Publication date: August 12th, 2020
Pages: 247
Synopsis:
Here is what you can expect:
- Forbidden Romance/Taboo
- Age Gap
- Stepfather/Stepdaughter
- Enemies to lovers
- Interracial Couple
I'd only wanted one kiss.
One kiss, under the dark of night, in a city where no one knew us.
One kiss fueled by my hormones and alcohol and the blinding grief over losing my mother.
One kiss from the man I told myself was untouchable.
But, it didn't stop at one kiss.
And now we are running full speed down a road with no intention of stopping.
His touch disarms me.
His kiss revives me.
But, our love, could destroy me.
*This is a taboo novel and is intended for mature audiences.
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Review:
With the addition of Kindle Unlimited the vast amount of available smutty romance has become my home away from home. The fact that there is a trope for any and all literary lovers and that Amazon caters leads my Kindle to be stuffed full of all kinds of stories ripe for the picking. The stepfather/stepdaughter trope tends to be more prevalent in the more adult visual media, but curiosity got the best of me with this read. Add to that it was on the ever-growing list of books recommended by my favorite BookTok friends, I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Stassia never liked her stepfather. She spent a majority of her time making him absolutely miserable and deriving as much pleasure from the exploding frustration outburst after the fact. However, when her mother is killed in a car accident she finds herself leaning more heavily on her stepfather for comfort and compassion. The animosity between her and Dominic quickly disappates and is replaced with a fiery attraction unlike any she had experienced before. Dominic, while resistant due to copious amounts of guilt, struggles to resist Stassia once she has set her mind of owning him body and heart. But the couple must keep their affair a secret as not only is it frowned upon for a guardian to be sexually involved with his charge but because their age difference leaves a lot of individuals with a disgusted sneer marring their features. Can Stassia and Dominic find a way to be together or they doomed before it even begins?
I was a bit uncomfortable about the fact that Stassia had known Dominic since she was 10 years old and he was able to look past that to see her in a sexual way. Did he look at her in that manner when she was that young as well or was it a new development once she became of age? How was he able to look past the interactions they probably had as a small child and her stepparent and find some way to desire her later on? I would have felt more comfortable with their joining if Dominic was a newly acquired stepfather than one that basically raised her.
Dominic was not at all what I would say I find attractive. I felt that Dominic got with Stassia initially as a way to be with his wife once more vicariously through her daughter. It was nice to know he was so taken with his wife but using her daughter to fill that void was a bit cringy. He gave crazy predatory vibes which made me feel like I was waiting for Chris Hansen to step out from the next door and ask him to have a seat.
I struggled to find a redeemable quality to the story but it seemed very cliché. Even the parts where they were forced apart and all but died without each other. But they had no problem jumping into bed once Stassia's mother died? While I wasn't too put off by Stassia as a character, her dynamic with Dominic seemed unhealthy and toxic. Not what I would want in my swoonworthy romance reads.
While I am all about the recommendations I receive from my friends, sometimes the love we have for books and their characters are not equal. Love Unexpected one fell flat for me.
