NMmomof4's Reviews > A Gorgeous Villain

3.5 Stars

Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The overall premise, the side characters (the h's friends from the previous book and the H's sister mainly), and the steamy scenes.

The Not-So-Good: There was something about the first part of the story (not the prequel) and characters that felt extremely familiar. I even double checked at one point to see if I had read it before, but I hadn't. It was the bully being a bully because of his Dad forcing him to work for him by blackmailing him about the h when all he wants to do is work on cars (that's a secret), and he has a emotionally checked-out mom and a younger sister that he fiercely protects. If anyone knows what book that was, please let me know ~ it's driving me crazy!!

The Bad: The pacing towards the end and overall amount of conflicts.

Overall: This was enjoyable and had a lot going on that I didn't expect. I think the author did mostly well with it all, but at about the 2/3 mark, I felt like I was done. I'm not even sure why! I guess I just felt like it was too much thrown in at that point and while I understand the need to give closure for (view spoiler)[the Dad stuff (hide spoiler)], I wasn't feeling it. I also understand that Reed needed to (view spoiler)[realize he loved Callie (hide spoiler)], but that made it feel a little too stretched out for me. I didn't get as emotional as I hoped, but that seems to be par for the course lately with this funk I'm in. I liked it, but because of the last 1/3ish, I am going to rate it just a little better than just okay 3 stars.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Callie and Reed's story. Reed and Callie's older brother are enemies, so her crush on him isn't anything she feels she do anything about it until she meets Reed's younger sister and gets taken to his party. At the party, she talks to Reed for the first time and his pursuit of her begins. Reed is damaged and dysfunctional and Callie is sweet, innocent, and overprotected by her 4 older brothers. There are some conflicts, some sexy times, and some sweet moments...and they get a HEA ending.

Point Of View (POV): This alternated between (mostly) Callie and Reed's POV. I wanted more of Reed's tbh.

Overall Pace of Story: Good until the last 1/3ish where it seemed to get super slow (for me at least). I struggled not to skim but I didn't.

Instalove: No, this is more like a bully/forbidden romance that takes a while.

H (Hero) rating: 3.5 stars. Reed. I liked him but then I didn't sometimes. He was damaged and an ass but also redeemable. OTT protective/possessive for those reader that like that!

h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Callie. I liked her and I appreciated her growth through the story, but I wanted her to sometimes push a little more.

Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed (sadly)

Push/Pull: Yes (view spoiler)[They both push away (H emotionally more so) and I'd say that the H is the main pursuer of the relationship (hide spoiler)]

Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and some scenes -- but not so many (only towards the end) and not so much it takes away from the story. (view spoiler)[definitely some breeding/pregnancy kink goin' on and dirty talk (hide spoiler)]

Descriptive sex: Yes

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No (view spoiler)[ just jealousy (hide spoiler)]

Sex scene with OW or OM: No

Cheating: No

Separation: Yes (view spoiler)[They are separated for about 2 years, and there was mention of one OM that the h kissed and the H says he tried to get over the h but couldn't get past kissing OW either (hide spoiler)]

Possible Triggers: Yes (view spoiler)[Blackmail/bully/assault (on page), the h was a virgin (on page), and unexpected pregnancy (hide spoiler)]

Closure: This ends in a good place and what I would call a HEA ending (view spoiler)[they're married with their baby (hide spoiler)]

Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
(view spoiler)[
- Does Not have cheating
- Does Not have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
- Does have both the h and H pushing away
- Does have a ~2 year separation between the h and H
- Does Not have abuse (though can probably be considered borderline emotional abuse)
- Does have a HEA ending (hide spoiler)]