Community Reviews
Sabotage gave me an interesting glimpse of the L.O.R.D.S. from a different angle, but the relationship felt fairly standard within the dark romance genre. Colton works as a contractor for the organization rather than occupying the same position as the men at the center of the main books. This offered a fun bit of additional context for a world I already enjoy. His relationship with his stepsister Raylee provides the real focus. It is built around years of hostility, sexual obsession, retaliation, and an arrangement that quickly becomes far more possessive than casual.
The stepsibling romance did very little for me. Their relationship also crosses several lines that made it difficult to enjoy the darker elements as much as I usually enjoy Tessier's books. Rape, forced tattooing, filming without consent, revenge porn, and cheating all become part of Colton and Raylee's relationship. Dark romance can certainly explore disturbing behavior. Combining so many violations with a heroine who has very little personality beyond being used for sex made their romance harder to buy.
Raylee needed more development. She spends much of the book functioning as an object for Colton's obsession rather than feeling like a woman with a strong identity of her own. Colton carries most of the relationship, intensity, and forward plot movement. Raylee reacts to him, has sex with him, fights with him, and becomes the target of his possessiveness. I never felt like I knew much about who she was outside of him.
The sexual chemistry is where Shantel Tessier shines. Colton's possessiveness works perfectly with her signature style. The dirty talk is delicious. The sex scenes are intense, filthy, and confident. Tessier knows exactly how to make sexual chemistry the main attraction while still giving the book enough structure to feel complete.
Sabotage did not give me anything particularly memorable within dark romance or L.O.R.D.S. series. I found plenty to enjoy because I come to Tessier primarily for the obsessive men, extreme sexual dynamics, and unapologetically filthy scenes. Colton certainly brought the heat. I just wish Raylee had been given enough personality to meet him there.
Okay hear me out on this one.... I love the LORDS series. I ate up the first 3 books, then I got to this one and after the first chapter I was stunned and confused because Ryat, Tyson, or Sinnett would NEVER! I gave it a chance and kept reading... Then I realized, it was never for Colton. It was always for Raylee and then I was like ok. So in the same way, Ryat chases Blakely through the woods and the same way Sinnett plays into Elli's fucked up sexual appetite, that's what you get here. Its not delivered that same way though, probably because the intimacy is not power play, there is no dominance and praise kinks, its purely about freedom and liberation to want what you want as a woman and for it to be okay. This was a quick read probably because Colton isn't a LORD so the ritual portion and the House of the LORDS portions doesn't exist here. Once I got past the initial shock of the MMC not being the crazy jealous psycho we all know and love, I gained a like for him. He was jealous and a psycho in his own little ways. Welp!! Moving on to Carnage...
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.