I have something different for you today, a review for a duet, so both books. A month or so ago I ordered some bonus books from The Bookworm Box and in my order I got a little novella that I thought was a prologue of sorts to a different series. As it turns out, it's the first couple of chapters of the first book which was incredibly disappointing and irritating. Regardless, I was already invested now so I had to see how this story finished, and that's how I came to be the owner of these two books.
Dirty Filthy Rich Men - Laurelin Paige
When I met Donovan Kincaid, I knew he was rich. I didn’t know he was filthy. Truth be told, I was only trying to get his best friend to notice me.
I knew poor scholarship girls like me didn't stand a chance against guys like Weston King and Donovan Kincaid, but I was in love with his world, their world, of parties and sex and power. I knew what I wanted—I knew who I wanted—until one night, their world tried to bite me back and Donovan saved me. He saved me, and then Weston finally noticed me, and I finally learned what it was to be in their world.
And then what it was like to lose it.
Ten years later, I’ve found my way back. Back to their world. Back to him.
This time, I’m ready. I've been down this road before, and I know all the dirty, filthy ways Donovan will try and wreck me.
But it’s hard to resist. Especially when I know how much I’ll like it.
I am going to be real clear at the start because I didn't see any warnings, and usually I don't care about the triggers, but this one involves sexual assault and later, rape fantasies. If that isn't your jam, toss this book into your fireplace and get warm because this is not the book for you. Normally someone being a victim of sexual assault in a book doesn't trigger me, it isn't pleasant but it doesn't make me second guess a book. What DOES give me some pause is when a victim later goes on to have fantasies about what it would be like to be raped. Frankly, if that doesn't scream YOU NEED THERAPY, I don't know what does. I suppose we all have our kinks but that one has always been one that I'm not sure is a kink rather than a trauma still in progress.
In this one we have Sabrina, she was almost raped in college and later lost her virginity in a rather cruel and crude manner to her professor's teaching assistant, who she had an almost hero worship/but I don't like him feeling for. Fast forward ten years and she finds herself working in the same company as him and she's forced to acknowledge the past. Donovan doesn't make it easy because its clear he has some kind of feeling for her. It's bizarre.
I'll tell you, I almost quit with this book because this was like... a dominant being TOO mean and TOO cruel, but the submissive keeps coming back and I don't know why. It goes beyond girl girl taming a bad boy, but it was just... it was a lot in some areas for even me. So when I got to the end I was like, no thanks. But then....
Dirty Filthy Rich Love - Laurelin Page
I've discovered Donovan Kincaid's secret.
It's dirty and filthy and rich - as dirty and filthy and rich as he is - and it haunts me as much as he ever did.
Even after knowing what I know now, I still want to talk to him, to touch him. But there's an ocean between us, and I'm not sure it can be crossed with something as easy as a phone call or a plane ride.
Yet I'm willing to try.
He doesn't know this yet, but this time I'm the one with the power. And maybe - just maybe - if the air were cleared and all our secrets bared, there could still be a chance for us.
And this dirty, filthy thing between us might end up being love after all.
...I remembered I had this book too, so it wasn't like I could waste a perfectly unread book. I'm already committed so now I have to see this through. At the end of book one we find out that Donovan is kind of a nut and is a stalker in his own way. Sabrina can't be sure of anything and she doesn't know what the next steps with him are, but somewhere in her gut she knows she can't just quit the guy.
I really struggled through this one but I will say the author does a much better job in this book making Donovan seem like a likable guy. He definitely gives off asshole vibes but you do get more of a look at his life, his past, and his family and it does help explain the way he is. Book one was Sabrina trying to get one her own adult feet and book two felt more like Donovan finding his way back to humanity. A rather predictable final event in book two kind of felt like a dud for me, so I didn't love this.
At best I can give this duet 3 stars. It isn't enough to get me to read the others, even though story lines have been set up and we kind of know where each duet is going, I'm just a little leery of the story lines. I mean, if the first duet pulls out rape fantasies and tries to sell it as sexy, what the hell could be next?!
Let's be honest, I'm getting older and that might be my issue here. I'm not sure but I was kind of going into mom mode thinking what someone needs to do is get this girl into therapy and this guy, too, for that matter. Definitely not the basis of a healthy relationship in any way, that's for sure.
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