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Losers: Part I
by Harley Laroux
Losers – Series Review (The Dare, Part I & Part II)
I very much enjoyed this series. I was extremely nervous to start because I tend to get anxious when I read Dark Romance. It’s not typically a sub-genre I lose myself and enjoy. Dark romance has Trigger Warnings for a reason, and I try to make sure I don’t put myself in a place to fail or DNF because I can’t handle something. But, after reading the Trigger Warnings thoroughly I found that even though I was still nervous, I still WANTED to try reading it. Even though I was scared, I WANTED to push though. And that is exactly the situation I found in this series.
The FMC is a strong character. She was a popular school bully/mean girl. The stereotypical head cheerleader who did the pushing and didn’t let anyone push back. Then, when she found herself in a situation where she was being pushed to submit, she discovered something new in herself and chose to do so. Everything she did, she wanted to do. It may have been embarrassing, but we (the reader) are constantly being reassured that she was never in danger or was being forced to do anything she didn’t want to do.
I can see how some people might call it dub-con, because at the beginning her pride is the reason she doesn’t want to submit, but I don’t agree with it being dub-con. In the prequel story, the MFC loses a bet and becomes the winner’s slave for the night. Even though she doesn’t want to do the things her ‘master’ tells her to do, nobody forces her. She can walk away at any time and nothing will happen. Even her best friend questions why she keeps doing it, but the FMC discovers she enjoys it and WANTS to obey. She was given her safe word, reminded of it, and even checked on to make sure she was still ‘green’ all throughout the series.
Even though I highly doubt I would ever be willing to be put in degrading situations like that, I very much was able to enjoy the story because it always felt safe to me. There was a ton of anxiety, but never over her safety, at least not with her partners.
SPICE LEVEL: 5/5
ENDING: HEA Epilogue
I very much enjoyed this series. I was extremely nervous to start because I tend to get anxious when I read Dark Romance. It’s not typically a sub-genre I lose myself and enjoy. Dark romance has Trigger Warnings for a reason, and I try to make sure I don’t put myself in a place to fail or DNF because I can’t handle something. But, after reading the Trigger Warnings thoroughly I found that even though I was still nervous, I still WANTED to try reading it. Even though I was scared, I WANTED to push though. And that is exactly the situation I found in this series.
The FMC is a strong character. She was a popular school bully/mean girl. The stereotypical head cheerleader who did the pushing and didn’t let anyone push back. Then, when she found herself in a situation where she was being pushed to submit, she discovered something new in herself and chose to do so. Everything she did, she wanted to do. It may have been embarrassing, but we (the reader) are constantly being reassured that she was never in danger or was being forced to do anything she didn’t want to do.
I can see how some people might call it dub-con, because at the beginning her pride is the reason she doesn’t want to submit, but I don’t agree with it being dub-con. In the prequel story, the MFC loses a bet and becomes the winner’s slave for the night. Even though she doesn’t want to do the things her ‘master’ tells her to do, nobody forces her. She can walk away at any time and nothing will happen. Even her best friend questions why she keeps doing it, but the FMC discovers she enjoys it and WANTS to obey. She was given her safe word, reminded of it, and even checked on to make sure she was still ‘green’ all throughout the series.
Even though I highly doubt I would ever be willing to be put in degrading situations like that, I very much was able to enjoy the story because it always felt safe to me. There was a ton of anxiety, but never over her safety, at least not with her partners.
SPICE LEVEL: 5/5
ENDING: HEA Epilogue