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natttbuggg's review against another edition
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
This is the 5th Sara Cate book I have read, and the first not in the Salacious Players Club series. I was in a pretty bad slump before picking this up and honestly her books are crack to me. One of the many things I enjoy from Cate is her approach to writing tropes. Even when the book includes a trope I may not typically enjoy, Cate writes it in a way that makes it intriguing and engaging. In particular, the fake dating and miscommunication tropes. Fake dating is used in a way that doesn't feel like a necessary evil but rather adds to the complexity of the plot. The miscommunication trope is used as a “plot twist” rather than a cliché, which kept me on my toes. I like that Cate lets the story breathe. The story's pacing is well-executed, with breaks in time between events that make the narrative feel more believable. I appreciate that not everything needs to happen right away and that the gradual development of the story feels more organic as a result. I am eager to start Free Fall, the second book in this duet, and eventually the rest of Cate’s Backlist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism
forgottencupoftea's review
challenging
dark
fast-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
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death
ascstefany's review against another edition
emotional
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death and Cursing
bookgrrl's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, and Grief
stephaniemcuervo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Death, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
ga_bby4's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Cursing
Moderate: Death
janana_mafuna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
sydmac's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
This was a RIDE! If you don’t like taboo books then don’t bother to read it. It was steamy, interesting and I felt all the conflicts between the characters which always means I’m enjoying the book. My first thought when I read the plot is that why wouldn’t they just try going to therapy first? But now that wouldn’t make quite as interesting of a book! I ended up eating it up and reading it in just a few hours. I will definitely be reading the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death
weelasswithabook's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
CW: death of a sibling, questionable consent, survivors guilt, grief
🌈 Representation 🌈
⭐ Tropes ⭐
- Age gap
- Love triangle
- Taboo
🌶️ Spice 🌶️
- MFM scene
I'm going to preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of love triangles. But this one worked for me. A sort of high stakes love triangle.
We have 3 grieving characters, suffering from a shared loss. A father and son (Alistair and Nash) who no longer have a relationship due to the death of Nash's brother, and a heroine (Zara), who is reeling from the loss of her sister.
The plot definitely confused me for a bit, I'm going to be perfectly honest. The dad trying to heal his relationship with his son by hiring a fake girlfriend who HE is in love my believe for that to play out properly. Super messy situation.
Anyway, Zara comes to live with the two of them who end up sharing her in the end. She ends up making a choice at the end so we have an HEA without anyone having their heartbroken.
Part of me feels like I can't understand why any of them loved each other, aside from the physical chemistry. But then I think of the shared loss being a huge factor in the way they all come together. Healing one another through their shared grief.
I really enjoyed the fact that Nash and Alistair were two completely different heroes. This allowed for the two halves of the love triangle to be truly independent from one another. Alistair was much softer and emotionally invested, while Nash was more passionate and volatile. So Zara had balance when she was in the midst of the triangle. She was being provided what she needed from the heroes, one could fulfill getting the anger and frustration out, one could fulfill the more emotional (but still physical) aspect.
Overall I genuinely did enjoy the book, I just felt at times like I was confused to how we got to the point that we were at.
🌈 Representation 🌈
⭐ Tropes ⭐
- Age gap
- Love triangle
- Taboo
🌶️ Spice 🌶️
- MFM scene
I'm going to preface this by saying I'm not a huge fan of love triangles. But this one worked for me. A sort of high stakes love triangle.
We have 3 grieving characters, suffering from a shared loss. A father and son (Alistair and Nash) who no longer have a relationship due to the death of Nash's brother, and a heroine (Zara), who is reeling from the loss of her sister.
The plot definitely confused me for a bit, I'm going to be perfectly honest. The dad trying to heal his relationship with his son by hiring a fake girlfriend who HE is in love my believe for that to play out properly. Super messy situation.
Anyway, Zara comes to live with the two of them who end up sharing her in the end. She ends up making a choice at the end so we have an HEA without anyone having their heartbroken.
Part of me feels like I can't understand why any of them loved each other, aside from the physical chemistry. But then I think of the shared loss being a huge factor in the way they all come together. Healing one another through their shared grief.
I really enjoyed the fact that Nash and Alistair were two completely different heroes. This allowed for the two halves of the love triangle to be truly independent from one another. Alistair was much softer and emotionally invested, while Nash was more passionate and volatile. So Zara had balance when she was in the midst of the triangle. She was being provided what she needed from the heroes, one could fulfill getting the anger and frustration out, one could fulfill the more emotional (but still physical) aspect.
Overall I genuinely did enjoy the book, I just felt at times like I was confused to how we got to the point that we were at.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
thefantasybookaddict's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Toxic relationship
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