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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another great Rosa Lee book! Also I didn't realize it but this book introduces us to the characters from her new series Kissed by Shadows, which kind of gives spoilers for that book series so be warned about that. Very spicy and very dark, definitely watch triggers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
TW: s3lf h@rm & SA
Ember lost her mom 5 years ago. Her dad Richard wrapped himself up in work. Ember comes home one day to Richard and his new wife Odette breaking the news to her that they're now married and she has 4 new stepbrothers. What happens when you find your stepbrothers attractive?
I love all the nicknames Prince, Cas, Kit, and Oct gave Ember.
Kit calls Ember- Pretty Thing
Prince calls Ember- Sugar
Caspian calls Ember- Little Cinders
Oct calls Ember- Little sis
I couldn't believe that the guys watched Ember for 6 months before they finally met her. It's great that the guys rooms matched them. I love how Ember can't resist the guys as soon as she meets them. I didn't think Ember was going to wake up the way she did on that first morning with everyone together. That first car ride was not what I expected. I did like the ending. As of the time that I'm reading this there is no TW page in this book so please go to her website or send her a message.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Sexual assault
This is officially now one of the worst written books I have ever read, right along with Den of Vipers. I’m cool with RH, taboo, BDSM, dub con, revenge fiction so those aren’t my issues with this. In fact some of my top 5 favorite books are dark revenge plot books with all those triggers/tropes and more. So it’s not the triggers that make me loathe this book. This book is just not written well.
(Tons of spoilers below, beware!)
•the writing is atrocious, even for the smut scenes
•the plot pacing is similar to a shitty long form improv show that needs to tell a full story in 45 minutes, so all the scenes are on an ultra rushed timeline that would never, ever happen in any universe. Every single thing that propelled the plot forward needed significantly more breathing room in the story timeline than what was given.
•the lack of trigger warnings inside the front of the book is obscenely irresponsible for something that depictsself harm and SA in such detail on page (potential triggers need to be in the book, not only on the author website—ESPECIALLY when they are this dangerous)
•the names are ridiculous (Oct? Cinders? Giving out nicknames before you’ve even met someone??)
•the villain is cartoonish. We never find outhow on earth she bewitched her late husbands to allow her such harmful control over their children, as Odette had with Ember. And her villain origin story was BS. She was not the way she was because someone left her with a small child to raise and no resources. She’s a villain because she’s a psychopath, plain and simple. Or at least that’s the only (flimsy, poorly written) evidence we get from the book that is remotely believable if you judge by Odette’s behavior.
•the medical realities for the FMC make one of the last smut scenes (the day of her release from inpatient care, when they pick her up and go directly to the new house ) a near impossibility only weeks after her SA. I find it extremely reckless of the author to portray such a g*ng b*ng as possible physically or psychologically following so soon after an assault so brutal that the survivor needed intimate stitches.
•it is not remotely believable that any medical professional could get away with covering upthe overwhelmingly obvious and tragic evidence of a brutal SA on a MINOR. I don’t care how evil and well funded the villain is. And if you want to try and make BS like that believable, you need to show us why a doctor would be willing to commit such an atrocity against a stranger and a minor and risk their own career. Money is not a sufficient motive alone. Not when the doctors likely make a good living, and are probably wealthy or on their way to it.
•Oh yeah and while we’re at it, the FMC was a minor. Her age is never explicitly stated (nor that of the MMCs), I presume because this book had been previously banned and the ages subsequently edited out (although I admit that’s a presumption on my part) but she is not able to have access to her inheritance and she requires a legal guardian after her father’s death so…. Yep. She’s a minor.
I’m not a complete idiot, I know none of the things in dark romance should be evaluated based on how realistic they would be. But the absurdity of this plot was too extreme to the point that it took the reader out of the narrative and eliminated any possibility for suspension of disbelief. And the writing. Ugh. I can’t decide which is worse, this or Den of Vipers.
(Tons of spoilers below, beware!)
•the writing is atrocious, even for the smut scenes
•the plot pacing is similar to a shitty long form improv show that needs to tell a full story in 45 minutes, so all the scenes are on an ultra rushed timeline that would never, ever happen in any universe. Every single thing that propelled the plot forward needed significantly more breathing room in the story timeline than what was given.
•the lack of trigger warnings inside the front of the book is obscenely irresponsible for something that depicts
•the names are ridiculous (Oct? Cinders? Giving out nicknames before you’ve even met someone??)
•the villain is cartoonish. We never find out
•the medical realities for the FMC make one of the last smut scenes (
•it is not remotely believable that any medical professional could get away with covering up
•Oh yeah and while we’re at it, the FMC was a minor. Her age is never explicitly stated (nor that of the MMCs), I presume because this book had been previously banned and the ages subsequently edited out (although I admit that’s a presumption on my part) but she is not able to have access to her inheritance and she requires a legal guardian after her father’s death so…. Yep. She’s a minor.
I’m not a complete idiot, I know none of the things in dark romance should be evaluated based on how realistic they would be. But the absurdity of this plot was too extreme to the point that it took the reader out of the narrative and eliminated any possibility for suspension of disbelief. And the writing. Ugh. I can’t decide which is worse, this or Den of Vipers.
dark
slow-paced
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced