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___tamara___'s review
5.0
4.5 stars
Review later, I need to sleep on this.
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I slept on it and still can't really sort through how I feel about this book, but I do know that the writing is great and it's an emotional, fucked-up read that I couldn't put down. It's been a while since I've read something like this.
bambhee's review
1.0
Oof. Mi aspettavo forse / fin troppo / da questo libro, considerato che è il primo gay erotica che leggo - e, soprattutto, che il trope di partenza del militare traumatizzato è uno che solitamente amo. Da "One Man's Trash" non ho avuto manco un minimo, però, per cui non posso che esserne triste. Non so, non mi è proprio piaciuto; non mi viene in mente mezza cosa che lo renda "salvabile", sto davvero facendo fatica a pensarci.
I capitoli sono tutti troppo inutilmente lunghi, succede sempre così tanto ed è tutto... così discutibile. Sono piuttosto sicura fosse esattamente questo lo scopo dell'autrice, considerato il tipo di personaggi e situazioni che erano e vivevano i protagonisti, ma quando è troppo è troppo. L'ho letto proprio con le palle in mano da un certo punto in poi, non mentirò - e già non eravamo partiti benissimo, comunque, considerato che Cip e Ciop hanno quagliato già tipo... nel primo capitolo, senza manco dire bah. A me non piace lo slow burn, ma manco a fa' così. Ci vorrebbe qualcosa nel mezzo, di ben bilanciato, e ciò non esiste manco per sbaglio nell'universo di Marie Sexton. Bah, spero che i prossimi siano un po' meglio - anche se non ho idea di quando li leggerò...
I capitoli sono tutti troppo inutilmente lunghi, succede sempre così tanto ed è tutto... così discutibile. Sono piuttosto sicura fosse esattamente questo lo scopo dell'autrice, considerato il tipo di personaggi e situazioni che erano e vivevano i protagonisti, ma quando è troppo è troppo. L'ho letto proprio con le palle in mano da un certo punto in poi, non mentirò - e già non eravamo partiti benissimo, comunque, considerato che Cip e Ciop hanno quagliato già tipo... nel primo capitolo, senza manco dire bah. A me non piace lo slow burn, ma manco a fa' così. Ci vorrebbe qualcosa nel mezzo, di ben bilanciato, e ciò non esiste manco per sbaglio nell'universo di Marie Sexton. Bah, spero che i prossimi siano un po' meglio - anche se non ho idea di quando li leggerò...
pika_berry's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Boy she can write. She is by far the best at pacing and story telling out of the maybe 100 MM romance books I’ve read in my lifetime.
Almost every chapter I will spot an advanced writing technique, and what makes her such a pro is that it’s all invisible. She doesn’t do anything flashy to try to show off her writing chops. She keeps all the techniques completely invisible, so as a reader, all you see is the story and the enjoyable reading experience. This is the mark of a pro.
The pacing is incredibly sharp.
She leaves out scenes that aren’t important. She is completely in tune with what the average reader would expect in terms of clarification and details. She answers all the questions that would pop up in the reader’s head, and she does it so smoothly you don’t even need to ask the question. This is genre writing at its finest.
Almost every chapter I will spot an advanced writing technique, and what makes her such a pro is that it’s all invisible. She doesn’t do anything flashy to try to show off her writing chops. She keeps all the techniques completely invisible, so as a reader, all you see is the story and the enjoyable reading experience. This is the mark of a pro.
The pacing is incredibly sharp.
She leaves out scenes that aren’t important. She is completely in tune with what the average reader would expect in terms of clarification and details. She answers all the questions that would pop up in the reader’s head, and she does it so smoothly you don’t even need to ask the question. This is genre writing at its finest.
claire_melanie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
3.0
goldiereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest and Rape
justcaitlind's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
aixahkhan1's review against another edition
loved taylor, and i love how it was represented that he eventually recognised what james did but he still loves him. that he couldn’t make himself not love him. i love the final breakdown scene we have where he decides to get therapy, and i love the fact he stated going to therapy and the rubberband as his coping mechanism instead of cutting himself.
Warren did his best to keep his face impassive. Taylor would never talk to him if he thought there’d be judgment involved. “You don’t like when they talk about trying to help?”
“I don’t need help. Not like that, at any rate.” Taylor scowled, his arms still crossed protectively over his chest. “They don’t understand. You can’t just erase scars like that. They’ll always be there.”
Taylor sighed, dropping his gaze. “I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean the actual scars themselves so much.”
“Then what?”
“People like that don’t know what it’s like to be broken. They want to make me like them. Like I can be normal. Like I was never broken to begin with. And it won’t work that way. Some things go too deep, you know?”
“And then James took me home and put me to bed. He tucked me in and told me he loved me. And he made me a promise.”
“What did he promise?” Warren had a feeling it was something he wouldn’t like.
“That he’d always be there. That he’d always take care of me like he had that night.”
Warren’s head spun with the wrongness of it. He kept his voice calm and reasonable, not letting Taylor hear any of his incredulousness or his skepticism. “And that was something you wanted?”
Taylor nodded, his eyes closed, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “More than anything.”
“Do you think somebody can be mended without being fixed? Do you think scars in a person can be beautiful the way they are in this vase?”
“I think you’re worrying too much about semantics. The only thing you can really do is keep putting one foot in front the other.”
“I’m not James.”
That name drove the wind from Taylor’s lungs. It made his head ache and his bile rise. He fought to keep from vomiting in the dirt. James, who had hurt him and loved him and twisted him and then abandoned him, despite every promise he’d ever made.
James, who he still loved, even though he didn’t know why.
“He left me,” Taylor cried, unable to stop his words. “He left me, just like Riley.”
“I know.”
“He knew what he was doing. He told me he’d never leave, but then he did. He left a note saying he couldn’t handle it anymore. He apologized to my parents, but not me! He took the easy way out, and he left me here to live alone with everything he’d done!”
“I know, honey,” Warren said, pulling him close
wasn’t too keen on warren. and it bothers me that taylor’s sense of “uselessness” was never really resolved, or at least not properly in my eyes and personal opinion. i wish we could have seen him get a job (although he did, but it was very briefly mentioned and not brought up later), like a proper full-time job and become more independent. yes they can be dependent on each other, a relationship is a partnership after all, but when taylor was convincing warren not to go after that guy? his only argument and point and that sort of advantage about himself being that if warren leaves him, he’ll go back to being a prostitute, trading sex for food and a place to live- that sort of gave me the ick. & we’re told by taylor that he feels lonely and useless with nothing to keep him company in the house and nothing to do to contribute. so. well.
“Us? Since when had Taylor and Riley become an “us”? “I have plenty of faith in you,” Warren said.
“But not him?”
Warren didn’t answer.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Taylor asked. “We’re the same. That’s why we’re friends. That’s why it works.”
“You’re not the same.”
“We are.”
“You’re strong, Taylor. That’s why you’ve made it this far without sticking a needle in your arm or a gun in your mouth. But him?” Warren shook his head. “He doesn’t have what you have.”
”But this? This was different. This was proof positive that Warren didn’t understand him and never would. He claimed to appreciate the outliers—the people who strayed from the norm—yet he refused to see that Riley might be one of them. How the hell could Warren claim to know what Riley would or wouldn’t do down the road? How could he stand there and tell Taylor that he and Riley were different when Taylor knew in his heart they were the same?”
Warren did his best to keep his face impassive. Taylor would never talk to him if he thought there’d be judgment involved. “You don’t like when they talk about trying to help?”
“I don’t need help. Not like that, at any rate.” Taylor scowled, his arms still crossed protectively over his chest. “They don’t understand. You can’t just erase scars like that. They’ll always be there.”
Taylor sighed, dropping his gaze. “I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t mean the actual scars themselves so much.”
“Then what?”
“People like that don’t know what it’s like to be broken. They want to make me like them. Like I can be normal. Like I was never broken to begin with. And it won’t work that way. Some things go too deep, you know?”
“And then James took me home and put me to bed. He tucked me in and told me he loved me. And he made me a promise.”
“What did he promise?” Warren had a feeling it was something he wouldn’t like.
“That he’d always be there. That he’d always take care of me like he had that night.”
Warren’s head spun with the wrongness of it. He kept his voice calm and reasonable, not letting Taylor hear any of his incredulousness or his skepticism. “And that was something you wanted?”
Taylor nodded, his eyes closed, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “More than anything.”
“Do you think somebody can be mended without being fixed? Do you think scars in a person can be beautiful the way they are in this vase?”
“I think you’re worrying too much about semantics. The only thing you can really do is keep putting one foot in front the other.”
“I’m not James.”
That name drove the wind from Taylor’s lungs. It made his head ache and his bile rise. He fought to keep from vomiting in the dirt. James, who had hurt him and loved him and twisted him and then abandoned him, despite every promise he’d ever made.
James, who he still loved, even though he didn’t know why.
“He left me,” Taylor cried, unable to stop his words. “He left me, just like Riley.”
“I know.”
“He knew what he was doing. He told me he’d never leave, but then he did. He left a note saying he couldn’t handle it anymore. He apologized to my parents, but not me! He took the easy way out, and he left me here to live alone with everything he’d done!”
“I know, honey,” Warren said, pulling him close
wasn’t too keen on warren. and it bothers me that taylor’s sense of “uselessness” was never really resolved, or at least not properly in my eyes and personal opinion. i wish we could have seen him get a job (although he did, but it was very briefly mentioned and not brought up later), like a proper full-time job and become more independent. yes they can be dependent on each other, a relationship is a partnership after all, but when taylor was convincing warren not to go after that guy? his only argument and point and that sort of advantage about himself being that if warren leaves him, he’ll go back to being a prostitute, trading sex for food and a place to live- that sort of gave me the ick. & we’re told by taylor that he feels lonely and useless with nothing to keep him company in the house and nothing to do to contribute. so. well.
“Us? Since when had Taylor and Riley become an “us”? “I have plenty of faith in you,” Warren said.
“But not him?”
Warren didn’t answer.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Taylor asked. “We’re the same. That’s why we’re friends. That’s why it works.”
“You’re not the same.”
“We are.”
“You’re strong, Taylor. That’s why you’ve made it this far without sticking a needle in your arm or a gun in your mouth. But him?” Warren shook his head. “He doesn’t have what you have.”
”But this? This was different. This was proof positive that Warren didn’t understand him and never would. He claimed to appreciate the outliers—the people who strayed from the norm—yet he refused to see that Riley might be one of them. How the hell could Warren claim to know what Riley would or wouldn’t do down the road? How could he stand there and tell Taylor that he and Riley were different when Taylor knew in his heart they were the same?”
thaisdematte's review against another edition
2.0
THERE IS SPOILERS BELOW, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
If sharing and (borderline) cheating doens't bother you, go ahead. I'm sure you will love the book! If does, I have some thoughts for you.
I didn't see really se a D/S lifestyle going on as the other reviews says. Hell, the last relantionship Warren had ended because he couldn't get into the lifestyle 24/7 like he partner would like. That's the specific reason why I read this book, because I love kink and BDSM, but I'm not into some aspects of the lifestyle. So, it's a plus for me.
I didn't gave this book 5 stars because I hate the sharing trope. I mean, sometimes it's hot read an orgy or a 3some, but in this book... The first sharing scene I had to skip because
Taylor smiled to himself. It had to be Gray. As far as Taylor was concerned, Warren was worth ten of his friend, but that didn’t mean Taylor didn’t enjoy flirting with him.
[...] He put his hand on the back of Taylor’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was short but warm and sensuous, the tip of his tongue tasting Taylor’s lip. Not deep enough or long enough to be inappropriate, but it wasn’t quite casual either. “Damn, you taste good, kid. You sure you aren’t ready to move in with me?”
“I’m sure. I’m right where I want to be.”
Gray shook his head, his eyes on Taylor’s lips. “Just love to tease me, don’t you?”
“Want me to stop?”
“Hell, no.”
*sigh*
I won't read the other books within this series because of this. Seems like sharing your partner with your friends it's a commom thing in the series. And like I said, sometimes it's hot (and necessary like the orgy scene), but sometimes I cringe.
If it wans't for that, I would give 4 stars, not 5 because the book was too long with a anti-climatic ending. I wish the author has shown us more of their life after they get their shit together. That didn't happen.
If sharing and (borderline) cheating doens't bother you, go ahead. I'm sure you will love the book! If does, I have some thoughts for you.
I didn't see really se a D/S lifestyle going on as the other reviews says. Hell, the last relantionship Warren had ended because he couldn't get into the lifestyle 24/7 like he partner would like. That's the specific reason why I read this book, because I love kink and BDSM, but I'm not into some aspects of the lifestyle. So, it's a plus for me.
I didn't gave this book 5 stars because I hate the sharing trope. I mean, sometimes it's hot read an orgy or a 3some, but in this book... The first sharing scene I had to skip because
Spoiler
my heart was broken like Warren's when he was watching his partner getting banged by all his friends. But I understood why. Then, when I see Taylor kissing Warren's friend in the lasts chapters... I cringed. Taylor didn't have the right to do that, for me it was cheating:Taylor smiled to himself. It had to be Gray. As far as Taylor was concerned, Warren was worth ten of his friend, but that didn’t mean Taylor didn’t enjoy flirting with him.
[...] He put his hand on the back of Taylor’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. It was short but warm and sensuous, the tip of his tongue tasting Taylor’s lip. Not deep enough or long enough to be inappropriate, but it wasn’t quite casual either. “Damn, you taste good, kid. You sure you aren’t ready to move in with me?”
“I’m sure. I’m right where I want to be.”
Gray shook his head, his eyes on Taylor’s lips. “Just love to tease me, don’t you?”
“Want me to stop?”
“Hell, no.”
*sigh*
I won't read the other books within this series because of this. Seems like sharing your partner with your friends it's a commom thing in the series. And like I said, sometimes it's hot (and necessary like the orgy scene), but sometimes I cringe.
If it wans't for that, I would give 4 stars, not 5 because the book was too long with a anti-climatic ending. I wish the author has shown us more of their life after they get their shit together. That didn't happen.
orcspouse's review against another edition
4.5
Had some pretty dark themes (abuse, rape, familial rape, substance abuse) but I really enjoyed it. Warren has so much patience for Taylor.