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jaynellewags's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
I grabbed this book after I had been following the author on TikTok and Instagram for a while. This book did not disappoint and I love a good dark romance.
While I enjoyed the story for this book I think what I liked the most was the content warning before chapter 3. This book has a serial killer component and has chapters that are dedicated from reading about his POV as the killer. Before the first chapter of this (which was a very difficult chapter to read) the author put a note in that said you could skip the chapter and not miss out on information that was relevant from the book because you got in during the investigation POVs from the detective. While I did not skip the chapter I appreciated that she took the time to state that what was happening was not part of the romance, it was the killers POV.
So on to the story. I really enjoyed Bexley and Mari's friendship. It was sweet and showed why it is important to have that one person in your life you can always rely on. It was interested learning about the male MC because he comes off as a like a bad boy who might be trouble. He is a little stalkery with Bex but not to the point of taking it too far (IMO).
*I do read dark romance on a regular basis so I am say that he didn't take it to far in the instance of the book for my opinion, in real life I would not want this scenario happening to me*
Jai has had a rough life. His mom left when he was young and he was abused by his father until he left for college. He was always an outcast in school and he kind of wanted it to be that way. He has been watching Bex from afar since they were in high school. When he finally gets the chance to take things to the next level- he jumps in head first.
I enjoyed this book and I am glad that it had a HEA and not a cliffhanger. I didn't guess who the killer was and I was surprised but not really, hopefully that makes sense. I plan on reading more of this authors work soon!
While I enjoyed the story for this book I think what I liked the most was the content warning before chapter 3. This book has a serial killer component and has chapters that are dedicated from reading about his POV as the killer. Before the first chapter of this (which was a very difficult chapter to read) the author put a note in that said you could skip the chapter and not miss out on information that was relevant from the book because you got in during the investigation POVs from the detective. While I did not skip the chapter I appreciated that she took the time to state that what was happening was not part of the romance, it was the killers POV.
So on to the story. I really enjoyed Bexley and Mari's friendship. It was sweet and showed why it is important to have that one person in your life you can always rely on. It was interested learning about the male MC because he comes off as a like a bad boy who might be trouble. He is a little stalkery with Bex but not to the point of taking it too far (IMO).
*I do read dark romance on a regular basis so I am say that he didn't take it to far in the instance of the book for my opinion, in real life I would not want this scenario happening to me*
Jai has had a rough life. His mom left when he was young and he was abused by his father until he left for college. He was always an outcast in school and he kind of wanted it to be that way. He has been watching Bex from afar since they were in high school. When he finally gets the chance to take things to the next level- he jumps in head first.
I enjoyed this book and I am glad that it had a HEA and not a cliffhanger. I didn't guess who the killer was and I was surprised but not really, hopefully that makes sense. I plan on reading more of this authors work soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder
Moderate: Stalking
thesmutsister_emma's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"Safe word is sequel."
I wanted to love this book a lot more than I did, but my dislike also could have stemmed from brain fog from my last book.
The Characters
Bex: I felt like I didn't know a whole lot about Bex as a character, like her interests or hobbies. I just kind of knew the very basics of her as a person, more of an outline of her than anything. It was as though the outer edges were in focus, but the rest of her as a character was very 2 dimensional.
Jai: I feel very similarly to Jai as I did with Bex. I felt like I knew a few generalized things about him but nothing in depth.
Storyline
Honestly, I was a little lost for a while as to what was going on between Jai and Bex because I wasn't sure when they began liking each other. There was no build up to them being confused, there was no history between them to make me understand what was going on. I enjoyed the plotline of (view spoiler) but between being confused as to what was happening with Jai and Bex and also all the extra character names that were thrown at me, I was very confused most of the time.
Things I Loved
I really enjoyed the spice scenes. They were well written and fun for me.
Things I Didn't Love
I didn't love how there was little context to Bex and Jai's history for it to make a whole lot of sense. I also didn't love how there were so many side characters and names. I got confused a bit.
The Final Verdict
I enjoyed this book honestly, I just think it is my brain not properly functioning after the last book. I will probably come back and reread this one to get a better feel.
I wanted to love this book a lot more than I did, but my dislike also could have stemmed from brain fog from my last book.
The Characters
Bex: I felt like I didn't know a whole lot about Bex as a character, like her interests or hobbies. I just kind of knew the very basics of her as a person, more of an outline of her than anything. It was as though the outer edges were in focus, but the rest of her as a character was very 2 dimensional.
Jai: I feel very similarly to Jai as I did with Bex. I felt like I knew a few generalized things about him but nothing in depth.
Storyline
Honestly, I was a little lost for a while as to what was going on between Jai and Bex because I wasn't sure when they began liking each other. There was no build up to them being confused, there was no history between them to make me understand what was going on. I enjoyed the plotline of (view spoiler) but between being confused as to what was happening with Jai and Bex and also all the extra character names that were thrown at me, I was very confused most of the time.
Things I Loved
I really enjoyed the spice scenes. They were well written and fun for me.
Things I Didn't Love
I didn't love how there was little context to Bex and Jai's history for it to make a whole lot of sense. I also didn't love how there were so many side characters and names. I got confused a bit.
The Final Verdict
I enjoyed this book honestly, I just think it is my brain not properly functioning after the last book. I will probably come back and reread this one to get a better feel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
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