ryat honestly isn’t any better than Matt is. Matt is arrogant and thinks he can get anything he wants, including Blake. Ryat is the exact same way. Arrogant and thinks he can get his way with anything, including owning Blake. Honest to God, it it like reading the same side of a coin. The only difference is Blake didn’t want anything to do with Matt after a certain point, which pissed Matt off, and Blake uses Ryat to piss off Matt. Which in turn Ryat also uses Blake to piss off Matt. So they both are using each other to piss off Matt. However, Matt wanting to get his way with everything isn’t what makes Blake run into Ryat’s arms. No, of course not. The reason Blake ends up being in a situationship with Ryat is because Matt won’t tell her about the L.O.R.D.'s which pisses her off and then Matt ends up seeing another woman who he ends up using for his own gain. Otherwise, it is so easily noticeable I can’t help but see Blake as stupid. The answers are right in her face. Besides Ryat and Blake using each other to piss of Matt, they’re not any better. Ryat is hired by Blake’s father to make Blake his chosen. He does it. Ryat also offers to pay Blake’s father to marry Blake. Basically, she’s stupid, easy, and just accepts everything that Ryat does to her. Including putting her in a relationship with him and marrying him. Honestly, I don’t understand the stupidity of this character enough. Not to mention, her abusive mother isn’t her real mother and is the one who signed her up to become a chosen to begin with. The entire story is fucked up, and yes I understand it is a dark romance, but I also expected Blake to have more brains than to think for herself instead of following everything like a dodo.

Now that we passed the characters, the setting doesn’t matter too much. This entire book is smut. Every chapter you read has some form of smut in it. CNC, BDSM, choking, passing out, hair pulling, anal. Just about anything you can think of, it is probably in here. If you’re looking for smut, you’ve come to the right place.

The plot isn’t any different honestly. It is just smut. I think the closest thing to a plot is the both of them trying to capture Matt to murder his ass because he’s obsessed with making Blake his. So there is that, if you think it is some format of a plot, otherwise it is all sex.

Considering I managed to read the entire book, which I am impressed about, I would say the book is decent. I did read it for the main point of every chapter being sex, but there were a few things that raised alarms for myself and just Blake being overall stupid. Blake was just an easy target for Ryat to manipulate. I might try to read the rest of the series but I hope this review helped you, as readers, piece together if you really want to give this dark romance a try or not.

Content Warnings

bookswithca's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

cookies101's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

ellykristina's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

jess_thefacts's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

quietmarki's review against another edition

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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!

Content Warnings

luna_lovelace's review against another edition

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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!

Content Warnings

midnightrose_reads's review against another edition

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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.)

Content Warnings

kenziescoggin's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

kazandrov's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

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