Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Sea of Ruin

I figured out the Ashley thing about halfway through and I initially really loved it but the whole rape bit really took me out of it. I gotta say, I'm not a huge fan of sexual assault as a plot driver. That scene could have been written in a way that wasn't rape but did still convey a similar emotion, imo.

And then MORE RAPE!!! I didn't like that the multiple rapes ended up being Ashley's catalyst cause this story is about Bennett, dammit!!! The whole "you didn't know" scene really bothered me because it makes him the victim in this. I liked her forgiving them for herself but Ashley did not deserve it so easily. How could he not have at least suspected the situation on that boat?

Thank god Priest faked the rape in front of Madwulf. And thank for the syphilis thing cause I would have DNF'd it if there had been a third round of raping Bennett.

I did pretty much sob my way through this book overall. I would have rated it higher if not for Ashley raping Bennett.

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kaitlintracy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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paigeantonacci's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

4.5

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leighlo_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

A badass female pirate with two obsessive, possessive men chasing after her; what’s not to love? This was a fun read! I wanted it spicier though. I would have liked more MMF scenes. Check trigger warnings, it gets pretty dark at times.

- Age gap (11 years and 13 years)
- Enemies to lovers
- Captor x captive
- One bed trope
- Forced proximity
- 🐱 spanking
- 🍑 spanking
- Non-con
- Cheating

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phoenixskye's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

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oharamboure's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

2.0

I so badly wanted to like this book. The summary sounded awesome, pirate captain searching for treasure that has been promised to her and in the meantime dealing with romance. I liked the way the author wrote, and while the opening is very tragic, it made sense for the characters backstory. What I didn't like was how the audience is supposed to sympathize with one of the MMCs and buy into the romance between him and the FMC after

he brutally abuses her.

There is one scene near the beginning of the book that I found to be so shocking and disturbing that it put me off the character for pretty much the rest of the book. Quick outline of that scene here in case you wanna have a heads up before diving in.

One of the MMCs ties the FMC arms together and throws her off the boat to hang there for over an hour. He then hits her in the genitals many times. He then SAs her.

I was expecting an enemies to lovers between a pirate captain and a high ranking navel officer, but what I got was an abusive MMC. I didn't realize this was a "dark romance" so if you are a fan of that genre and pirates, you might be into this book. It just wasn't for me.

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sinnybuns's review against another edition

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Honestly this book is just far too triggering for me. I’m very much invested in the characters and the romance, and I really wish I could keep reading but the plot is just too triggering.

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thesmutfairy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

There is no one who write dark like Pam, and I will die on that hill. I was so lost in this book I couldn’t put it down. The writing was beautiful and captivating. Pam had a way of taking you on a dark and twisted journey but making everything ok with heart stopping words. I loved this story from start to finish. BRAVO!

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