Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Shallow River by H.D. Carlton

43 reviews

beautyandthebookworms's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense

4.0

HD Carlton really knows how to write dark romance.

This book was heartbreaking. The FMC River went through SO much and so much of it you could tell was real experience which makes it that much more painful to read. The way we got inside River’s head of how she thought of herself & how it was hard to leave or do certain things because of her deep trauma—just ugh. 

I know this book has had an impact on a lot of people & I’m so glad that HD Carlton shared it with the world. It definitely is a book you want to read start to finish. 

The audiobook was also very well done—the narrators did amazing & it’s a duet! 

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hanschub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


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poupimali's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

5.0

That audiobook (and book)…
I have no word to say what I experienced.

In fact I have.
I’ve never been so angry, I’ve never yell as much as I did towards a character.
I even felt rewarded when the chapters were about Mako. It was like being soothed after being brutalized by the previous chapter.
This book is just for that: a masterpiece. 

If you are triggered by domestic violence, rape, emotional abuse, gaslighting and incest, please don’t. Don’t read it. These are normally not triggering for me and despite that, I sometimes lost it because how pissed off I was.

Jacob Morgan did an amazing job with all the despicable MMCs. 
This is a duet narration. Michelle Sparks did also an excellent job to give life to this strong abused River.
It made 

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sarahanne_65's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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vouija's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-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

2.0


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jessanicolesingh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad 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

4.5

*HEAVY trigger warnings on this book; I think this was the most intense book I have read to date

Shallow River is 70% a domestic violence survival story, and 30% a serial killer thriller (VERY different from the other dark romances I have read by this author). The rinse and repeat cycle of DV is incredibly well written, and you will be stressed from cover to cover. While there were some consensual spicy scenes, there were equally as many assault scenes, so do NOT go into this thinking it's a typical dark steamy read. Don't worry though, there is a HEA

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mizfitzkay's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is triggering for a rape survivor and as a person who watched a friend stay in an abusive cycle. I couldn’t tell you how frustrated I was with the MC. Almost DNF’d because she was insufferable. 

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_ashsomething's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5


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aliciaallisonmorgan's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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sophiewacher's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5


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