Okay. I've deleted my original review. I've had a couple of days to cool down and collect my thoughts more calmly.
I had originally DNF'ed this book. That in and of itself never sits right with me. I don't like rating a book that I haven't finished, but I also don't like having nothing to show for time and effort put into reading something, especially when I spent money on it. So, reluctantly, and at triple the speed, I finished the audiobook.
Sadly, I still hold all of the same opinions as before, and I can't in good conscience change my rating given how problematic I find so many of the elements in this series. That being said, I also know that the author poured a lot into writing these books in the name of her mother, and as a momma's girl and writer myself, I just can't ream an author that is trying their best. It just feels wrong and mean.
That's not to say I wouldn't if it seemed like the author was being exploitive in an immoral way, then I'd have no problem with it, but...I feel like this is more a case of the writing and less a reflection on the moral character of the author. So I've deleted my original, less-than-nice review in order to write a new, more collected, more objective review.
Here are the issues I had with this book/series, and I'll state them as clinically as possible:
1. MK had her freedoms and power stolen from her by these three domineering men that were strangers to her, but because they were attractive enough, hot enough, and tough enough, she let it slide that she'd essentially been trafficked. Granted, I've read dark taboo romance dealing with these elements in the past and it was done as well as could be expected, but in this case, not so much. There is a balance between the heroine's fight for her autonomy and the discovery that the male character(s) aren't as bad as they initially seem that must take place in order for this kind of story to work. That didn't happen here. MK had zero fight and handed herself over to each guy countless times, particularly following harrowing moments of discovery in just how much each of them had been lying to and betraying her. I can suspend my disbelief only so much before it simply comes off as implausible. I find it very hard to believe that any sane woman would be even remotely turned on my men that turned out to essentially treat her like archaic property.
2. The word babe/baby was used nearly 200 times in this book alone. The work fuck or a variation of it was used nearly 600 times. Basically, the language felt like a lot of filler and overcompensation for a less-than-strong voice. I have absolutely zero issue with cursing in a book, but everything has its limit before it starts to feel more of the author's voice and less of the character's voice.
3. There were some scenes that REALLY were difficult to read for their misogynistic quality. An example: After two of the male leads have managed to seduce MK and everyone is happy, MK is blindsided by a meeting in her father's office with her father, his girlfriend, Archer, Kody, and Steele. In this meeting MK's father tells her that unless she submits to the boys, he will have her drugged, declared mentally unfit, and committed to a mental hospital indefinitely. The men who she has been steadily falling for take the father's side. All of this is well and fine for a pretty blunt plot device, but it is quickly followed by MK being so overcome with lust over Kody and Steele that she just...forgives them for taking away her freedom, power, and autonomy. This happened throughout the series A LOT. There were countless moments before the official reconciliation in this book where one or more of the boys would take away MK's choices. Again, it's a romance, so we all know that their true intentions and love for MK will come to light, but she doesn't. She willingly submits every single time without fail, and the only reasoning for it is that they're so hot and attractive that she can't resist them. This represents a caricature of a woman that even in the smuttiest smut on the totem pole, I firmly believe we should be beyond at this point.
4. Given the nature of the secret they had been keeping from MK, I find their willingness to sleep with her, knowing full well that she would likely not give them the time of day had she known, in line with sexual assault. Straight up, a lie that big is just unforgivable in and of itself, but to get her in bed knowing that she wouldn't be there if they weren't purposely keeping her ignorant is just wrong. Again, yes, we the readers know that there is more to the story, but MK doesn't.
I think that the main reason I was so incensed when I first got to my original DNF point was knowing all of the things I've listed here, seeing how blatantly obvious they were, yet knowing how highly rated these books were by women. It genuinely got to me seeing how few women out of thousands even cared. Women aren't rabid sexpots with zero grasp on reality. It just killed seeing not only this being presented in the book, but seeing it validated by the absence of discussion or even a mere disclaimer in any of the 3-5 star reviews.
All of this being said, I can admit that there must be some discordant X-factor involved here because I've never consistently given three consecutive 1-star reviews before. In fact, I don't think most people have. Usually, after the first 1-star rating, you'd...like...stop reading that series. Yet I managed to make it to the end of book 3. And I'm sitting here knowing that there is only one book to go and weighing my OCD against how problematic these books are. Three 1-star ratings and I'm considering somewhere in my mind if I should round out the series and just read the last book. I say that even knowing that I'll likely rate that one as 1-star as well. I cannot fathom what the secret element in these books are that is tapping into some masochistic part of me, but here we are I guess.