Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Does It Hurt?

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton

117 reviews

vreyna20_2004's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

Before I get into it I’m just gonna talk about H.D Carlton’s writing progress. This was way better than the Cat & Mouse duet. I said it. As much as I enjoyed Adeline’s progression that story was just not that great compared to this one. Enzo is a superior man yeah he dumped Sawyer’s head in shark infested water BUT he had a reason to do things unlike Zade who just did it for the hell of it. Every time Enzo would talk I would start giggling and kicking my feet he was determined to die for Sawyer when trying to escape the island he even gave her a reason to keep living.

Anyway onto the review. This book has an intriguing plot if there was no romance/spice I still would’ve rated it high just because of the story of Sylvester and his only living child. I teared up when Kacey appeared to Sawyer and Enzo with a rotten mouth due to Sylvester sowing her mouth shut and the fact that he made her eat through a tube made my heart break. She used herself to save Enzo even if it meant she would die. And Sawyer’s story of her escaping her brother after killing him when he tried to rape her yet again I would never be able to think of Maruchan socks normally because of that one scene. I also loved reading Enzo’s story and the reason why he loves sharks and the ocean he just felt like a realistic human being. I also enjoyed Sawyer’s character and her comments for a situation so severe she made things so lighthearted and funny I enjoyed it more because of her.

The spice did not disappoint but knowing it’s H.D Carlton I’m not surprised. I, however, enjoyed the spice in this one since in the Cat and Mouse duet I found myself asking if this morally okay unlike this one plus I enjoyed it more than Zade and his constant god complex. I can’t pick which spice scene I enjoyed the most since everything is forever in my mind.

If I’m being honest the romance (not sex) wasn’t that obvious to me. They were mostly banging which usually I’ll be like “okay we get it can yall stop fucking and get romantic” but for this type of story I didn’t mind it nor did I care since they were trying to escape alive it does feel like they have a trauma bond relationship but it was still cute in its own weird way.

Content Warnings

twalton95's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

I was equally parts disturbed and intrigued!

Content Warnings

chilivanilli28's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark 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? Yes

4.0

Before I start this review, please check trigger warnings and please note that I don’t condone the actions during this storyline, but I was absolutely hooked on this book. I wanted to read this book because I loved the Cat & Mouse duet and wanted to read her other work. I don’t know what H.D. Carlton puts in these books, but it is addictive.

This book has two points of view. The first is Sawyer. She doesn’t know who she is, ever since she ran from home, so desperate to escape. She left with the clothes on her back and socks on her feet. After that, she’s only ever walked in stolen shoes. Could she be a girl who is searching for the meaning of life in faceless men. They were all so forgettable. Until he came along. He took her under a waterfall and made her forget her name and in return, she took his instead. The second point of view is Enzo Vitale. He is an enigmatic man that will only ever love the deep sea. Or rather the sharks that inhabit it. It turns out, he’s not so different than the monsters he studies. He lures Sawyer onto his boat like a fish in the ocean, seeking vengeance for the crime she committed. Has Sawyer realized Enzo’s intentions, and the massive storm would leave them shipwrecked, she would’ve ran. Now Sawyer is a girl who’s seeking refuge in an old lighthouse with a man who loathes hers almost as much as he craves her. He wants to hurt her, but the old caretaker of the abandoned island may have intentions that are far more sinister. It's no longer a question of who she is, but rather will she survive?

This book is all kinds of messed up. At times I wanted to smack Enzo and smack Sawyer and other times I was kicking my feet and wanting them to live happily ever after. Again, like most men that H.D. Carlton creates, they are all walking red flags, but I loved it. If anyone like Enzo came to me in the streets, I would run but, in this novel, I couldn’t get enough of it. I love that Enzo was both overprotective and wanting to give Sawyer her independence. Throughout the book, I was more intrigued on Sawyer’s story with her brother and if she was ever going to be set free. Another aspect I enjoyed was the caretaker and the mystery of Enzo and Sawyer getting off the island and if the “ghosts” were real.

I was conflicted throughout this whole book on who I was rooting for and was also hoping that we got to see Enzo get his revenge on Kevin which I'm gutted never happened, but I can’t wait to see what H.D. Carlton writes in the future.

Content Warnings

poupimali's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? It's complicated

5.0

H.D. Carlton knows how to write a powerful and brave FMC with horrific history. Her MMC are also fascinating…
This book, the story of Sawyer and Enzo’s story is definitely one of my favorites of this year.
It is spicy (really really really), dark and also very tense.

Content Warnings

willowmcquerry's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

Content Warnings

c4chronicles's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It’s dark, it’s heavy, it’s spicy. I enjoyed every moment of this book and everything the FMC had to overcome.

I cannot get over H.D. Carlton and will read anything she writes. She could write a soup label and I would buy it to display in my home.

Content Warnings