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Restitution by Leigh Rivers
Series: The Edge of Darkness Trilogy #3
Publication date: March 2nd, 2024
Pages: 525
Pages: 525
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Synopsis:
Synopsis:
THE WEAPON THEY CREATED
WILL BE THEIR DESTRUCTION
The line between sense and madness blurs as Kade seeks revenge on those who destroyed his life. They threatened his family, shattered his sanity, and then they stole his girl. He'll sacrifice everything to save them all, even if it means war.
Stacey Rhodes has been to hell and back, and now she's trapped by the monster who stole Kade from her. But Stacey isn't backing down -- she'll do anything it takes to save Kade, no matter the cost.
Can she free them both from Bernadette's clutches before war consumes everyone they care about?
As this is a dark romance the author highly recommends reading the 'content warning' page.
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Review:
Stacey is safe for a little while as her stepbrother has disappeared and Bernadette seems more focused on tormenting Kade and his best friend Base than trying to put forth true effort to find her. Stacey has not given up hope though of freeing Kade and having the life she always dreamed of having with him. But before she can even make plans to find her lost love and free him she is captured once more by her psychotic stepbrother and drawn into his plan to be get Bernadette off Stacey's back so the two can have their own version of Stacey's dream. But it will not be that easy. Riddled in betrayal, twists, and turns Stacey and Kade's story becomes a desperate journey back to each other with vengeance at the forefront of both of their minds for all that they have lost.
This installment was a long one. 500+ pages of a rollercoaster that I didn't ever want to get off. Just when I thought that the author was getting to a point where there might be a wrap-up coming soon there would be another wrench thrown into the works and we were off like a rocket all over again. These poor characters got put through the absolute wringer by Leigh Rivers.
There were fine details that I really loved about the book. The fact that the author showed just how messed up Kade was after so much time being sexually assaulted, tortured, and forced to kill and sell his body to whoever Bernadette wished. The issue I had was in the fact that he was in it for two years before Stacey ever came back around. He seemed to be handling it decently. He hated it and it did come out in a few scenes where he was very aware how much he was struggling with it, but he wasn't completely mentally messed up. It seems that last year he was held captive did him in the worst which being as they went harder on him that could account for it. But it just seemed like I would have thought he would have still been pretty messed up after those two years than how he was portrayed. He got out of there and couldn't even be touched by Stacey without flinching.
Another thing that wasn't for me but was pretty understandable in the story was Base referencing things he and Kade did while they were held captive in a nonchalant and playful way. I know that was his coping mechanism which we saw towards the end, but it felt like something that maybe should have been at least met with some backlash from the other characters, especially Kade. It seemed they all kinda just took it in stride and didn't even seem bothered by it. I, for one, would have a terrible time hearing that no matter my relation to the guy. Stacey didn't even blink and that was hard to swallow and took a bit away from the character for me.
While I think the book was decent, the major pet peeve I have is when there are two or more epilogue time jumps. I really can't stand them. It just feels like things are trying to be wrapped up quickly and it takes away from the immersion into the story. It jumped from present time to five years later to two years later to, I think, another four years after that? Why did it need all that? It really spoiled the ending for me even though I often do like seeing how the characters turn out after the main story is over.
Aside from my own personal grievances, I enjoyed the series overall and would highly recommend it. I loved the love between Kade and Stacey and how true they remained to each other even in the face of overwhelmingly bad odds. They made the series a page-turning wonder of love and redemption.
There were fine details that I really loved about the book. The fact that the author showed just how messed up Kade was after so much time being sexually assaulted, tortured, and forced to kill and sell his body to whoever Bernadette wished. The issue I had was in the fact that he was in it for two years before Stacey ever came back around. He seemed to be handling it decently. He hated it and it did come out in a few scenes where he was very aware how much he was struggling with it, but he wasn't completely mentally messed up. It seems that last year he was held captive did him in the worst which being as they went harder on him that could account for it. But it just seemed like I would have thought he would have still been pretty messed up after those two years than how he was portrayed. He got out of there and couldn't even be touched by Stacey without flinching.
Another thing that wasn't for me but was pretty understandable in the story was Base referencing things he and Kade did while they were held captive in a nonchalant and playful way. I know that was his coping mechanism which we saw towards the end, but it felt like something that maybe should have been at least met with some backlash from the other characters, especially Kade. It seemed they all kinda just took it in stride and didn't even seem bothered by it. I, for one, would have a terrible time hearing that no matter my relation to the guy. Stacey didn't even blink and that was hard to swallow and took a bit away from the character for me.
While I think the book was decent, the major pet peeve I have is when there are two or more epilogue time jumps. I really can't stand them. It just feels like things are trying to be wrapped up quickly and it takes away from the immersion into the story. It jumped from present time to five years later to two years later to, I think, another four years after that? Why did it need all that? It really spoiled the ending for me even though I often do like seeing how the characters turn out after the main story is over.
Aside from my own personal grievances, I enjoyed the series overall and would highly recommend it. I loved the love between Kade and Stacey and how true they remained to each other even in the face of overwhelmingly bad odds. They made the series a page-turning wonder of love and redemption.
