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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What the f*ck did I just read.
Are the spicy scenes spicy? Yes, 100%. Is it sex with plot? Also yes. AND WHY WOULD YOU EVER CHOOSE KALEB??????? F*cked up from the beginning, should have DNFed it, but pushed through. Trigger warnings very much needed.
Are the spicy scenes spicy? Yes, 100%. Is it sex with plot? Also yes. AND WHY WOULD YOU EVER CHOOSE KALEB??????? F*cked up from the beginning, should have DNFed it, but pushed through. Trigger warnings very much needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Abandonment
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so... yeah. this book.
i'm divided here.fucking ALL 3 relatives that you live with during a long, frigid winter seems sorta cozy and cunty if you forget the relative part, but then fully having a child with your previously-nonverbal, brooding, abusive, weird, blood-drinking, feral step-cousin, is really cringe. just think of the family tree assignment this kid is gonna have to do eventually. (my grandpa is also my great-step-uncle and my mom is also my step-aunt? try explaining that to literally anyone without intense confusion and also judgement) this kid is gonna be at a family gathering and ONE DAY he will find out that she fucked multiple of his relatives. while step-family in this scenario and in this context (i.e., they're estranged, purely non-biological relations that reside in a completely different area and were never really thought of as family before tiernan's parents' deaths) really gets into the nitty gritty of "but didn't we just make this 'step-family' shit up? and isn't our 'family status' simply contingent on a marriage that is no longer relevant? what does a 'step-family' even mean when the family relation that put it in place is no longer intact?", it's still suuuper cringe. mostly, i'm secondhand embarrassed for tiernan. sure, let's fuck in a cabin all winter and ignore our responsibilities and the moral expectations of society. that's fine and dandy. but damn, the tabloids are gonna meme the fuck out of this and you'll never sleep again probably.
i enjoyed the sideplots, although they were super pick-me (i'M nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs, AfTeR a CoLd, HaRd WiNtEr, I dOn'T nEeD mAkEuP aNyMoRe, AnD i WeAr JeAnS aNd FlAnNeLs) and weirdly misogynistic and gross (omg beware of the townie guy with a SEX TORTURE DEN??? we will defend you with RIFLES and also DRIVING OVER A TON OF SICK MOTORBIKES??? okay... sure. i guess), they were at least interesting and kept the plot moving (and saved it from being straight-up porn).
additionally, don't tell me this man with selective mutism for like 15 years is gonna suddenly start talking. PLEEEEASE fuck off. as a psychologist-in-training, this feels messy and not actually how any of this would work in real life. and also, selective mutism after being left in a car for 4 days at the age of 4? maybe. possibly. but... idk. why didn't we get this kid a therapist? maybe that would have been good? idk though, who am i to say.
and why are we not only writing in books (which is fine but still suspect if we're not even writing book-relevant things and just writing diary entries) but specifically writing on the endpapers??? have you heard of a journal or a notebook bro? it's like $3 at the store. let me put you on.
see all those complaints and issues? despite them all (or because of them, who's really to say), I WAS ENTERTAINED. OKAY? i wanted to know what happened next, and the smut was slowburn enough to be semi-believable and gripping, and the details of the smut itself were not as cringey as the actual relationships between the characters (and that's a feat). while the premise of this was super sus, i had hoped to be entertained, surprised, shocked, enthralled, and this book was a straight shot of escapism to the veins. so thankful for my normal, not semi-incest relationship now. if you want a "what the fuck did i just read lol," and you're able to suspend your disbelief, this was pretty good. read at your own risk.
i'm divided here.
i enjoyed the sideplots, although they were super pick-me (i'M nOt LiKe OtHeR gIrLs, AfTeR a CoLd, HaRd WiNtEr, I dOn'T nEeD mAkEuP aNyMoRe, AnD i WeAr JeAnS aNd FlAnNeLs) and weirdly misogynistic and gross (omg beware of the townie guy with a SEX TORTURE DEN??? we will defend you with RIFLES and also DRIVING OVER A TON OF SICK MOTORBIKES??? okay... sure. i guess), they were at least interesting and kept the plot moving (and saved it from being straight-up porn).
and why are we not only writing in books (which is fine but still suspect if we're not even writing book-relevant things and just writing diary entries) but specifically writing on the endpapers??? have you heard of a journal or a notebook bro? it's like $3 at the store. let me put you on.
see all those complaints and issues? despite them all (or because of them, who's really to say), I WAS ENTERTAINED. OKAY? i wanted to know what happened next, and the smut was slowburn enough to be semi-believable and gripping, and the details of the smut itself were not as cringey as the actual relationships between the characters (and that's a feat). while the premise of this was super sus, i had hoped to be entertained, surprised, shocked, enthralled, and this book was a straight shot of escapism to the veins. so thankful for my normal, not semi-incest relationship now. if you want a "what the fuck did i just read lol," and you're able to suspend your disbelief, this was pretty good. read at your own risk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a book about underage child grooming and pedophilia. If you liked this book for the romance, you belong on a watch list. Dark romance and taboo is okay, child grooming is never okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Justice for Noah wth was even this book istg I can't... if your looking for dark romance STAY AWAY. This is just a poor excuse to write about rape and grooming of a 17 later 18 yo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Now this romanticised abuse. What do u mean tiernan fell in love with the one that attempted to r*pe her and then in the epilogue they JOKED about it???? He never even apologised!!!! And he literally said not one word to her like bro how are u in love with someone that hasn't said a word to u and humiliates you AND hits you?? Whole time tiernan was saying how much she missed kaleb and loves him i was looking at my kobo with the biggest stank face.
Don't even get me started on probably the 40 year old step uncle grooming tiernan and touching her when she was 17 and then using that as an excuse to his sons for why he should have her over them because he "got there first".
Literally the only sane people in this book were noah and mirai.
Don't even get me started on probably the 40 year old step uncle grooming tiernan and touching her when she was 17 and then using that as an excuse to his sons for why he should have her over them because he "got there first".
Literally the only sane people in this book were noah and mirai.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent
dark
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In theory I can understand how someone might enjoy this book BUT there are somethings that are just diabolical. Trigger warning for SA content in the spoiler section of this review. Having the rape scene from Kaleb’s POV was so unnecessary and made it downright horrible to read. If she was trying to create some hot forbidden CNC scene, she could have had it from Teirnen’s POV and while I would have still hated it, it would have maybe MAYBE been redeemable. Then to make him the love interest?! Truly ridiculous. Also the way they justify him raping her is actually insane. The only thing that sometimes made this book enjoyable was how bad and ridiculous it was, but it’s issues completely ruined anything that could be remotely enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
I enjoyed the first part of the book. I tried REALLY hard to overlook the problematic elephant in the room of non-relative-relative situation. But the moment she called him Uncle Jake-nope! This really didn’t need a family connection. It could have been a girl staying and working on a farm or something. Finished the book only because I need to reach my reading goals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Why Penelope Douglas thought it was a good idea to make the main love interest the same guy that actually r*ped her will forever be a mystery
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship