lea_talisa's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay so I liked this but it was really fucking dark. I mean for real take the trigger warnings seriously most of them indeed are graphic.
First of all: There will be spoilers in this review but ONLY one’s that present major triggers. I won’t spoil anything further than what the author herself mentiones as triggers in the very beginning of the book.
Though it absolutely shattered my heart, I loved the first chapters about Scar’s childhood. It gave you a really good understanding of the character he would become later on.
In the first chapters in the present i didn’t really like how fast Irina’s and Scar’s “relationship” progressed. The past scenes were all so detailed and took the time they needed but I feel like the beginning of the present story was a bit rushed at times.
Also I did not like how extremely controlling Scar was and how Irina hardly ever protested against it even a little bit? That’s something I just can’t find myself ever coming to terms with.
This book deals with serious trauma and severe ptsd from sexual assault, rape and other horrifying things. The coping mechanism are absolutely not healthy and feature graphic suicidal thoughts, self harm and a suicide attempt.
In this story of two traumatized people trying to heal and live together, we witness several traumatic events and the healing process afterwards.
It’s a lot about both of the characters, but especially Irina, finding back to themselves and to life through each other.
This being the first book I’ve read in this series it’s distracting for me that a lot of other couples and names are randomly mentioned. I guess if you read the whole series it’s a very nice touch that the characters reappear, but reading it as a stand-alone I found it to be a little annoying.
Quotes:
“You can’t fix me, Scar!” -“Watch me.”
„A woman's weight, whether she was "too skinny" or "too fat," should never be a topic of conversation for anyone.
Especially not someone with a penis.“
„She owned her imperfections, all the broken pieces that made her who she was.
And she rose from the flames.“
Quotes:
“You can’t fix me, Scar!” -“Watch me.”
„A woman's weight, whether she was "too skinny" or "too fat," should never be a topic of conversation for anyone.
Especially not someone with a penis.“
„She owned her imperfections, all the broken pieces that made her who she was.
And she rose from the flames.“
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Torture, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Mental illness, Gun violence, Eating disorder, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Stalking, Abandonment, Addiction, Trafficking, and Grief
gingerbreadwoman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, and Violence
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
rosslynlyell's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War
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