A lot of books deal with "dark" content these days. There might be abuse or noncon or a past sexual assault -- horrific thingAll the trigger warnings.
A lot of books deal with "dark" content these days. There might be abuse or noncon or a past sexual assault -- horrific things -- but these topics often end up being handled in a very superficial way. If you're someone who isn't triggered just by reading those words, these so-called dark books end up being pretty "light" reads (it's all relative).
This book is actually quite dark, delving into the ugly aftermath of a brutal attack and sexual assault. At the same time, certain aspects of it were superficial mostly in that things moved a little bit more quickly than I found realistic. All in all, I can't say that I personally enjoyed it all that much, but I appreciate what the author did here. 2.5 stars....more
This book comes extremely, extremely well recommended in various romance book forums. Plus, it pops up on the romance.io site under many tropes/categoThis book comes extremely, extremely well recommended in various romance book forums. Plus, it pops up on the romance.io site under many tropes/categories I enjoy (the romance.io website is amazing, btw). I've only ever read one other reverse harem (in my pursuit of the best "enemies-to-lovers" stories), but I didn't hate it, so given all of the above, I decided to give this a try last night. And was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
First of all, this was way more plot-focused and way less sex-focused than I expected (generally a positive for me). Honestly, the last historical romance I read may have had more sex scenes than this, although these are certainly "edgier." I found the story really sweet and, frankly, a lot of the romance was one-on-one (even if there were multiple guys). Those were the subplots and aspects I enjoyed the most, so after I finish book 2 (which is a lot steamier), I probably won't be jumping right into another RH plot. But I'm glad I gave this one a try....more
3 stars. I had low expectations going in given this book's 3.67-star rating, but I found the premise -- a dark King Midas retelling -- unique. There's3 stars. I had low expectations going in given this book's 3.67-star rating, but I found the premise -- a dark King Midas retelling -- unique. There's no question that better character development and less info-dumping could have made this series something really special, but I think its Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ rating skews a little low due to those turned off (fairly, no judgment!) by the dark content. If that's not you, I recommend this to fans of fantasy/fae, a touch of romance, and palace intrigue....more
**spoiler alert** This is romance is okay, but some of the plot points are just dumb. The hero is hot and then cold and then hot. The heroine thinks h**spoiler alert** This is romance is okay, but some of the plot points are just dumb. The hero is hot and then cold and then hot. The heroine thinks he can just walk away from the mafia and go clean?? And then be tries it and everyone is surprised when it fails.
I also felt like there was some homophobia here in the scene when the heroine is captured....more
This was more of a 2.5/3 star read for me. Things that impacted my enjoyment:
1 - I'm not an expert on the Victorian era. In fact, I'm not even totallyThis was more of a 2.5/3 star read for me. Things that impacted my enjoyment:
1 - I'm not an expert on the Victorian era. In fact, I'm not even totally sure this was the Victorian era! So when an anachronism tampers my enjoyment of the story, it has to be pretty glaring. In this case, it was hard to believe that young ladies are running around London every night from 12p-3a, visiting gaming halls, and calling on dukes solo?
2 - This one has a very low-angst love triangle, which is also not my favorite.
The writing and characters are pretty good. I liked the tortured, rakish duke angle and the take-charge, independent lady....more
2.5 stars. This contemporary romance features a domestic abuse survivor on the run from her law enforcement ex and starts over again with her lumberja2.5 stars. This contemporary romance features a domestic abuse survivor on the run from her law enforcement ex and starts over again with her lumberjack of an ex-con neighbor (well, he's technically a blacksmith). All the content warnings, although I personally didn't find it too graphic.
The pacing was off for me. Things moved super fast with the romance -- it felt too fast given what the character had endured. The main character also moves in with an elderly woman and I overall enjoyed their dynamic, but the old lady just completely disappears in the middle of the novel and then pops back up at the end with gusto. ...more
I almost DNF'ed this book at least three times but somehow managed to make it to the final pages. You might assume that I had a problem with the rampaI almost DNF'ed this book at least three times but somehow managed to make it to the final pages. You might assume that I had a problem with the rampant rape, slavery, and general violence, but actually, my biggest issue was Amber's relationships with her fellow surviving colonists.
It seems that Amber is meant to be the voice of truth -- a free thinker among the sheeple that make up the surviving colonists. But she is all (counterproductive) talk and no action and surely would have been killed or exiled early on if not for the protection of Meoraq. How is acting like an antagonistic doormat helpful to anyone? How many people's lives do you think she might have saved if she had just let Meoraq kill Scott after his first transgression? Or if you don't want to get that extreme, Meoraq could have at least just taken over control of the survivors and treated people more fairly. (view spoiler)[Every time Scott and the crew popped back up after an extended absence and started treating Amber terribly again, I'd have to brace myself to keep going. (hide spoiler)]
I also found the villains a bit extreme and underdeveloped across the board (with the exception of (view spoiler)[Zhuqa (hide spoiler)]. Scott was particularly terrible to Amber, even after it became clear that her relationship with Meoraq was the colonists' best chance of survival, etc. In terms of the final climax, (view spoiler)[I didn't really understand Iziz's motivations in going to such lengths to seek revenge for Zhuqa's death. I was beyond surprised to see him pop up at that point in the story and the threat didn't feel that real (hide spoiler)].
Although this was overall a torturous read for me, I can't bring myself to give this book two stars, because the world-building was pretty epic (relatively to the genre) and I did enjoy the romance between Amber and Meoraq. I also enjoyed their visit to Xi'Matezh and the revelations exposed there....more
The heroine in this book is initially trapped in an appalling marriage and undergoes horrific abuse at the hands of her first husband. After his deathThe heroine in this book is initially trapped in an appalling marriage and undergoes horrific abuse at the hands of her first husband. After his death, a neighboring earl returns from war intent on making the heroine (who he met pre-war as a 15-year old) his wife.
I seem to be more tolerant than many of "dubious consent" scenes and the like, but I couldn't handle the hero's (initial) aggressive tactics in trying to win the heroine over. Even after learning about her abusive past, he continues to force her into situations that are clearly traumatic for her (justified as attempts to help her overcome her past). After this initial creepster behavior, he does become a lot more sweet and patient, but it was too little, too late for me.
Separately, I also found aspects of the mystery's resolution to be a little out of left field ((view spoiler)[Dorcas' madness (hide spoiler)]).
ETA: I can't believe this was published in 2014 and not in the 1980s!...more
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