A review by audreading
The Winter King by C.L. Wilson

Did not finish book.
I am so shocked that no one is talking about how problematic the themes in this book are. We start out with very incestuous tones from the very beginning before Khamsin is even an adult. And then we have Wynter. At first I thought he seemed like a decent dude. But then I started seeing red flags in the way he talked about the princesses as objects at his disposal. There is a power dynamic there that gets extremely concerning. But I kept reading. And then I got to the part where he meets Khamsin. This section was absolutely appalling. He doesn’t know this girl, thinks she’s a maid, and shoves his crotch against her. He then proceeds to feel up her chest and think disgusting things about her, all while she’s screaming for him to let her go. The author knew what she was doing too, considering Wynter literally has to tell himself he’s not a rapist, but then continues touching and kissing her anyway, thinking to himself that she likes it. It’s textbook sexual assault. I am so upset that people think this is okay, and beyond that actually think it’s sexy. CONSENT IS SEXY. I read romance to escape the real men of the world and see men who actually care about women and see them as human! And that can still involve consensual dominance! I am in no way a prude, I just don’t think assault is hot. Good writers know how to create sexual tension without making it non-consensual. I can’t trust the people who recommended this book at all.
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