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A review by fringebookreviews
To Distraction by Stephanie Laurens
5.0
✨She indeed stepped! back! onto! that! dick!✨
If you’ve seen the stepback for this one, you definitely understand. If you haven’t, it’s gorgeous and very telling about this book. There were SO many moments where him and his *impressive hardness* were pressed all up on her back: sneaking glances over shoulders and little spoon cuddles and grasping windowpanes while decidedly *not* focusing on the view. Murmurs against lips and whispers pressed to ears at society functions did many numbers on me. I don’t even know how to count anymore. Waking up sprawled across a slumbering body and being pulled in closer to infinity.
I loved the progression of their relationship, especially considered the length of the book. From the beginning, their attraction was instantaneous and I found myself wondering how this book could possibly keep my attention for 450 pages. I thought they were going to get together super quickly and then stall out but when I tell you the tension! Unmatched! It took a situation I thought I had a handle on and just completely rewrote my expectations. His lessons of seduction were wonderfully paced. So while yes, their attraction was instant, the tension buildup and progression into them falling in love lasted throughout the entire book.
The steam was so good!! I didn’t know what to expect but we got several great scenes and I don’t think I could’ve asked for much more. They weren’t crazy explicit but they gave what they needed to give and were detailed and hot. There were also a bit of fantasy-esque situations that were hot and helped strengthen their relationship. Phoebe doesn’t trust many men (for reasons to be divulged) and I think those intimate scenes helped reshape some of her reservations. She was able to relinquish power in a healthy way, while still having control of the situation with one spoken word. The scenes didn’t trivialize or downplay her trauma, but instead helped her be comfortable with him (not in spite of his size and power but because of them?).
There were also clear safe words and consent and I found that his inherent power in the relationship was handled well. There was a scene in the first third of the novel where he realizes he has the capability to scare her or overpower her and they’re both very shaken by it. When she’s scared, he reevaluates his privilege and really worked on being better. I also really appreciated how he never tried to take over her business and really deflected to her for every decision. She was worried he would assert his penis privilege and that people would start looking to him, but they never did. It was really fun and sweet to watch; her hesitation about being in a relationship turned into viewing them as an “us” and a “we.”
At this point, around two-thirds through maybe, their relationship is pretty solid and steady (but there’s still pining and emotions). The plot shifts to her business and more of a thrilling pace. (“Making love and getting shit done” I think I wrote in my notes.) There’s a villain and different tension and a clear climax it was building to. It also created the perfect third-act-breakup-that’s-not-actually-a-breakup scene. I really love when the couple is forced apart not of their own volition: gunpoint, non-mortal-but-appears-mortal wound, kidnapping. It also really worked here because there was only one other avenue their end tension could’ve been and that was a fight scene that wouldn’t have made sense, since the entire book worked up to negating that point.
Overall, this was a long book that didn’t feel long at all. I’ll definitely be reading the entire series and rereading this one when I want to be romanced and swept away. It was a whirlwind and made me want to use the word “sensual” a lot. The stepback is my favorite ever and I definitely have a new kink for anything to do with feeling hardness pressed up against backs and turning unintentionally into muscly, human-shaped walls that wrap around fronts.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.75*/5
*The tension and passion bumped this one from 3.5🌶s because I was simply not prepared for this man and all of his skills. Many particular sets of them yes.
TWs: Attempted assault of the heroine in the past, sex trafficking, abduction. I do also think there are parts of this that wouldn’t be published today, specifically about fetishizing other cultures. I don’t know much about this and am not an expert by any means, but it’s a theme in older romances and there were references here that I personally feel could’ve been changed.
______________
Initial reaction:
So this book was INCREDIBLE. My heart was RACING by the end. My work gave us all fitbits and it told me the ol ticker was werking
But literally 😩 so good idk how I’m gonna write a review and I thought I had the next book but I DONT so now I have to go buy the rest of the books in this series.
If you’ve seen the stepback for this one, you definitely understand. If you haven’t, it’s gorgeous and very telling about this book. There were SO many moments where him and his *impressive hardness* were pressed all up on her back: sneaking glances over shoulders and little spoon cuddles and grasping windowpanes while decidedly *not* focusing on the view. Murmurs against lips and whispers pressed to ears at society functions did many numbers on me. I don’t even know how to count anymore. Waking up sprawled across a slumbering body and being pulled in closer to infinity.
I loved the progression of their relationship, especially considered the length of the book. From the beginning, their attraction was instantaneous and I found myself wondering how this book could possibly keep my attention for 450 pages. I thought they were going to get together super quickly and then stall out but when I tell you the tension! Unmatched! It took a situation I thought I had a handle on and just completely rewrote my expectations. His lessons of seduction were wonderfully paced. So while yes, their attraction was instant, the tension buildup and progression into them falling in love lasted throughout the entire book.
The steam was so good!! I didn’t know what to expect but we got several great scenes and I don’t think I could’ve asked for much more. They weren’t crazy explicit but they gave what they needed to give and were detailed and hot. There were also a bit of fantasy-esque situations that were hot and helped strengthen their relationship. Phoebe doesn’t trust many men (for reasons to be divulged) and I think those intimate scenes helped reshape some of her reservations. She was able to relinquish power in a healthy way, while still having control of the situation with one spoken word. The scenes didn’t trivialize or downplay her trauma, but instead helped her be comfortable with him (not in spite of his size and power but because of them?).
There were also clear safe words and consent and I found that his inherent power in the relationship was handled well. There was a scene in the first third of the novel where he realizes he has the capability to scare her or overpower her and they’re both very shaken by it. When she’s scared, he reevaluates his privilege and really worked on being better. I also really appreciated how he never tried to take over her business and really deflected to her for every decision. She was worried he would assert his penis privilege and that people would start looking to him, but they never did. It was really fun and sweet to watch; her hesitation about being in a relationship turned into viewing them as an “us” and a “we.”
At this point, around two-thirds through maybe, their relationship is pretty solid and steady (but there’s still pining and emotions). The plot shifts to her business and more of a thrilling pace. (“Making love and getting shit done” I think I wrote in my notes.) There’s a villain and different tension and a clear climax it was building to. It also created the perfect third-act-breakup-that’s-not-actually-a-breakup scene. I really love when the couple is forced apart not of their own volition: gunpoint, non-mortal-but-appears-mortal wound, kidnapping. It also really worked here because there was only one other avenue their end tension could’ve been and that was a fight scene that wouldn’t have made sense, since the entire book worked up to negating that point.
Overall, this was a long book that didn’t feel long at all. I’ll definitely be reading the entire series and rereading this one when I want to be romanced and swept away. It was a whirlwind and made me want to use the word “sensual” a lot. The stepback is my favorite ever and I definitely have a new kink for anything to do with feeling hardness pressed up against backs and turning unintentionally into muscly, human-shaped walls that wrap around fronts.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.75*/5
*The tension and passion bumped this one from 3.5🌶s because I was simply not prepared for this man and all of his skills. Many particular sets of them yes.
TWs: Attempted assault of the heroine in the past, sex trafficking, abduction. I do also think there are parts of this that wouldn’t be published today, specifically about fetishizing other cultures. I don’t know much about this and am not an expert by any means, but it’s a theme in older romances and there were references here that I personally feel could’ve been changed.
______________
Initial reaction:
So this book was INCREDIBLE. My heart was RACING by the end. My work gave us all fitbits and it told me the ol ticker was werking
But literally 😩 so good idk how I’m gonna write a review and I thought I had the next book but I DONT so now I have to go buy the rest of the books in this series.