"I love you... a crazy fucking amount," she whispered... "I love you too-" my voice cracked... "Most in the world."
you know those type of long "I love you... a crazy fucking amount," she whispered... "I love you too-" my voice cracked... "Most in the world."
you know those type of long ass books where you're satisfied but you still want more? yeah, that's how i feel reading this book and it's rare for me to feel this way. it's a perfect contradiction, really.
i don't know what to say but JUST. READ. THIS. BOOK. it's perfect. it literally has everything i never knew i needed. it's long because it has a lot of showing than telling. reading this, it honestly felt like i was there with all the characters, i didn't feel disconnected or anything because the characters felt so real.
the first book ended with a cliffhanger and this was the continuation of everything unresolved. Johnny FINALLY pulled his head outta his ass so him and Shannon are a couple, so everything that didn't happen in the first book, definitely happened here... if ya know what i mean.
"I'm going to keep you," he whispered... "if that's okay?" "That's definitely okay," I breathed... "I want you to keep me."
honestly, there's so much going on in this book and i dont wanna give anything away so imma just list out everything i love:
bromance & friendships: Gibsie's love for our H, Johnny, was just so UGHHHHH *insert a million heart eyes*. it was too cute for words. Gibise was so loyal and supportive with everything Johnny. i mean, there's so many scenes that made me love their friendship like the scene where Gibsie cried when Johnny was leaving for rugby, when Gibsie sat on *ahem* "tissues" because, ya know, teenage boys and their hormones, when Gibsie acted like a proud mom whenever Johnny accomplishes something, and when Gibsie was always there for Johnny when tragedy happened... WE NEED MORE MALE FRIENDSHIPS LIKE THIS.
and the bond between Claire and our h, Shannon? fucking great. Claire is definitely the female version of Gibsie and their sisterhood/friendship made me so happy, especially after what Shannon has gone through.
Johnny, Gibsie & Shannon's brothers i LOVED all of Shannon's brothers (except for Darren, he's aight). all her brothers are crazy and loveable, i mean how can i not love Tahdg, the 11-year-old potty mouth with no filter; Ollie, the most innocent and cutest 9-year-old kid who hustled Johnny for money and who is not ashamed of his cute lil tummy; Sean, the 3-year-old kid who made me aww so many times; and Joey, the second oldest of all the siblings and who basically raised/protected all of them from their abusive father and neglectful mother.
and Johnny's and Gibsie's (yes, I'm counting him), relationship with all of the brothers was so heartwarming to read. those kids was literally living in a nightmare for a looooong time and when Johnny supposedly "kidnapped" the baby brothers and took them to McDonalds and the park just because he knew they were all hungry was just so cute and adorable, my heart couldn't take it. and the scenes between Gibsie the manchild and the kids were one of the funniest things i've ever read.
Claire & Gibsie yes, yes. i know i've been going on and on about Gibsie but he's honestly the best character here. he completely outshines everyone, even the MCs. not even sorry that im completely more invested in Claire's and Gibsie's love story than Shannon's and Johnny's.
i mean, them being best friends since childhood and have been in love with each other since forever but of course, something happened and now Gibsie is a man ho and all that but still loves and protects Claire fiercely. honestly, I dislike characters/heroes who supposedly love the girl but goes on to be a man ho, but he still does things to the girl he "loves" that clearly shows how much he loves her but they're a "coward" and all that. thank god Gibsie didn't rub any of his OW escapades to Claire and i'm pretty sure he wasn't with anyone in this book, except for that creepy secretary. yeah, i dislike characters like him in other books but Gibsie was just... idk how to describe him because my words don't do him justice but just know that he's fan-fuckin-tastic.
they're story is literally the same as Knight's and Luna's from Broken Knight but in my opinion, Claire and Gibise are way more adorable and loveable and i just know their story is gonna make me cry.
"She freewheeled my hormones out of control and KO'd my heart"
anyways, I can't wait to read Joey's (Shannon's older brother) book and i DEFINITELY cannot wait for Claire and Gibsie's book
tw: emotional and physical abuse (scenes from the past) & murder/arson (off-page)
Merged review:
"I love you... a crazy fucking amount," she whispered... "I love you too-" my voice cracked... "Most in the world."
you know those type of long ass books where you're satisfied but you still want more? yeah, that's how i feel reading this book and it's rare for me to feel this way. it's a perfect contradiction, really.
i don't know what to say but JUST. READ. THIS. BOOK. it's perfect. it literally has everything i never knew i needed. it's long because it has a lot of showing than telling. reading this, it honestly felt like i was there with all the characters, i didn't feel disconnected or anything because the characters felt so real.
the first book ended with a cliffhanger and this was the continuation of everything unresolved. Johnny FINALLY pulled his head outta his ass so him and Shannon are a couple, so everything that didn't happen in the first book, definitely happened here... if ya know what i mean.
"I'm going to keep you," he whispered... "if that's okay?" "That's definitely okay," I breathed... "I want you to keep me."
honestly, there's so much going on in this book and i dont wanna give anything away so imma just list out everything i love:
bromance & friendships: Gibsie's love for our H, Johnny, was just so UGHHHHH *insert a million heart eyes*. it was too cute for words. Gibise was so loyal and supportive with everything Johnny. i mean, there's so many scenes that made me love their friendship like the scene where Gibsie cried when Johnny was leaving for rugby, when Gibsie sat on *ahem* "tissues" because, ya know, teenage boys and their hormones, when Gibsie acted like a proud mom whenever Johnny accomplishes something, and when Gibsie was always there for Johnny when tragedy happened... WE NEED MORE MALE FRIENDSHIPS LIKE THIS.
and the bond between Claire and our h, Shannon? fucking great. Claire is definitely the female version of Gibsie and their sisterhood/friendship made me so happy, especially after what Shannon has gone through.
Johnny, Gibsie & Shannon's brothers i LOVED all of Shannon's brothers (except for Darren, he's aight). all her brothers are crazy and loveable, i mean how can i not love Tahdg, the 11-year-old potty mouth with no filter; Ollie, the most innocent and cutest 9-year-old kid who hustled Johnny for money and who is not ashamed of his cute lil tummy; Sean, the 3-year-old kid who made me aww so many times; and Joey, the second oldest of all the siblings and who basically raised/protected all of them from their abusive father and neglectful mother.
and Johnny's and Gibsie's (yes, I'm counting him), relationship with all of the brothers was so heartwarming to read. those kids was literally living in a nightmare for a looooong time and when Johnny supposedly "kidnapped" the baby brothers and took them to McDonalds and the park just because he knew they were all hungry was just so cute and adorable, my heart couldn't take it. and the scenes between Gibsie the manchild and the kids were one of the funniest things i've ever read.
Claire & Gibsie yes, yes. i know i've been going on and on about Gibsie but he's honestly the best character here. he completely outshines everyone, even the MCs. not even sorry that im completely more invested in Claire's and Gibsie's love story than Shannon's and Johnny's.
i mean, them being best friends since childhood and have been in love with each other since forever but of course, something happened and now Gibsie is a man ho and all that but still loves and protects Claire fiercely. honestly, I dislike characters/heroes who supposedly love the girl but goes on to be a man ho, but he still does things to the girl he "loves" that clearly shows how much he loves her but they're a "coward" and all that. thank god Gibsie didn't rub any of his OW escapades to Claire and i'm pretty sure he wasn't with anyone in this book, except for that creepy secretary. yeah, i dislike characters like him in other books but Gibsie was just... idk how to describe him because my words don't do him justice but just know that he's fan-fuckin-tastic.
they're story is literally the same as Knight's and Luna's from Broken Knight but in my opinion, Claire and Gibise are way more adorable and loveable and i just know their story is gonna make me cry.
"She freewheeled my hormones out of control and KO'd my heart"
anyways, I can't wait to read Joey's (Shannon's older brother) book and i DEFINITELY cannot wait for Claire and Gibsie's book
tw: emotional and physical abuse (scenes from the past) & murder/arson (off-page)...more
#1 reason why this book is entertaining : the male main character was suffering the entire book.
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this. this is the content i love.
this book ha#1 reason why this book is entertaining : the male main character was suffering the entire book.
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this. this is the content i love.
this book had me intrigued because, i love groveling and i heard this book is just full of the hero groveling so alas here i am. this is about Theresa (h) finally having enough with her husband's, Sandro (H), neglectful and dickhead attitude since they've been married for 18 months and asking for a divorce. Sandro, not knowing that his wife didn't know that their marriage was "arranged" and genuinely loved him finally gets his head out of his ass and grovels especially since spoiler // Theresa is pregnant // but too little too late now i guess.
“I'm your husband...” “No. You are not my husband,” she interrupted in a voice thickened with hatred and tears. “You have never been my husband. A husband loves, honours and cherishes! A husband is a lover and a champion... Look into the next room if you want to see what a real husband is, because you are no such thing!”
and honestly? other books with supposed "groveling" isn't enough for me. you think 2 chapters of telling >>> showing of the hero groveling or doing a ONE speech or public gesture or naming a cloud after them is enough for me?
HELL. NO.
what is worse is that the heroine, most of the time, just forgives the hero after ONE speech. yeah, that's a no for me. i need 10 chapters - minimum - of the hero begging for the heroine's forgiveness and the heroine making the hero work hard for it until i, as the reader, am satisfied with the groveling because seriously,
LET. THE. MAN. SUFFER.
anywho, going back to the book, Theresa really made Sandro suffer the entire book and rightfully so. when i tell you she did not forgive Sandro the entire book and made him work for it til the very end? i mean it.
"You know what it’s like when you have an overwhelming urge to scrape the touch, the smell, the very essence of someone off your skin, don’t you? After all, that’s what you usually do thirty seconds after your orgasm, and I can finally relate to that."
sis did not wake up and choose violence, she IS violence.
-`,✎ WHY NOT A HIGHER RATING?
first of all, Sandro is kinda dumb. no- actually, he's fully dumb. throughout the book he was groveling and working hard to earn his wife's forgiveness right? right. what i don't understand is why he keeps hanging out with the OW, Francesca, aka his ex girlfriend that Theresa thought he has loved this whole entire time, whenever he goes back to Italy to visit his family. i know that his family forces him to hang out with his ex but dancing with her? hugging her and putting his arms around her shoulders? kissing her cheeks? laughing with her and knowing that there's paparazzi everywhere meaning he knows that his wife will probably see them pictured together?
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sir, explain yourself.
and also, he must've known that the media was talking shit about his wife right? he could've literally protected Theresa and told the paparazzi's to shut the fuck up and shut the rumors down about him and Francesca but he never did any of this. so see, this is why we need Sandro's POV in this book because yes, everything was written in Theresa's POV. plus, i just wanted to feel his pain and regret, and i wanna know his train of thought whenever he would go to Italy while his family is forcing him to hang out with his ex. and for those who want to know, this is his mindset about his ex:
"I don't love Francesca. I don't think I've ever loved her. Maybe when I married you, for about five seconds, I believed that I did. But I was disabused of that notion pretty damned early on in our marriage. I don't love her and I have no idea why the hell you're so fixated on her."
now, do y'all see what i mean by Sandro being a dumbass? i HaVe No IdeA wHy yoU'Re fIxAtEd On HeR... dude.
also, for those who want to know, no he never cheated but he did pretend to be with random women the whole time they were married and Theresa thought he was maybe cheating. and he knew this would hurt her. so the fact that he doesn't know why his wife is "fixated" on his ex and he knows that the paparazzi are taking pictures of them together... boy, i wonder why your wife is fixated on her, you dumbass.
i know i said i like that Sandro was suffering but these two fought the ENTIRE book. i just wanted more sweet moments between them because their arguments were getting a little tiresome and a bit repetitive. i just wish there were at least past scenes that shows us how Sandro has treated Theresa as it was all telling >>> showing. and because of this and the fact i only saw him as an asshole in the first chapter, i started to feel bad for Sandro and we don't want that because Theresa really was ruthless (deservedly so).
───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────
again, i just wish we have more of Sandro's POV because we just get his side of things literally waaay at the end in a long ass speech. and even though he's trying to win his wife back, why the f can't he just tell her the truth from the very beginning about Francesca instead of stressing his pregnant wife out for the whole 9 months of her pregnancy??
What. An. Idiot.
if you guys want to be stressed and wanna read about a hero suffering the entire book then i recommend this!!
why do i keep doing this to myself? honestly. whyyyy??
i literally dnf'ed this a few months ago because of the first chapter but like- as y'al2.5 stars
why do i keep doing this to myself? honestly. whyyyy??
i literally dnf'ed this a few months ago because of the first chapter but like- as y'all know me, i don't listen to myself and hurt my own feelings so alas here i am (again).
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so this is like any other new adult book out there. we have: Aspen (h) being the loner type of character + Blaise (H) is your typical popular kid + they have dark past + they connect through trauma and shit + H helps h get out of her shell + h makes H want to be a "better man" + add a little OW drama + family drama and BAM = ✨NEW ADULT ROMANCE✨
✦✧ SPOILERS AHEAD ✧✦
k first of all, what is up with all this voyeuristic, OW shit i've been reading this month. seriously ...more
ok so we can all agree that Wicked Princess was just a long ass prologue for this book right? RIGHT??3.75 stars; ☆
~ this right here was chaotic good ~
ok so we can all agree that Wicked Princess was just a long ass prologue for this book right? RIGHT?? ok. now that that's settled, Oakley and Bianca never took a break cuz it was drama after drama, tragedy after tragedy like sheesh let them breathe a little damn.
✧plot
↳ 8 months after Stone (OM) proposed to Bianca (h), Oakley (H) finally got out of prison but because of guilt and the fact that the love of his life is engaged to another man, he decides to leave her alone until Bianca felt a sudden connection when she sees him again.
they then become friends and suddenly, all the memories of her and Oakley comes back and now she's not sure about everything.
so apparently everyone's theories are mostly correct. i don't think this is a spoiler but Stone is indeed trash and BiancaOakley are endgame!!! fuck YESS
yes, yes. Clay and Olivia are fucking adorable (most of the time) with their enemies to lovers, hate to love, mutual long3.5 - 3.75 (idk yet) stars ✩⋆
yes, yes. Clay and Olivia are fucking adorable (most of the time) with their enemies to lovers, hate to love, mutual longing, scenes filled with sexual tension where they're pretending to hate each but actually wanna bone, and character growth where they're just simping or being horny for one another BUT THEN...
... ... ...
[insert the oldest brother with emo and loner hermit tendencies who gave up his whole life to take care of everyone but rarely shows emotion and affection but you can tell he loves his crazy af siblings deeply even if he doesn't show it and is VERY protective and probably has a traumatic past aaand cue all the dark shit and inner demons he most likely keeps to himself because duh any quiet and mysterious characters are like this]
just a little warning, since there was a bunch of dumbassery in this, this review will be filled with spoilers, ranting, and a little bit 2.5 stars
just a little warning, since there was a bunch of dumbassery in this, this review will be filled with spoilers, ranting, and a little bit of swearing so uhh sorry in advance. i swear im nice in real life but like...
... what a bunch of idiots
i knew what i was getting into when i started this book thanks to the abundance of reviews that warned me about what Quinn (H) did. i was in the mood for something that would give me stress (don't ask me why, im a masochist as you can see) and y'all know ms. fields' books are perfect for this so alas here i am. and i was prepared y'all. i was ready
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and i really was. but i didn't take into account how much eyerolling i would do.
what made me roll me eyes to the heavens above you ask??
⤷ well this little bishh aka Quinn Burnell aka our Hero was childhood best friends with Daisy Daniels aka our heroine since they were kids, they've always been in love with each other, they dated for a while until Daisy left (by the end of sophomore year) and cut off all contact with Quinn after she moved. Two years later when they're in college, Daisy goes to the college she knows where Quinn went to because she was waiting for him the whole time and lo and behold, the little bitch is dating Daisy's best friend, Alexis...
anyways, okay so Daisy sees them for the first time right? so obviously it was a shock to her and you would think the two... hmm.. we'll call them DUMB AND DUMBER would act shameful or regretful but then Quinn was like i've moved on, im with your best friend now, things change, take care bye yada yada. and later on Alexis was like i love him it's serious sorry not sorry. these two have been dating for a year and since Quinn is a year older than both Alexis and Daisy, the first year dumb and dumber dated was long distance too. sooo apparently their long distance relationship worked but not with Daisy's, his supposed soulmate. riiight
"I did leave, but it wasn't what i wanted. It killed me to leave, but I had no choice. Unlike him. He made a choice I never saw coming. Did he seriously think I wouldn't care if he moved on? With her? And the fact they'd clearly survived being apart his first year of college? Why her and not me?
but obviously Quinn's not moved on and still clearly loves Daisy and is angry that he doesn't know why she suddenly cut off all communications while they were in a long distance relationship.
then here comes the OM aka Callum aka the dude who has better chemistry with the h than the H ever did, who asks Daisy out in front of Quinn. and what did this asshole do? well... i'll just give you the convo of dumb and dumber:
"Hey, sleep well?" I blinked my eyes open and looked down at her. Alexis snuggled closer, a grin tugging at her plump lips. "You bet I did. What was that?" My brows and arms lowered. "What was what? She rolled her eyes. "Last night. You fucked me like you were sure it was your last day on earth. Biting her lip, she whispered, "I didn't know you had it in you, my sweet man."
ewww. i think i vomited a little just reading that. he did this because obviously it hurts him to see Daisy "move on" because god forbid she does. silver lining to this though, this is the only time they were intimate once Daisy comes back to his life.
so obviously Quinn breaks up with Alexis and then begs on his knees for forgiveness to Daisy- SIKE. just kidding. the lil bitch stayed with the fake ass ho till 70% mark so the chronicles of dumb and dumber continues and doesn't break up with her even after discovering that Alexis was one of the main reasons why Daisy cut him off because she practically manipulated her so she could be with him - Alexis was always in love Quinn.
and after this, i'll show y'all a visual representation of what happened,
jon snow → Quinn: daenerys (im so sorry babygorl for making you play as the fake ass ho in this little scenario) → Alexis: cat → Daisy:
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Quinn asks Daisy to be friends (the audacity am i right??) and Daisy, bless her heart, agreed, Quinn still dates Alexis and she kisses him a few times (even in front of Daisy... what a bitch) but he stops her all the time because he's still in love with Daisy but is just too much of a coward to do anything, etc. so basically, ✨ issa mess ✨
// the reason why he got with Alexis? // apparently Quinn started things with her because he 100% believed that he would never see Daisy again, made him feel better because he lost his soul and his whole heart or some shit when Daisy left, he was too heartbroken and dumb and dumber were friends first and he "relied heavily" on it. she made the move, he went along with it.
then get this... he LOVES the fake ass ho.. he- he LOVES her??
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well okay maybe he said he only loved with what's left of his heart or something like that and he was grateful for her that he could even love someone or feel something after Daisy left blah blah
“What I told you all those weeks ago was true. I did love Alexis. But what I kept to myself was that I loved her in a way you love someone after you’ve already given your heart away. Never with the full depths of your soul. Never with the feeling of something clicking into place whenever you were with them. Yeah, I loved her, sure. But I wasn’t capable of loving someone the way I love you, Daisy. So it was incomplete and probably not fair to her at all.”
yeah, yeah. whatever. poor man just had to set his dick free because the poor little guy must've been deprived of some H2O that he just had to stick it to his soulmate's best friend awww. so sweet of him to share a little bit of his testosterone to her estrogen awww. best man ever!!
and now lets get on with // Daisy // Daisy.. girl... bless her heart. this girl is too nice. she stayed celibate and never fell in love with anyone else, because she was waiting for Quinn, all the while we know what he was up to. OH also, Quinn was sleeping with other girls and not just Alexis after Daisy left by the way. how amazing. i just wish Daisy would've been a little more vengeful and petty.
instead, she felt guilty (because Quinn kissed and slept with her while still being with Alexis so yes, there's cheating) but honestly i felt no sympathy for Alexis. how can i sympathize with someone with no redeeming qualities and she never felt regret and remorseful to Daisy?? also, the reason why im so salty is because i was a Daisy once and i guess some part of me wanted a little revenge thing going on but nope.
and Quinn deserves a good smacking. not the christian grey type of smacking, the WWE type of smacking. also if i were her, i probably wouldn't forgive them. they belong to the streets. they belong in jail. they both broke the girl code and the soulmate code so i hereby sentence them of forever being alone. hmph they deserve it.
okay so, // what did i LIKE? // one word: PIPPA. i love her. i love girl frienships in books!! now she is the loyal friend you need. she also has the same mindset as me and she calls Daisy out for being a dumbass when it comes to feeling bad about Alexis. and goddamn it, even though i don't like the actions of the characters, i really do believe that Quinn and Daisy are soulmates. i could actually feel the passion and the longing and ms. fields is good with this because of how she writes it, and i liked some of the quotes here:
"We more than meant a lot to each other. The sun that scorched our skin red until we searched for reprieve under our favorite willow tree. And underneath the stretch of dark sides, we were each other's stars."
see? that was good. also, the epilogue was actually so cute.
but yeah, i liked the OM more than Quinn but i heard he cheats on the heroine in his book soo.. ugh. i could never win. am i still gonna read it tho? ha ha ha.. ʸ ᵉ ˢ. currently in the mood for angsty, toxic romance right now so oops.
so basically, this is like the Target version to twisted hearts' Walmart version- a little better, but... it's not Costco.
ever since i read twisted pride (remofina) i was salivating for this book. boy was i READYYYY. like- are you kidding me???
⤷ Sofia (h) being infatuated with her older sister, Serafina's, ex fiance, Danilo (H) (before she got kidnapped by Remo of course), then Sofia becoming Danilo's new fiance making her feel like the consolation prize/second best but of course nothing happens for years because they were betrothed when she was only 11 years old but Sofia is still pining over Danilo while he's still hung up on his failure??
yes, yes, and YES.
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though while i was expecting ✨ flavor ✨, all i got was an unseasoned romance. the whole time i was wondering, where was the spice? the flavor?? why is it unseasoned??? this needs more paprika or maybe even sriracha. the first half kinda annoyed/pissed me off because, well, nothing happened.
— SOFIA MIONE (h)
"I'd tried to imitate her, but an imitation would never be the original. I was an echo of the perfect melody. A shadow of an immaculate image. Always less. Never enough."
my girl needed a hug, like, yesterday. listen, i felt bad for her in the beginning as she felt insecure the whole time because of not only Danilo but also her family and she felt like second best and the consolation prize. though, as the story progressed... uhh... she did some fucked up things- to put it lightly - which was honestly kinda annoying to me.
— DANILO MANCINI (H)
"I wished I could turn back time. I'd spent so much time regretting the past and what was lost that I hadn't focused on what fate had given me."
*cough* yes you should've you lil bishh *cough*. anywho, straight up, just wanted to punch this dude in the first half and i would've if i could've, but i couldn't so i shouldn't. when he was doing what he was doing, you know... with all the blondies, i was just like
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im sorry but i couldn't. i cannot for the life of me like this dude because he was just so BLAND. i don't even know what to say about his character because that's how uninterested i am of him. i just know this dude likes blondes and didn't have any genuine feelings towards Sofia until the wedding which happens at 50% mark by the way.
☞︎ SPOILERS AHEAD ☜︎
➳ WHAT I LIKED can we appreciate the friendship between Sofia and Anna please and thanks?? the way Anna would be on Sofia's side no matter what, being her ride or die and being her biggest hype man is just so sweet and cuuute.
"Be selfish for once, Sofia. In this world, we women get so few choices, so little freedom. We have to grasp happiness by the collar and drag it with us. We can't hope for happiness to jump into our lap. Be selfish. You deserve it."
AWWWW STOP
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so cute.
Danilo and Emma were cute too. love seeing sibling relationships in books and the only time i could appreciate Danilo's character was him being protective towards Emma but i wish there's more scenes of them tho. aaannd the last few chapters where there's actually romance. i thought FINALLY Danilo and Sofia are fucking cute. maybe. i don't know. though, was i convinced with Danilo's feelings? nahhh.
oh and let's not forget about Santino and Anna of course. they're the ones who made this book at least bearable. aaaand Remo pointing a gun at Danilo while protecting Serafina ...more