3.5 stars -- this is a great take on a small town, second chance romance. It has a lot of classic elements in these types of stories, such as"good old3.5 stars -- this is a great take on a small town, second chance romance. It has a lot of classic elements in these types of stories, such as"good old boys" cronyism and a romance between the town's golden boy and the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, but feels fresh. Love the inclusion of neurodivergent characters. The ending does feel rushed.
ETA: I usually ignore the covers on romance books -- such a mixed bag -- but this guy could not be more unattractive to me personally (with apologies to this person, but I think this facial hair might be photoshopped anyway)....more
I love mafia romances (my fav is The Maddest Obsession). I tried and started this one several times over the years. Finally, I pushed my way through iI love mafia romances (my fav is The Maddest Obsession). I tried and started this one several times over the years. Finally, I pushed my way through it. I have a hard time when the main characters are keeping a *big secret* from one another, so that may have tainted my enjoyment. Since A. Zavarelli is such a beloved author in this genre, I definitely expect to try book 2 and see if my dislike of Crow s just a fluke!...more
DNF @ 26 percent. First and foremost, because of the the way nonconsensual sex is handled. This is not a dealbreaker for me, but I couldn't get over tDNF @ 26 percent. First and foremost, because of the the way nonconsensual sex is handled. This is not a dealbreaker for me, but I couldn't get over the heroine recapping her rape to her roommate who cheered her on and congratulated her throughout. It was too weird.
Second, the Russian, interspersed throughout the novel, is SO BAD. If you don't speak Russia, this won't bother you of course. But if you do, beware! The author must have just used Google translate, because some of the errors are so basic, such as using the wrong gender for terms of endearment. A character also refers to someone by their patronymic, but uses a nickname for the first name. This just doesn't happen. Either you're Vaska or Vasiliy Andreevich. You're not Vaska Andreevich. ...more
What a snoozefest! Don't get me wrong, I can see why this book is so beloved -- there are some really sweet moments with a really devoted hero. But yoWhat a snoozefest! Don't get me wrong, I can see why this book is so beloved -- there are some really sweet moments with a really devoted hero. But you have to slog through a ton of super boring scenes and get through 432 (of 515) pages for the reveal of the blatantly obvious "big twist/secret." This was almost a DNF, but this one has been recommended to me for years and years and is very beloved by some of my fellow romance readers, so I wanted to give it a fair shot. It took me over a week to slog through though (a lifetime for me).
You might like it if you like caretaking heroes/scenes and the slowest of slow burns (although I usually do)....more
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