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Lemonade
As a young woman in Victorian England, Anna Champion knows all too well the social mores that value prettiness over sense, and etiquette over honesty. But when she stands up to the boorishness of dashing Christopher Davenport at a summertime ball, Anna unwittingly attracts his wrath—and becomes entangled in his malicious scheming.
After a lifetime of harboring shame and resentment, Christopher, a ruthless con artist, wants revenge, and unfortunately for Anna, he’s decided that she will be the perfect pawn in his terrible plot. With a fierceness of spirit uncommon in well-bred young ladies in the nineteenth century, Anna will have to use her intelligence and courage to protect her loved ones. But can she also save herself?
After a lifetime of harboring shame and resentment, Christopher, a ruthless con artist, wants revenge, and unfortunately for Anna, he’s decided that she will be the perfect pawn in his terrible plot. With a fierceness of spirit uncommon in well-bred young ladies in the nineteenth century, Anna will have to use her intelligence and courage to protect her loved ones. But can she also save herself?
451 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
482 people are currently reading
5250 people want to read
About the author
Nina Pennacchi
12 books123 followersNina Pennacchi also writes under the pen name of Ann Owen
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 699 reviews
January 21, 2021
Reread. Wanted to get out of my comfort zone *yet again*
Hate at first sight, tragic past, secrets to unravel, forced marriage. The hero is a vengeful, possessive and manipulative guy, completely obsessed with the heroine...
Original review
¡This book is definitely not for everyone!
It features an irredeemable, evil and obsessed villain as a hero.
The interactions between Christopher and Anna were intense AF and FIFTY SHADES OF scary.
I couldn't stop reading. I wish I could reach the hero through the book and smack his ugly face real hard. I wish I could give Anna a tight hug🥺. I cried although I don't normally cry over books.
Till the very end the author managed to maintain Christopher's personality purely vicious.
This book has a happy ever after but did it feel satisfying?? Fuck no😒I think the author fucked all the readers over by giving such an ending.
The story has such a realistic and bitter feeling to it...
The writing style captivates. I am not too fond of historical romance. This one is a rare exception for me because it held my interest all the way till the end. And the lemonade scene... just awesome.
Main trigger: a VERY brutal and descriptive scene of rape.
Hate at first sight, tragic past, secrets to unravel, forced marriage. The hero is a vengeful, possessive and manipulative guy, completely obsessed with the heroine...
Original review
¡This book is definitely not for everyone!
It features an irredeemable, evil and obsessed villain as a hero.
The interactions between Christopher and Anna were intense AF and FIFTY SHADES OF scary.
I couldn't stop reading. I wish I could reach the hero through the book and smack his ugly face real hard. I wish I could give Anna a tight hug🥺. I cried although I don't normally cry over books.
Till the very end the author managed to maintain Christopher's personality purely vicious.
This book has a happy ever after but did it feel satisfying?? Fuck no😒I think the author fucked all the readers over by giving such an ending.
The story has such a realistic and bitter feeling to it...
The writing style captivates. I am not too fond of historical romance. This one is a rare exception for me because it held my interest all the way till the end. And the lemonade scene... just awesome.
Main trigger: a VERY brutal and descriptive scene of rape.
July 24, 2021
A violently intense Victorian romance, if you can even call it a romance. This book is up there with As Meat Loves Salt & Endless Love & The Silver Devil when it comes to its horrifying, over the top antihero, the over the top emotions on display, and its lack of interest in making its readers comfortable. While still being a rich, nuanced story set in a believable milieu and featuring prose that is sometimes elegant, sometimes eccentrically mannered, always literary. Wow bob wow.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book contains rape.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a very explicit and lengthy rape scene that comes out of nowhere and is not made remotely sexy because it depicts an actual physical and emotional assault, not a fantasy of a bodice being ripped and a girl saying no when she really means yes. this is a beating and a sexual assault, not a ravishment. the girl in question vomits at the end of this scene. because who wouldn't.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book lives in a world full of understandable, frequently relatable, often amusing characters in a Victorian setting where manners are as important as class status, marriage prospects, and money. it's all so delicate and subtle, so very Jane Austen. and yet TRIGGER WARNING! this book is full of deeply broken hearts and minds, brutal rape and dreams of revenge, of murder. and yet these characters tease and banter with each other, do comic and adorable things, play with children and animals, support each other through hard times, just like regular human beings do, and despite the fact that one of them was raped and another is the rapist. because no person is just one thing, even victims, even monsters.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a spilled glass of lemonade that leads to much else. is the lemonade to blame, or the humans spilling those glasses of lemonade, or the society that created humans who treat each other as far less than human, less than a glass of lemonade?
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a woman who is a rape victim but who is not a victim of life. she does not 'get over' this rape but it also does not define her. this woman fights with all the tools she has at her disposal, she holds grudges, she doesn't excuse her rapist, she is bitter about the injustice of her experience. that bitterness does not magically turn into understanding in order to satisfy any reader who just wants her to move on and see the man inside the beast so that they can have a happy sexy romance; nor does that bitterness turn into the sole motivation for her existence so that the reader can have a satisfying revenge drama.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a man who is a monstrous rapist but who is not a monster in life. he recognizes that what he did was not just out of character, it was evil: an act for which he needs to atone. and yet he continues to act cruelly, as cruel as he was before the rape, because recognizing that an act is evil does not automatically change a person. he wants to atone but he has other things that consume him: he is living in a revenge drama of his own, he wants to rush past atonement because he has not recognized that devoting his life to destroying a villain is in fact destroying his own life by becoming a villain.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book does not paint its lead characters as victim or monster. each person is capable of kindness, of cruelty. each human is the sum of many parts.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book is not really about a woman falling in love or a man carrying out revenge or vice versa, although all four things are roughly the plot of this book. it is not really about the terrible abuses that happened in the childhood of a man and in the adulthood of a woman. it has other things on its mind. sometimes you don't get over the things that happened to you but you can make sure that those things don't define you. you can grow and transform who you are, even if that transformation is internal. and you may be able to change yourself but it will be harder to change another person, let alone change the world, because TRIGGER WARNING! this book is also about how sometimes we don't get what we want, not right away, maybe never, maybe not in the way that we wanted. but sometimes a person can forgive, if there is actual atonement. sometimes a rapist can become worthy of love. and sometimes a villain doesn't get their due. life isn't a revenge novel and the bad guys often don't get punished and injustices sometimes remain injustices. TRIGGER WARNING! this book is about how a life can't be lived solely by living inside of your head, by continually revisiting your sorrows and anger and trauma. you have to live for other things; that is how a person who has been abused learns to cope with life. understanding that lesson is how our abused heroine and our abused hero eventually find grace, with each other and most importantly, within themselves. that is what this physically and emotional brutal book is all about.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a happy ending.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book contains rape.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a very explicit and lengthy rape scene that comes out of nowhere and is not made remotely sexy because it depicts an actual physical and emotional assault, not a fantasy of a bodice being ripped and a girl saying no when she really means yes. this is a beating and a sexual assault, not a ravishment. the girl in question vomits at the end of this scene. because who wouldn't.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book lives in a world full of understandable, frequently relatable, often amusing characters in a Victorian setting where manners are as important as class status, marriage prospects, and money. it's all so delicate and subtle, so very Jane Austen. and yet TRIGGER WARNING! this book is full of deeply broken hearts and minds, brutal rape and dreams of revenge, of murder. and yet these characters tease and banter with each other, do comic and adorable things, play with children and animals, support each other through hard times, just like regular human beings do, and despite the fact that one of them was raped and another is the rapist. because no person is just one thing, even victims, even monsters.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a spilled glass of lemonade that leads to much else. is the lemonade to blame, or the humans spilling those glasses of lemonade, or the society that created humans who treat each other as far less than human, less than a glass of lemonade?
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a woman who is a rape victim but who is not a victim of life. she does not 'get over' this rape but it also does not define her. this woman fights with all the tools she has at her disposal, she holds grudges, she doesn't excuse her rapist, she is bitter about the injustice of her experience. that bitterness does not magically turn into understanding in order to satisfy any reader who just wants her to move on and see the man inside the beast so that they can have a happy sexy romance; nor does that bitterness turn into the sole motivation for her existence so that the reader can have a satisfying revenge drama.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a man who is a monstrous rapist but who is not a monster in life. he recognizes that what he did was not just out of character, it was evil: an act for which he needs to atone. and yet he continues to act cruelly, as cruel as he was before the rape, because recognizing that an act is evil does not automatically change a person. he wants to atone but he has other things that consume him: he is living in a revenge drama of his own, he wants to rush past atonement because he has not recognized that devoting his life to destroying a villain is in fact destroying his own life by becoming a villain.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book does not paint its lead characters as victim or monster. each person is capable of kindness, of cruelty. each human is the sum of many parts.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book is not really about a woman falling in love or a man carrying out revenge or vice versa, although all four things are roughly the plot of this book. it is not really about the terrible abuses that happened in the childhood of a man and in the adulthood of a woman. it has other things on its mind. sometimes you don't get over the things that happened to you but you can make sure that those things don't define you. you can grow and transform who you are, even if that transformation is internal. and you may be able to change yourself but it will be harder to change another person, let alone change the world, because TRIGGER WARNING! this book is also about how sometimes we don't get what we want, not right away, maybe never, maybe not in the way that we wanted. but sometimes a person can forgive, if there is actual atonement. sometimes a rapist can become worthy of love. and sometimes a villain doesn't get their due. life isn't a revenge novel and the bad guys often don't get punished and injustices sometimes remain injustices. TRIGGER WARNING! this book is about how a life can't be lived solely by living inside of your head, by continually revisiting your sorrows and anger and trauma. you have to live for other things; that is how a person who has been abused learns to cope with life. understanding that lesson is how our abused heroine and our abused hero eventually find grace, with each other and most importantly, within themselves. that is what this physically and emotional brutal book is all about.
TRIGGER WARNING! this book has a happy ending.
July 27, 2021
-3.5 stars-
This book was legit... insane. I'll explain the first 30% rn
🍋 hero spills lemonade on heroine, doesn't apologize
🍋 heroine kicks him in the ankle in revenge, spills lemonade on him back
🍋 hero brutally rapes her
I'm leaving a couple steps out but I don't think too many. To say things escalated is an understatement 🤡 Homegirl had no idea she was dealing an extremely unwell individual but shiiii she learned quick.
Things he does immediately after raping her:
🍋 calls it a 'mishap'
🍋 drops this gem:
🍋 and another one:
So the hero (he's clearly not a hero but whatever) is horrible but... that's not all he is. He's mostly just super emotionally stunted due to childhood trauma (not that that's an excuse but... just providing context). He managed to stay a deplorable character until 98% which is kind of impressive in itself. This was very well written but I kept finding myself bored, which is why I'm not rating it higher. It's definitely a me problem tho bc this is my first historical romance and I think the genre itself is just not for me. (Though calling this book a romance feels... false.)
As for the ending, what in the fresh hell. I understand why it ended there but also... what in the fresh hell. Not even just with their relationship but also Christopher's revenge. I think Anthony was my fav character tho. Loved that strange lil guy.
Never ever was there such cruel tenderness...
This book was legit... insane. I'll explain the first 30% rn
🍋 hero spills lemonade on heroine, doesn't apologize
🍋 heroine kicks him in the ankle in revenge, spills lemonade on him back
🍋 hero brutally rapes her
I'm leaving a couple steps out but I don't think too many. To say things escalated is an understatement 🤡 Homegirl had no idea she was dealing an extremely unwell individual but shiiii she learned quick.
Things he does immediately after raping her:
🍋 calls it a 'mishap'
🍋 drops this gem:
Christopher remained silent, incapable of saying anything to her. The quietness was astounding after the atrocious screams from earlier; that horrible battle was like a distant dream in the fading light of day.
It seemed that Anna would never move, nor say anything at all; however, she suddenly spoke. In the silence of the garden, in an incredibly clear voice she said, “Now are you going to kill me?”
Christopher was so stunned that for several moments he couldn’t even open his mouth. “Kill you? Of course not,” he answered, running a hand through his hair. “I will marry you, naturally.”
🍋 and another one:
"Although you did deserve it, since you provoked me to do the unthinkable."
So the hero (he's clearly not a hero but whatever) is horrible but... that's not all he is. He's mostly just super emotionally stunted due to childhood trauma (not that that's an excuse but... just providing context). He managed to stay a deplorable character until 98% which is kind of impressive in itself. This was very well written but I kept finding myself bored, which is why I'm not rating it higher. It's definitely a me problem tho bc this is my first historical romance and I think the genre itself is just not for me. (Though calling this book a romance feels... false.)
As for the ending, what in the fresh hell. I understand why it ended there but also... what in the fresh hell. Not even just with their relationship but also Christopher's revenge. I think Anthony was my fav character tho. Loved that strange lil guy.
February 17, 2018
My first Buddy-Read of 2018! It's only fitting that it should be with the amazing, rocktastic Heatherdoll (Her Review)
3 what did I just read?? Stars
2018 Romance Challenge
Category: Villain gets the Girl
Where do I even begin with my experience with Lemonade? HOLY. FUCK.
This book is poisonous. I am uncomfortable with rating it three stars, those three stars make me want to puke on myself, but to rate it anything less than that would be dishonest. And I cannot be dishonest here, in my happy place with all you delightfully deranged people watching me.
Did I enjoy this book? FUCK. NO. I loathed it. Viscerally.
Did I find it compelling as all hell? Yes. Yes, I did. I could not stop reading it, swallowing the poison page after page until the novel was over and I was left stuttering wondering what the fuck did I just read?
Shortly after the 30% mark, during our texting back and forth, this book was dubbed:
“Pride & Prejudice via Wuthering Heights wrapped up in a Bodice Ripper”
Which sums it up pretty well in my opinion.
There is a lot of pride and prejudice going on, particularly early in the novel. Our main characters meet at a ball, he takes an instant dislike to her and she loathes him for perhaps more legitimate reasons. However, the decorum of the day forbids them from behaving like the heathens their thoughts would suggest. The two are frequently thrown together, much to their distaste. It all seems to follow along that pattern, with an additional revenge plot waltzing around in there somewhere…. (which kind of started making me think Christopher might be a little more “Heathcliff” than “Mr. Darcy”.)
Then I hit the 30% mark. I was not prepared for THAT.
Graphic, nauseating, full throttle rape scene.
Easily the most graphic rape scene I have ever read. My throat hurt from trying to swallow my stomach back down. I realized I was sobbing – full on ugly snot crying – when I started seeing my tears fall onto my iPad. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. I wanted to kill Christopher. I still want to kill Christopher. I have NEVER had that visceral of a reaction to a character. He viciously attacks her, there is absolutely nothing about this scene that isn’t gut-wrenchingly horrible.
And then after he rips her to fucking shreds, literally. He proposes to her…. And she does what I think is the most natural thing in the world. She vomits at the mere idea of marrying him.
Remember though, we are only at about the 35% mark at this point, there is still a whole hell of a lot of book to go. Oh, and did I forget to mention this?, that scene is between our “love interests”. That’s right, this isn’t just a villain gets the girl, this is a RAPIST gets the girl romance.
I stopped, I cleaned the snot and tears off my face. I cleaned up my apartment, went for a walk, made lunch…. Talked to Heather a bit. And then I picked it back up, expecting it to be a chore to continue reading. Expecting the author to make excuses for Christopher’s behavior…..
That NEVER happened. Christopher never stops being a poisonous character. That rape scene is never excused. We are never asked to be okay with what he did. Anna is NEVER okay with what he did.
HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. THIS. BOOK.
And yet somehow the poison continues, somehow I didn’t vomit all over my iPad. Somehow, at the end of reading this novel I instantly rated it a 3. SOME. FUCKING. HOW.
HOLY. SHIT
This review is a train wreck…. Like this book. It’s fitting.
Congratulations, Pennicchi, you’ve destroyed me.
3 what did I just read?? Stars
2018 Romance Challenge
Category: Villain gets the Girl
Where do I even begin with my experience with Lemonade? HOLY. FUCK.
This book is poisonous. I am uncomfortable with rating it three stars, those three stars make me want to puke on myself, but to rate it anything less than that would be dishonest. And I cannot be dishonest here, in my happy place with all you delightfully deranged people watching me.
Did I enjoy this book? FUCK. NO. I loathed it. Viscerally.
Did I find it compelling as all hell? Yes. Yes, I did. I could not stop reading it, swallowing the poison page after page until the novel was over and I was left stuttering wondering what the fuck did I just read?
Shortly after the 30% mark, during our texting back and forth, this book was dubbed:
“Pride & Prejudice via Wuthering Heights wrapped up in a Bodice Ripper”
Which sums it up pretty well in my opinion.
There is a lot of pride and prejudice going on, particularly early in the novel. Our main characters meet at a ball, he takes an instant dislike to her and she loathes him for perhaps more legitimate reasons. However, the decorum of the day forbids them from behaving like the heathens their thoughts would suggest. The two are frequently thrown together, much to their distaste. It all seems to follow along that pattern, with an additional revenge plot waltzing around in there somewhere…. (which kind of started making me think Christopher might be a little more “Heathcliff” than “Mr. Darcy”.)
Then I hit the 30% mark. I was not prepared for THAT.
Graphic, nauseating, full throttle rape scene.
Easily the most graphic rape scene I have ever read. My throat hurt from trying to swallow my stomach back down. I realized I was sobbing – full on ugly snot crying – when I started seeing my tears fall onto my iPad. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. I wanted to kill Christopher. I still want to kill Christopher. I have NEVER had that visceral of a reaction to a character. He viciously attacks her, there is absolutely nothing about this scene that isn’t gut-wrenchingly horrible.
And then after he rips her to fucking shreds, literally. He proposes to her…. And she does what I think is the most natural thing in the world. She vomits at the mere idea of marrying him.
Remember though, we are only at about the 35% mark at this point, there is still a whole hell of a lot of book to go. Oh, and did I forget to mention this?, that scene is between our “love interests”. That’s right, this isn’t just a villain gets the girl, this is a RAPIST gets the girl romance.
I stopped, I cleaned the snot and tears off my face. I cleaned up my apartment, went for a walk, made lunch…. Talked to Heather a bit. And then I picked it back up, expecting it to be a chore to continue reading. Expecting the author to make excuses for Christopher’s behavior…..
That NEVER happened. Christopher never stops being a poisonous character. That rape scene is never excused. We are never asked to be okay with what he did. Anna is NEVER okay with what he did.
HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. THIS. BOOK.
And yet somehow the poison continues, somehow I didn’t vomit all over my iPad. Somehow, at the end of reading this novel I instantly rated it a 3. SOME. FUCKING. HOW.
HOLY. SHIT
This review is a train wreck…. Like this book. It’s fitting.
Congratulations, Pennicchi, you’ve destroyed me.
April 6, 2022
4.25 stars 🍋
I'm going to start off by saying THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR EVERYONE! Please understand that in no way do I support any of the actions that occur in the book, I am judging this book solely as a work of fiction. If you are not easily triggered and are looking to read about an unapologetic villains than this is for you. If not, turn back before it's too late
TW: rape, suicide
Tropes (if you can even call them that)
»forced marriage
»anti-fucking-hero
»rich hero/poor heroine
»enemies to lovers except they're still enemies the entire time
»romantic relationship between a victim and her rapist (yes you read that right)
Christopher Davenport (H) is our anti-hero. He's really rich, but manipulative, a pathological liar, sexist, misogynistic, and a rapist (I'll get to that). But, somehow he's actually likable. How the author did that is a mystery, but it probably had something to do with the occasional flackback we get of Christopher as a kid, where it shows his really tragic backstory.
Anna (h) is kinda hard to describe. At the beginning of the book, she really doesn't take anyone's shit, but as the story progresses and Christopher breaks her down, she becomes really weak-minded. By herself she takes care her of her dad, 2 brothers (Anthony and Dennis) and her sister (Grace).
‼️ SPOILERS ‼️
The MCs relationship progresses like this:
»MCs meet at a party where heroine purposely spills lemonade on the hero
»At a different party the MCs meet again, where the hero corners her in a library and forcibly kisses her
»Hero finds out that his half-brother (who he hates) has proposed to Anna and she has accepted
»Not wanting her to be taken by his half-bro, the hero tracks the heroine down in a field a brutally rapes her 🤠
»Hero manipulates the heroine into marrying him, claiming she could be pregnant bc of the rape (mind you this is set the 1800s and an un-wed, pregnant woman would be shunned)
»MCs have a few ups and downs, but they eventually (seem) to live HEA
Aw how sweet 🥲 Between the MCs calling each other ugly and the hero raping the heroine, can't say this ending shocked me! Because their relationship is totally healthy!
Listen, despite how crazy this fucking sounds, it's actually really good. The writing is good and the characters are really well written, especially the hero. Is he a POS? Absolutely. Did I care? No because Chris had sooo many offensive, yet funny lines and made the whole book enjoyable
»"Sir, you truly are the worst person that—"
"Oh, don't start with that again, all right? I already told you that I find your choice irritating to no end."
→Straight up, he just tells the heroine to stop talking
»"Do you believe you can control me better this way?"
I don't believe." I "know it, dear Anna "Oh so that's what you are afraid of, then?...You think that I did it to...control...you?
→how can this man keep a straight face
»I will restrict myself only to talk to her tonight *literally 5 seconds later* As Christopher looked at her hair, his mouth became dry, and he know that he had just lied to himself. He should take her— and that night
→THIS FUCKING GUY 💀 when he has to talk himself out of assaulting her 😍🥰
»"Don't worry, Anna, your husband will not shoot me."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Did you say something, Davenport?"
→Chris threatening to kill his own brother🥰
Christopher refuses to acknowledge that he loves anyone, particularly Anna's family when in fact he does. I loved Chris's little relationship with Anthony. Anthony seemed to really look up to Chris and basically liked him since the moment they met. Like when Chris gets Anthony to the boarding school he wanted to go, Anna was upset because he would be gone and Anthony, even though he's really young, is sorta the protector of the house. Well when Anthony whispered something into Anna's ear, she tells Chris that said this-
I think the best part about Chris's character development is when he finally realized that it is possible for him to love. He loves Anna and her family, he just was horrible at expressing it. So Anna tested him when they dropped Anthony off at boarding school. Since, Chris originally used Anna's family to get her to marry him (he told her he would financially ruin them, it's a thing he does), he constantly uses them to threaten Anna. Well Anna called his bluff and didn't think he would pull Anthony out of his boarding school just to get Anna to do what he wanted.
Well as Chris walked up to Anthony he realized he couldn't hurt him like he claimed. At that moment, Anna realized that he had a weakness and he couldn't use them against her. That's the exact moment Chris's character completely changed
He got so insecure about that 🥺 When he told Anna after "I imagine that now you'll leave me" because there wasn't anything tethering her to their relationship was so sad. But then, this happens
I mean, the writing in this scene was just so good. But of course, they do get their HEA...
But the reason I took away 3/4 of a star is because of the ending. The ending was really anticlimactic though for a couple of reasons. The consensus behind the story is that Christopher is trying to get revenge for his mom's suicide. He blames his dad, who impregnated his mom while she worked in a brothel, for her death. Since Chris was 13ish years old, him and his cousin have been orchestrating a plan to financially ruin his dad and have him "commit suicide".
So by the end of the book, Chris did it. He took all his money in a pyramid scheme and sent him into financial ruin!
EEEEXCEPT HE DIDN'T
Turns out his dad knew all along what he had been planning so he stole back all the money he "invested". Well since the plan is screwed, Chris decides to hold his dad at gun point and shoot him no matter the consequences. While Chris is holding him at gun point, the moment he has been waiting for his entire damn life is here, his dad is literally telling him 'shoot me'. Guess what he does 😃 Just guess ... Yep you're right, HE DOESN'T FUCKING SHOOT HIM!!!! WHAT WAS THE REASON.
Then, after that whole shit show, Chris goes to find Anna and begs her to take him back (they're split up at this point) and he even FINALLY admits that he loves her. Then the book just ends with her asking him for an apology for everything he did 👍🏻
AFTER ALL THAT I WENT THROUGH. I read a brutal and very descriptive rape scene and all I get is this flaccid ending????? GIVE ME MORE. Anyway, who cares
moral of the story: don't spill lemonade on someone
I'm going to start off by saying THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR EVERYONE! Please understand that in no way do I support any of the actions that occur in the book, I am judging this book solely as a work of fiction. If you are not easily triggered and are looking to read about an unapologetic villains than this is for you. If not, turn back before it's too late
TW: rape, suicide
Tropes (if you can even call them that)
»forced marriage
»anti-fucking-hero
»rich hero/poor heroine
»enemies to lovers except they're still enemies the entire time
»romantic relationship between a victim and her rapist (yes you read that right)
Christopher Davenport (H) is our anti-hero. He's really rich, but manipulative, a pathological liar, sexist, misogynistic, and a rapist (I'll get to that). But, somehow he's actually likable. How the author did that is a mystery, but it probably had something to do with the occasional flackback we get of Christopher as a kid, where it shows his really tragic backstory.
Anna (h) is kinda hard to describe. At the beginning of the book, she really doesn't take anyone's shit, but as the story progresses and Christopher breaks her down, she becomes really weak-minded. By herself she takes care her of her dad, 2 brothers (Anthony and Dennis) and her sister (Grace).
‼️ SPOILERS ‼️
The MCs relationship progresses like this:
»MCs meet at a party where heroine purposely spills lemonade on the hero
»At a different party the MCs meet again, where the hero corners her in a library and forcibly kisses her
»Hero finds out that his half-brother (who he hates) has proposed to Anna and she has accepted
»Not wanting her to be taken by his half-bro, the hero tracks the heroine down in a field a brutally rapes her 🤠
»Hero manipulates the heroine into marrying him, claiming she could be pregnant bc of the rape (mind you this is set the 1800s and an un-wed, pregnant woman would be shunned)
»MCs have a few ups and downs, but they eventually (seem) to live HEA
Aw how sweet 🥲 Between the MCs calling each other ugly and the hero raping the heroine, can't say this ending shocked me! Because their relationship is totally healthy!
Listen, despite how crazy this fucking sounds, it's actually really good. The writing is good and the characters are really well written, especially the hero. Is he a POS? Absolutely. Did I care? No because Chris had sooo many offensive, yet funny lines and made the whole book enjoyable
»"Sir, you truly are the worst person that—"
"Oh, don't start with that again, all right? I already told you that I find your choice irritating to no end."
→Straight up, he just tells the heroine to stop talking
»"Do you believe you can control me better this way?"
I don't believe." I "know it, dear Anna "Oh so that's what you are afraid of, then?...You think that I did it to...control...you?
→how can this man keep a straight face
»I will restrict myself only to talk to her tonight *literally 5 seconds later* As Christopher looked at her hair, his mouth became dry, and he know that he had just lied to himself. He should take her— and that night
→THIS FUCKING GUY 💀 when he has to talk himself out of assaulting her 😍🥰
»"Don't worry, Anna, your husband will not shoot me."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Did you say something, Davenport?"
→Chris threatening to kill his own brother🥰
Christopher refuses to acknowledge that he loves anyone, particularly Anna's family when in fact he does. I loved Chris's little relationship with Anthony. Anthony seemed to really look up to Chris and basically liked him since the moment they met. Like when Chris gets Anthony to the boarding school he wanted to go, Anna was upset because he would be gone and Anthony, even though he's really young, is sorta the protector of the house. Well when Anthony whispered something into Anna's ear, she tells Chris that said this-
"He said that now he can leave this house without any worries, because you are here to defend us."
I think the best part about Chris's character development is when he finally realized that it is possible for him to love. He loves Anna and her family, he just was horrible at expressing it. So Anna tested him when they dropped Anthony off at boarding school. Since, Chris originally used Anna's family to get her to marry him (he told her he would financially ruin them, it's a thing he does), he constantly uses them to threaten Anna. Well Anna called his bluff and didn't think he would pull Anthony out of his boarding school just to get Anna to do what he wanted.
Well as Chris walked up to Anthony he realized he couldn't hurt him like he claimed. At that moment, Anna realized that he had a weakness and he couldn't use them against her. That's the exact moment Chris's character completely changed
"You beat me Anna," he admitted. "Many have tried, but all it took was you."
He got so insecure about that 🥺 When he told Anna after "I imagine that now you'll leave me" because there wasn't anything tethering her to their relationship was so sad. But then, this happens
"Anna..." He didn't turn toward her.
"What?"
One final good-bye, Anna. I only want to tell you farewell again. (note: yes, bc he always does what he means LOL)
"I love you, Anna."
There it was—an excellent ending to a spectacular day
Why the hell would he say such a thing?
Because I love her, by God. I love her. Love. Knowing without turning around, as cowardly as a wretch, goddamn, fucking love.
I mean, the writing in this scene was just so good. But of course, they do get their HEA...
But the reason I took away 3/4 of a star is because of the ending. The ending was really anticlimactic though for a couple of reasons. The consensus behind the story is that Christopher is trying to get revenge for his mom's suicide. He blames his dad, who impregnated his mom while she worked in a brothel, for her death. Since Chris was 13ish years old, him and his cousin have been orchestrating a plan to financially ruin his dad and have him "commit suicide".
So by the end of the book, Chris did it. He took all his money in a pyramid scheme and sent him into financial ruin!
EEEEXCEPT HE DIDN'T
Turns out his dad knew all along what he had been planning so he stole back all the money he "invested". Well since the plan is screwed, Chris decides to hold his dad at gun point and shoot him no matter the consequences. While Chris is holding him at gun point, the moment he has been waiting for his entire damn life is here, his dad is literally telling him 'shoot me'. Guess what he does 😃 Just guess ... Yep you're right, HE DOESN'T FUCKING SHOOT HIM!!!! WHAT WAS THE REASON.
Then, after that whole shit show, Chris goes to find Anna and begs her to take him back (they're split up at this point) and he even FINALLY admits that he loves her. Then the book just ends with her asking him for an apology for everything he did 👍🏻
AFTER ALL THAT I WENT THROUGH. I read a brutal and very descriptive rape scene and all I get is this flaccid ending????? GIVE ME MORE. Anyway, who cares
moral of the story: don't spill lemonade on someone
April 28, 2024
A bittersweet, dark historical romance set in nineteenth century England, written originally in Italian.
Though I have no way of comparing the translation to the original, I enjoyed the writing. A woman's beauty mark looks like a large fly against her face. A sinister man reaches out to a child, his sweaty palm like a hairless mouse. A tear shines against the whiteness of a woman's bare skin, causing the man who provoked it to suddenly feel a horrible thirst.
Despite its seemingly lighthearted title, the mood in the novel Lemonade is gloomy, with scattered moments and humor, mostly due to the heroine's sharp wit and the comical styling of her brood of siblings.
The hero, or rather anti-hero, the mysterious Christopher Davenport, is straight out of those old-fashioned bodice rippers: ruthless, immoral, cruel. But he has met his match in the appropriately named Anna Champion. While she is poor and considered "unfashionable" in society, her strength of character and her intelligence easily defeat her arrogant adversary.
Christopher seemed to read her thoughts, and he stopped. “I have every right to call you whatever I like, Anna Champion.” His voice was harsh and insulting. “You, on the other hand, have no right whatsoever to be in this house, except as a servant.”
These words—the words of a ridiculous snob—were so predictable that under other circumstances Anna may have considered them to be a sad attempt at humor.
“I would have no problem whatsoever if I were a servant, here or anywhere else,” she replied queasily. Her heart was beating in her throat, but that didn’t prevent her vocal cords from working—not much, at least. “I would remain myself, no matter what. But what would remain of you without your elegant clothing? Nothing, like the man that you are.”
Christopher stared at her silently for a few moments, stunned.
“A worthless man, I understand,” he muttered finally.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands placed on the table; then he looked up again at her, and Anna knew that her instinct was not wrong: this man was truly dangerous.
Christopher, shocked that this puny nonentity dares to resist, sets up a plan to teach her a lesson in humility, which soon devolves into single-minded obsession. He is intent on insulting, humiliating, and finally ruining her.
when she felt him put one hand on her side and the other on her head, she let him. In silence. She allowed him to run his finger through her curls and softly tousle them. Never ever was there such cruel tenderness . . .
“Good girl,” Christopher finally whispered to her, and he lifted his head. “I see that you understand.”
He moved back far enough to see her face, hanging low and in tears.
“I will let you go, then. For now.”
What he never planned on is to become the victim of his own trap, with the tables turning on him and Anna ending up with all the power in their relationship. At least that was my interpretation of the ambiguous ending. Overall a very compelling read, and quite unusual to see a contemporary book using old bodice-ripping tropes even as it turns them on their heads.
Though I have no way of comparing the translation to the original, I enjoyed the writing. A woman's beauty mark looks like a large fly against her face. A sinister man reaches out to a child, his sweaty palm like a hairless mouse. A tear shines against the whiteness of a woman's bare skin, causing the man who provoked it to suddenly feel a horrible thirst.
Despite its seemingly lighthearted title, the mood in the novel Lemonade is gloomy, with scattered moments and humor, mostly due to the heroine's sharp wit and the comical styling of her brood of siblings.
The hero, or rather anti-hero, the mysterious Christopher Davenport, is straight out of those old-fashioned bodice rippers: ruthless, immoral, cruel. But he has met his match in the appropriately named Anna Champion. While she is poor and considered "unfashionable" in society, her strength of character and her intelligence easily defeat her arrogant adversary.
Christopher seemed to read her thoughts, and he stopped. “I have every right to call you whatever I like, Anna Champion.” His voice was harsh and insulting. “You, on the other hand, have no right whatsoever to be in this house, except as a servant.”
These words—the words of a ridiculous snob—were so predictable that under other circumstances Anna may have considered them to be a sad attempt at humor.
“I would have no problem whatsoever if I were a servant, here or anywhere else,” she replied queasily. Her heart was beating in her throat, but that didn’t prevent her vocal cords from working—not much, at least. “I would remain myself, no matter what. But what would remain of you without your elegant clothing? Nothing, like the man that you are.”
Christopher stared at her silently for a few moments, stunned.
“A worthless man, I understand,” he muttered finally.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands placed on the table; then he looked up again at her, and Anna knew that her instinct was not wrong: this man was truly dangerous.
Christopher, shocked that this puny nonentity dares to resist, sets up a plan to teach her a lesson in humility, which soon devolves into single-minded obsession. He is intent on insulting, humiliating, and finally ruining her.
when she felt him put one hand on her side and the other on her head, she let him. In silence. She allowed him to run his finger through her curls and softly tousle them. Never ever was there such cruel tenderness . . .
“Good girl,” Christopher finally whispered to her, and he lifted his head. “I see that you understand.”
He moved back far enough to see her face, hanging low and in tears.
“I will let you go, then. For now.”
What he never planned on is to become the victim of his own trap, with the tables turning on him and Anna ending up with all the power in their relationship. At least that was my interpretation of the ambiguous ending. Overall a very compelling read, and quite unusual to see a contemporary book using old bodice-ripping tropes even as it turns them on their heads.
August 5, 2021
The first thing about this book is there is a graphic rape. I knew this before starting the book and was reading it as my Bodice Ripper for Romance Across the Ages. I have such mixed feelings about the book but one thing I can say as a book I was riveted that is why I gave it 5 stars. There is no insta lust or love. Only revenge and a spilled Lemonade that starts the sequence of events in the book for Anna. Christopher's life is told in a series of side comments and thoughts written throughout the book along with flashbacks that tell the reader why he became the evil man he is. But I could not write him off as just a sociopath out to harm Anna. I did have some questions as to how her best friend didn't question her personality change and could the innocent children (Anna's siblings) see that Chris was not truly evil. This book is so different from current styles of writing that it's not a romance as much as what happens when a person lives his life for revenge.
The twist at the ends is......
The twist at the ends is......
July 21, 2023
I called Sean from Stormfire the most terrifying bodice ripper villain I've ever read, and it's here, less than one month later, where I retract that statement. Christopher is our villain, and please don't have illusions about him: he does not find redemption. Like Sean, Christopher wants revenge, and also like Sean, a woman whose biggest crime is proximity is his biggest target.
Christopher's backstory is horrifying. His mother was discarded by several callous men, but one of those men, in particular, is the most responsible. Christopher's father Leopold, who impregnated Christopher's mother, refused to marry her, and left her to destitution. Christopher has a years-long scheme to get revenge for his mother that ultimately ends in wrecking his father. But not until he wrecks Anna first.
At a party, Christopher bumps into Anna and she spills lemonade down her dress. He takes in her shabby gown and frazzled appearance, labels her a social climber, then dismisses her without apology. Anna is, rightly, furious.
Christopher underestimated Anna by thinking she would let it go, and Anna "accidentally" douses him with a glass of lemonade later on that evening.
Starting at this moment, I spent the rest of the book with my gut lurching intermittently. I had a full-body tension similar to the aftereffects of a panic attack. I couldn't look away.
The buildup to Christopher's brutal rape of Anna was so slowly drawn out, like the walk down a dark corridor in a slasher movie, that not only did it feel inevitable, but I fooled myself into thinking the fear was the worst part. I was wrong.
Pennacchi is a master at building fear. Christopher slowly counting to five. Anna measuring the amount of feet away she is from the door. And most brilliantly, the way she uses parenthetical asides to contradict or enhance Anna and Christopher's thoughts.
Christopher is an extremely mercurial villain. He doesn't fully understand what he wants with Anna. Initially, it's to humiliate her, but after his big attempt, he's at a loss. Meanwhile, Anna isn't able to find any type of healing, because Christopher won't leave her alone.
Christopher wants revenge because someone he loved was hurt and abused by a man, his father. He continues the cycle of abuse with Anna, not understanding or caring that he is becoming a mirror of his father. Somewhere in the process of trying to get close to his father in order to pull the trap door, Christopher picked up his habits and his callousness.
This is a romance, so I don't need to be coy about the way it ends in the sense of the relationship, but the end of Christopher's revenge scheme is genuinely shocking, and I can't rob you of that experience.
Christopher's backstory is horrifying. His mother was discarded by several callous men, but one of those men, in particular, is the most responsible. Christopher's father Leopold, who impregnated Christopher's mother, refused to marry her, and left her to destitution. Christopher has a years-long scheme to get revenge for his mother that ultimately ends in wrecking his father. But not until he wrecks Anna first.
At a party, Christopher bumps into Anna and she spills lemonade down her dress. He takes in her shabby gown and frazzled appearance, labels her a social climber, then dismisses her without apology. Anna is, rightly, furious.
Christopher underestimated Anna by thinking she would let it go, and Anna "accidentally" douses him with a glass of lemonade later on that evening.
"With a mixture of horror and primitive joy, she flipped her wrist, and the contents of the glass glistened as they spilled down his immaculate clothing... Fascinated, Anna watched the spot grow larger on the coat and waistcoat of this gentleman, then raised her eyes toward his face. There she discovered that she had started something that perhaps she would not be able to control."
Starting at this moment, I spent the rest of the book with my gut lurching intermittently. I had a full-body tension similar to the aftereffects of a panic attack. I couldn't look away.
The buildup to Christopher's brutal rape of Anna was so slowly drawn out, like the walk down a dark corridor in a slasher movie, that not only did it feel inevitable, but I fooled myself into thinking the fear was the worst part. I was wrong.
Pennacchi is a master at building fear. Christopher slowly counting to five. Anna measuring the amount of feet away she is from the door. And most brilliantly, the way she uses parenthetical asides to contradict or enhance Anna and Christopher's thoughts.
"The silence of the room was punctuated with their irregular breathing and the agitated beating of their hearts.
(Do you hear his heart Anna? It's beating almost as fast as yours, isn't it?)"
Christopher is an extremely mercurial villain. He doesn't fully understand what he wants with Anna. Initially, it's to humiliate her, but after his big attempt, he's at a loss. Meanwhile, Anna isn't able to find any type of healing, because Christopher won't leave her alone.
Christopher wants revenge because someone he loved was hurt and abused by a man, his father. He continues the cycle of abuse with Anna, not understanding or caring that he is becoming a mirror of his father. Somewhere in the process of trying to get close to his father in order to pull the trap door, Christopher picked up his habits and his callousness.
This is a romance, so I don't need to be coy about the way it ends in the sense of the relationship, but the end of Christopher's revenge scheme is genuinely shocking, and I can't rob you of that experience.
Read
August 1, 2021Do I know how to rate this? No
Did I love this? No
Did I hate this? No, again.
Did I hate the hero for brutally raping the heroine? Once again, weirdly no
I definitely couldn't stop reading so there's that. But Irunía was right, there isn't much romance here 😂😂
It could have been, if the ending was a little more fleshed out. Maybe an epilogue later into the future.
I don't really have words to describe this. The whole narrative verged more on realism, especially with the H's failed revenge. The pace for the love story was odd at times, and I think I would have enjoyed this more with a more defined resolution.
The hero was OTT obsessed with the heroine, but he didn't know it. I think that was the most appealing thing about the book, since the reader can see how obsessed he is with her from the first but he doesn't realize until very late in the book.
This isn't a safe read. The hero is with others after meeting the heroine, and I'm a little unsure of the particularities after the marriage, since in his revenge quest he was frequenting whores with his father. At some point it's implied nothing happens, but I can't say for sure.
Did I love this? No
Did I hate this? No, again.
Did I hate the hero for brutally raping the heroine? Once again, weirdly no
I definitely couldn't stop reading so there's that. But Irunía was right, there isn't much romance here 😂😂
It could have been, if the ending was a little more fleshed out. Maybe an epilogue later into the future.
I don't really have words to describe this. The whole narrative verged more on realism, especially with the H's failed revenge. The pace for the love story was odd at times, and I think I would have enjoyed this more with a more defined resolution.
The hero was OTT obsessed with the heroine, but he didn't know it. I think that was the most appealing thing about the book, since the reader can see how obsessed he is with her from the first but he doesn't realize until very late in the book.
This isn't a safe read. The hero is with others after meeting the heroine, and I'm a little unsure of the particularities after the marriage, since in his revenge quest he was frequenting whores with his father. At some point it's implied nothing happens, but I can't say for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2021
Heavens, what an anticlimactic ending to such a disturbingly alluring story. Just when I was sure Christopher would endure the greatest heartbreak in the history of heartbreaks, he got a happy ending. Not that I am complaining (much) I needed him to be happy but I also would have been secretly enthralled to watch him suffer and grovel and beseech for Anna’s forgiveness. I would have loved to see how their newly developed relationship played out. Instead of him just declaring his love for her and it all ending so brusquely. A shame. Truly.
I’ve realized with great dismay, that I’m rather forgiving toward fictional men, no matter how cruel, immoral, imperious or condescending they are. But my boy Christopher put all the morally depraved and questionable characters I have read about to shame. I oscillated between loving him and wanting to gouge his eyes out. I loved how this accursed man seamlessly embedded himself into Anna’s outrageously naive and pure family. His discreet affection for her siblings, his hurtful words to Anna and his small imprudent gestures that belied his true feelings, slowly but inevitably made me fall in love with him. I find it hard to explain the warm feeling that flooded my chest when he was nice to Anna or how he vehemently denied his love for her. Like a child looking longingly at a proffered sweet while refusing to accept it.
Anna’s exasperating sweetness and kindness was a source of great heartbreak for me. I’ve never felt so strongly for any h as I did her. Truly admired her character. This book was heartbreakingly good and I can’t admonish Anna for falling for Chris because I’d unwittingly fallen for him too. And I’m only giving the book 5 stars because it’s my first historical fiction book and I’m fairly certain that had it been a modern day romance I would have given it 1 star. What a delightful way to be introduced to HR world. Feeling blessed. 🥺
I’ve realized with great dismay, that I’m rather forgiving toward fictional men, no matter how cruel, immoral, imperious or condescending they are. But my boy Christopher put all the morally depraved and questionable characters I have read about to shame. I oscillated between loving him and wanting to gouge his eyes out. I loved how this accursed man seamlessly embedded himself into Anna’s outrageously naive and pure family. His discreet affection for her siblings, his hurtful words to Anna and his small imprudent gestures that belied his true feelings, slowly but inevitably made me fall in love with him. I find it hard to explain the warm feeling that flooded my chest when he was nice to Anna or how he vehemently denied his love for her. Like a child looking longingly at a proffered sweet while refusing to accept it.
Anna’s exasperating sweetness and kindness was a source of great heartbreak for me. I’ve never felt so strongly for any h as I did her. Truly admired her character. This book was heartbreakingly good and I can’t admonish Anna for falling for Chris because I’d unwittingly fallen for him too. And I’m only giving the book 5 stars because it’s my first historical fiction book and I’m fairly certain that had it been a modern day romance I would have given it 1 star. What a delightful way to be introduced to HR world. Feeling blessed. 🥺
dnf
November 24, 2015Not sure how this is officially classified, but I got it assuming it was a romance. A modern bodice ripper romance at that! I was excited.
Alas, it's actually more of an attempt at serious historical fiction, something I am RARELY in the mood for.
Reality is a horrible shitty place for many, I get it. Give me some fantasy. If I want horrible, shitty reality, I can turn on the news. Besides I was an English lit major until my Jr year in college. I've been forced to read quite enough horribly depressing, yet meaningful novels and debate them/ write essays. I work for a living doing crap I don't want to do, I don't need to be forced to do anything else unpleasant if I can avoid it :P
I'm not saying this was bad fiction. I honestly didn't read enough of it to judge. It was my first ever refund request from Kindle. I read the last 2 chapters, which usually gives me an idea if I'll like something or not and well... not.
Don't get me wrong, I love some non-pc bodice rippers at times. But, that all hinges on the improbable HEA and the overall romantic unreality and adventure of it all. After reading the last 2 chapters, I'm not sure WTH the ending was. It was very abrupt and cut off just at the moment where it could have been getting good.
I think it was supposed to be more realistic, perhaps? It seemed very unfinished to me. Perhaps it was a 'sorta happy' in the making?
Simply just not my cuppa.
Alas, it's actually more of an attempt at serious historical fiction, something I am RARELY in the mood for.
Reality is a horrible shitty place for many, I get it. Give me some fantasy. If I want horrible, shitty reality, I can turn on the news. Besides I was an English lit major until my Jr year in college. I've been forced to read quite enough horribly depressing, yet meaningful novels and debate them/ write essays. I work for a living doing crap I don't want to do, I don't need to be forced to do anything else unpleasant if I can avoid it :P
I'm not saying this was bad fiction. I honestly didn't read enough of it to judge. It was my first ever refund request from Kindle. I read the last 2 chapters, which usually gives me an idea if I'll like something or not and well... not.
Don't get me wrong, I love some non-pc bodice rippers at times. But, that all hinges on the improbable HEA and the overall romantic unreality and adventure of it all. After reading the last 2 chapters, I'm not sure WTH the ending was. It was very abrupt and cut off just at the moment where it could have been getting good.
I think it was supposed to be more realistic, perhaps? It seemed very unfinished to me. Perhaps it was a 'sorta happy' in the making?
Simply just not my cuppa.
February 7, 2023
The beginning had potential, but then the remainder of the book was just pages and pages of the H/h saying hurtful things to each other. They argued until almost the end of the book that I was not convinced she was in love with him. There was absolutely no mentions of love for the hero on the heroine's part until the 90% mark. The self-admission just came out of nowhere. Like, how can she be in love with him?! She loathed and was terrified of him 90% of the book! There was little to no groveling by the hero. He is very lucky to have her.
Warning: rape, cheating hero (just once, but is it really cheating if he disliked the heroine and thought her beneath him (in terms of rank) when he was tupping another woman?)
I'm not sure why some inner monologue (and there were so many of those!) were in italics and some were inside parentheses. (Yes, I know this is a translated version.) The Kindle version is available on Kindle Unlimited and for a while, I had contemplated on purchasing the Kindle version for $1.94, but after a disappointing read, I know I don't want my own copy of this book.
Warning: rape, cheating hero (just once, but is it really cheating if he disliked the heroine and thought her beneath him (in terms of rank) when he was tupping another woman?)
I'm not sure why some inner monologue (and there were so many of those!) were in italics and some were inside parentheses. (Yes, I know this is a translated version.) The Kindle version is available on Kindle Unlimited and for a while, I had contemplated on purchasing the Kindle version for $1.94, but after a disappointing read, I know I don't want my own copy of this book.
February 17, 2018
Buddy-read with the wonderful Karly! (Her review.)
I'm at a loss as to how to talk about this book. It's not like I condone love stories between a rapist and their victim... but if you're going to write one, this is how you do it.
I don't know that I fully understood what I was getting into when I decided to read this. I had heard there was rape, but I've read lots of books involving rape between the leads. The difference was that the rape in LEMONADE was much more brutal than the "forced seduction" of old bodice rippers, and it was never framed as anything other than that.
The characters were so well drawn that I ended up enjoying this much more than I might otherwise have. Anna was likable and strong, even when she seemingly bent to Christopher's will, and her reactions to him were incredibly realistic. Christopher's most personal inner thoughts were written in such a way that I ended up feeling pity for him even as I hated him. Everything about their story was so heartbreaking in so many ways. He did everything wrong, and the glimmers of hope and love that showed between them were so sad because if only Christopher had acted like a good human being, they could have shared something truly wonderful. Because oh my god, their chemistry was crazy. But their relationship was forever tainted by his initial rape of her, and all the ways he belittled her and held her at his mercy after that.
And the ending kind of killed me.
This is a recent book written in a style similar to other historical romances, yet it hearkens back to the old bodice rippers where rape by the hero was the norm. However, with the profusion of dark romances on the market, where the male leads consistently rape the heroines and then are excused in a variety of insanely frustrating and stupid ways, it was refreshing? I think? to read a romance where this wasn't the case.
I'm at a loss as to how to talk about this book. It's not like I condone love stories between a rapist and their victim... but if you're going to write one, this is how you do it.
I don't know that I fully understood what I was getting into when I decided to read this. I had heard there was rape, but I've read lots of books involving rape between the leads. The difference was that the rape in LEMONADE was much more brutal than the "forced seduction" of old bodice rippers, and it was never framed as anything other than that.
The characters were so well drawn that I ended up enjoying this much more than I might otherwise have. Anna was likable and strong, even when she seemingly bent to Christopher's will, and her reactions to him were incredibly realistic. Christopher's most personal inner thoughts were written in such a way that I ended up feeling pity for him even as I hated him. Everything about their story was so heartbreaking in so many ways. He did everything wrong, and the glimmers of hope and love that showed between them were so sad because if only Christopher had acted like a good human being, they could have shared something truly wonderful. Because oh my god, their chemistry was crazy. But their relationship was forever tainted by his initial rape of her, and all the ways he belittled her and held her at his mercy after that.
And the ending kind of killed me.
This is a recent book written in a style similar to other historical romances, yet it hearkens back to the old bodice rippers where rape by the hero was the norm. However, with the profusion of dark romances on the market, where the male leads consistently rape the heroines and then are excused in a variety of insanely frustrating and stupid ways, it was refreshing? I think? to read a romance where this wasn't the case.
February 13, 2016
I really enjoyed this apart from the quite abrupt ending. For those of you who don't like hero raping heroine this book ain't for you! Myself it didn't stop me from enjoying the story, what can I say but I love obsessed anti hero's!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2025
Update 07/2025: I now know what to rate this book, since I remember it as vividly a year later as I did the moment I read it, and it impacts me still.
Initial review:
I have no earthly idea how to rate this book. I’m glad it was a buddy read with Paige and Izzah, because it’s good to have support around when you realize that the “dark” romance you’re reading is, as Paige put it, the real deal. This went beyond darkness. It was the complete absence of light.
If you are considering reading this as a romance…don’t. The interactions between the two main characters went from bad to awful to horrifying, and lingered in “horrifying” from the 30% point to the 98% point. Note to all authors: at the 98% point of a novel, don’t try to convince me I’ve just read a love story because I’m not having it. Nope. No.
But it is a brilliantly written character study of a man with a broken soul who has fashioned himself into a creature of hate and a weapon of revenge, who drags an unwilling woman into his toxic orbit because he simply cannot walk away from her and taints her life with bleakness and an occasional flash of vulnerability. It has complexity, richness, depth, and no easy answers. I loved it, and feel uneasy that I did.
So there you have it:
A 1-star romance.
A 5-star novel.
Initial review:
I have no earthly idea how to rate this book. I’m glad it was a buddy read with Paige and Izzah, because it’s good to have support around when you realize that the “dark” romance you’re reading is, as Paige put it, the real deal. This went beyond darkness. It was the complete absence of light.
If you are considering reading this as a romance…don’t. The interactions between the two main characters went from bad to awful to horrifying, and lingered in “horrifying” from the 30% point to the 98% point. Note to all authors: at the 98% point of a novel, don’t try to convince me I’ve just read a love story because I’m not having it. Nope. No.
But it is a brilliantly written character study of a man with a broken soul who has fashioned himself into a creature of hate and a weapon of revenge, who drags an unwilling woman into his toxic orbit because he simply cannot walk away from her and taints her life with bleakness and an occasional flash of vulnerability. It has complexity, richness, depth, and no easy answers. I loved it, and feel uneasy that I did.
So there you have it:
A 1-star romance.
A 5-star novel.
March 19, 2022
"I love him.... I love Christopher. And my soul will burn with his in the end."💔
It is almost impossible to imagine that, given the events of this book, I could give it a high rating. But the way the author conveyed the story, no matter how gruesome and ugly it was, was honestly very artistic in a literary world. I couldn't put it down until the very end.
This is the dark story of Anna and Christopher and their doomed before it even began romance. How Anna accidently fell in front of Christopher, who was on a blinding revenge path. How she got caught in the web, and it destroyed her innocence and life.
This story is not about a hero seeking revenge, and upon meeting the heroine, he becomes a better person. No, in here, our anti-hero and villian Christopher was un-redeemable throughout the book. He was cruel, cold, unjust, a rapist and abusive. Yet somehow, through the delicate writing of the author, do we see a human side to his character.
He was repressed emotionally, unable to comprehend his emotions throughout his life. Unaware that he was experiencing love, warmth, jealousy compassion and forgiveness. When he experienced brotherly love and loyality towards Matt his cousin, who stayed noble to his side throughout his revenge journey. And later respect towards his half- brother Daniel.
When he experienced a possessive, passionate love and extreme jealously.. towards Anna, that at the time drove him to unexplainable and unforgivable actions, for raping her. He was still unable to know what those feelings meant. (I respected that the author didn't romanticize this scene, but rather made it ugly, raw and unforgiving, as how it should be realistically)
When he experienced selfless love and protective kinship towards her family. He was unable to understand that his actions reflected those emotions that he was unable to name, until the very end.
Because unfortunately for him, his negative emotions surpassed him greatly, and clouded his judgements, emotions and his life in the end. Such as his hate toward his father Leopold, his desire to avenge his mother,... the shame, humilliation and intense rage toward his own circumstances at birth and during his childhood was the final stake.
Anna was resilient throughout the story, given all the horrific events that happened to her. She was an innocent and happy person before meeting Christopher. Who had a strong responsibility towards taking care of her siblings and father. And after meeting Christopher, her life took for the worst, and she almost became a shell of her self. Yet she was able to see through the dark cold and hard exterior of Christopher, and was able to recognize his false threats towards her, and her family, to know that he was desperate for a love that he never ever had.
I think the broken doll in the end, symbolizes Christopher and her, and how she was able to sew it back together, and still find beauty in all that was broken and ugly.
I wish the ending didn't leave me wanting to know more about what happened to his despicable father, what happened to the farmers, and how Daniel would react knowing the truth about his brother. And how his life with Anna was after all that was said and done.
The perfect ending for me, would have Daniel and Christopher to join forces and kill their father. And after Christopher has finally avenged his mother, and finally felt what true love really was, to get killed by Anna in the end. It would be a tragic ending, to a very tragic tale from the beginning. But, it would be justified 💔
Rating 4.5 unforgiving and unforgettable stars 🌟
It is almost impossible to imagine that, given the events of this book, I could give it a high rating. But the way the author conveyed the story, no matter how gruesome and ugly it was, was honestly very artistic in a literary world. I couldn't put it down until the very end.
This is the dark story of Anna and Christopher and their doomed before it even began romance. How Anna accidently fell in front of Christopher, who was on a blinding revenge path. How she got caught in the web, and it destroyed her innocence and life.
This story is not about a hero seeking revenge, and upon meeting the heroine, he becomes a better person. No, in here, our anti-hero and villian Christopher was un-redeemable throughout the book. He was cruel, cold, unjust, a rapist and abusive. Yet somehow, through the delicate writing of the author, do we see a human side to his character.
He was repressed emotionally, unable to comprehend his emotions throughout his life. Unaware that he was experiencing love, warmth, jealousy compassion and forgiveness. When he experienced brotherly love and loyality towards Matt his cousin, who stayed noble to his side throughout his revenge journey. And later respect towards his half- brother Daniel.
When he experienced a possessive, passionate love and extreme jealously.. towards Anna, that at the time drove him to unexplainable and unforgivable actions, for raping her. He was still unable to know what those feelings meant. (I respected that the author didn't romanticize this scene, but rather made it ugly, raw and unforgiving, as how it should be realistically)
When he experienced selfless love and protective kinship towards her family. He was unable to understand that his actions reflected those emotions that he was unable to name, until the very end.
Because unfortunately for him, his negative emotions surpassed him greatly, and clouded his judgements, emotions and his life in the end. Such as his hate toward his father Leopold, his desire to avenge his mother,... the shame, humilliation and intense rage toward his own circumstances at birth and during his childhood was the final stake.
Anna was resilient throughout the story, given all the horrific events that happened to her. She was an innocent and happy person before meeting Christopher. Who had a strong responsibility towards taking care of her siblings and father. And after meeting Christopher, her life took for the worst, and she almost became a shell of her self. Yet she was able to see through the dark cold and hard exterior of Christopher, and was able to recognize his false threats towards her, and her family, to know that he was desperate for a love that he never ever had.
I think the broken doll in the end, symbolizes Christopher and her, and how she was able to sew it back together, and still find beauty in all that was broken and ugly.
I wish the ending didn't leave me wanting to know more about what happened to his despicable father, what happened to the farmers, and how Daniel would react knowing the truth about his brother. And how his life with Anna was after all that was said and done.
The perfect ending for me, would have Daniel and Christopher to join forces and kill their father. And after Christopher has finally avenged his mother, and finally felt what true love really was, to get killed by Anna in the end. It would be a tragic ending, to a very tragic tale from the beginning. But, it would be justified 💔
Rating 4.5 unforgiving and unforgettable stars 🌟
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February 15, 2022I didn’t even read this story, but ch. 12 only cuz I wanted to read the rape scene of H takin’ h virginity.
June 18, 2022
If you ever had a time in your life where you thought to yourself, "What would Pride and Prejudice have been like if Mr. Darcy was a historical version of Carter Mahoney and acted like a complete psychopath, stalking and repeatedly and unapologetically raping Elizabeth"... well, you're in luck! This book satisfies that question, and the world is honestly a better place with this book existing 🥲🥰. Thank you, author. 👏👏
In case the above description didn't make it obvious enough, this novel is veryyy triggering, dark, and not fluffy. But I wouldn't have it any other way. It is close to perfection, and I loved reading this entire crazy psychotic trip.
This is a "regency romance" story about Anna and Christopher. Anna is a feisty, adorable nerdy shut-in, who hates going to balls and social gatherings. Basically, Anna is a real mood. 💅
She has a razor sharp tongue and quick wit, but is a softie inside. Anna gets forced to go to a ball by her best friend Lucy (who is gorgeous and traditionally beautiful, unlike Anna who is more plain). There, Anna gets to awkwardly stand around as a third wheel to her friend Lucy and Anna's secret crush, Daniel. Anna knows that Daniel is in love with Lucy, and tries her best to act normal and casual.
This is where our "hero," Christopher, comes in. He is a scoundrel and illegitimate son of Daniel's asshole father. His mom worked as a prostitute and committed suicide in front of him, traumatizing his young mind forever. He lived in the brothel, almost got his ass sold off to some old pedo pervert, ran away to live on the streets, and eventually got adopted.
As a result, Christopher swore vengeance on his half brother Daniel and his father. He comes to the ball in the hopes of stealing the woman his half brother wants (Lucy) for his evil revenge. He ends up bumping into Anna on the way over to enact his great seduction plan, and spills his lemonade all over her dress. Seeing that Anna is plain and not rich (and therefore unworthy of attention or apology), he ignores her and just walks on. Anna is fuming, and she decides to get even with him. She takes her opportunity multiple times throughout the ball, cockblocking him from her friend Lucy, kicking him in the shins during the dance, and "accidentally" tossing her lemonade on him. By the end, she feels guilty, but also gets an ominous feeling from the crazed look that Christopher gives her.
"Fascinated, Anna watched the spot grow larger on the coat and waistcoat of this gentleman, then raised her eyes toward his face. There she discovered that she had started something that perhaps she would not be able to control."
Oh, sweet summer child. Little does she know that she just got the attention of an unhinged, obsessive psycho...
This book is genius in subverting expectations you have from the beginning. Y'see, the author is a sneaky bitch (and I mean that in the best way possible ❤). She starts the novel with the two protagonists, Anna and Christopher, meeting in the fluffiest meet cute way possible. It's hate(???) at first sight, with cute bickering and back and forth jabs at each other. At first, it looks like an adorable romance, very similar to Pride and Prejudice. We have the wallflower, witty heroine who hates the boorish hero. The gruff, rich angry hero that slights the heroine at first and looks down on her as a social climber, but becomes infatuated with her after she puts him in his place. The beautiful best friend that all men are chasing, but is a good friend to the heroine. The heroine's prince charming crush who seems to like someone else, and has a sketchy sounding past.
But THEN. Everything as you know it comes crashing down. You slowly get peeks into the hero's deranged thoughts, and gradually start to realize that he is completely unhinged and unapologetically evil. You get the same sinking feeling alongside the heroine that she is in over her head, and this guy is actually really fucking SCARY. Her crush, whom we were lead to believe is shallow and likes her beautiful friend? We find out he's actually a great guy, and one of the nicest and most supportive people in the entire book.
He's actually in love with the heroine, respects her, and fights for what's best for her. But because of our psycho villain hero, this wholesome and healthy pairing gets completely ripped to shreds. And the "hero" revels in the fact he destroyed it, dancing in the ashes of this ruined coupling💃.
The heroine, Anna:
Anna was such a cutie. Just the right amount of acidity to her sweetness. I loved that she kept kicking people's shins in attempts to get out of awkward situations, like a little gremlin 🤣. She was actually very nice and selfless to those around her though, sacrificing herself for her family. Although she fought back against Christopher, she tried for the most part to keep away from him and did not go out of her way to find him and antagonize him. The poor girl had no chance though - the dude was completely obsessed with her since their first meeting and stalked her everywhere.
I felt so bad for her after she was raped 🥺. My poor little cinammonroll. Christopher was such a bastard to her. I liked that she didn't immediately go through betraying body syndrome and suddenly fall all over her rapist. Instead, she was traumatized and kept trying to give Christopher reasons why he could just leave her alone without marrying her. By the end, she was so beaten down and defeated that she stays with Christopher, comforted by his confession that he at least is in love with her. She admits to herself that she's in love with him too and will burn in hell with him, but I honestly don't know how much of that is real and how much of that is the Stockholm syndrome talking 👀.
Our "hero," Christopher:
Hoo boy. It's been a while since I've read a book where the hero was this unrepentantly evil. It was fascinating to read his delusional thought processes, and how unapologetic he was for doing terrible things 🤣. He can have moments of self awareness where he outright admits to being evil and doing horrendous things... and then literally within the same paragraph wonder why Anna is unhappy and fears him.
Here were a few gems from the mind of this psycho:
After violently slapping the heroine around and raping her in an abandoned house:
“Now are you going to kill me?”
Christopher was so stunned that for several moments he couldn’t even open his mouth. “Kill you? Of course not,” he answered, running a hand through his hair. “I will marry you, naturally.”
After he tells her she's stupid for not considering that she might be pregnant after he just violently raped her:
Silently, she gave him a look of desperation mixed with contempt. This girl was supposed to stop making him feel guilty, Christopher decided. Perhaps there was a need to clear things up a bit. “I will marry you therefore, and quickly, because I intend to assume my responsibilities. Although you did deserve it, since you provoked me to do the unthinkable.”
Yes, why doesn't she just get over it and stop guilt tripping him, GAWD. It's already been, like, 3 minutes after the rape. WOMEN, right? 🙄 If only she didn't provoke him to rape her.
After his cousin and Anna's friend start bringing up the coincidence of her "illness" after the rape incident:
“Oh, it was nothing,” Anna mumbled, growing paler. If she continues like this, Christopher said to himself, she will disappear right in front of my eyes. But don’t these two realize the agony Anna is in? What a couple of insensitive fools!
Thinks her rapist unironically.
After purposefully contradicting her in front of her family's children:
Anna turned to him furiously, and Christopher felt an elated pang stab him in the gut. You are looking at me, Anna. You are looking at me.
He's so creepy 😂.
“Stop it. I’m not going to do anything.” He stared at Matthew innocently, then even gave him a smile. “In fact, I will try to treat her better from now on.” At least, until just after the wedding. I don’t want to scare her.
Going into the wedding with all the right intentions 🥰.
“What are you doing in my room?” she asked, frozen in the doorway. “Put down that doll and leave.”
I really don’t think so, witch. “Come in and close the door,” he ordered her softly. “And don’t even attempt to debate it, unless you want me to pull you in here by the hair.”
Oh boi.
He smiled, relaxed and serene, but inside he was putting out flames. “Because, my dear wife,” he said quietly, “I have decided that you will pay for your lack of discipline with your family members from now on.”
[...]
“Quiet. I’m not here to argue with you. I only came to tell you that I will not put up with other rebellions on your part.” Because you are mine. “You belong to me, Anna. And it’s time you understood that.”
“I just want . . . just to touch you . . .” He turned with his mouth on hers. “I’ll stay out, Anna, dear.” [...]
“Chris?” He barely penetrated her—half an inch maybe. “That’s my hand, my love.”
But weren’t his hands touching her nipples, caressing them gently?
Your man really pulled a "just the tip" on his traumatized wife, then deadass lied to her face about his dick being his hand when both his hands are occupied 🤦♀️😂
Literally after he raped her again:
She tried to remove his arms from her sides, but his grasp was very strong, and he got even closer to her. “Christopher! It’s late. Let me go.” She’s still afraid of me. God, will she ever get over that?
My wife won't stop acting traumatized after I keep traumatizing her. I've tried nothing and am out of ideas.
After Anna tries to convince Christopher to not be a garbage human that evicts a poor widow from property he bought up in a scummy deal:
Maddening, this woman is maddening, he thought when he saw her shake her head. Is she ever happy?
Make no mistake - this "hero" is a horrible villain. He repeatedly slapped and violently raped Anna, forced her to marry him by constantly threatening her with the lives of her family, isolates her and tries to separate her from her family, mocked her with his piece of shit father and then got jealous when his half brother defended her honor, let his father harass her to the point where Anna assumed he would start pimping her out to him (then violently raged when she suggested he wanted that), and expresses very misogynistic ideas of women and their place. Not to mention that he goes back on his promises to Anna, doing whatever suits him in the moment. This "hero" was a real and true rake. Yet I loved reading about him - I couldn't bring myself to actually hate him, because it was so entertaining to watch him act insane and flounder around, unapologetically pissing around Anna to mark her as his property. A lot of the things he did or thought were to be somewhat expected for the times, and as the book pounds into us, Christopher is no prince charming. He is a villain, and a worse human than most of the other characters in this book. I think other than his garbage father and the pedophile would-be rapist in his childhood, he is probably the evilest villain in this story. And that's what makes it so unique and entertaining to read. There are no consequences for Christopher's evil actions of raping Anna. He gets away with it all, and is happy that he got to steal the girl he's obsessed with. And I'm just fine with that 👀.
I also loved how obvious it was that he was crazy obsessed with the heroine since the beginning. He kept actively seeking her out and stalking her, staring creepily at her, and right away pounced on marrying her even though she had no money, good pedigree, and was supposed to be average looking. There was real, animalistic chemistry between the two of them.
Interestingly enough, even though the hero cheated on the heroine during their marriage, this is one of the few times where it didn't bother me that much? I think it's just the way it was handled, with the hero only doing it because of his stupid revenge plan, it's not really described graphically, the heroine told him she'd rather he do that than touch her, and it's made very obvious that he didn't even enjoy cheating and wanted to be with the heroine. There is never a question that the hero is completely obsessed with the heroine or that she's "the one" for him. It also helps that this is a historical book, so the attitudes are somewhat reflected in it, along with the fact that the cheating was probably one of the less evil things the hero does 💀.
My main complaint for this story would probably be the abrupt ending and no satisfying resolution about getting revenge on his asshole father. I wish the story was a bit longer and had an epilogue showing their married life years later and the dad being ruined somehow. The story just kind of cuts off after the hero admits he loves the heroine. On the other hand, I'm glad that the book showed the hero finally admitting he was in love with the heroine since the beginning. Had to laugh at how his big emotional reveal was that he raped her in the heat of the moment out of LOVE instead of because of his plan for revenge 💀. Such a romantic, that Chris.
All in all, I loved reading this book and wish there were more books in this style. Who would've thought I loved the combination of regency romance with unhinged, psychotic rapist stalkers? It was like an Alice Coldbreath novel, but with a pure evil "hero". I'm all here for it 😈.
Honorable mention for one of my favorite scenes, where the heroine left the party to go chill in the house's library, and the hero stalked her over there. Homegirl just wanted to read some books, but the hero ends up making out with the heroine's friend's milf mom inside the library... KNOWING THE HEROINE IS HIDING AWKWARDLY IN THERE. Poor girl was stuck hiding under the table waiting for them to stop making out 😭😂.
Then the hero shoos the milf away and is all creepy like "I know you're in here, come out come out wherever you are" and I'm like YO THAT'S HOT BUT ALSO VERY SCARY 😱🔥.
Safety:
* Heroine is an innocent virgin, never even been kissed until the hero forcefully takes her first kiss.
* Hero definitely not a virgin. He's a manwhore, slept with lots of women casually (mostly using married women for one night stands).
* Has cheating on hero's part, although it's not really described much. After he forcefully kisses the heroine, he has sex with Lucy's milf mom to "extinguish the flames" he was feeling for heroine. Didn't really help though. He also repeatedly goes to brothels with his father to earn his trust for revenge (yeah the dad is garbage lol), even after marrying the heroine. The heroine told him he can go be with other women, because she didn't want him to touch her after he had raped her. (Newsflash: even though he promised her he wouldn't touch her, he rapes her during their marriage too.)
* REALLY GRAPHIC RAPE OF HEROINE BY HERO. The rape scene was actually quite brutal - the hero slaps the heroine around, and she bleeds a lot and doesn't enjoy it, getting PTSD and becoming depressed. The hero also lies to her, molests her, and rapes her again after they're married. The second time, she does kind of enjoy it because he takes his time pleasuring her too.
* OM drama: sort of. The heroine had a crush on the OM at first, and when he proposed to her, she agreed at first, and they kissed. But after thinking about it more, she realized she only thought of him as a friend and rejected his proposal. (At this point, she thought of the hero, so she already liked him but didn't realize it.) The hero misunderstands and thinks she is in love with the OM and will marry him, so he goes looking for her and rapes her so she will belong to him instead. Throughout the story, the hero is madly jealous of the OM, thinking the heroine is in love with him. There's also some gross OM drama with the hero's disgusting sadist of a father, who tries to molest and flirt with her to make her uncomfortable. The hero doesn't defend her from him (because he prioritizes his revenge plan), so the heroine asks him if he expects her to sleep with his father. The hero goes into a jealous rage and tells her never to hint that again.
* OW drama: there's cheating, but the hero is honestly completely obsessed with the heroine. At first, he was planning on seducing the heroine's more attractive and rich friend, Lucy. But very quickly his plans derail, and he's unable to smoothly seduce her because he's always only staring at the heroine and stalking the heroine. He also seduces and sleeps with Lucy's milf mom, but no feelings were involved there. He sleeps with prostitutes in brothels for the sake of his revenge plan against his father.
* HEA with no epilogue and no babies yet.
In case the above description didn't make it obvious enough, this novel is veryyy triggering, dark, and not fluffy. But I wouldn't have it any other way. It is close to perfection, and I loved reading this entire crazy psychotic trip.
This is a "regency romance" story about Anna and Christopher. Anna is a feisty, adorable nerdy shut-in, who hates going to balls and social gatherings. Basically, Anna is a real mood. 💅
She has a razor sharp tongue and quick wit, but is a softie inside. Anna gets forced to go to a ball by her best friend Lucy (who is gorgeous and traditionally beautiful, unlike Anna who is more plain). There, Anna gets to awkwardly stand around as a third wheel to her friend Lucy and Anna's secret crush, Daniel. Anna knows that Daniel is in love with Lucy, and tries her best to act normal and casual.
This is where our "hero," Christopher, comes in. He is a scoundrel and illegitimate son of Daniel's asshole father. His mom worked as a prostitute and committed suicide in front of him, traumatizing his young mind forever. He lived in the brothel, almost got his ass sold off to some old pedo pervert, ran away to live on the streets, and eventually got adopted.
As a result, Christopher swore vengeance on his half brother Daniel and his father. He comes to the ball in the hopes of stealing the woman his half brother wants (Lucy) for his evil revenge. He ends up bumping into Anna on the way over to enact his great seduction plan, and spills his lemonade all over her dress. Seeing that Anna is plain and not rich (and therefore unworthy of attention or apology), he ignores her and just walks on. Anna is fuming, and she decides to get even with him. She takes her opportunity multiple times throughout the ball, cockblocking him from her friend Lucy, kicking him in the shins during the dance, and "accidentally" tossing her lemonade on him. By the end, she feels guilty, but also gets an ominous feeling from the crazed look that Christopher gives her.
"Fascinated, Anna watched the spot grow larger on the coat and waistcoat of this gentleman, then raised her eyes toward his face. There she discovered that she had started something that perhaps she would not be able to control."
Oh, sweet summer child. Little does she know that she just got the attention of an unhinged, obsessive psycho...
This book is genius in subverting expectations you have from the beginning. Y'see, the author is a sneaky bitch (and I mean that in the best way possible ❤). She starts the novel with the two protagonists, Anna and Christopher, meeting in the fluffiest meet cute way possible. It's hate(???) at first sight, with cute bickering and back and forth jabs at each other. At first, it looks like an adorable romance, very similar to Pride and Prejudice. We have the wallflower, witty heroine who hates the boorish hero. The gruff, rich angry hero that slights the heroine at first and looks down on her as a social climber, but becomes infatuated with her after she puts him in his place. The beautiful best friend that all men are chasing, but is a good friend to the heroine. The heroine's prince charming crush who seems to like someone else, and has a sketchy sounding past.
But THEN. Everything as you know it comes crashing down. You slowly get peeks into the hero's deranged thoughts, and gradually start to realize that he is completely unhinged and unapologetically evil. You get the same sinking feeling alongside the heroine that she is in over her head, and this guy is actually really fucking SCARY. Her crush, whom we were lead to believe is shallow and likes her beautiful friend? We find out he's actually a great guy, and one of the nicest and most supportive people in the entire book.
He's actually in love with the heroine, respects her, and fights for what's best for her. But because of our psycho villain hero, this wholesome and healthy pairing gets completely ripped to shreds. And the "hero" revels in the fact he destroyed it, dancing in the ashes of this ruined coupling💃.
The heroine, Anna:
Anna was such a cutie. Just the right amount of acidity to her sweetness. I loved that she kept kicking people's shins in attempts to get out of awkward situations, like a little gremlin 🤣. She was actually very nice and selfless to those around her though, sacrificing herself for her family. Although she fought back against Christopher, she tried for the most part to keep away from him and did not go out of her way to find him and antagonize him. The poor girl had no chance though - the dude was completely obsessed with her since their first meeting and stalked her everywhere.
I felt so bad for her after she was raped 🥺. My poor little cinammonroll. Christopher was such a bastard to her. I liked that she didn't immediately go through betraying body syndrome and suddenly fall all over her rapist. Instead, she was traumatized and kept trying to give Christopher reasons why he could just leave her alone without marrying her. By the end, she was so beaten down and defeated that she stays with Christopher, comforted by his confession that he at least is in love with her. She admits to herself that she's in love with him too and will burn in hell with him, but I honestly don't know how much of that is real and how much of that is the Stockholm syndrome talking 👀.
Our "hero," Christopher:
Hoo boy. It's been a while since I've read a book where the hero was this unrepentantly evil. It was fascinating to read his delusional thought processes, and how unapologetic he was for doing terrible things 🤣. He can have moments of self awareness where he outright admits to being evil and doing horrendous things... and then literally within the same paragraph wonder why Anna is unhappy and fears him.
Here were a few gems from the mind of this psycho:
After violently slapping the heroine around and raping her in an abandoned house:
“Now are you going to kill me?”
Christopher was so stunned that for several moments he couldn’t even open his mouth. “Kill you? Of course not,” he answered, running a hand through his hair. “I will marry you, naturally.”
After he tells her she's stupid for not considering that she might be pregnant after he just violently raped her:
Silently, she gave him a look of desperation mixed with contempt. This girl was supposed to stop making him feel guilty, Christopher decided. Perhaps there was a need to clear things up a bit. “I will marry you therefore, and quickly, because I intend to assume my responsibilities. Although you did deserve it, since you provoked me to do the unthinkable.”
Yes, why doesn't she just get over it and stop guilt tripping him, GAWD. It's already been, like, 3 minutes after the rape. WOMEN, right? 🙄 If only she didn't provoke him to rape her.
After his cousin and Anna's friend start bringing up the coincidence of her "illness" after the rape incident:
“Oh, it was nothing,” Anna mumbled, growing paler. If she continues like this, Christopher said to himself, she will disappear right in front of my eyes. But don’t these two realize the agony Anna is in? What a couple of insensitive fools!
Thinks her rapist unironically.
After purposefully contradicting her in front of her family's children:
Anna turned to him furiously, and Christopher felt an elated pang stab him in the gut. You are looking at me, Anna. You are looking at me.
He's so creepy 😂.
“Stop it. I’m not going to do anything.” He stared at Matthew innocently, then even gave him a smile. “In fact, I will try to treat her better from now on.” At least, until just after the wedding. I don’t want to scare her.
Going into the wedding with all the right intentions 🥰.
“What are you doing in my room?” she asked, frozen in the doorway. “Put down that doll and leave.”
I really don’t think so, witch. “Come in and close the door,” he ordered her softly. “And don’t even attempt to debate it, unless you want me to pull you in here by the hair.”
Oh boi.
He smiled, relaxed and serene, but inside he was putting out flames. “Because, my dear wife,” he said quietly, “I have decided that you will pay for your lack of discipline with your family members from now on.”
[...]
“Quiet. I’m not here to argue with you. I only came to tell you that I will not put up with other rebellions on your part.” Because you are mine. “You belong to me, Anna. And it’s time you understood that.”
“I just want . . . just to touch you . . .” He turned with his mouth on hers. “I’ll stay out, Anna, dear.” [...]
“Chris?” He barely penetrated her—half an inch maybe. “That’s my hand, my love.”
But weren’t his hands touching her nipples, caressing them gently?
Your man really pulled a "just the tip" on his traumatized wife, then deadass lied to her face about his dick being his hand when both his hands are occupied 🤦♀️😂
Literally after he raped her again:
She tried to remove his arms from her sides, but his grasp was very strong, and he got even closer to her. “Christopher! It’s late. Let me go.” She’s still afraid of me. God, will she ever get over that?
My wife won't stop acting traumatized after I keep traumatizing her. I've tried nothing and am out of ideas.
After Anna tries to convince Christopher to not be a garbage human that evicts a poor widow from property he bought up in a scummy deal:
Maddening, this woman is maddening, he thought when he saw her shake her head. Is she ever happy?
Make no mistake - this "hero" is a horrible villain. He repeatedly slapped and violently raped Anna, forced her to marry him by constantly threatening her with the lives of her family, isolates her and tries to separate her from her family, mocked her with his piece of shit father and then got jealous when his half brother defended her honor, let his father harass her to the point where Anna assumed he would start pimping her out to him (then violently raged when she suggested he wanted that), and expresses very misogynistic ideas of women and their place. Not to mention that he goes back on his promises to Anna, doing whatever suits him in the moment. This "hero" was a real and true rake. Yet I loved reading about him - I couldn't bring myself to actually hate him, because it was so entertaining to watch him act insane and flounder around, unapologetically pissing around Anna to mark her as his property. A lot of the things he did or thought were to be somewhat expected for the times, and as the book pounds into us, Christopher is no prince charming. He is a villain, and a worse human than most of the other characters in this book. I think other than his garbage father and the pedophile would-be rapist in his childhood, he is probably the evilest villain in this story. And that's what makes it so unique and entertaining to read. There are no consequences for Christopher's evil actions of raping Anna. He gets away with it all, and is happy that he got to steal the girl he's obsessed with. And I'm just fine with that 👀.
I also loved how obvious it was that he was crazy obsessed with the heroine since the beginning. He kept actively seeking her out and stalking her, staring creepily at her, and right away pounced on marrying her even though she had no money, good pedigree, and was supposed to be average looking. There was real, animalistic chemistry between the two of them.
Interestingly enough, even though the hero cheated on the heroine during their marriage, this is one of the few times where it didn't bother me that much? I think it's just the way it was handled, with the hero only doing it because of his stupid revenge plan, it's not really described graphically, the heroine told him she'd rather he do that than touch her, and it's made very obvious that he didn't even enjoy cheating and wanted to be with the heroine. There is never a question that the hero is completely obsessed with the heroine or that she's "the one" for him. It also helps that this is a historical book, so the attitudes are somewhat reflected in it, along with the fact that the cheating was probably one of the less evil things the hero does 💀.
My main complaint for this story would probably be the abrupt ending and no satisfying resolution about getting revenge on his asshole father. I wish the story was a bit longer and had an epilogue showing their married life years later and the dad being ruined somehow. The story just kind of cuts off after the hero admits he loves the heroine. On the other hand, I'm glad that the book showed the hero finally admitting he was in love with the heroine since the beginning. Had to laugh at how his big emotional reveal was that he raped her in the heat of the moment out of LOVE instead of because of his plan for revenge 💀. Such a romantic, that Chris.
All in all, I loved reading this book and wish there were more books in this style. Who would've thought I loved the combination of regency romance with unhinged, psychotic rapist stalkers? It was like an Alice Coldbreath novel, but with a pure evil "hero". I'm all here for it 😈.
Honorable mention for one of my favorite scenes, where the heroine left the party to go chill in the house's library, and the hero stalked her over there. Homegirl just wanted to read some books, but the hero ends up making out with the heroine's friend's milf mom inside the library... KNOWING THE HEROINE IS HIDING AWKWARDLY IN THERE. Poor girl was stuck hiding under the table waiting for them to stop making out 😭😂.
Then the hero shoos the milf away and is all creepy like "I know you're in here, come out come out wherever you are" and I'm like YO THAT'S HOT BUT ALSO VERY SCARY 😱🔥.
Safety:
* Heroine is an innocent virgin, never even been kissed until the hero forcefully takes her first kiss.
* Hero definitely not a virgin. He's a manwhore, slept with lots of women casually (mostly using married women for one night stands).
* Has cheating on hero's part, although it's not really described much. After he forcefully kisses the heroine, he has sex with Lucy's milf mom to "extinguish the flames" he was feeling for heroine. Didn't really help though. He also repeatedly goes to brothels with his father to earn his trust for revenge (yeah the dad is garbage lol), even after marrying the heroine. The heroine told him he can go be with other women, because she didn't want him to touch her after he had raped her. (Newsflash: even though he promised her he wouldn't touch her, he rapes her during their marriage too.)
* REALLY GRAPHIC RAPE OF HEROINE BY HERO. The rape scene was actually quite brutal - the hero slaps the heroine around, and she bleeds a lot and doesn't enjoy it, getting PTSD and becoming depressed. The hero also lies to her, molests her, and rapes her again after they're married. The second time, she does kind of enjoy it because he takes his time pleasuring her too.
* OM drama: sort of. The heroine had a crush on the OM at first, and when he proposed to her, she agreed at first, and they kissed. But after thinking about it more, she realized she only thought of him as a friend and rejected his proposal. (At this point, she thought of the hero, so she already liked him but didn't realize it.) The hero misunderstands and thinks she is in love with the OM and will marry him, so he goes looking for her and rapes her so she will belong to him instead. Throughout the story, the hero is madly jealous of the OM, thinking the heroine is in love with him. There's also some gross OM drama with the hero's disgusting sadist of a father, who tries to molest and flirt with her to make her uncomfortable. The hero doesn't defend her from him (because he prioritizes his revenge plan), so the heroine asks him if he expects her to sleep with his father. The hero goes into a jealous rage and tells her never to hint that again.
* OW drama: there's cheating, but the hero is honestly completely obsessed with the heroine. At first, he was planning on seducing the heroine's more attractive and rich friend, Lucy. But very quickly his plans derail, and he's unable to smoothly seduce her because he's always only staring at the heroine and stalking the heroine. He also seduces and sleeps with Lucy's milf mom, but no feelings were involved there. He sleeps with prostitutes in brothels for the sake of his revenge plan against his father.
* HEA with no epilogue and no babies yet.
July 3, 2021
I've been pining for months to read this and when I finally found it, I didn't hesitate to dive in despite the many trigger warnings. It is one of the most twisted fucked up story I've ever read but nevertheless a love story.
I just finished it and I feel exhausted, emotionally drained and absolutely confused over what these emotions swirling inside me are. With how justifiable hating Christopher should be as he technically is the villian I just couldn't bring myself to hate him.
"Lemonade" is a book which is hard to read and difficult to box in one category, it is diverse in its dealing with rape,abusive childhood and love, its realistic in its character's decisions and choices. Not even one character in this, is one dimensional, they are intricately complexed and flawed, some monstrously and some beautifully. Reading this will make you recognize how thin the line between love and hate actually is.
“And you, Anna?” he asked in a whisper. He put his other hand on her hip as well. “Is it possible that . . . that you feel some kind of, you know . . . love, maybe . . . for me?”
She kept her head down and didn’t answer.
“If not love, then perhaps a warm friendship. I would be happy with even a light indifference, you know.”
He put a finger on her mouth and realized she was faintly smiling. He embraced her, pulling her toward him, and he gave her a kiss on her head. He leaned his face over to look at her sweet profile. “A moderate dislike?” he attempted again. “Or even an excessive hatred?”
Anna grinned. “Maybe,” she murmured.
“An excessive hatred? Is that your answer?” He smiled as well, an annoying hoarseness settling in his throat.“That seems to me to be the perfect grounds for a marriage, wouldn’t you say?”
I just finished it and I feel exhausted, emotionally drained and absolutely confused over what these emotions swirling inside me are. With how justifiable hating Christopher should be as he technically is the villian I just couldn't bring myself to hate him.
"Lemonade" is a book which is hard to read and difficult to box in one category, it is diverse in its dealing with rape,abusive childhood and love, its realistic in its character's decisions and choices. Not even one character in this, is one dimensional, they are intricately complexed and flawed, some monstrously and some beautifully. Reading this will make you recognize how thin the line between love and hate actually is.
“And you, Anna?” he asked in a whisper. He put his other hand on her hip as well. “Is it possible that . . . that you feel some kind of, you know . . . love, maybe . . . for me?”
She kept her head down and didn’t answer.
“If not love, then perhaps a warm friendship. I would be happy with even a light indifference, you know.”
He put a finger on her mouth and realized she was faintly smiling. He embraced her, pulling her toward him, and he gave her a kiss on her head. He leaned his face over to look at her sweet profile. “A moderate dislike?” he attempted again. “Or even an excessive hatred?”
Anna grinned. “Maybe,” she murmured.
“An excessive hatred? Is that your answer?” He smiled as well, an annoying hoarseness settling in his throat.“That seems to me to be the perfect grounds for a marriage, wouldn’t you say?”
Read
August 21, 2024And my soul will burn with his in the end.
I hate myself for reading this and I possibly hate both the author for writing it and the translator for making it more accessible.
Because I was loving it and hating myself for it.
Joke's on me, ig.
↠ I survived the transformation of a strong heroine into a broken barely shell of a person.
↠ I survived accepting thehero villain heroine's husband wouldn't redeem himself.
All for nothing.
Because after making me hate, cry and hate-cry, the author looked me dead in the eyes, smirked and turned the fucking lights off.
If I was going to be destroyed, it should've at least been done R. Lee Smith-style. She's kind enough to leave the door open.
➜ Last edit, I swear. I'm left feeling like I needed more so if you're feeling the same way I would recommend Claiming the Courtesan or the pnr Fury. Or better yet, the sci-fi The Last Hour of Gann
I know I'm going to look for something to fill the emptiness.
I hate myself for reading this and I possibly hate both the author for writing it and the translator for making it more accessible.
Because I was loving it and hating myself for it.
Joke's on me, ig.
↠ I survived the transformation of a strong heroine into a broken barely shell of a person.
↠ I survived accepting the
All for nothing.
Because after making me hate, cry and hate-cry, the author looked me dead in the eyes, smirked and turned the fucking lights off.
If I was going to be destroyed, it should've at least been done R. Lee Smith-style. She's kind enough to leave the door open.
➜ Last edit, I swear. I'm left feeling like I needed more so if you're feeling the same way I would recommend Claiming the Courtesan or the pnr Fury. Or better yet, the sci-fi The Last Hour of Gann
I know I'm going to look for something to fill the emptiness.
May 17, 2020
4 stars
Well-written and dark with an anti-hero I hated but couldn't help but hope that he turned out to be redeemable (not even the right word). The author slowly reveals Christopher's background that set him on the path to revenge. I understood his motivations and saw beyond the facade he presented to others. I liked the h - she had a quiet but rebellious personality in the beginning. However, Christopher is the focus. He is cruel, he wants revenge for his mother, and Anna crosses his path. I agree with other reviewers that this is reminiscent of old bodice rippers. However, the story and characterizations were done very well. I wouldn't have minded if this was longer and included more in depth story lines for supporting characters.
This book is not for everyone. Beware - lots of triggers.
Well-written and dark with an anti-hero I hated but couldn't help but hope that he turned out to be redeemable (not even the right word). The author slowly reveals Christopher's background that set him on the path to revenge. I understood his motivations and saw beyond the facade he presented to others. I liked the h - she had a quiet but rebellious personality in the beginning. However, Christopher is the focus. He is cruel, he wants revenge for his mother, and Anna crosses his path. I agree with other reviewers that this is reminiscent of old bodice rippers. However, the story and characterizations were done very well. I wouldn't have minded if this was longer and included more in depth story lines for supporting characters.
This book is not for everyone. Beware - lots of triggers.
November 11, 2023
11.11.2023: UPDATING IT TO 4 STARS bcz i miss christopher's sorry ass with this grave realization that i might not hate him after all.
so kindly ignore whatever hate-rant i wrote about chris in this review 🙂
(but mind it chrissy boi i still do not wish for your happy ending and i still believe daniel and anna should have been the endgame and i still am 100% convinced that the ending of this book sucks!)
but as a good book is the one which evokes strong emotions in me, we'll settle for 4 stars.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
6.11.2023: this book was 5+ stars, until the 75% mark.
the last 25% went downhill to such an extent that it put andrew tate's downfall to shame.
so i'm baffled, whether to rate it 5 or 4 or 3. but my passionate hatred for christopher can't be overlooked, so 3 it is!
so here i am to declare, I LOATH THIS BOOK WITH BURNING PASSION. I HATE THIS BOOK SM. I WANNA BURN ITS EXISTENCE FROM EARTH.
and yet i couldn't put it down. yet i stayed up till 4 in the morning, eyes burning, body shaking waiting for nina to strike again.
OH. MY. GOD. I'M GOING INSANE ON MY BLINDING RAGE.
this book is so high on angst, pain, misery that it left me breathless. the exact kind of book i was looking for!
i've always said a good book is something which provokes strong emotions in you, and this motherfucking book right here ladies and gentlebitches 🤌
Anna Champion (fmc) and Christopher Davenport (mmc) meet on a ball where chris accidentally spills lemonade over anna. he makes an annoying face (what's new 🙄) and goes away without apologizing. Anna seeks revenge but our damaged traumatic hero couldn't take a blow to his ego (uWu), and for the next 450 pages he's determined to make anna's life a living hell (this petty statement can't even explain the things he does to her).
All was going well until we reached chapter 12.
A very brutal, very long, very disgusting full on detailed rape scene.
Chris raping Anna.
Rolling my eyes and cuffing my sleeves, I was ready to throw hands at the author for writing 400 pages of her excusing Chris's action. Alas! That never happened!
Christopher never stops being a poisonous character. That rape scene is never excused. We are never asked to be okay with what he did. Anna is NEVER okay with what he did.
HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. THIS. BOOK.
And yet somehow the poison continues, and somehow by the end of the book, I still managed to rate it 3 stars.
THE WRITING IS PHENOMENAL. I loved Anna sm and her reactions towards Chris were so realistic and human.
I'm legit in love with Daniel. And Matthew. They both, along with Anna and Lucy are the only characters that deserved their happy ending. Daniel and Anna should have been the endgame and nothing can change my mind.
But now comes the main rant:
I HATE CHRISTOPHER SO MUCH THAT IT SUFFOCATES ME. I HATE hate rapist mmcs, and no amount of trauma can ever redeem christopher to me. NOTHING CAN REDEEM HIM. He's straight up a villian, nothing less. All those who call him anti-hero, all those who pity him, all those who wished for this motherfucker's happy ever after, fuck you and kindly unfriend me while you leave.
I loathed this book truly. The ending makes me gag. This book had such a potential to be the best dark romance ever, but Nina Pennachi fucked it up, and it's sad yk, seeing a book with such potential go to waste because the author wanted a stupid rushed HEA for a rapist and the victim!
y'all won't believe but there's someone else who deserved an uglier death than chris. Leopold. I can't even explain the things he does. HE SHOULD HAVE DIED IN THE END BUT THIS UGLY WHORE CHRIS COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT. WHAT A PATHETIC MOTHERFUCKING WHINY ASS BITCH.
ugh i hate christopher soo much GOOD LORD I. JUST. HATE. HIM.
i hated this book SO MUCH.
i hated its ending SO FUCKING MUCH (nina I quite literally hate you for this, part of the reason i won't ever pick any of your book again)
but I couldn't look away. i couldn't put it down. i still stayed up reading till 4 in the morning. i still paced my room with unbearable rage and i still shed a few tears.
so 3 stars it is! as a good book is the one which provokes strong emotions within you xd.
so kindly ignore whatever hate-rant i wrote about chris in this review 🙂
(but mind it chrissy boi i still do not wish for your happy ending and i still believe daniel and anna should have been the endgame and i still am 100% convinced that the ending of this book sucks!)
but as a good book is the one which evokes strong emotions in me, we'll settle for 4 stars.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
6.11.2023: this book was 5+ stars, until the 75% mark.
the last 25% went downhill to such an extent that it put andrew tate's downfall to shame.
so i'm baffled, whether to rate it 5 or 4 or 3. but my passionate hatred for christopher can't be overlooked, so 3 it is!
so here i am to declare, I LOATH THIS BOOK WITH BURNING PASSION. I HATE THIS BOOK SM. I WANNA BURN ITS EXISTENCE FROM EARTH.
and yet i couldn't put it down. yet i stayed up till 4 in the morning, eyes burning, body shaking waiting for nina to strike again.
OH. MY. GOD. I'M GOING INSANE ON MY BLINDING RAGE.
this book is so high on angst, pain, misery that it left me breathless. the exact kind of book i was looking for!
i've always said a good book is something which provokes strong emotions in you, and this motherfucking book right here ladies and gentlebitches 🤌
Anna Champion (fmc) and Christopher Davenport (mmc) meet on a ball where chris accidentally spills lemonade over anna. he makes an annoying face (what's new 🙄) and goes away without apologizing. Anna seeks revenge but our damaged traumatic hero couldn't take a blow to his ego (uWu), and for the next 450 pages he's determined to make anna's life a living hell (this petty statement can't even explain the things he does to her).
All was going well until we reached chapter 12.
A very brutal, very long, very disgusting full on detailed rape scene.
Chris raping Anna.
Rolling my eyes and cuffing my sleeves, I was ready to throw hands at the author for writing 400 pages of her excusing Chris's action. Alas! That never happened!
Christopher never stops being a poisonous character. That rape scene is never excused. We are never asked to be okay with what he did. Anna is NEVER okay with what he did.
HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. THIS. BOOK.
And yet somehow the poison continues, and somehow by the end of the book, I still managed to rate it 3 stars.
THE WRITING IS PHENOMENAL. I loved Anna sm and her reactions towards Chris were so realistic and human.
I'm legit in love with Daniel. And Matthew. They both, along with Anna and Lucy are the only characters that deserved their happy ending. Daniel and Anna should have been the endgame and nothing can change my mind.
But now comes the main rant:
I HATE CHRISTOPHER SO MUCH THAT IT SUFFOCATES ME. I HATE hate rapist mmcs, and no amount of trauma can ever redeem christopher to me. NOTHING CAN REDEEM HIM. He's straight up a villian, nothing less. All those who call him anti-hero, all those who pity him, all those who wished for this motherfucker's happy ever after, fuck you and kindly unfriend me while you leave.
I loathed this book truly. The ending makes me gag. This book had such a potential to be the best dark romance ever, but Nina Pennachi fucked it up, and it's sad yk, seeing a book with such potential go to waste because the author wanted a stupid rushed HEA for a rapist and the victim!
y'all won't believe but there's someone else who deserved an uglier death than chris. Leopold. I can't even explain the things he does. HE SHOULD HAVE DIED IN THE END BUT THIS UGLY WHORE CHRIS COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT. WHAT A PATHETIC MOTHERFUCKING WHINY ASS BITCH.
ugh i hate christopher soo much GOOD LORD I. JUST. HATE. HIM.
i hated this book SO MUCH.
i hated its ending SO FUCKING MUCH (nina I quite literally hate you for this, part of the reason i won't ever pick any of your book again)
but I couldn't look away. i couldn't put it down. i still stayed up reading till 4 in the morning. i still paced my room with unbearable rage and i still shed a few tears.
so 3 stars it is! as a good book is the one which provokes strong emotions within you xd.
November 8, 2022
I love HR where the H is unforgivable and Christopher was definitely a villain. My angst-loving little heart was eating this book up. I enjoyed the secondary characters and and the setting. I give my praise to the translator, as well as the author for keeping me hooked.
Major TW: The hero violently rapes the heroine. He doesn’t get away with it, because people close to Anna figure out what he did and give him *some* grief over it. Anna gives him a hard time for most of the book, as she should have.
Christopher continues to be an insensitive jerk to Anna after their forced marriage, even though he shows her affection through kindness toward her siblings and acts of service and gifts.
This book is basically one (enjoyable) long setup for an epic grovel. The author chose to end the book right before he apologizes for raping her, lying to her, and putting her through hell. In other words, right before it got good. Whyyyyyyyy?
I loved this book anyway.
Major TW: The hero violently rapes the heroine. He doesn’t get away with it, because people close to Anna figure out what he did and give him *some* grief over it. Anna gives him a hard time for most of the book, as she should have.
Christopher continues to be an insensitive jerk to Anna after their forced marriage, even though he shows her affection through kindness toward her siblings and acts of service and gifts.
This book is basically one (enjoyable) long setup for an epic grovel. The author chose to end the book right before he apologizes for raping her, lying to her, and putting her through hell. In other words, right before it got good. Whyyyyyyyy?
I loved this book anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2021
4.5 very bleak STARS
Flush from my success with 'Capitan Swing' last week, I dived headfirst into Pennacchi's debut novel, expecting yet more intriguing characters.
And I mostly got my wish when it comes to the Champion family and especially its eldest daughter, Anna, the heroine of this book. Mindful of what other reviews had said about him, I'd been forewarned of what the hero (or better said, antihero), Christopher, got up to in the story. And while raping the heroine is definitely the most disgusting thing he does, I found myself almost constantly shaking my head at the sheer idiocy of all of his choices since he set foot in the village of Coxton.
I had a hard time wrapping my head around how such a self-hating and impulsive man could keep his act together long enough to have amassed a fortune! It took some serious suspension of disbelief on my part to believe Christopher's so-called savviness and sangfroid when absolutely nothing went like he'd planned it in his big revenge scheme against his natural father, and he was thwarted at every turn by nearly everyone in the neighbourhood. It would've been hilarious to see his castle of cards crumble if he hadn't dragged Anna down with his machinations for most of the book.
Thankfully, her family name being a case of 'nomen omen', Miss Champion never lets herself be browbeaten by her bully of a rapist/fiancé/husband. She epitomises the words 'my courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me' and is a heroine with true inner strength and tons of resilience, and I fell in love with every member of her family. The supporting characters and their adorable shenanigans saved this book from becoming complete nightmare fuel after the dynamic between Chris and Anna turned abusive around the 40% mark, and lost any shred of romantic tension.
I honestly couldn't support the 'romance' until the very last quarter of the book, when Anna managed to stand up to her husband and their marriage became less of a farce. Before that moment, Christopher kept adding fuel to the fire by never even apologising for raping the heroine and blackmailing her in order to carve a place for himself into her life. Now, having read 'Capitan Swing' in which the hero also does some pretty terrible things to the heroine, I'd lie if I said that I couldn't get over Christopher's actions per se. Adam, the hero of Pennacchi's other novel, felt justified in his anger towards the heroine after she betrayed him when he was at his most vulnerable and in any case, harboured real and entirely wholesome feelings for her before their relationship soured. Meanwhile, Christopher's abuse of Anna is always entirely gratuitous since he set out to torment her from the moment he laid eyes on her, and its reasons unknown even to the hero himself. As harrowing as his backstory was, the traumas of his childhood felt too detached from the main storyline to provide enough justification for the frankly sociopathic behaviour of the now 30 yo hero. Again, it begs disbelief that he managed to function as long as he did with the sheer number of issues he had! The hero's actions seemed too extreme and his motivation was too steeped in a personal vendetta for him to change his ways.
To the surprise of no one, however, Pennacchi did manage to stick the landing, and I found myself holding my breath for the entirety of the final few chapters of the book. Chris' mental state was portrayed beautifully: only by giving up on his revenge and deciding to live a more wholesome life, could he save himself. Had he gone ahead and shot his father, he would've ended his own life as well because his hatred had swallowed him whole. There was no place in Christopher's life for anything/anyone that he couldn't use or manipulate in order to damage his father, and it only destroyed him instead. The fact that he actually rediscovers his own humanity and ability to love is no small feat for someone as deeply damaged as this hero. His final interaction with Anna was brilliantly written, genuinely making me believe that this couple was on their way to reaching a HEA, and I found his love declaration quite earnest and endearing.
Overall, this book is a wonderfully written and carefully plotted piece of historical fiction. It certainly features a romance, but I would say that it's secondary to the deep character study and slice of historical realism. Read this for Pennacchi's evocative prose, morally gray characters and compelling plot. Avoid if rape, violence, and an extremely cynical view on human nature put you off.
Flush from my success with 'Capitan Swing' last week, I dived headfirst into Pennacchi's debut novel, expecting yet more intriguing characters.
And I mostly got my wish when it comes to the Champion family and especially its eldest daughter, Anna, the heroine of this book. Mindful of what other reviews had said about him, I'd been forewarned of what the hero (or better said, antihero), Christopher, got up to in the story. And while raping the heroine is definitely the most disgusting thing he does, I found myself almost constantly shaking my head at the sheer idiocy of all of his choices since he set foot in the village of Coxton.
I had a hard time wrapping my head around how such a self-hating and impulsive man could keep his act together long enough to have amassed a fortune! It took some serious suspension of disbelief on my part to believe Christopher's so-called savviness and sangfroid when absolutely nothing went like he'd planned it in his big revenge scheme against his natural father, and he was thwarted at every turn by nearly everyone in the neighbourhood. It would've been hilarious to see his castle of cards crumble if he hadn't dragged Anna down with his machinations for most of the book.
Thankfully, her family name being a case of 'nomen omen', Miss Champion never lets herself be browbeaten by her bully of a rapist/fiancé/husband. She epitomises the words 'my courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me' and is a heroine with true inner strength and tons of resilience, and I fell in love with every member of her family. The supporting characters and their adorable shenanigans saved this book from becoming complete nightmare fuel after the dynamic between Chris and Anna turned abusive around the 40% mark, and lost any shred of romantic tension.
I honestly couldn't support the 'romance' until the very last quarter of the book, when Anna managed to stand up to her husband and their marriage became less of a farce. Before that moment, Christopher kept adding fuel to the fire by never even apologising for raping the heroine and blackmailing her in order to carve a place for himself into her life. Now, having read 'Capitan Swing' in which the hero also does some pretty terrible things to the heroine, I'd lie if I said that I couldn't get over Christopher's actions per se. Adam, the hero of Pennacchi's other novel, felt justified in his anger towards the heroine after she betrayed him when he was at his most vulnerable and in any case, harboured real and entirely wholesome feelings for her before their relationship soured. Meanwhile, Christopher's abuse of Anna is always entirely gratuitous since he set out to torment her from the moment he laid eyes on her, and its reasons unknown even to the hero himself. As harrowing as his backstory was, the traumas of his childhood felt too detached from the main storyline to provide enough justification for the frankly sociopathic behaviour of the now 30 yo hero. Again, it begs disbelief that he managed to function as long as he did with the sheer number of issues he had! The hero's actions seemed too extreme and his motivation was too steeped in a personal vendetta for him to change his ways.
To the surprise of no one, however, Pennacchi did manage to stick the landing, and I found myself holding my breath for the entirety of the final few chapters of the book. Chris' mental state was portrayed beautifully: only by giving up on his revenge and deciding to live a more wholesome life, could he save himself. Had he gone ahead and shot his father, he would've ended his own life as well because his hatred had swallowed him whole. There was no place in Christopher's life for anything/anyone that he couldn't use or manipulate in order to damage his father, and it only destroyed him instead. The fact that he actually rediscovers his own humanity and ability to love is no small feat for someone as deeply damaged as this hero. His final interaction with Anna was brilliantly written, genuinely making me believe that this couple was on their way to reaching a HEA, and I found his love declaration quite earnest and endearing.
Overall, this book is a wonderfully written and carefully plotted piece of historical fiction. It certainly features a romance, but I would say that it's secondary to the deep character study and slice of historical realism. Read this for Pennacchi's evocative prose, morally gray characters and compelling plot. Avoid if rape, violence, and an extremely cynical view on human nature put you off.
June 18, 2021
Not a romance here and something that is very probably realistic prose. It is a very dark and gothic novel, with a traumatized hero, who seeks revenge and wants to destroy his father in every possible way. The heroine is caught in between. The hero is obsessed by her, follows her, rapes her and then blackmails her, literally. Nothing is sweetened here, description are very crude and hard to bear, the heroine is a victim that anyway tries to stand for herself. The hero is a sociopath, damaged and unable to have a sane relationship with anyone but eventually he tries to be a better man, and the heroine will be strong until the end. I don’t want to spoil too much but if you want an angsty and very passionate reading that’s for you. Not for sensitive people.
May 28, 2021
This book one of the hardest to rate .
Reading it made me smile , laugh and cry . I despised the hero for what he done to the heroine but at the same time I pitied him and wanted him to get his HEA .
I don't have the words to Express what this book made me feel . I couldn't put it down .
Reading it made me smile , laugh and cry . I despised the hero for what he done to the heroine but at the same time I pitied him and wanted him to get his HEA .
I don't have the words to Express what this book made me feel . I couldn't put it down .
February 7, 2023
Did Lemonade get an edit??! I've read this so many times, but it seems like certain parts have been edited. Am I losing my mind???
My go-to when I am in a reading slump and I've honestly lost count how many times I've read it. It's simply my favorite book.
The story is intense, emotional, sad, and for about 90% of the book you cannot see how a HEA is going to happen, and honestly, it’s more of a HFN ending, but if you use your imagination, you can see it (I wish there was an epilogue though).
It's not for everyone and there are some pretty fucked up things that happen, but I found myself lost in the story and rooting for someone I started off hating. I also think Christopher’s internal dialogue really sold me- he is really the most damaged MC I’ve read. The little boy in his head telling him he’s not good enough is heartbreaking.
Don’t read it if you’re triggered easily- like I said, it’s extreme and emotional and this author has done a good job making you feel everything happening. I’d say this book is very reminiscent of classic bodice rippers but with a more modern feel.
I hate reviewing books I love so much because I can never do them justice.
My go-to when I am in a reading slump and I've honestly lost count how many times I've read it. It's simply my favorite book.
The story is intense, emotional, sad, and for about 90% of the book you cannot see how a HEA is going to happen, and honestly, it’s more of a HFN ending, but if you use your imagination, you can see it (I wish there was an epilogue though).
It's not for everyone and there are some pretty fucked up things that happen, but I found myself lost in the story and rooting for someone I started off hating. I also think Christopher’s internal dialogue really sold me- he is really the most damaged MC I’ve read. The little boy in his head telling him he’s not good enough is heartbreaking.
Don’t read it if you’re triggered easily- like I said, it’s extreme and emotional and this author has done a good job making you feel everything happening. I’d say this book is very reminiscent of classic bodice rippers but with a more modern feel.
I hate reviewing books I love so much because I can never do them justice.
March 29, 2019
Ugh....so the h is ridiculed for being ugly. I hate this trope. The H calls her ugly on her face. This is something I hate to read about in books.
The H and h’s first meeting was quite.....intense. The moment he sees her he is like she is so poor, her dress is so trashy, I should stay the hell away from her. Blah blah and blah. The lemonade scene was awesome. I liked how she took her revenge.
He hates her and she hates him. Crystal clear.
So why the hell does he keeps coming back to her. He is weirdly attracted to her. He rapes her. Then he offers her marriage. She refuses but he still has his ways. He even keeps telling himself that he hates her and that he is marrying her out of pity.
So in spite of this, he is crazily obsessed with her. He gets jealous that she doesn’t smile to him but others. He helps her poor family. He likes spending his time with her siblings.
What kept my interest was that she hated him and always tried to defy him. I like books where the h shows resistance. Such books are rare.
So even though this book is dark, I enjoyed it.
Though I would not recommend it. I don’t think everyone will tolerate the H’s behavior.
The H and h’s first meeting was quite.....intense. The moment he sees her he is like she is so poor, her dress is so trashy, I should stay the hell away from her. Blah blah and blah. The lemonade scene was awesome. I liked how she took her revenge.
He hates her and she hates him. Crystal clear.
So why the hell does he keeps coming back to her. He is weirdly attracted to her. He rapes her. Then he offers her marriage. She refuses but he still has his ways. He even keeps telling himself that he hates her and that he is marrying her out of pity.
So in spite of this, he is crazily obsessed with her. He gets jealous that she doesn’t smile to him but others. He helps her poor family. He likes spending his time with her siblings.
What kept my interest was that she hated him and always tried to defy him. I like books where the h shows resistance. Such books are rare.
So even though this book is dark, I enjoyed it.
Though I would not recommend it. I don’t think everyone will tolerate the H’s behavior.
July 9, 2021
I am having a hard time rating this. The most I would give it is a three but there were so many things wrong in this story but it was totally intriguing. And the ending??? What the hell was that? I wanted closure. There is rape big time rape so be warned. He even slapped her. It was awful. The hero was so damaged and his Father was so evil and disgusting. I felt sorry for him in some ways but others no. He slept with the Mother of Anna's best friend. He went to brothels with her Father after they were married. There was just so much wrong in this book. So much. But I couldn't look away. I need more and I want to read about Daniel and Matthew and Lucy ,plus the three children. They were so adorable. I really want answers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2020
Wow. What did I just read?
So this book starts off pretty alright, it has a Pride and Prejudice feel between the two characters which starts after Christopher spills lemonade (thus the title) on Anna's dress. Things start heating up between the two and the reader gets the sense that Anna's innocence is matched by Christopher's depravity, but oh maybe there's a little bit of light left in him, Anna sees it, and maybe the reader.
Then her eyes met his. Her smile withered on her lips, and her thoughts scattered like sparrows after a gunshot. Why? Why is he looking at me like that?
Then there is this complete shift- almost as if there was a different author who came in with a different vision
Suddenly Daniel, the object of Anna's affection, and a man who didn't seem at all interested in her at the last dance, spontaneously proposes to her, she says yes, and they go in for a little kiss and she's like 'nah, I don't love you' and breaks off the engagement 👁👄👁
Christopher is like 'hey I should congratulate her she's a clever WiCkEd WiTcH (he uses that a lot to describe her, I guess because he thinks she is a poor social climber???? but so is he to get revenge on his father???) '. He finds out that she is chilling at a derelict mansion, which was a childhood hideout of her and her friend Lucy, after refusing Daniel, and NATURALLY, because she's alone, when she hears someone/something coming she goes to take off. What does Christopher do when he sees her running? HE TACKLES HER. Then there is a HORRIBLE and graphic rape scene. This is between the main characters. I repeat, the male main character rapes his supposed love interest. To make it worse, Anna is raped in a place that always made her feel safe and was full of imagination and wonders as a child. This place is sullied now. I don't even know how to describe how I felt reading this- the closest would be just this sickening amount of shock and disgust.
Christopher then tells her she has to marry him because no one will want her after what he did to her. I repeat, she is forced to marry her rapist. He goes so far as to even threaten her family, which is not financially well off due to her ailing father. Anna is basically a surrogate mother to her three younger siblings. He moves himself into the house and then continues to manipulate her into doing things for him (including more sex) by also threatening her family (even though it's obvious the kids look up to him. Which is so sad because they have no idea what he did to their older sister).
I kept reading because I wanted revenge for Anna, I wanted her to turn the tables and kill him. That's what I thought would honestly happen.
But no, the author tries to make us feel sad for him with a backstory of how Christopher's mother hung herself and how he's trying to get revenge on his biological father for abandoning them? His personality and toxic attitude NEVER got better. He kept insulting his wife in his head and saying how she was a bore and that she never talked to or looked at him.
That was it for the day: his tedious chore was over, and he would not have to see his unbearable fiancée again until the next day.
YOU RAPED HER! You're pouting because she doesn't show you affection? It seems that Christopher never grasps what he truly did to her and how it makes her feel to see her rapist everyday and is forced to continue relations with them. His cousin, like a brother to him, is horrified by his actions after it comes out, and that still doesn't seem to make him consider the true ramifications of what he did to Anna and continues to do. Also, his cousin continues to support him! Doesn't leave.
Her best friend in the world, Lucy, never keys in on the fact that Anna is absolutely terrified of Christopher, rightly so, even though almost every other male character does?
Anna was stunned. “Frightened by him . . . ?” Oh, you might say it like that if you wanted to use a euphemism. But dear God, how did you manage to figure it out? Not even Lucy knows!
So if your best friend just decided to marry someone who they said they didn't like and was acting depressed about their wedding, you wouldn't try to dig in and see what happened? Anna never tells Lucy. In fact, Lucy is reduced to a side character and we don't hear from her all that much after the ball.
And yep, by the end Anna falls in love with her rapist (Stockholm Syndrome for sure what does she know she's 19). He's like 'I lOvE yOu!' and she's like 'ok'. The end. Christopher was never redeemed, he doesn't even attend his father-in-law's funeral because he chooses to try and finish the scheme to ruin his father. He doesn't sacrifice himself. Nope nothing. What did Christopher truly lose in this novel? NOTHING. And the first 30% buildup was good! But then the reader is slapped with a graphic rape scene and weird and toxic bullcrap that left so many strings untied when it came to the characters' relationships.It truly does feel like two different authors wrote this- one that wanted a Pride and Prejudice feel, and another that wanted to fulfill some sick rape fantasy.
So this book starts off pretty alright, it has a Pride and Prejudice feel between the two characters which starts after Christopher spills lemonade (thus the title) on Anna's dress. Things start heating up between the two and the reader gets the sense that Anna's innocence is matched by Christopher's depravity, but oh maybe there's a little bit of light left in him, Anna sees it, and maybe the reader.
Then her eyes met his. Her smile withered on her lips, and her thoughts scattered like sparrows after a gunshot. Why? Why is he looking at me like that?
Then there is this complete shift- almost as if there was a different author who came in with a different vision
Suddenly Daniel, the object of Anna's affection, and a man who didn't seem at all interested in her at the last dance, spontaneously proposes to her, she says yes, and they go in for a little kiss and she's like 'nah, I don't love you' and breaks off the engagement 👁👄👁
Christopher is like 'hey I should congratulate her she's a clever WiCkEd WiTcH (he uses that a lot to describe her, I guess because he thinks she is a poor social climber???? but so is he to get revenge on his father???) '. He finds out that she is chilling at a derelict mansion, which was a childhood hideout of her and her friend Lucy, after refusing Daniel, and NATURALLY, because she's alone, when she hears someone/something coming she goes to take off. What does Christopher do when he sees her running? HE TACKLES HER. Then there is a HORRIBLE and graphic rape scene. This is between the main characters. I repeat, the male main character rapes his supposed love interest. To make it worse, Anna is raped in a place that always made her feel safe and was full of imagination and wonders as a child. This place is sullied now. I don't even know how to describe how I felt reading this- the closest would be just this sickening amount of shock and disgust.
Christopher then tells her she has to marry him because no one will want her after what he did to her. I repeat, she is forced to marry her rapist. He goes so far as to even threaten her family, which is not financially well off due to her ailing father. Anna is basically a surrogate mother to her three younger siblings. He moves himself into the house and then continues to manipulate her into doing things for him (including more sex) by also threatening her family (even though it's obvious the kids look up to him. Which is so sad because they have no idea what he did to their older sister).
I kept reading because I wanted revenge for Anna, I wanted her to turn the tables and kill him. That's what I thought would honestly happen.
But no, the author tries to make us feel sad for him with a backstory of how Christopher's mother hung herself and how he's trying to get revenge on his biological father for abandoning them? His personality and toxic attitude NEVER got better. He kept insulting his wife in his head and saying how she was a bore and that she never talked to or looked at him.
That was it for the day: his tedious chore was over, and he would not have to see his unbearable fiancée again until the next day.
YOU RAPED HER! You're pouting because she doesn't show you affection? It seems that Christopher never grasps what he truly did to her and how it makes her feel to see her rapist everyday and is forced to continue relations with them. His cousin, like a brother to him, is horrified by his actions after it comes out, and that still doesn't seem to make him consider the true ramifications of what he did to Anna and continues to do. Also, his cousin continues to support him! Doesn't leave.
Her best friend in the world, Lucy, never keys in on the fact that Anna is absolutely terrified of Christopher, rightly so, even though almost every other male character does?
Anna was stunned. “Frightened by him . . . ?” Oh, you might say it like that if you wanted to use a euphemism. But dear God, how did you manage to figure it out? Not even Lucy knows!
So if your best friend just decided to marry someone who they said they didn't like and was acting depressed about their wedding, you wouldn't try to dig in and see what happened? Anna never tells Lucy. In fact, Lucy is reduced to a side character and we don't hear from her all that much after the ball.
And yep, by the end Anna falls in love with her rapist (Stockholm Syndrome for sure what does she know she's 19). He's like 'I lOvE yOu!' and she's like 'ok'. The end. Christopher was never redeemed, he doesn't even attend his father-in-law's funeral because he chooses to try and finish the scheme to ruin his father. He doesn't sacrifice himself. Nope nothing. What did Christopher truly lose in this novel? NOTHING. And the first 30% buildup was good! But then the reader is slapped with a graphic rape scene and weird and toxic bullcrap that left so many strings untied when it came to the characters' relationships.It truly does feel like two different authors wrote this- one that wanted a Pride and Prejudice feel, and another that wanted to fulfill some sick rape fantasy.
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