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imme_van_gorp's Reviews (778)
This is best friends to lovers, but in the most boring way possible.
These type of books are the reason why people don’t appreciate this trope enough.
Our main characters are Benji and Darren.
Benji is awkward, anxious, insecure, shy, antisocial, chubby, and a best-selling author.
Darren is charismatic, beautiful, adventurous, and a failed actor.
These two have been best friends for 10 years, but Darren has actually been in love with Benji the whole time. For reasons unknown, he never tells Benji about his feelings and instead has sex with every living breathing thing who is not Benji.
Ten years have passed and they are still just ‘besties’. Until, suddenly, Darren randomly decides to make a move, and they.. get together. The end.
The premise of this book in which Darren comes up with the idea to tell each other secrets to get to know each other on a whole new level (and hoping it would make Benji see him in a different way) seemed kind of cute, but was executed horribly. All of their ‘secrets’ ended up being sexually oriented and it was the least meaningful thing I’ve ever read. My idea of “opening up” does not consist of talking about dildos or revealing how often you jerk off. If this is the most in-depth you can get with your bestie of 10 years, then that is honestly just embarrassing. The whole endeavour was also over in like ten seconds flat, because they kissed really soon into the book, and then it just became boring as all hell.
The writing and characterization was incredibly superficial and very repetitive.
The whole thing was dry and almost analytical: there was absolutely no feeling to it, and I had no connection whatsoever to either main character.
The chemistry between these two was honestly just plain bad, and the tension was completely non-existent.
The plot was nothing more than boring, messy and weird.
I also felt like the book was constantly telling itself how ‘different’ it was from other books, which did nothing for me other than make me roll my eyes and cringe a whole lot.
I started skimming a bit after I was about halfway through this book, but I might as well have stopped reading it altogether, since none of it was worth it.
If it wasn’t obvious already: I didn’t enjoy this at all. I don’t think it had anything interesting going on.
**I received an ARC from Foreword PR & Marketing in exchange for an honest review**
These type of books are the reason why people don’t appreciate this trope enough.
Our main characters are Benji and Darren.
Benji is awkward, anxious, insecure, shy, antisocial, chubby, and a best-selling author.
Darren is charismatic, beautiful, adventurous, and a failed actor.
These two have been best friends for 10 years, but Darren has actually been in love with Benji the whole time. For reasons unknown, he never tells Benji about his feelings and instead has sex with every living breathing thing who is not Benji.
Ten years have passed and they are still just ‘besties’. Until, suddenly, Darren randomly decides to make a move, and they.. get together. The end.
The premise of this book in which Darren comes up with the idea to tell each other secrets to get to know each other on a whole new level (and hoping it would make Benji see him in a different way) seemed kind of cute, but was executed horribly. All of their ‘secrets’ ended up being sexually oriented and it was the least meaningful thing I’ve ever read. My idea of “opening up” does not consist of talking about dildos or revealing how often you jerk off. If this is the most in-depth you can get with your bestie of 10 years, then that is honestly just embarrassing. The whole endeavour was also over in like ten seconds flat, because they kissed really soon into the book, and then it just became boring as all hell.
The writing and characterization was incredibly superficial and very repetitive.
The whole thing was dry and almost analytical: there was absolutely no feeling to it, and I had no connection whatsoever to either main character.
The chemistry between these two was honestly just plain bad, and the tension was completely non-existent.
The plot was nothing more than boring, messy and weird.
I also felt like the book was constantly telling itself how ‘different’ it was from other books, which did nothing for me other than make me roll my eyes and cringe a whole lot.
I started skimming a bit after I was about halfway through this book, but I might as well have stopped reading it altogether, since none of it was worth it.
If it wasn’t obvious already: I didn’t enjoy this at all. I don’t think it had anything interesting going on.
**I received an ARC from Foreword PR & Marketing in exchange for an honest review**
Yess, this was exactly what I was hoping it would be!! Although I disliked the first book, and even went as far as skipping the second book entirely, I still knew I really wanted to read this book. Something just made me feel like I would love it, and luckily I was right!
This book is about Daman (who represents the Sin of Envy) and Warrin (who is the prince of the Ice Dragons). They are forced into an arranged marriage so their families will have allegiance to each other in the war against Lucifer's son and his army of demons.
Daman is reluctant about the marriage, but not overly so, and only because of his own insecurities, bitterness and jealousies (he is Envy, after all). Warrin had felt a connection to Daman from the very beginning, and was patient and understanding with Daman in trying to get him to open up and let him in.
This book is about Daman (who represents the Sin of Envy) and Warrin (who is the prince of the Ice Dragons). They are forced into an arranged marriage so their families will have allegiance to each other in the war against Lucifer's son and his army of demons.
Daman is reluctant about the marriage, but not overly so, and only because of his own insecurities, bitterness and jealousies (he is Envy, after all). Warrin had felt a connection to Daman from the very beginning, and was patient and understanding with Daman in trying to get him to open up and let him in.
"I know close to nothing about love and romance. Before you, I never wanted to know. But now that I've had a taste of it, of you, I never want to go back to how I used to be. I never want to know a day where you're not beside me."
"You can't feel that strongly already. It's too soon."
"Don't tell me what I can or can't feel. Because I only needed a single moment to know I belong to you."
The relationship between Daman and Warrin developed at a really pleasant pace. Although there was a 'bond' from the beginning, it doesn't feel like insta-love in the slightest. This was probably due to both of them holding their emotions close to their chest, and having a little bit of a push-and-pull because of Daman's major issues regarding his self-worth. I loved how Warrin never wavered when it came to his feelings, and every time Daman lashed out at him, he was steadfast in his devotion to him.
When Daman and Warrin finally fully accepted their emotions for each other, they became incredibly cute and sweet as a couple. They loved each other so much, and they were perfect together. They were each other's first priority, and nothing could come between them.
"You're so precious to me, Daman. More precious than anyone or anything on this earth. When I'm with you, I don't need wings to fly."
I think there is a really nice balance between romance, characterization and plot with this book.
Obviously I loved the romance, but I also thought Daman and Warrin were really likable and well fleshed out as characters. Especially Daman was surprisingly well-developed, particularly when it came to his sin Envy and how that affected him as a person.
The plot was also really good. I truly find the ongoing story of this series really interesting (it was what made me still moderately enjoy the first book).
All the characters here work so well together, and I'm intrigued by a lot of them. It's not one of those series where the secondary characters feel like they merely take away from the main story; I really want to know about it all.
Daman, Gray and Bellamy are my favourites of the seven brothers, so I'm very excited about the next two books as well, since those feature Gray and then Bellamy as main character!!
Well, this was definitely very.. cute.
The main thing I have to say about this book is that I absolutely adore Gray. He is the literal embodiment of a sunshine cinnamon roll, and I just wanted to take him into a big hug and not ever let go. He was so sweet, bubbly, innocent, happy and, well, cute. I never thought I could melt from someone taking a literal nap, but here we are.
Although I do have to wonder how much use in a fight he really is, since he seems to be a complete liability with the way he just falls asleep during battle.
The romance was, once again, very cute.
Mason is an ex-marine, who now spends his days hunting monsters. He's lost his ex-lover and best friend due to a monster attack, and since then he's been closed off from his emotions and generally, life seems to completely pass him by. The only thing he does is kill monsters, and he feels nothing but numbness and darkness.
However, once he meets Gray, it's like the sun comes out for the first time. He is immediately enamoured with his vibrant and adorable personality, and he is quickly charmed by his overall preciousness.
Their relationship takes off from there, and although it's sweet, I wouldn't call it an epic love story or anything. Something was missing for me to call it such.
Unfortunately I have to say that the storyline here disappointed me a little. It was surprisingly uneventful; nothing much happened aside from them hunting monsters, and that honestly became slightly repetitive. Sure, there was a big battle at the end, but I found it to be a bit rushed, and was lacking most of the flair and badass vibe from the previous book.
It's a shame, because Gray's book had the potential to make for such a cool and interesting plot. After all, Gray's dad is the only one who is still alive from all the original Fallen Angels, and since he is one of the main bad guys the brothers are fighting, I thought there would have been more about his and Gray's relationship. Especially since his dad still loves and cares about him. I was expecting some juicy stuff, but I didn't get much of it. Gray's dad was really only present for a scene or two. Wasted potential, if you ask me.
Anyway, I definitely enjoyed this book, but it could have been a little better.
Long story short; I loved Gray, I found the romance often times sweet, yet the plot was a bit lacklustre.
The main thing I have to say about this book is that I absolutely adore Gray. He is the literal embodiment of a sunshine cinnamon roll, and I just wanted to take him into a big hug and not ever let go. He was so sweet, bubbly, innocent, happy and, well, cute. I never thought I could melt from someone taking a literal nap, but here we are.
Although I do have to wonder how much use in a fight he really is, since he seems to be a complete liability with the way he just falls asleep during battle.
The romance was, once again, very cute.
Mason is an ex-marine, who now spends his days hunting monsters. He's lost his ex-lover and best friend due to a monster attack, and since then he's been closed off from his emotions and generally, life seems to completely pass him by. The only thing he does is kill monsters, and he feels nothing but numbness and darkness.
However, once he meets Gray, it's like the sun comes out for the first time. He is immediately enamoured with his vibrant and adorable personality, and he is quickly charmed by his overall preciousness.
Their relationship takes off from there, and although it's sweet, I wouldn't call it an epic love story or anything. Something was missing for me to call it such.
Unfortunately I have to say that the storyline here disappointed me a little. It was surprisingly uneventful; nothing much happened aside from them hunting monsters, and that honestly became slightly repetitive. Sure, there was a big battle at the end, but I found it to be a bit rushed, and was lacking most of the flair and badass vibe from the previous book.
It's a shame, because Gray's book had the potential to make for such a cool and interesting plot. After all, Gray's dad is the only one who is still alive from all the original Fallen Angels, and since he is one of the main bad guys the brothers are fighting, I thought there would have been more about his and Gray's relationship. Especially since his dad still loves and cares about him. I was expecting some juicy stuff, but I didn't get much of it. Gray's dad was really only present for a scene or two. Wasted potential, if you ask me.
Anyway, I definitely enjoyed this book, but it could have been a little better.
Long story short; I loved Gray, I found the romance often times sweet, yet the plot was a bit lacklustre.
This is an impossible romance between two sworn enemies.
The word 'enemies' is not used lightly here. They are, at first glance, absolute and complete enemies: Phoenix is one of the 'leaders' in the demonic war against humanity, while Bellamy is one of humanity's main protectors. Thus they are obviously at complete odds with each other.
The word 'enemies' is not used lightly here. They are, at first glance, absolute and complete enemies: Phoenix is one of the 'leaders' in the demonic war against humanity, while Bellamy is one of humanity's main protectors. Thus they are obviously at complete odds with each other.
“Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart,” he said, voice low. “I don’t care about you. My soul might reach out for yours, but you’ll never have my loyalty or my heart.”
“Your heart? Fine with me.” A pang hit my chest for some reason. “I have no use for it.”
They shouldn't work together as a couple, and they totally wouldn't, if it weren't for the bone-deep fated mates connection they have with each other. This 'mates' stuff is what forces them to keep saving each other from certain death time and again even though they despise one another and what each of them stands for.
“You saved me.”
“I’ll always save you. Only you. I don’t care about anyone else.”
Eventually they can no longer run away from their connection, which means that they start to give in to their emotions, and they basically fall in love from there.
“You know, I’ve heard stories of men burning down entire cities… worlds… just for one last kiss.” Phoenix ghosted his lips over mine. “I think I get it now.”
Obviously the 'enemies-to-lovers' trope is very popular, so I'm sure this relationship will blow a lot of people's minds. In my opinion, though, I felt like.. it wasn't all that well developed. Basically from the very beginning of the book, these two already know that they are 'mates', which then results in them not truly treating each other as an enemy. Sure, Bellamy mistrusts Phoenix at the beginning, and Phoenix needs a minute to completely leave his former allegiance for Bellamy, but their relationship itself didn't ever show much animosity towards each other and therefore lacked any kind of true growth.
I knew I wouldn’t lift a finger to save the world. But I would burn everything down to save him.
I do have to give this romance some credit, though, because I definitely appreciated the complete devotion they felt towards each other. Once they were in, they were all in, and I kind of love how Phoenix would have done anything to keep Bellamy safe. It definitely resulted in some pretty swoon-worthy confessions.
“I would destroy anyone for you. Anyone and everyone who hurt you. I’d kill them all and not think twice about it. Your enemies are now mine.”
This book was definitely more on the smuttier side, which really isn't something I liked, but I do know a lot of people feel differently about that, so it's truly more a subjective thing.
I suppose the plentiful amount of sex was to be expected with Bellamy having the Sin of Lust, yet that didn't stop me from finding it a bit boring and superficial when most of their interactions consisted of them having sex or something akin to that. There weren't many actual conversations between them, which led me to wonder if they were truly even a good fit together as people. I honestly wouldn't know, since we haven't really been shown that.
“Out of everyone in this world, you’re the only one I don’t ever want to hurt.”
This also leads me to my other point of critique, which was the lack of characterization. I genuinely feel like we didn't really get to know either of these characters, even though they should have very distinct personalities in theory.
For example, Bellamy's personality didn't seem to be affected by his Sin of Lust in any way. Honestly, his Sin hardly played a role in this story at all. It was completely irrelevant, and it wouldn't have made much of a difference if he hadn't had that Sin in the first place.
Phoenix should be super complex and morally grey (or even dark), yet what we got instead was a sad and maybe almost pathetic 'villain', who really wasn't much of a villain in the end. His allegiance to the war was weak from the very beginning, and he was very easily sold on the idea of staying with Bellamy instead.
They weren't strong characters in my opinion.
I couldn’t give two shits about the fate of mankind. But walking away from him now would crush me.
The plotline was once again pretty cool when it came to the action and war stuff; lots is happening and there are quite a few twists and turns.
However, I have noticed that most of these books follow the exact same format with a few meaningless fights in the middle and then a big battle at the end where they either win or lose.
I also have to say that some of it was a bit dumb. I somehow feel like the ‘brothers’ are getting worse at actually being good fighters and making logical decisions in this war.
Also, the way they just continue to flirt, babble and joke while being in literal battle is very eye-roll inducing for sure.
And don’t even get me started on them refusing to ever use their powerful abilities, because they would feel like they’d be ‘evil’ for using them: like, come onnn now. Just kill the bad guys with your powers and be done with it.
I also feel like the book dragged in a few places and my heart wasn’t always in it.
Anyway, if anything, this book made me damn happy that I never liked Galen or Castor. God, how I hated the way they treated Bellamy here: such hypocritical arseholes. They honestly can just go lie in a ditch somewhere. Ugh.
On a positive note, Alistair really grew on me here: I actually like him a whole lot now. I’ve also gone from feeling neutral about Raiden to loving the gentle giant.
But, truly, Gray and Daman are forever my favourites. I was also so glad they stuck by Bellamy’s side throughout the whole ‘Phoenix being his mate’ thing. I would have especially been so disappointed if Daman had turned on Bellamy: their relationship is without a doubt the best to me out of all the brothers.
“It’s too late for me to walk away from him. Not without tearing my heart from my goddamn chest.”
“Then I suggest you learn to live without it,” Galen said.
Daman walked over to me, shooting Phoenix a cautious look. He then hugged my side. “We’re not abandoning you, B. When I struggled with my feelings for War, you were there for me. I’m gonna be here for you too.”
I pulled him into a full hug. “Thanks.”
“Aw, you guys.” Raiden jumped up from the couch and wrapped his arms around both me and Daman. “Family hug.”
“Get off me, you big ape.” Daman tried to wiggle free. He was like a cat that only liked to be touched on his terms.
“Me next!” Gray pounced on my back and leaned his head on mine. “I love you, Bell. Sorry we hurt your feelings.”
“Yeah.” Daman’s arms tightened around me. “This isn’t your fault, and we’re all assholes for not seeing that sooner.”
Galen met my eyes from across the room. “I’m not hugging you.”
Seriously Galen, go fuuuuuuck yourself.
Anyway, as my review might have suggested, I'm having mixed feelings about this book. It's not that I didn't like it, because I did. It's just that I had at least some issues with almost everything about this book.
I mean, Phoenix and Bellamy were okay characters, but I didn't care a lot about them. The romance had its moments (as shown by the many quotes I've used in this review), but there was a lot of depth and development missing for me to actually love it. The plot was entertaining, but flawed.
So yea.. Mixed feelings.
I think I might be reading this book wrong.
I’m honestly way more into Trinket’s relationship with his actual boyfriend than the dude he is cheating with.
And that just can’t be right.. After all, I'm pretty sure this book is intended to be kinky and sexy because of the cheating, not despite of it. Yet, here we are.
I mean, literally, I find the scenes with his boyfriend so good; they’re hot, tender, raw, loving, dirty, affectionate, possessive. I love it.
And then there’s the dude he’s cheating with, and he genuinely just weirds me out most of the time. I also really dislike him as a person.
There’s definitely potential for him to grow on me, though; maybe if he starts actually catching feelings for Trinket, then I’ll probably get more into it. Maybe we’ll even get some jealousy: I would love that.
But, you know, I simply feel so very bad for the boyfriend. Sorry. Can’t help it.
Nonetheless, I can’t deny that this book was incredibly hot. It just was. There’s a lot of smut here, and all of it is done extremely well. Even the cheating.
“I’ll dick you down so good you’ll forget his name. You’ll forget your own name.”
“That’s why I need you to tattoo his name on me. That way you can fuck me so hard I forget, and I have something I can double check before I go home to him.”
All in all, I was thoroughly engaged while reading this book, the relationship dynamic is very interesting, the sex is hot as hell, and the writing was pretty good (despite some typos).
I’m honestly way more into Trinket’s relationship with his actual boyfriend than the dude he is cheating with.
And that just can’t be right.. After all, I'm pretty sure this book is intended to be kinky and sexy because of the cheating, not despite of it. Yet, here we are.
I mean, literally, I find the scenes with his boyfriend so good; they’re hot, tender, raw, loving, dirty, affectionate, possessive. I love it.
And then there’s the dude he’s cheating with, and he genuinely just weirds me out most of the time. I also really dislike him as a person.
There’s definitely potential for him to grow on me, though; maybe if he starts actually catching feelings for Trinket, then I’ll probably get more into it. Maybe we’ll even get some jealousy: I would love that.
But, you know, I simply feel so very bad for the boyfriend. Sorry. Can’t help it.
Nonetheless, I can’t deny that this book was incredibly hot. It just was. There’s a lot of smut here, and all of it is done extremely well. Even the cheating.
“I’ll dick you down so good you’ll forget his name. You’ll forget your own name.”
“That’s why I need you to tattoo his name on me. That way you can fuck me so hard I forget, and I have something I can double check before I go home to him.”
All in all, I was thoroughly engaged while reading this book, the relationship dynamic is very interesting, the sex is hot as hell, and the writing was pretty good (despite some typos).
This had a lot of potential, and I'm rather disappointed with its execution.
I honestly feel like this book started right in the middle of the story. The two main guys had basically already been in a 'relationship' for a few years now, thus we completely missed them falling for each other. This meant that it was very hard for me to build a connection with them as people or to care about what happened within their romance.
It also seemed to me that, despite them being in a 'relationship' already, they hardly knew each other and didn't get to know much about each other throughout this book either. Their relationship was mostly based on sex.
The couple definitely fell a bit flat and felt fairly superficial.
It's truly a shame because the premise of this book sounded great to me and these characters could have worked really well together.
I love romance books where one of them is big and strong while the other is fragile and pretty, especially if there is a lot of protectiveness going on and has a hint of betrayal. This book had all of that, and thus should have totally been right up my alley. Too bad none of it was done particularly well here.
I honestly feel like this book started right in the middle of the story. The two main guys had basically already been in a 'relationship' for a few years now, thus we completely missed them falling for each other. This meant that it was very hard for me to build a connection with them as people or to care about what happened within their romance.
It also seemed to me that, despite them being in a 'relationship' already, they hardly knew each other and didn't get to know much about each other throughout this book either. Their relationship was mostly based on sex.
The couple definitely fell a bit flat and felt fairly superficial.
It's truly a shame because the premise of this book sounded great to me and these characters could have worked really well together.
I love romance books where one of them is big and strong while the other is fragile and pretty, especially if there is a lot of protectiveness going on and has a hint of betrayal. This book had all of that, and thus should have totally been right up my alley. Too bad none of it was done particularly well here.
This book was divided into three parts and they were all very different to me.
The first part is about Mateo and Josiah when they were both teenagers living together in a foster home and after that, on the streets. And my god. Their love was so fucking epic. My heart couldn’t stop hammering in my chest, and my stomach had constant butterflies. I was damn well swooning. They both cared about each other so much. Both so scared to let the other in at first, but both so desperately wanting to. Mateo would literally do anything to protect Josiah, to keep him safe and keep Josiah with him. Mateo would honestly rather cut out his own tongue than say something that would hurt him; ugh, ultimate swoon. When they finally got together I was so damn happy, but their lives were still so hard. And then finally my heart absolutely broke when Mateo had to do what he did.. They deserved so much better.
The first part is about Mateo and Josiah when they were both teenagers living together in a foster home and after that, on the streets. And my god. Their love was so fucking epic. My heart couldn’t stop hammering in my chest, and my stomach had constant butterflies. I was damn well swooning. They both cared about each other so much. Both so scared to let the other in at first, but both so desperately wanting to. Mateo would literally do anything to protect Josiah, to keep him safe and keep Josiah with him. Mateo would honestly rather cut out his own tongue than say something that would hurt him; ugh, ultimate swoon. When they finally got together I was so damn happy, but their lives were still so hard. And then finally my heart absolutely broke when Mateo had to do what he did.. They deserved so much better.
“Goodbye, my precioso. Te amo.”
The second part is about Tristan and Josiah: it’s five years later and Josiah is still struggling with everything that happened before. He can’t get over the past and he can’t forget Mateo. Tristan is also a complex person with his own deep-rooted issues. They form a tentative bond, which, after a very long time, leads to them getting together. I have to say that I had trouble getting into their relationship; Josiah was obviously still in pain and I didn’t feel like Tristan treated him all that well. They didn’t speak often and seemed uncomfortable around each other. It also took them way too long to get together. I hated how Tristan refused to let Josiah in, and how Josiah just made due with the scraps he got. Josiah deserved a better love than that; he deserved a love like his and Mateo’s.
“I was sixteen when I met him. The first time he walked into the room, I thought he would kill me… but he didn’t. He saved me. He loved me.”
Then part three happened, and it followed all three of them: Josiah, Mateo and Tristan. I cannot tell you how loudly I squealed when Mateo and Josiah were finally reunited after nine god damn years apart, but of course they had the ‘past’ to deal with first.. Nonetheless, it was so obvious that they were still so perfect together: their love has always been so pure and it clearly still was. The way Mateo loved Josiah so fiercely, adored him, treasured him, would have done anything for him.. I immediately wished Tristan would just disappear into thin air, and Mateo and Josiah could get their happily ever after ALONE. It’s like… you have this epic love and then there’s also this random other guy who doesn’t belong. I honest to god felt angry when Mateo and Tristan started to connect: I almost wanted to scream. I wanted Mateo (and Tristan) to only have eyes for Josiah, and it made me sad when they were so quick in their interest for each other: I felt like it totally cheapened both of their love for Josiah.. The fact that Mateo even thought about Tristan that way when he finally had Josiah back.. How could that even occupy his mind? Why was he not fighting tooth and nail to get Josiah for himself? Why was he so turned on by Tristan? I honestly felt like Tristan and Mateo took over the entire story, and Josiah was pushed into the backseat. Ugh. Anyway, I guess I was happy enough that Mateo and Josiah at least found their way back to each other, even if it was with Tristan too. Doesn’t mean I didn’t still wish Tristan would go the hell away.
“Don’t let me lose you. Whatever you’re thinking right now, come back to me Jay. You’re here. Dios, I can’t fuckin’ believe you’re here.”
Long story short, I completely loved the first part of this book, found the second part pretty good, yet the last part honestly just pissed me off so much and made the whole thing lose most of its charm and sparkle from before.
This book went from something I thought could be one of my best reads to something I almost despised. Such wasted potential, and I'm honestly a bit sad about it.
It’s like this: Mateo and Josiah make my heart happy and swoon uncontrollably, and Josiah and Tristan were okay as a couple, but Tristan and Mateo together? I HATE IT. SO MUCH. I want both of them to only love Josiah. And for them to then just open their hearts up to each other so quickly?? I’m raging. I almost felt like they were betraying Josiah by how intense their feelings for each other were.
And truly, this is why I never like to read about polyamory in books; I always end up favouring one duo, and then I get angry when they start to care about the third person too. I’m too possessive for this stuff.
Mateo and Josiah's love deserved their own story.
Oh okay, then... This was pretty damn weird, I'm not going to lie.
It was also slightly ridiculous, but not necessarily in a bad way, just.. in an odd and over-the-top kind of way.
It's also extremely smutty, and very kinky with some pretty intense content.
This started out with an extremely obnoxious and rude main character, who lives to make his uptight and germophobic co-worker's life absolutely miserable.
Then, suddenly, it's like Isaac sees Atticus for the very first time, and he's instantly obsessed.
It was also slightly ridiculous, but not necessarily in a bad way, just.. in an odd and over-the-top kind of way.
It's also extremely smutty, and very kinky with some pretty intense content.
This started out with an extremely obnoxious and rude main character, who lives to make his uptight and germophobic co-worker's life absolutely miserable.
Then, suddenly, it's like Isaac sees Atticus for the very first time, and he's instantly obsessed.
Was it possible to fall in love with someone just by finding out they had their nipples pierced?
Of course, before Atticus will allow Isaac to date him, Isaac still has to deal with the fact that Atticus absolutely hates his guts after all the shit Isaac has put him through during all the months they've worked together.
“Why do you want to go out with someone who doesn’t like you?”
“You’ll learn to like me. I know I’ve been a dick, but that was on purpose. I can just as easily be a total sweetheart.”
“That’s just a front. I still know what you’re like. I still dislike you.”
Slowly but surely Isaac wears Atticus down. He basically completely destroys Atticus's defences, until he no longer puts up a fight. They start having sex, and my god, it was intense. There's dubious consent, spitting, humiliation, sadism/masochism, domination, etc.
“Never tell me what I can and can’t do okay?” Isaac suggested softly. He stroked Atticus’s throat, gave it a gentle squeeze that made Atticus arch his hips up and shudder. “Answer me when I talk to you.”
Atticus breathed a “Yes.”
“You never get to say no,” said Isaac. “Not to a kiss, not to a tongue in your ass, not to my cock. You know if you had it your way you’d never be getting dicked down at all, right? All that gorgeous muscle gone to waste. You need someone to tell you what to do with it. Right?”
“Right,” whispered Atticus.
“Open your mouth,” said Isaac.
Atticus opened it, and Isaac leaned over and spat in his mouth.
“Close,” said Isaac. “And swallow.”
Atticus swallowed.
Some of the shit they did together was downright nasty. I'm still not entirely sure if these two were just incredibly kinky together or if Isaac somehow absolutely destroyed Atticus's psyche and had him in some sort of twistedly abusive 'relationship' with him. Either way, it was... something.
Isaac gathered spit from the corner of his mouth, balled it up on the flat of his tongue, and stuck his tongue out.
Atticus silently licked it clean, and swallowed.
Isaac left his tongue out, letting Atticus continue to lick for a minute, quiet and soft and compliant, doing what he had been told to do.
Then Isaac closed his lips and let it turn into a kiss.
“If you give me anything less than a ‘yes, okay’ one more time,” he said softy. “I’m going to stick your head in the garbage can and fuck you like that.”
Isaac was definitely extremely manipulative and the guy honestly kind of scares me. Is this how people get talked into a toxic relationship?
“I love you. I’m in love with you. Everything about you. I’m obsessed with you. I know I’ve been rough. I don’t want to be. I promise… be good for me, do what I say, and I’ll treat you so well. I’ll be a better boyfriend than you can imagine. All you have to do is give it all to me. It’s so easy.”
Anyway, this was hot, but also interesting psychologically speaking. Isaac is definitely bat-shit crazy, and I'm still not sure whether I should be happy for Atticus that he got to 'let go' because he's actually just naturally submissive, or if he is a victim to Isaac's mental, physical and sexual abuse.
Most likely, I'm reading a little bit too deeply into an erotica novel. So, even aside from all that, just know: this is super kinky and if you're into this sort of stuff you're going to be very happy with this book and will probably end up extremely hot and bothered.
This was okay, but definitely nothing special.
It was really missing some more feeling for the book to truly be great.
Brennan was sweet, caring, cute and overall super likable. He was definitely a character to root for, even if there wasn’t much depth or character development to him or anyone else in this book.
Ryder was also a nice enough guy, but I didn’t love him as much.
I definitely appreciated how all of Ryder’s friends seemed to realize what a great catch Brennan was, and were eager to point it out.
It was really missing some more feeling for the book to truly be great.
Brennan was sweet, caring, cute and overall super likable. He was definitely a character to root for, even if there wasn’t much depth or character development to him or anyone else in this book.
Ryder was also a nice enough guy, but I didn’t love him as much.
I definitely appreciated how all of Ryder’s friends seemed to realize what a great catch Brennan was, and were eager to point it out.
“You better do something to lock that boy in, Ryder. He is sweet, and he is pretty. If you think he’ll stay single long, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“He works for me, Owen. That’s all. There’s nothing to lock in.”
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that until someone comes along and gives him the world, the way you want to. Because they will.”
When it came to the relationship I definitely feel like we could have gotten more: More interactions, more romance, more pining, more everything. It was all a little bit surface level, and there was the potential here for a better love story than what we got.
I actually feel like a big part of the problem for me was with the writing-style and pacing, since there was a lot of skipping in time and of moments that could have been sweet.
Nonetheless, when we did finally get a sweet moment or thought, it was good enough for me to feel at least a little giddy.
I mean, I loved how much Ryder seemed to adore Brennan and I really wouldn’t have minded getting a little more of that in the book.
“Gorgeous blue eyes as deep as the ocean stared up at me, and I was lost and found at the same time. This boy was mine, and I wasn’t going to let him go.”
Also, can we all just agree that the pet name angel is just uber swoon-worthy? Because I love it.
Nah, I'm sorry, but what an absolute disappointment this was. I can honestly say this started out pretty okay to me: the characters had potential and the set-up was great. However, the execution was so weak and so annoying. The 'love' here is also nothing more than lust.
The dude who got kidnapped, Roan, was a 22 year old with a supposedly 'sunshine personality' and charismatic vibe. And I guess I could see that description fitting him before he got kidnapped: he was kind, stood up for people and was just an overall likable person. However, the moment he got kidnapped he turned into a horny idiot. Dude did not seem to understand the dire situation he was in, and seemed more preoccupied with his 'hot captor' than he did with actually making it out of there alive. Roan was popping boners left and right, and was always ready for some sex, no matter the shitty treatment he received.
And that brings me to his kidnapper, Sasha: This dude was an absolute arsehole. And not just because he is a ruthless killer with no moral conscience. After all, we all know that's just the kind of love interest you get with a dark romance; and I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with, however, is when the arsehole is also an arsehole to his love interest. He had little to no redeeming qualities and god only knows why Roan was so obsessed with him. Sacha treated Roan like scum, often ignored him, showed him zero respect or affection, repeatedly beat him and caused him physical harm more than once. He was not a swoon-worthy 'bad-guy' love interest to me. The internalized homophobia also annoyed me to no end.
The romance really didn't do it for me. There was no connection between Roan and Sacha: everything was superficial and surface level. Their entire 'relationship' was based on sex, and it took Sacha forever to even acknowledge they were anything more to each other than captor and captive. I genuinely wanted Roan to put him in his place multiple times, but alas, that never happened. Roan was too weak, and Sacha was too much of a dickhead.
The story got a little better near the end with the whole 'revenge' thing and after Roan and Sacha actually 'get together', but it still wasn't great.
The dude who got kidnapped, Roan, was a 22 year old with a supposedly 'sunshine personality' and charismatic vibe. And I guess I could see that description fitting him before he got kidnapped: he was kind, stood up for people and was just an overall likable person. However, the moment he got kidnapped he turned into a horny idiot. Dude did not seem to understand the dire situation he was in, and seemed more preoccupied with his 'hot captor' than he did with actually making it out of there alive. Roan was popping boners left and right, and was always ready for some sex, no matter the shitty treatment he received.
And that brings me to his kidnapper, Sasha: This dude was an absolute arsehole. And not just because he is a ruthless killer with no moral conscience. After all, we all know that's just the kind of love interest you get with a dark romance; and I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with, however, is when the arsehole is also an arsehole to his love interest. He had little to no redeeming qualities and god only knows why Roan was so obsessed with him. Sacha treated Roan like scum, often ignored him, showed him zero respect or affection, repeatedly beat him and caused him physical harm more than once. He was not a swoon-worthy 'bad-guy' love interest to me. The internalized homophobia also annoyed me to no end.
The romance really didn't do it for me. There was no connection between Roan and Sacha: everything was superficial and surface level. Their entire 'relationship' was based on sex, and it took Sacha forever to even acknowledge they were anything more to each other than captor and captive. I genuinely wanted Roan to put him in his place multiple times, but alas, that never happened. Roan was too weak, and Sacha was too much of a dickhead.
The story got a little better near the end with the whole 'revenge' thing and after Roan and Sacha actually 'get together', but it still wasn't great.