Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Lords of Pain

This was really good, but dark. This is a bully romance and it basically is until the end. You do get to see a little bit of different sides of the guys, but it’s also all manipulation. There’s a background plot going on that’s interesting and I want to see where it leads. The other lot of this is actually ridiculous, but it was entertaining and makes for the “romantic” relationships to move along. This ends on a cliffhanger so I’m excited to see where this goes. I do like all the guys, but Killian is my least favorite, but the very end he redeemed himself a little, but the fallout for them all is going to be fun to read. This is DARK so if you don’t like dark romances skip this one and look at trigger warnings.

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kdelong's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No

4.25

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unicornofthesea's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

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fangirljeanne's review against another edition

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DNF

The TW says dub-con, but it’s right up against the line. To me it read as full on rape and I couldn’t read further. Otherwise I like the writing. May try one of the other series by these writers.

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konniesbb's review against another edition

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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

This was a well-written book with a reasonably complex plot for what the content involves. The stalker aspect was interesting and would lead me to keep reading on to confirm my suspicions on who the person is. I agree with another review that says that the 'badass' personas of the male characters are out of place - the setting is at a university. For example, Killian has the word 'KILL' tattooed over his knuckles - I find it hard to imagine a regular university in which people wouldn't balk at a tattoo like tha and assume the person was in a gang.

I did not like the portrayal of women in the book. I can suspend disbelief enough when reading a RH book to accept that all the male characters find the heroine attractive, but I seriously dislike the degradation of other female characters in the heroine's favour. Every other female character is described as either being brainless and slutty or being a gold-digger. The only woman that the male characters respect is a curmudgeonly older woman, Mrs Crane, and she is evidently only respected because she acts in a more masculine manner and because she's older and unattractive.

The only actually friendly female character that the heroine encounters turns out to be untrustworthy and is part of a ruse to get the heroine kidnapped.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book on the whole and found it engaging enough to read it quickly. The dark romance aspect is well-done, but would recommend that people check out the trigger warnings.

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lilbookishdragon's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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bigbookslay's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

check tws, very dark

a meh book. very intriguing but I hate like all the characters. INSANE misogyny.

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keikiqueen's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Def one of the most brutal things I’ve ever read. When they gave those trigger warnings they should’ve emphasized the ENTIRE BOOK is the trigger. But somehow I enjoyed it deeply 😂

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