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vickyramirezy's review
2.0
Idk. I paid ridiculously little attention to this, I've absolutely no feelings.
layla87's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest review.
This is my favorite in the series for sure.
Sterling and Drake were prefect to each other and i enjoyed their back and forth immensely!
What I Loved...
- The Characters:
Drake has intrigued me from the beginning and I knew his story would be such a joy to read. He's such a paradox... Dominant and assertive in all aspects of his life, but craves pain and submission in bed.
Sterling, who was introduced in book 2, has been on again, off again with Drake since they were teenagers. he wants to break Drake, to possess him, to destroy him and then put him back together. Sterling knows that was he feels for Drake is love and he shows it the only way he knows how.
- The Plot...
It revolves around Sterling and Drake finding they way towards each other. They are gunning for the same position and promotion and they keep clashing in and out of the bedroom.
The Romance..
Although unorthodox, these men are romantic in their own way. Make no mistake, you won't find any lovey-dovey talk and gestures, but they do show their care for each other in other ways.
The Steam...
Needless to say, its HAWT! I also appreciated the fact that even though these men aren't together in every sense of the word for most of the book, we don't see them getting it on with other people. That's always a bonus!
The HEA...
It was so THEM, and so perfect for the overall mood of the book. I was smiling through the whole epilogue and it was one of my favorite chapters in the whole book.
Niggles...
- The flashbacks got a bit confusing at the beginning, so I would have rather had them in the beginning of the book... as a sort of preface or prologue.
- I would have loved more time to see them together as a couple... like on a date or something. That would have made their relationship progression that much better.
This is my favorite in the series for sure.
Sterling and Drake were prefect to each other and i enjoyed their back and forth immensely!
What I Loved...
- The Characters:
Drake has intrigued me from the beginning and I knew his story would be such a joy to read. He's such a paradox... Dominant and assertive in all aspects of his life, but craves pain and submission in bed.
Sterling, who was introduced in book 2, has been on again, off again with Drake since they were teenagers. he wants to break Drake, to possess him, to destroy him and then put him back together. Sterling knows that was he feels for Drake is love and he shows it the only way he knows how.
- The Plot...
It revolves around Sterling and Drake finding they way towards each other. They are gunning for the same position and promotion and they keep clashing in and out of the bedroom.
The Romance..
Although unorthodox, these men are romantic in their own way. Make no mistake, you won't find any lovey-dovey talk and gestures, but they do show their care for each other in other ways.
The Steam...
Needless to say, its HAWT! I also appreciated the fact that even though these men aren't together in every sense of the word for most of the book, we don't see them getting it on with other people. That's always a bonus!
The HEA...
It was so THEM, and so perfect for the overall mood of the book. I was smiling through the whole epilogue and it was one of my favorite chapters in the whole book.
Niggles...
- The flashbacks got a bit confusing at the beginning, so I would have rather had them in the beginning of the book... as a sort of preface or prologue.
- I would have loved more time to see them together as a couple... like on a date or something. That would have made their relationship progression that much better.
lauritahoods's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is my favorite of the series so far. It was great though heartbreaking to know Drake's backstory. Really hot as expected.
bookish_notes's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve been waiting for this book, and it was just as addicting to read this book as it was to read the first two books in the series!! There were some moments that I kind of question, and the ending was a bit disappointing, but overall, this was a decent book with Drake and Sterling.
This book is NOT a standalone since the characters are introduced in the previous books and the relationships between the other couples makes much more sense read in order.
The author does provide some really thorough trigger warnings at the start of the book but I will add that blackmail is a huge part of this book as well. TWs from the author: Drake uses drugs, and rehab is not a theme in this book, so some readers may consider that an unresolved issue. Sterling is very dominant, and the “encounters” between the two men tend to be rough, especially in Sterling’s dungeon (however, Drake is never injured). There is also mention of past parental and relationship abuse, such as an older ex grooming a young man and having a child with him. (The abusers are not in the picture anymore.)
We’ve met Drake as a competent, but sometimes distant, manager of Dante’s Infernal in the previous books. Drake is Dante’s father and Drake’s biggest rival is a man named Sterling at an opposing music label. We find out the exact type of relationship Drake and Sterling have had throughout the years, and it’s a doozy.
I’m usually not a fan of time jumps between chapters of the characters past and the present. But surprisingly, it works here. We learn more about the relationship between Sterling and Drake, as the sadist Dom and masochistic sub and how they came to know each other even years before their kinks came into the picture. The timeline, unfortunately, does get confusing if you try to piece it together because it’s not clear when everything takes place or how much time has passed, past or present.
One thing missing for me is the reason really behind their bickering and animosity for one another. Is it just because of Sterling’s competitiveness and his hate that Drake gave it all up when they were younger? Is it because Drake always saw Sterling as being one step ahead and having it all? The “enemies” part of this “enemies to lovers” is too vague to me to really FEEL the reasons of why they hate each other unfortunately.
I will say that I did like all the sexy scenes and all the moments when Drake and Sterling are just in the same room with one another. But is it enough to save the plot holes and the plot itself? I would say, not really. And that’s really unfortunate, because I love the characters but it just feels like something is missing from this story.
There weren’t any big angst moments, but it still felt a bit surface level of feelings. Like, we know Drake’s drinking and cocaine use doesn’t get addressed at all, but what’s Sterling’s feelings on that? Just all a part of being in the business? We see it being addressed with Dante but with Drake it’s just not a big thing because he’s a high functioning alcoholic ready to kill his liver? Their angst towards one another never felt real for me, the confessions and love declarations, while sweet, never did either.
A side note that while there’s moments and hints of some BDSM, a lot in this book is on the tamer side so there’s not really any heavy BDSM scenes as some readers might expect. Condoms, even while they knowingly fuck other people, is apparently not a thing in this book.
One of the biggest things that bothered me in this story is that there’s really no women in this story. There was a potential for one when the news that Sterling’s label was merging with Drake’s and Sterling had a band with a woman in it who was lovely (we met her briefly in the last book) but she’s very conveniently out of the picture in this book.
The only other woman mentioned is Dante’s mother, who is Drake’s ex and who was his manager once upon a time. It’s been a hot minute since I read the previous books, so if this was mentioned before, I’ve long forgotten. But this woman groomed Drake at a very, very young age (since he was TEN), got pregnant and had Dante when Drake was SIXTEEN and she was THIRTY. She’s a sexual predator and I’m glad she’s not in the picture at all. But even here, Drake’s relationship with her is sidestepped most of the book even though everyone around him tries to address it and point blank told him that he was sexually abused as a child.
It’s sad that there’s basically no female characters in these books and the ones who ARE mentioned is between an ex-bandmate, Drake’s alcoholic and abusive mother, and Drake’s sexually abusive ex.
Moments I did like in this book are the times with the band and meeting the new bandmates, Saint and Danny, who will presumably be the fourth book in this series. We’ve met them before and while I do like Danny, I’m not a big fan of Saint just yet. So, it’ll be interesting to read his book, I guess.
The ending felt extremely rushed to me and I don’t like the new direction the band is going, even though I guess I technically understand it? For that particular character’s sake at least. It just feels sad to me though so for the sake of the band, I didn’t love that decision.
This book was a quick read and I loved returning to this world and seeing all the band members again. There definitely could’ve been more depth to the story, but I still look forward to reading the next book when it comes out.
This book is NOT a standalone since the characters are introduced in the previous books and the relationships between the other couples makes much more sense read in order.
The author does provide some really thorough trigger warnings at the start of the book but I will add that blackmail is a huge part of this book as well. TWs from the author: Drake uses drugs, and rehab is not a theme in this book, so some readers may consider that an unresolved issue. Sterling is very dominant, and the “encounters” between the two men tend to be rough, especially in Sterling’s dungeon (however, Drake is never injured). There is also mention of past parental and relationship abuse, such as an older ex grooming a young man and having a child with him. (The abusers are not in the picture anymore.)
We’ve met Drake as a competent, but sometimes distant, manager of Dante’s Infernal in the previous books. Drake is Dante’s father and Drake’s biggest rival is a man named Sterling at an opposing music label. We find out the exact type of relationship Drake and Sterling have had throughout the years, and it’s a doozy.
I’m usually not a fan of time jumps between chapters of the characters past and the present. But surprisingly, it works here. We learn more about the relationship between Sterling and Drake, as the sadist Dom and masochistic sub and how they came to know each other even years before their kinks came into the picture. The timeline, unfortunately, does get confusing if you try to piece it together because it’s not clear when everything takes place or how much time has passed, past or present.
One thing missing for me is the reason really behind their bickering and animosity for one another. Is it just because of Sterling’s competitiveness and his hate that Drake gave it all up when they were younger? Is it because Drake always saw Sterling as being one step ahead and having it all? The “enemies” part of this “enemies to lovers” is too vague to me to really FEEL the reasons of why they hate each other unfortunately.
I will say that I did like all the sexy scenes and all the moments when Drake and Sterling are just in the same room with one another. But is it enough to save the plot holes and the plot itself? I would say, not really. And that’s really unfortunate, because I love the characters but it just feels like something is missing from this story.
There weren’t any big angst moments, but it still felt a bit surface level of feelings. Like, we know Drake’s drinking and cocaine use doesn’t get addressed at all, but what’s Sterling’s feelings on that? Just all a part of being in the business? We see it being addressed with Dante but with Drake it’s just not a big thing because he’s a high functioning alcoholic ready to kill his liver? Their angst towards one another never felt real for me, the confessions and love declarations, while sweet, never did either.
A side note that while there’s moments and hints of some BDSM, a lot in this book is on the tamer side so there’s not really any heavy BDSM scenes as some readers might expect. Condoms, even while they knowingly fuck other people, is apparently not a thing in this book.
One of the biggest things that bothered me in this story is that there’s really no women in this story. There was a potential for one when the news that Sterling’s label was merging with Drake’s and Sterling had a band with a woman in it who was lovely (we met her briefly in the last book) but she’s very conveniently out of the picture in this book.
The only other woman mentioned is Dante’s mother, who is Drake’s ex and who was his manager once upon a time. It’s been a hot minute since I read the previous books, so if this was mentioned before, I’ve long forgotten. But this woman groomed Drake at a very, very young age (since he was TEN), got pregnant and had Dante when Drake was SIXTEEN and she was THIRTY. She’s a sexual predator and I’m glad she’s not in the picture at all. But even here, Drake’s relationship with her is sidestepped most of the book even though everyone around him tries to address it and point blank told him that he was sexually abused as a child.
It’s sad that there’s basically no female characters in these books and the ones who ARE mentioned is between an ex-bandmate, Drake’s alcoholic and abusive mother, and Drake’s sexually abusive ex.
Moments I did like in this book are the times with the band and meeting the new bandmates, Saint and Danny, who will presumably be the fourth book in this series. We’ve met them before and while I do like Danny, I’m not a big fan of Saint just yet. So, it’ll be interesting to read his book, I guess.
The ending felt extremely rushed to me and I don’t like the new direction the band is going, even though I guess I technically understand it? For that particular character’s sake at least. It just feels sad to me though so for the sake of the band, I didn’t love that decision.
This book was a quick read and I loved returning to this world and seeing all the band members again. There definitely could’ve been more depth to the story, but I still look forward to reading the next book when it comes out.
pippin's review against another edition
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
3.75
purrson's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.5
loulou87's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest review.
This is my favorite in the series for sure.
Sterling and Drake were prefect to each other and i enjoyed their back and forth immensely!
What I Loved...
- The Characters:
Drake has intrigued me from the beginning and I knew his story would be such a joy to read. He's such a paradox... Dominant and assertive in all aspects of his life, but craves pain and submission in bed.
Sterling, who was introduced in book 2, has been on again, off again with Drake since they were teenagers. he wants to break Drake, to possess him, to destroy him and then put him back together. Sterling knows that was he feels for Drake is love and he shows it the only way he knows how.
- The Plot...
It revolves around Sterling and Drake finding they way towards each other. They are gunning for the same position and promotion and they keep clashing in and out of the bedroom.
The Romance..
Although unorthodox, these men are romantic in their own way. Make no mistake, you won't find any lovey-dovey talk and gestures, but they do show their care for each other in other ways.
The Steam...
Needless to say, its HAWT! I also appreciated the fact that even though these men aren't together in every sense of the word for most of the book, we don't see them getting it on with other people. That's always a bonus!
The HEA...
It was so THEM, and so perfect for the overall mood of the book. I was smiling through the whole epilogue and it was one of my favorite chapters in the whole book.
Niggles...
- The flashbacks got a bit confusing at the beginning, so I would have rather had them in the beginning of the book... as a sort of preface or prologue.
- I would have loved more time to see them together as a couple... like on a date or something. That would have made their relationship progression that much better.
This is my favorite in the series for sure.
Sterling and Drake were prefect to each other and i enjoyed their back and forth immensely!
What I Loved...
- The Characters:
Drake has intrigued me from the beginning and I knew his story would be such a joy to read. He's such a paradox... Dominant and assertive in all aspects of his life, but craves pain and submission in bed.
Sterling, who was introduced in book 2, has been on again, off again with Drake since they were teenagers. he wants to break Drake, to possess him, to destroy him and then put him back together. Sterling knows that was he feels for Drake is love and he shows it the only way he knows how.
- The Plot...
It revolves around Sterling and Drake finding they way towards each other. They are gunning for the same position and promotion and they keep clashing in and out of the bedroom.
The Romance..
Although unorthodox, these men are romantic in their own way. Make no mistake, you won't find any lovey-dovey talk and gestures, but they do show their care for each other in other ways.
The Steam...
Needless to say, its HAWT! I also appreciated the fact that even though these men aren't together in every sense of the word for most of the book, we don't see them getting it on with other people. That's always a bonus!
The HEA...
It was so THEM, and so perfect for the overall mood of the book. I was smiling through the whole epilogue and it was one of my favorite chapters in the whole book.
Niggles...
- The flashbacks got a bit confusing at the beginning, so I would have rather had them in the beginning of the book... as a sort of preface or prologue.
- I would have loved more time to see them together as a couple... like on a date or something. That would have made their relationship progression that much better.
missdysfunktion's review against another edition
4.0
Breaking Drake is book three in the Dante’s Infernal series. A MM Rockstar romance
Drake and Sterling have history. There’s a line fine between love and hate after all.
This is probably my favourite book out of the series, when I first read it I read them out of order and this was where I started and what made me read the series as a whole.
Their dynamic is the most intense and interesting. With the second chance and enemies to lovers vibe it had me hooked both then and now with my reread.
The rivalry that began between two young musicians has ruled their adult lives for 2 decades. They’re consumed by each other.
Drake and Sterling have history. There’s a line fine between love and hate after all.
This is probably my favourite book out of the series, when I first read it I read them out of order and this was where I started and what made me read the series as a whole.
Their dynamic is the most intense and interesting. With the second chance and enemies to lovers vibe it had me hooked both then and now with my reread.
The rivalry that began between two young musicians has ruled their adult lives for 2 decades. They’re consumed by each other.
carpediem's review
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5