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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
emotional
fast-paced
I kind of... did not care much about this one? The initial premise sounds interesting but it really does not play out in any way I found truly satisfying. Scrap does not have much of a personality and it the book does not even spend much time exploring how it is to be out of prison after such a long time; the only defining trait of his.
The story hinges on you believing there was something between them all those years ago but there was not enough for me to believe he was still obsessed with her after all that time.
Crista's story is a bit more interesting if only because she is still dealing with the fallout of that deadly night and her PTSD is major focus of the story.
But overall, this felt directionless and I was not invested in their romance.
The story hinges on you believing there was something between them all those years ago but there was not enough for me to believe he was still obsessed with her after all that time.
Crista's story is a bit more interesting if only because she is still dealing with the fallout of that deadly night and her PTSD is major focus of the story.
But overall, this felt directionless and I was not invested in their romance.
This was so beautifully written. Scrap and Christa's story was gut-wrenching but the love they had for each other, the patience and understanding that Scrap showed Christa was so touching. And how Christa was so strong through her traumas, even when she didn't feel like she was. There are always topics in dark romance that can be a little hard for me to read. It has to be well done or the whole story can fall apart. Cate's handling of the heavy topics is a true compliment of her skill as a writer and story-teller.
I am so excited to continue reading through her books, I love the characters, the stories and the worlds she build. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors.
I am so excited to continue reading through her books, I love the characters, the stories and the worlds she build. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors.
2 Stars
This one was tricky for me. I absolutely loved Scrap and his loyalty and love for Crista. He was wonderful. Crista, welllll tbh I hated being in her head. I wasn't really interested in all the dark, crazy and twisted shit she was feeling. Just not in the mood. I pushed through and skimmed most of her chapters when Scrap wasn't involved.
I guess I just didn't feel too much with her story. Was it awful what she went through? God yes. It was terrible and tragic. I didn't agree with most of her handling of it or her thoughts though. It's all subjective really and in the end I just didn't like her much.
Another thing is how the club treated Crista and her PTSD/depression/victim role. They didn't try to make her better. Atleast IMO. They let her just wander and remain fucked up and let her wallow in the hole she dug for herself and it was depressing. Add in how they treated her freak outs like a "oh again?" Sort of attitude felt insensitive. Felt like they normalized it. And the hero worship of Scrap and what he did for her and their expectations of how she was "supposed" to welcome him back was bull. They knew nothing about the two of them and what should be expected but yet Crista never felt like correcting shit either so everyone screwed that up.
I feel like this story had huge potential to be sooo good but the execution just fell flat for me. Even with the references to their past and the building of their relationship in the now it all felt weird. Off. No chemistry. Just Scrap loving a woman with everything he had.
Scrap saved the story for me though. What a sweetheart. So for Scrap I give this 2 Stars.
This one was tricky for me. I absolutely loved Scrap and his loyalty and love for Crista. He was wonderful. Crista, welllll tbh I hated being in her head. I wasn't really interested in all the dark, crazy and twisted shit she was feeling. Just not in the mood. I pushed through and skimmed most of her chapters when Scrap wasn't involved.
I guess I just didn't feel too much with her story. Was it awful what she went through? God yes. It was terrible and tragic. I didn't agree with most of her handling of it or her thoughts though. It's all subjective really and in the end I just didn't like her much.
Another thing is how the club treated Crista and her PTSD/depression/victim role. They didn't try to make her better. Atleast IMO. They let her just wander and remain fucked up and let her wallow in the hole she dug for herself and it was depressing. Add in how they treated her freak outs like a "oh again?" Sort of attitude felt insensitive. Felt like they normalized it. And the hero worship of Scrap and what he did for her and their expectations of how she was "supposed" to welcome him back was bull. They knew nothing about the two of them and what should be expected but yet Crista never felt like correcting shit either so everyone screwed that up.
I feel like this story had huge potential to be sooo good but the execution just fell flat for me. Even with the references to their past and the building of their relationship in the now it all felt weird. Off. No chemistry. Just Scrap loving a woman with everything he had.
Scrap saved the story for me though. What a sweetheart. So for Scrap I give this 2 Stars.
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault
Really liked this but was a bit rushed. Would’ve been nice to have another 50-100 pages to flesh the characters out a bit more and healing.
hopeful
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Scrap was super lovable. FMC was a bit hard to wrap my head around. I was frustrated by the lack of resolution after the final drama - I was unclear about whether the final murder would allow the FMC to finally heal or not, which seems like would impact the HEA.
4.3 stars
This story had a lot of heartbreak in it. It also showed the power of love. My heart hurt for Crista and I loved watching her journey towards being healthy with the help of Scrap.
The character that keeps standing out to me is Harper though. I realize she is often not portrayed in the best light but there is something about her that stands out. I think there is more to her character and actions that haven't seen the light as of yet. I look forward to hopefully getting her story.
This story had a lot of heartbreak in it. It also showed the power of love. My heart hurt for Crista and I loved watching her journey towards being healthy with the help of Scrap.
The character that keeps standing out to me is Harper though. I realize she is often not portrayed in the best light but there is something about her that stands out. I think there is more to her character and actions that haven't seen the light as of yet. I look forward to hopefully getting her story.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-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
Cate C Wells does the damaged-heroine / persistent-hero trope over and over and I'm a big ole sucker for it everytime. Scrap was also much nicer in his monologue than previous books.