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Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian
17 reviews
navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
In some ways it felt like an improvement from the first book, as unbelievable as that is. I enjoyed it so much. I would recommend this duology in a heartbeat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Confinement, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Stalking
cameronmh's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Cursing
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Classism, and Misogyny
Almost all of the negative content is in the past. Marion has escaped (water_violin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, and Forced institutionalization
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Sexual content
Moderate: Dementia and Gun violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Murder, and Pregnancy
analenegrace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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
I read Kit Webb and this one back to back as to best understand the story and while I quite enjoyed them both, this was was definitely the better of the two. I definitely recommend reading Kit Webb first and reading them together since the plots are so intertwined and I imagine this would not be easy to understand without Kit Webb.
Rob was perhaps one of my favorite MMCs in a while, his characterization was written in a way that was so enjoyable and made it impossible not to root for him at every turn. His relationships with the people he loved and the animals he loved, as well as with the people around him, made him practically perfect with a morally grey Robin-Hood-style code of ethics. Marian was, of course, an absolute icon once again and I enjoyed getting to understand her, her past, and her relationships to the ones she cared about more as well! I also enjoyed that the book did not shy away from discussions of her period and the dangers of pregnancy as I feel that even in contemporary books this is often ignored. The relationship between the two and their dynamic in and outside of the bedroom were enjoyable to read and the author balanced well telling us the story of the relationship while telling us the tale of their adventure.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a historical romance that has a greater plot and even a greater purpose outside of the romance!
Rob was perhaps one of my favorite MMCs in a while, his characterization was written in a way that was so enjoyable and made it impossible not to root for him at every turn. His relationships with the people he loved and the animals he loved, as well as with the people around him, made him practically perfect with a morally grey Robin-Hood-style code of ethics. Marian was, of course, an absolute icon once again and I enjoyed getting to understand her, her past, and her relationships to the ones she cared about more as well! I also enjoyed that the book did not shy away from discussions of her period and the dangers of pregnancy as I feel that even in contemporary books this is often ignored. The relationship between the two and their dynamic in and outside of the bedroom were enjoyable to read and the author balanced well telling us the story of the relationship while telling us the tale of their adventure.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a historical romance that has a greater plot and even a greater purpose outside of the romance!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Classism, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Medical content
wilybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
Ahhh, the Robin Hood references! I grew up about half an hour from Sherwood Forest and it’s always been one of my favourite legends, so I’m delighted to see the parallels in this story.
Rob’s blackmail letters to Marian soon turn into love letters, and his infatuation with her grows after she drugs him and ties him up only to ask for his help when she accidentally murders her husband. I just loved their dynamic; Rob’s laidback golden retriever nature versus Marian’s mean and prickly personality. He basically follows her around with heart eyes for the whole book (although briefly distracted by adorable kittens). Both Rob and Marian are bisexual disasters, and their interactions and relationship feel realistically queer.
There were some great nuanced conversations about ethics in this — about having money, about stealing money, about murder, about motherhood — but they didn’t feel intrusive or unnatural to the narrative. The dialogue is as witty and clever as it was in Kit Webb.
I will admit I was a bit weirded out at Rob being the half-brother of Marian’s daughter and the son of her deceased husband, especially since he kept that info from her for longer than he really should have. But it didn’t bother me enough to impact my enjoyment of the story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Dementia
Moderate: Pregnancy and Confinement
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
kers_tin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Dementia
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
rachelditty's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I went into this with low expectations since I didn't entirely love the prequel. I can say very surely that I like this sequel more than I like Kit Webb, but it isn't very high on my list of enjoyed reads this year.
While I really appreciate how considerate Rob is with Marian, constantly checking in with her and making sure she's alright, be it while they're having sex or while they're robbing someone, there were times where it came across as a bit overbearing to the point of almost babying Marian. I know that's not what he was intending, and Marian never felt that way, but toward the end I wanted Rob to lay off a bit; she obviously knows how to take care of herself, and they both know it.
I think the romance in this story would have been a little more pulling if there had been less of a devotion to each other before they'd even met. We get the background that, because they wrote to each other, they really began to fall in love before they even met. It came across in much the same regard as with Percy and Kit in the sequel--both couples were infatuated with each other, and then suddenly they were completely in love. The only exception to this, I think, is Marian. She gives us the context that she hasn't felt safe in a long time, and Rob makes her feel safe. And I know with Rob it's kind of stated that he's been away from his friends for so long that he's latching onto the first person he feels comfortable with, but that's never really compiled into something stronger, at least not in a way that really felt satisfying to me.
One thing I really loved about the book was Marian herself. Her motives and attitude felt very grounded in reality, and the way she guided us through her thought processes felt real. I think something Cat Sebastian did really well was never explicitly stating what kind of sexual trauma Marian had; it was just a part of adjusting to she and Rob's intimacy. I think that subtlety could've been applied to Rob as well. I thought it was unnecessary for him to state plain and clear that he doesn't like small rooms because it reminds him of prison. It was clear enough in the context and in his character; I think that aspect would've been a lot more powerful if it was shown to us more instead of explicitly told.
The interactions between Percy/Rob/Kit/Marian could've been so much more, I thought, especially the interaction between Kit and Marian. I felt like they barely spoke and suddenly she was leaving her baby with him. I wanted to see more of those odd pairings--Rob and Percy, Marian and Kit--but we never really got it as deeply as I'd hoped before all four of them were being put into scenes together. I did really enjoy the epilogue, though, of all of them passing the baby around. That was cute.
I'm not a fan of sex scenes at all, just personally, but the communication between Rob and Marian was great to see. However, the segue into the final sex scene, I thought, was very sudden and a bit out of pacing.
Finally, and maybe this was because I was listening to it on audiobook, I thought the last third of the book was a bit confusing--I had a hard time following what Marian and Rob were doing, where they were going, and why they had to go there. That might've just been me though.
Not sure if I want to read more from Cat Sebastian after this. I know she writes explicitly about queer historical romance, and I think this is her first series for YA, so maybe her more adult series are a bit more fleshed out. Other people seem to really like this series, based on the 4+ star ratings on both books, but they're not really for me.
I think the romance in this story would have been a little more pulling if there had been less of a devotion to each other before they'd even met. We get the background that, because they wrote to each other, they really began to fall in love before they even met. It came across in much the same regard as with Percy and Kit in the sequel--both couples were infatuated with each other, and then suddenly they were completely in love. The only exception to this, I think, is Marian. She gives us the context that she hasn't felt safe in a long time, and Rob makes her feel safe. And I know with Rob it's kind of stated that he's been away from his friends for so long that he's latching onto the first person he feels comfortable with, but that's never really compiled into something stronger, at least not in a way that really felt satisfying to me.
One thing I really loved about the book was Marian herself. Her motives and attitude felt very grounded in reality, and the way she guided us through her thought processes felt real. I think something Cat Sebastian did really well was never explicitly stating what kind of sexual trauma Marian had; it was just a part of adjusting to she and Rob's intimacy. I think that subtlety could've been applied to Rob as well. I thought it was unnecessary for him to state plain and clear that he doesn't like small rooms because it reminds him of prison. It was clear enough in the context and in his character; I think that aspect would've been a lot more powerful if it was shown to us more instead of explicitly told.
The interactions between Percy/Rob/Kit/Marian could've been so much more, I thought, especially the interaction between Kit and Marian. I felt like they barely spoke and suddenly she was leaving her baby with him. I wanted to see more of those odd pairings--Rob and Percy, Marian and Kit--but we never really got it as deeply as I'd hoped before all four of them were being put into scenes together. I did really enjoy the epilogue, though, of all of them passing the baby around. That was cute.
I'm not a fan of sex scenes at all, just personally, but the communication between Rob and Marian was great to see. However, the segue into the final sex scene, I thought, was very sudden and a bit out of pacing.
Finally, and maybe this was because I was listening to it on audiobook, I thought the last third of the book was a bit confusing--I had a hard time following what Marian and Rob were doing, where they were going, and why they had to go there. That might've just been me though.
Not sure if I want to read more from Cat Sebastian after this. I know she writes explicitly about queer historical romance, and I think this is her first series for YA, so maybe her more adult series are a bit more fleshed out. Other people seem to really like this series, based on the 4+ star ratings on both books, but they're not really for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Dementia
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Though I like Rob and Marian separately as characters, the dynamic of the two of them together was kind of boring for me. The plot also dragged so I ultimately had no clear sense of where the story was going or what I was waiting for, which gave me the impression of the book's pace being very slow.
I did appreciate Marian's backstory of trauma and how the author worked that into the sexual scenes thoughtfully and with boundary-oriented solutions (without undoing the established boundaries, which often happens in romance stories with trauma-related boundaries).
I did appreciate Marian's backstory of trauma and how the author worked that into the sexual scenes thoughtfully and with boundary-oriented solutions (without undoing the established boundaries, which often happens in romance stories with trauma-related boundaries).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Murder, Death, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
Minor: Pregnancy