if i squint my eyes, i stop seeing rory and angelo and start seeing elena and nico. idk man, this book was so similar to tso that i couldn’t stop makiif i squint my eyes, i stop seeing rory and angelo and start seeing elena and nico. idk man, this book was so similar to tso that i couldn’t stop making comparisons...more
i loved the beginning, but i started skimming past the halfway mark. lots of time jumps and teenagers being teenagers. loved Cross (H), but C3.5 Stars
i loved the beginning, but i started skimming past the halfway mark. lots of time jumps and teenagers being teenagers. loved Cross (H), but Catty (h) got on my nerves in the second half. then she just dug a bigger and bigger hole for herself as the story progressed. girl really needs to get her shit together in the second book...more
“Make sure you know what you’re saying, little dove. I’ll control you. Completely. Every damn aspect of your entire life. You’ll follow
3 Stars
“Make sure you know what you’re saying, little dove. I’ll control you. Completely. Every damn aspect of your entire life. You’ll follow my rules. When you break them, I’ll punish you until you hate me and then fuck you until you don’t.”
This is about seventeen-year-old Juliet McMillon, whose father is a lying and deceptive boxer who's amassed a lot of debt and enemies. One day, he takes it a step too far, and Maximo Black comes to their home to dole out his punishment. Maximo then takes Juliet, and despite being in captivity, Juliet finds out what it's like to be taken care of for the first time in her life.
Overall, this was an okay read. I've only read two books by Layla Frost, and it's obvious she knows how to write about possessive and obsessive alpha-heroes. But I can't say I loved Maximo, and I definitely didn't love Juliet. And I think it's because of the fact that the first ~30% was riddled with time jumps until Juliet was finally eighteen. I felt the development could've been more nuanced.
Then, there's the Daddy kink.
My plans to ease her in shot right out the damn window. Seeing the residual pain, betrayal, and sadness that shadowed her eyes, I muttered, “Fuck, you need a Daddy bad.”
Honestly, this kink does nothing for me. I'm apathetic to it. But in this book, the Daddy kink just felt so contrived and almost awkward. Again, I think it's because of the first ~30% of the book. Boom! Maximo kills Juliet's father and takes her in, boom! (or rather boooooooom! because this part was pretty slow) Juliet is essentially being raised by the people in Maximo's employ while Maximo remains mostly absent (don't worry, he's watching), then boom! Juliet is finally eighteen and Maximo gives her some TLC (which, of course, includes spanking).
This entire book felt a little off to me. I didn't feel particularly connected to the characters. Don't get me wrong, I did want them to get their happily-ever-after... so I could finally finish the book. However, I would take this review with a grain of salt since I read this during exam week, so my mood might've not been up to par. But I read for escapism, and this book didn't really give me the escapism I needed.
But, if you're looking for a safe steamy read with Daddy kink and a heroine who's barely legal, with a splash of violence, then this book pretty much hits all the marks.
Notes on safety (SPOILERS): ➛ Fifteen-year age gap. At the start of the book, h was seventeen. h and H don't engage in anything until she's eighteen. ➛ h was a virgin; little-to-no details about H's sexual history, but he was experienced. ➛ No OM/OW drama. ➛ No other partners after meeting (H was celibate for a year after meeting h). No cheating. ➛ Daddy kink. Dominant/subordinate dynamics. ...more
“Can you love a broken queen?” I asked, smiling though my face felt numb. Arthur searched my eyes. “Can you love a broken king?”
4.75 Stars
“Can you love a broken queen?” I asked, smiling though my face felt numb. Arthur searched my eyes. “Can you love a broken king?”
There are a few flaws that I can easily pinpoint in this book. But you know what? It would a crime for me to rate this lower than five stars because I devoured this book—to the point where I was still reading it at 4 A.M. when I had a class in the next few hours.
Cheska Harlow-Wright and Arthur Adley are different as night and day. Cheska is a socialite from the richest part of London; Arthur is a ruthless gangster from the worst parts you can imagine. However, fate brings them together when they’re thirteen, and again when they’re eighteen. For the next five years, Arthur and Cheska are each other’s obsessions, but a tragedy in Arthur’s life tears them apart and installs him as the new head of Adley firm, an empire of death and destruction.
But it’s not over for them. Thirteen months later, Cheska’s life is now in danger, and the only person who can help her is Arthur. As they embark on a journey full of retribution and violence, Cheska learns how to embrace the darkness while Arthur is reminded what it’s like to be in the “light” again.
Even bruised and battered, she was a fucking ten. But she didn’t belong in this world I lived in. Never fucking had. Didn’t stop me from taking her though. I’d fucking stolen her from the light and made her mine in the darkness.
I was craving a dark book, and Tillie Cole never fails to deliver. But this book just hit the spot perfectly. I'm not exaggerating when I say this book is brutal, bloody, and all the adjectives connected to violence. But in the dark romance genre, you can't go wrong with a gang of murderous people who serve vengeance and punishment, guns blazing. And you really can't go wrong when the heroine has been hurt and the hero shows no mercy to her offenders... like forcing them to castrate themselves. He also disemboweled one of his enemies. Cackles.
The chemistry between Arthur and Cheska was instant and resistant to time itself. I was always, always rooting for them. The romance was both carnal and something on a cosmic level. In spite of coming from vastly different backgrounds, the tragedies of their lives were all too similar. You also have slight Hades and Persephone and rich/good girl, poor/bad boy tropes going on, and I was living for it since the first word all the way to the last.
Then, as I mentioned before, there were a few things I disliked:
1. The presence of the time jumps led to the absence of pivotal development. Specifically that time jump that skipped over Cheska and Arthur’s five-year affair. Man, all the development and tension that could’ve been wrought from that—poof! gone.
2. I needed more romance between Arthur and Cheska—and not while they were going at it like animals. I’m talking about those soft moments (that were far and few between), the vulnerability, yada yada.
3. Additionally, we only got glimpses of Cheska being the true dark queen of Adley firm, someone the firm can respect and depend on. We got a little of that between her and Gene and in the moments when it was just her and individual members—but I just needed more.
Overall, despite the flaws, there's no denying that I loved this book. I loved its depravity and the grittiness, and the dynamic of the cast. Arthur is the kind of hero who's absolutely heartless to everyone but his loved ones, especially Cheska because she owns his heart. I can't wait to see where Tillie Cole goes with this plot-line and Vinnie Edwards, the firm's certified schizophrenic psychopath. He frequently talks to his soul-mate and Arthur's sister, Pearl... who died more than a decade ago. So yeah, I don't want his book—I need it.
Notes on safety (SPOILERS): ➛ H and h first briefly meet when they’re thirteen. Both are not celibate after that. ➛ H and h meet again when they’re eighteen. There’s one OW/OM scene: while H and h are watching each other in a club, h’s boyfriend kisses/sucks h’s neck as H fingers a random OW. Didn’t really bother me because this was all before anything substantial happened between them, and H was trying to make h jealous. ➛ H and h enter a five-year affair while h still has a boyfriend. I’m assuming she was intimate with the boyfriend during this time. No mention or suggestion that H had any other partners during this time. ➛ There is a thirteen-month separation. h was engaged to OM. Absolutely no mention whether H was celibate or not. (Buuuut H was super busy with being the new crime lord, so fingers-crossed that he was.) ➛ Once they reunite for a final time, there is no more OM/OW drama (although, there was hardly any OW drama to begin with). No cheating....more
As a new first grade teacher with a doting fiancé, twenty-three-year-old Jemima Clayton believes she's clo4 Stars
“Hi, Monster.” “Hi, Dove.”
As a new first grade teacher with a doting fiancé, twenty-three-year-old Jemima Clayton believes she's close to living one of the fairytales she loved as a child. But one day, she meets the father of one her students, Dr. Thomas Verrone, a man who's both evasive and mysterious. He's not what he seems, and neither are the things in Jemima's life. As secrets are exposed and true intents are revealed, a newfound darkness shatters the last vestiges of her sheltered, perfect life.
“You don’t know what that does to a man like me. A tiny smile, a tiny touch, one tiny kiss, a slew of questions, and it was only a matter of time before we ended up where we are now.”
I'm a little amazed how Ella Fields spun a little innocent romance into a web of deception, gritty violence, betrayal, and an all-encompassing love. The total absence of other-woman drama was definitely the biggest highlight for me. But on top of that, you have a complex and dark hero and a heroine who takes action (and actually resists captivity at first). Jemima was a little naive and wasn’t my favorite heroine, but she always stood up for herself. You can’t help but respect that.
Because it dawned like a late to rise sun that if Thomas Verrone loved someone, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for them.
I just need to give some more love to Thomas, our monster. He was fantastic—and fantastically nonchalant about his paid kills. There were no limits to the violence he was capable of. Needles under the nails of his victims?
[image]
Ugh, the tips of my fingers were tingling while reading that scene. However, this is definitely not the darkest story I've read. But if hitmen who torture their targets are not your cuppa, well, this is probably not for you. Other than that, all the soft moments between Thomas and Jemima were swoon-worthy. The nicknames, the little touches... Plus, Thomas's devotion to his daughter, Lou Lou! Despite not being related to her by blood, Thomas is the perfect paternal figure. I loved the side that came out of him whenever he was with these two.
Anyways, this was great and I ate this up. Miles can go to hell. Deuces.
Notes on safety (MAJOR SPOILERS): ➛ Once H and h get together, there are no other partners. No cheating. ➛ OM drama: For the first fifteen chapters, h is in a relationship/engaged to an OM, an undercover federal agent who ends up falling in love with her. There are quite a few on-page sex scenes between h and OM, and there's one on-page sex scene between them that occurs after h and H have met. After h finds out OM is married and has been lying all along, she breaks up with him. OM continues to cause trouble for h and H throughout the book. ➛ OW drama: None whatsoever. H has been celibate for a decade. He had a few inconsequential girlfriends in high school and has only had sex a grand total of four times. (When the h is more sexually experienced than the H? I am here for it.)...more
I wanted an arranged-marriage book with a jealous/possessive hero and no other-people drama. And that's exactly what I got. Unfortunately, I di3 Stars
I wanted an arranged-marriage book with a jealous/possessive hero and no other-people drama. And that's exactly what I got. Unfortunately, I didn't think find the romance was all that compelling or memorable, and the main characters didn't emotionally connect as much as I would've liked. Overall, this was a solid read. ...more
I made it to the end, and this was one hell of a ride.
Romi Dillon and Sketch Capaldi, with the aid of their friend Presley, have finally figured out the secrets and lies that their families are entangled with. But now, they must make their way back to each other before they're separated forever. Lives are lost, loyalties are tested, and loved ones are found.
Romi and Sketch? They represented the loved-you-since-my-childhood, no-one-else-will-ever-do trope to a tee. Presley? You either want to shut him up permanently, or let him jabber on and on to capture the utter hilarity that comes out of his mouth. And I'm glad all the other characters decided on the latter when it comes to him. If Pres were in any other mafia book, he would've been shot in the first chapter.
I think my main problem with this installment was how satirical it came off to be compared to the other books; every single character was impulsive, and all their traits became over-the-top. Pocketful of Us is by far the most farfetched book of this series. Emotions were running so high that none of characters were thinking clearly. I think that's why I started to feel a disconnect from the characters.
Also, I'm all about the characters getting it on, but come on—keep your pants on during a shootout. And why did my man Presley end up being someone's sidepiece? Not a mistress, but a mister. (By the way, a mister to someone who would happily kill off Sketch and Romi.) That epilogue left me very high and dry.
This series was engaging because of the twists and turns, the humor, and the utter ridiculousness of it all. It's a little bit of a paradox; there's dark subject matter—ranging from abuse, to all the violence you can imagine—but there's a blatant lightheartedness to it. Definitely one of the quirkiest and most comedic mafia stories I've ever read.
Notes on safety (SPOILERS): ➛ No cheating. ➛ No OM/OW drama (except for the whole h dating H's pseudo-twin who happens to be gay). ➛ h and H were each other's firsts and only's....more
I have decided that Chloe Walsh is definitely trying to swindle me with these short-as-hell books.
In the conclusion of Pocketful of Shame, the past has finally caught up to Romi Dillon and Sketch Capaldi. And now, they're experiencing the biggest domino effect of their lives.
I felt like I was getting repeatedly punched in the face with all these secrets getting disclosed. Seriously, I couldn't catch a break. Everything that was unknown in the beginning was unpacked in 178 pages. This book was just a slew of confessions and nothing else. Plus, we also get new characters who are involved in organized crime, who also have some... interesting analogies.
"Ah," Raffaele chuckled. "There is fire buried deep inside the ice that surrounds you, Ramona. You are not the delicate flower you appear—more like a hard-boiled egg. That is good to know. It will keep you strong."
W-what? A hard-boiled egg? Is that kind of comparison even a thing?
Romi and Sketch's flashbacks were raw and incredibly angsty. They're star-crossed lovers, and the bond between them truly goes back to the beginning of their lives. Also, Presley was such a highlight in this book. Despite harrowing times, he never ran out of jokes. The way he was open with ex-convicts, and how he was shamelessly flirting with straight men? Oh man, Pres was an absolute riot.
"Come on, cowboy," Lucky chuckled, throwing an arm over my shoulder. "Let me fill up that big brain of yours. You won't believe half the shit I've unearthed." "I'd prefer if you filled my–" "Don’t push it, cowboy." "Okie-dokie."
So far, this short series has kept me on my toes. It's super exciting and fun, and I can't wait to see how it gets wrapped up.
Notes on safety (SPOILERS): ➛ h and H were together for five years until h's father blackmailed H to break up with her. ➛ During the the first year of the two-year separation, h dated H's twin until his death. h and OM only kissed and snuggled because h didn't want to go farther, and OM was gay. ➛ H never had any other partners. ➛ h and H were virgins until Pocketful of Shame. ➛ No cheating and no OW/OM drama once they get back together....more
Beware of spoilers if you have not read the first two books of this series. Pearl has finally escaped Italy with a broken heart and a will to2.5 Stars
Beware of spoilers if you have not read the first two books of this series. Pearl has finally escaped Italy with a broken heart and a will to move forward. Crow has just realized the magnitude of what he has lost.
Well, I got the action I wanted out of this series. But what was the cost? What happened to Penelope Sky's editors and beta-readers? Did anyone, anyone check her mistakes? And there was somewhat of an emphasis on Pearl's blue eyes (tHat WeRe aS bLuE as tHe MeDiteRrAnEaN sEa in Buttons and Lace and Buttons & Hate) and Crow's hazel/green eyes. Now Pearl had green eyes and Crow had dark brown. These kind of mistakes usually don't bother me if it's not scattered throughout the book. But the author makes mentions of eyes constantly in every single book.
There are some parts where the plot and the storyline was the great. But it's coupled with a lot of redundancy and poor writing. I ended up skimming a lot because of it. Still, I liked how Pearl always became ferocious whenever she was in danger, but she was willing to put herself in danger whenever a loved one was at risk. I'm glad to see Pearl and Crow's story end this way, and comeuppance was served. But I'm mostly glad it's just over. Sadly, the execution and grammar of this one really tarnished the reading experience for me.
Notes on safety (SPOILERS): ➛ During their two month separation, h reunites with OM who was her ex-boyfriend from college. They start having sex. H is celibate the whole time. ➛ No cheating once they are back together. ➛ h is taken by her original captor and is stripped naked. h is nearly raped but she stops him in time....more
Beware of spoilers if you haven't read the first book of this series. I thought this was better than Buttons and Lace! We see Pearl, also kn3.25 Stars
Beware of spoilers if you haven't read the first book of this series. I thought this was better than Buttons and Lace! We see Pearl, also known as Button, and Crow grow together as a couple. Unconventional as they are, you can tell that there's an intimacy between them, two souls who know little about love. But from what they have gleaned from it has caused great suffering—until now.
Pearl is doing anything she can to extract as many buttons from Crow to pay her debt. Crow is doing anything he can to keep her for just a little longer.
With every transaction comes a little understanding and a lot of heat. I definitely warmed up to Crow compared to the first book. But is he book-boyfriend material? Nah. He's the typical jealousy-prone, passion-driven man we got a glimpse of in book one. And as a captive, I thought Pearl was sympathetic to his and Cane's cause to an unbelievable extent. (view spoiler)[I couldn't believe how quickly chummy she got with Cane after he beat her to the pulp! But in return, we did get to see Crow open up more and mend Pearl back to health. (hide spoiler)]
For the majority of the book, Pearl and Crow were in this sex limbo. As hot as it was, I wanted more action, which we got at the very end. There were definitely Bones to pick (haha puns) that were not picked in this one. Nonetheless, the book was enjoyable and I definitely want to see how Pearl and Crow's story ends in Buttons and Pain.
Notes on safety (SPOILERS): ➛ While H and h are together, they have no other partners. ➛ OW drama: H's past f-buddy (who is also a work colleague) returns from a trip to America and kisses the H in his vineyard. h sees it. h is led to believe that H has been with this woman while H and h are together. In reality, H has not been with any other woman since meeting h....more
Loved this mafia romance! And Mariposa and Capo were amazing—seeing how two people who were wary/detested the concept of love fall for each o4.5 Stars
Loved this mafia romance! And Mariposa and Capo were amazing—seeing how two people who were wary/detested the concept of love fall for each other was beautiful. Also, they had the kind of bond that transcended with time. They saved each other years ago, and we see how they saved each other again in a whole other way.
Mariposa was one of the loveliest heroines I’ve had the pleasure of reading. She was just so fun and happy once she got over her turmoil and struggles. Despite living years of poverty and believing all kindness had a price, she was selfless and benevolent. And Capo truly was an enigma until his secrets were revealed. However, there was an absolute certainty of his devotion to Mariposa. He protected her, slayed for her, and stopped at nothing to keep her as his.
The only complaint I have is that I wish there were more chapters with Capo’s POV. I wanted more details about his masterful plan of revenge. But overall, this was truly a great read that had an arranged marriage, an epic love story, and the trials that are characteristic of the mafia world.
Notes on safety: ➛ H was engaged to OW eighteen years ago. Some details of their sex life. ➛ Once H and h agree to the arranged marriage, there are no other partners. ➛ h was a virgin at 21 years old (can you guess who she lost it to?). ➛ OM, who h was extremely close to, was in love with her. This caused bouts of jealousy from H. ➛ There was a beautiful OW that was around the H a lot, causing jealousy from h. But it turned out that OW was H’s cousin, and H didn’t tell h right away because he thought h’s jealousy was cute....more
That moment you realize that you guessed every single twist in the story. I guess I’ve read that many depraved books to foresee the trajector3.5 Stars
That moment you realize that you guessed every single twist in the story. I guess I’ve read that many depraved books to foresee the trajectory of this one haha. Then again, I do think the hints in the story were blatant and pointed to an obvious connection.
Otherwise, I thought I See You was very well written and fascinating. Ker Dukey does not hold back at all on the dark and gritty details. It’s important to keep in mind that this is hardly a romance. It’s so unbelievably wicked. This is a stalker story with additional elements that make for an exciting and deviant journey of agony, utter helplessness, and forced acceptance. Fate is dirty that way.
The ending was slap-in-the-face shocking. Others may think it was too abrupt, but it was perfect for a story of this caliber. Triggers everywhere!
I will have no notes on safety because this book is not a traditional romance....more
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