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A review by slmbooks
The protectors: Forever allies Mafia Series by L.M. Payson
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
I feel like I’m not even reading the same ARC as everyone else that is reviewing this novella.
The Characters
To start the review, we have two best friends, Damien and Derek. They turn into two separate couples, fairly quickly; and both sets are extremely insta love. Damien and Amanda especially - before they even meet it’s all love sign-offs on emails, and “Mi amor” (my love).
I wasn’t really vibing with how the characters spoke sometimes. It didn’t feel like a contemporary way of speaking, and this is certainly not a fantasy novel. A lot of the dialogue was bland. The “spice” felt immature - like it was written by someone lacking experience or knowledge.
The Writing
There was a lot of repetition in the book. I read the same email twice within 5 pages. How one scene ended, started another scene 5 pages later, in a different POV, but with the same lines. “I have never felt so strongly” is used by BOTH MMC’s by 50% of the very short novella. I found other full sentences used between both male characters in different parts of the book.
There were still a couple of errors that the editors missed. One being in the epilogue (3 years later). The first two sentences didn’t actually line up with the story: “It has been three years since we lost everything. My baby girl would be almost 3.” Actually, she’d be almost 4, as she was alive when she was kidnapped.
There were also some things that needed more clarification, such as when Amanda claims it’s her first time giving oral, and then it’s stated it was her first orgasm - was she a virgin, or just sexually inexperienced? When the baby was “removed” was he alive and didn’t make it, or was he already dead? (This is the difference between miscarriage and infant death).
Content Warnings
The book comes with the following content warnings:
- Dark themes
- Mentions of abuse
- Violence
- Kidnapping
- Miscarriage
I’d like to add the following:
- death of MC as well as secondary characters
- lactation/adult breastfeeding
- sex during pregnancy
- unplanned pregnancy
- accident caused by drunk driver
- fertility issues (cannot have more children due to accident)
- brief mention of alcoholism
- Unresolved grief
Other Comments
I did start reading my e-ARC copy the day after it was released (January 17, 2023) and quickly switched over to Kindle Unlimited so I could read/review the edited version instead.
I believe this author (and story) has a lot of potential however I do not think it’s ready for public consumption just yet. My biggest suggestion is to get a small team of unbiased beta readers.
While I’m not here to ick another persons yum, I do not think the reviews written before me are unbiased OR honest. One review is written by someone who worked closely with the story. This book took me less than 30 minutes to read, despite another review stating it would be good for a long drive. After a bit of a deep dive, it appears that everyone in the ARC chat on Instagram is a friend or family member (I have left the group).
I will not be reading the next book(s) in this series.
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.
The Characters
To start the review, we have two best friends, Damien and Derek. They turn into two separate couples, fairly quickly; and both sets are extremely insta love. Damien and Amanda especially - before they even meet it’s all love sign-offs on emails, and “Mi amor” (my love).
I wasn’t really vibing with how the characters spoke sometimes. It didn’t feel like a contemporary way of speaking, and this is certainly not a fantasy novel. A lot of the dialogue was bland. The “spice” felt immature - like it was written by someone lacking experience or knowledge.
The Writing
There was a lot of repetition in the book. I read the same email twice within 5 pages. How one scene ended, started another scene 5 pages later, in a different POV, but with the same lines. “I have never felt so strongly” is used by BOTH MMC’s by 50% of the very short novella. I found other full sentences used between both male characters in different parts of the book.
There were still a couple of errors that the editors missed. One being in the epilogue (3 years later). The first two sentences didn’t actually line up with the story: “It has been three years since we lost everything. My baby girl would be almost 3.” Actually, she’d be almost 4, as she was alive when she was kidnapped.
There were also some things that needed more clarification, such as when Amanda claims it’s her first time giving oral, and then it’s stated it was her first orgasm - was she a virgin, or just sexually inexperienced? When the baby was “removed” was he alive and didn’t make it, or was he already dead? (This is the difference between miscarriage and infant death).
Content Warnings
The book comes with the following content warnings:
- Dark themes
- Mentions of abuse
- Violence
- Kidnapping
- Miscarriage
I’d like to add the following:
- death of MC as well as secondary characters
- lactation/adult breastfeeding
- sex during pregnancy
- unplanned pregnancy
- accident caused by drunk driver
- fertility issues (cannot have more children due to accident)
- brief mention of alcoholism
- Unresolved grief
Other Comments
I did start reading my e-ARC copy the day after it was released (January 17, 2023) and quickly switched over to Kindle Unlimited so I could read/review the edited version instead.
I believe this author (and story) has a lot of potential however I do not think it’s ready for public consumption just yet. My biggest suggestion is to get a small team of unbiased beta readers.
While I’m not here to ick another persons yum, I do not think the reviews written before me are unbiased OR honest. One review is written by someone who worked closely with the story. This book took me less than 30 minutes to read, despite another review stating it would be good for a long drive. After a bit of a deep dive, it appears that everyone in the ARC chat on Instagram is a friend or family member (I have left the group).
I will not be reading the next book(s) in this series.
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own.