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Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Okay, so this book is a problem. Like a big problem!!!! In terms of the "Red Flag" counter, it's probably around 70. It's the walking definition of "red flags. And no, there's not really "70. I just thumb-sucked a number...but there's more than one and it's more than ten. I don't know if there's enough for 100. I can see why a lot of people don't like this book.
I am not one of those people, cause I FUCKING LOVED IT!
I'm going to prefix this to say, this book is dark. If you react to trigger warnings or if things upset you when you read about them in books (which doesn't happen to me since I have no triggers)...I wouldn't recommend this book. But if you separate "real" reality from fiction and just take this for what it is. Realize that they're not real and none of these situations happened in real life. As much as it's problematic, it's just a book and not crossing 50 different lines of what is considered "socially acceptable" you will probably enjoy this...if you like things dark
So back to it...I really enjoyed this! I did not mind the blurring lines of consent (I might like CNC in my dark romances) Zade is a little (a lotta) crazy and in terms of obsessed or OBSESSED, he definitely falls into category two. I might not be willing to sacrifice my unborn children to be with him (I have read some crazy reviews y'all) because as much as the duel-coloured-eyed heartthrob is sexy as fuck...he is a little bit much.
He's also a tad bit aggressive and possessive. But, hey! Addie seems to like it and that's all that mattered. I loved listening about their interactions together, I was at the literal edge of my seat listening to this book. Michelle Sparks and Teddy Hamilton did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life. Not only are they great at expressing the emotion that was on the page. But when Teddy Hamilton, tells her to "suck his cock like a good girl", I turned into a pile of goo and I'm not going to be ashamed to admit it. I was mostly listening to this just to perv over his voice. And he did an excellent job at successfully keeping me enraptured and captivated while listening to a story that is not socially acceptable but fucking entertaining!
Ultimately, this book follows Adeline, who is an author and at a book signing this man sees her and becomes ultimately obsessed with her that he starts stalking her. This man also happens to be this super "pro-hacker dude" who runs a vigilante organization that brings down child prostitution rings and sex traffickers. So he can be a good guy when it suits him... there are deaths, there's delicious smut, there's murder, and there's a murder mystery element. It was hot, it was dirty and problematic. It has this feel of being the drug I needed to satisfy this dark craving and gave me just the high and fix I needed and now I want MOAR!
The aspects that kept this from a full 5 stars were I wanted more on the plot and A LOT more of the relationship development between the two of them. I felt at times Addie fell for Zade just because of his proximity, and not really because of his character. They didn't spend a lot of time on page talking and getting to know each other, it was basically just rough sex to "you've been in my life for 3 months and scare the shit out of me"...so I guess I love you now? There's nothing really from a personality point of view that draws the two of them together. And I wanted more from a relationship point of view. I also didn't truly believe that she was "the manipulator". She's constantly referred to as this manipulation expert but I never actually saw it within the writing. And if she's so good at it in her books, I expected her to be really good at it as a person as well. And I didn't get that coming through.
I also wanted more plot on some of the side characters such as Max and I'm not sure maybe this does come into book two, but I felt a little bit of that was lacking. The book also has a weird flow where it can at times feel really slow and then really fast.
I did love the side characters of Jay and Daya and really want more of them. I lit up every time Daya was in the scene and almost wish she gets her own spinoff....
The tropes if you wanna know them:
▶ Stalker Romance
▶ Touch her you die (Literally)
▶ Anti-hero/Grey Hero
▶ Dark Romance
▶ Dual POV
▶ Posessive MMC
▶ Murder Mystery
▶ Laundry List of Trigger Warnings
Ultimately this was "vibes", not always good vibes but it gave you vibes. It was dark, gritty and dirty, and you felt scared when you needed to feel scared. You felt turned on when you needed to feel turned on. I'm not going to be praising the actions of Zade and I am not going to be praising the actions of Addie (cause that girl is stupid sometimes). Overall, I see the hype! I appreciate the hype. And Teddy Hamilton can call me a good girl any day and I will just be a puddle on the floor.
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Classism
zade is sick in the head
and i'm sick in the head for finishing this book
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail