Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian

21 reviews

bookninja's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

TW for mention of/allusion to a past sexual assault during an on-page sex scene.

attolis's review

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual violence

beepbeep101's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Confinement, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Dementia, Grief, and Sexual content

Minor: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Stalking

Sexual trauma, difficult pregnancy, postpartum depression

cathyayini's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Fun and lighthearted. Appreciate the different sorts of relationships portrayed. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault

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. 

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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

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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 (

at least by the second chapter when she kills him

) a toxic relationship, which is where a solid half the CWs come from. Most of the violence is during the book, and there is lots of very consensual sexual content, but all of the pregnancy and sexual abuse stuff is in the past. The whole thing is a big hurt/comfort fanfiction, basically.

potatogrr's review against another edition

5.0

I think about this book frequently and fondly. I love how it handled

experience with sexual violence and medically dangerous pregnancy with care, but allowed the female MC to still have agency and be interested in having sex with her partners (especially where she’s the top!)

Both the spice/romance and the actual plot are A++.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual assault

historic_wince's review

adventurous hopeful 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

4.5

The Perfect Crimes exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed The Queer Principles so much that it was hard to imagine how the sequel/companion novel would compare. If anything, I enjoyed it more getting to know this other duo and their pasts and complicated hangups. As with the first novel, the voices of the protagonists, Marian and Rob, are great. Love how we get to read through their exchange of letters at the opening of the novel. I also really appreciated the exploration of Marian’s thoughts and feelings around motherhood, her station/purpose in life, her guilt, her well-intentioned planning that never worked out, and, especially, her tangled emotions around sexual intimacy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Blood

the_crooked_neighbor's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book. Was it revolutionary? No. Was it a feel-good read that had me blushing the whole way through? Absolutely. It was delightful to continue in this series (would not recommend as a stand-alone) and have such a similar vibe to a book I loved last year while having an engaging and new storyline. I really hope we get at least one more book in this series even though I feel like the ending did leave me satisfied. Great book- will most assuredly read again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

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. 

The sex scenes were so well-done. Marian’s dislike of penetration isn’t treated as something to ‘fix’, or as though something is wrong with her. Instead they just work around it and find other sexy things to do together! It’s such a rare thing to see portrayed neutrally in a romance novel.

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! 

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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