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A review by miyawakiss
Sabotage by Shantel Tessier
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My first book from Shantel Tessier and wow... 100% a dark, DARK romance. A bit hard to categorise this as a college romance since there wasn't a single scene where any of the characters were actually attending school. The school was just briefly mentioned a handful of times in passing. No matter.
The book immediately starts in the deep end, no toe-dipping whatsoever. The relationship between Colt and Raylee was fked up and twisted, throwing in the stepsibling relationship, combined with friend-sharing, it was hella spicy. I couldn't look away.
The darkness took a different turn when Raylee was SA-ed and I actually really appreciated how Ms Shantel wrote this. There was no denying that it was a horrible and incredibly traumatic act, no matter how kinky and rough Raylee usually is with her sexual experiences. It did not matter her body count nor the level of kinkiness she has participated in, the SA was still very traumatizing and she needed a lot of time to recover from it.
The reason I highlight this is because a lot of dark romances usually ghost past or gloss over SA but it is very important to know the difference between a dark kinky consensual act and an SA. Thank you to Ms Shantel for not brushing it under the rug or implying it was something she could easily move on from with a bit of TLC. Colt was amazingly understanding and supportive with Raylee's needs and her road to recovery.
I'll definitely check out the rest of the LORDS series and other books from Ms Shantel, she really left a wonderful impression on me with this book.
The book immediately starts in the deep end, no toe-dipping whatsoever. The relationship between Colt and Raylee was fked up and twisted, throwing in the stepsibling relationship, combined with friend-sharing, it was hella spicy. I couldn't look away.
The darkness took a different turn when Raylee was SA-ed and I actually really appreciated how Ms Shantel wrote this. There was no denying that it was a horrible and incredibly traumatic act, no matter how kinky and rough Raylee usually is with her sexual experiences. It did not matter her body count nor the level of kinkiness she has participated in, the SA was still very traumatizing and she needed a lot of time to recover from it.
The reason I highlight this is because a lot of dark romances usually ghost past or gloss over SA but it is very important to know the difference between a dark kinky consensual act and an SA. Thank you to Ms Shantel for not brushing it under the rug or implying it was something she could easily move on from with a bit of TLC. Colt was amazingly understanding and supportive with Raylee's needs and her road to recovery.
I'll definitely check out the rest of the LORDS series and other books from Ms Shantel, she really left a wonderful impression on me with this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence