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kaychelle's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
bev3203's review against another edition
So nice, I read it twice!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence
isitcake's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Gdamn this was really good. Binge read in one day. I loved the personalities and dialogue between these 2 characters so so much. Loved that we got to see Natalie, Aleks and Jess. Aleks and Natalie's book was so dark that I was worried this was going to be just as hard to read but instead it was fairly light, even with the dark subject matter, and was just perfect.
Lucia Martinez aka Cat Marin is a half Cuban woman on the run from a murderous ex-husband and con-man, Edward. Turns out he was scouting her in Jacksonville for weeks. His con is he'll seduce young wealthy woman, make himself the heir to everything and murder them to inherit. Lucia is his sixth wife, and the only survivor. He had murdered her mom and put framing evidence, a drug-filled syringe, in a safe deposit box that only Lucia had access too. She confronts Edward with a gun while he's fucking his lover and fellow con-woman Julia, but the gun goes off and Julia accidentally gets killed. So Lucia has been on the run for 3 years.
Now in Miami, she's trying to finish her economics degree while cleaning houses but money is tight and one of the woman's houses she cleans is an escort who asks Lucia to sub for her. This is how Lucia meets Maxim and it's history from there. He's immediately attracted to her, her humor and personality, that she doesn't want anything from him. But he only knows her as Cat Marin. After a drunken night, he accuses her of trying to get pregnant to entrap him, and he "takes her prisoner" for 2 weeks in his apartment. She's ok with that because right before she came there she thought she spotted Edward on the street. Instead she has 2 weeks of bliss, ordering tons of room service, clothes, and obviously having tons of sex with Maxim.
They go to Aleks and Natalie's Nebraska wedding and grow even closer. We finally learn Maxim's backstory. After Aleks left him and Dimitri, the man who took care of them repeatedly sexually assaulted Dimitri and locked Maxim in a basement for 6 months, starving and beating him, when he tried to stop him. Finally though Dimitri fought back and Maxim killed him. But that's why neither brother is trusting. After this revelation, Cat/Lucia is about to reveal her true backstory but on the way back to Miami she says Edward's name in her sleep and Maxim angrily confronts her. She leaves, finds she's been robbed at her apartment, plans to disappear after she goes to clean a client's home for a mere ~$360 and take her last econ exam. As she's cleaning the house, Maxim shows up to apologize. She keeps running, takes her exam, and is on the phone with Maxim when Edward shows up and shoots her. She nearly dies after bleeding out, she's unconscious for 4 days. But she survives, graduates, and plans to accept Maxim's marriage proposal in the epilogue.
Now in Miami, she's trying to finish her economics degree while cleaning houses but money is tight and one of the woman's houses she cleans is an escort who asks Lucia to sub for her. This is how Lucia meets Maxim and it's history from there. He's immediately attracted to her, her humor and personality, that she doesn't want anything from him. But he only knows her as Cat Marin. After a drunken night, he accuses her of trying to get pregnant to entrap him, and he "takes her prisoner" for 2 weeks in his apartment. She's ok with that because right before she came there she thought she spotted Edward on the street. Instead she has 2 weeks of bliss, ordering tons of room service, clothes, and obviously having tons of sex with Maxim.
They go to Aleks and Natalie's Nebraska wedding and grow even closer. We finally learn Maxim's backstory. After Aleks left him and Dimitri, the man who took care of them repeatedly sexually assaulted Dimitri and locked Maxim in a basement for 6 months, starving and beating him, when he tried to stop him. Finally though Dimitri fought back and Maxim killed him. But that's why neither brother is trusting. After this revelation, Cat/Lucia is about to reveal her true backstory but on the way back to Miami she says Edward's name in her sleep and Maxim angrily confronts her. She leaves, finds she's been robbed at her apartment, plans to disappear after she goes to clean a client's home for a mere ~$360 and take her last econ exam. As she's cleaning the house, Maxim shows up to apologize. She keeps running, takes her exam, and is on the phone with Maxim when Edward shows up and shoots her. She nearly dies after bleeding out, she's unconscious for 4 days. But she survives, graduates, and plans to accept Maxim's marriage proposal in the epilogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
nerdymel11's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
ymread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Murder, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Stalking, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
azizadarl's review
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse
bookbrig's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Cat was pretty much the best. I would read eleventybillion more books about her. I really enjoyed this, way more than I expected to, and I think it was her tenacity, determination, and the way the story made it very clear that she was smart and self-reliant while still playing with romance tropes. I also liked the interplay of class differences, gender disparities, and sexy romantic times. It could have been a mess, but it worked beautifully.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence and Domestic abuse
Minor: Murder
honeyreads1066's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
fast-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
4.25
I'm not going to review this book as I normally would because it is so different from what I usually read but I LOVED THIS.
I'm not often a reader of romance books but I've been in a slump and a friend of mine recommended me this book a whole back nd I though I should get to it. Well I finished this quicker than any book in the last 3 months because it was SO HOT.
This book successfully has pulled me out of a slump, got me all hot and bothered as well as have an interesting plot that I was pretty damn invested in.
Is this a guilty pleasure novel? Yes! Would I still recommend this to everyone? Yes!
My only issue was literally that the ending felt rushed and maybe I'm not a fan of epilogues in romance books because I didn't like this one but I don't think it takes too much away from my overall experience reading this. Anyways you should read it too.
I'm not often a reader of romance books but I've been in a slump and a friend of mine recommended me this book a whole back nd I though I should get to it. Well I finished this quicker than any book in the last 3 months because it was SO HOT.
This book successfully has pulled me out of a slump, got me all hot and bothered as well as have an interesting plot that I was pretty damn invested in.
Is this a guilty pleasure novel? Yes! Would I still recommend this to everyone? Yes!
My only issue was literally that the ending felt rushed and maybe I'm not a fan of epilogues in romance books because I didn't like this one but I don't think it takes too much away from my overall experience reading this. Anyways you should read it too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence
kifirth95's review
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Confinement, and Cursing
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