Honeythorn

The blurb was intriguing. I didn't think Raphael would be such a cold and cruel character, but I was wrong. There was a redemption arc for him though, even if some of his actions were inexcusable. Milan was headstrong and expressive, and he was really likable. He was so caring and accepting of Raphael and got him to open up about his feelings, developing their relationship.

The pacing was nice, and the storyline was okay. There could have been more depth into Jack's villainous plot imo. I wanted to know more about Jason and the accountant and how they found him. Mostly Jack's lawsuit seemed quickly dealt with.

But except for that issue, everything else was great and I demolished the novel in one night. Definitely reading the sequel!??

Creating an 'MC almost kills other' shelf and wondering how on earth I haven't needed it before now because it's a fairly recurrent plot point lol.

Okay so. The bit necessitating this shelf was EVERYTHING. The buildup, the execution, the fall-out? Whewww! Milan pulling away in fear and whimpering 'He's going to kill me! “ I dif not know how long I'd been waiting for it.

The guilt😂😂😂 ahhh yes. Really well done. I must confess, though, I honestly felt that Milan had forgiven too easily. In the moment it seemed like he had.

BUT.

The rebuilding of the foundation got me. The glove scene. Milan's immediate PTSD. Loved it. It was so realistic. Like yes, I want to forgive you and I want to try making this work but it's not slate wiped clean, all forgiven type shit.

Raphael earned his forgiveness. I honestly have no complaints on that front.

The Jack plotline at the end kind of bored me though, even if it seemed Raphael needed the closure. But to me....... Meh.