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A review by _readobituaries
Taming Seraphine by Gigi Styx
5.0
*I received this book as an ARC*
I am Seraphine and Seraphine is me! I didn’t expect to go into a book about an assassin and feel a connection- but I definitely did. Seraphine is a unique take on looking inside the mind of a traumatized girl. The way she reacted, how her thought process worked and the trauma responses were beautifully written. Leroi was an amazing MMC. It’s not often I read stories where the FMC is the “darker” park of the “dark romance” but this book definitely fits this definition. While Seraphine is moody, broody, erratic, volatile and “broken”; Leroi is the perfect foil in being light, carefree, charismatic and at times, hilarious! Listening to Seraphine’s inner thoughts was often waited by tragedy and violence- so it was nice to have the moments of laugh out loud funniness Leroi’s inner voice often provided. Leroi also provided a sense security and comfort without ever feeling too pushy on Seraphine- which I really enjoyed. It’s hard to tell how a victim of SA will react and the close attention to ensuring enthusiastic consent, remembering safe words and exploring play in a mentally safe way for both was nice to see in a “Dark Romance”
-STOP NOW TO AVOID SPOILERS-
The one thing I didn’t like? That it felt like conclusion came too quick and without much build up. It felt like it came out of nowhere- Anton showing up at his door, miko betraying Leroi. Both of these felt like things that could have been better foreshadowed. Same with the mother being alive/Gabriel not being a prisoner. Both of these things felt like they kind of came out of nowhere when they could have easily been hinted at during interrogations, etc;
Overall, this book is 5/5 for me. The book was moody, sexy and violent- the perfect combination in my opinion. I can’t wait to read further in the world and learn more about the world building of the crime bosses. We learn a bit about the structure of the modern day crime scene and I would love an expanded look into other aspects, so I’m excited for that.
I am Seraphine and Seraphine is me! I didn’t expect to go into a book about an assassin and feel a connection- but I definitely did. Seraphine is a unique take on looking inside the mind of a traumatized girl. The way she reacted, how her thought process worked and the trauma responses were beautifully written. Leroi was an amazing MMC. It’s not often I read stories where the FMC is the “darker” park of the “dark romance” but this book definitely fits this definition. While Seraphine is moody, broody, erratic, volatile and “broken”; Leroi is the perfect foil in being light, carefree, charismatic and at times, hilarious! Listening to Seraphine’s inner thoughts was often waited by tragedy and violence- so it was nice to have the moments of laugh out loud funniness Leroi’s inner voice often provided. Leroi also provided a sense security and comfort without ever feeling too pushy on Seraphine- which I really enjoyed. It’s hard to tell how a victim of SA will react and the close attention to ensuring enthusiastic consent, remembering safe words and exploring play in a mentally safe way for both was nice to see in a “Dark Romance”
-STOP NOW TO AVOID SPOILERS-
The one thing I didn’t like? That it felt like conclusion came too quick and without much build up. It felt like it came out of nowhere- Anton showing up at his door, miko betraying Leroi. Both of these felt like things that could have been better foreshadowed. Same with the mother being alive/Gabriel not being a prisoner. Both of these things felt like they kind of came out of nowhere when they could have easily been hinted at during interrogations, etc;
Overall, this book is 5/5 for me. The book was moody, sexy and violent- the perfect combination in my opinion. I can’t wait to read further in the world and learn more about the world building of the crime bosses. We learn a bit about the structure of the modern day crime scene and I would love an expanded look into other aspects, so I’m excited for that.