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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-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
Another great one. This time Maddie is losing herself to the perfect man for her. When she keeps interacting with Grayson, she quickly learns that there is a fine line between hate and love. Well, lust anyway. She can't get Grayson out of her mind, and it seems that he feels the same.
They fight for as long as they can, but when their lives are threatened, they both decide they can't possibly do without each other. Watching them fall and fight for what they want was so great.
They fight for as long as they can, but when their lives are threatened, they both decide they can't possibly do without each other. Watching them fall and fight for what they want was so great.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This was so good. I loved Grayson! He fell and he fell hard. He was completely obsessed with Maddie, and she with him. Their flirty fighting was everything, and seeing them finally give in to their feelings was so satisfying. Grayson would absolutely kill for her, and I was living for it.
Things I liked:
- I really liked that the main characters had direct and honest conversations even though they had an “arrangement” for a lot of the book.
- Grayson’s backstory makes a lot of sense for why he is the way he is. I appreciated seeing his pov to watch him wrestle with his feelings.
Things I didn’t like:
- My only real problem with this book
was the scene where Grayson kicks her out of the car in the middle of the night because he’s mad. it’s not necessarily that it’s unforgivable, but I wanted to see a lot more groveling because that was messed up.
this book is AMAZING
This book is really good, however chapter 36 is repeated twice. (Birthday Scene) other than the repeated chapter it’s a book I will reread a dozen times without ever getting bored
This book is really good, however chapter 36 is repeated twice. (Birthday Scene) other than the repeated chapter it’s a book I will reread a dozen times without ever getting bored
Detonate, book 2 in the Beneath the Mask series, a dark mafia romance.
Initially, I thought I was going to enjoy this book more than the first one. I actually enjoyed getting a bit more of a glimpse into the mafia world as Grayson (MMC) is the now main hitman after Keller left to have his family life. But, I do feel like it dragged on a LITTLE not a lot, and it didn't take Grayson and Maddie (FMC) that long into the book to get together, so I don't feel it needed quite the length. Otherwise, I did enjoy the story, and both characters, I did enjoy the angst and their dark romance.
Grayson has some demons in his past, which have caused him to create a "no kissing" rule when it comes to women. At least until Maddie comes up to him after Sienna's kidnapping (book 1) and kisses him. After that kiss, they both can't stop thinking about it, and they both also try to avoid each other as much as possible. Grayson just isn't the fairytale prince charming that Maddie thinks she needs, (or that her mom is pushing on her). And Grayson is not looking for anything serious ever again....can they resist each other??
I loved Grayson's character, especially his background, and how he really fits as a mafia hitman. He goes through a lot of growth as a character, to someone hurt by love in his past, to saying no to love at all, to finding Maddie and realizing there is someone worth letting your guard down for. Maddie is young and fun. She never once questions what Grayson does, which just shows him even more that she is perfect for him.
The best thing between Maddie and Grayson is their banter, which starts in book 1. Everyone around them assumes they have the hots for each other because they act like they hate each other. Their arguments are hilarious, and get more heated in book 2, until they can no longer resist each other. Even once they were together, their banter continued.
There is a lot of spice in this book, probably almost equal parts spice to plot, so just be prepared for that. But the book has plenty of plot between the spice, and again, I enjoyed getting a little more into the mafia world in this one.
Potential SPOILERS in the quotes
Some fav quotes:
"Yes, I'm a f***ing monster. Get over it."
"She knows I'm a monster and wants to f*** me anyway."
""Scream for me Sunshine, I want even the demons in hell to hear you scream my name,""
"She's become an obsession. The light I crave at the end of a dark day. She's the one and only person on this planet whose happiness means more than anything."
"I'm about to tell a perfectly nice man that I don't want to see him anymore, because I want an ex-marine, mafia himan to f*** me into next week."
"I am a f***ing monster. I might have a black heart, but you own all of it. Until the day I'm summoned back down to hell, and even then, it will always be you."
"You just have to accept you've fallen for the monster, not the prince. I'm not him, I can never be him, I don't even want to try and pretend to be him." "I'm in love with the monster."
"Are you ready to go home and spend the rest of your life with me? A life of being f***ed by the devil?"
"The princess likes to be f***ed rough and hard by her villain."
"I was never a princess in need of a prince to whisk me away. I've been reading the wrong books. It wasn't a fairytale I was after; a dark romance is where it's at."
"I craved to be worshiped by the villain for the rest of eternity."
"Would a prince burn down the world to keep me safe? Or take a bullet for me? No. I needed the darkness to set fire to my soul."
Thank you so much to Kensington and the author for a copy of this book!!
Initially, I thought I was going to enjoy this book more than the first one. I actually enjoyed getting a bit more of a glimpse into the mafia world as Grayson (MMC) is the now main hitman after Keller left to have his family life. But, I do feel like it dragged on a LITTLE not a lot, and it didn't take Grayson and Maddie (FMC) that long into the book to get together, so I don't feel it needed quite the length. Otherwise, I did enjoy the story, and both characters, I did enjoy the angst and their dark romance.
Grayson has some demons in his past, which have caused him to create a "no kissing" rule when it comes to women. At least until Maddie comes up to him after Sienna's kidnapping (book 1) and kisses him. After that kiss, they both can't stop thinking about it, and they both also try to avoid each other as much as possible. Grayson just isn't the fairytale prince charming that Maddie thinks she needs, (or that her mom is pushing on her). And Grayson is not looking for anything serious ever again....can they resist each other??
I loved Grayson's character, especially his background, and how he really fits as a mafia hitman. He goes through a lot of growth as a character, to someone hurt by love in his past, to saying no to love at all, to finding Maddie and realizing there is someone worth letting your guard down for. Maddie is young and fun. She never once questions what Grayson does, which just shows him even more that she is perfect for him.
The best thing between Maddie and Grayson is their banter, which starts in book 1. Everyone around them assumes they have the hots for each other because they act like they hate each other. Their arguments are hilarious, and get more heated in book 2, until they can no longer resist each other. Even once they were together, their banter continued.
There is a lot of spice in this book, probably almost equal parts spice to plot, so just be prepared for that. But the book has plenty of plot between the spice, and again, I enjoyed getting a little more into the mafia world in this one.
Potential SPOILERS in the quotes
Some fav quotes:
"Yes, I'm a f***ing monster. Get over it."
"She knows I'm a monster and wants to f*** me anyway."
""Scream for me Sunshine, I want even the demons in hell to hear you scream my name,""
"She's become an obsession. The light I crave at the end of a dark day. She's the one and only person on this planet whose happiness means more than anything."
"I'm about to tell a perfectly nice man that I don't want to see him anymore, because I want an ex-marine, mafia himan to f*** me into next week."
"I am a f***ing monster. I might have a black heart, but you own all of it. Until the day I'm summoned back down to hell, and even then, it will always be you."
"You just have to accept you've fallen for the monster, not the prince. I'm not him, I can never be him, I don't even want to try and pretend to be him." "I'm in love with the monster."
"Are you ready to go home and spend the rest of your life with me? A life of being f***ed by the devil?"
"The princess likes to be f***ed rough and hard by her villain."
"I was never a princess in need of a prince to whisk me away. I've been reading the wrong books. It wasn't a fairytale I was after; a dark romance is where it's at."
"I craved to be worshiped by the villain for the rest of eternity."
"Would a prince burn down the world to keep me safe? Or take a bullet for me? No. I needed the darkness to set fire to my soul."
Thank you so much to Kensington and the author for a copy of this book!!
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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:
Complicated
Ah! Maddie and Grayson! Their banter is top notch. I just love their story so much. I seriously don’t know what Luna puts in her books. Is this a re-read? Yes! I have read this book before but it was so worth the re-read for the bonus epilogue in the new paperback version.
Maddie and Grayson kiss on that fateful night in book one after what happened with Sienna and from that moment on Grayson avoids Maddie at all cost. But he’s obsessed after one kiss and has a hard time staying away! Maddie is sassy and feisty and I just love her and once Grayson gives in there’s no turning back he’s determined to make Maddie his. Of course we are still dealing with the same family that was giving these characters trouble in the first book and let’s just say it gets somewhat intense there at the end and now I can’t wait to re-read Lucas book soon!!
Detonate is a must read if you love mafia romance with quite a bit of spice and plot to match. Plus we got a little age gap and a reluctant obsessive MMC.
I absolutely loved Grayson and Maddie! Their tension and back and forth in the first book had me so exciting for this one. They were oil and vinegar until they finally came to terms with their real feelings, and then it was the perfect coming together moment. Their chemistry was amazing, and the best part was when Grayson finally had his "f*ck it" moment. Nothing gets me more than when the tortured villain falls and falls hard.
This series just continues to get better and better, and I'm so excited to read Luca and Rosa's story next.
This series just continues to get better and better, and I'm so excited to read Luca and Rosa's story next.
As part of the Beneath the Mask series, Luna Mason introduces Detonate.
It had a great start with the fighting and banter between Greyson and Maddie, but then it blew up everything that it could have been pretty fast. Despite the potential for an epic story, there is very little plot surrounding it. Yes, I enjoyed reading it. Yes, it could have been executed better. Will I read the next instalments..probably =)
It had a great start with the fighting and banter between Greyson and Maddie, but then it blew up everything that it could have been pretty fast. Despite the potential for an epic story, there is very little plot surrounding it. Yes, I enjoyed reading it. Yes, it could have been executed better. Will I read the next instalments..probably =)