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kitausu's review
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
I didn't love Arlo as much as Harrison, but I still loved him and Cade and had a great time! I can't wait to see Tripp and Sebastian 😍
mommasaystoread's review
4.0
Chicken Soup Dom is the second book in the Hell's Bedroom series, and the story continues from the events in the first book. That said, it also stands on its own pretty well, but I'd still recommend reading book one first. There are some things that happen in book one that give a better grasp of certain situations. And I would advise heeding the warning in the blurb. I don't usually care for trigger warnings, but there are some scenes that could make a reader uncomfortable. I'll admit that this one went a little out there, and I can see how some things may be hard to sit through.. And I'm gonna stop right there to avoid spoilers. What I will say is I loved the characters, and I was invested in how things would play out for them - that's not a surprise where Tanya Chris is concerned. I met both of these characters in the first book and learned just enough about them to know I wanted to know their story. Brixby and Arlo's relationship is a little all over the place while they figure things out, but as I mentioned, I was invested in their HEA. Looking back over this couple's journey, I have to say that this one is a bit different than what I've read by this author, but the fundamentals of why I read her books are still there. The great characters, the emotional journey, and the intriguing worlds I can get lost in. I'm not sure where this series is going next, but I know I want to see more of the characters that make up this world.
cleo_reads's review
1.0
I don't know how to rate this. I was kind of OK with the story while reading it, but the more I think about it, the bigger my NOPE gets.
I have two main problems with this book. 1 - the unbalanced main relationship (both the age difference and that it implies a D/s relationship can substitute for actual therapy). 2 - so many little cringe-y and clueless elements in the story that add up to me not feeling comfortable recommending this book.
First, the relationship. In another context (and with the younger half of the couple at least 4 years older), I would have liked this story of two inexperienced kinksters figuring out their daddy/boy dynamic together. But in the context of 18 year old Arlo being rescued from human traffickers at the end of book 1 and moving in with 24 y.o. Cade a few days later, yeah, no. Nope-ity, nope-ity nope.
Second, several icky moments that made me cringe. I know from experience if something makes me (a nice middle aged white lady) a little uncomfortable, it can/will really upset other readers, so I'm going to mention the bigger ones to help other readers avoid something potentially upsetting.
Cade's landlady, who teaches Arlo to cook Chinese food, gave me magical POC vibes - she basically existed to help Arlo
The portrayal of one of the other trafficked subs, a Native American woman named Kimi, made me vaguely uncomfortable but I don't know enough to say why or what.
And then there’s my biggest issue. I read this the day it came out. The day that Derrick Chauvin was convicted on all 3 counts. Cade is a white police officer - a patrolman for the Boston Police Dept. That might be enough of a nope for some readers. He's presented as a working class guy who's working hard for a stable future. He's closeted at work and is wrestling with whether or not he should stay on the force. He's wrestling with the homophobia - nothing else.
At one point early in the book, when he's considering leaving for a much less secure job where he could be out, he thinks that his new potential boss might have to lay him off if work was slow, "whereas belonging to the police union meant his chances of being out of work were practically nil. He would have to kill an unarmed victim to get fired. Probably twice."
I mean, he's not wrong, he did have incredible job security. And police unions do protect officers who do a lot of terrible things, but OMFG, reading that took me out of the story. In fact, I'm not exactly sure why I kept reading except that I have a little author trust built up with this author (I adore her PNR Omegaverse series even if I usually don't like her contemporaries as much) and I wanted to see where she was going with this. But she didn’t go anywhere with it.
I have two main problems with this book. 1 - the unbalanced main relationship (both the age difference and that it implies a D/s relationship can substitute for actual therapy). 2 - so many little cringe-y and clueless elements in the story that add up to me not feeling comfortable recommending this book.
First, the relationship. In another context (and with the younger half of the couple at least 4 years older), I would have liked this story of two inexperienced kinksters figuring out their daddy/boy dynamic together. But in the context of 18 year old Arlo being rescued from human traffickers at the end of book 1 and moving in with 24 y.o. Cade a few days later, yeah, no. Nope-ity, nope-ity nope.
Second, several icky moments that made me cringe. I know from experience if something makes me (a nice middle aged white lady) a little uncomfortable, it can/will really upset other readers, so I'm going to mention the bigger ones to help other readers avoid something potentially upsetting.
Cade's landlady, who teaches Arlo to cook Chinese food, gave me magical POC vibes - she basically existed to help Arlo
The portrayal of one of the other trafficked subs, a Native American woman named Kimi, made me vaguely uncomfortable but I don't know enough to say why or what.
And then there’s my biggest issue. I read this the day it came out. The day that Derrick Chauvin was convicted on all 3 counts. Cade is a white police officer - a patrolman for the Boston Police Dept. That might be enough of a nope for some readers. He's presented as a working class guy who's working hard for a stable future. He's closeted at work and is wrestling with whether or not he should stay on the force. He's wrestling with the homophobia - nothing else.
At one point early in the book, when he's considering leaving for a much less secure job where he could be out, he thinks that his new potential boss might have to lay him off if work was slow, "whereas belonging to the police union meant his chances of being out of work were practically nil. He would have to kill an unarmed victim to get fired. Probably twice."
I mean, he's not wrong, he did have incredible job security. And police unions do protect officers who do a lot of terrible things, but OMFG, reading that took me out of the story. In fact, I'm not exactly sure why I kept reading except that I have a little author trust built up with this author (I adore her PNR Omegaverse series even if I usually don't like her contemporaries as much) and I wanted to see where she was going with this. But she didn’t go anywhere with it.
bookly_reads's review
4.0
My primary complaint is that it was too short! (Is that really a complaint?) I wanted more of Arlo and Cade. <3
When I finished book 1 I was pleasantly surprised to realize this was a trilogy, but now that I've finished book 2 I'm so sad it's only a trilogy. Both books so far have had engaging plots and a cute, cuddly relationships, along with well-developed side characters (rare in the romance genre). It's perfect escapism.
That being said, I really do think it was too short, and that the climax wasn't directed quite where it should have been. The book is called Chicken Soup Dom, which would seem to promise coziness and safety and recovery for Arlo.
Still, overall, it was a fun and short read, and the premise of the whole series sort of necessitates that you don't take it too seriously.
My favorite sentence: "It was fuller, more complete, than anything he'd ever felt before, as if every positive emotion he'd ever had toward anyone were wrapped up in this single yearning for the heart beating next to his."
When I finished book 1 I was pleasantly surprised to realize this was a trilogy, but now that I've finished book 2 I'm so sad it's only a trilogy. Both books so far have had engaging plots and a cute, cuddly relationships, along with well-developed side characters (rare in the romance genre). It's perfect escapism.
That being said, I really do think it was too short, and that the climax wasn't directed quite where it should have been. The book is called Chicken Soup Dom, which would seem to promise coziness and safety and recovery for Arlo.
Spoiler
It seemed wrong (and unrealistic) that his arc was resolved by him being thrown back into danger. Cade, on the other hand, doesn't accept their relationship until literally the last paragraph of the book. I would have preferred this book's climax to be an emotional one focused on their relationship, and for Cade to have come to obvious realizations much sooner than the end. It felt like we never quite got to the "chicken soup" part of the book. I didn't like that Cade cursed at Arlo, for example, and that he routinely forgot to provide Arlo with basic things like clothes. I felt that the lack of therapy and support for Arlo wasn't realistic.Still, overall, it was a fun and short read, and the premise of the whole series sort of necessitates that you don't take it too seriously.
My favorite sentence: "It was fuller, more complete, than anything he'd ever felt before, as if every positive emotion he'd ever had toward anyone were wrapped up in this single yearning for the heart beating next to his."
lovelymisskay's review
3.0
Nice continuation of the story. Daddy Dom but not age play, lacking in dirty talk and kink scenes. Didn’t feel like the story developed much beyond the money concerns, ready concerns, police force concerns, and kidnapping story line.
beeziereadsromance's review
4.0
Great second in the series
I'm really enjoying this series and this is a sweet relationship. I was not expecting certain plot points, which made for a great payoff at the end. I loved that you get the continuation of the background stories from the previous book too.
Whilst I think Arlo's trauma is dealt with sensitively, I still think someone who has been kidnapped by human traffickers should really undergo some therapy around this, instead of figuring it all out on their own with their friends who are not therapists. Maybe he will in the future but it seemed like something important that could have been touched on - love can't heal trauma on it's own.
I'm really enjoying this series and this is a sweet relationship. I was not expecting certain plot points, which made for a great payoff at the end. I loved that you get the continuation of the background stories from the previous book too.
Whilst I think Arlo's trauma is dealt with sensitively, I still think someone who has been kidnapped by human traffickers should really undergo some therapy around this, instead of figuring it all out on their own with their friends who are not therapists. Maybe he will in the future but it seemed like something important that could have been touched on - love can't heal trauma on it's own.
steiner's review
2.0
This book never really resolves the problematic aspect of an abused child raised by neglectful parents entering a power exchange relationship with an authority figure. I just couldn’t get over that hurdle.
endemictoearth's review
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
This book works hard to make the main relationship is okay. Arlo is 18 and has just been rescued from a human trafficking situation. Cade is a 24 year old rookie cop who disobeyed orders to help track him down. They end up living together, and while Arlo is like, ‘great! a replacement Dom who is nicer than the one who kept me in a cage!’ Cade is rightfully wary and resists forming any sort of romantic attachment. I think ultimately the book strikes the right balance and it isn’t squicky, but it is a narrow tightrope to the end. I will probably read the last book in the series soon--there is a great cast of characters that has built up so far.
queen_a's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0