DNF *One thing I absolutely HATE is when the main characters are being intimate, and the hero is thinking about OW he's been with. So gross. EspeciallyDNF *One thing I absolutely HATE is when the main characters are being intimate, and the hero is thinking about OW he's been with. So gross. Especially if you're thinking that the woman you're currently with might be your life mate. I'm not sure what the term for life mate was in this book. *That alone will usually make me DNF a book. However, on top of that nasty bs, I HATE when the heroine is a virgin but the hero isn't. I can't stand sexually repressed heroines. I swear, it's like every book I read anymore has to have a heroine who is a virgin, has never had an O, has only ever had bad sex, has only been with guys who wouldn't go down on her, etc. etc.. I'm really so sick of it. But I do maintain the double standard because I LOVE virgin heroes; they're my favorite. And I don't feel the least bit awkward or bad about my preferences because I didn't always feel this way; the sexual repression of female characters matched with the extensive and glorious sexual prowess of the male characters has driven me to this point. I do believe the fmc briefly mentioned (in thought not words) that she had been with ow in the past, but it was a brief thought, so I'm not for sure if it was said or not, to be honest. *And if those things weren't enough, in the beginning of the story, her friend touches his private areas AND she basically forces the h to SA the H. I shouldn't word it that way because h had a choice, so she wasn't actually forced, but it comes across with that implication. Those are from the first half or so of the book. I don't know what happens in the second half. *This wound up longer than I had intended. Sorry lol. I hadn't planned on going on a rant. Anyway, happy reading all. ...more
This is a horror story so check the TW. Intentional m♧rder, unintentional r*pe, and all that jazz. It's not a standalone. This is book 3 of 3. No romanThis is a horror story so check the TW. Intentional m♧rder, unintentional r*pe, and all that jazz. It's not a standalone. This is book 3 of 3. No romance, no happy ending, no happy anything. I thought parts were a bit silly and forced, but that might have been intentional. ...more
This is a horror story so check the TW. Intentional m♧rder, unintentional r*pe, and all that jazz. It's not a standalone. This is book 2 of 3. No romanThis is a horror story so check the TW. Intentional m♧rder, unintentional r*pe, and all that jazz. It's not a standalone. This is book 2 of 3. No romance, no happy ending, no happy anything. I thought parts were a bit silly and forced, but that might have been intentional. ...more
This is a horror story so check the TW. Intentional m♧rder, unintentional r*pe, and all that jazz. It's not a standalone. This is book 1 of 3. No romanThis is a horror story so check the TW. Intentional m♧rder, unintentional r*pe, and all that jazz. It's not a standalone. This is book 1 of 3. No romance, no happy ending, no happy anything. I thought parts were a bit silly and forced, but that might have been intentional....more
This book duo is not safe. TW. I'm not gonna list all of the triggers. I'll just say that if you have a trigger it's almost definitely in at least oneThis book duo is not safe. TW. I'm not gonna list all of the triggers. I'll just say that if you have a trigger it's almost definitely in at least one of the two books. My one and only trigger was in the first book, but I managed to skip it and not be bothered. I'm not sure why because I usually dnf when that happens because I can't let it go.
With that said, I love the storyline. I felt like the ongoing (view spoiler)[rape (hide spoiler)] scenes were unnecessary, but at least they made sense for the plot; they weren't just randomly tossed in.
Pretty much every trigger you might have and some you wouldn't even think to have. But did I read the whole thing? Sure did. And I think there's sometPretty much every trigger you might have and some you wouldn't even think to have. But did I read the whole thing? Sure did. And I think there's something wrong with me because, weirdly, the (view spoiler)[cannibalism (hide spoiler)] bothered me A LOT more than the (view spoiler)[necrophelia (hide spoiler)]. I mean, I did read The Skeleton King and loved it. Maybe I need therapy. I didn't like the ending though; (view spoiler)[my favorite character died (hide spoiler)]. ...more
I am going to read the whole series because in for a penny and will that, but I'm honestly looking forward to being done with it. That's a shame becauI am going to read the whole series because in for a penny and will that, but I'm honestly looking forward to being done with it. That's a shame because I enjoy a lot about the books, but there are WAY TOO MANY POVs. Too many stories being told at once. I was looking forward to reading about Thomal and Pandra, but this wasn't their story. Their romance was secondary; this was Nyko and Faith's story. Truly, more of the book was devoted to them than the characters in the synopsis. I was so disappointed. Not because of Nyko and Faith...I would have loved to read their book...just not when the book is supposed to be someone else's story.
I feel like Pandra's story still needs to be told. She got the shortend more than any character, imo. I was told about her growth, not shown. She went from a monster to a Saint in something like 8 or 9 months, and I saw none of her growth. I wanted to see her explain the scar on her belly to Thomal and see his reaction to what led to their first meeting turning out how it did. Don't get me wrong, what she did was unforgivable, but I think Thomal learning everything was an important piece that was never shown. I wanted to witness some type of interaction between Arc, Beth, Pandra, and Thomal all together. But maybe that comes in the next book? I mean why not? It's not like their story has to be told in their book since anyone can get a POV. Can you tell I'm really irritated about that? I also feel like Pandra's strength was really built up in the beginning only to be disappointing when it counted. She was so afraid of going Rau because she lost control and whatnot, but when it finally happened...plop. So pointless. I get that she wasn't wearing her ring, but still...why hype it up if it's not relevant to the story at all?
I have more thoughts, but I'm so frustrated, I'm afraid I'll just continue my negativity, and that's a shame because the idea for this series is fantastic. If the things that bother me don't bother you, give the series a go, you'll probably love it. Either way it's worth a try, but start with book one because there's so much going on all the time, and you'll want to keep up. ...more
I really don't understand why there are so many POVs written in these books. I'm going to read the series because I want to see how everything plays oI really don't understand why there are so many POVs written in these books. I'm going to read the series because I want to see how everything plays out, but I won't read anymore books by this author after that. Her writing is wonderful, plots engaging, and characters to root for, but how many stories is she telling all at once, and why do I need to be in everyone's head at the same time? It's too much.
I loved the H until near the end. He was on point with his caring and his attitude until the big issue. I get his flip out because in the heat of the moment, you react. However, (view spoiler)[if her mother hadn't died, he wouldn't have gone after her and apologized, trying to win her back. Why did something tragic have to happen for him to get his head out of his but? He had already realized he made a mistake, so why wait? He didn't go as soon as he found out his mom was in the hospital, why? He knew they were planning to move away, but nothing. I felt like he only went when he did because her mother's death meant she had no reason to stay topside. (hide spoiler)].
I like the writing, the characters, and the plot, but I prefer stories with 2 POVs (H & h). Particularly when it's a first book in a series, and I'm bI like the writing, the characters, and the plot, but I prefer stories with 2 POVs (H & h). Particularly when it's a first book in a series, and I'm being introduced to A LOT of characters, I need the POVs to be minimal.
The H is great. I love the bad boy with a chip on his shoulder hero. The h is great too. Can I get a hallelujah for strong female characters!!
I don't like that the fiinta (spelling?) causes a bunch of pleasure for the donor. The H has to feed every 3 days, and the h is there for months. So he's off pleasuring another woman every 3 days while the h is in his life. Maybe it's just a high for the donor and not sexual (I don'tthink that was explained too well), but I still hate it. I'm really possessive of my Hs.
I love that after they couple becomes a couple, H gets all happily domesticated but still has a smart mouth and grumpy attitude. He doesn't adopt an entirely new personality because he has a lady. I really loved his attitude, so I really loved that it stayed around. ...more
I really like the idea of this story...prison romance that doesn't sugarcoat some of the darker aspects of the environment, but also doesn't dwell onlI really like the idea of this story...prison romance that doesn't sugarcoat some of the darker aspects of the environment, but also doesn't dwell only on the negative parts. That said, the book didn't exactly work for me because nothing really happens. There is a detailed rape scene, and that's all I can remember actually happening. Maybe more did happen, but this is one of those stories where the details I didn't care about were extensive, and the ones that I wanted to read about were just glossed over.
You can tell the author put a lot of time and effort into the book, so I'll definitely try another one. I think this one just wasn't for me. It happens like that sometimes, yeah....more
This is another book with which I enjoyed the story, but the safety issues destroyed it for me. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from reading the bThis is another book with which I enjoyed the story, but the safety issues destroyed it for me. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from reading the book; my preferences are my own, and anyone else might prefer their reads unsafe. We should all find books we love. Happy reading!
(view spoiler)[She has to marry a schmuck, who is not the H, and he forces sex on her. She winds up having 2 of his children. What she doesn't know until years later is that, on her wedding night, H gets drunk and sleeps with another woman, who has his kid. He doesn't remember it and knows nothing of the child. (hide spoiler)]...more