Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Does It Hurt?

Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton

69 reviews

meganashlee27's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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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.

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amanda_reads13's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

2.0

Sawyer is on the run and hiding in Australia. To get by, she has been stealing people's identities. Fate throws her in to Enzo's path and bed. After realizing his identity has been stolen, Enzo sets out to track down and punish the woman responsible.

The idea behind this book was interesting to me.

Two people who hate each other get shipwrecked on an isolated island where there is nothing but a creepy old man and some noisy "ghosts".

I liked the mystery vibes to it. That said, the dark romance edge didn't really work for me and the twists were super predictable.

First off, I didn't like either of the characters. Sawyer has a really fucked up past and is dealing with all sorts of PTSD from it. Enzo is a psychopath shark expert. There was nothing redeeming about him.

A woman steals his identity, and his reaction is that shark scene? WTF! Truly a psycho.

I just didn't care about either of them. It's a shame because with Sawyer's background, there was so much potential for readers to make an empathetic connection.

Second, both characters felt flat and there was a lack of chemistry between them. It was all about who could hurt the other more. Together they are completely chaotic and explosive (not in a good way). There was no real character development in this book. Neither were likable, nor were they really redeemed by the end.

I feel like this would have worked better as a regular thriller without the dark romance edge to it. Parts of this book just dragged so much, and they were always the dark romance parts.

Tropes' forced proximity, enemies to lovers, morally grey, one bed

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puffins57's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

I love the characters. I love the dialogue. The spicy scenes are hot as hell and the mystery/thriller-ish aspects certainly delivered (and I’m not one to really enjoy those mystery subplots all too much).

The first shark scene was just lovely and I very much enjoyed seeing the growth of both of our main characters. I especially appreciated the written and clearly expressed acknowledgment of shorty behavior and genuine apologies to allow for Sawyer and Enzo to start up anew with a fresh start and work towards a healthy relationship now built upon a toxic foundation.

I 100% would recommend this book. If you like this genre and are debating reading this book do yourself the favor and READ IT (though please keep yourself safe and look over the trigger warnings first).

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chainsiren's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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dizneytree's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

I found this book very hard to finish. Even downloaded it in audible to help me finish it. I didn’t care for the characters. The mystery part of the book is what kept me interested enough to just finish it. So glad it’s over!

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