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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
The hero did 0 groveling for all of his unforgivable actions and the "strong feisty" heroine just took it all. I think if the characters were consistent with their initial characteristics, this could have been saved.
*Please make sure to read the trigger warnings*
"Carter Mahoney is not for the faint of heart."
Parts of this book were difficult for me to read, but I found myself unable to put this one down. I was fascinated by Carter. Seriously one of the best written bully characters I've ever read. And Zoey...I loved Zoey. Loved her brilliant mind and and her mental stamina. Brilliant characters - both of them.
I adored this couple. Not going to lie, parts were difficult. Zoey was the fuel to Carter's fire, but she was also the water that cooled him down. I enjoyed this story. I look forward to reading more of Sam's work.
"Carter Mahoney is not for the faint of heart."
Parts of this book were difficult for me to read, but I found myself unable to put this one down. I was fascinated by Carter. Seriously one of the best written bully characters I've ever read. And Zoey...I loved Zoey. Loved her brilliant mind and and her mental stamina. Brilliant characters - both of them.
I adored this couple. Not going to lie, parts were difficult. Zoey was the fuel to Carter's fire, but she was also the water that cooled him down. I enjoyed this story. I look forward to reading more of Sam's work.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Carter Mahoney can have me any day. The things this man said will keep me up at night.
Carter + Zoey
Carter was depraved, wicked, and really deserved to be in jail yet I loved him so much. He was by all means a horrible person but books are about escapism, so while I would want him to go to jail in real life... in book life I wanted to crack his code.
Carter wore a mask for the world and got to take it off for Zoey, and I always love romances where the people get to be their real selves.
“He nods. “It works out. Then at the end of the day, we can both take off our public faces, shake off our snobby colleagues, and reconnect with what’s real. Every night, I curl up with a woman who knows me and likes me anyway, and every night, you get to curl up beside a man who finds you as endlessly fascinating as you find your work.”
“Even if I mean it. I would rather you force me than sleep with someone else. I know you’d take care of me after, if something went wrong. Whatever happens between you and me, I can handle. I just don’t want you with anyone else.”
Carter was depraved, wicked, and really deserved to be in jail yet I loved him so much. He was by all means a horrible person but books are about escapism, so while I would want him to go to jail in real life... in book life I wanted to crack his code.
Carter wore a mask for the world and got to take it off for Zoey, and I always love romances where the people get to be their real selves.
“He nods. “It works out. Then at the end of the day, we can both take off our public faces, shake off our snobby colleagues, and reconnect with what’s real. Every night, I curl up with a woman who knows me and likes me anyway, and every night, you get to curl up beside a man who finds you as endlessly fascinating as you find your work.”
“Even if I mean it. I would rather you force me than sleep with someone else. I know you’d take care of me after, if something went wrong. Whatever happens between you and me, I can handle. I just don’t want you with anyone else.”
We’re there problematic elements about this book? Hell yeah. Do I still love it? Hell. Yeah.
August 2022. First re-read. I absolutely loved it. I think I’ve read enough Sam Mariano books that I don’t even care anymore. Carter is perfect.
August 2022. First re-read. I absolutely loved it. I think I’ve read enough Sam Mariano books that I don’t even care anymore. Carter is perfect.
Out the gate I will say the writing quality is worth 4 stars. And with that.....
I honestly at any point during the book would have been ok with Carter or main man getting shot, mauled, gutted in prison, fallen into a wood chipper, or ran over repeatedly with a 18 wheeler.
I LOVE a bad boy, I do, murdury crazy people in love is my jam in fiction. And I went into this knowing Carter is a bad apple, but he’s clearly not my kind of bad apple. Since it’s fiction I honestly could have gotten over him being horrible, but home boy has zero regrets he’s a rapist and never faced a single consequence for his bad behavior. He has virtually no single redeeming characteristic going for him, he is just an extreme asshole and POS. While it’s fiction, his brand of evil is just too real to life for me to want anything for him other than a gruesome demise. I’m not even going to touch on Zoey.
Would I read another by this author? Absolutely, I read this in less than 24hrs it was captivating just gross. I kept hoping for redemption that never came.
I honestly at any point during the book would have been ok with Carter or main man getting shot, mauled, gutted in prison, fallen into a wood chipper, or ran over repeatedly with a 18 wheeler.
I LOVE a bad boy, I do, murdury crazy people in love is my jam in fiction. And I went into this knowing Carter is a bad apple, but he’s clearly not my kind of bad apple. Since it’s fiction I honestly could have gotten over him being horrible, but home boy has zero regrets he’s a rapist and never faced a single consequence for his bad behavior. He has virtually no single redeeming characteristic going for him, he is just an extreme asshole and POS. While it’s fiction, his brand of evil is just too real to life for me to want anything for him other than a gruesome demise. I’m not even going to touch on Zoey.
Would I read another by this author? Absolutely, I read this in less than 24hrs it was captivating just gross. I kept hoping for redemption that never came.
My goodness this book was so damn long but I loved the chemistry and banter between Carter and Zoey very much. I usually hate third act break ups, but I think this one was handles really well. Spice is a 3/5. This felt really similar to her other book Even If It Hurts only because the characters are in high school and it's a bully romance, but WOW i'm still having trouble with deciding who I love more, Dare or Carter. I'm leaning more towards Carter. He loves her in a 'i will kill for you' kinda way and I believe him. My type of carrying on.
challenging
dark
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:
Yes
ARGGHHHH this is a hard book to read because I enjoyed the story, but a lot of it was so so wrong and that's where I'll start: 2 stars from me.
I started this book about 2 weeks ago only getting through maybe 2 chapters. Yesterday I finally read it for 8 hours! yep! (road trip) and I was actually shocked at how long it was because I was never bored. Okay, so here it is... if it wasn't for TWO specific scenes, this would've been a 5* for me.
Aside from this one scene ( at the very beginning of the book) that one and the one immediately after (when he shows up at her house) the book was great. HOWEVER that was such a rapey scene- you cant come back from that! I mean, there is no black and white, no line of maybe, it was absolutely sexual assault-
It bums me out because I think the book has seriously good potential. And it was really the way the author put it. If she would’ve left it a little more vague, or if we wondered about what happened it would be different. But the author wanted it to be rapey and that just sucks because the book was perfectly good without that. PLUS it never really comes up again. I mean, Carter is definitely rapey and creepy, but he doesnt do anything like that anymore. The story alone was so good and his past explained why he was a certain way- I don’t think that was needed- at least not the way it played out. Overall, I loved it. I loved the characters, the climax, the secrets, and it was pretty damn cute at times. Because of those scenes, I don’t like that it’s a romance. If she would’ve put those scenes later in the book like as a climax I think it wild even have been better, but we were kind of slapped in the face with it and there is no coming back from it.
Ok I feel like I said the same thing 10x lol
I started this book about 2 weeks ago only getting through maybe 2 chapters. Yesterday I finally read it for 8 hours! yep! (road trip) and I was actually shocked at how long it was because I was never bored. Okay, so here it is... if it wasn't for TWO specific scenes, this would've been a 5* for me.
Aside from this one scene ( at the very beginning of the book) that one and the one immediately after (when he shows up at her house) the book was great. HOWEVER that was such a rapey scene- you cant come back from that! I mean, there is no black and white, no line of maybe, it was absolutely sexual assault-
It bums me out because I think the book has seriously good potential. And it was really the way the author put it. If she would’ve left it a little more vague, or if we wondered about what happened it would be different. But the author wanted it to be rapey and that just sucks because the book was perfectly good without that. PLUS it never really comes up again. I mean, Carter is definitely rapey and creepy, but he doesnt do anything like that anymore. The story alone was so good and his past explained why he was a certain way- I don’t think that was needed- at least not the way it played out. Overall, I loved it. I loved the characters, the climax, the secrets, and it was pretty damn cute at times. Because of those scenes, I don’t like that it’s a romance. If she would’ve put those scenes later in the book like as a climax I think it wild even have been better, but we were kind of slapped in the face with it and there is no coming back from it.
Ok I feel like I said the same thing 10x lol