You are one twisted woman, Sherrilyn Kenyon. How could you make me love this impossibly disturbing book? How???
*Trigger warning : extreme rape, abuse You are one twisted woman, Sherrilyn Kenyon. How could you make me love this impossibly disturbing book? How???
*Trigger warning : extreme rape, abuse and gore* from what I can remember. I'm reviewing this book months after I read it.
4.5 stars I hesitated for a minute over the thought of adding Styxx to my favorites shelf since favorites tend to equal recommendations, yet I've struggled so much with this series that I find it hard to recommend. There are so many weak books in Dark Hunter lineup that it honestly surprises me when an incredible book comes along from out of nowhere and blows my mind like this one did. However, Styxx is now a favorite book, and so to the shelf it goes.
But let's get to the star of this story. ***Very slight character spoilers ahead. No major plot spoilers.*** I will mention Styxx's abuse with the assumption that most people will know that his abuse was going to happen in his book. He is after all the twin of a man who was severely abused, and this story is the other side of the coin
Once Upon a Time I hated Styxx. True story.
I had something to say about him on my review for his brother Acheron's book. I was positive that Styxx would not find redemption. I pretty much deemed it impossible.
Yes, I will take that plate of crow now. Maybe Simi will let me borrow her BBQ sauce.
I don't have much in the way of pretty words to describe a book that rips your heart out. Before Styxx came along in the series, my favorite book was Ash's. Before Styxx came along, my favorite character was Ash. Dare I say that Styxx might have edged Ash out?
Wait, no. Ash is still my favorite character. But Styxx won the book race.
In some ways, I was less emotional when reading Styxx's story. So much of his story was a different spin on what happened to Ash, so I was slightly desensitized to the extreme abuse having gone through it before (only slightly though. There were definitely some scenes that hit me right in the feels).
In some ways, I was more emotional. Kenyon took a character that I'd hated and made me love him - from out of nowhere. Then, all of a sudden, I was invested. And I wasn't ready. [image]
Through all of this, I didn't lose any respect for Ash like some other fans did. Ash went through hell, and on top of all of that he'd sacrificed for others for thousands of years without asking for anything in return. People have treated him like a servant for as long as he's been alive, even his precious Dark Hunters. He deserved to have each and every last little shit fit that he wanted to throw, and had every right to be bitter and mistrusting of anyone and everyone, especially Styxx. Period.
But wow, I might have felt more sorry for Styxx. I didn't think that was ever possible. I wanted to cuddle him so much. I might have even had a moment or two when his sexiness surpassed Ash's for me. Again, HOW???
Well played, Kenyon. You managed to pull out the stops. This book messed with me well and good. If you could write like this every time, you would be on my favorites shelf a whole hell of a lot.
If I had to mention a negative, I think the shock factor became played out after a while. After the first couple of dozen intense scenes, I started to become detached again because it got repetitive.
Okay, wait, there's a second negative. (view spoiler)[This scene : "Really, Styxx, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Estes has always had a preference for men, and it's never bothered me."
Styxx sat in stunned silence as hatred flowed thick through his veins. (he thought) You knew how he was and you turned me loose with him?
Styxx was molested by his uncle. His father acknowledged that his uncle was gay, yet let Styxx's uncle take him in to live with him.
Being gay is not equal to, nor does it make you a molester. I doubt that Kenyon meant to imply this, but that's how the scene read, and it bothers me that those two things would be tied together. There are plenty of straight people who molest family members. Being gay is not the catalyst to that kind of sickness. (hide spoiler)]...more
What I wish someone had told me before starting Dirty Bad Strangers : [image]
*LOTS of Spoilers Ahead. You have been warned. Oh, and adult content aheadWhat I wish someone had told me before starting Dirty Bad Strangers : [image]
*LOTS of Spoilers Ahead. You have been warned. Oh, and adult content ahead too.*
I know that there's a niche for everything. I also know that your fetish might not be my fetish. And I've even had a 'not for me, but I get why others might like it' attitude in the past for some books which contained content that was tailored to people who weren't...well, me.
But I'm a little baffled by the appeal here. Let's find out where the story goes off the rails, shall we?
Sex with a stranger - hot Sex with a guy who wants to make you feel used and dirty - hot Sex with a guy who wants to stretch out every single orifice until it's loose, wide and gaping - uh...hold on a second... Sex with a guy who wants to degrade you because your body is now wrecked - crossing into unappealing territory Sex with a guy who goes ass-to-mouth on you then wants you to kiss him - ...
Not my fetish, for sure.
It's possible that I might have been able to get past the 'not my fetish' angle if there'd been something else in the story to keep me hooked.
Okay, maybe not. Who are we kidding? But it doesn't help when the book was cram-packed with cringe-worthy moments, and that wasn't even the worst of it. But we'll get back to the fat-shaming later. First, we start here :
She's moaning for more, begging for my thick, meaty cock in her asshole. (she's) A dumpy little thing. "Stretch, Lucy...stretch that slurping fucking cunt..." Her asshole winked at me as I spread her cheeks. She wasn't prepared, no time to clean for me, no time to prepare her tight little shithole for my dick. I pulled out of her ass, positioning myself at her face and aiming my cock right at her mouth. "Suck me off." (afterward) She tasted so fucking filthy. Perfectly unclean. He had a belly, it sagged into the crook of my spine as his breath tickled my ear. He stank of lager, and cigarettes. I fought a strange urge to kiss him. Jason's filthy accomplice grunted and groaned, slamming his flabby belly against my ass. I hoped I didn't stink as I sat myself down. "Feel how fucking bloated your cunt is?" I wanted everything stretched to bursting with dirty, sweaty, man meat. I daren't have touched my pussy, too scared to find it a gaping hole of nothing.
I GET IT...their fetishes are not my fetishes. Live and let live, etc. But I just can't deal with a woman thinking of herself as a prize cow. FoH. The fat shaming that was put on Gemma throughout the book from EVERYONE (even her friend, who Gemma did not get rid of right away) was ridiculous...and it carried over to her own way of thinking.
"Beautiful fucking gape on those holes, baby." Now I was exposed, a prize cow at the market, and it felt so dirty bad good as the juices trickled from me. "Fucking hell, yeah, that's one sorry, gorgeous mess." I felt strangely proud. Sore and proud.
Gemma even said in the book :
"Fat girls having sex makes people uncomfortable."
Sigh. Not everyone. But fat girls having sex while being DEGRADED for it DOES make people feel uncomfortable. What the hell was the author thinking here? There's nothing wrong with having an overweight female lead. There's also nothing wrong with exploring a degradation fetish. But why would you put those two things together during a time when fat shaming is a REAL thing? Why???
It got to be so bad that I, myself, started thinking of Gemma as she was being described, which was not flattering at all. It got to be hard to separate out who Gemma might have been because I was being spoon-fed constant descriptions of who she wasn't. Finally, I ended up taking the only few pleasant adjectives we were given to go off of and pieced together a shorter version of Christina Hendricks (who is lovely) in my head to envision as Gemma. But I had to stretch to get there because the book didn't allow me to picture her as anyone remotely attractive.
Do you want to read about a gaping, bloated, stinky, and frumpy heroine (not my words)? No? Then you might want to stay far away from this book. ...more
2.5 stars. Trigger warning : violent sex and murder.
With better editing, Empathy probably would have beeStay tuned for inappropriate use of Chapstick.
2.5 stars. Trigger warning : violent sex and murder.
With better editing, Empathy probably would have been a 3 star read. There was a good framework in place, but the need for clean-up killed the vibe. No pun intended.
...and I have to emphasize the word probably because I wrestled with how I regarded this book, as well as the series in general. It took me forever to read Empathy because I was frustrated with the amount of errors, as well as the fact that I never warmed to the main characters, but there was a spark of something which kept me stuck to the pages, wanting to know more. By the time I got to the end of book 1, I had to keep going because I KNEW something big was coming down the road, and I was right. So in about a fraction of the time that it took me to read the first book, I devoured the rest of the series. And I turned out to like the secondary characters better, but I'll bring that up in my reviews for the following installments.
But let's get back to this book and its awkwardness. Melody (the chick worth obsessing over) was channeling Katy Perry because she tasted like cherries and it made wonder if she ate her own Chapstick. Her pants echoed throughout the room, and for a moment I wondered why her clothing made noise. Her beauty had a flavor, and I didn't even have to guess what it was because...duh...CHERRY. [image] Side note : what the hell are those women doing on the bottom of this pic?
But whatever. 99% of women in books are nothing more than beauty products waiting to be worshipped. I'm used to it.
Empathy was dark. The male characters were sick in the head. Expect that. If you can't handle women being disrespected and dehumanized, even for the sake of proving how damaged a character is, be sure to make a wide berth around this book.
Let's cut to the good :
It doesn't matter whether you did or did not guess the twist (I did, but it wasn't right away this time), this was a well-executed twist. And that right there was what changed my mind about reading book 2. So there we go.
*insert the BUT here* Sorry folks, I have to spoiler tag this part. There's no way to describe my feelings without giving too much away.
Because of the twist (view spoiler)[it was supposed to make Blake appear "less" evil than he was perceived earlier. And it did, to a point. Obviously, Blake is still fucked up. That can't be changed. But by showing that his kills came from a different motivation than Ryan's did, we as the reader were allowed to feel empathy (see what I did there?) for him. (hide spoiler)]
And really, all of that was fine. But we can't forget that he IS NOT normal. And therefore, (sorry I'm inappropriately starting sentences with the words 'and' and 'but.') he really shouldn't be (view spoiler)[having kids. He had no business getting Melody pregnant, and it annoyed me when I found out that he did. The author did do something right by showing consequences for their actions (I won't spoil by giving any more details), but I've always preferred accountability over stupid decision making that brings more harm. (hide spoiler)]
I just didn't prefer that method of ushering in Ryan's story. But I can't argue with the results either because Ryan's story was stronger overall.
2.5 stars.Room was tough for me to rate. As I was reading, I assumed that I'd give the book 4 stars, up until the last 25% or so happened. The story'2.5 stars.Room was tough for me to rate. As I was reading, I assumed that I'd give the book 4 stars, up until the last 25% or so happened. The story's 5-year-old narrator started slipping toward the last half, and the ending was too abrupt for my liking.
The inconsistency of Jack's voice took away from the novel concept of using such a young PoV. He went from sounding like a 3 year old to sounding like a 30 year old, but he rarely sounded 5, which turned out to be a distraction. Even with developmental delays, Jack's speech patterns were bizarre for a child who did have an adult conversing with him on a somewhat regular basis.
If I hadn't already experienced the real-life accounting of a similar story A Stolen Life (kidnapped female kept in backyard prison gives birth to captor's baby), I might have been softer in my feelings toward Room. There weren't many flaws here in the story-telling itself. The foundation was solid. Because I wanted to know what was going to happen to Jack and Ma, I kept going.
Was (view spoiler)[The Great Escape (hide spoiler)] far-fetched? Possibly. But it had me worried for a second if it would work, so I think the author did a great job of adding in a "harrowing" section to keep the readers at the edge of their seats.
Most people seem to be fans of Room, so if you haven't read this type of story before, I'd feel safe in recommending it, even if I wasn't 100% sold. I will say that I am curious enough to see how the movie turned out. ...more
1.5 stars. ***MAJOR Spoilers ahead. I'd encourage you to read them though. You'll want this story spoiled. Trust me.***
I would say that Island[image]
1.5 stars. ***MAJOR Spoilers ahead. I'd encourage you to read them though. You'll want this story spoiled. Trust me.***
I would say that Island had zero redeeming qualities, but I did like the last 2 pages, so I'll give an extra half star. The ending was a perfect cap on a pretty revolting book.
This book would have kicked major ass if Rupert had been normal for at least part of the story.
HOW DOES ONE BECOME STRANDED ON AN ISLAND WITH A MAD KILLER, ONLY TO BE RULED BY HIS PENIS COMPASS?
Penis compass. Yes, I said it. Actually, I wrote it, but that's neither here nor there.
Do you ever read other people's reviews and think "eh, it can't be THAT bad?" You know, maybe people are easily grossed out or something. Well guess what? It was THAT bad. I wouldn't have minded Rupert having random thoughts about sex here and there (if he didn't he wouldn't be a teenage boy), but the majority of time spent in Rupert's head was like being sucked into the t.v. while it was tuned to late night Cinemax.
Rupert (a.k.a. waste of skin), was too busy watching boobies bounce and sweat glisten to even pay attention to a lurking killer. He fumbled and tripped his way around the island, ignoring the danger, while noting every detail of the women's bodies. And their thongs. And their bug bites on their asses.
He wanted to be stranded instead of being rescued. His emotions were pushed away.
That's right. He wanted to stay stranded with a killer because in his mind, he might have a shot at the 3 single women who were stranded with him.
Hormones, bitches. They rule all.
Oh, but it gets worse. When Rupert discovers that the women have gone missing, he starts imagining who he'd want to find alive...you know, in case he only had one chick available to bang.
Rupert's thoughts : Do I pick the hot mom with the big tits and affectionate touches? Or the older daughter who's the hottest but hasn't flirted with me yet? The youngest daughter can die - she's a bitch.
Oh, BUT IT GETS EVEN WORSE. Rupert stumbles across a pair of 14-year-old twins (long story) and starts getting all bloated in the pants at the thought of them riding his junk. Never mind that he just watched one of the twins go through a brutal assault and rape.
I wished I hadn't watched. Also, though, I wished I could get to see it all again. I know, sick. The thing is, you don't get a chance to see something like that every day.
What's even weirder about this story is how Rupert had MULTIPLE chances to kill the person(s) terrorizing his group and he was too wishy-washy to do it. Did the video Hell No teach us anything???
Final notes :
1. Rupert wondered if the women would turn lesbian. Considering that (at the time of musing) the women's only options would be their sister or mother, that would fall into the realm of incestual leanings, not lesbianism.
2. I liked the end because it was the only VIABLE ending that lined up with Rupert being a sick little perv. This author may have been a pervy old man writing out the pervy, overblown fantasies of a teen boy, but he got one thing right - put those hookers in a cage and throw away the key. I mean, if the main character is going to be sick in the head, the story might as well fully commit.
Some people might ask - wouldn't Rupert's complete perviness be the perfect commitment to how he will turn out in the end? Isn't it foreshadowing? I would say no. The author could have thrown in the occasional boob glance or sexual thought just to show that he always had sex on the brain, while managing to avoid bombarding the reader with pages of needless description about boobs bouncing or sweat glistening. Rupert contributed NOTHING to the family's survival. Hell, I still don't know much about their survival.
The following passage sums up the book perfectly.
"What's the matter?" I asked. Big mistake. "Your hard-on's the matter, you fucking degenerate." "Connie!" Billie blurted. "Well, look at him!" "He doesn't need you pointing it out to everyone." "It's already pointing out to everyone," Kimberly said, smiling.
3. Of all the women to end up screwing Rupert first, I found it kind of squicky that the bouncy, busty mom was all over it - and this was AFTER she encouraged Rupert to go hit on her naked daughter. But mom was ready to mount Rupert while she was still in a cage because she couldn't help herself. So sorry for the loss of your husband, Billie. Here's a pimply-faced 18 year old to ease that pain.
4. Not sure why I tacked on that last note but something about the way that happened made me feel dirty.
This book made me feel dirty. I read bizarre, dark, and taboo erotica, and this book still made me feel dirty. ...more
I think this is the end for real this time, but future short stories or cameos wouldn't surprise me.
3.5 stars. I debated too much whThe End : Part Two
I think this is the end for real this time, but future short stories or cameos wouldn't surprise me.
3.5 stars. I debated too much whether to go 3 or 4. My personal feelings were closer to a 3, but I believe the book deserves a 4.
Strangely enough, I could copy/paste a good portion of my review for The Mistress (which was The End : Part One) into this review. Much of my thoughts are still the same.
Full circle, and all that.
I'm in the middle of Thanksgiving pre-prep and don't really have the time or inclination to do a proper series wrap-up. So here's what I do have, down-and-dirty with no quotes or witty reflections :
Reisz is brilliant at keeping track of her characters' timelines. She always goes back and fills in those little gaps of mystery that she left you hanging with several books prior. I don't know if she keeps a flow chart or what, but it's something that impresses me.
Having said that (uh oh...), I found myself somewhat weary with how thin the story had worn by the time we got to the end of everything. Even when the little details are new and you're finding out parts that you didn't know before, everything is always tied back in to the main story. So it's almost as if you're reading the same story over and over told with a slightly different perspective each time. Dare I say that I might have been somewhat bored with parts of the last few books?
I have had the strangest love/hate/love thing (yes, that's an extra love) with The Original Sinners.
This is one of my favorite erotic series of all time. Period. No argument. When I first picked up book 1 and wasn't sure if I even liked the thing, I would have never guessed that the characters would worm their way into my heart. Even Nora has grown on me (a little...and it took a long while to get to that point).
Reisz brings more to the table than good mind-blowing sex. She always has. When I read her stories, I feel like I'm taking a course study on sexuality with a side of history and philosophy. It's easy to tell that this woman could write in other genres outside of romance and would have absolutely no trouble selling her work, but she chooses to write here because here is where she's happy.
She is a Damn Good Writer. And this book is no exception. I love her style of writing, I love her sense of humor, I love her characters (mostly), and I love the meaningful, quiet reflections.
Oh, and I love the sex. No, that wasn't an afterthought. But the sex is a given.
The series end was satisfying but not outstanding. There were emotional moments, but those weren't as powerful as I was hoping for (we'd been building up to much of it for a while, after all). But since everyone's going to go get their life now, it's all good.
Don't let my somewhat muddied thoughts of book 1 (The Siren) and the final book (this one) sway you. If you've never read non-fluff erotica, put these books on your list because they will change the way you read erotica going forward. ...more
2.5 stars. Have you ever read a book which you felt was so incredibly well-written, but you felt guilty for not liking it? Have you? So have I.
This i2.5 stars. Have you ever read a book which you felt was so incredibly well-written, but you felt guilty for not liking it? Have you? So have I.
This is not that book.
I'm having the opposite problem here. I'm pretty sure that I thought this book was all kinds of crappy, but for some reason, I still kind of liked it. Not 'liked it, liked it,' but kind of liked it, as in 'I was strangely entertained, even though the characters were downright awful.'
As per usual, the heroine of another 'dark' story is dumb as a box of rocks. As per usual, the heroine is also stubborn/vocal/acting out when she needs to keep her head down and observe her surroundings. As per usual, the heroine is able to push aside feelings of revulsion for acts of 'hotness.'
And of course...
As per usual, the male lead (of another dark book) is abstract and not well-defined from the start, so of course the female finds this a draw for reasons unknown. I mean, handsome and mysterious might earn a coffee date at best for most of us. It wouldn't be enough to (view spoiler)[get any sane person super-aroused when being sexually touched right after a kidnapping. (hide spoiler)] Well, unless your name is Keaton. (view spoiler)[Really? How does one person get turned on so fast in the midst of a scary situation? I'm talking before feelings were developed, so it's not a reaction to past fulfilling experiences with that person. In addition, she had been sexually assaulted prior to this, so she should have been even more wary and afraid than the usual person, yet there was never any reasonable explanation given as to why she was able to be brought to such a 'needing' state so easily. Did her brain rewire itself into using a rape fetish as a coping mechanism? If so, I would have liked to have known this. (hide spoiler)] As per usual, the male lead has put himself into the role of 'I know what's best for you' when it comes to the female. As per usual, the male lead does nothing but despicable things, but there are seeds of doubt sown, trying to make the reader decipher whether or not the character is truly pure evil, or just a broken man doing bad things because he believes he's in the right. I'm sticking with pure evil.
I never gave one shit about either of these characters. I was rooting for more death, tbh. The point where everything came to a head felt rushed, as if the aha! moment had to be dealt with in one fell swoop - (view spoiler)[let's throw everyone under the bus but Noah! (hide spoiler)].
With all of that said, I was entertained by the train wreck. I was hoping for more of an actual cult scenario, but the last quarter of the story did provide an interesting (albeit not clever enough to make me want to get behind the idea as an observer) explanation as to how and why everything was put together the way that it was.
Keaton and Noah's story probably should have ended with book 1. I'm mildly annoyed that the trilogy continues with the same characters. I probably should leave well enough alone and avoid book 2, but I am mildly curious to see how the characters deal with the fallout from this book. ...more
1.5 stars. It's entirely possible that it's way too early for me to care enough to write an entirely unfavorable review.
[image]
*Trigger warning : rape1.5 stars. It's entirely possible that it's way too early for me to care enough to write an entirely unfavorable review.
[image]
*Trigger warning : rape*
Or it's entirely possible that I might not have actually hated Chained, even though I'm still scratching my head (not really) over how far-fetched the entire drug scenario was.
The entire plausibility of this story hinged on the effectiveness of a drug.
Strawberry vitamins, my ass. (no, that is not a spoiler. I'm pretty sure anyone with half a brain will catch this the very first time idiotic "Livy" feels her out-of-body experience.)
The rest, you may not want to know if you haven't read the book.
1. Makes you highly sexed (to the point where you can't stop yourself). 2. Makes you highly fertile. 3. Makes you conceive if you aren't on the pill. 4. Is some sort of mild hallucinogenic.
"It means you could be feeling horny for a few days. It won't be at the same level of intensity, but if you're touched the right way, even talked to the right way, it could set you off. The pain will be bearable, but it will still hit you hard when it comes."(hide spoiler)]
Hmmm...okay, that sounds kind of far-fetched, but I might've gone with it, until this...
That entire drug thing reminded me of (view spoiler)[a woman's needing (hide spoiler)] in paranormal type books. But at least with paranormal books, the explanation makes more sense in that setting - AND because the explanation is based off an other-species biological reaction - which is already not part of the scope of human behavior. So we go with it. Drugs, however, are something that we humans know a little bit about when it comes to how they work. And I'm pretty sure that there will never be a miracle drug which can (view spoiler)[single out people to target for sex. (hide spoiler)]
*itching to insert nope meme again*
I'm hungry. My mostly-unbothered self wants to eat. So in an unbothered fashion, I won't continue on to rant for days about the 100 other things that were possibly wrong with this book.
Here is the short list : Bad nicknames. Too many men interested in the female lead. Royalty claims being pulled out of someone's ass. An agency which probably exists in real life in one form or another, but was so secretive that the author couldn't give us any important details about it. The alcoholic works in a bar (I've read this before in another book, stare the beast in the eye, whatever...). Olivia recalled eyes that she would never forget, yet she somehow didn't recognize the man they belonged to when they were staring her in the face. Everyone ended their texts with "xx" - even people who didn't text each other to know to use it. Excessive winking and blushing. Kit's body leaving Olivia's was sure to bring the cold in full force.
What I did like : When you strip away The Agency, a character named Uncle, the unrealistic drug, the rape ridiculousness, and all of the excess non-story (I still don't understand the point of Olivia's boss being obsessed with her), there was a sweet story between Olivia and Kit. Getting to watch Olivia draw Kit out of his shell was quite endearing, and the biggest reason why I kept reading. If all of the "extra" was cut back, I could have possibly fallen in love with this couple....more
It all ended kinda blah for the buildup we'd had earlier in the series. I'm still glad that I finished it though. I might read 5 at some point, but I It all ended kinda blah for the buildup we'd had earlier in the series. I'm still glad that I finished it though. I might read 5 at some point, but I think it's more of a prequel. ...more
Oh hey, there's another kidnapping. Color me *cough* surprised.
2.5 stars. Obviously (or not so obviously), I must still keep reading MC books becauseOh hey, there's another kidnapping. Color me *cough* surprised.
2.5 stars. Obviously (or not so obviously), I must still keep reading MC books because they entertain me to a certain degree. I appreciate that these types of stories generally contain outside conflict or rivals who will shake up the story. This category of conflict keeps me more invested than drama between the couple itself (which, unfortunately, I can't ever seem to escape).
It's really too bad that I rarely like the lead female in these MC books.
Entertaining? Yes. Ridiculous? Absolutely. Worth the read? Only for people who live for the drama. Otherwise, probably not. ...more
So I rated the prior installment 4 stars and now I'm down to 1 star on this installment? [image]
There didn't need to be two roads. Juliette knew who shSo I rated the prior installment 4 stars and now I'm down to 1 star on this installment? [image]
There didn't need to be two roads. Juliette knew who she wanted in book 1. Elliott didn't even need to be around. He could've been conveniently moved somewhere else and wouldn't have been missing from the story.
I hate filler. I really do. The entire (view spoiler)[drug addiction thing took up too much space, just in order to drive the point home that she was going to lose the baby. (hide spoiler)]
I really hope everything ends better because I'd hate to have come this far, only to have it all go to crap.
I think this installment was the turning point for me, where I became invested 100%.
I would review it further but I think the details are 3.5 stars.
I think this installment was the turning point for me, where I became invested 100%.
I would review it further but I think the details are bleeding into book 5 (read both while on vacation last week), so I don't want to get them confused. ...more
This is about on par with the first and second installments. I'm still not completely sold on the lead female, but the story is chugging along and I'mThis is about on par with the first and second installments. I'm still not completely sold on the lead female, but the story is chugging along and I'm still interested in seeing how this revenge scenario plays out. ...more
This is about on par with the first installment. I'm still not completely sold on the lead female but the story is chugging along. This is about on par with the first installment. I'm still not completely sold on the lead female but the story is chugging along. ...more
[image] It's not fair that I'm angry right now. I thought I was finally hitting a stride with the Fallen Crest series. I thought I was learning to enjo[image] It's not fair that I'm angry right now. I thought I was finally hitting a stride with the Fallen Crest series. I thought I was learning to enjoy the ride enough to cave and ignore the repetitive writing plus editing flaws because the drama was exciting and addictive. I actually kind of liked book 2 (which I still haven't reviewed yet because I had to jump ahead and unload my pent-up frustration over book 3).
Why couldn't the sketchy behavior have been limited to the "enemies" of Mason, Logan, and Samantha? Why did I have to start liking the male leads, only to have it all snatched away when their bad behavior became inexcusable (again)?
It's NOT okay that Logan and Mason (view spoiler)[threw Kate to Budd, knowing that he was going to hurt her. I'm guessing that they probably knew (if only subconsciously) that she might be raped. But even if they didn't know how far it would go, the fact that they would set a girl up to be physically beaten by a male takes them out of the running for "hot" male leads. (hide spoiler)]
Doesn't anyone else get this? These two guys shouldn't be viable romance leads now. Especially while starring in a high school series with a younger target age range. This is the worst possible shit that anyone would want their daughter reading and aspiring to date. Extreme questionable behavior should be reserved for adult anti-heroes...or at the very least, younger male leads who aren't considered swoon-worthy. Broken people who need help - fine. Guys who are fawned over by every available female - not fine.
Saving Samantha is NOT a good enough excuse. ANY decent human being would not throw another person to the wolves like that. If they'd set Kate up to have a go-round with another chick, whatever. She would've gotten what was coming to her for the stunt she pulled in the bathroom. But what happened goes beyond basic revenge payback.
Again, there were enough side characters in the book who could have been as evil as they wanted to be. I just don't want to see young male leads being swooned over when they are prone to downright disgusting behavior.
Remember : Kate was set up to be (view spoiler)[beaten and/or raped. By a guy. This was not a chick fight. This was a life-altering crime. (hide spoiler)] And Logan and Mason were going to ignore it happening.
THIS IS NOT OKAY. AND IT'S NOT EXCUSABLE FOR THE SAKE OF ENTERTAINMENT VALUE.
Logan and Mason : Use your brains, kids. Find another way to save the girl you love.
(And it sure was awfully convenient that Sam just happened to be the only person in town jogging by at that exact moment when everything started to go down with Kate.
And it was even more disgusting that the convenience store guy did jack shit about what was happening.)
And I know I mentioned the repetitive stuff, but I'm really tired of everyone pressing kisses to Sam's forehead, temple, and shoulder. There was one instance where it happened 3 times within the span of a page and a half. And...for a girl who can run, she sure gets carried around a lot. Must be that all-consuming addiction thing.
Gah. I really was enjoying this book too, up until M&L went back onto my shit list.
...but if I had a beard right now I would be stroking it (minds out of the gutter) and saying, "Interesting. Very I don't actually want to be a man...
...but if I had a beard right now I would be stroking it (minds out of the gutter) and saying, "Interesting. Very Interesting."
I like the idea of Seven Sons. I don't think I've read a revenge story exactly like this one. Seen it in movies, perhaps. Getting plastic surgery as a means to hide in plain site so you can exact revenge on the group of men who violently raped and tortured you = not orthodox.
Btw, if you're sensitive to descriptive rape scenes, this is not the book for you. Just a heads up.
This is a different kind of Motorcycle club story, which is something that scores a few points with me. There isn't really a female swooning over a bad boy, at least not in the traditional romance novel sense (even though there is a romance brewing in the background). Nope. This chick is all about her business. Get in, dispatch the shitheads, get out. THAT's the order of the day.
I think the lead female was somewhat off-putting at times but I really couldn't put my finger on why. Something about her personality rubbed me the wrong way. As well, a few of her decisions struck me as bizarre, but more so in the "I sure as hell wouldn't have made that choice" kind of way, and not so much like the rampant idiocy (not counting the tattoo business that my friend Mich mentioned in her review, which was stupid) that many of the female leads in other MC books seem to possess. So this is probably a plus/minus thing when it comes to Sami.
I'm willing to run with it and see how this chick manages to take down a powerful club. The writing has been enough to hold my interest, so I'm moving on to story 2 right now. The serial installments work in this instance because of the different brothers featured. For once, I'm really liking the short story format.
If you're a fan of taboo/kidnap/dark erotica, don't let my rating for Twist Me put you off from reading the book.
I think most people who read this caIf you're a fan of taboo/kidnap/dark erotica, don't let my rating for Twist Me put you off from reading the book.
I think most people who read this category of book are generally somewhat willing to let go of reality in order to get lost in the story. I wish that I could be more like this.
I'm not even saying that I can't let it go at times. If this was absolutely impossible for me to do, I wouldn't ever read dark erotica, nor would I have ever rated other books in this category favorably (which I have).
But I do need something to cling to, something to believe in. Even if there's just one connecting thread which makes me forget for a second how implausible the big picture is.
This thread was never found. I was never able to get past the fact that Nora adjusted so quickly to her new life. I'm not talking about "survival instincts" or adjusting for the sake of self-preservation. This wasn't the issue. The problem was rooted in the notion that Nora's almost instant attraction negated much of the terror that she should have felt. Sure, she was scared. But she adjusted and attached far too quickly for a person who should have been fighting (even if only inside of her mind) for a way out, far longer than she actually did.
I use the phrase "that said" quite often, but it fits so much that I will emphasize it here especially :
That said, there was nothing about this story which made me hate it. Honest truth. This read was meant to be a taboo kidnap story with instances of rape, possession and abuse. None of these things are anything that I can complain about because that is the book that I signed up to read.
For a taboo book, it wasn't bad. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened. I picked up book 2 because I was curious to see what happened afterward. Even though this book reminded me of Consequences, it didn't put me to sleep the way that the other book did.
The writing was deserving of a 3 star rating but I kept going back to the instant attachment and it really bugged me. Regardless of how much Julian might have keyed in to Nora's secret desires for domination or rape fantasies, there should have been a part of her brain which was repulsed to the point of sickness at being held captive and tortured. The fear of death is a big enough motivator to keep someone from fully being enthralled with a handsome man. Well, unless you have a death fetish. But that's another story......more
One good night's sleep. Two cups of coffee. Three glances at my notes.
I'm still struggling with what to say about this book.
***Spoilers ahead.*** But iOne good night's sleep. Two cups of coffee. Three glances at my notes.
I'm still struggling with what to say about this book.
***Spoilers ahead.*** But if you know about what sometimes goes down in bodice rippers, it really won't be much of a spoiler.
Obviously, classic bodice rippers of the rapey era aren't my thing. But I had to check out this pirate-meets-magic story. I'm always looking for a different spin on pirates.
It's not that I wasn't expecting the rape. In stereotypical bodice ripper fashion, I figured it might show up.
Garrett, drawing on a restraint he did not feel, raised his hand and lightly landed the back of his hand to her face.
"God, girl. I never imagined I was a man who could enjoy rape, but as you look like an angel, you taste like the heavens."
Okayyy...expected scene was expected. But this later attitude was not:
"As it is," he took her hand again, "I will not return you to any man who saw this hand and turned his back to it."
Uh...you VIOLENTLY RAPED a woman, then think you're better than the man who didn't step in to defend that same woman when she was getting beaten?
[image]
It really was too bad. I was ready to ignore the idiot pirate who was somehow a brilliant scientist (he had microscopes and everything for his discovery of microorganisms...yeah, I know) because there was a cool magic panther in the story AND a funny talking parrot. But this nonsense of the pot calling the kettle black? No. Just no.
However, I kept reading because I wanted to know how Garrett managed to win the innocent, thin girl. Yes, thin. I think Juliet's frame was mentioned as much, if not more, than the amount of times she was heralded as innocent - 25 times to be exact.
Sad to say, "innocent girl" wasn't any brighter than the pirate. I never figured out why Garrett loved her. She neither said nor did anything remarkable. NOT ONCE. She was either whining or showing how little she knew about anything. She was never brave, or intelligent, or even notably kind. She was nothing more than a helpless captive on a ship. Garrett fell in love with her because she was innocent (read : stupidly clueless) and beautiful - that's it. There was no actual character quality of hers which stood out. Garrett kept secrets from her for the entire book because he didn't consider her smart enough to "get" or "handle" things. That's how bad it was.
I'm only giving 2 stars because the read wasn't boring. The story could've been halfway good if the characters were somewhat likable.
Stacia (the 2010 club)
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