michellemaas's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
* Beware of minor spoilers
4 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The fourth installment in the Bellandi Crime Syndicate series. Adult Mafia Romance featuring "hurt/comfort" and "trauma bonding" tropes along with a variety of mental health issues.
I really enjoyed Scar and Irina's story. Theirs has been a long time coming and it was nice to experience Scar's point of view after him being an ever-present yet elusive figure for the past 4 books now. Overall this book had the perfect amount of darkness for me, but it was longer than it should have been.
"What a sad, loveless life I lived, when a hug from two women was the greatest love I’d ever known."
Scarred Regrets follows Scar as he tries to fight his undeniable chemistry with Irina, the daughter of the judge who works for Matteo. He's set to stay away for her protection, but when she gets kidnapped by Murphy he resolves to never make that mistake again. He left her once and the unthinkable happened, so now she's stuck with him . . . Whether she likes it or not.
"Nothing was perfect. Our relationship would be flawed and messy and we’d stumble more times than I wanted to acknowledge. But in the moments where she welcomed my touch, I knew we’d make it through."
I really enjoyed the grit of this book. It was filled with a brand of darkness that Adelaide had shied away from in previous installments. Scar and Irina had a lot of trauma to overcome and they had to really work for their happily ever after. It was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed and captivated me. Coupled with the fact that this was the first time we really got to experience the effects of Murphy's war made this my favorite book of hers by far.
"None of my old friends would understand the woman I’d become. None of them would understand that I’d been reborn from pain and necessity, crawling from the fires of my life, filled with the determination to eradicate those who’d wronged me."
My biggest criticism is that it felt too long. With my version clocking in at 558 pages, I felt it could have easily been edited down with 100 or so pages and still have had the same effect. One of my biggest gripes with books (and I do seem to encounter this often) is when a bunch of unnecessary stuff gets included just to fill out pages. If it doesn't progress the story or develop our characters, it shouldn't be in the book.
I'm also disliking the fact that all the male characters in this universe are carbon copies of one another, wanting the same things both in and out of the bedroom. This is understandable since mafia men would be a little more possessive considering their occupation, but I would love to see some variety. I'm hoping that it can come in the form of Yavin since he's always been portrayed as an outsider. Having not been raised in the mafia and having led a slightly better life I'm hoping he can show the true extent of Adelaide's writing as all her main characters are starting to blur together with only slightly different past and current situations to differentiate them.
"Some people were worth helping. Some people were too far gone. In the end, a person came down to the series of choices we made. Nothing defined us but who we chose to be and who we chose to hurt."
All that being said, I feel that this is the first book that I could truly say that Adelaide has come into her own as a writer in the dark romance genre. It has been quite the journey following her since Bloodied Hands as she explored the genre, but she truly made it her own as she explored more trauma, commented on social issues and morality, and played around with a variety of smutty scenes. I cannot wait to read the next installment in the Bellandi Crime Syndicate series as each of Adelaide's books seem to get better and better. A glowing 4 stars from me!
Please note that this is an adult dark romance, therefore not suitable for minors or sensitive readers. Be sure to check trigger warnings on Adelaide's website before reading. Your enjoyment is not worth risking your mental health for!
4 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The fourth installment in the Bellandi Crime Syndicate series. Adult Mafia Romance featuring "hurt/comfort" and "trauma bonding" tropes along with a variety of mental health issues.
I really enjoyed Scar and Irina's story. Theirs has been a long time coming and it was nice to experience Scar's point of view after him being an ever-present yet elusive figure for the past 4 books now. Overall this book had the perfect amount of darkness for me, but it was longer than it should have been.
"What a sad, loveless life I lived, when a hug from two women was the greatest love I’d ever known."
Scarred Regrets follows Scar as he tries to fight his undeniable chemistry with Irina, the daughter of the judge who works for Matteo. He's set to stay away for her protection, but when she gets kidnapped by Murphy he resolves to never make that mistake again. He left her once and the unthinkable happened, so now she's stuck with him . . . Whether she likes it or not.
"Nothing was perfect. Our relationship would be flawed and messy and we’d stumble more times than I wanted to acknowledge. But in the moments where she welcomed my touch, I knew we’d make it through."
I really enjoyed the grit of this book. It was filled with a brand of darkness that Adelaide had shied away from in previous installments. Scar and Irina had a lot of trauma to overcome and they had to really work for their happily ever after. It was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed and captivated me. Coupled with the fact that this was the first time we really got to experience the effects of Murphy's war made this my favorite book of hers by far.
"None of my old friends would understand the woman I’d become. None of them would understand that I’d been reborn from pain and necessity, crawling from the fires of my life, filled with the determination to eradicate those who’d wronged me."
My biggest criticism is that it felt too long. With my version clocking in at 558 pages, I felt it could have easily been edited down with 100 or so pages and still have had the same effect. One of my biggest gripes with books (and I do seem to encounter this often) is when a bunch of unnecessary stuff gets included just to fill out pages. If it doesn't progress the story or develop our characters, it shouldn't be in the book.
I'm also disliking the fact that all the male characters in this universe are carbon copies of one another, wanting the same things both in and out of the bedroom. This is understandable since mafia men would be a little more possessive considering their occupation, but I would love to see some variety. I'm hoping that it can come in the form of Yavin since he's always been portrayed as an outsider. Having not been raised in the mafia and having led a slightly better life I'm hoping he can show the true extent of Adelaide's writing as all her main characters are starting to blur together with only slightly different past and current situations to differentiate them.
"Some people were worth helping. Some people were too far gone. In the end, a person came down to the series of choices we made. Nothing defined us but who we chose to be and who we chose to hurt."
All that being said, I feel that this is the first book that I could truly say that Adelaide has come into her own as a writer in the dark romance genre. It has been quite the journey following her since Bloodied Hands as she explored the genre, but she truly made it her own as she explored more trauma, commented on social issues and morality, and played around with a variety of smutty scenes. I cannot wait to read the next installment in the Bellandi Crime Syndicate series as each of Adelaide's books seem to get better and better. A glowing 4 stars from me!
Please note that this is an adult dark romance, therefore not suitable for minors or sensitive readers. Be sure to check trigger warnings on Adelaide's website before reading. Your enjoyment is not worth risking your mental health for!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Violence, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Stalking, Confinement, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Mental illness
Minor: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
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