Does It Hurt?

MY GOODNESS! I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this! This book blew me away.

Enzo is *chefs kiss*

This story took a turn, and my heart was in a vice. I loved Sawyer's banter, her bits of dark humor to cope with situations, and her internal dialogue about thinking she was funny. I was NOT expecting some bits of mystery/thriller in this book and I ate it up.

I appreciate that Sawyer's character development and growth took time. She maintained her view on life and unaliving herself, and it wasn't a sudden "Oh, I made eye contact with this man, and the world is great now" situation. Even in the end, Sawyer refuses treatment for trauma and still trying to grow and accept her situation.

Loved the plot, the development and suspense throughout the book.

This one is deep and dark. Good enemies to lovers plot. Some very very heavy pieces.

I was not a huge fan of this novel like some of Carlton's other novels.

Now, the overall storyline was intriguing. The FMC is mysterious and on the run, and the MMC is unsuspecting of the FMC and broody. There were some twists and turns I think the reader can see coming and of course there are some that pop up out of nowhere.

My biggest complaint is the character development was incredibly underwhelming. He's just an asshole to be an asshole and she just takes it for the sake of taking it. & the growth they have happens in the span of about 1 or 2 chapters, that's it. I think it would have been a far more compelling story had we seen more growth and more development over the course of the book.

Please double check TWs before you read because this is DARK with a lot of actions that had me wondering if I really read what I just read.