The intensity and madness in this was amazing. The beginning is pretty dark and twisted. But as things unravel between tPlease check trigger warnings.
The intensity and madness in this was amazing. The beginning is pretty dark and twisted. But as things unravel between them, the level of vulnerability and intimacy was equally intense.
There are some bully elements, but mostly there's a lot of degradation kink with little praise in between, in case that's not your thing. It oddly worked for me too well. Not sure what that says about me lol...more
Before reading this book, I was intrigued by Maggie being a Domme, but I wasn’t sure if I could enjoy Beau, the main male character. From previous booBefore reading this book, I was intrigued by Maggie being a Domme, but I wasn’t sure if I could enjoy Beau, the main male character. From previous books, I wasn’t sure if I could even tolerate him. But I should have never doubted Cate’s magic when it comes to character development.
Beau turned out to be my favorite thing from the book. I’m pretty sure he and Hunter are my two favorite characters from the whole series. And it’s because both have one thing in common: a hell of a personal journey of self discovery, acceptance and healing.
The way Beau’s internal struggles and prejudices got explored and unraveled was such a wild ride. I’m in total awe of the deep and complex emotions he went through. And how none of it was linear or flat. He felt real in the way he would fluctuate between his old and new self as he grew as a person.
He’s a great example of what toxic masculinity can do to a man who doesn’t fit in the box designed by gender role expectations. Beau believed he had to be like his dad, dominant and always in control. And that made him feel miserable, lost and most of all, angry. The way he had internalized all these fucked up notions and how frustrated all that made him was utterly fascinating to me.
I’m a sucker for men with daddy issues and Beau fitted the role so prettily. His relationship with Emerson was so interesting and well done. I wish we had seen more of it, though. I was hoping for them to have a longer conversation by the end of the book. But still, I loved to see these two utter idiots try to make things work.
And on top of that, he had become best friends with Sophie, his ex’s trans sister. Their friendship was one of the most wholesome and heartwarming shit I’ve ever read, ngl.
Maggie was a great surprise. My only complain is that the character we knew from previous books and this Maggie had nothing in common. I’m assuming this is because even her supposedly best friends never cared to get to know her that well, and that was reflected in the way they talked about her in their POVs from previous books.
In fact, the whole group dynamic when it came to Maggie pissed me off. Even at the end, when everyone discovered what was going on between her and Emerson’s son, no one talked to her. I found myself missing a scene where her friends showed support, or even just teased them. The way they never talked about it and then Maggie and Beau moved to a different state made it seem like things had cooled off between her and her group of friends. I don’t know but it pissed me off. It made it seem as if they could accent Emerson marrying his son’s ex-gf a lot easier than Maggie dating said son and that’s totally bullshit.
No one is more surprised than I am that I adored this book so much.
After the 5th book in the series, I was ready to quit. I wasn’t really enjoying thNo one is more surprised than I am that I adored this book so much.
After the 5th book in the series, I was ready to quit. I wasn’t really enjoying the series, some plot choices were making me uncomfortable and even pissing me off. But then came this book and made the whole experience worth it.
If you’re thinking of reading only one book in the Bridgerton series, please read this one. It was filled with so much heart, and everything felt so real... the angst was exquisite and the sex scenes... woah, just damn. Finally, after getting the same repetitive and formulaic sex scenes in every book, this was a fantastic upgrade.
My favorite part was Michael, our main hero. And that was such an unexpected surprise, considering my main issue with previous books were the men and how they were the epitome of toxic masculinity.
Now I need to keep reading in hopes of getting more Michael and Francesca. I need to know if they have kids!! I’m not kidding when I say I’m 100% Invested....more