Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Lies That Bind by April Yates, Rae Knowles

5 reviews

ladyramakin's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• 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

When going into Lies That Bind I knew some of what to expect and was thrilled to see two very talented authors collaborating. From Rae Knowles I had already read Merciless Waters and deeply enjoyed it Queer Female Rage meets Pirates story, and from April Yates I had picked up City of Snares a Sapphic horror meets old Hollywood that dug into what fame is. Knowing I had enjoyed both of those I knew I would most likely enjoy Lies that Bind, what I was not expecting though was to read a novel that was both an amazing exploration of complex love between women, and the horror of being trapped by your own nature in such a graphically disturbing, and yet deeply pleasurable manner.

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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 received an eARC from Netgally in exchange for an honest review. 

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Incest

bookboxbabe's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

*thank you netgalley and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

amyashby's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

theforestglenn's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

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