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A review by weelasswithabook
Highest Bidder by Sara Cate
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*** ARC received in exchange for an honest review ***
CW: graphic sexual content, cancer, grief, death of loved ones, deception, homelessness
⭐️ Age Gap romance
⭐️ BDSM erotic romance
🌶 Daddy kink
🌶 Impact play
🌶 Pleasure dom
🌶 Restraints
Okay this one surprised me...
The SPC series is widely known for it's extremely spicy scenes and having a true emotional connection. They are notoriously wonderful romance novels.
However, the whole tone of Highest Bidder felt extremely different (not in a bad way, just generally). This was much softer and emotionally driven with the themes of grief and loss pushing the characters through the story.
This didn't detract from the erotic content of the book whatsoever (for those who follow the SPC series more for the spicy aspects) in fact, with the softer tone, it created a more startling contrast when it came to the erotic content. There was plenty of spice and kink in there to 110% categorise is as an erotic romance 👀
My only criticism was the instalove (or more just a really speedily falling in love would be a fairer description) vibe I got. And this is simply a me issue, not a reflection on the standard of the book itself. I think had there been a little slower of a burn, the emotional connection between the two might have been a little more impactful in the long run.
The conflict in itself was pretty solidified right at the start, but there was that anxious anticipation of not knowing when it was going to crop up. So it saved it from being predictable. I liked that it appeared when it did and how it did because it really propelled the character's relationship into a flux. And it's not a petty miscommunication trope either, it's a biggie.
One thing I really appreciated was the fact that the heroine wasn't saved or left needing to be saved by the hero. She healed and grew on her own to come to terms with her grief and take care of herself.
I cannot wait to see what's to come next.
CW: graphic sexual content, cancer, grief, death of loved ones, deception, homelessness
⭐️ Age Gap romance
⭐️ BDSM erotic romance
🌶 Daddy kink
🌶 Impact play
🌶 Pleasure dom
🌶 Restraints
Okay this one surprised me...
The SPC series is widely known for it's extremely spicy scenes and having a true emotional connection. They are notoriously wonderful romance novels.
However, the whole tone of Highest Bidder felt extremely different (not in a bad way, just generally). This was much softer and emotionally driven with the themes of grief and loss pushing the characters through the story.
This didn't detract from the erotic content of the book whatsoever (for those who follow the SPC series more for the spicy aspects) in fact, with the softer tone, it created a more startling contrast when it came to the erotic content. There was plenty of spice and kink in there to 110% categorise is as an erotic romance 👀
My only criticism was the instalove (or more just a really speedily falling in love would be a fairer description) vibe I got. And this is simply a me issue, not a reflection on the standard of the book itself. I think had there been a little slower of a burn, the emotional connection between the two might have been a little more impactful in the long run.
The conflict in itself was pretty solidified right at the start, but there was that anxious anticipation of not knowing when it was going to crop up. So it saved it from being predictable. I liked that it appeared when it did and how it did because it really propelled the character's relationship into a flux. And it's not a petty miscommunication trope either, it's a biggie.
One thing I really appreciated was the fact that the heroine wasn't saved or left needing to be saved by the hero. She healed and grew on her own to come to terms with her grief and take care of herself.
I cannot wait to see what's to come next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Cancer, Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Car accident, and Child death