The biggest issue I had with this book was the sheer amount of rape and torture scenes. I’m not talking about implied assault or brief mentions, the book goes into extremely graphic, detailed descriptions that were honestly difficult to read. It felt excessive and unnecessary at times. There are ways to portray the horror of what Adeline went through without spending so much time describing every detail. What made it even harder to enjoy was how quickly the story rushed through Addie’s recovery afterward. The first half of the book is almost entirely rape and torture, and then suddenly the focus shifts back to her relationship with Zade and their sex life. Recovery from that level of trauma would realistically take years, especially considering how physically and psychologically damaging her experiences were. A few months didn’t feel believable at all. I also struggled with the way Zade was portrayed in this book. His mission to stop trafficking women and children is admirable, but a lot of his behavior toward Addie crosses lines that didn’t feel romantic to me. The blood play and cutting scenes were especially disturbing and repetitive. I understand some readers may enjoy those dynamics, but after everything Addie endured, those scenes felt more unsettling than sexy. This book also didn’t feel like a natural continuation of the first one. In the original story, Addie’s career as an author, the mystery surrounding her grandmother, and her developing relationship with Zade all played major roles. Here, most of those elements were pushed aside in favor of nonstop trauma and shock value. I did appreciate seeing Addie become stronger and more resilient, but it’s frustrating that her character growth came almost entirely through rape and torture. One thing I did enjoy was Sibby’s return, although I hated that the book ended without really explaining where she went. I also wanted more closure for Rio. He played such a significant role in Addie’s life during her captivity, yet after he was spared, the story barely mentions him again. Overall, this book leaned far too heavily on graphic violence and sexual trauma for me. Instead of building on what made the first book compelling, it felt consumed by shock value, rushed healing, and toxic relationship dynamics that were presented as romantic.

It was honestly quite traumatizing for me. I had to take breaks while reading because it was just that intense. Definitely not for the faint-hearted! It goes to a whole different level of dark romance. For me personally, it was almost a bit too much at times… but still incredibly captivating.

Ebenso wie der erste Teil des Duets wird auch hier wieder in Form einer fiktiven Geschichte ein sehr düsteres und schlimmes Thema behandelt. Der erste Teil des Buches ist emotional sehr hart zu lesen, im zweiten Teil kann die FMC dann an ihrem Comeback arbeiten. Man erkennt die Verbindung des MMCs zur FMC noch einmal viel genauer. Da auch in diesem Buch wieder sehr schlimme und düstere Themen behandelt werden, sollte man unbedingt die Trigger Warnings lesen und sich dessen bewusst sein. Dieses Buch ist eine emotionale Achterbahnfahrt. Spice Level: 5/5 (bezogen auf Szenen zwischen Zade und Addy) Smut Level: 5/5 (bezogen auf Szenen zwischen Zade und Addy)

I‘ll never get over this…❤️

spoiler ⚠️ i definitely needed a few weeks i think to finish it because it was a lot but loved that she got revenge on every single person because what she went through was so intense and just awful i still hate zade tho 🩷