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gypsystar 's review for:
Even If It Hurts
by Sam Mariano
I originally read this in the Filthy Elites anthology. I thought it was the best book I’d read all year and that remains true so far. I can’t even articulate adequately how much I love Dare & Aubrey’s story. There’s just so much here I think I could read it a thousand times and come up with a new reason I love it every time.
Below is part of my original review from the anthology release.
Even If It Hurts is straight up 5 stars, honestly I’d give it all the stars. I waited up for this pre-order to drop at midnight and read straight through til nearly 4 am. I’m an ardent Sam Mariano fan, she hooked me instantly with Untouchable and I’ve been falling for her brand of anti hero ever since.
Sam has never let me down and I trust the journey but I was squirming at points in Dare’s story. Strangely, not the parts I think I was supposed to though. Dare is a straight up villain. No redeeming qualities. He’s intense and scary and absolutely ruthless. He might be the exact definition of depraved. The darker and more unhinged Dare became the more I liked him *lol*. I’m a little afraid of what that says about me lol. Seriously though, the situation in the beginning is prickly and I was on the edge of my seat reading until I grasped Dare’s intentions.
Definitely don’t skip past Sam’s note in the beginning. She won’t lead you astray. As I read through the story her vision became more and more clear. This has strong Cruel Intentions vibes in the best way.
As I mentioned before there were prickly, uncomfortable parts for me early in the story but Dare NEVER cheats on or betrays h, despite appearances to suggest otherwise. The set up here is unconventional- very Dangerous Liasions/Cruel Intentions-esque situation. Trust Sam though. Her Hs don’t cheat on their heroines.
In my re-read I caught numerous nods to the Wizard of Oz, I hadn’t paid much attention to before. This is the first book in this series and there are undeniable connections to Hannah’s eventual book reflecting a Cinderella situation.
Medium burn, H takes h’s vcard at 50%, but there’s some stuff that happens a bit earlier.
Virgin h
Condoms used most of the time
Heavy somnophilia
Non con/ dub con
H drugs her for the somnophilia
Rough sex
OW drama
No cheating between H/h
No scenes with others
No cliffhanger for couple but things set in motion for upcoming stories in the Coastal Elite world.
HEA
Safety - I don’t know how safe you could consider this. Dare is honestly the antithesis of safe. Anae is his girlfriend - so technically he’s cheating on her with Aubrey BUT Anae is aware and has literally given him permission. It’s a Cruel Intentions/ Dangerous Liasons set up. Anae wants to use Dare to hurt Aubrey. Dare ends up catching feelings for Aubrey pretty quickly so the game changed for him but he has to play along with Anae and his relationships with both are strained by the tension and angst.
There’s a lot of tension around the situation with Hannah, Aubrey & Dare. Some have tried to frame it as a love triangle situation but it’s really not. Hannah is getting her own book down the line with her own H. Dare DOES NOT share and he’s made that 100% clear. Dare sees Hannah as an obstacle to his relationship with Aubrey. The dark nature of his threats work because he’s sure Hannah won’t call his bluff. Aubrey and Hannah want to be friends, not enemies or lovers. Dare & Aubrey are end game. Hannah’s surely going to have her own villain to contend with courtesy of Dare’s hand.
Below is part of my original review from the anthology release.
Even If It Hurts is straight up 5 stars, honestly I’d give it all the stars. I waited up for this pre-order to drop at midnight and read straight through til nearly 4 am. I’m an ardent Sam Mariano fan, she hooked me instantly with Untouchable and I’ve been falling for her brand of anti hero ever since.
Sam has never let me down and I trust the journey but I was squirming at points in Dare’s story. Strangely, not the parts I think I was supposed to though. Dare is a straight up villain. No redeeming qualities. He’s intense and scary and absolutely ruthless. He might be the exact definition of depraved. The darker and more unhinged Dare became the more I liked him *lol*. I’m a little afraid of what that says about me lol. Seriously though, the situation in the beginning is prickly and I was on the edge of my seat reading until I grasped Dare’s intentions.
Definitely don’t skip past Sam’s note in the beginning. She won’t lead you astray. As I read through the story her vision became more and more clear. This has strong Cruel Intentions vibes in the best way.
As I mentioned before there were prickly, uncomfortable parts for me early in the story but Dare NEVER cheats on or betrays h, despite appearances to suggest otherwise. The set up here is unconventional- very Dangerous Liasions/Cruel Intentions-esque situation. Trust Sam though. Her Hs don’t cheat on their heroines.
In my re-read I caught numerous nods to the Wizard of Oz, I hadn’t paid much attention to before. This is the first book in this series and there are undeniable connections to Hannah’s eventual book reflecting a Cinderella situation.
Medium burn, H takes h’s vcard at 50%, but there’s some stuff that happens a bit earlier.
Virgin h
Condoms used most of the time
Heavy somnophilia
Non con/ dub con
H drugs her for the somnophilia
Rough sex
OW drama
No cheating between H/h
No scenes with others
No cliffhanger for couple but things set in motion for upcoming stories in the Coastal Elite world.
HEA
Safety - I don’t know how safe you could consider this. Dare is honestly the antithesis of safe. Anae is his girlfriend - so technically he’s cheating on her with Aubrey BUT Anae is aware and has literally given him permission. It’s a Cruel Intentions/ Dangerous Liasons set up. Anae wants to use Dare to hurt Aubrey. Dare ends up catching feelings for Aubrey pretty quickly so the game changed for him but he has to play along with Anae and his relationships with both are strained by the tension and angst.
There’s a lot of tension around the situation with Hannah, Aubrey & Dare. Some have tried to frame it as a love triangle situation but it’s really not. Hannah is getting her own book down the line with her own H. Dare DOES NOT share and he’s made that 100% clear. Dare sees Hannah as an obstacle to his relationship with Aubrey. The dark nature of his threats work because he’s sure Hannah won’t call his bluff. Aubrey and Hannah want to be friends, not enemies or lovers. Dare & Aubrey are end game. Hannah’s surely going to have her own villain to contend with courtesy of Dare’s hand.