Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Forbidden: Part Two

When you think about how Josie was at the very beginning of this duet, it's crazy how far she's come. She went from not liking touch and wanting to be alone - basically no friends, and certainly no Alphas! - to having a pack she loved, having lots of friends, hugging, and having confidence to do just about anything.

I kind of wish there had been a little more at the end on her dads and how they ended up, and maybe another confrontation with the Betas who were so mean to Josie previously. I'd have loved for them to see how wrong they were and how happy the Ashwood pack was with her, not that they'd change, obviously. I'm also curious about Victoria, Sam's mom. She was a part of the group of Omegas her mom was a part of, but it was said she was less catty than the others. Did she stay a part of the group? Though that's a much smaller detail than the other things, of course.

I like that Josie was able to help so much with helping to rescue others and herself. She did so much and learned to love herself more, as well.

I'll be reading the next book, Cherished, soon!

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absolutely_court's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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shaykay's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.5

I like how this one ended, even though I wish this was just a standalone instead of a duet.

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itsapaxycab's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

I have a lot of thoughts about this duology, which I will try my best to explain. I want to start by saying that overall this book was enjoyable and a nice, quick read. Thank you also to the author for adding content warnings, I really hope this will become a more prevalent thing in published books these days! Okay. Now for some critiques.

Character
While I loved a lot of these characters, I had an extremely hard time discerning between the three main boys, other than occasionally being able to remember which was Ben because he is so sweet and bubbly. Theo and Cam, while I understand they are quite similar, had very little to set each other apart. The ability to knit is not enough (although I love a man who knits). Character voice is lacking, and that makes it difficult when you have multiple POV's.

On top of this, I wish we got more time with The Boys (as I will continue to call Ben, Theo, and Cam). They have a long and rich history, and I got so little of their chemistry in this story. I would love a whole book just about the three of them in their time after leaving North Woods, however, I have a feeling that will not happen. The two chapters between them at the beginning of Part One, before Josie fully entered their lives, were wonderful. Seeing the way they cared for each other was very interesting, but I felt like I never got much more of that. Any time we saw things from their POV were Josie-centric, or the three of them were separated.

(I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY THAT THEY NEVER ANSWERED JOSIES QUESTION ABOUT IF THEY HAVE A SEXUAL HISTORY TOGETHER AND FOR THAT I WILL STAYYYY MADDDDDD)

I could talk about Josie's character for hours, both good and bad. I think some elements were well done, her caution, protectiveness, and traumatic history made for an interesting combination, however, sometimes her insecurity was overwhelming and felt like it drove so much of her character. Does she want to be independent? Or does she want her boys??

Plot
I like to tell people (when I actually mentioned what I was reading) that I came for the porn and stayed for the plot. I did not expect the world-building and plot to run as deep as it did, and that was fascinating! However, I felt the drama and tension were used and executed way too quickly. I often felt as soon as tension built up, it was already almost over, and there was no time to really sink into the characters and the emotions in the moment.

I would have been more interested if points like Glen Jacoby's house, the prison, and the initial interviews at the beginning of Part Two were drawn out more. For the cliffhanger we got in the first book, I expected it to take up more time at the beginning of book two, and it felt quite anticlimactic

Unfortunately, I felt like after a while the smut was repetitive. I would have loved more BDSM development before those final scenes or just some more with all four of them. However, compliments to the author for well-written smut, either way, definitely on the better side of books I've read.

Representation
This is one thing that bothered me quite a bit. In some ways, I feel there was good representation! Curvy mc who doesn't have to change in order to be loved. However, I felt we had one of two categories. Straight tough ripped men, skinny straight women, and our MC. Oh and don't forget Sam, the black gay character. I would have liked more representation. With the one male omega and his pack, along with Sam and his mate (who I have forgotten the name of), there was not much other representation. What are asexuals like in this hypersexualized world, one even more than our own? What about bisexuals? Do trans people exist? I would have loved to even have brushed against these subjects.

Conclusion
Wow, this is the longest review I have ever written. I know I probably shouldn't take it so seriously, but I did really love this book and would like for this author to continue to improve! Overall it was a great read. It had me chuckling at work and shaking my fists in bed, finishing over 1,000 pages of material in less than a week. I would absolutely recommend it to people who are looking into these types of book, it's a lot more than just smutty omegaverse!

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aelin_morgenstern's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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daisycantread24's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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jo22c's review

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

So happy to have found this duology when both books were out. I dont think I could have handled the cliff from the previous book.
So much happens. I'm glad they were able to work together to get their HEA. Josie is a bad ass bitch.
“Theo, we need the world’s biggest moving truck to haul the baggage all four of us bring into this relationship.”

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