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gothbarbie's review
4.0
| 4 stars |
It was a good read. Sometimes I felt so overwhelmed but it was worth it. The characters were beyond the usual alpha-omega dynamic. Reading the development of the characters' relationships felt like a beautiful journey. Everything between the MC’s felt so real and nothing was rushed. I loved the MC’s. Both of them were so sweet. The writing was also beautiful.
If you can stay patient during the first phase of the book, I'm sure you'll love it.
It was a good read. Sometimes I felt so overwhelmed but it was worth it. The characters were beyond the usual alpha-omega dynamic. Reading the development of the characters' relationships felt like a beautiful journey. Everything between the MC’s felt so real and nothing was rushed. I loved the MC’s. Both of them were so sweet. The writing was also beautiful.
If you can stay patient during the first phase of the book, I'm sure you'll love it.
aeden016's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lyndz_'s review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked the single pov for the entire book.
wardenred's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
By accepting this marriage, we are accepting to do our duty. Do you oppose to do it with kindness?
A bunch of my romance reader communities have been hyping up this book for a while now, so I've been super excited to read it. On the surface, it looked like the story was made for me: arranged marriage, slow burn, and hurt/comfort? Give me more! However, I'm sorry to say I found myself really disappointed. I guess the hurt part was a bit too prominent for my tastes and the comfort part was barely there in truth, since the focus shifted so much to Raphael's past trauma that led him to treat Milan the way he did and the plot started feeling a lot like making excuses. "If you were in abusive relationship in the past, it's kinda okay to nearly kill your new partner if you then feel bad about it" is so not an outtake I can get behind.
That said, I certainly don't discount the effects of Raphael's past and this kind of thing would be really interesting to explore, if only he was more rational about it. It's very understandable to need time to recover from something like that, but while you're recovering, either don't agree to an arranged marriage (yeah, we're told this wasn't an option for either of the leads, but we're never really shown it, which was another big letdown for me tbh—I'd love to see this inevitability and where it stems from explored in fiction rather than just exist as an informed attribute) or communicate with your new husband. Because Milan certainly tried hard to open any avenue of communication, but it's not just that Raphael never bothered to open up until something drastic came of his silence. It's that he never listened and made himself impossible to talk to, and Milan was left to shoulder the entire emotional brunt of this relationship while being the one in the more vulnerable position because of how the bond functions, as well as due to being alone in a new country and having no support network that could exist independently of Raphael's influence. The way he forgave Raphael was just to easy, and if there's one statement from Raphael that I fully agree with, it's this: "How can goodness prevail if we don’t expect it of people?"
That said, I did like Milan to a point (that too easy forgiveness? Nope), and I really liked a lot of the side characters and all the details about running the estate. There were also things that I liked because they were promising, but they were underexplored. Like the whole political situation with the arranged marriages that I mentioned above. Or the cultural differences that left Raphael so (*cough* ridiculously *cough*) ignorant of how the bond worked on Milan's end—surely they run deeper than only that and should have more implications for both the relationship between the leads and Milan's position in the new country in general.
All in all, this is a story I could have enjoyed a lot, if it was told somewhat differently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Medical content
Neglectashlikes's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Medical content
Minor: War, Alcohol, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Sexual violence
aniya_'s review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
artareadsatnight's review
3.0
3 stars. Marina’s writing is good. The angst in the first half was brilliant. I loved how Milan gradually lost all hope. But. Then it was almost like some switch was turned. And it was a bit underwhelming. And the last 20% felt totally underdeveloped, rushed and blackandwhite. Bad guys are bad. Good guys are good. There are problems, mc’s solve them all brilliantly and with ease. Too unrealistic and not as good as her other books.
error_'s review
4.0
The blurb was intriguing. I didn't think Raphael would be such a cold and cruel character, but I was wrong. There was a redemption arc for him though, even if some of his actions were inexcusable. Milan was headstrong and expressive, and he was really likable. He was so caring and accepting of Raphael and got him to open up about his feelings, developing their relationship.
The pacing was nice, and the storyline was okay.There could have been more depth into Jack's villainous plot imo. I wanted to know more about Jason and the accountant and how they found him. Mostly Jack's lawsuit seemed quickly dealt with.
But except for that issue, everything else was great and I demolished the novel in one night. Definitely reading the sequel!
The pacing was nice, and the storyline was okay.
But except for that issue, everything else was great and I demolished the novel in one night. Definitely reading the sequel!