Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Losers: Part II by Harley Laroux

7 reviews

jessanicolesingh's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

For a categorically dark/taboo romance duet, these books were much more emotional than I had anticipated them being. I always love a good reverse harem, especially when the men play together too 😉

The series depicts a group of town outcasts in a polyamorous relationship that find themselves reconnecting with their old high school bully, Jess, whom they have all been obsessed with for years. After a chance encounter and car trouble, the guys propose a deal of sorts; if she agrees to join their quad for the time being they would fix her car in their shop. From there you can unsurprisingly expect a copious amount of spicy scenes, very heavy on the BDSM.

I absolutely LOVED these boys; Manson, the unofficial leader of the house and most forward towards bringing the FMC into the mix, Lucas, the hotheaded racer with a soft spot for cats, Vincent, the drug dealer turned romantic goofball, and finally Jason, abandoned by his religious parents that refused to accept him. Jessica on the other hand, I didn’t find myself all that crazy for, I felt like her plight was deeper than her personality at times.

I wouldn't really say there was too much of a plot outside of the payment arrangement that ultimately, and obviously, leads to Jess joining their “family.” There were some ghosts from their collective pasts slowly creeping in on them, namely Manson’s deadbeat father, Reagan, and a few stray bullies from high school still targeting them. From the first book to the second there was a fairly non-climaxal cliffhanger where the group was planning to take a vacation with just a touch of anxiety over the looming threats. Although the main antagonistic force wove in and out rather than a continuous buildup, this actually made the story more realistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, and Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment

BDSM

wandering_seal's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful slow-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

Reread.

Right. I love this series, love these characters, but I'd be lying if I didn't say this books got issues. It drags a bit when the story turns into

in-which-Jess-says-"I love you"-one-by-one

. Jess's mother does not get the comeuppance she deserves. But. BUT. The romance. The feels. I love these characters and I only want the best for them and this story is a part of that so how could I rate it poorly. It's got lots going for it if you can work around its issues. This story has stayed with me in a way I never would have anticipated, I love it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence

art3m1sxx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

jlpxoxo's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, and Abandonment

hq_reads's review against another edition

dark 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

2.5

I feel terrible for this review because I love Harley LaRoux’s books but I had to put this down I was getting bored. I can completely understand how some people would love this book, but for me personally, I need some plot/intrigue - even in spicy books. This series could have just been one book as the plot didn’t really go anywhere. This one felt dragged out. I took a break and read a few books in between and when I came back to it I really struggled. 

I really like the characters and enjoyed some of the spice but it felt very formulaic and predictable. The Dare will forever be one of my favourite books and this series was missing the almost unbearable anticipation that The Dare had. 

Pros: the sex scene in the holiday cabin was hot as fuck, the author writes consent so well, I really like the characters.

Cons: the plot was weak, sex scenes felt repetitive, a penis gets called a “glans”….!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content

Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent

tguccione's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

lilithreads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol