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churliefurlie's review against another edition
4.0
I love this authors style of writing & how immersive it is. This book was a bit of a wild ride but I thoroughly enjoyed it. One star lost as I kept arguing with myself on how to pronounce the FMCs name!
xrevo57's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
booksta_adventure's review against another edition
4.5
โ๐๐ค๐ชโ๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ง๐จ๐. ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช, ๐๐จ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ โฆ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช.โ
This one is pretty dark, so definitely check those TWs before diving in.
Isa has been hired to be the โcompanionโ of the mother of her small town/islandโs mysterious recluse, Lucian. Lucian is a man with many secrets, a scarred face, and a past full of trauma.
This was a haunting, and often disturbing read. The romance is slow to build, but oh does that tension and angst burn.
There is a lot of mystery about both the MCs pasts, especially Lucianโs. I really enjoyed the slow untangling of secrets with flashback scenes showing us how the true past differs from the rumors rampant in this small community.
The setting and the *feel* of the story definitely gave off Jane Eyre vibes, with a Beauty and the Beast twist, all while taking place in modern times, and a lot more ๐ฅ.
Definitely recommend this one to those of you who enjoy a captivating gothic romance.
Audiobook notes: I really enjoyed both the narrators. In particular, I enjoyed Stefanie Kayโs performance of Lucianโs voice; it just made him seem lighter and smitten in his interactions with Isa, even with all the darkness around them. ๐ค
What this book is giving:
โ
Dark Gothic Romance
โ
Contemporary
โ
Mysterious Recluse
โ
Age Gap (Sheโs 19, Heโs 32/33)
โ
Spooky Castle
โ
Secret Society
โ
Scarred MMC
Rating:
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธยฝ /5
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ / 5
katleebrod's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
witchy_book_babe's review against another edition
3.0
I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would have, I rated it 3 stars for my reading experience. I had issues with the character development, plot, and the ending. I first would like to say that this book may very well read as a 5 star to some readers. It depends on the level of drama one prefers. This book had great airs of mystery sprinkled in...but I personally felt this book was disjointed, which prevented me from connecting with nearly all of the characters.
I did really appreciate Jenny, the FMC's mother. I felt her story as a whole was quite consistent and made sense. Her character probably stuck out the most to me.
I found myself disliking Lucian, MMC, from the very beginning. As the book progressed I continued to discover more and more issues with him, I did not like who he was at his core...there were scenes where I felt he presented as two separate characters. One likeable and one unlikeable. I found when Lucian had moments of possessiveness and displayed his care of Isadora, FMC, I could get on board with that. But, then he would seem to go back to the unlikeable version of Lucian soon after he just won me over.
Isadora, I did start out really liking her character. But, overall the mention of her being a "teenager" was a little too frequent for my liking...in any sort of age gap, I don't mind the mention of the age difference. But, when it becomes sort of a fixation, I will mentally check out and end up rejecting the relationship. There were scenes where, just like with Lucian, she seemed like two separate characters. One being quite mature...while the other was very child-like.
I understand the trauma of Lucian's past having an effect on him and his mental state...but I felt that he just wasn't garnering sympathy or understanding from me. I didn't see that awareness in him that I was looking for. There were some behaviors he displayed between him and Isadora that didn't have an explanation to and left me a little puzzled on the suddenness of it. I also felt that in a way he groomed Isadora to enjoy his sadism in which he was groomed for...so I am sad to say that Isadora and Lucian just did not work for me as a couple.
The ending was a little bit of a head scratcher...I felt it didn't make sense with the target still remaining on Isadora's back. And the both of them remaining in her hometown, where she would be easy to locate.
With that being said, even though this particular book was not my cup of tea. I know that there will be many other reader's who prefer this level of drama and don't mind the route each MC took with their development. Although this wasn't enjoyable, I am still more than eager to read more of Keri Lake's books. I can't fault her for her creativity, even if this time it didn't click for me.
I did really appreciate Jenny, the FMC's mother. I felt her story as a whole was quite consistent and made sense. Her character probably stuck out the most to me.
I found myself disliking Lucian, MMC, from the very beginning. As the book progressed I continued to discover more and more issues with him, I did not like who he was at his core...there were scenes where I felt he presented as two separate characters. One likeable and one unlikeable. I found when Lucian had moments of possessiveness and displayed his care of Isadora, FMC, I could get on board with that. But, then he would seem to go back to the unlikeable version of Lucian soon after he just won me over.
Isadora, I did start out really liking her character. But, overall the mention of her being a "teenager" was a little too frequent for my liking...in any sort of age gap, I don't mind the mention of the age difference. But, when it becomes sort of a fixation, I will mentally check out and end up rejecting the relationship. There were scenes where, just like with Lucian, she seemed like two separate characters. One being quite mature...while the other was very child-like.
I understand the trauma of Lucian's past having an effect on him and his mental state...but I felt that he just wasn't garnering sympathy or understanding from me. I didn't see that awareness in him that I was looking for. There were some behaviors he displayed between him and Isadora that didn't have an explanation to and left me a little puzzled on the suddenness of it. I also felt that in a way he groomed Isadora to enjoy his sadism in which he was groomed for...so I am sad to say that Isadora and Lucian just did not work for me as a couple.
The ending was a little bit of a head scratcher...I felt it didn't make sense with the target still remaining on Isadora's back. And the both of them remaining in her hometown, where she would be easy to locate.
With that being said, even though this particular book was not my cup of tea. I know that there will be many other reader's who prefer this level of drama and don't mind the route each MC took with their development. Although this wasn't enjoyable, I am still more than eager to read more of Keri Lake's books. I can't fault her for her creativity, even if this time it didn't click for me.
jomzjomzjomz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
Fine for what it is. Super predictable and scratched an itch. Not a light read by any means, check trigger warnings before diving in.
maadreads's review against another edition
5.0
This is a tragically beautiful story. I enjoyed every second.
goonpontoon's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the story had some good potential, especially in the beginning with details surrounding the story slowly trickling out. However in the end there was way too much DETAILED child molestation and abusive/toxic relationship red flags for me to actually enjoy the story. I really did not enjoy reading sex scenes from a 14 year old boys perspective with a 25 year old woman. Or how the 8 year old physically felt during her molestation.
mothmanders's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
I read this book because I had read another work by this author, Nocticadia, and absolutely loved it. This book was basically Nocticadia with some superficial changes... kind of like copying someone else's homework but making a few changes to make it look less obvious. A lot of the same plot points and devices were used in a similar manner and pacing as in Nocticadia. It was really predictable to read. Still enjoyable, though not as much as I had hoped.