A review by karly_rose_reads
Cruel Dominion by Poppy St. John

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

3.5

I don't believe I'm the target reader for Cruel Dominion by Poppy St. John. I was given an eARC of this book ahead of its August 26, 2024 in exchange for an honest review. Even though this wasn't for me, I want to sincerely thank Poppy St. John for an eARC of this novel.

If you're curious for my review, see below 👇

Cruel Dominion is a fast-paced, standalone dark romance. What to expect:
🖤 Dark romance
🖤 1st person, dual POV
🖤 Obsessive, billionaire MMC
🖤 Second chance
🖤 Touch her & die
🖤 Dual timeline
🖤 Breeding kink

Overall, I enjoyed the second chance romance aspect to this story and that the MMC is a morally black, possessive billionaire.

However, there were some key parts of this book that I struggled with:
👉 The FMC's character is inconsistent (in my opinion). She appears very headstrong and resilient, but the moment she's around the MMC she has no backbone. As a result, I struggled to connect with her.
👉 This is personal preference, but I was disappointed there wasn't more development of side characters. Summer is the only one we're really introduced to and she barely makes any appearances but has a critical role in the storyline.
👉 The scene with the photographer / gallery owner felt misplaced and unnecessary

I want to note that I wasn't aware this book had a breeding kink, and I typically gravitate away from books with that trope. This personal preference was not a factor in my final star rating.