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A review by kfriend
The Ruthless Groom by Monica Murphy
4.0
Perry Constantine is back- and this time we get to see the darker, angrier, edgier, and altogether more Constantine side to our fun-loving, usually a bit softer middle brother. Ruthless indeed, dear Perry- though still charming, he just can’t help it. Monica gives us an ultra steamy, emotionally tense, and captivating second installment in Perry’s arranged relationship saga- and alas, we finally see a wedding.
What inspires this ruthless groom? A rabid jealousy and possessiveness of his new bride, inspiring a blind distrust of his wife and a battle of wills between their undeniable chemistry, her charismatic charm, and his own paranoia. Perry may get a bit grittier in this one, a stark contrast to the sweet and sincere man we saw in Reluctant Bride, and while I still adore softer side, I certainly am here for dark and naughty bedroom Perry. MEOW! But Charlotte really stole the show- and my empathy- in this sequel. This sweet, resilient, and understanding soul could easily grow frustrated with Perry’s jealous antics, but she sees the brokenness and need in him and is so communicative, patient, and open- even if at times it hurts her to feel the wrath of his mistrust. Their chemistry really evolves in this one into something more carnal and unrestrained, and I’ve loved seeing the different dynamics of their connection.
That said, once we established the key romantic tension of this story, it seemed to really stagnate for me. I love Perry, I love sexy time- but I felt like they were in this cycle of Perry being irrationally distrustful despite all the evidence proving the contrary, raising the same accusations repeatedly, Charlotte defending herself with vulnerability and openness, anger/make-up steam, then wash, rinse, repeat. That cycle dragged a bit long for me, and I found myself anxious for the characters or plot to develop- which it did, towards the end. But I hated seeing what was very clearly Charlotte being taken advantage of and groomed used against her by my normally very charismatic and sincere Perry-bear.
Overall The plot in this one went a direction I didn’t expect, and I appreciate how the result is a more intimate and isolated look at the tensions and complications, as well as the connection, between these two. And that ending- an epic cliffy that certainly will set us up for a heart pounding finale. Can’t wait to see what side of Perry we see next- my little Constantine kitten has a big ole rawr and some pretty sharp claws.
What inspires this ruthless groom? A rabid jealousy and possessiveness of his new bride, inspiring a blind distrust of his wife and a battle of wills between their undeniable chemistry, her charismatic charm, and his own paranoia. Perry may get a bit grittier in this one, a stark contrast to the sweet and sincere man we saw in Reluctant Bride, and while I still adore softer side, I certainly am here for dark and naughty bedroom Perry. MEOW! But Charlotte really stole the show- and my empathy- in this sequel. This sweet, resilient, and understanding soul could easily grow frustrated with Perry’s jealous antics, but she sees the brokenness and need in him and is so communicative, patient, and open- even if at times it hurts her to feel the wrath of his mistrust. Their chemistry really evolves in this one into something more carnal and unrestrained, and I’ve loved seeing the different dynamics of their connection.
That said, once we established the key romantic tension of this story, it seemed to really stagnate for me. I love Perry, I love sexy time- but I felt like they were in this cycle of Perry being irrationally distrustful despite all the evidence proving the contrary, raising the same accusations repeatedly, Charlotte defending herself with vulnerability and openness, anger/make-up steam, then wash, rinse, repeat. That cycle dragged a bit long for me, and I found myself anxious for the characters or plot to develop- which it did, towards the end. But I hated seeing what was very clearly Charlotte being taken advantage of and groomed used against her by my normally very charismatic and sincere Perry-bear.
Overall The plot in this one went a direction I didn’t expect, and I appreciate how the result is a more intimate and isolated look at the tensions and complications, as well as the connection, between these two. And that ending- an epic cliffy that certainly will set us up for a heart pounding finale. Can’t wait to see what side of Perry we see next- my little Constantine kitten has a big ole rawr and some pretty sharp claws.