Y'all - I knew what I was getting into, picked this up for that reason, and got what I wanted. These are definitely cringe, as all the novels in this erotic unhealthy possessive contemporary darkish mainstream romance genre that’s blooming right now are. But I cannot help it, they're escapist. And I'm in my smut era. But I do have to say, props to Huang because the writing is solid (as opposed to many in this genre). Like the words and sentences and dialogue are written intelligently...and have been edited. I deeply appreciate that. Some of the character points/experiences are a bit over the top for dramatic effect - of course - butttt overall I was entertained. And this outward-badass but softie-for-his-lady situation is a bit more my speed than the last one (Alex was actually actively a bit scary, and didn't grovel quite enough IMO...though nothing can really touch the last one for drama). It's unhealthy, and I do kinda think the spicy scenes here were more for effect than they actually should have been, based on how the relationship developed, but again, Huang is giving the people what they came for - while giving it a plot framework - and I can't fault that. Long story short, I sped through this, enjoyed the cameos and setups for the rest of the series (as I'm used to, and look forward to, with these kinds of interconnected-series-but-still-standalone romances), and will definitely be reading the rest.    

“But people were people, no matter their title, and some desires were universal. Unfortunately, the ability to fulfill them was not.”

“There’s no such thing as *just* a story. Every story is important.”

“Even when you’re not there, you’re everywhere. In my head, in my lungs, in my fucking soul.”