Scan barcode
skylar_cr_wolf's review
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
I had the pleasure to read Eve Healy’s “I Want You to Own Me” as an ARC and it has seriously been a pleasure because there have been so many emotions and so many things and and… I was so damn cheering for Noah and Anthony and I was seriously NOT let down at the end.
Due to moving and then having a while no internet connection, this review comes a little later. But in total - it was a good read.
Content Warnings
basilreads's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Non con, rape, abuse, kidnapping
Anthony Griff is a son of two Doms. Around your 18th birthday you find out what your ‘second sex’ is, and that determines your fate. To Anthony’s parents dismay, two Dom’s created a Sub. All of their plans for their son to attend the Dom-exlusive college and for him to inherit the family business, is destroyed.
Since Anthony is now useless to his parents, they sell him off to a Dom who, coincidently, is going to be joining the Griff board of directors. Anthony is sent away and treated terribly by this new Dom, until Noah appears.
Noah, who is also a Dom, is at the house to try and rob it, but instead of robbing valuable items, he takes Anthony. Once he’s free with his new Dom, their lives can start.
I had a lot of problems with this book, first one was that the story was terrible. I love MM and Boy Love themes, but this book did not do it for me. I also did not like the amount of non-con and grooming that was involved. Normally non-con does not bother me, if I know that that’s going to be a part of the story before I start the book. If it’s a dark romance, you can almost expect it – but this book, based on the cover and description, did not give off ‘dark romance’ vibes. The first third of the book is grooming and non-con violence against Anthony.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Abandonment
A LOT OF non-con and groomingcastletart's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
vrstal's review
4.0
4/5. Highlights may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Content Warnings for book: Rape, parental abuse, captivity, sex without lube, domestic violence
Kink: D/s, praise kink, intercrural, impact play, pain play, biting, clothed sex, breath play, sex toys, neglect play
This is set in a biokink world where, similar to omegaverse, the secondary sex is Dominant, Switch, or Submissive. Healy’s work is also Boys’ Love inspired and had some of the quirks and tropes associated with BL.
Out the gate, the world is dystopian and has huge power imbalances (Doms have the ability to compel Submissives, the bioessentialism is strong in that neither can resist their urges or needs) that people have to contend with and have little to resist against it. I’m not the biggest fan of dystopias so my review may be skewed by that. There’s also on-page rape (not between MCs) which can be uncomfortable for some people, just as a general warning! It also seems Subs have slick? I’m not sure.
I don’t really expect the BDSM in biokink to be reflecting of reality - Healy touches on a definition of sub drop that blames it on the Dom for not providing aftercare, but that isn’t always true. Sometimes the Dom does just as they need to, but the rush of hormones and emotional release can cause a sub drop regardless. I did like the aftercare aspect between Noah and Anthony though, and how that was emphasized.
There’s a lot of internal monologue in this. It reminds me of the way I write with friends in roleplaying scenarios - which is fine for that, but could be tightened up and cut down for a novel. Sometimes it was repetitive and there were too many fluff words like “though” and “of course” when they weren’t necessary. There was also some odd choices describing genitalia and related such as “brushing my delicate and clenching place”.
Noah, is my favorite character. I love his little snaggletooth, pink hair, and the way he makes jokes and is puppy like. He helped Anthony despite the circumstances, knowing a stranger needed help. However the jump to them having sex so soon after meeting each other was a bit much considering the awful experiences Anthony had. Anthony himself didn’t really have too much of a personality besides ‘sad’, but he did open himself up more around Noah and develop more of a character voice.
My confusion with Anthony was the lack of passion for anything else. He was content cleaning and then waiting for Noah to come home. I wish that he had some sort of hobby or even job he wanted to do - painting, knitting, horseback riding, whatever. He was bad at what he did try and didn’t seem to pursue anything.
I liked that they were similar ages and Noah wasn’t super rich or had much power over Anthony (in the sense of wealth, etc), so it felt more balanced to me. Their kink play was fun though sometimes I found myself skimming sex scenes and would’ve liked a few less of them. This is more instalove because of the fated pair aspect, but I like that stuff so it didn’t bother me.
As for the plot of this book, beyond them getting together — it was entertaining drama for sure! Realistic? No. However, I didn’t really have a problem with how it all went down. I do think that the first 38% (where Noah comes in) is a bit gratuitous with the on-page noncon scenes and Anthony’s sadness. I wish this was cut down to maybe the first 10-15%. However, in the end, the characters got their HEA and that’s what really mattered to me.
This author has potential so I will read more books. If you like BL, you will like this also if the criticisms I have didn’t bother you or at least prepared you for it. Overall, I recommend it even if it’s not perfect.
Content Warnings for book: Rape, parental abuse, captivity, sex without lube, domestic violence
Kink: D/s, praise kink, intercrural, impact play, pain play, biting, clothed sex, breath play, sex toys, neglect play
This is set in a biokink world where, similar to omegaverse, the secondary sex is Dominant, Switch, or Submissive. Healy’s work is also Boys’ Love inspired and had some of the quirks and tropes associated with BL.
Out the gate, the world is dystopian and has huge power imbalances (Doms have the ability to compel Submissives, the bioessentialism is strong in that neither can resist their urges or needs) that people have to contend with and have little to resist against it. I’m not the biggest fan of dystopias so my review may be skewed by that. There’s also on-page rape (not between MCs) which can be uncomfortable for some people, just as a general warning! It also seems Subs have slick? I’m not sure.
I don’t really expect the BDSM in biokink to be reflecting of reality - Healy touches on a definition of sub drop that blames it on the Dom for not providing aftercare, but that isn’t always true. Sometimes the Dom does just as they need to, but the rush of hormones and emotional release can cause a sub drop regardless. I did like the aftercare aspect between Noah and Anthony though, and how that was emphasized.
There’s a lot of internal monologue in this. It reminds me of the way I write with friends in roleplaying scenarios - which is fine for that, but could be tightened up and cut down for a novel. Sometimes it was repetitive and there were too many fluff words like “though” and “of course” when they weren’t necessary. There was also some odd choices describing genitalia and related such as “brushing my delicate and clenching place”.
Noah, is my favorite character. I love his little snaggletooth, pink hair, and the way he makes jokes and is puppy like. He helped Anthony despite the circumstances, knowing a stranger needed help. However the jump to them having sex so soon after meeting each other was a bit much considering the awful experiences Anthony had. Anthony himself didn’t really have too much of a personality besides ‘sad’, but he did open himself up more around Noah and develop more of a character voice.
My confusion with Anthony was the lack of passion for anything else. He was content cleaning and then waiting for Noah to come home. I wish that he had some sort of hobby or even job he wanted to do - painting, knitting, horseback riding, whatever. He was bad at what he did try and didn’t seem to pursue anything.
I liked that they were similar ages and Noah wasn’t super rich or had much power over Anthony (in the sense of wealth, etc), so it felt more balanced to me. Their kink play was fun though sometimes I found myself skimming sex scenes and would’ve liked a few less of them. This is more instalove because of the fated pair aspect, but I like that stuff so it didn’t bother me.
As for the plot of this book, beyond them getting together — it was entertaining drama for sure! Realistic? No. However, I didn’t really have a problem with how it all went down. I do think that the first 38% (where Noah comes in) is a bit gratuitous with the on-page noncon scenes and Anthony’s sadness. I wish this was cut down to maybe the first 10-15%. However, in the end, the characters got their HEA and that’s what really mattered to me.
This author has potential so I will read more books. If you like BL, you will like this also if the criticisms I have didn’t bother you or at least prepared you for it. Overall, I recommend it even if it’s not perfect.
ecrirejenesaisquoi's review
2.0
While fairly well written (the style is pleasant), I might have read the blurb wrong and thought this book was more slow burn romance than erotica. Without giving too much away, I think it's better to warn people about the contents, and that the first third of the story is very much non-con (the dom/sub makes everything slightly dubious in my opinion). Perhaps a tad too graphic for my taste, I'm afraid. It reminded me of some Omegaverse webtoons, with probably a little less plot. If you're into smutty stuff, this is probably more for you than it was for me.
More...