I finished this months ago and forgot to write a review. And i know that if i had remembered it would have been E X T E N S**spoiler alert** 3 stars.
I finished this months ago and forgot to write a review. And i know that if i had remembered it would have been E X T E N S I V E. I would have gone into great detail about the actions of the hero and heroine. Some parts i loved, some parts i hated, but overall i finished it. Which means a lot in 2020 when i DNF books faster than they're released nowadays.
But alas, months have passed and i need to move on. But i will put my 2 cents out there from what i can remember of my reaction to this book.
The violence the hero inflicted on the heroine was too extreme and cruel for my taste. I wish he had redeemed himself more or i wish the author had excluded the violence. He's not a man i route for, and i dont think domestic abuse can ever be explained away by an emotionally fragile man.
I actually really liked the heroine of this book. I think this is the first book ever where the heroine enacts some justice on a cruel hero, and i was all for it. I like that she stood up for herself in the end. There was good grovel when the hero finally realizes how his actions harmed the heroine.
Safety: (as much as i can remember) - Heroine is a virgin - Hero had plenty of experience before he met the heroine - Rape/Dub-con. The hero assaults the heroine on their wedding night and she is unwilling for each time after. He does satisfy her sexually (if that matters to people. I still classify this as rape) - Violence and humiliation done to the heroine by hero - Heroine tries to have the hero killed in a car accident to save her unborn baby (she's preggers with the H's bebe) - No cheating, no OW/OM drama, no other people after meeting. - Possessive, obsessed hero on the toxic side, not the hot side. ...more
All the ingredients of a good romance book are here; an alluring dark non man whore hero, a sexually experienced heroine, Greek gods, and the 2 stars
All the ingredients of a good romance book are here; an alluring dark non man whore hero, a sexually experienced heroine, Greek gods, and the fact that I’m a sucker for a hades and Persephone retelling.
But no.
It really all comes down to writing, and this book wasn’t doing it for me. Weird, overly quirky characters, a plot that gets in the way of the romance, too many side characters interrupting the story, and bait and switch sexual tension.
Safety: Standard safe No cheating, no other people after meeting, no ow/om drama ...more
Forreal this was not good. For three specific reasons.
1. This felt insanely predatory and creepy. Hero basically**spoiler alert** 2 cringe-fest stars
Forreal this was not good. For three specific reasons.
1. This felt insanely predatory and creepy. Hero basically grooms the heroine into being dependent on him. Waits a whole year for her to become a legal age while jerking off and watching her on video cameras placed around the house. Ummmm thats fucking creepy when shes 17 years old. Its creepy no matter what age she is!! He says hes "not into age play" but isnt that exactly what this is? The hero is in his 30's making a teenager live in his house. A lot of these feelings have to do with the tone of the writing. The writing was so simplified and dumbed down that it added to the creep factor.
2. The heroine was nauseating. Dont get me started on this dumb bitch. Her inner dialogue sounded like a family friendly sit com from the 80's. It was like nails on a chalk board. Some examples...
For a monster, that was hot. Wait what? Shut up, self. You're delirious.
.....
But I'm here by choice now. Wait what? Shut up, Brian.
...
Yes [I wanted to be spanked.] Wait what? No, definitely yes. I def want that to happen.
Seeing a pattern here? I wanted to stab my eyes out. Her though process was just so asinine. Like no human woman thinks this way. Just so over the top bubbly and child like that added to the creep factor and made her feel like a 13 year old vs an 18 year old. On top of that, she was a moron. Tries to escape and runs into the desert thinking that she'll just 'find civilization nearby'. Its called the desert for a reason!!!! And another point when the heroine is told by the 'villain' that the hero doesnt like her... she just believes him immediately. Super juvenile stuff here.
3. The lack of any kind of chemistry or story. The first 25% of the book was the heroine being told to take naps, eating, and doing arts and crafts. Fucking yawn. The rest of the book was...
Heroine: "Youre a control freak" Hero: "Youre a brat" *grinds dick into ass* Repeat. Over and over again.
There was no build up to any romantic feelings. Just being told over and over again that the heroine is wet and the hero is super hard with his big dick energy.
I used to really love this author, and I really like this genre of romance but this was just BAD.
Safety: Safe No cheating, no OP after meeting, No OW/OM drama Heroine is a virgin. Hero isnt. (shocker) No push and pull No seperation No conflict, no anything really....more
Like, seriously. I got to 50% and I just don’t know what’s going on. I loved the authors first book but these last2 ‘what the fuck is going on stars�
Like, seriously. I got to 50% and I just don’t know what’s going on. I loved the authors first book but these last two feel like a completely different author wrote it. I kept reading thinking “am I missing something here???� Because the writing is all over the place.
1. There’s wayyyy too many characters, and they all have similar sounding Italian names 2. I have no idea what the main characters objectives are or any reason to find them interesting 3. Little to no sexual chemistry. Very short interactions and really confusing dialogue. 4. Writing is overly poetic and doesn’t make a lick of sense. Her writing doesn’t use contractions so everything sounds choppy and robotic. 5. And OF COURSE the heroine is a goddam 25 year old virgin and she’s never had an orgasm in her entire life. BRUHHHHHHHHH MASSIVE EYE ROLL.
Maybe this author isn’t for me. Which is a shame because the first book was one of my favorites of the year....more
A couple elements at play that I didnt like with this one, which is a shame because I was really anticipating this **spoiler alert** 3 just ok stars.
A couple elements at play that I didnt like with this one, which is a shame because I was really anticipating this book to be one that I would love.
-Daimon loved and lost an other woman in his past which makes him push the h away. -The heroine is promised to someone else so she does her own pushing away.
So theyre both pushing away.... which leads to very little romance and all buildup that doesnt satisfy in the end. For the first 70% you hear all the reasons why they cant be together and then...
WHAM! The 'I love yous' come out of nowhere. Felt rushed and bogged down with all of the annoying fight scenes mixed in.
I'm still looking forward to Keras book, but im sure that one is going to face the same problems this one had with the little information we have to go on.
Safety: -Hero celibate for two centuries. But prior to that, he got a girl pregnant and they died in battle. The hero was celibate ever since her death and promised his loyalty to her until the end of time. -Heroine had past sexual experience -No cheating, no OW/OM drama, no other people after meeting -hate to love romance ...more
Keras, oh Keras. How i love thee so so much..... but.....
This book felt rushed. All of that build up over the last 7 books o**spoiler alert** 3 Stars
Keras, oh Keras. How i love thee so so much..... but.....
This book felt rushed. All of that build up over the last 7 books of Hades sons to be a bit of a letdown. I was just expecting more; either some big twist or some big reveal OR something big to happen with the MC's but.... nah. I felt like the author kinda got bored with her own plot and forgot to tie up loose ends and give simple explanations for things. One of the more important things was WHY the MC's stayed away from each other for 2 centuries. Other than the fact that they hurt each others feelings, i wasnt sure why they were estranged. I needed more explanation all around and i was left unsatisfied.
With that being said, I've loved Keras since he was introduced in book 1. I love me some moody, grumpy, hard ass, but still emotionally fragile heros. Y.U.M. When the MC's finally got together it was pure magic on each page. This author has no trouble creating a real connection with her characters. When Keras and Enyo got together i SCREAMED and had to put my ebook down and take a deep breath. That is how i want to feel with every book.
BUTTTTTTTT
The MC's needed more time together. Now reading this whole series i understand that this is plot driven instead of romance driven. But if youre going to write an extensive series like this, the plot needs to be iron tight. And this was not. So you get points for romance, but loose points on a lackluster plot.
Safety: totally safe. needs to be read in order. - No cheating, No OW/OM drama, no other people after meeting - No other people during their 200 year separation. - Heroine was betrothed to another man when she meets hero, but she never goes through with it and has no feelings for her betrothed besides friendship - Push and pull - Violent battle scenes between H & h. Hero looses control of his powers and physically hurts the heroine but she's a tough cookie and hits him right back. ...more
An enjoyable read that was standard entertainment. Nothing too crazy, too angsty, too romantic, too sexy. And I guess thats t**spoiler alert** 3 stars
An enjoyable read that was standard entertainment. Nothing too crazy, too angsty, too romantic, too sexy. And I guess thats the reason why I'm rating this book 3 stars instead of 5. It was just fine. Everything was kindof lukewarm and vanilla, but this kind of book is good every now and then! At least I finished the whole thing, which is an accomplishment in its own right.
One thing that brought this from a potential 4 star to 3 is the heroines cutesy annoying personality trait of saying "Holy Moly" and "Yowsers" and "chap my ass" every. single. chapter. Holy Moly was said over 40 times. After the first 3 times it was like nails on a chalkboard.
If youre looking for something light and not too heavy, this is the book for you!
Safety: completely safe H had a girlfriend that cheated and stole from him which cause slight push and pull because he cant trust easy Heroine is harassed and assaulted by 2 locals. No cheating, no OP after meeting, no OW/OM drama ...more
Ahhh the classic tale of a solid romance ruined by an idiot of a heroine.
Amount of romance: good Plot: Great Hero: Amazing Her**spoiler alert** 3 stars
Ahhh the classic tale of a solid romance ruined by an idiot of a heroine.
Amount of romance: good Plot: Great Hero: Amazing Heroine: Stab-worthy.
Seriously, this book would have been 5 stars if the heroine wasnt such a buzz-kill. She was sabotaging her own story at every turn, and I was just gobsmacked that the author made her this dense. I thought I was getting this badass chick and instead I get one of the more annoying heroine leads ive read this year.
Another thing that brought this down a few stars was the secondary character involvement; meaning there was wayyy too much. WHY, tell me WHYYYY we need an entire chapter dedicated to the heroine telling her friends exactly what happened one chapter prior??? Such a pointless recap and add on cringey girl-banter to make the characters sound lame as hell.
One more thing; can we stop with the whole characters breaking the 4th wall and questioning if the life theyre living is a romance novel????? Pretty please?!?! It's cheesy as fuck.
Killian saved the book for me. So he gets 3 stars.
Safety: No cheating, no OP after meeting, no OW/OM drama Push and pull from heroine Some seperation Violence HEA...more
So im confused. I remember L. H. Cosway being a decent writer. I've read a few books of hers in the past but I dont re**spoiler alert** 2 dumb stars.
So im confused. I remember L. H. Cosway being a decent writer. I've read a few books of hers in the past but I dont remember her writing being so.... dumbed down. Because this book was exactly that and what contributed to a 2 star review. The narrator, our heroine, talked at a 4th grade reading level which made the romance really cringe. Who wants to read a romance with a narrator that speaks and thinks like a toddler? Ever other sentence began with "I" with every sentence being short with no flow to the writing at all. There was a lot of "I was so tired that I went to sleep. Once I got to bed I started to get sad. I then remembered my father." There was no humanity to the writing at all. I felt like I was reading a robot teens secret journal.
Another thing that brought this book down was the constant bait and switch. Both MC's couldn't make up their minds about each other. In one chapter the heroine would switch from liking the hero to avoiding him. In another scene, things are FINALLY starting to get hot and heavy but then the heroine stops to talk about her dead dad. Whyyyyyy would you bring this up??
And another thing, nothing sexual happens until the 80% mark of the book but at 75% the heroine goes to another boy and kisses him and asks him to get rid of her virginity so she can see if she really wants to become a nun.
Yes you read that right. At 75% mark, our dopey heroine is considering becoming a nun so she asks a random guy to have sex with her even though she has romantic feelings for the H. After I read that I skimmed everything afterword. This is not someone I route for.
Safety: Safe with exception/ not safe depending on personal preference. No OW drama OM drama - like I mentioned above, the heroine has feelings for the H but goes to another boys house and kisses him and asks to have sex with him. They never go through with it, but they do kiss. H and h are both virgins. Push and pull on both sides. Violence, domestic abuse, incest ...more
Man, what happened!?! The first book was so good and one of my favorites of the year so far, and this one com**spoiler alert** 2 disappointing stars.
Man, what happened!?! The first book was so good and one of my favorites of the year so far, and this one completely fell flat on its face. It was all over the place! It had its moments, and the romance was steamy but too much was bogging it down. Too much dialogue that didnt make sense, too many side characters that didnt help the story progress, too many monologues and back stories that acted as an information dump for a story that was becoming less and less interesting by the chapter.
I felt like the characters were speaking in code. Like a language I was only half understanding. The characters would repeat certain lines over and over again but it was never made clear what their intentions were when you got to their inner dialogue.
Another problem I faced was the timeline, because this book happens at the same time as the first one. I think, and I could be wrong, that the author wrote the first book without a real plan on how to work within the same timeline for the second book. Everything felt so rushed and crunched down.
One last thing: THE HERO DIDNT SAY "I LOVE YOU" TO THE HEROINE. What the fuck is that about? I noticed this is somethign that authors are doing lately. The hero wont say 'I love you' because hes so emotionally stunted? Is he so masculine that he cant express his feelings? Utter bullshit.
Safety: safe with exceptions No cheating OM drama- heroine is dating another man at the start of the book and the H sees them having sex in the window. OM causes some drama for the couple. No OW drama H not a manwhore, and was in prison for ten years previously. (I think?!?! It was barely touched on and never explained properly) Some seperation. They 'break up' for a couple of months even though theyre married. Also super confused about this....more
**spoiler alert** 3 neutral stars Read to 50% and skimmed the rest.
Its a personal opinion, but to me the book stopped at the 25% mark. The part that **spoiler alert** 3 neutral stars Read to 50% and skimmed the rest.
Its a personal opinion, but to me the book stopped at the 25% mark. The part that intrigued me the most was the forbidden/secret aspect of the bodyguard falls in love with mafia princess plot. That was pretty much resolved in the first half so nothing else was capturing my attention. I skimmed the rest, and it was bogged down by mafia violence and death of a family member. No longer interested.
I will say, the writing was good and the characters interested me to a degree, but not enough to continue with my full attention....more
The romance took a backseat in this one, but I still enjoyed it! The couple didnt spend enough 'content and happy' time tog**spoiler alert** 4 stars.
The romance took a backseat in this one, but I still enjoyed it! The couple didnt spend enough 'content and happy' time together as I would have liked but I still enjoyed it! There was a lot of needless miscommunication but I still enjoyed it. So all in all, this is turning out to be a really great series. I can not wait for Keras book!!! Would def suggest you read these books in order. While you could read this as a standalone, you would be super confused if you did.
Safety: No cheating, no other people after meeting, no separation H not a manwhore, heroine not a virgin H loved another woman in the past that betrayed him which causes him to distrust the heroine for a majority of the book. Not my favorite trope, but the heroine was a fighter. Theres one scene that irked me, and its where the H is being tricked by a deamon illusionist pretending to be his ex that betrayed him. He's already met and knows he has a connection with the heroine at this point, so I thought it was annoying he still acted so hung up on the ex when he thought she was near. ...more
Before I continue I have to confess that I read the leaked draft version back in 2009. Good ol 2009 when 4 stars.
Whelp. 10 years later. Here we are.
Before I continue I have to confess that I read the leaked draft version back in 2009. Good ol 2009 when times were simpler. The leaked draft from this version didnt change all that much. A couple scenes were edited differently and some new ones were added, but overall it was almost exactly the same.
Reading this made me realize how this book was such a huge part of my adolescence and my introduction to romance in general. I was around 15 years old when I first read this series, and it was a SHOCK to my teenage hormonal system. These books were like crack cocaine and I could never get enough. It ultimately lead to me reading 50 shades of Grey and then go on to other romance books where I honed in on what I enjoyed and what I despised in the romance genre.
No matter what the internet says, these books are amazing and I wont let anyone tell me otherwise. To date, I dont think anything has captured my attention and put me in such utter turmoil. I remember as a teen waiting months for the next release and crossing off every day on my calendar for the next one to come out. I miss that level of enthusiasm with reading. Now when I wait for a book to come out, I have to cross check other peoples reviews to make sure it doesnt have grossly overused plot devices and stereotypes.
Anyway.... so.... yeah. Of course I loved reading this. It was like reuniting with old friends. A cool glass of water in a hot desert. Was nostalgia the main driver of my enjoyment? Most likely, but you cant argue that Stephanie Meyer knows how to weave a good story. I simply love her writing style.
So why 4 stars instead of 5? One simple reason; I know what happens next. Edward leaves, Bella finds solace in Jacob Blacks arms and thus begins the biggest angst saga of my lifetime. In my current romance preferences, I HATE IT when the Hero doesnt fight or stand by his heroine. So all of the great writing and romantic scenes were a tad bit spoiled by my prior knowledge that Edwards just hands Bella over to Jacob (who I never even liked to begin with. All the Team Jacob Stans can f*ck off)
I feel like my twilight journey is finally complete. I dont need anything more from it. I'll skim the next three books and read my favorite parts and then put it behind me where it belongs. I will always look back fondly on the series even if the rest of the internet wont.
(If you want my long rant on why hating Twilight is sexist, please DM me.)
Some random thoughts I had:
- I actually liked Bella more in Edwards perspective. She has this subtle strength to her that not a lot of people appreciate. - I loved how S. Meyer crafted the vampire mind so well. She clearly put time and effort into making it sounds different from Bella's perspective. - Was Rosalie always this much of a twat? My lord, whats up her ass. - Would love Charisle and Esmes book! ...more
Alright so youre telling me the hero is a... 1. Billionaire 2. Orphan 3. Has a black belt in karate 4. Owns a club 5. Pretends to be a therDNF 20% in
Alright so youre telling me the hero is a... 1. Billionaire 2. Orphan 3. Has a black belt in karate 4. Owns a club 5. Pretends to be a therapist 6. Enjoys being a psycho
The heroine.... 1. Has OCD 2. Likes rough sex but won’t admit it. 3. No other character qualities.
Got it.
Anything else you wanna throw in there? [image]...more
Alright, I was willing to give this 3 'ok' stars at first. The writing was cheesy and over dramatic and it had **spoiler alert** 2 eye rolling stars.
Alright, I was willing to give this 3 'ok' stars at first. The writing was cheesy and over dramatic and it had the tone of a Disney channel teen movie; lots of angst that fell back on over used stereotypes, that sort of thing. But I could deal with it. For the past year, its a big deal if im even able to get past the first few chapters without cringing and DNFing. And believe me, there were ALOT of cringey scenes in this book.
BUT
You loose me when a high school romance suddenly starts bringing in all of these extra shitty plot devices to bring the book to its climax. What was a just-ok written phantom of the opera scenario, (with the heroine apparently having such a grotesque birth mark on her face that she cant even have a conversation with the hero face to face with the lights on for the first half of the book) suddenly turns into a crime mystery that involves kidnapping and wait for it................ a goddam CULT.... with one awkward sex scene that I ended up skimming because these characters were written so naively that if felt a little... gross.
But what was the cherry on top of this shit sundae? The heroine gets physically assaulted and abused by the main villain/bully with a switchblade to the face. And what does this heroine do? Refuse all police or parental or school involvement. Yeah cause thats the message we want to send to people. Dont report assault to the police because you're "nothing and nobody cares".
Bitch. You have a goddam birthmark on your face. Can we PLEASE stop with this hyper martyr personality that always comes with a spineless heroine. And yeah, im gonna say she was spineless because she actively chose to suffer in silence instead of asking for help.
She does eventually report the assault to the police two whole weeks later, but by that time the book is already rapping up and it feels so anti climatic I wanted to just give up. So yeah. If you want hyper angst and drama with your tired stereotype of "popular jocks bully the weird girl" then this is for you. I cant even say the romance was great because they were confessing "I love yous' so quickly that it gave me whiplash.
Safety: No OW/OM drama No cheating Heroine is a virgin Hero had previous experience but nothing was mentioned
The idea and plot were interesting, but I was only half engaged with the flowery writing. This had the same to**spoiler alert** 3 big ol' 'eh' stars.
The idea and plot were interesting, but I was only half engaged with the flowery writing. This had the same tone of voice as a Disney special; overly cute and a tad obnoxious. The romance between the MC's wasnt bad and had its moments, but the switch from platonic to romantic was so fast it gave me whiplash. So overall, just ok.
Safety: No cheating. Dual virgins. No OM/OW drama ...more
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