Mimi
This book had so much promise for the first 20% and I was so sure it'd be at least a 3 star, likely 4-5 stat book. I love a controlling, manipulative MMC who blackmails a strong FMC into sleeping with him. She's terrified of him but her body betrays her. In this book. the FMC betrays him, putting him in jail and moves on with another guy. Throw in second chance romance where the MMC is still obsessed with the FMC, kills anyone who hurts her, forces a marriage, holds her captive, the FMC tries to run away only for MMC to catch her and punish her, refusing to give her freedom from start to end, breeding kink and secret child. All my favorite tropes in this one book and omg I was so excited.
But during the second chance romance phase, for such a strong FMC she gave up fighting too early. There was no fight at all after she married him. As much as I love body betrayal, it didn't work in this book and made the FMC into a weak character that was just obsessed with having sex with the MMC. The FMC is as 'ruthless king' and has children she supposedly wants to go back to, but as soon as she sleeps with the MMC after the forced marriage, there is no fighting and no escape attempts. Her character was so disappointing. I love body betrayal and psychological manipulation in dark romance but there was no gradual brainwashing in this at all. The FMC just immediately caved. Her brother even came to rescue her to help her go back to her children but the FMC refused his offer.
I was so annoyed by this, I considered DNFing at the 30% mark but I decided to power through because Lola King's writing is good and I do like how controlling, unrepentant and manipulative the MMC was. Unfortunately it stayed much the same, with the same problems, and I probably could have DNF'ed. There is also some fem dom and blood play, which I wasn't a fan of
There are two plot twists at the end, the first where the FMC had orchestrated her own kidnapping, the second where the MMC knew about the existence of the twins in the first place but the FMC is so changed and weak for the MMC, it didn't redeem the book for me. All she did after killing the MMC was cry. I also was confused why the Luciano's would even help the FMC kill the MMC, only to revive him because it benefited them more to have him alive. That made no sense.
It also didn't make much sense that the MMC never tried to see the twins, despite knowing they were possibly his biological children
I wish there was an epilogue with the couple's future children but sadly there wasn't. Wouldn't reread.
This book had so much promise for the first 20% and I was so sure it'd be at least a 3 star, likely 4-5 stat book. I love a controlling, manipulative MMC who blackmails a strong FMC into sleeping with him. She's terrified of him but her body betrays her. In this book. the FMC betrays him, putting him in jail and moves on with another guy. Throw in second chance romance where the MMC is still obsessed with the FMC, kills anyone who hurts her, forces a marriage, holds her captive, the FMC tries to run away only for MMC to catch her and punish her, refusing to give her freedom from start to end, breeding kink and secret child. All my favorite tropes in this one book and omg I was so excited.
But during the second chance romance phase, for such a strong FMC she gave up fighting too early. There was no fight at all after she married him. As much as I love body betrayal, it didn't work in this book and made the FMC into a weak character that was just obsessed with having sex with the MMC. The FMC is as 'ruthless king' and has children she supposedly wants to go back to, but as soon as she sleeps with the MMC after the forced marriage, there is no fighting and no escape attempts. Her character was so disappointing. I love body betrayal and psychological manipulation in dark romance but there was no gradual brainwashing in this at all. The FMC just immediately caved. Her brother even came to rescue her to help her go back to her children but the FMC refused his offer.
I was so annoyed by this, I considered DNFing at the 30% mark but I decided to power through because Lola King's writing is good and I do like how controlling, unrepentant and manipulative the MMC was. Unfortunately it stayed much the same, with the same problems, and I probably could have DNF'ed. There is also some fem dom and blood play, which I wasn't a fan of
There are two plot twists at the end, the first where the FMC had orchestrated her own kidnapping, the second where the MMC knew about the existence of the twins in the first place but the FMC is so changed and weak for the MMC, it didn't redeem the book for me. All she did after killing the MMC was cry. I also was confused why the Luciano's would even help the FMC kill the MMC, only to revive him because it benefited them more to have him alive. That made no sense.
It also didn't make much sense that the MMC never tried to see the twins, despite knowing they were possibly his biological children
I wish there was an epilogue with the couple's future children but sadly there wasn't. Wouldn't reread.