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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
HEA: yes thankfully🥹
Spice level:Open Door
Spice frequently:a few scenes but appropriate for this book
Wow, this is written so beautifully but the content is much heavier than the book cover let’s on. It’s not a light fluffy highlander read. I can see this being a very divisive book. This book deals with some very dark matters and while it is graphic at times I don’t feel like it was graphic just for the sake of being shocking. It felt like what was explicitly written was for the purpose of you understanding the depth of pain the characters felt.
Internalized shame is a main theme here and while it was very hard to read at times I felt it would have been a disservice to our heroine if the author had not been so clear on what happened to her. Hiding can be akin to shame.
I do feel like there might be some trauma bonding between our leads but I’m willing to put that aside. The hero is devoted to her and sees her in her entirety. He doesn’t have an idealized version of her but sees and excepts all of her. It’s beautiful to read. She isn’t a complete damsel in distress, which was refreshing. Her strength and emotion turmoil was palpable, my heart bleed for her and at time I was so very proud of her. She felt like an honest dipiction of a complicated women who endured something truely terrible without it breaking her spirit. It’s a fine line to walk without it becoming eye rolling and to me the author did an outstanding job.
I would not say this is a light read. If you have any triggers for sexual assault or violence I would proceed with caution. I found it a bit healing but can understand one might need to be further along in their healing journey to be able to enjoy this book.
Would I recommend?
Yes, to a very select audience and with clear trigger warnings.
Would I read again?
Maybe, but I would need to be an a good headspace to do so.
I hope you find this review helpful.
Spice level:
Spice frequently:
Wow, this is written so beautifully but the content is much heavier than the book cover let’s on. It’s not a light fluffy highlander read. I can see this being a very divisive book. This book deals with some very dark matters and while it is graphic at times I don’t feel like it was graphic just for the sake of being shocking. It felt like what was explicitly written was for the purpose of you understanding the depth of pain the characters felt.
Internalized shame is a main theme here and while it was very hard to read at times I felt it would have been a disservice to our heroine if the author had not been so clear on what happened to her. Hiding can be akin to shame.
I do feel like there might be some trauma bonding between our leads but I’m willing to put that aside. The hero is devoted to her and sees her in her entirety. He doesn’t have an idealized version of her but sees and excepts all of her. It’s beautiful to read. She isn’t a complete damsel in distress, which was refreshing. Her strength and emotion turmoil was palpable, my heart bleed for her and at time I was so very proud of her. She felt like an honest dipiction of a complicated women who endured something truely terrible without it breaking her spirit. It’s a fine line to walk without it becoming eye rolling and to me the author did an outstanding job.
I would not say this is a light read. If you have any triggers for sexual assault or violence I would proceed with caution. I found it a bit healing but can understand one might need to be further along in their healing journey to be able to enjoy this book.
Would I recommend?
Yes, to a very select audience and with clear trigger warnings.
Would I read again?
Maybe, but I would need to be an a good headspace to do so.
I hope you find this review helpful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy
I'm back to where I started with Maya Banks, sadly. I definitely enjoyed her trying something new with the first book in this trilogy, but this one features one of my least favorite tropes, "the main character is disfigured but still the most beautiful person in the whole wide world," and the superficiality didn't end there. I still read the whole thing, especially for more moments with Eveline and the other Montgomerys. I'm not sure if I'll pick up the third book, though. I guess we will see.
Second book in this series is great too! Great story. So bummed the third one has never come out. 😞
I’m not sure where I land with this book, probably because although it has a near-perfect ideal hero (Bowen), Genevieve is hard to digest. She’s the victim of evil Ian McHugh, who fortunately was killed in the last book, so there’s details told throughout the book that are painfully uncomfortable to learn. **Trigger warning for any abuse victims** Then the book swings in the completely opposite direction to saccharine sweetness from Bowen. In all, it achieved the point of highlighting how amazing he and all of his clan is, but if you’re hoping for a fun, lighthearted, happy love story with a dashing Scot, try another book.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Not my favorite. This is probably my least favorite of the highlander books, and i have so far loved all of them. It felt slow moving, sad, and I thought that the conflict was very weak. It didn't seem like much thought or planning went into this story. :-/
This book was amazing!!! I LOVED the first one in the series so I was dying to read this one as well. The reason why it took me so long to pick it up was that I knew it dealt with some heavy matters, so I was waiting until I was feeling stronger emotionally to read it.
Maya Banks did NOT disappoint. This book was heartfelt, oh so sweet and beautifully written.
I could not have asked for a better hero than Bowen. He was so patient and sweet and protective of Genevieve that my heart melted in every scene they had together. Seeing Genevieve slowly heal and trust again and fall in love with Bowen had me in tears (thankfully they were mostly happy tears).
We also got to see Graeme and Eveline again which I was happy about. Rorie, like always, had me laughing. I so hope she gets her own book.
I read this in less than a day and I already want to reread it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.
Maya Banks did NOT disappoint. This book was heartfelt, oh so sweet and beautifully written.
I could not have asked for a better hero than Bowen. He was so patient and sweet and protective of Genevieve that my heart melted in every scene they had together. Seeing Genevieve slowly heal and trust again and fall in love with Bowen had me in tears (thankfully they were mostly happy tears).
We also got to see Graeme and Eveline again which I was happy about. Rorie, like always, had me laughing. I so hope she gets her own book.
I read this in less than a day and I already want to reread it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.