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Series: Pageant #2
Publication date: August 3rd, 2022
Pages: 370
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Synopsis:
A twisted game gone too far. A woman on the run. Three men who won't stop hunting.
The pageant has ended, but for us, the game has only just begun.
Konstantin, Elyah, and Kirill made my life a living hell during the pageant, and now I'm going to return the favor.
They want me and the secret I'm carrying, but they'll have to prove they're worthy before I let them call me their queen. It won't be easy when their pasts come back to haunt us. Pasts that are soaked in blood.
The chase is on, and this time, the prize is more precious than diamonds.
The prize is my heart.
Author's note: Crowned (Pageant, 2) is the final book in a mafia reverse harem duet. The heroes only have hearts, eyes, and dicks for the heroine. It contains dark themes, violence, and a Why Choose romance with ruthlessly possessive men. The story is potentially triggering, so please read responsibly.
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Review:
Lilia has escaped her three captors and is now trying to live a life of her own once more. But as was the first time, Lilia can't catch a break. First she is found by her father who wishes for her to return home and remarry after her former husband's death but there is a small wrench in that matter. Lilia is pregnant and the men who she ran from are hunting her down. When they find her and figure out her secret will they want rid of her just like her father or will they embrace her and love her unborn child completely?
This book was so focused on Lilia's pregnancy that it didn't have a whole lot of depth to it. Aside from Lilia's father trying to get her back there is no real antagonist anymore. The three antagonists have become the protagonists and so the book read more like a breeding kink homage than an actual romance book. Lilia spent most of the book waffling between trusting the three men and whining about her baby being potentially taken away from her. The baddie from the previous book was no more. She was gone. This woman in her place was unfortunate to watch. I would have liked to watch her stand tall and still willing to fight and do what she needs to do to survive without being weak due to being pregnant.
That being said my dislike for Lilia was counteracted by my sudden affection for the guys (even Kirill). They all had soften and instead of being complete assholes they were just... moderate assholes. Their mission to capture Lilia again and get back Konstantin's diamonds was derailed when they found out she was pregnant. They were all completely devoted to her and the unborn baby from the moment they laid eyes on her. That is one aspect of the whole pregnancy trope that I love as a woman. When the father finds out and becomes fiercely protective. These three had that going for them in spades.
There was a lot of melodrama. Lots of overthinking and whining about whether the men were going to be good fathers, whether they loved her and why they wouldn't apologize for the pageant. It was creating drama for the book, I know, but it just seemed like Lilia was constantly grasping at straws in her trust for the men. Even when they did everything they could to prove to her that they were being sincere she still was a blubbering mess of nerves. It did get very tedious.
That being said my dislike for Lilia was counteracted by my sudden affection for the guys (even Kirill). They all had soften and instead of being complete assholes they were just... moderate assholes. Their mission to capture Lilia again and get back Konstantin's diamonds was derailed when they found out she was pregnant. They were all completely devoted to her and the unborn baby from the moment they laid eyes on her. That is one aspect of the whole pregnancy trope that I love as a woman. When the father finds out and becomes fiercely protective. These three had that going for them in spades.
There was a lot of melodrama. Lots of overthinking and whining about whether the men were going to be good fathers, whether they loved her and why they wouldn't apologize for the pageant. It was creating drama for the book, I know, but it just seemed like Lilia was constantly grasping at straws in her trust for the men. Even when they did everything they could to prove to her that they were being sincere she still was a blubbering mess of nerves. It did get very tedious.
I really wish there was more to the story than just the occasional problem that they solved fairly quickly and then moved on with the relationship stuff. I would have liked there to be a few more driving forces trying to force the couples apart than just their own stubbornness. That being said, it still wasn't a terrible read. It was middle of the road for me. There were some aspects that could have been improved on but it wasn't a hardship to read.
