Forbidden Honor

this short form review is for the whole series, but the rating is for this book alone (since it sadly becomes a mess later on)

Book 1
this one sets out with great promises and tropes

book 2
my favourite part about this book was that the author gave me really complex feelings about pretty much all the characters, since we see them at their best but also at their worst
what got me excited was that it seemed like the “villains” weren't just evil but did what they thought they had to, end justifying the means and so on. that turned out to be an absolute disappointment because they did in fact turn out to be mostly flat villains

book 3
this book felt like a bad medical diagnosis after being at a happy point in your life

what happened?

the pacing and plot was an absolute mess. important plot developments were kept short while less relevant ones got dragged on and on
at some points i honestly thought i accidentally skipped a chapter

book 4
the plot holes and pacing issues continue.
can't believe i'm writing this, but it really felt like this series has too many love interests and emotions are falling flat since issues get pushed aside in favour of dealing with another love interest

book 5
i hate the pregnancy trope