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ladyramakin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Lies that Bind is the story of Adele Hughes and Lorelei Keyes, a couple running a sham seance business, both with deep secrets of their own. Their quiet life of four years is completely upended by the arrival of Viola. who seems to know exactly how to tempt and hurt both women in deeply personal ways. To say really anything more about the plot would be to spoil it.
What I will state is that both Adele and Lorelei are deeply relatable and interesting leads, often with dual POV one POV is clearly more intriguing and draws you in more, that was not the case here with me both dreading the POV jump as it meant moving away from one section of the story and being desperate for it to get back to the other half of it. On the flip side Viola very quickly establishes herself as someone you hate while she drivings the plot forward with her endless machinations.
With this novel I would pick it up if you enjoy any of the below:
- Sapphic Stories
- Horror
- Body Horror
- Fantasy Horror
- Slow Burn
- Deeply moving Prose
- Dark Romance
- Gothic settings
- Horror and Romance mix
My final note is to read the trigger warnings, this is not a novel to jump into without checking them as it is quite dark and many scenes go to places you may not wish to read. Check the warnings and know that it really means them.
I received an advance review copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Dysphoria, Classism, Body horror, Gaslighting, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Incest
nostoat's review
4.0
I'm a little late on this review because I've been struggling to focus on and finish books but I only had a few days left on this eARC, and I was already halfway through so I buckled down and made myself finish it. And I'm so glad I did! This is a messy, dark, kinky erotic romance, involving lots of sapphic sex. The plot is a little thin but I don't read messy queer erotica for the plot so I wasn't much bothered. The main relationship had so much delicious angst and miscommunication (but in a "I see why you're not saying anything but oh my god" not a "PLEASE just open your mouth" sort of way), combined with a third woman swooping in to add her own schemes and wiles to the mix. Everything becomes tangled. The sex scenes are well-written in my (ace) opinion, and the chemistry between the characters feels charged and real.
Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Incest
bookboxbabe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
erotic horror is not a genre i thought even existed but here we are
firstly, the prose was so lovely in this. it’s so beautiful and i found myself rereading passages just because they flowed so nicely. these writers are definitely talented.
secondly, this was dark and hard to read at moments (in a good way) because it deals with some heavy topics. i’m not sure why the climax of the book was just “tell me what you want in bed” but no mind. it was delightfully creepy and had a bite to it…literally.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Rape, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Drug abuse, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Incest and Emotional abuse
questionablereads's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Self harm
lavendaisy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Minor: Incest
theforestglenn's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Incest, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Grief, Gore, Classism, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse