Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian

5 reviews

beepbeep101's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Confinement, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Dementia, Grief, and Sexual content

Minor: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Stalking

Sexual trauma, difficult pregnancy, postpartum depression

cameronmh's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Cursing

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Classism, and Misogyny

Almost all of the negative content is in the past. Marion has escaped (

at least by the second chapter when she kills him

) a toxic relationship, which is where a solid half the CWs come from. Most of the violence is during the book, and there is lots of very consensual sexual content, but all of the pregnancy and sexual abuse stuff is in the past. The whole thing is a big hurt/comfort fanfiction, basically.

analenegrace's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read Kit Webb and this one back to back as to best understand the story and while I quite enjoyed them both, this was was definitely the better of the two. I definitely recommend reading Kit Webb first and reading them together since the plots are so intertwined and I imagine this would not be easy to understand without Kit Webb. 

Rob was perhaps one of my favorite MMCs in a while, his characterization was written in a way that was so enjoyable and made it impossible not to root for him at every turn. His relationships with the people he loved and the animals he loved, as well as with the people around him, made him practically perfect with a morally grey Robin-Hood-style code of ethics. Marian was, of course, an absolute icon once again and I enjoyed getting to understand her, her past, and her relationships to the ones she cared about more as well! I also enjoyed that the book did not shy away from discussions of her period and the dangers of pregnancy as I feel that even in contemporary books this is often ignored. The relationship between the two and their dynamic in and outside of the bedroom were enjoyable to read and the author balanced well telling us the story of the relationship while telling us the tale of their adventure. 

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a historical romance that has a greater plot and even a greater purpose outside of the romance!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Classism, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Minor: Medical content

andatherrin's review

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Dementia

Minor: Confinement, Rape, Abandonment, and Kidnapping

purplepenning's review

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

So, I accidentally-on-purpose read this book (#2 in the series) before The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (#1) … and I think I kinda liked it that way? 

Unnecessarily long explanation: It was on purpose because I had the ARC for Marian Hayes (and Rob's) story and I read it even though I knew it was #2 in the series, but it was accidentally out of order because I didn't really intend to go back and read Kit Webb (and Percy's) story. But, as often happens in these cases, I liked #2 and decided to go back and read #1. 

All of that to say that I was very happy to discover that I wasn't really "going back" and reading out of order — the stories take place concurrently, fitting together to give the whole story. I preferred this one overall. As you can imagine, it has a more satisfying, more completed feel to it. I'm also just quite fond of both Marian and Rob, those brilliant dummies, and the way their relationship works (specifically how consent is worked into this historical, where we don't often get it, and how non-penetrative sex is featured in this M/F relationship, where we don't often get it). So, yes, I'd rate this one just a little higher, but really I think the books are both best when taken together, no matter what order you happen to read them in.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Sexual content, and Dementia

Minor: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Forced institutionalization