I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY
Okay, the rant begins. Talk about internalized misogyny; I am not one to make a big deal about things that aren't very feminist in the books I read. Cause if I am going to be objectified, let it be by the hot book boyfriend, but THIS. Over the top: UNNECESSARY. Harlow completely encourages the thinking for so long and doesn't really switch out of it. AND there is this absolute imbalance of trauma and their "demons." He talks about his demons all the time, and so does she. His? The fact that he's a Dom! That's NOTHING. Sure, control is your thing, whatever big whoop. But his whole trauma is literally that the girl that introduced him to the lifestyle did what, break up with you? Oh no, his feelings wahhhhhh. Also, you literally confessed to purposely manipulating her so she would be jealous and be dependent enough to not leave you. You're literally only upset because it DIDN'T WORK. And Harlow was literally raped, which we can guess it's some kind of assault from the get-go, but this inclusion honestly made me very mad. The authors set this up as a precursor only because her coping mechanism was baggy clothes and makeup as "armour" just to make it more insinuative that it was such a big deal that she "dropped her armour" for Pheonix. Who never really proved himself to be even capable of being a good or even decent potential partner! Just because you have mutual feelings for each other does not make you better compatible or capable of being in a healthy relationship. When he tells you he's not into romance, goes hot and cold, and his actions fortify his bad habits, BELIEVE HIM. And then this SEVYN GUY. 1. Where the frick frack paddy whack did you come from??? Yes, you were some mystery man from the start, but who even are you? 2. Okay chill Harlow, I get it; crazy that you didn't know it was him for those 5 minutes you kissed him but my God, is it that bad? He is just another guy, and he happens to be his twin, whatever. ALSO, if you really planned to and still plan to be in a relationship with this Phoenix guy, then you would have met him eventually, and it makes more sense to find out now than not. Plus, some people would actually beg to have 2 of their man, and twins? A common interest, you'd get on board eventually, Harlow. 3. I do have to say that this absolutely identical twin thing is a little stupid. Even down to the tattoos? For what? It can't be for some logical reason like drug dealing or the mafia. You have a no-drugs-in-the-band policy, but I also assumed that the unspoken no-lying-to-bandmates policy would be followed, so who knows anything about morale around here when you weren't even supposed to go near Harlow in the first place and didn't mention you have a twin. I don't know why I assumed this would be a HEA, and I was not expecting much from this book and was not invested when I started. I really don't want to read another book from this series. The story was just enough to keep me reading, and yet I want to know how they patch things up. I am just glad this had proper readability in its grammar. I will give props to the writers only for the fact that now I want to know what happens. Preying on my curiosity, how cruel and strategic.