Scan barcode
readers_sea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This one was okay for me.
In the beginning, I was loving it and eating it up! The pacing was fast, I loved getting to know the characters and the setup for the plot was super intriguing. As the story went on, I found myself not liking our main girl - Iris. I just didn't understand why these guys - Gabriel, Baron & Silas - liked her so much.
I felt like the story went too fast at the end because the big "thing" that the book and characters were working towards turned out to be anticlimactic. I was looking forward to how this was going to be resolved, but then I blinked and it was already over. I wish that we got a bit more time with the characters and that the big event wasn't so rushed, but overall it was a quick read.
I am curious about book two and where their story will go from here because the ending was very put together and didn't leave anything open for hints about book 2.
In the beginning, I was loving it and eating it up! The pacing was fast, I loved getting to know the characters and the setup for the plot was super intriguing. As the story went on, I found myself not liking our main girl - Iris. I just didn't understand why these guys - Gabriel, Baron & Silas - liked her so much.
I felt like the story went too fast at the end because the big "thing" that the book and characters were working towards turned out to be anticlimactic. I was looking forward to how this was going to be resolved, but then I blinked and it was already over. I wish that we got a bit more time with the characters and that the big event wasn't so rushed, but overall it was a quick read.
I am curious about book two and where their story will go from here because the ending was very put together and didn't leave anything open for hints about book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
krhart's review
dark
emotional
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
5.0
So good. Sara Cate and Rachel Leigh hit the mark with this book. 1 of 2 in the series, they write the story of Mafia families: the Blacks, the Marettis and the Pavettas. When the debt is not paid and the Pavettas are a target, Iris is told one thing- get to Silas Black.
Doing as she is told, she shows up at the Black residence and meets the brooding and void Black men (Silas, Baron and Gabriel). Iris is determined to get revenge on the Marettis for taking her father's life, but she needs the help of these three men.
Iris has little to offer but herself. As she weaves her way into their lives, they start to feel things for one another and that could be dangerous too!
I gasped and giggled and clenched and loved this story.
Doing as she is told, she shows up at the Black residence and meets the brooding and void Black men (Silas, Baron and Gabriel). Iris is determined to get revenge on the Marettis for taking her father's life, but she needs the help of these three men.
Iris has little to offer but herself. As she weaves her way into their lives, they start to feel things for one another and that could be dangerous too!
I gasped and giggled and clenched and loved this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Violence and Toxic relationship
alxisrae's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual content, Gore, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Alcohol and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use
ladylaurenexplorer's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Jumped into this blind, and I was pleasantly surprised with how engaging this was.
Although I do find Iris to be very annoying with how nosy she is in wanting to know about everything, especially in the beginning.
And our men are definitely broken, and this was the first time that I ever read a H being the virgin.
But what he was competing against is kind of crazy.
Also Barons problem with Gabriel needs to be talked about with them more but I’m hoping that the next book will be that.
Although I do think that there is a hint of another character coming in, and I think I know who that character is!
Although I do find Iris to be very annoying with how nosy she is in wanting to know about everything, especially in the beginning.
And our men are definitely broken, and this was the first time that I ever read a H being the virgin.
But what he was competing against is kind of crazy.
Also Barons problem with Gabriel needs to be talked about with them more but I’m hoping that the next book will be that.
Although I do think that there is a hint of another character coming in, and I think I know who that character is!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
sam019's review
dark
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? No
3.0
I tried out this RH and I'm definitely not a huge fan of this trope but the plot was interesting!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Torture, Death of parent, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Murder
crackedspinereviews's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
May contain spoilers
Review: I am a big fan of mafia/dark romance (and author Sara Cate), and this book gets added to my long list of faves. This is the first book in the Black Heart duet. This book starts out very fast paced and maintains the action all the way through. There are lots of twists, turns, and surprises along the way which I love. I also love that all the men in the harem have their own personalities as sometimes there can be some duplicating with this trope. This is a unique reverse harem romance in that one of the men in the harem is the dad of one of the other men. This is a great option for a fast-paced RH read!
Likes: Smaller harem with lots of character development, strong FMC, unique harem
Dislikes: a large part of the action is in the beginning and the end it a little lacking in the middle, I would have loved to see more groveling towards the end before the resolution
Tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, mafia romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Murder
ga_bby4's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Sexual content, Death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent and Cursing
weelasswithabook's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
CW: torture, gun violence, death of a parent, attempted rape
I'm gonna preface this review by saying that I don't typically enjoy "why choose" romances, and this is a perfect example of why they don't usually work for me.
When more than 3 partners are involved, I feel like more often than not, we don't get fully rounded characters. I felt like out of the 4 characters in the book, I don't have a fully fleshed out representation of any of them. Even the heroine. I just know I really didn't like her. I think what exacerbated the issue was the fact that this was a single POV, and I think that my feelings on the book would've been more positive with a multiple POV. I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I don't know why she loved them or why they loved her. The romance just didn't work for me.
However, I did find the plot entertaining. Heroine's dad gets killed, mafia vibes, hired assassins etc. But even that concluded really abruptly when the heroine comes face to face with someone she's been craving to find.
Was this an inherently bad book? Definitely not, it was well written (although I'm a bit stuck on the dress/t-shirt/trousers situation in the first sex scene) and the plot worked well, but I feel like there was some depth lacking in the characters and for me personally, that's what really wins me over when reading a romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Gore, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death of parent, Sexual content, Murder, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual violence
chilivanilli28's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence
hmmmmmmm's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Blood, and Sexual content