I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but I wish I'd stopped there. The first book tantalised. I expected cheeky. I thought the crew would go on some low level cons, play, have fun, banter and flirt. But that isn't what happened. Instead, we had four books of pointless melodrama and endless rehashing of events, in case we missed any of said melodrama. The only actual drama was ridiculously easily resolved. Two phrases sum up our protagonists:
"That guy and his damn dick."
"Oh, she doesn’t like women... She wants to be adored, the kind of adoration she gets from men, not women… We’re never enough." Ironically, this refers to Ophelia but it fits Harlow just as well.
They weren't fun. At all.
*
What follows, in no particular order, is a list of things that aggravated me because I need to get them off my chest. I absolutely understand if you don't read them!
- Harlow has no female friends. Her only male "friends" are guys who think she's hot. She doesn't even have any friends from school or college. There are a few people I know IRL who are like this and you know what? It's not surprising that they have no friends - they're all revolting.
- Ophelia being labelled as having two personality disorders, as apparent justification for her behaviour. 1) The ER doc, whose name escapes me, should not make diagnoses like that just from reading a few pages of notes. 2) If her brother knew she had issues, why wasn't he putting more effort into getting her help? Did he not share his suspicions about her murderous tendencies because of his own criminal dealings? If so, he can't have been that concerned. 3) No one uses the word "lunacy" any more. 4) Do you realise how damn offensive this is? Personality disorder ≠ dangerously violent and it's perpetuating stigma to imply that it does.
- Tautologies. So many fucking tautologies. Also some awkward thesaurus use, I'd say.
- Rehashing every goddamn thing. Including the most mundane.
- Harlow thinking she is now a criminal mastermind and the guys backing her up.
- Everyone in this series being so touchy feely all the time. Seriously, can you all stop stroking the faces/holding the hands/hugging/scratching the biceps etc of people you barely know? I just want to shout PERSONAL SPACE!
- Harlow's entire personality and all her conversation topics entering around her sex life. Like - seriously? You're having dinner with your parents. Can you just keep it in your pants for the love of god?
- The martyrdom. Virtually all of it unnecessary.
- Using a slave collar to reassure your partner that you won't leave. Also, no one else noticing said collar.
- Actually, just Harlow in general. Over and out.