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books_after_bedtime's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, Outing, and Classism
booksalacarte's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
3.25
Saint- 3.25⭐️ 3🌶️
M/M Romance
Second Chance Romance
🏳️🌈 MMC
Forbidden love
Travel
Miscommunication
Mental Health Rep
Cheating
This could have very easily turned into a M/M version of Priest and it didn’t. Not even at all. Thank God for that.
I find that the prose and poetic imagery of Sierra Simone is great in this book... but sometimes overdone. But it was a beautiful POV to read. It was dark and painful and vivid. However I did find that sometimes the thoughtfulness and big themes overshadowed the plot.
Aiden was a complicated character in that he was unapologetic about himself in a setting where you would think he would feel the most shame- a monastery. So many tough topics were addressed and I can’t stop being surprised by how deep these books go in addressing issues in the Catholic Church, and Christianity itself. It’s such an interesting take and I applaud that.
The plot/story itself was pretty standard in the reformed bad boy millionaire searching for himself kind of way. I found myself not as invested in Elijah or their love story as I was in the instance of seeing the characters staying true to themselves and finding their peace. But I loved how respectful and focused they were to each other in their intimate moments… In that way, this was the most wholesome of the series.
While the descriptions of mental health and how they affect you was talked about in a way that was gritty and opaque, I found myself interested in how Aiden created his mini support group. I wanted to know more about how he helped others while he shifted through his time there.
The snapshots of former MC’s in the series was nice… but I often forgot that there was another brother… who just is mentioned randomly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Misogyny