A review by renaes01
Carnival Hill by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

5.0

Re-Read
I am finally finished with re-reading the books I have already read in this series! Even though I only got up to this book the first time around it has to be my favourite. There is so much angst and pain and I just eat that shit up. I actually remembered the key parts of this book but my god reading my poor baby Chase get tortured and then abandoned was still hard the second time around. The Fox still being possessive but getting his heart broken, JJ fucking things up and then finding out about Maverick. Just pain the whole time. I still can't believe that ending and I am so glad I can finally continue the series until the end!!

Original Review
Once again...WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK JUST HAPPENED!?!?!? I'm so upset over that ending. I understand the authors have a running joke that they end on cliffhangers but its just mean at this point *cries*.
I once again read this in a day. I literally am so addicted to these books and love the characters so much.
My baby Rogue just can't get a break. Like I seriously just want to hug her. She got trapped under a building, one of her men were tortured, her ex boyfriend is ruining her life, she has to hide her relationships etc. My god.
JJ absolutely broke me in this book. He has always been Rogue's happy, supportive man and the fact that he treated her so well compared to everyone else made me love him so much. But I was so upset when their relationship crumbled. He really let his insecurities get to him to think that she was just using him for sex and would just choose Fox in the end. Like are you kidding me bitch!? I just about lost my mind when he billed Rogue for all the times they had sex and literally kept count down to the dollar. I wanted to slap him so many times in this book. I loved that Rogue did pay him back and make him feel like shit but I felt so bad for her because even though we know he didn't mean it, he just confirmed for her that everyone would leave her in the end.
I continued to feel bad for Fox but also pissed. I know he loves her so much and is a possessive asshole over her and wants her for himself. But I did find myself getting mad at him because of how he treated Chase. I understand why he was mad but I can't get over the fact that he couldn't forgive him even after he was tortured. In the end when he found Rogue and JJ, my stomach dropped. I knew that he would catch them eventually but I felt terrible that he found out that way. Then when Maverick was a shithead and recorded them having a threesome while he watched....Once again I felt terrible for him because he still doesn't get that she loves all of them and thought that the reason she was so against him was because she had already chosen Rick and JJ. It was just a whole mess.
I still love Rick but he was such an asshole in some scenes. I loved how much he adored Rogue and his cute nicknames (and the rough smut because my goddddd), not to mention the fact that some scenes showed that he still cares about the boys. Like when he was trying to find Chase. I'm glad the buys know why he hates them so much because of what he thought they made him go through in jail, but he is so stubborn.
Now Chase.......omg I love my baby. I wanted to die reading about him getting tortured. I can't believe (and can believe) how scarred he was because of Shawn and how he literally took his eye out. He's been abused his whole life, lost his only family, thinks he is unworthy of love and now he is insecure. Life wtfff give him a break. I loved the scenes when Rogue was looking after him, like giving him is pills, joking around with him or drawing on his eye patches. What I really loved is how she was trying to make him less insecure and let him know that she still found him attractive, those scenes were so cute. I still can't fucking believe that Fox left him in the middle of no where. I just want to give him a hug.
I fucking hate Shawn so much he is such an evil monster.
I'm still shocked over the ending. Rogue is such a selfless women and I do understand why she decided to leave them even though I wish she didn't because she was unintentionally causing strife between the boys. I knew when reading the scene of the boys fighting that when she didn't say anything to try and get them to stop that she had left. I knew that she was going back to Shawn because she would blame herself for their falling out and would want Shawn to stop terrorizing them, but I had no idea that she was going to try and make them hate her first. My heart literally died when the boys were watching the video and she was saying awful things to each of them that really dug at their insecurities. I know she is a good actor but I can't believe they were so quick in believing that she really was just playing all of them and that she was with Shawn the whole time. Like are you kidding me? After everything Rogue has been through with them and they are so quick to think she played them just like that? I was genuinely mad and was glad that Fox told Luther to go after her. I really like Luther so I really hope he is alive because then he can also tell the boys that she left them to protect them. But I'm so worried that because Rogue and Shawn shot at him at the same time, with the rest of the crew watching, that they will tell the boys that she shot Luther (and maybe killed him). Like bro that better not happen or I will go insane. I am so worried about Rogue being back with Shawn again and if he will truly break her this time. The boys better realise that she was lying to protect them.
I was kind of confused at the very very end when Shawn opened the vault and there was stuff from a cartel in there. Like I don't know if I missed vital information and what he found was important and I should know why or if we will find out in the next book.
I can't believe we don't have a date for the next book. I am going to be anxiously waiting.
I'm so upset literally everything has gone to shit. The brotherhood between the boys that I loved so much is destroyed, the relationship Rogue had individually with the boys is broken, she is now with her psycho ex and the boys think she was playing them, Chase is no where to be found on his own, Luther is potentially dead and Mutt was sad at the end.....*sigh*.