A review by imskylow
Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

I would like to go on record and say that the only reason I finished listening to this audiobook was because  of Troy Duran’s voice acting and narrating skills. Shmexy-ass voice if you ask me. As for the content of the book… well, I vibed with it initially but it’s highkey garbage. It’s a very dark romance. And by romance I mean erotica. And by erotica I mean this is the dictionary entry for sadomasochism. I’m not kink shaming though! I like reading rough romance as much as the next smut addict. At one point, though, it’s taken a too far and becomes very dubious/non-consenual and the FMC, Sawyer, legitimately fears for her life. Enzo was getting revenge for identity theft so I sort of let it slide. (Yikes, I know). Eventually he apologizes and govels and tries to work for her forgiveness. However, at one point he wants to help her get over the trauma of said dubious consent experience and instead of building trust, he forces her into a similarly traumatizing situation and has her life at his mercy while he’s railing her. Not to mention, this second sexual encounter is right after both of them were threatened at the end of a shotgun. I kinda don’t think anyone would be in the mood for sex after their lives are threatened. The conclusion of the story just doesn’t make much sense. There’s too many plot holes for it to have worked out so perfectly. It’s garbage. I probably should have DNFed at 30% but I needed Troy Duran to continue talking to me in Italian.
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