
Contains spoilers
Harlem delivers the usual gritty MC atmosphere, but a few key elements kept it from being a great read for me.
[SPOILER ALERT] While I understand that everyone processes trauma and grief in their own unique way, I found it impossible to connect with the heroine's choices during a crisis. When her daughter is kidnapped, instead of focusing entirely on the search, she takes time out to have a conversation about her future with the guy she just slept with. It completely broke the realism and immersion for me.
Additionally, some of the spice elements missed the mark. The daddy kink felt a bit forced and unnatural, rather than flowing smoothly with the rest of the story.
If you can look past those specific plot and character choices, the rest of the MC vibe is decent, but for me, it just felt a bit off.
Not a massive fan of this genre but you can see the effort the author has put into this book. I'm assuming it's part of a series from the amount of unanswered questions. It left me a bit confused at times and I didn't really like it but I gave it 4 stars for how well the writer has done in the construction of their own world
I loved this book! In a genre where the FMC is usually "perfect," this was such a breath of fresh air. She felt like a real person with real vulnerabilities, and the representation was spot on without being her only trait. Seeing this big, tough guy completely soften for her because she was his whole world? Everything.