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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I thought I would enjoy this one much more than I did. I expected this angsty story but what I actually got was lackluster. I feel like the story had so much more potential. But the characters were unlikable. Especially the MMC who was just being cruel to the woman he supposedly loves. Even after he found out she had no idea where he ended up. It was actually quite stupid... Not much more to say.
4.5⭐️ ok….but this book was so much more than i was expecting i loved that we got a lot of their background! and i felt like this story was so unique i’ve never read a book with this kind of story before but also…the way he didn’t tell her something when he knew he should for the whole book and then was surprised when she got mad when she found out herself took my .5 from this book but still loved!
emotional
reflective
medium-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:
No
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
I don’t know how to describe the many ways in which this book is brilliant and how much I loved it. As with the other LJ Shen’s books, the magic is in the complexity of her characters, the multitude of motives in their actions, the multiple levels of the story. You have to read her stories carefully because there’s always cause and effect in the early part of the story that cross references to the final part. It’s beautifully complicated and wonderfully romantic.
Arya and Nicky were childhood playmates; she belonged to the ultra rich and he belonged to the utterly poor and were brought together by Nicky’s mother, who worked for Arya’s parents as their housekeeper. Until one day they were separated by betrayal in a very explosive way that reeked of lies and evil machinations.
Fast forward eighteen years into the future, Nicholai Ivanov is now Christian Miller, he recognized her immediately, and her heart recognized him also, but since his name was different, she was left with an indescribable attraction she couldn’t understand. For Christian, his motives were revenge, but eventually his hatred turned into fascination and underneath all his feelings was the love he never stopped feeling since they were fourteen.
“He didn’t feel like a stranger. Not exactly. Standing next to him, I could swear my body recognized his.”
I think this is the most romantic of this author’s stories I’ve read. The bittersweet yearning of their young love was ever present in their current antagonistic encounters. There’s this whole buildup of legal cases, maternal negligence, paternal manipulation, abuse, and jealousy that make up this riveting tale of a love that never died. I loved how it flourished, how Christian changed from a jerk with materialistic tendencies who grew up to a guy for whom Arya was important above anything else. I also loved his friends (except for Riggs’ dirt until his fingernails!); they formed the family he never had. I loved the contrast that although Arya was wealthy in money, she was poor in family love, whereas Christian grew up horribly poor but he gained a family in Mrs. Gudinsky, Arsene and Riggs.
“I curled my fingers around Arya’s waist, pressing her body to mine. There was not enough of her, and suddenly, I felt a little panicky. That there was only one Arya in the world. One chance at having her.”
And above all, I loved this incredible love they had for each other that sustained over years, over betrayals and over revenge attempts. Loved, loved, loved!
Arya and Nicky were childhood playmates; she belonged to the ultra rich and he belonged to the utterly poor and were brought together by Nicky’s mother, who worked for Arya’s parents as their housekeeper. Until one day they were separated by betrayal in a very explosive way that reeked of lies and evil machinations.
Fast forward eighteen years into the future, Nicholai Ivanov is now Christian Miller, he recognized her immediately, and her heart recognized him also, but since his name was different, she was left with an indescribable attraction she couldn’t understand. For Christian, his motives were revenge, but eventually his hatred turned into fascination and underneath all his feelings was the love he never stopped feeling since they were fourteen.
“He didn’t feel like a stranger. Not exactly. Standing next to him, I could swear my body recognized his.”
I think this is the most romantic of this author’s stories I’ve read. The bittersweet yearning of their young love was ever present in their current antagonistic encounters. There’s this whole buildup of legal cases, maternal negligence, paternal manipulation, abuse, and jealousy that make up this riveting tale of a love that never died. I loved how it flourished, how Christian changed from a jerk with materialistic tendencies who grew up to a guy for whom Arya was important above anything else. I also loved his friends (except for Riggs’ dirt until his fingernails!); they formed the family he never had. I loved the contrast that although Arya was wealthy in money, she was poor in family love, whereas Christian grew up horribly poor but he gained a family in Mrs. Gudinsky, Arsene and Riggs.
“I curled my fingers around Arya’s waist, pressing her body to mine. There was not enough of her, and suddenly, I felt a little panicky. That there was only one Arya in the world. One chance at having her.”
And above all, I loved this incredible love they had for each other that sustained over years, over betrayals and over revenge attempts. Loved, loved, loved!
emotional
tense
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Sexual harassment