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nickartrip102 's review for:
Hamartia
by Scarlett Drake
Raphael is the frontman of a rock band, Jae is a K-Pop idol. They “meet” during a chance encounter when Raphael and his bandmates are mocking Jae and his K-Pop group under the assumption that Jae doesn’t speak English. Raphael feels guilty for laughing along with his bandmate’s homophobic jokes, but beneath that guilt he feels something much stronger: lust. At first I was put off by the cheating aspect of the story (Raphael is engaged to an actress, Camille) and I could tell this book was going to be a bit broodier than some of the stories I usually prefer but once Raphael compared Jae’s skin to a line of cocaine (after admitting to the reader he’s been enjoying fantasies of Jae in fishnets and white silk panties) there was absolutely no turning back, honey (even if I had to deal with the cringe of reading Rapha being called “puppy” by Camille — puppy!?)
This book has plenty of angst and plenty of steam. I seriously wish, however, that the Camille portion of the plot had been wrapped up sooner. To some degree it marred the story for me, but it also pushed me towards the realization that I wished the actual relationship between Raphael and Jae had played out over a slightly longer period of time. That leads me to my second issue with the story! spoiler:
It also would have greatly reduced the cringe factor of Raphael pleading with Jae, citing all of the things he’s willing to offer directly after revealing the news of Camille’s pregnancy. Girl, bye! What!? It definitely didn’t sink the book for me, it just felt slightly too messy. If pregnancy were going to be a part of the storyline, make Camille pregnant the whole time, give me some really morally dubious romance. I want the Mary Louise Parker-Claire Danes-Billy Crudup messiness.
This book has plenty of angst and plenty of steam. I seriously wish, however, that the Camille portion of the plot had been wrapped up sooner. To some degree it marred the story for me, but it also pushed me towards the realization that I wished the actual relationship between Raphael and Jae had played out over a slightly longer period of time. That leads me to my second issue with the story! spoiler:
Spoiler
Why on earth did Camille need to be pregnant? Lol I get that it presents a crisis for Raphael not wanting to be like his father, but adding that element to the plot right at the end felt unnecessary, especially if the character's relationship is being outed by a leaked video. That could have been the issue that pulled the couple apart and also brought them back together once Jae realized he could have fame AND happiness.It also would have greatly reduced the cringe factor of Raphael pleading with Jae, citing all of the things he’s willing to offer directly after revealing the news of Camille’s pregnancy. Girl, bye! What!? It definitely didn’t sink the book for me, it just felt slightly too messy. If pregnancy were going to be a part of the storyline, make Camille pregnant the whole time, give me some really morally dubious romance. I want the Mary Louise Parker-Claire Danes-Billy Crudup messiness.