Really need to cool it for a while on the cheating books because if I don't, I'm going to morph into a self-love and know your worth ambassador becausReally need to cool it for a while on the cheating books because if I don't, I'm going to morph into a self-love and know your worth ambassador because some of these MCs are not serious people.
And unfortunately, it makes a lot of sense that the friend who took back their partner that cheated shortly after they decided on exclusivity 'so he could slip one last one under the belt' (barf), would in fact be the kind to tell their friend (MC) that was also cheated on, 'You owe him a chance to explain why he cheated on you'.
Fuck you mean, owe him a chance to explain?
Owe?
OWE?
I could feel the blood in my vessels start to simmer. I was turning into a rage soup and I had no way of stopping it.
This story is basically, 'I'm sorry I cheated on you, baby, but I honestly had to picture your face on top of hers JUST to maintain an erection. I swear it was so hard for me. And when you caught me and cut me off, I spiraled into alcoholism and fucked up my life—can you ever forgive me? Also, just a quick side note, I absolutely proved to myself that I was gay just as I'd suspected. However, the condom broke, so yeah, I have an 8 year old son with the woman I cheated on you with but if we close our eyes and try hard enough, we can get back to what we had, I just know it.'
15% in and I was already exhausted because I could just picture Thornton never being able to move past that shit because the fruits of that act literally live with him and his man every other weekend. But pretending to because he failed to move on even without said man in his life so he's gaslit himself into thinking making peace with it is the only way.
Gah.
Everyone disrespects Thornton's boundaries. Because what the fuck do you mean Kennedy gave Lark Thorn's number so she could go try to explain on his behalf?
That man took himself away from you and your whore ways for EIGHT years and now you're sending the mother of your child, whom you cheated on him with to begin with, to plead your case for you?
Who does that?
And Lark just SHOWS up and invites herself into his home and now wants to stand on formality. On some 'Mr. Marsh' bullshit.
I think it's different if the 'mistress', so to speak had no idea your person was partnered. Maybe then it's understandable for them to feel like they owe you an apology and explanation but Lark knew?
Went along with Kennedy's foolishness. Everyone takes this man for a fool because what ON EARTH would make you think that he'd want to hear how you convinced his boyfriend to fuck you?
"I...I suggested he should kiss me to see if he had a physical reaction. I'll spare you the details, but one thing led to another and well,..."
WHY WOULD YOU TRACK SOMEONE DOWN, EIGHT YEARS ON, TO TELL THEM THIS?
But wait, THERE'S MORE!!!! The kid isn't even Kennedy's, and Miss Girl is just out here confessing this shit to Thornton, plus how she's been able to pull the wool over Kennedy's eyes for 8 years...more
"I will wait for you for as long as it takes. I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain."
A quote I'm sure will be thrown around in lots of revie"I will wait for you for as long as it takes. I have nothing to lose, and everything to gain."
A quote I'm sure will be thrown around in lots of reviews for this, which, before you read the book, sounds like a cliché cringefest. Packs quite the punch with context, though.
"Everything means nothing if I can’t love him."
A time is coming when Rebecca Rathe will be a really good author. Once upon a time, her books were my 'Full smut ahead, no pretense at plot' reads.
And to be clear, I was fine with that. Great even. Sometimes, it is enough to read about two hot guys doing hot things.
If this trajectory continues, those days may be behind us. Sure, it starts with all plot, no steam, then goes to a period of all steam, minimal plot, but it finds a happy balance towards the end.
Honestly, I wasn't too sold on this at first. Hurt/comfort is usually a toss up between morose and morose for me, and I wasn't really in a mood to be sad, but what I was worried about isn't what had happened, so that helped.
Also helped that these two were adorably balls to the wall into each other and could NOT hide it. Tyler tried, but Isaac(bless his heart) had ZERO chill about how into Tyler he was.
I love angst so much that sometimes I forget how wholesome it is when the conflict is external to the MC's feelings for each other. This was a welcome reminder.
That said.....I wasn't very convinced by Guy as the Big Bad. If anything, I felt like Daddy Dearest had that market cornered and needed no support. But there's no hurt /comfort without Guy so one must endure.
I also didn't like how neatly things resolved themselves towards the end BUT I also loved how the author saw the opportunity for miscommunication and looked the other way.
I was already fatigued by the idea of it in advance.
This really stuck the ending. I wasn't very into it for most of it, but let me tell you, the ending was well worth the journey.
Reckless decisions all round. Love to see it....more
Jeremiah is dog-panting-with-tongue-out-to-cool-down levels of horny. Consistently, too. No days off, just up and at it every morniI have complaints.
Jeremiah is dog-panting-with-tongue-out-to-cool-down levels of horny. Consistently, too. No days off, just up and at it every morning.
"I’m a horny little shit, and I like doing horny little shit things…”
Lolol. Men with the most biblical names and the most satanic horn. The venn diagram continues to be a circle.
Ben. Ben's the one who's a really well fleshed out character. For the first half, that is. Single dad, dealing with grief and a sudden inexplicable series of boners for his gay neighbor who adores his son.
50% in, Ben's great, Jeremiah's horny and things seem to be going okay. Then they touch one time and suddenly it's full steam ahead to Bone Town.
Honestly, even the whole light D/s dynamic felt so out of the blue to me. How on earth did Ben think to go there with Jeremiah?
I can't remember anything of value they do in the latter half beyond fucking. They fuck and suck and fuck some more.
And then suddenly they're in love. And to make it worse, the first time they say it is in front of Ben's kid.
I must be a hater because a love declaration in front of a child elicited a viserally violent reaction within me. Ugh.
Kids are great but I really really really hate them in romance novels because they're meddlesome meddlers who meddle. Couldn't even let that man unwrap his love declaration surprise in peace.
Kids are walking, talking spoiler alerts. Actually, no. They're not the alert. They're the spoiler. It was a really thoughtful surprise, too.
Ship them off to boarding school in Switzerland, I beg of you. Luca was off at sleepovers for a lot of this but it wasn't enough for me.
Won't lie, though, it was annoyingly sweet how into Luca Jeremiah is. These two MCs will probably make great parents and love the shit out of that boy. So there's that.
This bored me. There seemed to be no plot, and I'm a notorious hater of actual plot in romance but this? What sort of nothing burger was this?
A bi-awakening where there's hardly any mentiom of an awakening. Just oh, guess I like dick now, moving on.
Also, am I the only one who deeply believed Marcus was in love with Jeremiah? I thought it was hinted at but then it sort of disappeared into the ether and now I don't know if I'm crazy.
Jesse said this is low angst and she really meant that shit. Which is also deeply irritating because Jesse fucking shines at extreme angst.
Sigh.
Oh, and it's like AFTER writing the book is when it was remembered that this was supposed to have sprinkles of hockey so they brought the previously retired MC out of retirement for a singular game. During the EPILOGUE ...more
First questions first. Which of the two had lube at the ready in the hospital? The dying one or the other, who was ALSO dying but at a slower rate?
TheFirst questions first. Which of the two had lube at the ready in the hospital? The dying one or the other, who was ALSO dying but at a slower rate?
These two are some horny ass MFs(but prepared). I'm not sure which of them was a boy scout.
I've wanted to read a book where the royal MC is an actual crown prince and not a spare because everyone seems to dodge that. This author didn't so yay for me.
BUT. The first 30% or so of this kinda bored me. I mean, it was necessary, I guess, to know both MCs as individuals before we got to know them as a duo(because those two got symbiotic AF in the truest sense of the term).
Anyway. At first they both spoke a bit like therapists. Too self-aware. They both had issues, sure. Issues for dayssss. But I was worried they wouldn't be able to truly bring the drama when I needed it.
I shouldn't have worried.
Of course what you'd expect to happen with a royal affair situation happens. They get outed. Very publicly.
But the reactions had me rolling my eyes.
Because let me tell you if the man I was in love with turned out to be a literal prince? LOL. Let's just say my reaction would have him reassessing a (very valid) suspicion that I could be a gold digger.
That said, I love this business of one MC deciding that if he can't have the other after exhausting all possible avenues to get him back, he'll simply......die.
Real lovers are so back.
If you don't waste away when you can't have him, what's even the point?
Man said I have energy for one thing, and if I can't have him, anything else is merely a waste of time holding on to a life I'd rather not live.
I fuck with that. That MC is alright in my book.
I received an advance review copy for free via BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily....more
Never seen two people who'd be better off apart more than these two, but they're so hauntingly beautiful together that I can't judge them for holding Never seen two people who'd be better off apart more than these two, but they're so hauntingly beautiful together that I can't judge them for holding on even while it breaks them.
Imagine detailing all the ways someone has hurt you(morally, emotionally, financially et c.) to elicit their empathy and the first thing they say is, "Forgiveness doesn't make you weak..."
The long held family feud causing the rivalry between these two started in 1553. Looool at this point you're holding onto beef from your great great gThe long held family feud causing the rivalry between these two started in 1553. Looool at this point you're holding onto beef from your great great grandparents' great great grandparents' great great grandparents.
BUT to be fair, there's a very valid explanation for why the two in question felt like they needed to carry it on, or at least stay away from each other.
I wish this story had claimed the MCs were teens, even 18/19 would have worked well for me in this case.
At first I was wondering how old these two are because Nico says he wants to touch a man in 'unspeakable places' and I'm thinking noooooo, speak of them. Please! I specifically came here to read about you speaking of these places. Use your words....more
**spoiler alert** This one mostly just had me wanting to cry.
I hate what Luke's friend did because it really really REALLY wasn't her place to share t**spoiler alert** This one mostly just had me wanting to cry.
I hate what Luke's friend did because it really really REALLY wasn't her place to share that. 'Don't treat him any differently' but you went out of your way to share his business that you had no business knowing to begin with.
Because see how you're causing ghosting allegations because you wouldn't let people say their things in their own time. Actually this book is basically people not minding their business. Ditto Marcos telling Max that Luke is a man whore(though honestly that's not as much a gross violation as what Luke's friend did).
Well intentioned but the results were heartbreaking.
See how because she couldn't keep her bloody mouth shut, everything took on an all new meaning after Max realized Luke knew? Even the most thoughtful gestures are suddenly nefarious so fuck her fr.
Max thought Luke kept backing off sexually because he considered him spoiled goods...more
Jamie is absolutely those people who let their intrusive thoughts come out to play because why would you tell your best friend of thirteen years that Jamie is absolutely those people who let their intrusive thoughts come out to play because why would you tell your best friend of thirteen years that you wished his wife was dead so you could have him? ...more
I enjoyed Sam and Israel, but I'm unconvinced that the parents that were deeply uninterested and disappointed in Israel his whole life suddenly turnedI enjoyed Sam and Israel, but I'm unconvinced that the parents that were deeply uninterested and disappointed in Israel his whole life suddenly turned over a new leaf after realizing he wasn't even theirs.
Honestly I thought they'd use it as a get out of jail free card to finally escape their gay son.
So I wasn't sold on that and it took up a big part of the story.
Sam and Izzy were cute. I'm surprised the being in love thing hadn't occurred to them before. They were together in every sense of the word except sexually so there was no big shift in their dynamic.
PSA to anyone who struggles with Joel Leslie narration that it's tolerable if you listen to him at x1.5 speed....more
I was ready to hate Parker. 20% in, this was shaping up to be a book where one MC did something horrific to the other and now uses his mental health iI was ready to hate Parker. 20% in, this was shaping up to be a book where one MC did something horrific to the other and now uses his mental health issues as a cop-out AND a way to evade culpability.
Like sure, I understood WHY he broke up with Marcus and shattered his heart a year before. I did NOT understand why he thought EXPLAINING it meant they'd immediately get back to where they'd left off.
That man was shopping for wedding rings before he got dumped out of the blue, he's ALLOWED to be wary of getting back together with you.
And the whole turning his embarrassment into pique whenever Marcus asked to slow things down was not endearing Parker to me. If you walked away from someone without explanation, you can stand to face a little embarrassment if they don't want to rush into things with you...more
First things first. Dark romance where? These two were adorable, actually. Saccharine.
It's like these two idiots decided to take turns saving each othFirst things first. Dark romance where? These two were adorable, actually. Saccharine.
It's like these two idiots decided to take turns saving each other. Possible off-page conversation with each other?
D: Okay. That's my save for the week completed. Now you go. L: Yay! I get to go again?! I just saved you last week! D: Hurry up, already! I'm already antsy for the next time I get to barge in and save you.
You know how I get annoyed when I feel like one MC is trying harder than the other? Well. This book is Jackson giving 180% and West coming in strong aYou know how I get annoyed when I feel like one MC is trying harder than the other? Well. This book is Jackson giving 180% and West coming in strong at -20%.
This.....shouldn't have been a romance. Or maybe it just wasn't. To me.
It's not even West's fault. That man needed intensive long-term therapy the likes of which required a three book arc at minimum to be believable.
He's so broken that he needed help more than he needed romance. It was clear from chapter one, and I wish Jackson hadn't needed to break himself at the altar of West before it became clear to him.
Brief background.
West was abused physically and emotionally by his father growing up, and it seems every adult in their shit town knew about it but were too much of cowards to do anything about it(despite the lies they tell themselves otherwise)
He watched his mom commit suicide, got the homophobic beating of a lifetime from his father at 17/18 and ran away from home. A series of unfortunate events end up with him in jail for armed robbery,and he later leaves as a survivor of a 9 man gang rape and a murder for self defense.
Jackson was pushing Sisyphus' boulder from the jump. Ex best friend returns after 17 years away, shortly thereafter he discovers it wasn't because West abandoned him after their kiss. And everyone he trusted had known and kept it away from him because ✨reasons✨.
Cue the biggest 'I can Fix Him' campaign of the century. Except, he couldn't. Because love isn't a magic cure. But he tries.
And tries.
And tries.
And tries.
Spoiler alert: He fails every time.
Until he's the one who's broken. And West can't deal. Because he can hardly deal with his own issues. I WANT to have grace for him, I do. Because he's had a rough time of it.
But I'm going to be honest, it was hard not to be disappointed. I wish he'd found it himself to come through at least once. I GET why he couldn't. Didn't stop me wishing he could have.
So here we are. Started with two MCs. One okay, one broken. By the end, they're both broken.
On the plus side, Jackson never once said anything he didn't mean, for better or for worse(usually for worse)
“I ain’t saying you have to. I’m saying we were robbed of a chance to find out, and if you ever wanted to find out… that door is open on my end.”
“I do trust you. I walked into this thing with you knowing full well that at the end of this year together, you’re going to break my heart."
Maybe my issue overall was that the last 10% of the book had SO much going on that I couldn't buy the authenticity of what was being claimed.
90% in, I told myself there's no wayyyyyy this doesn't have a book two. There's no way this can be wrapped up in 10%.
Maybe if the last bit had been as well paced as the first 90%, I'd have loved this.
As it is, I would love this as a story of healing. The depictions of West's suffering? Harrowing.
Do I like this as a romance? Do I root for these two to be together by this stage of their lives? No.
And it's that much sadder that I don't even blame West for it. It's just what it is.
Is there a word for a romance that's mostly sad then ends with a 'jk, they lived happily ever after'?
This is a tragedy that forgets itself by the end....more
Pregnancy scares. Multiple children. Marriage to people that are not the love of their lives. This one was a clusterfuck(not derogatory).
On one hand, Pregnancy scares. Multiple children. Marriage to people that are not the love of their lives. This one was a clusterfuck(not derogatory).
On one hand, I get it. I do. Because there was so much anger when we left these two that it wasn't feasible they'd get back together immediately. But we left them at 24/25. And this one spans till they're 34/35.
So a decade, give or take. And they still can't figure shit out. Avoiding, as always. To be fair, maybe they thought they'd moved on. I wanted to tag this 'fated mates' for the sheer inability these two have to stay out of each other's lives.
Also, I think making the first half of this Georgie's POV was a miss for me. I don't like him. I don't want to be in his head and seeing things from his perspective changed nothing for me in regard to his lying cheating ways.
I didn't like this one as much as the first for obvious reasons. They're not even in each other's lives for the first half and while that changes in the second half, they're not together or even working towards it by the end.
I wouldn't even say they're friends by the end of this, though they're working towards it.
Well. Working towards being friends while the wife works on saving her marriage ...more
I always admire how MCs have the restraint not to blurb shit when the other has some sort of amnesia. The doctors would simply have to hate me becauseI always admire how MCs have the restraint not to blurb shit when the other has some sort of amnesia. The doctors would simply have to hate me because I'd sing like a canary. You forgot shit? Let me catch you up.
No idea what Jack did to the gods in a previous life but yeeish. He's been a victim of circumstances as far as anything to do with Sean was concerned for a decade. And the hits just kept coming.
Their memories, though. At first I was so frustrated with Jack for not just telling Sean, because Sean begged and begged. But reading through the memories? All that little shit? Yeah, there's some stuff you can't explain. Stuff you can only feel.
I started to understand when he kept telling himself he couldn't tell Sean the truth about them because if he did and Sean didn't believe him, it would break him.
It legit got to a point where I was sadder than Jack about the absence of Sean's memories. Because it was breaking him regardless and he had to hold himself together for Sean, who btw is no fucking walk in the park. And he had no one to lean on because nobody else knew about them.
It didn't help matters that they'd had a D/s dynamic before Sean's accident, so without him there in the Dom capacity, Jack was flailing.
This one's sadder than the others because it's not just messy relationship drama. It felt like Jack fighting for his life and he's not even the one that got his body broken.
When the memories returned?
When Jack burst into tears I was right there with him. I'm not even going to lie, that man wouldn't have made it if Sean hadn't remembered.
“Whatever you want.” “‘Cos we always do what I want?” Sean smiled up at him. “I always want what you want,” Jack said simply.
Like...??? Tell me that's a man who'd have made it.
And I was just so happy that he got his dom back, man. Watching his heart break again and again daily was really ruining the vibe.
I can just imagine the looks on Matt's family's faces when he tells them he's back on with Aiden. They're going to think he's the dumbest MF on earth I can just imagine the looks on Matt's family's faces when he tells them he's back on with Aiden. They're going to think he's the dumbest MF on earth ...more
Saying “This isn’t an overnight retreat for the clergy. Take your clothes off.”, to an actual priest. Only you, Nicky. Only you.
Objectively, I shouldSaying “This isn’t an overnight retreat for the clergy. Take your clothes off.”, to an actual priest. Only you, Nicky. Only you.
Objectively, I should have loved this. I LIVE for fallen priests. I love when it's a second chance situation that wasn't due to egregious crimes in the past(dumped for God, oof)
But somehow, although the story had all the ingredients of something I'd love, I failed to fully immerse in the romance and eventually I figured out why.
We don't get to see these two fall in love. We're told they fell in love as kids, but in brief, throwaway sentences. No flashbacks, just a few words here and there referencing what happened.
I know Nicky got blindsided by Jazz's decision to join the seminary, but I don't feel his past heartbreak. I feel his residual anger and resentment over it, sure, but it didn't quite hit the same.
It didn't help the situation that they seemed to fall back into old patterns very quickly, either.
I guess I just felt that Nick's emotional openness towards Jazz was too quick, given how that brutal dumping when they were teens actually sent him careening into a tailspin of drugs and bad decisions that he's still actively struggling with the repercussions of.
Then again, maybe their connection as kids was just THAT strong and nothing could get in the way of them once they're in each other's lives again. But that's part of the issue. We don't know that, because we don't get to experience them as kids falling in love.
And for Jazz to leave the church that easily, with not much guilt or wringing of hands really calls into question how strongly he was committed to it way back then, to have done what he did. Lends credence to Nicky's suspicion that his mom's talk swayed him more than he let on.
The Jimmy Orlean thing was a cop out on Jazz's end. The way they talk about their past selves? No way he believed that.
So for me, this fell a little short of my expectations.
I was sort of hoping for a Mick and Sez romance, but well. The authors put a very firm kibosh on that...more