DNF @ 21% but skipped pages to find out what h's big secret was.
Lacked S chem/emo/romance. Telling My 2nd book by this author and this is it for me.
DNF @ 21% but skipped pages to find out what h's big secret was.
Lacked S chem/emo/romance. Telling with no showing.
Quickly went from no chemistry or any relationship really (they didn't even talk or share some kind of non-verbal understanding since H was mostly out of the house working) to suddenly having sex, after their 1st dining experience out. The next chapter summarized their being together for 1 year now and H proposes. Skips 1 or 2 years later in the next chapter (chapter 8), with both lovey-dovey with each other and H pampering her with his rich lifestyle and insisting she not work.
**SPOILERS** There's no emotional or romantic development. We're just told the status of their relationship. @25% by chapter 10, about 5 years have gone by and H suddenly slaps her, after she lets the waiter help wipe off some spill on her dress when she & H were dining out. H all of sudden becomes this jealous-possessive psycopath. Skipping more--h runs back home later and H abducts her and rapes her with his now full-blown psycopathy. So glad I skipped & didn’t read through this. Not going to read the rest of this series.
No emotional connection but mostly focused on H financial pampering of h without any explanation of why. Lots of repeated teasers all through the book of h trying to forget her traumatic meeting with H. Which is basically H saving her after she may have killed a man, who may be her client. Since this book cliffhangered @ the big reveal that h worked as a prostitute. That wasn't surprising....more
DNF @ 13% coz h sounds stupid. I couldn't even get through the 1st book of the series. What a waste of this boxed set!
23yo virgin ex-supermodel & nowDNF @ 13% coz h sounds stupid. I couldn't even get through the 1st book of the series. What a waste of this boxed set!
23yo virgin ex-supermodel & now college-student h was stupid to chase after a possible-murderer mid-30s art professor H--who she’s never met and who she’s only known/became intrigued by from reading the letters he wrote to his ex-lover OW (who was the last occupant of her dorm room and left her letters under the dorm bed h is now occupying).
Even after finding out that he had an affair with his students (OW) and he may have possibly murdered-by-castration the guy he caught OW smexxing, h is still ga-ga over H due to his passionate letters to OW and began writing him letters. He starts responding back briefly. After h told him she won’t write to him anymore (@ their 4th letter correspondence), H starts spouting off similar passion-filled stuff with h who he’s never met. And she buys his 2nd-hand love! Unbelievable.
I wish this H&h switched pairings with the H&h of Pretty Little Lies. This H&h were too similar so their romance was predictable and even-keeled. WhicI wish this H&h switched pairings with the H&h of Pretty Little Lies. This H&h were too similar so their romance was predictable and even-keeled. Which is good for them but it lacked drama and high emotion that I like in my romance books!
If this spunky & frank 19yo ballet-student paired up with the cruel jerk of a bully H of Pretty LIttle Lies, (PLL) she would've challenged that H much more to change. And he definitely would've had to grovel to get her back (unlike the too-quick and too-easy forgiveness of PLL's h). In the same way, this grim 25yo Russian mafia-leader H would've been shaken up more emotionally by PLL's shy and sweet h. He also would've challenged that h to get a spine and become a stronger person.
This H&h’s romance was pretty straightforward. Mostly due to sharing many characteristics (both outspoken/emotional distancing/strong/take-no-prisoners approach to enemeies but kind to those in need & loved ones). They had their affair for about 2.5 years in the book with both adhering to their BDSM-y sex affair without getting too personal (i.e., rarely kissing).
Average emotion due to both H&h similarly keeping their emotional distance. Not much angst since neither wrestled with secret longing for the other until about 70-80% of the book. Drama and emotion only came towards the end when H was hospitalized after getting shot 8 times in the back while protecting h from drive-by shooters. Wished the epilogue showed them with kids or at least h preggo.
Sexual History: 19yo h didn’t date nor had interest in it due to working hard with 2 menial jobs to help her mom out and to save for her private-college tuition. H was her 1st kiss and only lover. She let H de-virginize her during their trial run for their 3-yr-agreed affair (where she would be H’s exclusive lover and date until she graduated in exchange for H paying for her college fees and living expenses/clothes/etc.).
25yo H usually has subs/lovers with similar sex contracts who he keeps for 2-3 years. Once his lover starts wanting more, he ends their affair. He deliberately set it up this way per the advice of his father who had many mistresses after his beloved mom got killed by his father’s rival mafia. He was celibate weeks before he saw h again 1.5 years later since he broke up with his last contract lover coz she wanted more from him....more
More lust-based with a side of mental game-playing. Romance was meh. Characters were roughly-hewn. Lacked emotional i**SPOILERS under Sexual History**
More lust-based with a side of mental game-playing. Romance was meh. Characters were roughly-hewn. Lacked emotional involvement. As a result, what sounded like it would be sexy and romantic ended up not being so. Such as:
#1. H may be stalker-obsessed with h BUT he ended up just acting/acting like a creep. Even h kept telling him he was being "creepy" and asking if he just had a thing for young girls. His sexual demands of h could've been sexier but the lack of emotional-sexual chemistry just them sound rough and kinky. But h's response to him was a big part of why this was so.
#2. h said "yes" to all of H's demands BUT she liked the "hot" teen guy (OM) at her school more h's was too emotionally-distant from H for most of the book except for sex. She was into H when it came to sex but didn't really like him unlike OM. Even when she found out OM was a drug-dealer after % 60% mark, she still seemed more comfortable and vulnerable with him than with H. She even wished that she met OM, after she was done with her secret affair with H after she was done with her class with him. Things only changed for her when she met H's large Italian family since having a family was important to her.
#3. many potentially-dramatic info BUT most skipped re: how it affected h and/or H Lots of dramatic teasers from just being mentioned (i.e., h's stalker @ age 13, h's wildness @ age 13, H being an undercover narc, how h's mom's death 1.5 years ago affected her & her sister, what situations made her sister moved them to 3 different CA towns in the last year) but no follow-through. So, caused major plotholes, under-developed characters, and emotional shallowness.
Sexual History: 18yo h had BFs before 28yo H. No info on how many lovers she’d had but that they were in her age group and that she started being “wild” @ age 13. Her being wild included smoking pot, skipping class, and underage drinking. She had stalkers before H, including a serious stalker @ age 13 which ended up in court. But no other info aside from that. No info on how long she’d been celibate since H. But she did mention how 1 month ago she didn’t have anyone interested in her and then now she had H and OM vying for her. She seemed to “like” h.s.-senior OM since he was nice and attractive. But she kept giving in to H’s sexual demands and threats.
28yo H wanted h @ 1st sight and got her to have sex with him their 2nd day of tutoring. No info on his previous Gfs or lovers, except for his mom telling h that he’s never brought any other girl to their family restaurant until h....more
Glad I read this 6-series book in its whole-book format coz I don't like cliffhanger endings.
A good read because it: **SPOILERS under Sexual History**
Glad I read this 6-series book in its whole-book format coz I don't like cliffhanger endings.
A good read because it: #1. was unpredictable and well-paced It started with a fun & sexy challenge to get h to agree to sign H’s dom-sub hush-contract (NDA) and became a deeper emotional connection as h’s past unraveled later. The addition of the mystery-suspense of h’s kidnapping past & how she got kidnapped again by the same man towards the end provided some unpredictability and kept my interest overall.
#2. was emotional involving with good sexual tension Funny, sexy, and had some angsty moments too. Hot detailed bareback S scenes but wished that h discussed condom-use before smexxing H coz he knew about her birth-control but she didn’t know about his sex-safety.
#3. had likable chars and good character development Liked h’s combo of sass and caution/sexy online Tweets but tight-lipped in person/realistic yet liked to fantasize. Also liked her candid introspection and ability to laugh and let go of her issues once she’s figured things out. Her character growth came from having major denial issues re: being kidnapped & brainwashed for 8 months by her family’s unknown masked killer as a kid.
Liked H’s mix of kinky controlling lover and his kindness/generosity with his family. His character growth was linked to their romance progress. At first, he tried to control h like he did with his other subs. But became deeply in love with h, despite her emotionally distancing from him. Love how he persisted with her--unwilling to take her rejections of his love and her self-denials re: her traumatic past.
Sexual History: 23yo h was celibate for 8 months before she and H 1st smexxed. She’s had casual lovers since high school or college. But no emotional attachments and no desire to get married due to her traumatic past (She was abducted when she was 13 by a masked stranger, after he shot her parents and brother in their farm home. He mostly kept her in a closet for 8 months and brainwashed her to eventually believe that she was his wife and belonged to him and would get rewarded some freedoms (i.e., be out of the closet, able to talk to him) if she obeyed his demands. He never touched her sexually but let it be known that he was going to sexually claim her when she’s legal age. She was upset when he suddenly freed her 1 day and wouldn’t talk to anybody for weeks after she was rescued.).
32yo H has a voracious sex appetite and likes to have various submissives, whom he requires to sign a NDA to protect his actor image. Many are 1-time only and others are longer but always ends their dom-sub relationship when he tires of them. He’s had 15 subs within the past 4 years. He never takes them on a public date. Public dates are reserved for his public girlfriends who he never sleeps with since they’re strictly business-only set up by his manager. He’s only had 2 real girlfriends ever—1 with his Disney teen-movie co-star when he was 16 and the other with a party girl he broke up with when he was 18....more
Michelle Reid's 1st HP ever, back in 1988. And it's not a comfortable romance due to:
#1. Lots of turbulent emot**Major SPOILERS under Sexual History**
Michelle Reid's 1st HP ever, back in 1988. And it's not a comfortable romance due to:
#1. Lots of turbulent emotion, sexual tension, and secrets. The book starts right away with h breaking up her secret affair with her boss H, who's both clueless and upset about it. The whole book felt dramatic and messy, as reflected by H and h's emotional mess. Definitely not a boring read.
#2. Both characters were not the most likable but weren’t totally horrible either. h was understandably bitter and resentful over her unrequited love for H. Yet accepted responsibility for her choices (including messing up on her birth control pills) since H was clear about keeping their affair limited to after-work and a secret.
Interesting character progression for h to start out as a shy quiet virgin to becoming more passive-aggressive about being a secret mistress to her boss H. Then, to progress even more to her being frank and cutting to H about being his dirty little secret/his lack of interest in her aside from sex/and his emotional cheating on her by dating another woman the weekend h couldn’t make their date.
H was harder to get to know for most of the book, aside from his obvious clueless-ness when it came to h and romance in general. He was a player who was frank re: his sex-only interest in women he dated. So, his keeping h for 5 months and even him hiring her knowing he was very attracted to her made h different than other women. But this wasn’t obvious until his ending confession. As a result, H just appeared cold, controlling, and even potentially abusive when he got mad enough (I.e., he almost slapped/hit h after she told him about her accidental pregnancy but she was saved by fainting). Wished that H showed his vulnerable side much earlier than his confession @ the end.
#3. H's cheating on h was ambiguous. His dating another woman before their breakup made H look worse, despite him saying he never touched her. Wished his reasons for dating OW was made apparent or hinted at way before the ending.
#4. Romance progression was iffy. Their romance was iffy until H finally opened up @ the end. Liked that h didn’t pursue him and made him work for their relationship and confronted him on his lack of care for her/interest in getting to know her/cheating on her by taking out another woman for dinner/wanting to marry her only for their baby’s sake.
Sexual History: 20yo h was de-virginized by her boss H, when she agreed to have an affair with him a few weeks after he upgraded her to be his secretary. Their affair occurred in her apartment since H kept firm boundaries about their workplace and his apartment. In their 5-month affair, he never invited her to his apartment nor offered to drive her to work with him since both came from her apartment or date her publicly.
]34yo H was known as a workaholic womanizer who liked to keep things in order. He’s known to never mix business with pleasure. So, him hiring h as his secretary with the intention of having an affair with her was a 1st for him. As well as his maintaining an exclusive relationship with her for 5 months until his dinner date with another woman. He told h that he dated OW to keep himself back under control since he began realizing that h meant a lot to him than just a usual sexual affair. Very possible that during the 6-7 months after he’d been trying to get resistant h back that he went out with 4 other women per h’s casual mention of it to try to move on from h. But H said that he “(hasn't) touched any other woman with any intimacy since (h). (He didn't) even want them—which was a shock to (his) system”:...more
See, this is why I have to write a review after reading a book. I forget most of the book's details and whether**Major SPOILERS under Sexual History**
See, this is why I have to write a review after reading a book. I forget most of the book's details and whether or not I liked it, if I don't note it down ASAP. I read this book for the 1st time about 1 month ago but forgot to write my notes down. So, when I re-read this last night, the fuzz in my brain connected and I began remembering the gist of the book.
The emotional and sexual chemistry was explosive. And the 2nd-change romance angsty and well-developed, I re-read the whole book. I didn't even skip any pages. I must've liked it too the 1st time!
Due to: #1. Angsty and emotional Lots of angst from h’s pain due to: #1. being constantly left by H for his studies/work while preggo @ his disapproving Greek family’s mansion and esp after their 3yo son’s funeral
#2. not hearing from him until they see each other by accident 5 years later
#3. catching him asleep in bed half-naked with another woman
Also angsty from H's pain from being told 5 years ago that h didn’t want to talk to him by phone nor see him, when he went after her a couple weeks after the funeral.
#2. Likable characters and good character growth Liked h's somewhat-funny and sometimes self-deprecating POV. Liked that their character weaknesses were shown and some progress made in the last 5 years but neither were perfect. h grew from being shy and quiet 5 years before to now having some gumption to call H a "low-down faithless rat".
H showed some maturity too to now admit to being a wimp of a husband before. Loved how now-dominating H showed his vulnerable side, when he confessed about his irresponsibility as a husband and father and how he's undeserving of h.
#3. romantic Loved that both privately showed their loyalty and love for each other in the past 5 years, despite each thinking the other had moved in with others. Liked that h was kinda clueless to flaunt her attractive boss in public as her unconscious passive-aggressiveness towards H. As hurt & angry as she was with H during their separation, her heart was still loyal to him.
Sexual History: h was 17yo virgin when 22yo H smexxed her a few weeks, after they 1st saw each other & H started pursuing her.
NO info on H’s other previous GFs/lovers.
Both got married coz h got preggo soon after they started smexxing but separated 3 years later, after both left the island @ different times after their 2yo son’s funeral from his accidental fall from a cliff. 22yo H blamed himself for their son's accidental death coz he failed to fulfill his promise to spend time with h and their son that day due to over-working. So, he left h and his family right after the funeral.
After 2 weeks of being left alone with his still-disapproving family who encouraged her even more to leave H, she went to her parents' home in London. Unbeknownst to H, h's parents soon had her admitted to a mental facility due to her overwhelming grief but refused to let H know about h. Around that time, H went to h's parents house to see her. But her parents told him h wanted nothing to do with him and didn't want to see him or talk to him on the phone, after his numerous phone calls to her. So, he started drinking to drown his sorrows. Six weeks after their son's funeral, h came back to their apartment to see H and work things out with him. But instead h found him sleeping in their apt bed half-naked next to another woman (OW) so she quietly left. When h finally confronts H about OW, H later tells her OW was his tough cousin who was only there to help sober him up and forced him to wash up. However, OW ended up having to help drunk H out of the bathroom into his bed, when he started crying about h and their deceased son. H cried himself to sleep with his cousin OW hugging him and falling asleep this way too.
The fact is both H and h were celibate since they last smexxed 5 years ago. They both publicly appeared with other people—h with her good-looking boss @ who’s estate she lived in & who she often was seen accompanying @ parties dressed in slinky dresses and H with different celeb women @ social events. H confessed that he couldn’t muster any sexual interest in any other woman since he still loved h, despite him thinking she'd moved on with her boss. H was only sexually voracious with her then and now....more
#1. became tedious and boring Just a bunch more unnecessary plotlines that kept on keeping h and H apart. I gave it a good shot due to Silver Devil. But nothing much changed up to 80%. It actually worsened around 60% due to H's cheating on h. I finally DNF-ed @ 80% but skipped to the end. And glad I did because I didn't miss much.
#2. lacked romance/emotion/S chemistry Even up to 80%, H and h were still emotionally distant from each other. The only vivid emotions were un-romantic. h frequently felt disgusted by H’s disfigured face, when she wasn’t kissed and touched by him. She hated him. And he took it as a challenge to his manhood/pride and raped/dub-conned her. It wasn't out of love. So, @49% when her POV said she loved him it was unbelievable and sudden. Same with his ILY to her @ the end. There was no emotional/romantic build-up or preamble from her hating him for forcing & blackmailing her to have sex with him and marry him and to suddenly hiding her love from him.
#3. had inconsistent characterization @22%, strong-willed and mouthy h started acting helpless and found herself agreeing to a priest-officiated betrothal to a gruesome & mentally-ill 20yo Duke. As if she was hypnotized or something. It just seemed contrived, as if the author couldn’t find a better reason for h to suddenly agree to this official betrothal, when for days she’d been actively and openly resisting her arranged marriage.
#4. unlikable characters H and h were both impulsive, quick to misunderstand and hurl insults at each other. Then, they'd have sex. Afterwards, they're at it again with their misunderstandings and insults.
Sexual History: 18yo virgin h was de-virginized via rape by H, who was encouraged to get h pregnant by the uncle of the Duke so the uncle can claim the baby as the Duke’s. H was h’s 1st kiss/boob-touching/sex. A couple other lecherous men including the Duke’s uncle snuck h a kiss and boob grab.
34yo H was a renowned lover with many willing women who overlook his disfigured face for his sex skills. He cheated with 2 different women while he was already married to H. The 1st one was his married older ex-mistress from 14 years ago whose brothers disfigured his face for her honor. He basically became her whore to get money to buy back his sword and to afford passage from Spain for him and possibly h, who left him about 1 week prior and was staying at some rich woman’s house who she didn’t know was going to pimp her out to some rich men in the area. After h told him again that she was done with their marriage, he had unsatisfying sex with a prostitute....more
The GOOD: #1. captivating writing Evoked a here-and-now experience (i.e., sword-fighting scene with Hero and another D**SPOILERS under Sexual History**
The GOOD: #1. captivating writing Evoked a here-and-now experience (i.e., sword-fighting scene with Hero and another Duke towards the end). Advanced in its theme/content since reads like a currently-written dark romance with a cruel but obsessed anti-Hero and virginal heroine with quiet strength and smarts.
#2. good char and character development Liked how h started speaking up more and fighting for what she wanted instead of being passive. Also liked how it was obvious to everyone that indiscriminate manho H became solely focused on h and spurned potential lovers (both men & women), even when he thought h was dead.
#3. H groveled Liked that H humbled himself and showed his vulnerability to h @ the end, when he confessed his love for her and how much she meant to him.
MEH or the BAD #1. H’s grovel @ the end seemed so sudden. Wished there was more of a lead-in or bridge between H being demanding and distant towards h and H groveling to h @ the end.
#2. Good-enough emo with some angst. Wished there were more details/explanation given on what it was about h he fell for @ 1st sight and why he became so obsessed/in love with her when it's only been about sex with all others. These skipped details would've strengthened the emotional involvement in this book.
Sexual History: 18yo sheltered h was a virgin in everything with 29yo new-Duke H (i.e., kiss, boob-touching, sex). She was kissed and boob-groped by the crazy Duke who won her @ a chess game with H towards the end, with H being forced to watch them. But H was able to stop him from smexxing h.
29yo H was an indiscriminate manwhore who had sex with men and women, no matter what age or social status. He impregnated his 1st stepmother’s serving girl and had sex with this stepmother at a church altar, after she told him she’d been secretly desiring him. He mostly had sex with time with someone. But he had some return lovers, including 1 of h’s maidservants. Since he 1st smexxed h, he’d only been with h....more
The BAD: #1. 18yo college-freshman virgin h's out-of-character behavior It didn't fit h's character to let her BFF talk her into se3.5-star **SPOILERS**
The BAD: #1. 18yo college-freshman virgin h's out-of-character behavior It didn't fit h's character to let her BFF talk her into selling her virginity to afford school and dorm. Her BFF talked to her about it and, in ONLY a few minutes, h agreed to sell her body for school money. It didn't make sense to go against her usual caution and reservations and make such a huge decision like this without giving up much thought or time.
The GOOD: #1. liked h's character for the most part (serious about school, quiet, reserved)
#2. liked that h reverted back to her usual character after her ONS with 30yo stranger H When she realized that H was her new art professor, she avoided him as much as possible because she didn’t want to jeopardize his job or her schooling.
#3. Good emotionality/S tension/detailed S scenes Her avoidance helped give some tension in their romance and give her more character depth. It also drove H to stalk her from a distance since he wanted to see her and protect her despite her avoiding him. Liked how this created a more even power play in their relationship so their epilogue 5 years later made sense—with h finishing college and H&h now married with their 1st baby on the way and both becoming successful in their art.
#4. loved H’s stalkery-obsession with his student h
#5. liked that H wasn’t a sleaze or a manho He had strong reservations about smexxing an escort despite his friend gifting it to him to break his celibacy streak and even more so when he sees shy escort h. He kept giving her a clear “out” to just leave and not be obligated to smex him, despite her already being paid to do so. He did eventually give in and smexxed her, after she told him she felt hurt and embarrassed that he didn't want her.
Sexual History: 18yo h had never been kissed or dated any guy due to being shifted in various foster homes and busy with school. 30yo H was her 1st and only everything (i.e., kiss, oral, sex). No info on H’s past Gfs or lovers. Only that he’d been celibate awhile when his friend asked him, which shows that he wasn’t so sex-led....more
My 3rd novella by this author. Definitely getting a mix of Jessa Kane and Jordan Silver vibes...the writing style (straightforw**SPOILERS under Plot**
My 3rd novella by this author. Definitely getting a mix of Jessa Kane and Jordan Silver vibes...the writing style (straightforward smut, questionable morality due to pseudo-incest/incest relationship) and content (OTT ridiculous that it makes me laugh, exaggerated sexuality and dumbness with unapologetic aggressive Heroes and shy/kinda-dumb/willing sheltered-virgin heroines).
What makes AR’s novellas different than Jessa Kane and Jordan Silver though are the lack of details re: pertinent character and relationship information. For example in this book, not knowing H’s previous relationship to h (is H blood-related to h? Or a step-family related by marriage?), his and h's ages, and H's dating/sexual history provided me enough emotional-sexual tension to keep me awake. Not knowing if their relationship was ok--consensual? legal? moral?--kept me on my toes for its 34 pages. It's also what made it not seem like straight-up porn.
PLOT: 18yo virgin h being sheltered at their mansion by her wealthy parents was actually a biding of time until h turned 18 per the debt-repayment orders of the 30s/40s mafia-boss H who her father owed money to. While biding time, h was video-surveillanced in her bedroom and other parts of the mansion per H’s orders to keep her safe from h’s lecherous father and for H’s voyeuristic desires. When H came to claim her when she turned 18, it was with his OTT alpha-demanding possessiveness with a twist. He made h’s father watch him touch/kiss/oral and eventually smex h as his way of claiming ultimate possession of h since he knew her father would’ve raped her if not for H’s blackmail demands. Good thing that h had a yen for exhibitionism.
I didn't mind the DD/LG exhibitionism since H made sure others only watched them but no touching of h. h’s exhibitionism only extended to men watching her and H smexxing. But she didn't want women watching H. She was possessive of H in this way. Hot detailed S scenes. Iffy romance/characters. Meh emotion but good enough sexual tension....more
Enjoyed the smut but lots of vagueness in this book, which is likely deliberate since it adds discomfort/tension/and interest to **SPOILERS after #2**
Enjoyed the smut but lots of vagueness in this book, which is likely deliberate since it adds discomfort/tension/and interest to my reading. Such as:
#1. virgin h & H’s ages and exact relationship are unclear. But h likely in her late teens and H likely in his 20s
#2. No details to clarify if h and H are blood-siblings or step-siblings. Except that h’s mom had been married a few times.
#3. Not enough detail given re: their relationship history, including:
a.) how long H had been sleep-drugging h and touching her boobs and undies while she's asleep? b.) why didn't h seemed shocked when H confessed to preferring that she be asleep while he did sexual things to her? c.) did h also have secret sexual desire for H all along?
***SPOILERS*** I didn't like H. He was a creepy rape-y perv who secretly sleep-drugged h so he can touch her however he wanted. At least, he had enough control(morals?) to touch her over her clothing since she was still underaged. I didn't find his obsession romantic. It was sexy/sexual but lacked love. His growing obsession with h became obvious to his mafia dad and h’s mom and was part of why h’s mom took off with h 1 day and ran from them with some money she stole from H’s dad. A few years later, H finally found h and kidnapped her to his cabin.
Hated that H anal-raped h while she was sleeping coz he drugged her since he couldn't wait to smex her in some way. At least he waited for her to wake up before he de-virginized her vaginally. Her consent didn't seem an issue for him since he was set to claim her as his and having to hunt her down for years to find her made him even crazier. So, he wanted her awake for her vaginal de-virginization so she knew he owned her. Good thing h didn’t seem to really mind his rape-y drugging ways with her since she trusted H as a brother. But not much emphasis on her romantic or sexual feelings for H so had a incestuous vibe to it.
H was h's 1st everything sexually and she never dated either due to being closeted by her mother. No clear info on whether H had previous lovers. It may be possible that he was also a virgin and waited all those years to be with h only but not clear....more
My 1st AR Taboo book (Alexa Riley's other pseudonym). Really a mini-novella @ only 34 pages! Which was smutty and taboo-ey. Enjoyed it.
**SPOILER-y PLOMy 1st AR Taboo book (Alexa Riley's other pseudonym). Really a mini-novella @ only 34 pages! Which was smutty and taboo-ey. Enjoyed it.
**SPOILER-y PLOT**
18yo virgin h was rescued from a polygamous cult she was raised in to be a ward of her farmer 30s/40s H. She was about to be officially wifed to 1 of the cult men before her rescue but acted as a “milkmaid” to the other cult wives’ babies beforehand. So, she was still lactating when she started living with H, who loved all that. Her being used to a polygamous cult with weird sexual norms made her not question H’s sexual demands to BJ him, smex him, and be bred by him. It actually made her grateful to be used as such since that was what she’d learned from her cult community.
OTT ridiculous plot reminds me of Jordan Silver's novellas. h was kinda dumb and buxom with a good sexual appetite. H was a pervy Uncle whose actual relationship to h was not explained (is H her uncle by blood? If so, a 1st-degree uncle or 2nd-degree or further?). Hot detailed S scenes....more
Not a romance. Wouldn't even call it "romantic suspense". This is more like a ridiculous crime intrigue fiction. I read it anyway because **SPOILERS**
Not a romance. Wouldn't even call it "romantic suspense". This is more like a ridiculous crime intrigue fiction. I read it anyway because I've read some good Lauren Rowe romance (The Club: Obsession, Captain, etc.). Her books are usually funny and this book sounded OTT ridiculous from just the blurb. Skimmed this book until the end just to see how it unfolded.
Interesting and unpredictable story/chars. 20yo wanna-be actress h was like a dumb blonde but with secret smarts to manipulate situations to fit her goals. For example, she married her Hollywood porn-king husband (OM2) 2 years ago just coz she could see that he was getting impatient with her to finally smex him and she didn't want to lose the gains she'd already made with him. She had an "aww shucks" kind of sociopathic bent like her dad and (as we find out @ the end) her ex-BF of sorts (OM1). They seemed like simple country folks but some of their dialogue and h's POV showed their twisted mindsets.
Unpredictable that her seemingly-naive 19yo ex-BF confessed @ the end that he was that neighboring boy across her parents’ trailer who killed her friend’s cute cat as well as her almost-stepdad (just coz h lied about him molesting her) and others who got in her way later in life.
Sexual History: 18yo h was de-virginized by her late-30s/early 40s husband OM2. He was also the 1st to touch her boobs and only 1 to oral her & more. But for weeks, she wouldn’t give her virginity to him yet mostly as a power play coz she didn’t really trust him. She had a feeling he wasn’t faithful to her and may not fulfill his promise to make her a non-porn actress.
Her childhood friend-boyfriend OM1 was her 1st kiss and one who she practiced kissing a lot until she moved out of their small town. She wouldn’t let OM1 touch her boobs since he didn’t want her to get carried away then and she knew the power she wielded by holding him off sexually and promising more so she could manipulate him to take the fall for her when she was 18 and go to juvie as a result of his younger age. When they were reunited 2 years later, she finally let OM1 touch her boobs and smex her.
No info if OM1 had other lovers before he started kissing h and during their 2-year separation. OM2 had many previous lovers and had always cheated on h with buxom brunette (OW) the whole of their 2-yr marriage. OM2 sent OW weekly bouquet of flowers, which h found out about and used to sabotage OM2....more
I don't know how Faye does it but she can write some gripping insta-love-lust novella.
It's not just the porn-y detailed sex scenes she writes. Faye'sI don't know how Faye does it but she can write some gripping insta-love-lust novella.
It's not just the porn-y detailed sex scenes she writes. Faye's able to infuse the intense emotions and sexual tension between H and h before, during, and after sex. Despite their big age gap and the fact that 18yo virgin h is a student and mid-30s H is the new school headmaster, I bought their emotional and romantic connection. And that H would forsake his new prestigious and respectable job as the private school's principal just to unashamedly be with h. And be with her now!
Both likable characters. h really wasn't a "bad girl". She's actually a quiet and smart person who only earned her "bad girl" rep for saving a girl from a pervy teacher's assault. She did damage his property but it was to send his a strong message, which he turned around to defame h @ their school. Loved H’s OTT obsessiveness and alpha-dominant possessive-protectiveness over h....more
Writing lacked emotion and failed to make characters come alive. Didn’t like that late-30s/40s? H was onlyDNF @ 20% coz boring writing/romance/chars.
Writing lacked emotion and failed to make characters come alive. Didn’t like that late-30s/40s? H was only attracted to 21yo h 3 years ago, when she at age 19 came home to see his nephew (who was her BFF since childhood). There was no sexual or emotional build-up to his switching from viewing h as his nephew's friend to being attracted to her.
Both h&H were meh. Neither were driven or motivated to do much to rise above their situations. H had same job & same old property in their rundown town now as he did for years since h knew him & his nephew as kids. h had a lackluster & unmotivated mentality too. She came back to town homeless from the city she moved to & practically living in her car. She had no job prospects and nowhere else to go so why not put some closure on her long-held attraction to H?...more
4.5-star ***Major SPOILERS under Sexual History***
Made me cry a few times, especially in book2 due to H and h’s big misunderstandings re: each other’4.5-star ***Major SPOILERS under Sexual History***
Made me cry a few times, especially in book2 due to H and h’s big misunderstandings re: each other’s motives of being in their relationship and the great sacrifices they made for each other. Good emotional pull and character development. Lots of angsty moments.
Good char and char dev/rom and rom dev/sexual and emotional chemistry that were woven in well in plenty of Sex scenes. 36yo mafia loan-shark H was an anti-villain with his cold-hearted manipulations/bullying/threatening of 23yo vet asst. h. But his sometimes out-of-control feelings and actions towards h belied his true feelings for her. He became uncharacteristically open about his caring for h to the point of shunning his family and mafia life just to protect her. Loved H’s OTT possessive-protective jealous-dominant obsessive alpha-ness with h. h had a wonderful character with her mix of innocence and grit/kindness and firmness/practicality and hope. She kept rising above such trials with her general attitude. I admired her character.
Sexual History: 23yo h was not a virgin with 37yo H. She was raped and beat up by an unknown man who was with 5 others in the room when she was 13 but she had her eyes closed the whole time. It wasn’t until book2 that the video H’s cruel mom told her to watch that she found out it was H’s father who raped her. (They thought she was dead in the alley they left her but her beloved older bro found her and her family secretly tended to her. h’s mafia-linked father blackmailed H’s father with a video of the rape in exchange for leaving his family alone. But a car accident 2 years later killed h’s father & disabled her brother with brain damage. Soon after the accident, her mom died and h became the caretaker & breadwinner of her and her disabled brother. Unbeknownst to h, H’s father hired his goons to lightly protect h and her brother and had made a deal with her father before that instead of her marrying the man her father was going to bethrothed her to she was going to marry H instead. However, H’s mom didn’t want that and, after H’s father died, she derailed the arranged marriage to H and began her plan to put h & her brother in their debt so she could kill them for not paying.)
Due to the crime & poverty of their ghetto town, h was forced to pay for her brother’s debt with forced-BJs by a Zulu guy. She always spat his spunk out of her mouth right after. No other sexual stuff with him. Since her rape @ 13, she had never dated and was too busy trying to survive in their town and doing what she can to get her and her bro out of the town (i.e., taking vet classes, working at a vet clinic). She let H oral her before she later begged him to smex her.
36yo H was divorced from his 16yo daughter's mom, who he thought he loved when they got married when both were age 19. But he found out that she was repulsed by him and married him for money. She also couldn’t stand being pregnant and was a neglectful mother. They divorced within a couple years. He had many lovers after because he made it his goal to be a connoisseur of women’s pleasure. He didn’t think any woman would want to be with him due to his gruesome facial scars and limp.
Since meeting h that 1st time, he was captivated by her and stopped his mom's plan from killing h and her brother. So, he made her their live-in maid and his lover in exchange for their lives. It took him weeks to finally smex h since he just focused on her pleasure. Yet he didn’t want any other woman to satisfy him, including his most current lover who came to visit him at his house and tried to seduce him. His decision to delay sex with h was also because he believed her to be a virgin and he viewed himself as too monstrous/ugly to break someone pure like h. He actually told 1 of his goons to take h on a nice date and smex her. Then, he asked his other goon to tie him up in the basement and not unlock him until dawn so he wouldn’t go back on his plan to have OM smex h 1st. Fortunately, nothing happened. Before they finally smexxed, h's confession of being raped made H slow things down their first time together.
When they were separated for 10 months after h left him, both were celibate and not interested in others. H’s plan after his massive surgeries was to secretly stalk h and their son since he didn’t think h would ever take him back....more
1. H and h's romance got deeper with more setbacks and 4.5-star **SPOILERS are on my review of the full duet.**
Loved it! Even better than book1 since:
1. H and h's romance got deeper with more setbacks and revealed secrets.
2. H's character growth due to his love for h changed even his job and family choices.
3. h's huge setbacks made her even stronger but not in a way that emasculated H. More in a way that made her stronger and a better partner for this already-strong H.
4. Full of emotion and angst. Some secrets were heart-breaking.
5. HEA with epilogue years later with their young kids. And the villains got their due.
My 1st read of this author. Well-paced and captivating. Liking this heavily-scarred and disabled (limps) anti-Hero. Loving h's chara**SPOILERS below**
My 1st read of this author. Well-paced and captivating. Liking this heavily-scarred and disabled (limps) anti-Hero. Loving h's character so far too. Ends with a cliffhanger (see below).
ENDING SPOILER: h runs away from H with her disabled brother in tow after she finds out she's pregnant from a pregnancy test. She blames herself for the accidental pregnancy and thinks H will want her to get an abortion. But she wants to keep their baby.
First 50% of the book is the main romance. Last 50% starts overlapping with 2 epilogue-type romance stories of 2 other related couples (including Ehh.
First 50% of the book is the main romance. Last 50% starts overlapping with 2 epilogue-type romance stories of 2 other related couples (including h’s parents) from previous books and 1 mini-romance of h’s younger bro.
Liked the 20-yr epilogue of h’s parents & another couple more than h&H’s romance. The main romance only had average romance development/characters/S chem/S scenes between 18yo college student h & 33yo lawyer H (who her parents knew & had some hand in raising since before she was born). Liked how H was so into h but due to her age he had to get away from her so he left NYC for LA 2 years ago and she followed him few months later for college. Didn’t like that she had a serious BF her senior year if she professed to have always loved H since she was very young. There was no mention of why she got a boyfriend then (i.e., to get over her love for H?, to try out being in a relationship?). Just did she did and it lasted for 1 year until OM suddenly backed out of their prom date. The 2ndary characters (namely, h’s parents) made a big impact on their relationship resolution. I liked how their story was weaved in to the main H&h's romance. But, once it did, the main romance took a backseat in the book.
Sexual History: 18yo h is a virgin but have kissed other boys, specifically her BF in high school. Not sure if it was a joke that she planned on getting de-virginized by him on their prom night or not. But her prom plans didn’t happen since H secretly scared her BF to back out last minute from their prom date. She & H engaged in foreplay including oral in the book. Her de-virginizing by H was hinted at from their 3-yrs-later epilogue. They’ve been living together while she went to college & H proposed they get married 2 weeks after her college finals got done. No info of H’s former relationships. No info either if then-31yo H dated or smexxed anyone in the past 2 years since he moved to LA to get away from his forbidden attraction to then-16yo h....more