Heartless Heathens

Rating: 3

Spice Rating: 2.5

Do I think you should read this book? If you have religious trauma, yes, if not, this will probably be very weird.

This book is fucked up and weird and I mean that in a good way. Usually, I don't like overly innocent FMC's as they kinda annoy me, but even though Romina was a little too innocent, it makes sense in terms of the story and she's headstrong enough to cause a bit of conflict.

This is a why choose novel with 3 MMC's and isn't very plot-driven, so if you're looking for the overarching word building to go along with your smut, it's not really there and what's there doesn't make too much sense either in my opinion.

I think this book stuck out to me more because of the heavy religious aspect and it's really what kept me drawn to it and reading (religious trauma aye 😅), but besides that, it was just okay.

this is a book I finished...

I don't think I've ever felt this way about a book before. There were so many points I should have just stopped reading it, but I kept telling myself “it can't possibly get WORSE”...

So let me start out by saying that Romina is the embodiment of “born sexy yesterday”. If you don't know what that is, it's exactly what it sounds like lol. There is more to it than just “innocent girl who doesn't know basic functions of life”, but that's a pretty good summary of the term for this review.

Romina has been locked away in a bell tower her entire life (19 years? Idk honestly) and this has had no human contact other than her abusive father figure. This has the expected results- she doesn't know the basics of being a functioning human, she's very clueless, several times she looks something up on her phone before answering (it was funny in a sad way the first time it happened and no other time). One of the MMC's even described her, “Eyes big with the kind of magic you only saw in children,” and this is after he has been sexually involved with her. I'm sorry, but why and how can you describe someone you've slept with, been INTIMATE with, like THAT. I should have stopped reading then honestly. But I figured, I'm almost done with it anyways, I've only invested 4 hours into this book why not finish it. I WISH I HAD A TIME MACHINE so I could go back and tell myself to not read this book.

So, spoilers. One of the MMC's makes her hang herself in order to prove she trusts him with her life. And like listen. I am a dark romance girlie. I thrive off a good morally grey love interest (or several). But...that's a bit much.

Anyways. I didn't think a book could traumatize me like this, and yet here we are. I will be discussing this book with my therapist.

Partial review, will finish later:

This book felt like a strong 5 for 90% of the book so im rounding up. The last bit felt a bit rushed and unbalanced which was a bit jarring because the majority of the book had pretty great pacing and balance of perspectives.

It just felt like a lot happened in the last bit, especially having to do with Sonny being kinda shitty and so little time was left to address all of my upset feels lol.

I'm still not mad and feel pretty satisfied, and this is really my only complaint.