lionellepmuls 's review for:

Nevermore by Addison Beck

5.0

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5 Querido Stars ⭐
ARC Read: 10/06/2025
I received this ebook for free from the author and I'm leaving this review of my own accord. Thank you, Addison Beck for this gift. 🥰

What to expect from this book? 🤔
🫶 MM Adult Stepbrother Romance
👉 Strangers To Lovers
☀️ Summer Love
👉 Close Proximity
😒 One Sided Dislike
👉 Polar Opposites Attract
💘 Insta Love
👉 Possessive MC
👉 Housemates
🤌 First Times
👉 Virgin MC
🤫 Lowkey Stalking
😠 Scowling As A Love Language
🐶 Virgin Puppy x Prickly But Soft Inside 🦔
😈 Loves To Watch Him & To Riled Him Up
🐿 Whittling As A Hobby
👉 Lacrosse Player
🎶 Classic x Country Music🎵
👉 Double Bi-Awakening
🤠🧐 Economic Differences
👉 Hurt/Comfort
👉 Socially Anxious MC
🤫 Meeting In Secret
👉 Duet Part I - Cliffhanger

Content/Trigger Warnings:

Mentions of a parent dying off-page (for both MCs), bullying and harassment by a SC and light bullying by a MC toward the other MC, social anxiety and panic attacks on-page, emotionally abusive parent.

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Reign: He takes a step and I realize that, even though we’re the same height, it feels like he towers over me. How can he manage to look down at me when we’re face-to-face? He infiltrates my personal space, getting far too close for comfort, and the smell of him nearly knocks me on my ass. It’s crisp and clean, heady even, and my body sways closer without my permission.

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Cover: 4/5
Story: 5/5
Series: A Cruel Love Duet #1
Format: Ebook/ARC
POV: 1st Person - Dual POV
Plot: 5/5

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Santi: He’s caught off-guard, vulnerable, and it’s the best time to strike. Not to hurt him or fuck with him but to see that fire I saw in him. All I want is to strip him bare, tear him apart, and see what’s left underneath the cowering surface.
...
Bringing him here is just another way to lower his defenses. Take him somewhere he feels comfortable and get into his face. Push and push and push until I get what I want.
Him.

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Main Characters:
5/5 - Santiago Torres: 18yo, he/him, nickname: Santi.
Soon to be a college student, he's prickly on the outside but gooey on the inside (only for Reign). He can be mean when he feels threatened, has daddy issues, he lost his mother when he was 16. He loves classical music, especially piano pieces which he also plays, and it calms him. He also loves watching Reign.
5/5 Reign : 18yo, he/him, petname: Querido
Has freckles and a eidetic memory, loves to whittle and country music, has a beautiful Southern accent and is socially anxious. He lived with his mother in a trailer park before moving to the mansion. His father died when he was six years old. He loves cars and is considering working as a mechanic.

Side Characters: 5/5
Steam Level: 2/5
Romance: Medium Focus

I'm normally not one for duets or trilogies, but this month has been refreshing for me! I guess with the right author and story, I can read anything lol...
As always, Addison Beck brings us a beautifully riveting story.
Santi & Reign were an absolute delight to read. All that angst was completely delicious.
Their chemistry was explosive! I love how much they open up to each other and navigate all the obstacles from their past and present together.
What I loved most was how utterly obsessed Santi became with Reign... it felt special.
This is part one of A Cruel Love Duet, I don't think I'm going to survive when part two comes out. Still I can’t wait to find out what happens next for Reign & Santiago.

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Reign: It’s just because there’s so much of him. Every time he walks into a room, he sucks all the life out of it. Not because he’s draining or boring, but due to the fact that he commands so much attention, it’s impossible to give it to anything else. He’s this godly figure—an eighteen year old that’s wise beyond his years—and his presence makes me want to tuck my tail between my legs and whine. I’ve never felt this way before and it’s entirely annoying. I have hero worship for someone I barely know who’s the same age as me. I didn’t think that could be a thing.

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Humor: Low Focus
Angst: High Focus
Cheating?

No

The Ending: 5/5
HEA/HFN/Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger

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Santiago: “Santiago, what are we really doing here?”
I don’t know what possesses me to swim towards him and place each hand on either shoulder. I pull him against my chest, one hand wandering to his stomach where I can feel him quiver against me. Fuck. This was a mistake.
Touching him was an error so great, I feel like an idiot. Because it’s almost like I’m in a trance. Like I’m zeroed in on the feel of his body pressing into mine. As if all I want is to keep touching the broken, pathetic boy until he breaks for me.
My lips press against the juncture of his throat, my teeth dragging up and up until I reach his ear. His breaths are heavy as I dart my tongue out to taste his skin. It tastes like saltwater and sweat but it also has a quality to it that drags me in. Something sweet and innocent.
Something that tastes a lot like mine.

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Favorite character?

Reign

This is my 7th book by Addison Beck and my 2nd book by Maddison Devlin.
Enjoyment: 5/5

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Reign: I can’t deny the way my body scorched with heat when he undressed in front of me. I’ve never looked at a guy and just… wanted. But like everything else he does, Santiago is pure perfection. Cut, defined, and shaped out of marble. An almost ethereal beauty that steals your breath and your common sense. Maybe that’s why I’m kissing him back.

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A Cruel Love Duet:
1. Nevermore - 5 stars
Expected on 20/10/2025:
2. Evermore


!! I don't equate fiction stories to real life. It's a matter of personal taste and what you are willing or want to tolerate in the books you read. We all have different opinions and preferences when it comes to the kind of books we enjoy, so it's important to respect and remember that it's just a book!!

Hope this review was helpful.
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