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jessanicolesingh's reviews
98 reviews
God of Pain by Rina Kent
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
God of Pain features Creighton, a grumpy and quiet brute, gradually broken down by Annika, a happy-go-lucky mafia princess. I just love when these hard, savage men dish out pure violence and control, and then turn around to be the king of aftercare. This book truly is the embodiment of pain from cover to cover; through childhood trauma, forbidden love, betrayal, and via BDSM šIn this second installment, we see much more tension built between the rivalries and some fiery action that emphasize the forbidden love aspect these couples face.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent and Murder
God of Malice by Rina Kent
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
God of Malice features Killian, a legitimately morally black psychopath, and Glyndon, an artistic āgood girlā who becomes somewhat of a calming muse to distract the former antisocial from his violent urges. What started as a seemingly freak meeting morphs into an obsession, with a twinge of mystery to their fated connection and bursting with spicy scenes. This book also establishes the dynamics of the respective friendship groups, introducing leads of the following Legacy of Gods books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Psychopath
Claiming Charlotte by Alicia Ramos
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This series has all of the things you would want in a dark romance; a mafia princess, a possessive bodyguard, an action packed war with a rival family, betrayal from a secret mole(s), twists and turns, trauma healing, rekindled love, and plenty of steamy scenes š„
The first book ends with a major cliffhanger, so you will definitely want to grab both editions of the duet to ride through the climax! This is not the end of the Cardinal series however, as the author is already working on the next chapter.
Added bonus, this series was written by a highschool friend of mine! Not only was I solidly impressed by her writing style, but I am IMMENSELY proud of her for taking this leap and following her publishing dreams ā¤ļø
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Miscarriage, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and War
Little Stranger by Leigh Rivers
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I LOVED this book and Malachi Vize, there is definitely something wrong with me. He is obsessive, possessive, a selective mute, and a literal diagnosed psychopath (ASPD) who takes the touch-her-and-die trope to the extreme. Was it fucked up? Yes. Were there a few plot holes? Yes. Was I obsessed? HELL YES!!!
There is a laundry list of content warnings; a taboo relationship between foster siblings, sexual content, and violence among other things. Normally when I read trigger warnings I'm like āyeah yeah yeah whateverā, but some one the things in this book had me wide eyed and double taking that they actually happened š This book contains the taboo of Credence and The Tearsmith, the smut and kinks of The Sinner (LORDS series), and the obsessive stalking of Haunting Adeline, but with a much darker, arguably morally-black, MMC. In other words, a combination of some of my favorite things! This is not your beginners guide to dark romance, if you donāt enjoy the nature of the previously mentioned reads then don't even think about coming near this book.
Now for the main drawback, this book was WAY too short at only 207 pages (digital) and had a rather rushed ending. I desperately needed it to be longer, and if it was, it would have undoubtedly earned a 5 ā from me. On the bright side, the second part of the duet comes out in September!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
foster sibling relationship
Courting Charlotte by Alicia Ramos, Alicia Ramos
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This series has all of the things you would want in a dark romance; a mafia princess, a possessive bodyguard, an action packed war with a rival family, betrayal from a secret mole(s), twists and turns, trauma healing, rekindled love, and plenty of steamy scenes š„
The first book ends with a major cliffhanger, so you will definitely want to grab both editions of the duet to ride through the climax! This is not the end of the Cardinal series however, as the author is already working on the next chapter.
Added bonus, this series was written by a highschool friend of mine! Not only was I solidly impressed by her writing style, but I am IMMENSELY proud of her for taking this leap and following her publishing dreams ā¤ļø
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cancer, Rape, and Death of parent
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
suicide
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I would describe this thriller as a breakfast club turned murder mystery, centering on a modge podge of stereotypes in detention; a brain, beauty, criminal, athlete and an outcast who ends up dead! The victim had plenty of enemies, as he ran the schoolās infamous gossip blog, and was prepared to out the aforementioned classmates on some pretty juicy stuff before his untimely death.
The book was written in multiple POVs, giving you a glimpse into each of the main characters' high school lives throughout the investigation. I actually kept notes on all suspects, determined to figure it out. I had to put the book down and tell my husband my guess at who the killer was around the 75% mark, and I was right!!! That's not to say the book wasn't good enough to surprise me, I'm just really proud of myself for figuring it out AND not skipping to the end to spoil it for myself (I have admittedly very little self control sometimes).
Albeit this book is about murder, be warned there are some additionally heavy triggers with some warnings at the expense of ruining the ending, so keep that in mind if you decide to pick this one up!
The book was written in multiple POVs, giving you a glimpse into each of the main characters' high school lives throughout the investigation. I actually kept notes on all suspects, determined to figure it out. I had to put the book down and tell my husband my guess at who the killer was around the 75% mark, and I was right!!! That's not to say the book wasn't good enough to surprise me, I'm just really proud of myself for figuring it out AND not skipping to the end to spoil it for myself (I have admittedly very little self control sometimes).
Albeit this book is about murder, be warned there are some additionally heavy triggers with some warnings at the expense of ruining the ending, so keep that in mind if you decide to pick this one up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Outing
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Central Park by Guillaume Musso
dementia
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book absolutely blew my mind!!!
We start this thriller with Alice, a Parisian cop, and Gabriel, an American musician. The two wake up handcuffed together on a bench in Central Park, NY, with no idea how they got there and missing their respective forms of identification, wallets, etc. From there they enter into a wild goose chase and learn to work together looking for clues. The majority of the novel is written as a narration, but there are several flashback chapters written through Aliceās POV connecting the story with a serial killer investigation from her past.
You guys, my jaw DROPPED at the twist in this book. I have to be honest, I was feeling quite cocky thinking I'd figured it all out, just to find out I couldn't be more wrong. The revelation alone earned it a 5 ā rating for me. I debated dropping to a half start due to some occasional awkward wording and writing jargon, but I have to give grace as it is an English translation of a French book. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient and can get your hands across this book I highly recommend it!
We start this thriller with Alice, a Parisian cop, and Gabriel, an American musician. The two wake up handcuffed together on a bench in Central Park, NY, with no idea how they got there and missing their respective forms of identification, wallets, etc. From there they enter into a wild goose chase and learn to work together looking for clues. The majority of the novel is written as a narration, but there are several flashback chapters written through Aliceās POV connecting the story with a serial killer investigation from her past.
You guys, my jaw DROPPED at the twist in this book. I have to be honest, I was feeling quite cocky thinking I'd figured it all out, just to find out I couldn't be more wrong. The revelation alone earned it a 5 ā rating for me. I debated dropping to a half start due to some occasional awkward wording and writing jargon, but I have to give grace as it is an English translation of a French book. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient and can get your hands across this book I highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As much as I am a dark romance junkie, there is something about these billionaire Lauren Asher books that has me hooked and swooning.
This story was a sweet, slow burn, single dad & nanny romance. I have pretty much the same notes as my other reads from this author; lovable leads with great character development, just a toe dipping of steamy scenes, and interconnected cameos from her previous books. While this wasnāt anything groundbreaking, it serves as a tried and true formula and Iāll be anxiously waiting for the next in the series to drop next year.
This story was a sweet, slow burn, single dad & nanny romance. I have pretty much the same notes as my other reads from this author; lovable leads with great character development, just a toe dipping of steamy scenes, and interconnected cameos from her previous books. While this wasnāt anything groundbreaking, it serves as a tried and true formula and Iāll be anxiously waiting for the next in the series to drop next year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Self harm and Abandonment
One with You by Sylvia Day
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Let me start by saying this series begins very similar to Fifty Shades of Grey, a workplace romance with a control obsessed billionaire, HEAPS of steam, and themes of surviving sexual abuse trauma. Looking at other peopleās reviews, the feedback is completely split; half felt like it was an exact copy of FSOG, and a poor one at that, while the other half LOVED it because it scratched the same itch and said it was the better of the two š¤·āāļø Me personally, I gobbled it up happily!
The relationship between the main characters is quite the ride. They spend almost the entire series fighting and making up, a new miscommunication each time they see each other, giving some serious whiplash. Though they have a decidedly toxic relationship, I found myself still yearning for a HEA. Additionally, I found the scenes with their therapist most significant. Though you shouldnāt take a billionaire romance novel too seriously, there were some very insightful and valuable takeaways. It was quite an unexpected aspect that I think will stick with me the most.
The first three books were written in standard single POV, whereas the last two advanced to dual. This lent a hand to adding initial mystery and slight mistrust towards the MMC, and then evolved into well deserved understanding of his perception and devastation in the later books.
Overall, I really enjoyed the characters as well as the plot, but sometimes the authorās writing style was a bit too wordy and redundant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide
Captivated by You by Sylvia Day
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Let me start by saying this series begins very similar to Fifty Shades of Grey, a workplace romance with a control obsessed billionaire, HEAPS of steam, and themes of surviving sexual abuse trauma. Looking at other peopleās reviews, the feedback is completely split; half felt like it was an exact copy of FSOG, and a poor one at that, while the other half LOVED it because it scratched the same itch and said it was the better of the two š¤·āāļø Me personally, I gobbled it up happily!
The relationship between the main characters is quite the ride. They spend almost the entire series fighting and making up, a new miscommunication each time they see each other, giving some serious whiplash. Though they have a decidedly toxic relationship, I found myself still yearning for a HEA. Additionally, I found the scenes with their therapist most significant. Though you shouldnāt take a billionaire romance novel too seriously, there were some very insightful and valuable takeaways. It was quite an unexpected aspect that I think will stick with me the most.
The first three books were written in standard single POV, whereas the last two advanced to dual. This lent a hand to adding initial mystery and slight mistrust towards the MMC, and then evolved into well deserved understanding of his perception and devastation in the later books.
Overall, I really enjoyed the characters as well as the plot, but sometimes the authorās writing style was a bit too wordy and redundant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide