You ever get a Christmas present and you pull out the first item but there's something underneath it andThis is everything I wanted it to be and more.
You ever get a Christmas present and you pull out the first item but there's something underneath it and then something underneath that and so on - and you're like "how much can you possibly fit in this gift bag; it just keeps coming!"? That's what this book was like for me - literally a gift that keeps on giving. It was jam-packed with all the kinks and goodies on my Christmas List with some added bonuses.
I adored Erik & Matthew and I loved their dynamic even more. I LOVE how detailed and intense this was. While I'm sure readers who prefer quicker pacing may not enjoy the very slow pacing of this, I reveled in it. If done right, I so. fucking. appreciate. when I'm treated with every thought, every touch, every glance - it puts me into a reader subspace where I can effectively block out the world and just focus on the story. It just heightens everything for me. It's also some of the most effective edging I've experienced in a novel. And my goodness are we edged. The sheer anticipation and build of these two getting together was phenomenal.
And the kinks? The communication? The consent? The vulnerability? It was all done so beautifully and I'm so glad Leta took the time to really let these characters develop and unfold - it gave such gorgeous depth to the story! Honestly, I could go on and on about all the things I loved about this one, so I'll just sum it up in a word: stunning.
BUT ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW HOT THE SEX SCENES WERE OH MY GOD ya girl has to do laundry after that one.
A book where you have to verify your age before purchasing!? Sign. me. the. fuck. up.
Is Secondhand Stockholm Syndrome a thing? Cause if a trained profA book where you have to verify your age before purchasing!? Sign. me. the. fuck. up.
Is Secondhand Stockholm Syndrome a thing? Cause if a trained professional psychoanalyzed me after finishing this book, I'm pretty sure I'd be diagnosed & committed.
The blurb mentions that this book is "mostly kink" and if you're interested in reading, I would keep that in mind. Personally, I gobbled it up like a rich & decadent piece of chocolate cake because, at times, it felt like someone took all my kinks (& kind of even my love languages? lmao), threw them all into a book, and tied it up with leather straps & a pretty pink bow.
Because the book is so kink-heavy, you kinda have to be into the different kinks to enjoy it because the actual sex scenes aren't this drawn-out and detailed affair like some smut scenes are. Don't get me wrong, they're still hot as all hell, but the writing style doesn't make them stand out from the rest of the story because they're not really meant to stand out. The sex scenes aren't the "goal" of the story; the whole ass book is just one long kink-scene and, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I read somewhere that this book is not listed on Amazon because it's too dark - idk if that's true and I don't know what this says about me, but it actually could have been a lot darker and I would have loved it just as much (Fair warning: I am the type of reader who has never been dissuaded/triggered by damn near anything, so please make sure to check CWs prior to reading if you are not that type of reader, because this still has very heavy themes).
As dark as it was, we still get our HEA, which is a requirement for me as a reader (I'm telling you, this book feels like it was written for me). Also, I'm also a huge slut for all things fluff and interestingly, this had plenty of it - as long as your definition of fluff/love extends to "murderous psychopath's favorite toy". Which, lucky me, mine very much does.
As far as the storyline goes, I loved it! I don't want to give anything away but like I said, this book is kink-driven; so even though there's a clear plot, there are quite a few questions that go unanswered. For me, I feel like I didn't really need the answers to those questions to enjoy the story cause I still had a fan-fucking-tastic time. Everleigh is frickin' adorable and Ocean is, well, Daddy. *drools in sub*
If you're a lil freaky-deak like me, give this one a try....more