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A review by themidinight_reader
Darkness Embraced by Tillie Cole
4.0
——A HEARTWARMING FORBIDDEN ROMANCE.
SYNOPSIS :
It's a twisted love story between Tanner Ayers, heir to the Texas Ku Klux Klan, and Adelita Quintana, the daughter of a ruthless cartel boss. Despite their initial hatred, they're inexplicably drawn to each other, and their hate transforms into an intense love. Tanner abandons his hateful past, joining the Hades Hangmen to be with Adelita. However, they find themselves caught in a war between their families, fighting to protect their forbidden love that puts everyone they love in danger. It's a dark and uncertain journey for the White Prince and the cartel princess.
CHARACTERS :
Adelita starts off as a refreshing, strong female lead, unlike the usual helpless cult women in the previous books. I immensely enjoyed her bold and snarky attitude in the flashbacks when she first meets Tanner. However, as the story progresses, she becomes more helpless and submissive, even allowing her father to force her into marriage. I understood her initial decision to go along with it, was because she thought Tanner wouldn't return for her. But later, when he does eventually come back, she chooses to leave him and fight her own battle THEN, despite craving to be with him for so long. It felt like her willpower arrived way too late in the story. So, while she's not a weak character, her moments of strength seemed poorly timed, and that bothered me.
Tanner is a tough guy who's ready to lay it all on the line for his loved ones. Despite being raised in a world of violence and bloodshed, he chooses loyalty, love, and justice. I really admired how he was willing to sacrifice everything for Adelita, even when he believed she had betrayed him. His bond with his brother and his friendship with tank was genuine and wholesome. Even his unwavering loyalty to the Hangmen, always lending a hand without expecting anything in return, was truly commendable.
ROMANCE :
I'm a huge fan of anything Romeo and Juliet, so naturally, I enjoyed the romance between Tanner and Adelita from their first meeting until the very end. However, what bothered me was that it seemed like Tanner was the only one making an effort for them to be together. Adelita didn't do much except get engaged to ANOTHER man without putting up a fight, and as if that wasn’t enough, she even undermined Tanner's efforts by running away ( iukwim ). So considering that, it's hard to believe that Adelita truly loved him, when we're not shown the depth of her feelings. On the other hand, we can clearly see the extent of Tanner's love as he literally gave up his THRONE for her.
Other than this their chemistry was off the charts, and the tension between them was absolutely electric. It made the steamy scenes incredibly intense, especially the ones in the flashbacks when they were supposed to be enemies.
SYNOPSIS :
It's a twisted love story between Tanner Ayers, heir to the Texas Ku Klux Klan, and Adelita Quintana, the daughter of a ruthless cartel boss. Despite their initial hatred, they're inexplicably drawn to each other, and their hate transforms into an intense love. Tanner abandons his hateful past, joining the Hades Hangmen to be with Adelita. However, they find themselves caught in a war between their families, fighting to protect their forbidden love that puts everyone they love in danger. It's a dark and uncertain journey for the White Prince and the cartel princess.
CHARACTERS :
Adelita starts off as a refreshing, strong female lead, unlike the usual helpless cult women in the previous books. I immensely enjoyed her bold and snarky attitude in the flashbacks when she first meets Tanner. However, as the story progresses, she becomes more helpless and submissive, even allowing her father to force her into marriage. I understood her initial decision to go along with it, was because she thought Tanner wouldn't return for her. But later, when he does eventually come back, she chooses to leave him and fight her own battle THEN, despite craving to be with him for so long. It felt like her willpower arrived way too late in the story. So, while she's not a weak character, her moments of strength seemed poorly timed, and that bothered me.
Tanner is a tough guy who's ready to lay it all on the line for his loved ones. Despite being raised in a world of violence and bloodshed, he chooses loyalty, love, and justice. I really admired how he was willing to sacrifice everything for Adelita, even when he believed she had betrayed him. His bond with his brother and his friendship with tank was genuine and wholesome. Even his unwavering loyalty to the Hangmen, always lending a hand without expecting anything in return, was truly commendable.
ROMANCE :
I'm a huge fan of anything Romeo and Juliet, so naturally, I enjoyed the romance between Tanner and Adelita from their first meeting until the very end. However, what bothered me was that it seemed like Tanner was the only one making an effort for them to be together. Adelita didn't do much except get engaged to ANOTHER man without putting up a fight, and as if that wasn’t enough, she even undermined Tanner's efforts by running away ( iukwim ). So considering that, it's hard to believe that Adelita truly loved him, when we're not shown the depth of her feelings. On the other hand, we can clearly see the extent of Tanner's love as he literally gave up his THRONE for her.
Other than this their chemistry was off the charts, and the tension between them was absolutely electric. It made the steamy scenes incredibly intense, especially the ones in the flashbacks when they were supposed to be enemies.