It's very rare that I read a sequel after DNFing the first book, but I was weak and got curious. And then after a certain point I was just rage finishing.
This is the most toxic relationship of all toxic relationships. It's not even that sexy kind of obsessed relationship that you can excuse all the red flags because the person actually has redeeming qualities, it was actually concerning. And I have no doubts that they won't last as a couple.
But what really pissed me off was that this guy, who is in love with her and obsessed with her, took her away from the other group for their safety and was alone with her for months, abandoned her when he knew there was a chance she was taken by the bad group that was looking for her. He did that to care for his ex (who had beaten her up in the previous book), all while checking her out and getting turned on by her body. He undressed and washed her body and compared how much she loved it to how much the FMC also loved him doing that because that was "their thing". He slept in the same bed as her, getting turned on the entire time. He compared how she looked in the FMC's clothes, and how it still turned him on, and on and on for days. He even had to stay away from the cabin to not be tempted but he WAS still tempted because it had been a whole 5 days since he'd had sex and "she was becoming his backup plan" for that because he missed the FMC.
"I remind myself I’m only turned on because I’m used to getting my dick sucked daily, and right now, the wrong fucking girl is in my bed, even if she’s slowly becoming my backup plan."
What the fuck is this? That's not romantic at all.
She even tries multiple times to get him to sleep with her, even pinning him down, mounting him, and rubbing on his hardon, which he lets her do, along with starting to give him a BJ before he finally pushes her away.
And the FMC sees them together, realizes he left her with her captives for 5 days to be with his ex, and still wants him. She was the most infuriating of all because he'd be horrible to her, leave her, tie her up for days while he left and decided she can stand another night alone (she had to piss herself since he was gone for two days), plus other abusive things I can't be bothered to list out, and still she was back and forth about wanting him and despising him. She'd hate him then she'd be sure she couldn't live without him. He left her so many times and she took him back every time because she needed him. The last time he supposedly took 4 months to finally get himself right to be what she needed, and then in the ending chapters said he lived in constant fear that he'd revert back to how he was.
This couple will not last. And honestly her relationship with the brother before he died was also toxic in a different way, so this entire duet was just ridiculous. I should have left it at DNFing the first book.