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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
listen, was it well-written, well-plotted, well-paced, or well really any... good? no, not at all. but did have a damn fun time reading it? you bet your ass i did!
i do feel like i lost a bit reading kiss the villain before this one. there was just something so addictive about that book and gareth and kayden's dynamic that i missed here. which i know isn't this book's fault, but i spent a lot of time reading this one remembering how much more i enjoyed kiss the villain.
which isn't to say that this book is bad, well, not bad. but it's not good. if you're expecting high-level prose, believable dialogue, and characters that bother to act like people half the time, then you're not coming to a kindle unlimited dark romance. you get what you came for.
but that's not the point of these books. they're like dopamine hits, they're meant to give you the rush and yearning that you usually only get from these sorts of high octane situations, and for me, it did the job decently. nikolai was so annoying at first, and not much can put me off of a character harder than me introduction to them being how he explained that he got his first erection at five...
where nikolai either grossed me our or made me cringe, bran had my heart. i loved his journey of realization, of finding love and accepting that he wanted help from those closest to him. and within the context of his and nikolai's relationship, nikolai became a bit more interesting to read.
this was far from perfect, but what book needs to be. this was good dumb fun, with lots of action and violence and pretty heated smut. and sometimes that's all a book really needs to be.
i do feel like i lost a bit reading kiss the villain before this one. there was just something so addictive about that book and gareth and kayden's dynamic that i missed here. which i know isn't this book's fault, but i spent a lot of time reading this one remembering how much more i enjoyed kiss the villain.
which isn't to say that this book is bad, well, not bad. but it's not good. if you're expecting high-level prose, believable dialogue, and characters that bother to act like people half the time, then you're not coming to a kindle unlimited dark romance. you get what you came for.
but that's not the point of these books. they're like dopamine hits, they're meant to give you the rush and yearning that you usually only get from these sorts of high octane situations, and for me, it did the job decently. nikolai was so annoying at first, and not much can put me off of a character harder than me introduction to them being how he explained that he got his first erection at five...
where nikolai either grossed me our or made me cringe, bran had my heart. i loved his journey of realization, of finding love and accepting that he wanted help from those closest to him. and within the context of his and nikolai's relationship, nikolai became a bit more interesting to read.
this was far from perfect, but what book needs to be. this was good dumb fun, with lots of action and violence and pretty heated smut. and sometimes that's all a book really needs to be.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This whole series: make sure to preview trigger warnings before reading.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve been wanting to reread this since I originally picked up the book and I finally did. This was an incredible audiobook and the duet narration really added a lot to it. I love this story and these characters so much and they’ll always hold a special place in my heart so it’s really no surprise that this was 5 stars again.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
That was the worst thing I’ve ever read, I fucking loved it
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OMGEEEE MY FAV BOOK IN THE SERIES, absolutely love able characters and amazing story!
TLDR: Repetitive with little depth. Dark MM romance felt very stereotypical: the hypersexual guy x repressed guy with the main conflict being about the closet. Disappointing for sure.
I was looking for a MM dark romance and this looked super promising from the overall ratings and description. I think the only moment I enjoyed was the hospital scene between Lan and Bran.
I thought this book was repetitive and too long. It was so much hot-and-cold from the MCs that followed the same pattern one person would be closed off -> fuck you, leave me alone -> both of them are angsty about the separation -> get back together over and over. And then it also wasn't even broken up by good spice. The sex scenes were basic and repetitive. It definitely felt like a stereotype of a dark MM relationship complete with cringey moments where one of the MCs is literally defining ace and demi sexuality. The characters didn't have much depth. Bran's whole personality is his trauma, but again, it felt like stereotypical representation without any real depth or exploration. And then I was disappointed that it was portrayed that a lot of the repression and trauma was tied to CSA at the very end. It felt unnecessary to the story or the character development and also counterintuitive to the MCs first few interactions (harassment/assault).
I was looking for a MM dark romance and this looked super promising from the overall ratings and description. I think the only moment I enjoyed was the hospital scene between Lan and Bran.
I thought this book was repetitive and too long. It was so much hot-and-cold from the MCs that followed the same pattern one person would be closed off -> fuck you, leave me alone -> both of them are angsty about the separation -> get back together over and over. And then it also wasn't even broken up by good spice. The sex scenes were basic and repetitive. It definitely felt like a stereotype of a dark MM relationship complete with cringey moments where one of the MCs is literally defining ace and demi sexuality. The characters didn't have much depth. Bran's whole personality is his trauma, but again, it felt like stereotypical representation without any real depth or exploration. And then I was disappointed that it was portrayed that a lot of the repression and trauma was tied to CSA at the very end. It felt unnecessary to the story or the character development and also counterintuitive to the MCs first few interactions (harassment/assault).
"If fear and pain are the price I must pay for another taste of him, then so be it."
I can now say that this book was worth the hype surrounding it especially from my friends who have read it before me, but also from everyone else who know I mainly read dark romance and were surprised I had not read it yet.
Niko & Brandon have made my top list.
It says something when I can read a book blindly from a new to me author and finish it in under 24 hours.
Niko was like a chihuahua on crack in the best way possible but also the golden retriever that's of the dark variety and barks at the anyone or anything that comes near Brandon.
Brandon is a broken mirror if I have ever seen one, he only sees the negative when he looks into one then it inevitable breaks. When he had those brief moments and came out to play, phew was it glorious!
This book is heavy on the possessiveness and dark obsession and while I gobbled it up I couldn't help but feel the pain along side the giddy while reading. The seesaw of emotions that this book pulled from me was one I have not experienced from a book in a very long time.
Brans struggles are what captured my attention the most, I've lived that. The sense of been there, done that was very loud. The way it was handled was done in a way that was real but also truthful.
Niko truly was his light in his own darkness.
Dynamics in this book kept me on my toes and left me wanting more.
The family, the friends, the clubs, all of it makes for one interesting and hell of a ride that I did not want to leave.
Niko & Bran left nothing out in their situationship, if anything they leave you wanting more and more.
You get possessiveness, jealousy, obsession, stalking, that little taste of bi-awakening, one hot as hell piercing that is
I can now say that this book was worth the hype surrounding it especially from my friends who have read it before me, but also from everyone else who know I mainly read dark romance and were surprised I had not read it yet.
Niko & Brandon have made my top list.
It says something when I can read a book blindly from a new to me author and finish it in under 24 hours.
Niko was like a chihuahua on crack in the best way possible but also the golden retriever that's of the dark variety and barks at the anyone or anything that comes near Brandon.
Brandon is a broken mirror if I have ever seen one, he only sees the negative when he looks into one then it inevitable breaks. When he had those brief moments and came out to play, phew was it glorious!
This book is heavy on the possessiveness and dark obsession and while I gobbled it up I couldn't help but feel the pain along side the giddy while reading. The seesaw of emotions that this book pulled from me was one I have not experienced from a book in a very long time.
Brans struggles are what captured my attention the most, I've lived that. The sense of been there, done that was very loud. The way it was handled was done in a way that was real but also truthful.
Niko truly was his light in his own darkness.
Dynamics in this book kept me on my toes and left me wanting more.
The family, the friends, the clubs, all of it makes for one interesting and hell of a ride that I did not want to leave.
Niko & Bran left nothing out in their situationship, if anything they leave you wanting more and more.
You get possessiveness, jealousy, obsession, stalking, that little taste of bi-awakening, one hot as hell piercing that is