Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Powerless by Elsie Silver

91 reviews

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Elsie Silver delivers a swoony, emotionally-charged ride in Powerless, a romance packed with angst, longing, and heart. With a perfect blend of small-town charm, cowboy grit, NHL adrenaline, and runaway bride chaos, this book had me fully hooked from the first few chapters.

Sloane and Jasper’s story is the ultimate slow burn, 18 years in the making, and the payoff is so worth it. From childhood friends to complicated adults with unresolved feelings, their dynamic is messy, tender, and incredibly raw. Sloane’s journey from being controlled by her high-powered father to reclaiming her freedom was deeply empowering. Watching her walk away from a cold, businesslike engagement to choose herself and eventually, Jasper, was such a “YES GIRL” moment.

Jasper? I’m obsessed. He’s the grumpy, rugged hockey player with a tortured soul and the softest heart, and when he finally lets himself feel? Absolute swoon. His quiet acts of love, rubbing Sloane’s feet, remembering the smallest details about her, the special tattoo, had me melting. Their road trip together was sexy, hilarious, and filled with so many little moments that made their bond feel unshakable. There’s just something about a man who takes charge but still worships the ground you walk on. And Jasper definitely worships Sloane.

Where the book lost a star for me is in the handling of Jasper’s past. His trauma, especially around his biological family, felt a little underexplored. It was a core part of who he is, and while it was touched on, it didn’t get the same emotional unpacking that Sloane’s relationship with her family did. I kept waiting for a deeper dive into that side of his story and felt like we didn’t quite get the resolution he deserved.

Still, this book hits with that classic Elsie Silver cowboy energy. Sloane and Jasper's story is filled with heartbreak, healing, spice, and hope and their HEA is hard-earned and utterly satisfying.

If you’re into emotional rollercoasters, men who fall hard but take their sweet time admitting it, and women who rise from the ashes to take their power back, Powerless is 100% for you. Would I reread? Yes. Would I marry Jasper Gervais in a heartbeat? Also yes.

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emotional funny fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Little disclaimer, I'm not the target audience for these books and they're not my usual genre, just reading them for the fun of it.

I thought this was going to be my favourite book in the series, based on how the mmc had been described in previous books where he appeared as a side character. Unfortunately for me the author destroyed all she had built for the character, and to make matters worse, I hated the fmc. The "plot", if you can even call it that, was seriously just too stupid and unbelievable at times, and I found myself not caring about the situations the mcs got themselves into due to that. I couldn't even find it a fun read because I was just annoyed for most of it. The smut scenes also increase exponentially in this book. Lastly, from this point forward you start to realise the fmcs in particular start blurring all together and reading the exact same (
they all are "feisty", bold girlbosses, not scared to talk openly about sex and who make sexual jokes their whole personality
). 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional funny inspiring medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Longing. Check. 
Spicy. Check. 
HEA. Check. 
Perfect. Check. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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