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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ever wondered if dark romance is your thing? Then Prince of Pain is the perfect place to start. It has all the intensity, suspense, and obsession that make dark romance so addictive—without the extreme brutality some books in the genre lean toward. Instead, it offers a Gilded Age setting filled with wealthy families, dangerous politics, and a love story that is as twisted as it is addictive.
The tropes? Perfection.
The tropes? Perfection.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Welcome to the amazing story of Addie and Kingston! I loved everything about this story. The spice is absolute perfection. The build up between Addie and Kingston is heart wrenching and heartwarming. This a friends to enemies to lovers trope that provides all of the feels! The writing, the setting, just everything about this book is perfection!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Strap yourselves in for this rollercoaster of emotions in a book called Prince of Pain. Let me tell ya, from page 1, you are tossed down a hill only to be scooped up by McDreamy (IYKYK). I LOVE that this book starts off giving you more than just a prologue’s worth of Addie and Kingston’s friendship as children. It is a really important part of the story, and a prologue just wouldn't be enough to explain the special bond that these two share.
The relationship shift between Addie and Kingston is gut-wrenching… The interactions between them throughout part of the book (before it shifts again) are so well written that we, as the reader, feel just as confused as Addie. Not confused as in “this plot is confusing” but as in my heart is confused as to how to feel about what is happening. After the truth begins to surface, we see another shift, and that’s when the spice gets to spicing!
As a sort of “seasoned” dark romance reader, this style of dark romance is relatively light. For someone who is interested in dark romance but nervous about the spice, this would be a great book for you to start with. It is written beautifully, and any triggers that you may encounter are handled delicately.
If I haven’t convinced you to read this book by my review… then just go look at that BOOK COVER!!! Hubba hubba! -)
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really thought I would enjoy Prince of Pain, especially since I’ve read and liked similar books before. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me.
The biggest issue that I had was the main characters. While they are supposed to be 20 years old, they read more like immature teenagers. Their behavior and dialogue made it hard to take them seriously, and I found myself frustrated rather than invested. I also prefer a strong female lead, and that’s not what we get here. Addie lacked real agency and depth, making it difficult to connect with her.
The story itself had potential, but it didn’t succeed. There was a lot of buildup around an impending danger, only for it to be resolved in a simple, passive conversation. After all that tension, the resolution felt anticlimactic and disappointing.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
4 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🌹Friends to Enemies x Enemies to Lovers
🌹Forbidden Romance
🌹Touch her and die
🌹Possessive MMC
🌹Bully
🌹Stalking (to protect her)
This is a modern-day Gilded Age romance about Adelaide and Kingston, two young people trapped in a toxic cycle of love and hate amidst immense wealth and privilege.
Adelaide, raised in a historical Rhode Island hotel, suffered a devastating loss and found solace in Kingston, a boy who became her best friend and the object of her childhood dreams. However, their relationship shattered, leaving Adelaide feeling betrayed and heartbroken.
This book was an easy and light read, perfect as an introduction to dark romance! I won't lie, I sometimes got so upset with Addie for loving Kingston no matter what he did. I was like, 'Girl, wake up!' But then I remembered that being with him and being his support was all she'd known since a young age.
The book transports you to that old money vibe, which is fantastic! It has a good pace and is easy to understand. I loved seeing how, towards the end, they understood what was best for her, and she decided on her own, not controlled by anyone else.
If you want to be introduced to the dark romance world, this book is perfect for you.
Thank you, Tara Gallina, for the ARC copy. I receive it in exchange for my honest review ❤️.
4 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
🌹Friends to Enemies x Enemies to Lovers
🌹Forbidden Romance
🌹Touch her and die
🌹Possessive MMC
🌹Bully
🌹Stalking (to protect her)
This is a modern-day Gilded Age romance about Adelaide and Kingston, two young people trapped in a toxic cycle of love and hate amidst immense wealth and privilege.
Adelaide, raised in a historical Rhode Island hotel, suffered a devastating loss and found solace in Kingston, a boy who became her best friend and the object of her childhood dreams. However, their relationship shattered, leaving Adelaide feeling betrayed and heartbroken.
This book was an easy and light read, perfect as an introduction to dark romance! I won't lie, I sometimes got so upset with Addie for loving Kingston no matter what he did. I was like, 'Girl, wake up!' But then I remembered that being with him and being his support was all she'd known since a young age.
The book transports you to that old money vibe, which is fantastic! It has a good pace and is easy to understand. I loved seeing how, towards the end, they understood what was best for her, and she decided on her own, not controlled by anyone else.
If you want to be introduced to the dark romance world, this book is perfect for you.
Thank you, Tara Gallina, for the ARC copy. I receive it in exchange for my honest review ❤️.
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
Addie and Kingston had a very good wholesome relationship to beging with that devolved into a nightmare for both of them. This story focuses on the corruption of the world and the direction consequences that can happen because of that corruption. The ending was complete though I do think it left something to be desired, because it felt kind of rushed.
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
This story hooked me right off the back. I loved the telling of the two MCs story from childhood. I had tingles while reading the first half of this book. I was feeling the betrayal and confusion of the FMC. I also wanted to know how he could do that to her. Then the confusion of what their relationship had me fully engaged.
Then after the half way point I did feel the back and forth was a little repetitive. I kept thinking something bad was going to happen at any point only to never have that happen. I also felt the reasons for everything happening was not high enough stakes.
By the end of the book, I realized my want for more higher stakes is from reading much darker romances. I had forgotten the author said this would be a lightly dark romance and it is soooo lightly dark I would put in the grey world. This was just a little fluffier than I expected it but overall really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Tara and Love.Notes Pr for letting me read this arc.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
This story hooked me right off the back. I loved the telling of the two MCs story from childhood. I had tingles while reading the first half of this book. I was feeling the betrayal and confusion of the FMC. I also wanted to know how he could do that to her. Then the confusion of what their relationship had me fully engaged.
Then after the half way point I did feel the back and forth was a little repetitive. I kept thinking something bad was going to happen at any point only to never have that happen. I also felt the reasons for everything happening was not high enough stakes.
By the end of the book, I realized my want for more higher stakes is from reading much darker romances. I had forgotten the author said this would be a lightly dark romance and it is soooo lightly dark I would put in the grey world. This was just a little fluffier than I expected it but overall really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Tara and Love.Notes Pr for letting me read this arc.