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A review by cala_p
Follow Me Darkly by Helen Hardt
4.0
Voluntarily reviewing an ARC of this. All opinions are objective and my own.
This is my first novel by Helen Hardt. For the most part, I was impressed. It’s like 50 Shades but more intense.
I was very hooked by the story. There’s a small level of mystery in it, surrounding Braden to keep it really interesting. I had no complaints about Skye. She’s got a bit of spunk to her, she’s funny, and she fights back against Braden. What I disliked in this book, was Braden. While everyone critiqued Christian Grey and Edward Cullen, I enjoyed their characters, so my critique of Braden surprised even me. There’s sexy control and then there’s being mean, and I felt Braden fell into the mean category, especially at first. He talks down to her often, orders her around, and only seems to humor her want of a relationship, but not actually be in it. There was many scenes that unfortunately had me cringing. On the other hand, I also liked how refreshing he was. After the first time they have sex, he gets her a car home and it’s over. No snuggles, no emotions, and she doesn’t even stay in the house, but elsewhere, and for his type of character, this does make sense.
Skye is working for a media influencer as the photographer. Through Addison, she meets Braden who is instantly smitten with her and this starts her whirlwind romance. Again, she’s great for resisting at first. The romance has its sweet moments, but I did find it super realistic. She’s a woman in like, and he’s fairly ‘whatever’ about it. After reading the cliffhanger, I wonder if it’s truthful, because his character is aligned with those beliefs. His actions toward her throughout does suggest the cliffhanger having more truth to it than not.
The sex is insanely hot. I really enjoyed how it worked up to the BDSM and it wasn’t a fact right away. He always knew his goal with her, but didn’t scare her off.
All in all, it’s a good read and I definitely want to read the rest of the series. I enjoyed it quite a lot, save for Braden.
This is my first novel by Helen Hardt. For the most part, I was impressed. It’s like 50 Shades but more intense.
I was very hooked by the story. There’s a small level of mystery in it, surrounding Braden to keep it really interesting. I had no complaints about Skye. She’s got a bit of spunk to her, she’s funny, and she fights back against Braden. What I disliked in this book, was Braden. While everyone critiqued Christian Grey and Edward Cullen, I enjoyed their characters, so my critique of Braden surprised even me. There’s sexy control and then there’s being mean, and I felt Braden fell into the mean category, especially at first. He talks down to her often, orders her around, and only seems to humor her want of a relationship, but not actually be in it. There was many scenes that unfortunately had me cringing. On the other hand, I also liked how refreshing he was. After the first time they have sex, he gets her a car home and it’s over. No snuggles, no emotions, and she doesn’t even stay in the house, but elsewhere, and for his type of character, this does make sense.
Skye is working for a media influencer as the photographer. Through Addison, she meets Braden who is instantly smitten with her and this starts her whirlwind romance. Again, she’s great for resisting at first. The romance has its sweet moments, but I did find it super realistic. She’s a woman in like, and he’s fairly ‘whatever’ about it. After reading the cliffhanger, I wonder if it’s truthful, because his character is aligned with those beliefs. His actions toward her throughout does suggest the cliffhanger having more truth to it than not.
The sex is insanely hot. I really enjoyed how it worked up to the BDSM and it wasn’t a fact right away. He always knew his goal with her, but didn’t scare her off.
All in all, it’s a good read and I definitely want to read the rest of the series. I enjoyed it quite a lot, save for Braden.