Lots of cheating. Both the supposed "hero" and "heroine" cheat on each other or with each other.
I hate slut shaming in books and in real life, this kLots of cheating. Both the supposed "hero" and "heroine" cheat on each other or with each other.
I hate slut shaming in books and in real life, this kind of stuff just pisses me off. This is one of the worst heroines. She's also a doormat when she's with the cheating hero.
I guess I'd say they deserve each other since they're both awful.
This just have me icky vibes way too much. Not just a cultural difference but Benjar was creepy and Ruby gave in way too easily.
It’s only about the sexThis just have me icky vibes way too much. Not just a cultural difference but Benjar was creepy and Ruby gave in way too easily.
It’s only about the sex so I have no idea how they’re “in love”. The writing and world building seems amateurish compared to her other series I’ve read.
Way too much of a rip off of the actual Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in this series, book 1 was worse for that, like scene fir scene, this one was just burning and non-con is not my thing. I kept waiting for someone to realize what was going on and Benjar to truly learn what he did was wrong, but he doesn’t learn and doesn’t care when Ruby tries to tell him. He just rages out and flies off the handle.
I will not be continuing this series and I’m unsure after this if I’ll give the author another chance or not....more
If I’d know this was a mafia book I probably would not have bought it/read it. As much as I love JG I am just not a fan of mafia “romances”. I hate in If I’d know this was a mafia book I probably would not have bought it/read it. As much as I love JG I am just not a fan of mafia “romances”. I hate in contemporary realistic fiction when women are “owned” by their family, unless they’re trying to break free from the cycle. And here she is not.
In contrast to a typically strong heroine in Jessica’s books, so it was really hard to even like, let alone connect, to Dell. She was a doormat and dull. I was much more interested in Nyx.
The gap was creepy/cringe too. He is thirty and she’s twenty-one with no real world experience. And she apparently “loved” him as a teen, I am not about a 15-16 year old with someone in their mid-twenties. Just icky. Not a fan of “new adults”. So many issues and things that it just doesn’t seem that a few years down the road they’d realistically still be together.
I didn’t feel any connection between the two other than sex and his deciding she was his possession.
If I didn’t already have the second book in the series I probably wouldn’t have bought it. There was no Henchmen feel to this new world, way more mafia than anything else. A fairly slow plot didn’t help either.
Tessa Dare’s was ok, if forgettable and but I wouldn’t read it again. 3 stars
Sarah MacLean’s was my favVery mixed reviews on the stories in this book.
Tessa Dare’s was ok, if forgettable and but I wouldn’t read it again. 3 stars
Sarah MacLean’s was my favorite. I connected with the hero and heroine separately and together. I loved that they had a history together. I think this would have been even better as a full length novel. The most Christmasy vibe of all of them too. 4.5 stars
Sophie Jordan’s was a good, probably 3.5-4 stars
Joanna Shupe’s was not romantic at all. She’s obviously a talents writer as they all are, but what an awful “hero” if you can call him that. He was abusive and manipulative towards the heroine throughout. To the point she had to put on a charade as he constantly threatened to fire her. Then when she did everything he demanding, including sex, he did fire her. It just gave off very icky vibes. Plus other than some might flirting at a single dinner party they aren’t really together to even fall in love. Their “love” was no believable in the slightest. I know it’s considered having a HEA but I don’t believe it. He might spout pretty words right at the end but he truly didn’t show that he was going to change. It would have been a happier ending if she’d turned down his final offer and took another job to grow her career where should could be herself. Anyway end of rant. (Skip this one) 1 star...more
So disappointed in this book. I don’t think I’ve ever given JG a rating below a 3 star but I couldn’t over look a few messages that seem to romanticizSo disappointed in this book. I don’t think I’ve ever given JG a rating below a 3 star but I couldn’t over look a few messages that seem to romanticize abuse. This is NOT something typical in JG’s books so I’m so disappointed. But I can’t condone a “hero” who forces a heroine (or anyone) to drink when they specifically choose not to drink because alcoholism runs in their family. The heroine even states that she knows if she doesn’t drink the alcohol he’ll pour it down her throat. That’s just too much. Not sexy, not flirty, not just it’s-cool-to-be-an-ass but straight up abusive. He also freaks out on her when he discovers her drawings of her past. These drawings were a way the therapist recommended she express herself and heal from her past. This is so the opposite reaction that we would typically see from a JG hero.
Aside from the aforementioned points this was rather slow without any real heat or connection. I kept waiting for something to happen but it never really went anywhere. The Ghost wasn’t much of one, I think a better name would have been The Ghoster since that’s what he does for people. He was condescending from the get go but I kept waiting for him to turn it all around and he just never did. The heroine started out strong in the first scene but really just became a doormat.
This is the second book in this series, I didn’t really enjoy the first one. I love the Savages, the Henchmen, and the Dark series but this one and the Mallicks just fall flat....more
Can someone tell me what exactly “Virgin curves” are? I mean is this author for real?
I enjoy finding new authors especially independent ones that I cCan someone tell me what exactly “Virgin curves” are? I mean is this author for real?
I enjoy finding new authors especially independent ones that I can support but there is so much crap out there in the ebook world and I hate wading through it.
I just don’t understand the all the hype around books like this one that play into such horrible stereotypes and add to the constant rape culture we already live in. Where are the strong heroines who’ll stand up for themselves? Why does every hero have to be a manwhore billionaire? (To each their own when it comes to who and how many people they sleep with, I’m totally against slut-shamming.) Where are the supportive best friends? (Note: telling your friend they need to get laid then seeking out a random dude is not being a good friend and more like setting your best friend up to be hurt.)
I don’t recommend this book.
There are tons of amazing contemporary romances out there. Read one of those instead....more
I hate to tag this as a Romance but that’s what it’s sold as. Make no mistake this is not a romance, it’s about a women who wants her abusers/rapists tI hate to tag this as a Romance but that’s what it’s sold as. Make no mistake this is not a romance, it’s about a women who wants her abusers/rapists to be held accountable for their crime. Everyone, and I do mean everyone (parents, ex, friend, acquaintances, media/press) all blame her for being gang raped. After she is held prisoner at a mental institute (not to get help but to keep her hidden away from the press so her parents aren’t tarnished by her “scandal”) she come home, if you can call it that, and is essentially held prisoner by her parents and the security team hired to “protect” her aka keep her under control.
This poor women should be able to press charges against her rapists and truest begin to heal, instead she has two parents that don’t care about her at all unless it pertains to them and an ex who is a renewed love interest but who physically abuses her (literally gives her a bloody nose on purpose). This is not sexy or hot just continued contemporary rape culture being spewed out.
Not only is the plot atrocious but the write has a weird repetitive but broken style. The book should be included in one longer book with the first book in the series and the third since they’re all one story and would probably flow better and be more cohesive.
I didn’t particular want to read this one after reading the first but I received it for free so I went ahead, I WON’T be reading the final book in the series.
I highly recommend you find something else to read besides this crap. I can’t believe how high it’s ratings are. ...more
DNF this one. I’ve read some bad free “romances” in my time and this one is right up with some of the worst.
Seriously was the editor in kindergarten? WDNF this one. I’ve read some bad free “romances” in my time and this one is right up with some of the worst.
Seriously was the editor in kindergarten? Who one earth edited this and didn’t point of some of the atrocious mistakes? And what with the over use of exclamation points?
I didn’t even put this on my “erotica” it went straight to my “basically porn with no really story” shelf.
Yeah, save yourself the time and cocksure attitude of both the male main character and the author who wrote this drivel and find something better written and much more entertaining.
I don't get why it's so hard for authors to get that asshole/jerk is not the same as an alpha-male. And what is with the slut shamming? He meets her fI don't get why it's so hard for authors to get that asshole/jerk is not the same as an alpha-male. And what is with the slut shamming? He meets her for the first time when she's 17 and calls her a whore because he's attracted to her and she's underage and in a fancy dress. #StopPerpetuationRapeCulture
He continually insults her throughout the book and she is a little prickly but can't really stick up to him. I don't like weak heroines (or heroes), I don't want to read about someone like that.
Even with less than a full page left the hero is trying to prove/show/confess his love and she tells him that the way he is doing it just shows that he doesn't know her at all (which I could see coming a mile as way as soon as I saw how he was going to "show" his love).
Not to mention there is hardly a thing to do with Christmas in the book, it's so minuscule it should have Christmas in the title. Ugh! I hate when publishers falsely advertise Christmas (or any holiday) to get people to read it.
I don't recommend this book or this author. (I only read this book because I needed it for a cover challenge). ...more
Unmistakable undertones of The Handmaid's Tale, it wished they weren't so blatant. I went into this book with high hopes, I LOVED Blackwood a2.5 Stars
Unmistakable undertones of The Handmaid's Tale, it wished they weren't so blatant. I went into this book with high hopes, I LOVED Blackwood and have been wanting another Celia Aaron book that could live up to it.
Unfortunately there was so much going on that I felt like nothing was flushed out very well in the short span of this book, or novella since it really is very short. We have:(view spoiler)[ cult, hostage(s), murder mystery, microchip that works as BC and GPS (like what?!), on going rape by the spinners, cult as a front for drug trafficking, absentee dad, druggie mom, abusive dad, sexually abusive stepdad, anti-hero, abusive hero, LGBT romance in hiding, escape plot, non-con/dub-con between the anti-H and h, pseudo BDSM, devil worship (WTF), sibling dynamics. (hide spoiler)]
The heroine isn't sure she can truly trust her "Protector" but she also fears when he's not around. He's not a good man and he's not good to hear. The Protectors in general are not at all what their title implies. There is also a huge age difference between the heroine and the anti-hero. The heroine is also written like someone much older than her 21 years. This is often an issue with New Adult the genre. She should be finishing up college (she does mention she attends) not here where she is, so it all seems a bit off. There was also a bit of a continuity issues with the anti-hero's age. The age difference between he and his brother puts him at about 35 but towards the beginning of the book it implied he was 30 so there is that issue as well.
Some more editing would have really helped this book and the author try to decide what points she really wanted to focus on instead of trying to fit 20 different plot points in as well as working out the continuity issues that occasionally crept up. Not to mentioned, it's the first book in the trilogy but it's so short the author should have just written one full length book, charged full price for it, and made it more cohesive and it would have probably been better over all than a story in three parts.
If you'd not read it don't. Stick with Blackwood, it's far superior and flushed out and well rounded with no cliffhanger or anti-heroes who don't know what they want. ...more
2.5 stars for domestic violence which I do NOT condone in any way shape or form and for sex/human trafficking. I’ll put up with a lot from the “good g2.5 stars for domestic violence which I do NOT condone in any way shape or form and for sex/human trafficking. I’ll put up with a lot from the “good guys” but you can’t be a good person when you’re selling people into sexually slavery knowingly and I don’t appreciate the author taking either of they topics so lightly.
I was super excited to read this book. It's the first in a series that I happened to got one of the books for free so I went ahead and bought the otheI was super excited to read this book. It's the first in a series that I happened to got one of the books for free so I went ahead and bought the others so I could read them in order. But this book had so many issues I ended up skimming the last half of it.
I know this book is 10 yrs old and BDSM has become much more popular but still to imply any kind of D/s relationship isn’t “real” or a sub isn’t a “real sub” because it’s not the relationship you’re (the hero, if you can call him that) looking for is way off and very off if one knows anything about the BDSM community. The heroine wants to explore BDSM and D/s this book paints a really poor picture of BDSM along with anything "kinky". Giving it a “She can’t possibly know what she wants from sex, she’s just a woman” vibe along with “women don’t go looking for kinky sex until a man shows it to them”.
It continues to have a very condescending and negative towards women, BDSM, subs along with the LGBTQ community throughout.
I'm not sure what this book/author hoped to accomplish other than painting a picture of an abusive and manipulative relationship along with showing exactly what BDSM is NOT.
BDSM should involve safe, sane, and consensual acts (sexual or otherwise) this book is not that and shouldn't be viewed as a reflection of it. ...more
I loved Taking Turns and wanted to read it again the moment I finished. I lov2.5 wish it was better stars
First off why is this book so much shorter???
I loved Taking Turns and wanted to read it again the moment I finished. I loved pretty much every aspect of even if the author could have been more clear on the rules when she had the guys explain them so us readers would better understand them.
However even in Taking Turns Quin comes off as an ass for a good portion of the book especially towards Chella though they eventually become BFFs. In Turning Back he is a constant asshole, and from being able to see so many sides of things, one of his own making.
He seemed so immature in that he couldn't even tell Rochelle that he loved her back if he truly did, then constantly blamed her through two books for leaving though that was part of THEIR rules. He kept telling her that he thought they had something special. Well so did she and when she confided her love in him he couldn't even reciprocate. I think it took her leaving for him to even realize it. I don't think he ever would have said it, which bring me to another point; (view spoiler)[ I did't buy that his Christmas present the previous Christmas was going to be to ask her to leave the game with him. (hide spoiler)] That confession seemed a little too convenient in the moment and something the author threw in because she was having problems trying to fix this pair and needed a way for Quin to redeem himself, if you can really call that redeeming.
Also if Quin wanted Rochelle found that bad after she left the game, he or any man wouldn't have left it to Bric or anyone else. Smith wouldn't leave it to Bric to find Chella. It took Chella's ex FBI friend 30 minutes to find Rochelle and the baby just shows you how little Quin and Bric were really invested in finding her (but we already knew that from Bric in the first book). You don't have to break laws to find car registrations or other things like that, it wasn't like she was hiding, so I'm not sure why Bric kept saying he wasn't willing to break the law to find her. Again Smith would break the law to find Chella.
I'm also really against the use of non-consensual use of BDSM or poorly used BDSM in books and I felt the scene where Quin told Bric (view spoiler)[ to physically hurt Rochelle so she could feel how he hurt bordered on that, not to mention the mental and emotional abuse that went along with that scene. (hide spoiler)] I'm actually really surprised Bric went along with that since he's suppose to be this really great knowledgeable Dom and all.
There were multiple points in this book I wanted Rochelle just to tell Quin never mind we're done, or to stop trying to "fix things" with him because she was the only one trying. He seems like the spoiled only child way too often for my liking. The last straw for me was when he couldn't even (view spoiler)[ show up for the DNA results that he insisted they get for Adley then admitted that it was because Bric needed to be taught he couldn't manipulate people anymore but that it was okay to manipulate and hurt Bric, (hide spoiler)] and apparently Rochelle.
I didn't even like Smith in this book which really hurt my heart. It seemed that Huss wrote him completely different. He was like a completely different character except for when he was threatening Rochelle with his misinformation. Douche-bag move by the way. You'd think Smith would at least have the right information.
Chella too seemed to change out of nowhere, like who gets a PhD in fine arts and runs a gallery which she loves doing then goes to culinary school to become a pastry chef??? It's not like you're a brilliant chef overnight either, it takes years of hard work to learn how to create all of those wonderful pastries that's why most famous successful chefs are older. She could have easily opened the tea room without being it's personal chef. She's wouldn't logistically be able to run it, own it, and be the head baker let alone have any time to be with Smith. Just something to think about. (One of my pet peeves is when authors ruin characters between books, along with continuity issues)
I did love Adley in this book, she brought a new element to the story and to the whole original idea behind the quad. In the decade they'd been doing this they'd never had an "oops" and it was interesting to see how they all handled it. Bric was the best (view spoiler)[and my heart broke for him and what Quin did to him. (Quin seems to like revenge, which I think will not be good in a long term relationship.) I really wish Bric wouldn't have withdrawn from Adley since other than Rochelle he was by far the best with her and I don't think he'll ever have any other children.
I also liked learning about Bric's family. He was funny about it and you can see that he really is a good guy even if he comes off a bit solitary he's really not.
I wasn't sure if I'd liked Rochelle or not after Taking Turns but I really did for the most part. She was a character you could see yourself being if you were in her situation. I probably would have left with the money and kept the baby after Bric suggested an abortion and Quin shunned my love. I would have felt very rejected. (I did hate how they kept trying to blame her being upset/leaving on her being crazy pregnant/hormones. That paints pregnant women in a very bad light and tries to suggest they have a mental illness which if they do they need help for, and those with mental illnesses should seek help and not be shamed for it.) But Rochelle after she came back was still so in love with Quin she became too much of a doormat and let him do whatever he wanted, including things I felt were abusive, and not in a dark romantic way. Things that no long lasting relationship can be built on. (view spoiler)[ They should have moved slower when at the end they finally decided to break away from the manage not move in together and become an instant family.
I ended up giving it 2.5 stars for my rating since it wasn't the worst book ever but it was a huge let down in many ways especially in comparison to Taking Turns.
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