dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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dark emotional funny slow-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

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dark emotional fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Let me be clear: this book is NOT a literary wonder or feat. This book is easy to get through, has a simple plot, and is the equivalent of watching reality TV. I won't say it's a bad book, though, because it was EXACTLY what I needed after The Secret History. Sometimes books like these are needed to remind me that not all reading has to be a challenge or something I need to be paying careful attention to. I enjoyed reading about the romance between Gianna and Christian, and I'll always enjoy a good morally gray male lead. I wish we had more background on Christian's character and mental struggles. The end conversation with Gianna and Christian about his childhood didn't really satisfy my curiosity about his upbringing or his time in jail. Also, it's casually dropped that he's probably a sociopath-I appreciate the author calling a spade a spade and acknowledging that Christian is definitely fucked in the head, but I would've liked to spend more time in his mind. I also wish Gianna's second husband had provided a bit more conflict. He's a character that we know is old and sick, but I don't think we actually see one interaction between him and Gianna. It felt like it was going to create more of a conflict, but it just...didn't. The time leaps felt a bit inconsequential and pointless. Overall though, this was the exact rebound I needed after The Secret History.  

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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: Complicated

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Couldn't be worse!

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challenging dark emotional 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

Not as good as the first or third book in the series. This relationship spans years so definitely a slow burn. 

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fast-paced

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challenging 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

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dark emotional funny sad
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Usually, I don't like dark romances and as expected I didn't like the book. But I have to acknowledg that it was a really good book.
The depth of these characters was captivating. There is no real plot with the book mainly focusing on both characters and their development but there was also no plot needed.
Was it a mafia romance, yes, did I love how real the characters felt, yes.
There definitely were quite the smutty scenes.
 
!for sensitive readers: better read the content warnings even if they involve spoilers!

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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