A review by kfriend
Undertow by Sam Mariano

5.0

(review from Bully God antho, prior to Even if It Hurts being released) Oh my goodness, that was DELICIOUS! Sam Mariano knows just how to hit the spot, and while this one felt more contemporary in nature, we still have the chemistry dynamic that I adore in the possessive, manipulative alpha hero in lawyer Hayden and the pliable and gentle heroine Gemma. Hayden is a force, pulling Gemma under into his desires quickly- this is a classic, but a bit gentler, Sam Mariano leading man. He decides what he wants- and he relentlessly gets it. This is one of the longer novellas in the batch, and Sam really builds some insane emotional and physical chemistry in this short novella. These characters are really vividly realized. Expect a bit of questionable consent, but nothing as dark as we’ve seen in her other shorts, and the bully is not who you expect. This is a complete story, but Sam has announced the secondary characters will be getting a story- which is brilliant given who they are. Sam has given us a perspective/insight in this story of the archetypal characters we often judge in bully romances, and I found it super clever that we’re getting their story BEFORE we get the one to come.