A horrid, poorly written romance novel masquerading as a clumsily plotted thriller. A controlling, unkind, cruel, promiscuous male lead, paired with a ‘damsel in distress’, female lead with no agency, independence, assertiveness or presence. All of this makes for a horrible, Victorian era-esque set-up that’s very off-putting.
He abuses her verbally and emotionally, and borderline, sexually, only for her to remain starry-eyed and lovesick for him. Really? Is this how we write novels in this modern day?
I struggled to get through the first story, as a result, and simply couldn’t go on to any of the others.
In the first story, there’s a particularly cringe-worthy series of events, resulting in the female lead being essentially trapped in the male lead’s house and treated worse than his dog, yet having some kinda earth shattering sex in the middle of all of this! Reminded me of something out of a Bronte Sister novel, with him being some modern ultra-intensified Heathcliff and she his house slave.
Horrible! Horrible! Horrible!