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downtown_kb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
This was an emotional gut punch. We get a quick recap of the whirlwind romance in the prologue of this story and then it picks up after Matt and Rhys have been married for a year. Matt has a lot of baggage from a past being in the foster system. He has a lot of abandonment issues. This is a very heart wrenching journey of him coming to terms with needing help and facing his trauma. I think this is my first gay marriage in trouble read I've come across. Matt was very imperfect but still relatable in his insecurities. Rhys is so sweet and supportive through it all. And there is some very steamy phone sex and role play. Roan Parrish does great dirty talk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse
piperclover's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. I think this might be my favorite book of the year and possibly in the top 5 of my favorite books all time. I loved Riven but this one tops that one by miles. The narrator was amazing, you could hear the emotions/voice breaks when the scene called for it.
I really love that we see a little bit of them getting together but then it's mostly about their marriage which is really interesting in a romance book and I don't see that very often. The sex in this one is the hottest I have ever read in an novel. The kinks are so up my alley and so well done. I do think some people are going to find this dynamic between the couple unhealthily codependent so if you're really sensitive to that I wouldn't even bother starting this.
I am a little iffy on the timeline in relation to the first book but it's not that big of a deal so it doesn't bother me too much. I wish we had seen the best friend way sooner I wish we had seen the best friend way sooner And a lot of the kinks aren't named which bothered me. They still exist whether you named them or not so just name them. Also can we please find a new way to say "speared me open"??
I really love that we see a little bit of them getting together but then it's mostly about their marriage which is really interesting in a romance book and I don't see that very often. The sex in this one is the hottest I have ever read in an novel. The kinks are so up my alley and so well done. I do think some people are going to find this dynamic between the couple unhealthily codependent so if you're really sensitive to that I wouldn't even bother starting this.
I am a little iffy on the timeline in relation to the first book but it's not that big of a deal so it doesn't bother me too much. I wish we had seen the best friend way sooner I wish we had seen the best friend way sooner And a lot of the kinks aren't named which bothered me. They still exist whether you named them or not so just name them. Also can we please find a new way to say "speared me open"??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Abandonment
Mat was a foster child and though his back story is not as extreme as it could have been, there is still large portions of discusses and remembered child neglect and generally bad parenting. Super brief barely mentioned sex crimes against children. Theres a consensual somnophilia kink, cockwarming kink, intense intimacy kink, extreme possessiveness kink. This entire book is basically Matt actually being forced to process all of his childhood trauma and all the things that go with that so this book is pretty much a slow descent into his trauma all the way through. It really rough and if you're easily triggered by mental health issues/crises, avoid this book.
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