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30something_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A runaway groom and the hunter sent to retrieve him.
Clandestine meeting in the forest.
Secret identities.
Mutual pining.
Huddling close while they camp outside. ("Only for warmth," they say! Not because they wanna hold each other tenderly.)
This was a delight. I would hazard to call this an accurate Historical- more historical adjacent. It was very A Knights Tale coded and I really loved that.
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Outing, and Medical trauma
sariereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
callidoralblack's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Violence, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
booksthatburn's review
- 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
5.0
This is set up to have at least one sequel, though its particular story is self-contained. Rather than leave an obvious story hook open, it ends with the characters in new situations which grant the possibility of future events without demanding any particular follow up.
I love Penn and Raff, I like them as individual characters and I enjoy how well they work together. They each have very different relationships with their families. Penn seems to be close with two of his several siblings, despite neither showing up for very long. His father is terrible, rather unambiguously playing the villain. Raff has close and mostly loving relationships with his sister and brother, and, despite their differences, they seem to understand each other fairly well. Not much is shown of Raff's relationship with his father, but what is there seems to be filled with respect and care.
Other things I love, in no particular order: how much of the time is spent just traveling and sleeping in the woods and dealing with inns; the wound care towards the end of the book; the way Penn obviously grows as a person; the more subtle ways that Raff starts to trust in other peoples' competence.
This was great, I want more, and I'm eager for the sequel.
Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Gore, Murder, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Confinement, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Classism, Blood, Death, War, and Medical trauma
Minor: Pregnancy, Child abuse, Vomit, and Death of parent
wildatheart1339's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Medical content
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, War, Classism, and Physical abuse
mabellene's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
bi_n_large's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Homophobia, and Blood
camillatd's review
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
lexi_air's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent
bookboxbabe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WOWW!! okay so just take everyone one of my heart strings and yank them why don’t you.
this author has an AMAZING prose and the writing in the book was so beautiful. i was sold just from that. it’s rare that a book takes my breath away just from the writing alone, but this one did.
i also LOVED these characters. raff and penn are so complex and just troubled guys trying to find themselves in a world determined to rip them apart. their love felt raw and real. these two men found each other and fell in love in such an organic way and i believed these two were real men in love, not just words on a page.
the spicy scenes in here were written so tasteful and beautiful. i loved the exploration of each others bodies and the insecurity such a thing comes with. i thought all of the self hate was dealt wonderfully.
all in all, i loved reading this and i think this is a book that will stick with me for a while
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Child abuse