Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Souls and Sorrows

Here’s the thing — I didn’t hate this book. I just didn’t like it. There were so many plots (a criticism my best friend made that put my thoughts into words.) The author needs to pick a plot and stick to it.

There was too much happening and not in a good way, the book felt disjointed and like it was attempting to be more substantial than it actually was.

- is this about Ariana and Cash?
- is it about Cash’s mom/family/siblings/father?
- is the book about Ariana and her family/mom specifically?
- is it about her trauma?
- is this about the mafia?
- is it just about their relationship?

It’s totally possible to have a book involving all those points ^^^ and not make those instances/situations essentially their own plot. It was too much and not enough. The smut scenes were great and I think if the author just focused on writing a dark romance novel without trying to shove an underdeveloped but overcooked and over-explained plot down our throat it would’ve worked a lot better. Another thing I dislike is when an author thinks their readers are stupid and doesn’t leave anything to be interpreted or understood… the abuse was over explained and really darkly shoved down our throats to the point that I was more annoyed than sympathetic.

was it entirely necessary to make her mom the abuser? Couldn’t it have been done literally any other way? Her mom would’ve been the one to sell her out, or abuse her physically even. It was so intense with “does he tell you he loves you after you fuck? I remember how much you liked it when I did that.” LIKE WHY? That’s too much. You can make her a creep and a villain without doing all of *that.* ALSO how the fuck is Cash a virgin? i believe in the existence of a murderous doctor than I do a 32 year old hot lawyer being a fucking virgin… what is that?

Content Warnings

bryelle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

Such a good continuation to the series. For sure make sure you read the other books first so you know who they are talking about as side characters.

Ariana is over coming a lot of trauma from her life as she gets ready to get married. She goes to a club and gets sold to a man she met once in a club.

Cash buys Ariana to take over her family “business” but mostly because he is infatuated by her. As they are “married” they start to fall for each other and over come the traumas that they both have.

Content Warnings

thesmutsister_emma's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Timeline? What Timeline?
Alright, I'm going to start this one off with I truly was just burnt out when I read this book and my brain might have just been fried beyond belief. Despite this, what the actual hell was the timeline in this book? I'm going to need someone to draw it out for me because I was so lost.

The Characters
Ariana: Is Ari bat shit crazy? Yes. Do I relate to her more than I have any of the other FMCs in this series? Also yes. Something y'all don't seem to realize is that we "crazy bitches" take care of shit. What needs to get done will be done and we will have a wonderful time ruining everything (hey, Taylor). Ari really said, "Oh there's a problem? Here. Solution," even if the solution is literally framing her own death. ( THAT IS NOT IN THE BOOK. THAT IS NOT A SPOILER. )
Cash: Cash. Oh, Cash. Bless his little heart. He tries. He really does. Half the time he is just like any man I have ever met and is just clueless and wandering around with no aim. Again, bless his heart. He honestly was a great MMC though. I was honestly was rocking with Cash because Cash is rocking with us. Poor thing did everything he could to keep Ari happy and safe.

Things I Loved
I honestly loved like. Most of the book. I loved the dynamic between Ari and Cash even if it did get on my nerves at times and I was screaming at my Kindle or laptop for them to just get it over with and fuck already 😅 It was pretty good. This one felt more plot heavy than the others, which I am not complaining, just wasn't expecting.

Things I Didn't Love
I truly think it wasn't just me when it came to the timeline. I wish that part had been more clear but otherwise it was great.

The Final Verdict
I feel like those of you who love Sad and can do with the more plot heaviness of this book will really enjoy it. I do feel like getting the timeline straightened out first will help most and trying to record the timeline while reading will be beneficial as well.

Content Warnings

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