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A review by serialromancelibrarian
Branded by Kay Elle Parker
4.0
*** Book Q & A***
* How did the book make you feel?: I pushed myself to finish. Not my cuppa. 4 stars for good writing. This was actually one of my least favorite couples from the previous book where we originally meet them. Also, this subject matter triggered me somewhat because I can relate (past me—I’m good now) to some of what the h felt about herself. Her inner dialogue made me uncomfortable and brought up feelings of shame.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: It’s dual POV and the main conflict is self-harm. The h suffered child abuse at the hands of her deranged father and so she cuts. The book made a valiant effort at covering this subject in a sensitive, thoughtful way. However there were also some troubling aspects. As other readers have pointed out, Finn uses punishment as a method to dissuade Ava from further self harm, which I found problematic.
* What did you think about the main characters?: Finn isn’t arrogant, but he sets out to *fix* Ava because she has no self esteem. This book is instalove and like Ava, I have a hard time seeing what Finn really sees in her—the whole basis for their relationship doesn’t make sense to me. If you didn’t read the previous book, Finn fists(!!!) Ava in the club on the night they first meet each other (BDSM roulette wheel) and he INSTANTLY falls head-over-heels for her because she can take his kind of kink.
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: The figging scene... just wow.
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: BDSM, mental illness
* What did you think about the ending?: HEA
* What is your impression of the author?: excellent writer, the subject matter is just not for me
Triggers: self harm, animal abuse, child abuse, explicit sex
* How did the book make you feel?: I pushed myself to finish. Not my cuppa. 4 stars for good writing. This was actually one of my least favorite couples from the previous book where we originally meet them. Also, this subject matter triggered me somewhat because I can relate (past me—I’m good now) to some of what the h felt about herself. Her inner dialogue made me uncomfortable and brought up feelings of shame.
* How do you feel about how the story was told?: It’s dual POV and the main conflict is self-harm. The h suffered child abuse at the hands of her deranged father and so she cuts. The book made a valiant effort at covering this subject in a sensitive, thoughtful way. However there were also some troubling aspects. As other readers have pointed out, Finn uses punishment as a method to dissuade Ava from further self harm, which I found problematic.
* What did you think about the main characters?: Finn isn’t arrogant, but he sets out to *fix* Ava because she has no self esteem. This book is instalove and like Ava, I have a hard time seeing what Finn really sees in her—the whole basis for their relationship doesn’t make sense to me. If you didn’t read the previous book, Finn fists(!!!) Ava in the club on the night they first meet each other (BDSM roulette wheel) and he INSTANTLY falls head-over-heels for her because she can take his kind of kink.
* Which parts of the book stood out to you?: The figging scene... just wow.
* What themes/tropes did you detect in the story?: BDSM, mental illness
* What did you think about the ending?: HEA
* What is your impression of the author?: excellent writer, the subject matter is just not for me
Triggers: self harm, animal abuse, child abuse, explicit sex