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Coastal Elite #3
Contempt
I had a plan to get through senior year. Get good grades, stay busy with clubs, don’t forget to carve out time for Mom and Hannah, and most importantly, stay far, far away from Landon Atwater.
That plan collapsed at the end of summer when my mom announced her surprise engagement… to Landon’s father.
Now, I have to live with the jerk who has spent years tormenting me. At school, I could make sure we weren’t in the same classes and turn the other way if I saw him in the halls, but avoiding him gets a lot harder when I’m living in his seaside mansion.
Especially because he doesn’t want to be avoided.
Landon has always loved taunting and controlling me, but now he has the ultimate advantage and he’s not afraid to use it. Landon is the chaos machine that could blow up this newly minted family—and my mom’s chance at happiness—and, unfortunately for me, he knows I won’t let him.
I was prepared to be on my guard at school, but I didn’t plan to spend senior year avoiding capture in my own home.
Unfortunately, it seems Landon has a plan of his own.
And no lock on my bedroom door is going to keep him from accomplishing it.
Contempt is book three in the Coastal Elite series! Readers first meet Parker and Landon in book two, Undertow . Contempt is intended for a mature adult audience, and anyone requiring trigger warnings is urged to read the author's note at the beginning of the book.
That plan collapsed at the end of summer when my mom announced her surprise engagement… to Landon’s father.
Now, I have to live with the jerk who has spent years tormenting me. At school, I could make sure we weren’t in the same classes and turn the other way if I saw him in the halls, but avoiding him gets a lot harder when I’m living in his seaside mansion.
Especially because he doesn’t want to be avoided.
Landon has always loved taunting and controlling me, but now he has the ultimate advantage and he’s not afraid to use it. Landon is the chaos machine that could blow up this newly minted family—and my mom’s chance at happiness—and, unfortunately for me, he knows I won’t let him.
I was prepared to be on my guard at school, but I didn’t plan to spend senior year avoiding capture in my own home.
Unfortunately, it seems Landon has a plan of his own.
And no lock on my bedroom door is going to keep him from accomplishing it.
Contempt is book three in the Coastal Elite series! Readers first meet Parker and Landon in book two, Undertow . Contempt is intended for a mature adult audience, and anyone requiring trigger warnings is urged to read the author's note at the beginning of the book.
514 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2023
638 people are currently reading
2195 people want to read
About the author
Sam Mariano
48 books4,800 followersFollow Sam Mariano on Facebook, Instagram (@sammarianobooks), or check out her Blog! If you need to email her, she can be reached at sammarianoauthor@gmail.com (but she is sometimes tardy about checking email. Mateo is very demanding).
Sign up for Sam's mailing list (to stay up to date on current projects--she won't spam you! Only for notification of new releases or book sales.)
All of Sam's books are available on Amazon! (And don't forget to follow Sam's Amazon Author page to get notified about the newest releases.)
Sam Mariano has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. She lives in Ohio and has a sweet and wonderful daughter.
Because of You was her first finished story (she started writing it when she was 18) and due to a full-time work and college schedule, it took her years to finish. She has also been telling people for years that there would never be a sequel (sorry, guys!)…which turned out to be a lie.
Sam Mariano is currently working on Dante’s book (if you’re a Morelli reader) and some other WIP.
Feel free to find her on Facebook, Goodreads, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers!
Sign up for Sam's mailing list (to stay up to date on current projects--she won't spam you! Only for notification of new releases or book sales.)
All of Sam's books are available on Amazon! (And don't forget to follow Sam's Amazon Author page to get notified about the newest releases.)
Sam Mariano has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. She lives in Ohio and has a sweet and wonderful daughter.
Because of You was her first finished story (she started writing it when she was 18) and due to a full-time work and college schedule, it took her years to finish. She has also been telling people for years that there would never be a sequel (sorry, guys!)…which turned out to be a lie.
Sam Mariano is currently working on Dante’s book (if you’re a Morelli reader) and some other WIP.
Feel free to find her on Facebook, Goodreads, or her blog—she loves hearing from readers!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 365 reviews
October 24, 2023
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Right before the release of this book I was so excited, y'all. I said "I need Sam's book to feel alive again"... And alive did I feel, I always feel like the alivest person on the planet when I'm having a mental breakdown. ☺️ So watch me having a hysterical episode and always, ALWAYS be careful what you wish for, guys.
This book gave me NOTHING but severe headache because Landon × Parker are the side characters in their own book. What made it worse for me, they are the side characters that don't even have much chemistry or action or any build up to their romantic relationship!! At the point where they are exchanging their 'vows', I just sat there so confused and disappointed with how things played out. Why all of a sudden does Parker succumb to Landon and go along with the 'ride'? Their interactions are so unsatisfactory and quite frankly 'just there', as if serving no particular purpose and taking no definite direction, that I couldn't quite believe it since I normally root for Sam's couples no matter the plot anomalies and my personal preferences. So if you're thinking about purchasing this book for LANDON and PARKER'S story specifically, I suggest that you think twice before doing that. This book is definitely not a standalone and shouldn't be read as one, even if supposedly it features a separate couple's story. Even I, the person who didn't read it as a standalone, was kinda exasperated by all the imposters. 💀
And this is why this book receives a one star from me, pointedly. I was bored and couldn't care less about Landon and Parker playing white noise for the whole mermaid/Cinderella/Prince/psychopath (1)/psychopath (2) shenanigans. I would have cared about them in Hannah's books, not in Landon and Parker's story. The main characters' friends are supposed to remain that — friends, not the main plot incentive.
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Dear Sam,
If you're so obsessed with Hannah's story, just fucking write it already, luv. Stop torturing yourself and wasting everyone's time on inconsequential (as it turns out) characters such as Landon and Parker.
The way you imposed Hannah on us in the story that is not HERS is such a weird decision because instead of provoking more interest in her as a character it kinda puts her in the awkward position of anIMPOSTER — annoying nagging bug that a reader desperately wants to get rid of so they can finally get to the good stuff between Landon and Parker.
It's just so obvious when you authors are not passionate about their characters. You give them embarrassingly mediocre books that push other characters' agenda.
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
This book/bonus scene RUINED either Dare × Aubrey's couple or Aubrey × Hannah's friendship (not Hannah imagining Aubrey in Dare's arms, looking at her friend's happy face in the photo and being MISERABLE) or possibly both for me. As a result — it fucking RUINED the first book in the series, the book I cherished — Even If It Hurts, too. MY GOD.
And I just know that Hannah's books will leave no ground to burn, it will annihilate, fucking erase every little thing and detail that I savored in Even If It Hurts.
a lil update (sorry, guys, i'm kinda obsessed at this point):
Okay so im still obsessing over Hannah vs Dare vs Aubrey situationSHIP, 🤡 and after talking with my friend and rereading my review for Even If It Hurts, I started wondering: what if Hannah is... bisexual?? 🤡🤡🤡 I know, I know, listen. In my review for Even If It Hurts I said that I got major lesbian vibes from Hannah and Aubrey, I felt like their chemistry and care for each other went a little beyond a mere friendship that just started a few days ago (they didn't get a chance to develop a very strong bond as friends but what if Hannah fell in love with Aubrey lmao?) So what if Dare keeps fucking with Hannah (who didn't wrong him in any capacity as far as I get it) and sics Anae on her because he sees a threat in both of them?? As in, Hannah might be a competition for him and Anae is a direct threat to Aubrey. So he wants to kill two birds with one stone by keeping them occupied with each other?? Lemme show y'all the excerpt from the bonus scene that can be interpreted in diff ways, but I think it might fit in this theory, yes? YES?? 🤡😔🤡
Hannah's pov:
Why does imagining Aubrey with her "soft skin" 💀 in Dare's arms, staking his claim, makes her so miserable??
I have multiple theories. 🤡🤡🤡
1) Hannah knows what it's like to be in his arms and her thoughts are miserable because Dare, our non-con lover, sexually harassed her at some point in the past (I think it's mentioned somewhere that he used to visit her room at night 🫠)
2) Hannah admittedly feels some weird "tether" to Dare (her words not mine) and because of her crush she's jealous that she's not the one on the receiving end of his advances jsjsjssj
3) She's worried about Aubrey's safety as a good friend should be (then why even mention something like "soft skin flushing under his fingers"?? This is way too specific and reverent) since she knows first-hand that Aubrey's getting it on with a complete psycho — Dare. But that's not a very plausible explanation in my opinion. She mentions that Aubrey looks happy in the pics (which doesn't make her feel relieved one bit). Plus, she could have warned off Aubrey a thousand times before. She texts Dare instead because of the tatoo 🌝
4) She likes Aubrey as more than a friend. So the thought of her in Dare's arms makes her feel sick to her stomach. 👁️👄👁️
Am I being ridiculous? Sam says in her afterword that Hannah's story is gonna be different and include tropes she's never written before. Well, she never wrote a FFM romance. 🫠 I know she's written a MFM romance, I know she has written romances where the heroine has multiple suitors and the (anti)hero has to get rid of them.
I don't go back on my words: I still think that Dare and Hannah have more chemistry than should be legal. There are too many shady scenes in Even If It Hurts and Contempt that are written in a way that's very confusing and don't click with the narrative's logic. Maybe Dare's so invested in Hannah because he really needs her as a smokescreen against Anae in his quest to protect Aubrey from that psycho bitch. But it still doesn't make much sense to me. It's DARE we're talking about here, I don't get why he's still entertaining the drama with Anae when he literally has the means to end her for good in case he truly has concerns about Aubrey's safety and he deems it possible that Anae might do actual harm to Aubrey. The thing that speaks against Hannah and Dare as a couple is the fact that he's not protective of Hannah at all (meanwhile where Aubrey is concerned, he exhibits protective and possessive treatment). Dare sort of throws Hannah under the bus and always lets Anae harass her. If Hannah was his endgame, wouldn't it be weird of him to not care about her safety at all?
DISCLAIMER: I hold all of my stupid ass theories in contempt (no pun intended). I want Dare and Aubrey to be left alone. I want a new hero for Hannah (Malik sounds like a loser, Arden is a bit better but the bet thing they planned in this book screams basic from the rooftops). No MFM or FFM or MFM. Just your normal traditional dark romance. But these dreams are in vain, I fear
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Sam Mariano has picked her favorites and it shows because Hannah's story has completely taken over this book and she was supposed to stay a side character and not take a spotlight here. Not at the expense of Landon and Parker's story, PLEASE.
I already both despise (because I can finally see the direction Sam's planning to take) and look forward (I'm a 🤡) to Hannah's books.
Why the despise? Hannah's books will most likely ruin the couple from the 1st book in the series and make their story absolutely pointless and fruitless romance-wise: more like an appetizer/background story before the main meal. The actual main character of this whole series is Hannah, by the way. This little universe revolves around her. Surprise, surprise. 🤡 Also, screenshot this: Hannah's story will be flooded with OM drama and before she ends up in the hero's clutches she'll be turned into a passing prize between the hero and the OM (Malik, Dare, Arden, the options are vast). And even if she doesn't end up with Dare, his weird obsession with her as much as Hannah's weird obsession with him is killing the vibe. Pls don't tell me there's no sexual energy between them, and Dare and Aubrey are completely fine. I'm not blind. Even if Sam is purposefully stirring things up just to mislead us and make us sweat over Dare and Aubrey's relationship — I think it's cheap and sorta out of pocket. Like at this point I couldn't care less about the drama with Anae and Hannah or Landon and Parker's relationship because I'm worried sick about the "endgame" couple from another book instead. 😐
That being said, 🤡 I also look forward to Hannah's story because I know it is going to be riveting, like a shipwreck you can't take your eyes off: the scene is horrible, people are crying, dying, choking and getting hurt and you don't have fun watching it at all... but you still do it. 🤡
Her books will give me a major pain in the ass, that's for sure
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Also, WEIRDLY ENOUGH, I like the idea of Hannah and Dare together, or Hannah and Arden (he seems nice 🤡 but his bet with Malik is ridiculous at best, hopefully it won't be the real game) for that matter. Which totally defies the key complaint of this review, but lemme explain. 🤡 I remember thinking to myself during my Even If It Hurts reading session "well, if Aubrey wasn't in the picture, I'd not be opposed to the idea of Dare and Hannah together. They actually have some great prey and predator energy, huh? Me likes". So I'm in this bizarre limbo at the moment where I hate the fact that Sam might have written a fucking clown ass book that made us believe in one couple's hea only for her to end up matching the hero with another chick, yet I won't beat my head against the wall if this actually happens. And Dare gives Aubrey a leave of absence on Hannah's account. 🤡 I kinda ship Hannah and Dare, their bonus scene where they just TEXT has more sexual energy in it than all the interactions between Landon and Parker combined, and I also ship Aubrey and Dare (I loved them in the first book, Dare went to such great lengths to get her SO WHY THE FUCK IS HE TEXTING WITH SOMEONE WHO'S NOT AUBREY in the middle of the night and why is HANNAH SO FLUSTERED WHEN SHE'S TEXTING HER FRIEND'S BOYFRIEND?). I also ship Aubrey and Hannah. 🤡 But I'm sick of all the hints and ping pong games that make readers speculate on who's the endgame couple here. This doesn't turn the series into a proper suspense story. It's giving ✨soap opera✨
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Anyway, Sam, you are not a mastermind, you're a fucking clown for this!!! 😭 I can't stand filler books, I simply can't take one more filler book from you.
All in all, can you guys fucking see it? This book was horse shit. I talked about the "main" characters for like 2 seconds in this review, they are THAT special. A mediocre highschool bully stepbrothers romance, we're so thrilled. 🙄
Also I have one more thing to say: Sam Mariano's the paragon of 'not like other girls' mentality. In her case, it transforms into 'not like other romance authors' mentality. I can see right through her bullshit, she'll do anything NOT SHORT OF MURDER just for a fleeting 'SURPRISE, BITCH' moment.
She'd compare herself to other romance authors who are followers and succumb to "peer pressure", writing "mainstream books", but then she gives us Landon and Parker's story that is the most mainstream high school bully romance I've ever read that adds absolutely nothing new or special to the genre. It doesn't even live up to it's label — dark romance. 😐
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
No, seriously, sometimes I think that I hate this woman. Thank God she never touched Carter and Zoey after finishing Untouchable, or I'd have committed fucking homicide. I'd have literally bought a plane ticket to America and found her in whatever shithole she was hiding away, writing her rage-inducing filler books. It's good she keeps my precious babies' names — Carter and Zoey — out of her mouth. Good for HER.
People have trust issues because of people like you, Sam!! But you do what you do, huh.
I hope to be proven wrong in Hannah's books and have my own 'surprise, bitch' moment, though. I wanna be humbled so bad!!! I can't take one more meh book from Sam Mariano. At this point WHO EVEN NEEDS THESE HALF-HEARTEDLY WRITTEN SPIN-OFFS AND 'STANDALONE' BOOKS?? WHO??? Just focus on Hannah already and put us out of this misery.
..When is Hannah's book coming out?
👁️👄👁️
P.S. Sam will never read this review, right? She better not, I actually went a little overboard hehe SORRY no hard feelings 🙆🏼♀️
Right before the release of this book I was so excited, y'all. I said "I need Sam's book to feel alive again"... And alive did I feel, I always feel like the alivest person on the planet when I'm having a mental breakdown. ☺️ So watch me having a hysterical episode and always, ALWAYS be careful what you wish for, guys.
This book gave me NOTHING but severe headache because Landon × Parker are the side characters in their own book. What made it worse for me, they are the side characters that don't even have much chemistry or action or any build up to their romantic relationship!! At the point where they are exchanging their 'vows', I just sat there so confused and disappointed with how things played out. Why all of a sudden does Parker succumb to Landon and go along with the 'ride'? Their interactions are so unsatisfactory and quite frankly 'just there', as if serving no particular purpose and taking no definite direction, that I couldn't quite believe it since I normally root for Sam's couples no matter the plot anomalies and my personal preferences. So if you're thinking about purchasing this book for LANDON and PARKER'S story specifically, I suggest that you think twice before doing that. This book is definitely not a standalone and shouldn't be read as one, even if supposedly it features a separate couple's story. Even I, the person who didn't read it as a standalone, was kinda exasperated by all the imposters. 💀
And this is why this book receives a one star from me, pointedly. I was bored and couldn't care less about Landon and Parker playing white noise for the whole mermaid/Cinderella/Prince/psychopath (1)/psychopath (2) shenanigans. I would have cared about them in Hannah's books, not in Landon and Parker's story. The main characters' friends are supposed to remain that — friends, not the main plot incentive.
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Dear Sam,
If you're so obsessed with Hannah's story, just fucking write it already, luv. Stop torturing yourself and wasting everyone's time on inconsequential (as it turns out) characters such as Landon and Parker.
The way you imposed Hannah on us in the story that is not HERS is such a weird decision because instead of provoking more interest in her as a character it kinda puts her in the awkward position of an
It's just so obvious when you authors are not passionate about their characters. You give them embarrassingly mediocre books that push other characters' agenda.
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
This book/bonus scene RUINED either Dare × Aubrey's couple or Aubrey × Hannah's friendship (not Hannah imagining Aubrey in Dare's arms, looking at her friend's happy face in the photo and being MISERABLE) or possibly both for me. As a result — it fucking RUINED the first book in the series, the book I cherished — Even If It Hurts, too. MY GOD.
And I just know that Hannah's books will leave no ground to burn, it will annihilate, fucking erase every little thing and detail that I savored in Even If It Hurts.
a lil update (sorry, guys, i'm kinda obsessed at this point):
Okay so im still obsessing over Hannah vs Dare vs Aubrey situationSHIP, 🤡 and after talking with my friend and rereading my review for Even If It Hurts, I started wondering: what if Hannah is... bisexual?? 🤡🤡🤡 I know, I know, listen. In my review for Even If It Hurts I said that I got major lesbian vibes from Hannah and Aubrey, I felt like their chemistry and care for each other went a little beyond a mere friendship that just started a few days ago (they didn't get a chance to develop a very strong bond as friends but what if Hannah fell in love with Aubrey lmao?) So what if Dare keeps fucking with Hannah (who didn't wrong him in any capacity as far as I get it) and sics Anae on her because he sees a threat in both of them?? As in, Hannah might be a competition for him and Anae is a direct threat to Aubrey. So he wants to kill two birds with one stone by keeping them occupied with each other?? Lemme show y'all the excerpt from the bonus scene that can be interpreted in diff ways, but I think it might fit in this theory, yes? YES?? 🤡😔🤡
Hannah's pov:
He said he had to go.
Aubrey was stirring.
I bet he has his arms wrapped around her even now, her soft skin flushing beneath his fingertips. I bet he’s touching and kissing her, marking her like he always used to and making sure she knows who she belongs to.
Ugh.
I adjust my pillow, trying to shove the miserable thoughts away.
Why does imagining Aubrey with her "soft skin" 💀 in Dare's arms, staking his claim, makes her so miserable??
I have multiple theories. 🤡🤡🤡
1) Hannah knows what it's like to be in his arms and her thoughts are miserable because Dare, our non-con lover, sexually harassed her at some point in the past (I think it's mentioned somewhere that he used to visit her room at night 🫠)
2) Hannah admittedly feels some weird "tether" to Dare (her words not mine) and because of her crush she's jealous that she's not the one on the receiving end of his advances jsjsjssj
3) She's worried about Aubrey's safety as a good friend should be (then why even mention something like "soft skin flushing under his fingers"?? This is way too specific and reverent) since she knows first-hand that Aubrey's getting it on with a complete psycho — Dare. But that's not a very plausible explanation in my opinion. She mentions that Aubrey looks happy in the pics (which doesn't make her feel relieved one bit). Plus, she could have warned off Aubrey a thousand times before. She texts Dare instead because of the tatoo 🌝
4) She likes Aubrey as more than a friend. So the thought of her in Dare's arms makes her feel sick to her stomach. 👁️👄👁️
Am I being ridiculous? Sam says in her afterword that Hannah's story is gonna be different and include tropes she's never written before. Well, she never wrote a FFM romance. 🫠 I know she's written a MFM romance, I know she has written romances where the heroine has multiple suitors and the (anti)hero has to get rid of them.
I don't go back on my words: I still think that Dare and Hannah have more chemistry than should be legal. There are too many shady scenes in Even If It Hurts and Contempt that are written in a way that's very confusing and don't click with the narrative's logic. Maybe Dare's so invested in Hannah because he really needs her as a smokescreen against Anae in his quest to protect Aubrey from that psycho bitch. But it still doesn't make much sense to me. It's DARE we're talking about here, I don't get why he's still entertaining the drama with Anae when he literally has the means to end her for good in case he truly has concerns about Aubrey's safety and he deems it possible that Anae might do actual harm to Aubrey. The thing that speaks against Hannah and Dare as a couple is the fact that he's not protective of Hannah at all (meanwhile where Aubrey is concerned, he exhibits protective and possessive treatment). Dare sort of throws Hannah under the bus and always lets Anae harass her. If Hannah was his endgame, wouldn't it be weird of him to not care about her safety at all?
DISCLAIMER: I hold all of my stupid ass theories in contempt (no pun intended). I want Dare and Aubrey to be left alone. I want a new hero for Hannah (Malik sounds like a loser, Arden is a bit better but the bet thing they planned in this book screams basic from the rooftops). No MFM or FFM or MFM. Just your normal traditional dark romance. But these dreams are in vain, I fear
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Sam Mariano has picked her favorites and it shows because Hannah's story has completely taken over this book and she was supposed to stay a side character and not take a spotlight here. Not at the expense of Landon and Parker's story, PLEASE.
I already both despise (because I can finally see the direction Sam's planning to take) and look forward (I'm a 🤡) to Hannah's books.
Why the despise? Hannah's books will most likely ruin the couple from the 1st book in the series and make their story absolutely pointless and fruitless romance-wise: more like an appetizer/background story before the main meal. The actual main character of this whole series is Hannah, by the way. This little universe revolves around her. Surprise, surprise. 🤡 Also, screenshot this: Hannah's story will be flooded with OM drama and before she ends up in the hero's clutches she'll be turned into a passing prize between the hero and the OM (Malik, Dare, Arden, the options are vast). And even if she doesn't end up with Dare, his weird obsession with her as much as Hannah's weird obsession with him is killing the vibe. Pls don't tell me there's no sexual energy between them, and Dare and Aubrey are completely fine. I'm not blind. Even if Sam is purposefully stirring things up just to mislead us and make us sweat over Dare and Aubrey's relationship — I think it's cheap and sorta out of pocket. Like at this point I couldn't care less about the drama with Anae and Hannah or Landon and Parker's relationship because I'm worried sick about the "endgame" couple from another book instead. 😐
That being said, 🤡 I also look forward to Hannah's story because I know it is going to be riveting, like a shipwreck you can't take your eyes off: the scene is horrible, people are crying, dying, choking and getting hurt and you don't have fun watching it at all... but you still do it. 🤡
Her books will give me a major pain in the ass, that's for sure
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Also, WEIRDLY ENOUGH, I like the idea of Hannah and Dare together, or Hannah and Arden (he seems nice 🤡 but his bet with Malik is ridiculous at best, hopefully it won't be the real game) for that matter. Which totally defies the key complaint of this review, but lemme explain. 🤡 I remember thinking to myself during my Even If It Hurts reading session "well, if Aubrey wasn't in the picture, I'd not be opposed to the idea of Dare and Hannah together. They actually have some great prey and predator energy, huh? Me likes". So I'm in this bizarre limbo at the moment where I hate the fact that Sam might have written a fucking clown ass book that made us believe in one couple's hea only for her to end up matching the hero with another chick, yet I won't beat my head against the wall if this actually happens. And Dare gives Aubrey a leave of absence on Hannah's account. 🤡 I kinda ship Hannah and Dare, their bonus scene where they just TEXT has more sexual energy in it than all the interactions between Landon and Parker combined, and I also ship Aubrey and Dare (I loved them in the first book, Dare went to such great lengths to get her SO WHY THE FUCK IS HE TEXTING WITH SOMEONE WHO'S NOT AUBREY in the middle of the night and why is HANNAH SO FLUSTERED WHEN SHE'S TEXTING HER FRIEND'S BOYFRIEND?). I also ship Aubrey and Hannah. 🤡 But I'm sick of all the hints and ping pong games that make readers speculate on who's the endgame couple here. This doesn't turn the series into a proper suspense story. It's giving ✨soap opera✨
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
Anyway, Sam, you are not a mastermind, you're a fucking clown for this!!! 😭 I can't stand filler books, I simply can't take one more filler book from you.
All in all, can you guys fucking see it? This book was horse shit. I talked about the "main" characters for like 2 seconds in this review, they are THAT special. A mediocre highschool bully stepbrothers romance, we're so thrilled. 🙄
Also I have one more thing to say: Sam Mariano's the paragon of 'not like other girls' mentality. In her case, it transforms into 'not like other romance authors' mentality. I can see right through her bullshit, she'll do anything NOT SHORT OF MURDER just for a fleeting 'SURPRISE, BITCH' moment.
She'd compare herself to other romance authors who are followers and succumb to "peer pressure", writing "mainstream books", but then she gives us Landon and Parker's story that is the most mainstream high school bully romance I've ever read that adds absolutely nothing new or special to the genre. It doesn't even live up to it's label — dark romance. 😐
*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·
No, seriously, sometimes I think that I hate this woman. Thank God she never touched Carter and Zoey after finishing Untouchable, or I'd have committed fucking homicide. I'd have literally bought a plane ticket to America and found her in whatever shithole she was hiding away, writing her rage-inducing filler books. It's good she keeps my precious babies' names — Carter and Zoey — out of her mouth. Good for HER.
People have trust issues because of people like you, Sam!! But you do what you do, huh.
I hope to be proven wrong in Hannah's books and have my own 'surprise, bitch' moment, though. I wanna be humbled so bad!!! I can't take one more meh book from Sam Mariano. At this point WHO EVEN NEEDS THESE HALF-HEARTEDLY WRITTEN SPIN-OFFS AND 'STANDALONE' BOOKS?? WHO??? Just focus on Hannah already and put us out of this misery.
..When is Hannah's book coming out?
👁️👄👁️
P.S. Sam will never read this review, right? She better not, I actually went a little overboard hehe SORRY no hard feelings 🙆🏼♀️
October 24, 2023
1/5 ⭐️ OMG. WTF was this?? There was way too much focus on the side characters!! Mainly Hannah. Who I don’t even like after reading that bonus scene. And now Hannah and Dare are maybe going to be a thing?? Wtf was the point of the first book then??? I’m beyond pissed right now!! That bonus scene at the end with Hannah “flirting” with Dare via text made my blood boil!! Where is the loyalty to your “friend” huh?? I’m so done with this series. This author literally ruined Dare and Aubrey’s romance for me. Ugh. So disappointed and sad 😭😭😭
And Landon & Parker are supposed to be the “main characters” of this book and it didn’t even feel like it. Hannah (which she is supposed to get her own book later on) really took over their story and it pissed me off so much.
And Landon & Parker are supposed to be the “main characters” of this book and it didn’t even feel like it. Hannah (which she is supposed to get her own book later on) really took over their story and it pissed me off so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2023
Main charters became side characters, filler galore, disturbance of previous couple’s relationship
We readers are left guess and making up our own theories to compensate for the dumpster fire of information that didn’t add the the main couple’s relationship
Me the entire time 🤡🔪🤯 😭
Fun fact Hannah’s name was said 572 times throughout the book💀
It should have been mentioned no more then 20 😌
Stupid f*cking book *Throws kindle out the window*
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&u...
We readers are left guess and making up our own theories to compensate for the dumpster fire of information that didn’t add the the main couple’s relationship
Me the entire time 🤡🔪🤯 😭
Fun fact Hannah’s name was said 572 times throughout the book💀
It should have been mentioned no more then 20 😌
Stupid f*cking book *Throws kindle out the window*
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&u...
January 29, 2024
we have a case of an unreliable narrator, ladies and gents, and her name is Sam Mariano 😂😅
I'm mentally kicking myself, because honestly, how could I have forgotten her formula when it comes to series? But, alas, i did 🆘 i felt safe and protected in the cocoon of her standalone works, so my mental abilities were not prepared for the occurrence, that was this story.
I'll be generous and sensibleunlike the author here and start with describing the ACTUAL COUPLE OF THIS BOOK a.k.a. Parker and Landon.
You'd think that after using the WHOLE PREVIOUS BOOK about their parents as a set-up for the romance of Parker and Landon, we would get a fleshed out story, high staked and intriguing, right? Well, my friends, you'd be wrong! 😈😏⚠️ For Parker and Landon were at best supporting characters if not guest appearances in their own story. Yes, near the end we got more of them. And yes, their sex scenes and actual dialogue were cute, if not the typical Sam Mariano excellence 🤣 if you like stepsiblings romance in a generic packaging, this romance would probably be right up your alley. But if you came here for the chaos and mind games, angst and ott craziness, Parker and Landon WON'T DELIVER IT TO YOU.
Parker spent 75% of her time waxing poetics about her BFF, Hannah. She was praising her, worrying about her, spending time with her and thinking about all her troubles and all her drama instead of focusing on her own drama. And how great can Landon actually be, if his heroine is preoccupied with another girl instead of him?
Plus the whole parents schtick didn't appeal to me at all. The dad gave zero fucks about his son, only worrying about what Gemma would think, turning him from an alphahole into a pussywhipped sod. The heroine's mom turned into a hysterical chick with zero agency and zero brains. Their "family time" was painful to read about and the only good thing was when Landon found his balls and kissed Parker in front of the parents. The fact that Gemma almost fainted was the cherry on top. Ten out of ten, would recommend 👑🔥💪
NOW ONTO THE MAIN PLOT OF THIS BOOK, WHICH IS THE LOVE STORY OF HANNAH AND HER BANANA NUT MUFFINS 🤡🤡🤡🤡
The amount of times a compliment about Hannah was shoved down my throat in this series so far is staggering. We get it, Sam, you want us to like her, but all this waxing poetics about Hannah's greatness makes me hate her and despise her. Oh, she's so kind! Oh, she can bake! Oh, look how graceful she's getting out of the car! Oh, she's so poor and good, and there's no one to protect her and how can nobody love her when she's so great and deserving and poops rainbows out of her ass? 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤡🤡🤡🤡
But alas, she has the main girl energy and Dare has main guy energy, so at the end, after making Hannah firstly be with Arden Prince, then making him look weak and pathetic in front of Dare, they would break up, then Hannah will be third wheeling with Dare and Aubrey, then Aubrey will either be disposed of or she'll get her "fog cleared up" and want to leave. After going through 9 circles of hell, possibly rape and kidnapping, mental, physical and verbal abuse Hannah will get her happily ever after with Dare. Mark my words.
P.S. but after reading the Morelli series, which i LOVED, I'm prepared for the twists and turns that this series will bring. It's just...i loved Mia, for all her stupidness, but Hannah's future intrigues me, even though I can't stand the pathetic bitch.
P.S.S. i have to theories regarding Hannah, but since Sam Mariano really is an unreliable narrator, there's no point theorising here. She could change it based on the majority's reaction in a "surprise, motherfuckers" manner and nothing will make 100% sense either way.
.
.
.
Upd#3: there's a FREE FIRST CHAPTER OUT??? Did anyone read it already? I'm so tempted to try, but don't want to have to wait till i get my hands on the actual book to continue 😭😭😭
Upd#2: THE TROPES ARE HERE AND THEY'RE SUPREME! 🙌🙌🙌🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵🥵
Upd: is it just me or does the cover gives 'Untouchable' vibes? 😱🥵💔🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🫶🫶🫶👑👑👑👑
IT'S NOT A DRILL🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘 23RD OF OCTOBER 😭😭😭😭😭 MAKE IT BE GOOD 🤞
I'm mentally kicking myself, because honestly, how could I have forgotten her formula when it comes to series? But, alas, i did 🆘 i felt safe and protected in the cocoon of her standalone works, so my mental abilities were not prepared for the occurrence, that was this story.
I'll be generous and sensible
You'd think that after using the WHOLE PREVIOUS BOOK about their parents as a set-up for the romance of Parker and Landon, we would get a fleshed out story, high staked and intriguing, right? Well, my friends, you'd be wrong! 😈😏⚠️ For Parker and Landon were at best supporting characters if not guest appearances in their own story. Yes, near the end we got more of them. And yes, their sex scenes and actual dialogue were cute, if not the typical Sam Mariano excellence 🤣 if you like stepsiblings romance in a generic packaging, this romance would probably be right up your alley. But if you came here for the chaos and mind games, angst and ott craziness, Parker and Landon WON'T DELIVER IT TO YOU.
Parker spent 75% of her time waxing poetics about her BFF, Hannah. She was praising her, worrying about her, spending time with her and thinking about all her troubles and all her drama instead of focusing on her own drama. And how great can Landon actually be, if his heroine is preoccupied with another girl instead of him?
Plus the whole parents schtick didn't appeal to me at all. The dad gave zero fucks about his son, only worrying about what Gemma would think, turning him from an alphahole into a pussywhipped sod. The heroine's mom turned into a hysterical chick with zero agency and zero brains. Their "family time" was painful to read about and the only good thing was when Landon found his balls and kissed Parker in front of the parents. The fact that Gemma almost fainted was the cherry on top. Ten out of ten, would recommend 👑🔥💪
NOW ONTO THE MAIN PLOT OF THIS BOOK, WHICH IS THE LOVE STORY OF HANNAH AND HER BANANA NUT MUFFINS 🤡🤡🤡🤡
The amount of times a compliment about Hannah was shoved down my throat in this series so far is staggering. We get it, Sam, you want us to like her, but all this waxing poetics about Hannah's greatness makes me hate her and despise her. Oh, she's so kind! Oh, she can bake! Oh, look how graceful she's getting out of the car! Oh, she's so poor and good, and there's no one to protect her and how can nobody love her when she's so great and deserving and poops rainbows out of her ass? 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤡🤡🤡🤡
But alas, she has the main girl energy and Dare has main guy energy, so at the end, after making Hannah firstly be with Arden Prince, then making him look weak and pathetic in front of Dare, they would break up, then Hannah will be third wheeling with Dare and Aubrey, then Aubrey will either be disposed of or she'll get her "fog cleared up" and want to leave. After going through 9 circles of hell, possibly rape and kidnapping, mental, physical and verbal abuse Hannah will get her happily ever after with Dare. Mark my words.
P.S. but after reading the Morelli series, which i LOVED, I'm prepared for the twists and turns that this series will bring. It's just...i loved Mia, for all her stupidness, but Hannah's future intrigues me, even though I can't stand the pathetic bitch.
P.S.S. i have to theories regarding Hannah, but since Sam Mariano really is an unreliable narrator, there's no point theorising here. She could change it based on the majority's reaction in a "surprise, motherfuckers" manner and nothing will make 100% sense either way.
.
.
.
Upd#3: there's a FREE FIRST CHAPTER OUT??? Did anyone read it already? I'm so tempted to try, but don't want to have to wait till i get my hands on the actual book to continue 😭😭😭
Upd#2: THE TROPES ARE HERE AND THEY'RE SUPREME! 🙌🙌🙌🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵🥵
Upd: is it just me or does the cover gives 'Untouchable' vibes? 😱🥵💔🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🫶🫶🫶👑👑👑👑
IT'S NOT A DRILL🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘🆘 23RD OF OCTOBER 😭😭😭😭😭 MAKE IT BE GOOD 🤞
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October 25, 2023
⤅ This was SO underwhelming. In fact, it was boring.
First of all, I should say that my friend Irunia's review is absolutely excellent. It really captures one main thing about this book: that the so-called hero and heroine are bystanders in their own story.
My eyebrows first started rising when I read the author's note at the start of the book. Mariano devoted what felt like a full 2000 words to lecturing the reader about how Parker and Landon aren't like her other characters, they're unique, don't expect reruns of Carter and Zoey, etc. This is quite amusing since at least one of her recent works is nothing but a weak rerun of Carter and Zoey. I have to give it to her, though, she was certainly correct: Parker and Landon are nothing like Carter and Zoey. But this isn't actually a good thing.
Quick plot summary: in the preceding novella, 18-year-old Parker Johansson's mother Gemma fell in love with Hayden, the father of Parker's classmate Landon Atwater. Parker has been crushing on Landon for most of her life; he feels sufficiently possessive over her to warn all other boys off her, but spends the intervening 6 years basically putting Parker on the shelf while he entertains himself with legions of OW.
Honestly, in some ways this sums up the wasted promise of the whole book. We're sold the lie that Landon is OTT obsessed with Parker, to the point where in the previous book he tried to break down a door to get to her. That scene alone made me anticipate their story. But it fizzles out completely. In six years Landon has made only one half-hearted attempt to get his hands on the girl he's supposedly crazy for, and EVEN IN THIS BOOK, where they're actually LIVING TOGETHER, there's one scene where he decides to go off with an OW instead of get Parker!!!! Dude, WTF? Parker makes a huge stupid deal of trying never to be alone with him, and then it's MORE THAN HALF THE BOOK before things even get going between them, because he's literally just not interested in progressing things with her? When actually, his 'obsession' moving into his house ought to kickstart things?
This underlined the complete and total lack of chemistry between the couple. Parker is happy to sit by and wait, unkissed, for Landon to notice her, which he takes his sweet time doing, notwithstanding this fake 'obsession' backstory. I'm not here for this story. I'm here for the dark hero I was promised, the kind who's so into the heroine he's willing to take what he wants no matter her wishes, the kind who wouldn't go off with an OW to fulfil his urges when the object of his desire is literally in the same house as him..
Landon and Parker's story doesn't even really get going until like 60% in, and when it does, both the sex scenes and Landon in general lack intensity. Their completely lacklustre relationship is overshadowed entirely by Mariano's clear focus: the Dare/Hannah/??? saga. Now, I didn't read the Dare/Aubrey book, but I did skim it. I wouldn't be surprised if Hannah is substituted for Aubrey at some point, considering the amounts of weird emotional infidelity going on (what the hell was that bonus scene?) and the existence of the Morelli series, which I also haven't read but which I understand contains a heroine swap. No thanks, life is WAY too short to read the books of couples who aren't endgame. It really annoys me when authors will start undermining the HEAs of previous couples in later books like this, because we've invested time and energy reading those couples. And then even if it turns out Dare and Aubrey are solid, stuff like that bonus scene will still detract from future, so it's lose/lose either way.
Speaking of endgame, we were treated to another author's note at the end of the book, this time lecturing us on how amazing and stupendous and mind-bogglingly unique Hannah's story will be. It really is something when authors let their own perceptions of themselves get to their heads...
Quite apart from the fact that Hannah isn't even meant to be the heroine of this book, and the fact that she's a doormat heroine of nightmarish proportions, the fact that HER scenes were more compelling than Parker and Landon's really says it all.
On another note, I could write an entire essay about how utterly shite Gemma is as a mother, but I'll restrain myself to the observation that Gemma willingly moves her teenaged daughter into the house of a boy who, just weeks ago, terrified said daughter so much that she called the police on him. This tells you everything you need to know about Gemma's brainpower, or lack thereof. But Gemma is a Sam Mariano heroine, so you knew that anyway...
What did I like about this story? Well, once the actual relationship between Parker and Landon got going, it was decent. The last third of the book was surprisingly devoid of stupid drama (although on the flipside, nothing really happens, which made it boring). And while Parker is mostly blander than rice paper, she had a couple of moderately good lines.
I also was amused by the route Landon's Aladdin quip took. He calls a guy Parker was talking to 'Aladdin', and is totally unrepentant when she points out he's Hispanic. Definitely want to see more of this type of thing. Sometimes, it feels like authors are willing to make their heroes as cruel and rapey or whatever as possible, but then the heroes draw the line at racism and homophobia, which just comes across as ridiculous. I'm here for a dark hero and I know exactly what I'm getting, I'm not going to complain saying 'the way he raped the heroine was just right, but I'm offended by that crack he made about brown people!'
⤅ Overall
When I first began reading I was jotting notes down to include in my review, but honestly now I can't even be bothered to refer back to them because this book was just so meh.
First of all, I should say that my friend Irunia's review is absolutely excellent. It really captures one main thing about this book: that the so-called hero and heroine are bystanders in their own story.
My eyebrows first started rising when I read the author's note at the start of the book. Mariano devoted what felt like a full 2000 words to lecturing the reader about how Parker and Landon aren't like her other characters, they're unique, don't expect reruns of Carter and Zoey, etc. This is quite amusing since at least one of her recent works is nothing but a weak rerun of Carter and Zoey. I have to give it to her, though, she was certainly correct: Parker and Landon are nothing like Carter and Zoey. But this isn't actually a good thing.
Quick plot summary: in the preceding novella, 18-year-old Parker Johansson's mother Gemma fell in love with Hayden, the father of Parker's classmate Landon Atwater. Parker has been crushing on Landon for most of her life; he feels sufficiently possessive over her to warn all other boys off her, but spends the intervening 6 years basically putting Parker on the shelf while he entertains himself with legions of OW.
Honestly, in some ways this sums up the wasted promise of the whole book. We're sold the lie that Landon is OTT obsessed with Parker, to the point where in the previous book he tried to break down a door to get to her. That scene alone made me anticipate their story. But it fizzles out completely. In six years Landon has made only one half-hearted attempt to get his hands on the girl he's supposedly crazy for, and EVEN IN THIS BOOK, where they're actually LIVING TOGETHER, there's one scene where he decides to go off with an OW instead of get Parker!!!! Dude, WTF? Parker makes a huge stupid deal of trying never to be alone with him, and then it's MORE THAN HALF THE BOOK before things even get going between them, because he's literally just not interested in progressing things with her? When actually, his 'obsession' moving into his house ought to kickstart things?
This underlined the complete and total lack of chemistry between the couple. Parker is happy to sit by and wait, unkissed, for Landon to notice her, which he takes his sweet time doing, notwithstanding this fake 'obsession' backstory. I'm not here for this story. I'm here for the dark hero I was promised, the kind who's so into the heroine he's willing to take what he wants no matter her wishes, the kind who wouldn't go off with an OW to fulfil his urges when the object of his desire is literally in the same house as him..
Landon and Parker's story doesn't even really get going until like 60% in, and when it does, both the sex scenes and Landon in general lack intensity. Their completely lacklustre relationship is overshadowed entirely by Mariano's clear focus: the Dare/Hannah/??? saga. Now, I didn't read the Dare/Aubrey book, but I did skim it. I wouldn't be surprised if Hannah is substituted for Aubrey at some point, considering the amounts of weird emotional infidelity going on (what the hell was that bonus scene?) and the existence of the Morelli series, which I also haven't read but which I understand contains a heroine swap. No thanks, life is WAY too short to read the books of couples who aren't endgame. It really annoys me when authors will start undermining the HEAs of previous couples in later books like this, because we've invested time and energy reading those couples. And then even if it turns out Dare and Aubrey are solid, stuff like that bonus scene will still detract from future, so it's lose/lose either way.
Speaking of endgame, we were treated to another author's note at the end of the book, this time lecturing us on how amazing and stupendous and mind-bogglingly unique Hannah's story will be. It really is something when authors let their own perceptions of themselves get to their heads...
Quite apart from the fact that Hannah isn't even meant to be the heroine of this book, and the fact that she's a doormat heroine of nightmarish proportions, the fact that HER scenes were more compelling than Parker and Landon's really says it all.
On another note, I could write an entire essay about how utterly shite Gemma is as a mother, but I'll restrain myself to the observation that Gemma willingly moves her teenaged daughter into the house of a boy who, just weeks ago, terrified said daughter so much that she called the police on him. This tells you everything you need to know about Gemma's brainpower, or lack thereof. But Gemma is a Sam Mariano heroine, so you knew that anyway...
What did I like about this story? Well, once the actual relationship between Parker and Landon got going, it was decent. The last third of the book was surprisingly devoid of stupid drama (although on the flipside, nothing really happens, which made it boring). And while Parker is mostly blander than rice paper, she had a couple of moderately good lines.
I also was amused by the route Landon's Aladdin quip took. He calls a guy Parker was talking to 'Aladdin', and is totally unrepentant when she points out he's Hispanic. Definitely want to see more of this type of thing. Sometimes, it feels like authors are willing to make their heroes as cruel and rapey or whatever as possible, but then the heroes draw the line at racism and homophobia, which just comes across as ridiculous. I'm here for a dark hero and I know exactly what I'm getting, I'm not going to complain saying 'the way he raped the heroine was just right, but I'm offended by that crack he made about brown people!'
⤅ Overall
When I first began reading I was jotting notes down to include in my review, but honestly now I can't even be bothered to refer back to them because this book was just so meh.
December 29, 2023
Reread for 2023 Favorites
.
.
I am still processing this book.
But I really enjoyed it. Just wow.
.
.
.
I didn't know how I would feel about Landon and Parker, but like with all Sam Mariano books, I dove in head first.
She has this way of gripping me tightly and dragging me through the story. This book was over 500 pages and I happily would have kept going.
There are so many layers and history to these two. Before we even get to their parents now being committed to each other. They were both such compelling characters to me and I couldn't wait to see how they could make it work.
This book felt familiar like an old friend but still completely brand new. I am so intrigued by the Coastal Elite world as a whole and I can't wait for more.
There are lots of connections and things I have questions about, I am so intrigued about Hannah's future and how she will get an HEA eventually. I'm really worried about certain possibilities but I'd trust this author with anything.
I also HIGHLY recommend you check out the Coastal Elite spoiler group on FB if you have questions about possible twists or want to speculate. I have found some kindred spirits there.
6 Stars
4 on my spice scale
CW: dubious consent and even moments of noncon too
.
.
I am still processing this book.
But I really enjoyed it. Just wow.
.
.
.
I didn't know how I would feel about Landon and Parker, but like with all Sam Mariano books, I dove in head first.
She has this way of gripping me tightly and dragging me through the story. This book was over 500 pages and I happily would have kept going.
There are so many layers and history to these two. Before we even get to their parents now being committed to each other. They were both such compelling characters to me and I couldn't wait to see how they could make it work.
This book felt familiar like an old friend but still completely brand new. I am so intrigued by the Coastal Elite world as a whole and I can't wait for more.
There are lots of connections and things I have questions about, I am so intrigued about Hannah's future and how she will get an HEA eventually. I'm really worried about certain possibilities but I'd trust this author with anything.
I also HIGHLY recommend you check out the Coastal Elite spoiler group on FB if you have questions about possible twists or want to speculate. I have found some kindred spirits there.
6 Stars
4 on my spice scale
CW: dubious consent and even moments of noncon too
October 26, 2023
Wow. and not a good wow 😂😂🤦
This book was so strange and cringy which is a shame because I really liked Sophie's Surrender by Sam Mariano. Even If It Hurts (book 1) was just so mid and Undertow was very NICE. Like, mid level nice. like nothing is happening, and it's kinda boring nice. Everything was mid and this book was cringy a f and weird!!!!!
So Landon has been obsessed with h since she offered her best friend hannah's muffins to him when his mom died in middle school. He repays her kindness by being an asshole to her and embarrassing her in front of her class. That's great. He decides that he hates her so much that he'll tell everyone that shes off limits and unavailable 😐😬🤦🤦🤷 There's a bit of the stuff he did leading up to this book in Undertow (book 2), but he tries to get in her room to....fuck her? Rape her? I dunno. But she called the cops on him before he could.
So the beginning of THIS book has her car breaking down, and she was supposed to get a ride from Landon after school. He takes another girl named Brittany home to fuck instead. We don't get details of said fucking, but we assuming aite!? And you know what they say about what happens when we assume? So yes, he makes sure to fuck lots of horny, slutty girls, but she can't be with or date anyone else. Got it.
I think my problem with this book is that for 60% of it, he just treats her like a fuck doll that's his to play with and not a human. She's always scared of him and when she said she loved him around 80% and I was like what??! Who do you love?! Landon?! The fuckwad who keeps bullying you and making your life miserable? The fuck do you love about that loser?!!!!! Her reasoning that she needs to put up with it without involving her parents or the authorities because she doesmnt want to mess up her mom's new relationship is just shit. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Him treating you like a sex toy and then fucking other girls?....mmmmkay you a dumb as shit girl 🤷 I hate you long time. She spends the first 60% of the book trying to avoid him because he's like a creepy Harvey Weinstein lurking around corners trying to finger her pussy 24/7. Why does Landon even like her? Cuz she gave him some muffins someone else made when his mom died? Thats it? Theres no explanation. Shes just hanging out with Hannah for the first 60% 😐😐😐 There's hardly any interaction with these two characters. Dafuq.
Up until about....80%? Shes texting and interested in Javi, the valet guy from their county club. Nice. She fuxks Landon but keeps stringing this dipshit along. And then shes like, "I really like Javi and wonder whete this relationship can go?" 😂😂😂😂😂😐 NOICE. Fucking ridic.
Hannah mostly gives one liners mumbled silently or quietly throughout. She is the most annoying character ever. Being a martyr to her stepmother and step sister because she has memories in her dead parents house so she's their "Cinderella"?? Okur.
And this book is mostly about the other characters in this series. They talk about the parents, her best friend, his friends and his cousin, the psycho ex gf of dare from book 1......everyone else but the main characters 😂😂😂🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦😐😐😐🤦🤦🤦🤦😐🤦😐🤦😐🤦😐🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 This is what I hated about Rina Kent's books. Using one book to set up the next ten character books for the rest of the series. Like....focus Daniel San!!!!!!Focus on the dang couple that this book is about. Not saying there can't be SIDE characters, but they not the MAIN characters okur? Stop it. I don't want that shit. Let me say that again for the people in the nosebleed section. NOBODY WANTS THAT SHIT!!!! STTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!! And then the author tells us in a post script at the end of the book that Hannah will need two books to tell her story which is her MO tbh. she needs at least ten books to finish one story 🤷
Then there's the dare/aubrey/Hannah thing (again, there wasn't much going on with landon and his scared little sex doll 😂🤷). Is was just so strange how they saw a Cinderella tattoo on him and shes.....what? Their new sister wife ala morellis? What is this bullshit?
Ok. I'm done. I'm dine with this annoying crjngy book and I'm dome with this series. Don't be bringing this Rina Kent side character bullshit here no mo.
Bai.
This book was so strange and cringy which is a shame because I really liked Sophie's Surrender by Sam Mariano. Even If It Hurts (book 1) was just so mid and Undertow was very NICE. Like, mid level nice. like nothing is happening, and it's kinda boring nice. Everything was mid and this book was cringy a f and weird!!!!!
So Landon has been obsessed with h since she offered her best friend hannah's muffins to him when his mom died in middle school. He repays her kindness by being an asshole to her and embarrassing her in front of her class. That's great. He decides that he hates her so much that he'll tell everyone that shes off limits and unavailable 😐😬🤦🤦🤷 There's a bit of the stuff he did leading up to this book in Undertow (book 2), but he tries to get in her room to....fuck her? Rape her? I dunno. But she called the cops on him before he could.
So the beginning of THIS book has her car breaking down, and she was supposed to get a ride from Landon after school. He takes another girl named Brittany home to fuck instead. We don't get details of said fucking, but we assuming aite!? And you know what they say about what happens when we assume? So yes, he makes sure to fuck lots of horny, slutty girls, but she can't be with or date anyone else. Got it.
I think my problem with this book is that for 60% of it, he just treats her like a fuck doll that's his to play with and not a human. She's always scared of him and when she said she loved him around 80% and I was like what??! Who do you love?! Landon?! The fuckwad who keeps bullying you and making your life miserable? The fuck do you love about that loser?!!!!! Her reasoning that she needs to put up with it without involving her parents or the authorities because she doesmnt want to mess up her mom's new relationship is just shit. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Him treating you like a sex toy and then fucking other girls?....mmmmkay you a dumb as shit girl 🤷 I hate you long time. She spends the first 60% of the book trying to avoid him because he's like a creepy Harvey Weinstein lurking around corners trying to finger her pussy 24/7. Why does Landon even like her? Cuz she gave him some muffins someone else made when his mom died? Thats it? Theres no explanation. Shes just hanging out with Hannah for the first 60% 😐😐😐 There's hardly any interaction with these two characters. Dafuq.
Up until about....80%? Shes texting and interested in Javi, the valet guy from their county club. Nice. She fuxks Landon but keeps stringing this dipshit along. And then shes like, "I really like Javi and wonder whete this relationship can go?" 😂😂😂😂😂😐 NOICE. Fucking ridic.
Hannah mostly gives one liners mumbled silently or quietly throughout. She is the most annoying character ever. Being a martyr to her stepmother and step sister because she has memories in her dead parents house so she's their "Cinderella"?? Okur.
And this book is mostly about the other characters in this series. They talk about the parents, her best friend, his friends and his cousin, the psycho ex gf of dare from book 1......everyone else but the main characters 😂😂😂🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦😐😐😐🤦🤦🤦🤦😐🤦😐🤦😐🤦😐🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 This is what I hated about Rina Kent's books. Using one book to set up the next ten character books for the rest of the series. Like....focus Daniel San!!!!!!Focus on the dang couple that this book is about. Not saying there can't be SIDE characters, but they not the MAIN characters okur? Stop it. I don't want that shit. Let me say that again for the people in the nosebleed section. NOBODY WANTS THAT SHIT!!!! STTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!! And then the author tells us in a post script at the end of the book that Hannah will need two books to tell her story which is her MO tbh. she needs at least ten books to finish one story 🤷
Then there's the dare/aubrey/Hannah thing (again, there wasn't much going on with landon and his scared little sex doll 😂🤷). Is was just so strange how they saw a Cinderella tattoo on him and shes.....what? Their new sister wife ala morellis? What is this bullshit?
Ok. I'm done. I'm dine with this annoying crjngy book and I'm dome with this series. Don't be bringing this Rina Kent side character bullshit here no mo.
Bai.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2023
If only this book was as entertaining as the author thinks it is, instead it's pointless and their whole good for nothing romance could be wrapped up in literal two paragraphs if not for the exchange of dialogues amongst the other secondary characters about their own things/issues. The main characters were merely the dull set of two wallpapers, here, and not good enough in the eyes of the author to have their own story. This book talked about everything except these two MCs.
Seriously, as far as the actual story go, everything just leads nowhere and it's so obvious that it’s a set up for the other books.
Seriously, as far as the actual story go, everything just leads nowhere and it's so obvious that it’s a set up for the other books.
Read
November 8, 2022Is there any update on Hannah's book, cinderella character from Even If It Hurts?
January 22, 2024
I’ve been dreading writing this review because I’m just so damn disappointed that I don’t even want to visit it again. I was hesitant to read this series after my GR friends went off about their displeasure of how she handled another series where she swapped who the h was mid-series (and put her in a thropple for a while), but I LOVE an OBSESSED psycho H, and was hearing all good things about Dare in Even If It Hurts. (EiIH)
AND I thought it delivered… and felt Dare was completely OBSESSED with Aubrey… and never got any weird potentially problematic feelings from her BFF Hannah even though her and Dare made many reviewers nervous. I even peeked in the next book and saw nothing, so I just assumed readers were skittish from the Morelli Family shenanigans.
BUT I needed to burn up 5 audible credits and was considering purchasing EiIH, but noticed the third book is out and in KU, so I thought I’d just quickly do a Dare/Hannah search to make sure my fellow reviewers were just being paranoid and rest easy. (I myself still have Evan Arden stress from Shay Savage’s Irrevocable)
AND HOLY MOLY I was shocked when I saw just how many times they were mentioned, and I got sucked in… and started getting MAJOR Mia/Meg vibes (Resisting Mateo) and now I’m skittish and disappointed because it feels like maybe the author has a lady crush on Hannah (who annoys the shit out of me) and is planning to make her Dare’s h. 😖😖
NOW I might be making the wrong assumptions, (I still have my own PTSD), but I still feel like the author crapped all over Dare and Aubrey’s special psycho love bond and IMO made Hannah a terrible friend… cuz even if Hannah gets a different H… she’s still daydreaming and DM’ing her bestie’s man and discounting their relationship… and IMO it was alluded HARD that Dare was kinda sorta flirting. UGH. I HATED IT. HATED IT. I get attached to the original couple and don’t want Hannah in the mix.
Ok for this book’s actual couple, (Parker and Landon) it wasn’t great because Hannah and Anae were constantly hijacking the plot with a slew of other secondary characters making them feel like the supporting characters in their own book. Again it felt (to me) that the author is VERY invested in Hannah and just couldn’t help herself in pulling her in again and again.
AND it looks like (based on the author’s note) that we’re going to see a lot more of Hannah in the future with at least two books dedicated to her HEA which I pray to the book gods isn’t Dare, but I’m out. I decided to pass on the audiobook of EiIH and am going to try and forget that I ever read this.
Bottom Line- A miss for me… and such a disappointment because this RUINED the first book which was a great read for me. Pfft. What was the point of the first book if she wanted Hannah and Dare together? And what is the point of writing other character’s if she just wants to focus on Hannah?
AND I thought it delivered… and felt Dare was completely OBSESSED with Aubrey… and never got any weird potentially problematic feelings from her BFF Hannah even though her and Dare made many reviewers nervous. I even peeked in the next book and saw nothing, so I just assumed readers were skittish from the Morelli Family shenanigans.
BUT I needed to burn up 5 audible credits and was considering purchasing EiIH, but noticed the third book is out and in KU, so I thought I’d just quickly do a Dare/Hannah search to make sure my fellow reviewers were just being paranoid and rest easy. (I myself still have Evan Arden stress from Shay Savage’s Irrevocable)
AND HOLY MOLY I was shocked when I saw just how many times they were mentioned, and I got sucked in… and started getting MAJOR Mia/Meg vibes (Resisting Mateo) and now I’m skittish and disappointed because it feels like maybe the author has a lady crush on Hannah (who annoys the shit out of me) and is planning to make her Dare’s h. 😖😖
NOW I might be making the wrong assumptions, (I still have my own PTSD), but I still feel like the author crapped all over Dare and Aubrey’s special psycho love bond and IMO made Hannah a terrible friend… cuz even if Hannah gets a different H… she’s still daydreaming and DM’ing her bestie’s man and discounting their relationship… and IMO it was alluded HARD that Dare was kinda sorta flirting. UGH. I HATED IT. HATED IT. I get attached to the original couple and don’t want Hannah in the mix.
Ok for this book’s actual couple, (Parker and Landon) it wasn’t great because Hannah and Anae were constantly hijacking the plot with a slew of other secondary characters making them feel like the supporting characters in their own book. Again it felt (to me) that the author is VERY invested in Hannah and just couldn’t help herself in pulling her in again and again.
AND it looks like (based on the author’s note) that we’re going to see a lot more of Hannah in the future with at least two books dedicated to her HEA which I pray to the book gods isn’t Dare, but I’m out. I decided to pass on the audiobook of EiIH and am going to try and forget that I ever read this.
Bottom Line- A miss for me… and such a disappointment because this RUINED the first book which was a great read for me. Pfft. What was the point of the first book if she wanted Hannah and Dare together? And what is the point of writing other character’s if she just wants to focus on Hannah?
October 26, 2023
2.5 Why-Can't-We-Focus-On-The-Couple STARS
Warning: This will be a very incoherent and uncharacteristically judgy review (especially given that it's one of my favorite authors), BUT I literally just finished this book and my mind is kind of spiraling from disappointment that I wasn't prepared to experience.
First and foremost, I'm a HUGE fan of Sam Mariano.
I've read a lot of her work and I was so excited that she had new material coming out. But to fully review this book, I have to reference a previous book in the series.... 'Even if it Hurts', which just so happens to be my LEAST favorite story of her's to date. I didn't realize 'Contempt' was going to rely so heavily on that previous installment. And to be honest, I don't think it should have. Before I get into all that, though, let me go ahead and break this one down a little bit.
Hero/H/MMC: Landon, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is known to be a hothead with a temper who sleeps around and never gets serious with any one girl. (for the record, I really loved Landon and really wish I could have gotten more of his story)
Heroine/h/FMC: Parker, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is smart, dedicated to her studies, and has remained a virgin basically because no guy has ever been allowed to get even remotely near her due to her archnemesis who has actually been kind of obsessed with her since they were 12 years old
I don't even know where to start with this review, so forgive me if a lot of this seems like incessant rambling.
I liked the story of Landon and Parker...what we got of THEIR story anyway, but there was so much deviation from it, that I found myself constantly being annoyed.
There was sooooooooo much in this story about Hannah (best friend/side character from Even if it Hurts, who is ALSO the best friend/"side" character in this story) that I found myself getting sick to my stomach every time she was mentioned.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't like her so much from the first book and liked her even less in this one!
I'm of the mindset that if you don't like your situation and you're miserable, then do something about it. Don't throw yourself a constant pity party and Hannah has an ever-revolving door centered around hers. And for someone who claims to be so perceptive and can see through Dare's bullshit facade, she certainly makes some stupid decisions in reference to him.
At this point, I don't know if she's obsessed with Dare or Aubrey, and frankly I don't care either way. I'm just tired of hearing about it and Hannah's poor, whoa-is-me life.
So around I'd say 65-70% in the book.
Yes, you read that right...
It's like it was finally remembered that Landon and Parker are actually supposed to be the main focus of this book and that we all came for THEIR story and how they got together. Prior to shifting gears here, I shit you not, there was barely any interactions between the FMC and MMC and the majority of the book was revolving around Parker's friendship with Hannah, Hannah's living arrangements, Hannah's past encounters with Anae, Dare, and Aubrey, and half the time when Parker was around Landon, of course she was always calling Hannah to be there too. SOOO MUCH PARKER AND HANNAH..... and very little Parker and Landon.
The bully romance/love story that I came here for took a backseat to whatever story Mariano is concocting for Hannah, which to be honest, I'm no longer interested in. I'm well aware that I'm probably in the minority with that feeling because from what I can gather, everyone seems to love Hannah so much and they're fully invested in her story, but I'm just not. And when I came to this story, I came under the impression that I was getting a story about Landon and Parker and not some big elaborate buildup to what will eventually be Hannah's story with Landon and Parker as an afterthought.
What we got of the MMC's and FMC's story felt incredibly rushed. I would have loved to have more raw moments between the two of them. To maybe get in Landon's head to figure out why he hated Parker so much to begin with and maybe peel back some of those layers as to why he felt responsible for his mother's death....it just felt like so much was left unsaid about their relationship and how it formed. I wanted so much more for them and it literally felt like they were deemed not important enough to the "larger picture" story to receive the attention they deserved. My heart was let down in that regard.
Even the "big betrayal" or "deceitful ploy", in my opinion, wasn't well thought out because if Landon and Anae weren't friends and he didn't know much about her, how did he even know that she possessed that "special skill" to even know to employ Arden's power of persuasion to get her to do that for him???
Also, what were him and Anae arguing about when Hannah saw them together in the hall that prompted Hannah to then call Parker which eventually led to Parker figuring it all out? Just seems like plot holes that were the result of a rushed ending that tried to tie in what was supposed to be the main story.
Full disclosure, I still love Sam Mariano's work and I will most certainly continue to read whatever she puts out, but I was disappointed in this one. So, I can't say that I'd recommend it, but if you're anything like me, you're going to read it anyway, but maybe this will give you a chance to brace yourself and allow you to lower your expectations a bit. That way if you end up feeling just like me, it won't be that much of a shock, and if you end up absolutely loving it (hey, I get it-- different strokes for different folks) then it will be a very pleasant surprise. Anyway, that's all I've got.
Merged review:
2.5 Why-Can't-We-Focus-On-The-Couple STARS
Warning: This will be a very incoherent and uncharacteristically judgy review (especially given that it's one of my favorite authors), BUT I literally just finished this book and my mind is kind of spiraling from disappointment that I wasn't prepared to experience.
First and foremost, I'm a HUGE fan of Sam Mariano.
I've read a lot of her work and I was so excited that she had new material coming out. But to fully review this book, I have to reference a previous book in the series.... 'Even if it Hurts', which just so happens to be my LEAST favorite story of her's to date. I didn't realize 'Contempt' was going to rely so heavily on that previous installment. And to be honest, I don't think it should have. Before I get into all that, though, let me go ahead and break this one down a little bit.
Hero/H/MMC: Landon, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is known to be a hothead with a temper who sleeps around and never gets serious with any one girl. (for the record, I really loved Landon and really wish I could have gotten more of his story)
Heroine/h/FMC: Parker, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is smart, dedicated to her studies, and has remained a virgin basically because no guy has ever been allowed to get even remotely near her due to her archnemesis who has actually been kind of obsessed with her since they were 12 years old
I don't even know where to start with this review, so forgive me if a lot of this seems like incessant rambling.
I liked the story of Landon and Parker...what we got of THEIR story anyway, but there was so much deviation from it, that I found myself constantly being annoyed.
There was sooooooooo much in this story about Hannah (best friend/side character from Even if it Hurts, who is ALSO the best friend/"side" character in this story) that I found myself getting sick to my stomach every time she was mentioned.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't like her so much from the first book and liked her even less in this one!
I'm of the mindset that if you don't like your situation and you're miserable, then do something about it. Don't throw yourself a constant pity party and Hannah has an ever-revolving door centered around hers. And for someone who claims to be so perceptive and can see through Dare's bullshit facade, she certainly makes some stupid decisions in reference to him.
At this point, I don't know if she's obsessed with Dare or Aubrey, and frankly I don't care either way. I'm just tired of hearing about it and Hannah's poor, whoa-is-me life.
So around I'd say 65-70% in the book.
Yes, you read that right...
It's like it was finally remembered that Landon and Parker are actually supposed to be the main focus of this book and that we all came for THEIR story and how they got together. Prior to shifting gears here, I shit you not, there was barely any interactions between the FMC and MMC and the majority of the book was revolving around Parker's friendship with Hannah, Hannah's living arrangements, Hannah's past encounters with Anae, Dare, and Aubrey, and half the time when Parker was around Landon, of course she was always calling Hannah to be there too. SOOO MUCH PARKER AND HANNAH..... and very little Parker and Landon.
The bully romance/love story that I came here for took a backseat to whatever story Mariano is concocting for Hannah, which to be honest, I'm no longer interested in. I'm well aware that I'm probably in the minority with that feeling because from what I can gather, everyone seems to love Hannah so much and they're fully invested in her story, but I'm just not. And when I came to this story, I came under the impression that I was getting a story about Landon and Parker and not some big elaborate buildup to what will eventually be Hannah's story with Landon and Parker as an afterthought.
What we got of the MMC's and FMC's story felt incredibly rushed. I would have loved to have more raw moments between the two of them. To maybe get in Landon's head to figure out why he hated Parker so much to begin with and maybe peel back some of those layers as to why he felt responsible for his mother's death....it just felt like so much was left unsaid about their relationship and how it formed. I wanted so much more for them and it literally felt like they were deemed not important enough to the "larger picture" story to receive the attention they deserved. My heart was let down in that regard.
Even the "big betrayal" or "deceitful ploy", in my opinion, wasn't well thought out because if Landon and Anae weren't friends and he didn't know much about her, how did he even know that she possessed that "special skill" to even know to employ Arden's power of persuasion to get her to do that for him???
Also, what were him and Anae arguing about when Hannah saw them together in the hall that prompted Hannah to then call Parker which eventually led to Parker figuring it all out? Just seems like plot holes that were the result of a rushed ending that tried to tie in what was supposed to be the main story.
Full disclosure, I still love Sam Mariano's work and I will most certainly continue to read whatever she puts out, but I was disappointed in this one. So, I can't say that I'd recommend it, but if you're anything like me, you're going to read it anyway, but maybe this will give you a chance to brace yourself and allow you to lower your expectations a bit. That way if you end up feeling just like me, it won't be that much of a shock, and if you end up absolutely loving it (hey, I get it-- different strokes for different folks) then it will be a very pleasant surprise. Anyway, that's all I've got.
Warning: This will be a very incoherent and uncharacteristically judgy review (especially given that it's one of my favorite authors), BUT I literally just finished this book and my mind is kind of spiraling from disappointment that I wasn't prepared to experience.
First and foremost, I'm a HUGE fan of Sam Mariano.
I've read a lot of her work and I was so excited that she had new material coming out. But to fully review this book, I have to reference a previous book in the series.... 'Even if it Hurts', which just so happens to be my LEAST favorite story of her's to date. I didn't realize 'Contempt' was going to rely so heavily on that previous installment. And to be honest, I don't think it should have. Before I get into all that, though, let me go ahead and break this one down a little bit.
“Good memories, bad memories. They’re all memories of us, so I’ll take ’em.”
Hero/H/MMC: Landon, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is known to be a hothead with a temper who sleeps around and never gets serious with any one girl. (for the record, I really loved Landon and really wish I could have gotten more of his story)
"At school, it’s common knowledge that any asshole who even looks at Parker for too long is going to get a visit from me. Since middle school, the mere threat of it has sufficiently dissuaded most guys—and the more persistent ones got their asses kicked."
“You came to me once, and I rejected you. You were never going to come to me again. I could have waited six more years. Twelve. The rest of our lives. This is the only way it was going to happen. I had to hunt you down, claim you. Make my intentions clear.”
Heroine/h/FMC: Parker, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is smart, dedicated to her studies, and has remained a virgin basically because no guy has ever been allowed to get even remotely near her due to her archnemesis who has actually been kind of obsessed with her since they were 12 years old
"I don’t know why, whether it was fated or just because I was the only one who approached him that day wanting to offer a life raft when I saw him drowning, but it’s clear I’m the thing he practiced holding on to once he lost her. I was the thing he monitored and controlled and refused to let slip through his fingers."
"I think we’ve always loved each other, even when we hated each other. And I know we always will."
I don't even know where to start with this review, so forgive me if a lot of this seems like incessant rambling.
I liked the story of Landon and Parker...what we got of THEIR story anyway, but there was so much deviation from it, that I found myself constantly being annoyed.
There was sooooooooo much in this story about Hannah (best friend/side character from Even if it Hurts, who is ALSO the best friend/"side" character in this story) that I found myself getting sick to my stomach every time she was mentioned.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't like her so much from the first book and liked her even less in this one!
I'm of the mindset that if you don't like your situation and you're miserable, then do something about it. Don't throw yourself a constant pity party and Hannah has an ever-revolving door centered around hers. And for someone who claims to be so perceptive and can see through Dare's bullshit facade, she certainly makes some stupid decisions in reference to him.
At this point, I don't know if she's obsessed with Dare or Aubrey, and frankly I don't care either way. I'm just tired of hearing about it and Hannah's poor, whoa-is-me life.
So around I'd say 65-70% in the book.
Yes, you read that right...
It's like it was finally remembered that Landon and Parker are actually supposed to be the main focus of this book and that we all came for THEIR story and how they got together. Prior to shifting gears here, I shit you not, there was barely any interactions between the FMC and MMC and the majority of the book was revolving around Parker's friendship with Hannah, Hannah's living arrangements, Hannah's past encounters with Anae, Dare, and Aubrey, and half the time when Parker was around Landon, of course she was always calling Hannah to be there too. SOOO MUCH PARKER AND HANNAH..... and very little Parker and Landon.
The bully romance/love story that I came here for took a backseat to whatever story Mariano is concocting for Hannah, which to be honest, I'm no longer interested in. I'm well aware that I'm probably in the minority with that feeling because from what I can gather, everyone seems to love Hannah so much and they're fully invested in her story, but I'm just not. And when I came to this story, I came under the impression that I was getting a story about Landon and Parker and not some big elaborate buildup to what will eventually be Hannah's story with Landon and Parker as an afterthought.
What we got of the MMC's and FMC's story felt incredibly rushed. I would have loved to have more raw moments between the two of them. To maybe get in Landon's head to figure out why he hated Parker so much to begin with and maybe peel back some of those layers as to why he felt responsible for his mother's death....it just felt like so much was left unsaid about their relationship and how it formed. I wanted so much more for them and it literally felt like they were deemed not important enough to the "larger picture" story to receive the attention they deserved. My heart was let down in that regard.
Even the "big betrayal" or "deceitful ploy", in my opinion, wasn't well thought out because if Landon and Anae weren't friends and he didn't know much about her, how did he even know that she possessed that "special skill" to even know to employ Arden's power of persuasion to get her to do that for him???
Also, what were him and Anae arguing about when Hannah saw them together in the hall that prompted Hannah to then call Parker which eventually led to Parker figuring it all out? Just seems like plot holes that were the result of a rushed ending that tried to tie in what was supposed to be the main story.
Full disclosure, I still love Sam Mariano's work and I will most certainly continue to read whatever she puts out, but I was disappointed in this one. So, I can't say that I'd recommend it, but if you're anything like me, you're going to read it anyway, but maybe this will give you a chance to brace yourself and allow you to lower your expectations a bit. That way if you end up feeling just like me, it won't be that much of a shock, and if you end up absolutely loving it (hey, I get it-- different strokes for different folks) then it will be a very pleasant surprise. Anyway, that's all I've got.
Merged review:
2.5 Why-Can't-We-Focus-On-The-Couple STARS
Warning: This will be a very incoherent and uncharacteristically judgy review (especially given that it's one of my favorite authors), BUT I literally just finished this book and my mind is kind of spiraling from disappointment that I wasn't prepared to experience.
First and foremost, I'm a HUGE fan of Sam Mariano.
I've read a lot of her work and I was so excited that she had new material coming out. But to fully review this book, I have to reference a previous book in the series.... 'Even if it Hurts', which just so happens to be my LEAST favorite story of her's to date. I didn't realize 'Contempt' was going to rely so heavily on that previous installment. And to be honest, I don't think it should have. Before I get into all that, though, let me go ahead and break this one down a little bit.
“Good memories, bad memories. They’re all memories of us, so I’ll take ’em.”
Hero/H/MMC: Landon, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is known to be a hothead with a temper who sleeps around and never gets serious with any one girl. (for the record, I really loved Landon and really wish I could have gotten more of his story)
"At school, it’s common knowledge that any asshole who even looks at Parker for too long is going to get a visit from me. Since middle school, the mere threat of it has sufficiently dissuaded most guys—and the more persistent ones got their asses kicked."
“You came to me once, and I rejected you. You were never going to come to me again. I could have waited six more years. Twelve. The rest of our lives. This is the only way it was going to happen. I had to hunt you down, claim you. Make my intentions clear.”
Heroine/h/FMC: Parker, 18 years old senior at Baymont High who is smart, dedicated to her studies, and has remained a virgin basically because no guy has ever been allowed to get even remotely near her due to her archnemesis who has actually been kind of obsessed with her since they were 12 years old
"I don’t know why, whether it was fated or just because I was the only one who approached him that day wanting to offer a life raft when I saw him drowning, but it’s clear I’m the thing he practiced holding on to once he lost her. I was the thing he monitored and controlled and refused to let slip through his fingers."
"I think we’ve always loved each other, even when we hated each other. And I know we always will."
I don't even know where to start with this review, so forgive me if a lot of this seems like incessant rambling.
I liked the story of Landon and Parker...what we got of THEIR story anyway, but there was so much deviation from it, that I found myself constantly being annoyed.
There was sooooooooo much in this story about Hannah (best friend/side character from Even if it Hurts, who is ALSO the best friend/"side" character in this story) that I found myself getting sick to my stomach every time she was mentioned.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't like her so much from the first book and liked her even less in this one!
I'm of the mindset that if you don't like your situation and you're miserable, then do something about it. Don't throw yourself a constant pity party and Hannah has an ever-revolving door centered around hers. And for someone who claims to be so perceptive and can see through Dare's bullshit facade, she certainly makes some stupid decisions in reference to him.
At this point, I don't know if she's obsessed with Dare or Aubrey, and frankly I don't care either way. I'm just tired of hearing about it and Hannah's poor, whoa-is-me life.
So around I'd say 65-70% in the book.
Yes, you read that right...
It's like it was finally remembered that Landon and Parker are actually supposed to be the main focus of this book and that we all came for THEIR story and how they got together. Prior to shifting gears here, I shit you not, there was barely any interactions between the FMC and MMC and the majority of the book was revolving around Parker's friendship with Hannah, Hannah's living arrangements, Hannah's past encounters with Anae, Dare, and Aubrey, and half the time when Parker was around Landon, of course she was always calling Hannah to be there too. SOOO MUCH PARKER AND HANNAH..... and very little Parker and Landon.
The bully romance/love story that I came here for took a backseat to whatever story Mariano is concocting for Hannah, which to be honest, I'm no longer interested in. I'm well aware that I'm probably in the minority with that feeling because from what I can gather, everyone seems to love Hannah so much and they're fully invested in her story, but I'm just not. And when I came to this story, I came under the impression that I was getting a story about Landon and Parker and not some big elaborate buildup to what will eventually be Hannah's story with Landon and Parker as an afterthought.
What we got of the MMC's and FMC's story felt incredibly rushed. I would have loved to have more raw moments between the two of them. To maybe get in Landon's head to figure out why he hated Parker so much to begin with and maybe peel back some of those layers as to why he felt responsible for his mother's death....it just felt like so much was left unsaid about their relationship and how it formed. I wanted so much more for them and it literally felt like they were deemed not important enough to the "larger picture" story to receive the attention they deserved. My heart was let down in that regard.
Even the "big betrayal" or "deceitful ploy", in my opinion, wasn't well thought out because if Landon and Anae weren't friends and he didn't know much about her, how did he even know that she possessed that "special skill" to even know to employ Arden's power of persuasion to get her to do that for him???
Also, what were him and Anae arguing about when Hannah saw them together in the hall that prompted Hannah to then call Parker which eventually led to Parker figuring it all out? Just seems like plot holes that were the result of a rushed ending that tried to tie in what was supposed to be the main story.
Full disclosure, I still love Sam Mariano's work and I will most certainly continue to read whatever she puts out, but I was disappointed in this one. So, I can't say that I'd recommend it, but if you're anything like me, you're going to read it anyway, but maybe this will give you a chance to brace yourself and allow you to lower your expectations a bit. That way if you end up feeling just like me, it won't be that much of a shock, and if you end up absolutely loving it (hey, I get it-- different strokes for different folks) then it will be a very pleasant surprise. Anyway, that's all I've got.
on-hold
January 15, 2024putting this on hold.
pls you can't convince that hannahdare won't be a thing with that bonus scene 🥲
first Anae, then Aubrey and now Hannah... who's next?
tbh I kinda see the vision of hannahdare (I ship them 🌚), I felt their chemistry and since I read Even If It Hurts I had a strange feeling about them BUT at the same time I'm kinda annoyed cause if HannahDare are endgame why did you write a book about the hero with another girl? It feels like the author is playing with the readers, especially with the people that truly loved AubreyDare. If they're not endgame just say it, stop playing miss mysterious!! It's not that hard to say that "x couple aren't endgame" so people don't waste their time. I'm sorry, I hate so much authors doing this kind of things.
pls you can't convince that hannahdare won't be a thing with that bonus scene 🥲
first Anae, then Aubrey and now Hannah... who's next?
tbh I kinda see the vision of hannahdare (I ship them 🌚), I felt their chemistry and since I read Even If It Hurts I had a strange feeling about them BUT at the same time I'm kinda annoyed cause if HannahDare are endgame why did you write a book about the hero with another girl? It feels like the author is playing with the readers, especially with the people that truly loved AubreyDare. If they're not endgame just say it, stop playing miss mysterious!! It's not that hard to say that "x couple aren't endgame" so people don't waste their time. I'm sorry, I hate so much authors doing this kind of things.
June 24, 2024
This will be the LAST book I ever read by this author.
I thought the first book was pretty good and was shocked the second book was so off course. I thought for sure this third book would get back on track. That's a negative, ghost rider! I will do my best to explain what utter nonsense this is. It's definitely going to be a b1tching session.
Parker (virgin) is trying to make the best of the new living situation she finds herself in after her mother, Gemma (book 2), gets engaged to her bully's father, Hayden (book 2). Landon (bully, def not a virgin, mom died from drowning) is actually glad that his dad is marrying Gemma and bringing the object of his obsession, Parker, under the same roof. Makes harassing her much easier.
The book is supposed to be about Parker and Landon going from enemy-to-lover. That's not what we get. This book is 573 fucking pages and only about 20% of that is actually spent on Landon and Parker. The rest is spent on USELESS F*CKING THINGS THAT NOBODY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT AND ADDS NOTHING TO THE STORY. oh.... and the friendship between Parker and Hannah.
With regards to Landon and Parker. We don't find out until they finally hook up that Parker isn't as adverse to Landon's attention as we were led to believe. Landon has never hated Parker - he's always wanted her. He's scared off any guy that has ever tried to talk to her, making sure she remains untouched until he's ready to make his move. He's super aggressive in the way he goes about things. When they finally have sex - it's pretty noncon/dubcon, and very hot. They're only a couple for the last 25% of the book - but you never really feel like they're a couple.
This book is really about the relationship between Parker and her BFF Hannah (book 1). Remember her?? That's evil queen Anae's (book 1) stepsister. Over 50% of this fic is spent on these girls and how much they love each other and how all they want to do is protect one another. They take BFF to the next level. The first half mostly consists of Anae getting out of the psych ward and having to go back to school. Hannah and Parker plan a party to bring Anae back into the fold to resume her spot as queen. Plus, Anae is obsessed with following Dare & Aubrey (book 1) and is convinced that Dare is trying to send her messages. It made me think ok there's going to be some craziness with Anae trying to kill someone or whatever. Nope. All of this time and effort was put into re-introducing Anae and discussing the relationship between Hannah and her, then it just stops. Poof. Gone. Done. Anae essentially leaves all conversations around 50% mark and NOTHING is discussed or resolved with Anae or Dare or the fact that Hannah thinks Dare is trying to kill her. Why bother putting all of that information in if you're not going to do anything with it??!!??!! It just doesn't make sense.
Then let's talk about Gemma. Damn that woman will not cut the apron strings with Parker. She's up her daughter's ass so much it borders on being illegal. Then, when Landon and Parker start their sexual relationship, Hayden is aware of it and basically says to keep the information a secret from Gemma. When Gemma does find out, Hayden talks to her and then TA-DA!!! everything is ok. Gemma and Hayden are perfectly fine with Parker and Landon having sex under the same roof as they are. OK that definitely makes things easier!!!! Gemma goes from being this OTT mom concerned with what her daughter is doing every second of the day, then she's just perfectly ok with Parker and her bully having a sexual relationship. I totally believe that.
It's insinuated that one of Landon's friends is going to try and put the moves on Hannah, but nothing comes of that either. It's a big tease. I would MUCH rather have had Hannah and a relationship with one of the guys than have so much time spent on Anae.
Guess what... then things just END. We know that Landon and Parker are together, still in high school. But then nothing. They acknowledge that they will graduate, and each one will probably go to college, but they don't even talk about trying to go to the same college. It's just like ok we're f*cking today, but anything could happen tomorrow. The story even ends in the middle of the school year. We don't even make it to graduation.
I'm so freaking pissed at this story. This author did not have a clear direction on where to go with this. It's just a damn mess.
I really wanted that enemy to love high school bully romance. Such a let down. I was going to give it a 2 because of the sex - but I got so pissed at how things ended that I reduced to a 1. Fuck this book.
I thought the first book was pretty good and was shocked the second book was so off course. I thought for sure this third book would get back on track. That's a negative, ghost rider! I will do my best to explain what utter nonsense this is. It's definitely going to be a b1tching session.
Parker (virgin) is trying to make the best of the new living situation she finds herself in after her mother, Gemma (book 2), gets engaged to her bully's father, Hayden (book 2). Landon (bully, def not a virgin, mom died from drowning) is actually glad that his dad is marrying Gemma and bringing the object of his obsession, Parker, under the same roof. Makes harassing her much easier.
The book is supposed to be about Parker and Landon going from enemy-to-lover. That's not what we get. This book is 573 fucking pages and only about 20% of that is actually spent on Landon and Parker. The rest is spent on USELESS F*CKING THINGS THAT NOBODY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT AND ADDS NOTHING TO THE STORY. oh.... and the friendship between Parker and Hannah.
With regards to Landon and Parker. We don't find out until they finally hook up that Parker isn't as adverse to Landon's attention as we were led to believe. Landon has never hated Parker - he's always wanted her. He's scared off any guy that has ever tried to talk to her, making sure she remains untouched until he's ready to make his move. He's super aggressive in the way he goes about things. When they finally have sex - it's pretty noncon/dubcon, and very hot. They're only a couple for the last 25% of the book - but you never really feel like they're a couple.
This book is really about the relationship between Parker and her BFF Hannah (book 1). Remember her?? That's evil queen Anae's (book 1) stepsister. Over 50% of this fic is spent on these girls and how much they love each other and how all they want to do is protect one another. They take BFF to the next level. The first half mostly consists of Anae getting out of the psych ward and having to go back to school. Hannah and Parker plan a party to bring Anae back into the fold to resume her spot as queen. Plus, Anae is obsessed with following Dare & Aubrey (book 1) and is convinced that Dare is trying to send her messages. It made me think ok there's going to be some craziness with Anae trying to kill someone or whatever. Nope. All of this time and effort was put into re-introducing Anae and discussing the relationship between Hannah and her, then it just stops. Poof. Gone. Done. Anae essentially leaves all conversations around 50% mark and NOTHING is discussed or resolved with Anae or Dare or the fact that Hannah thinks Dare is trying to kill her. Why bother putting all of that information in if you're not going to do anything with it??!!??!! It just doesn't make sense.
Then let's talk about Gemma. Damn that woman will not cut the apron strings with Parker. She's up her daughter's ass so much it borders on being illegal. Then, when Landon and Parker start their sexual relationship, Hayden is aware of it and basically says to keep the information a secret from Gemma. When Gemma does find out, Hayden talks to her and then TA-DA!!! everything is ok. Gemma and Hayden are perfectly fine with Parker and Landon having sex under the same roof as they are. OK that definitely makes things easier!!!! Gemma goes from being this OTT mom concerned with what her daughter is doing every second of the day, then she's just perfectly ok with Parker and her bully having a sexual relationship. I totally believe that.
It's insinuated that one of Landon's friends is going to try and put the moves on Hannah, but nothing comes of that either. It's a big tease. I would MUCH rather have had Hannah and a relationship with one of the guys than have so much time spent on Anae.
Guess what... then things just END. We know that Landon and Parker are together, still in high school. But then nothing. They acknowledge that they will graduate, and each one will probably go to college, but they don't even talk about trying to go to the same college. It's just like ok we're f*cking today, but anything could happen tomorrow. The story even ends in the middle of the school year. We don't even make it to graduation.
I'm so freaking pissed at this story. This author did not have a clear direction on where to go with this. It's just a damn mess.
I really wanted that enemy to love high school bully romance. Such a let down. I was going to give it a 2 because of the sex - but I got so pissed at how things ended that I reduced to a 1. Fuck this book.
Want to read
December 31, 2022Still patiently waiting for Hannah’s story))
October 24, 2023
1,5⭐
Why does this author always play favourites with her characters?
And why is it so obvious?
I feel like I'm seeing the situation with Mia all over again.
First of all, let's talk about Parker and London, who are supposed to be the MC's of this book: it's an overall failure, I don't know why, but their scenes in the previous book were much more interesting and full of chemistry than in this one.
The 1,5 stars are still for them because there was potential, potential that never came to fruition, but we got a glimpse of it from time to time.
I also enjoyed Landon's obsession and possessiveness.
Now the big problem, and other reviews have mentioned this, is that Parker and Landon are secondary characters in their own book/story.
The presence of Hannah, Anae and Dare (even if he's not physically present) takes up far too much space.
Why are 50% of Parker's scenes with Hannah?
I'm sorry, but I don't give a fuck about Hannah and her muffins.
After the first book I had managed to convince myself that the relationship between Hannah and Dare wasn't "romantic", but there are so many clues in this book and this bonus scene that make me think exactly the opposite, especially given the author's clear preference for Hannah.
Of course, Hannah is the only one who can see through him.
I'm just super confused, the author answered a lot of questions in a way that was clearly ambiguous on this subject, some answers had "reassured" me, but I'm not sure of anything anymore.
I don't know what the author intends to do with Aubrey, an MFF couple? Will she die? Will Dare and Aubrey come to an arrangement where Aubrey escapes him and Dare ends up with Hannah?
I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't trust this author, and if our theories turn out to be true, I think it's really shitty to let readers get attached to the first couple only to ruin their HEA later on.
edit : I'm changing my rating from 2 stars to 1 star simply because I'm too angry about the situation.
Yes I'm petty.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No sharing or cheating.
- H is experienced. h is a virgin.
- Light OM/OW drama.
TW
- Dub /Noncon from the MMC.
Why does this author always play favourites with her characters?
And why is it so obvious?
I feel like I'm seeing the situation with Mia all over again.
First of all, let's talk about Parker and London, who are supposed to be the MC's of this book: it's an overall failure, I don't know why, but their scenes in the previous book were much more interesting and full of chemistry than in this one.
The 1,5 stars are still for them because there was potential, potential that never came to fruition, but we got a glimpse of it from time to time.
I also enjoyed Landon's obsession and possessiveness.
Now the big problem, and other reviews have mentioned this, is that Parker and Landon are secondary characters in their own book/story.
The presence of Hannah, Anae and Dare (even if he's not physically present) takes up far too much space.
Why are 50% of Parker's scenes with Hannah?
I'm sorry, but I don't give a fuck about Hannah and her muffins.
After the first book I had managed to convince myself that the relationship between Hannah and Dare wasn't "romantic", but there are so many clues in this book and this bonus scene that make me think exactly the opposite, especially given the author's clear preference for Hannah.
Of course, Hannah is the only one who can see through him.
I'm just super confused, the author answered a lot of questions in a way that was clearly ambiguous on this subject, some answers had "reassured" me, but I'm not sure of anything anymore.
I don't know what the author intends to do with Aubrey, an MFF couple? Will she die? Will Dare and Aubrey come to an arrangement where Aubrey escapes him and Dare ends up with Hannah?
I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't trust this author, and if our theories turn out to be true, I think it's really shitty to let readers get attached to the first couple only to ruin their HEA later on.
edit : I'm changing my rating from 2 stars to 1 star simply because I'm too angry about the situation.
Yes I'm petty.
Safety/ Spoilers
- No sharing or cheating.
- H is experienced. h is a virgin.
- Light OM/OW drama.
TW
- Dub /Noncon from the MMC.
will-not-read
October 24, 2023I don’t trust this author to keep her couples together so no thanks
October 29, 2023
“You’ve been handed enough in your life, rich boy…
…If you want my respect, earn it.”
If you’ve read Sam Mariano before then you most likely know that she writes books that may push many of your boundaries. There are a handful of TWs in this one and the author makes note of them before the story starts, so please check them. With Contempt we get another layered story in the Coastal Elite world. While the main focus of this book is Parker and Landon’s “I hate you, I love you” enemies — step siblings
— obsession love story and their parents (Undertow) reaching their HEA, there are also many other Coastal Elite characters playing and making moves in the peripheral that are adding layers to the ongoing story in this series.
While I enjoyed this story overall, I did expect it to feel a little more taboo because of the step-siblings trope, but I think them having history prior to the parents meeting kind of takes away from that. It’s probably more taboo that the mom fell in love with the man who fathered her daughter’s tormentor. I also feel like there was a lot of… filler inner monologue/dialogue. At points I would skim Parker’s inner musings because there were many.
Truly think that I’m more focused on the background story to be honest. I feel like there are many ways that Sam could take it and I’m not quite sure where she’s headed with Hannah and the rest of the Coastal Elite crew, but I’m here for the ride.
This series is definitely giving the vibe she has with her Morelli series, but only in the way that the stories may have main characters, but there are always pieces moving in the background to a bigger puzzle and picture. Which is fun to try to figure out, but honestly I don’t think I’ve ever guessed a Sam character’s path right yet. *cough* Meg *cough* I digress.
Uhm. If you’re into books with obsessed/possessive heroes who are sort of mean, but someone obtain the heroines love and devotion anyway, then you will love Contempt.
…If you want my respect, earn it.”
If you’ve read Sam Mariano before then you most likely know that she writes books that may push many of your boundaries. There are a handful of TWs in this one and the author makes note of them before the story starts, so please check them. With Contempt we get another layered story in the Coastal Elite world. While the main focus of this book is Parker and Landon’s “I hate you, I love you” enemies — step siblings
— obsession love story and their parents (Undertow) reaching their HEA, there are also many other Coastal Elite characters playing and making moves in the peripheral that are adding layers to the ongoing story in this series.
While I enjoyed this story overall, I did expect it to feel a little more taboo because of the step-siblings trope, but I think them having history prior to the parents meeting kind of takes away from that. It’s probably more taboo that the mom fell in love with the man who fathered her daughter’s tormentor. I also feel like there was a lot of… filler inner monologue/dialogue. At points I would skim Parker’s inner musings because there were many.
Truly think that I’m more focused on the background story to be honest. I feel like there are many ways that Sam could take it and I’m not quite sure where she’s headed with Hannah and the rest of the Coastal Elite crew, but I’m here for the ride.
This series is definitely giving the vibe she has with her Morelli series, but only in the way that the stories may have main characters, but there are always pieces moving in the background to a bigger puzzle and picture. Which is fun to try to figure out, but honestly I don’t think I’ve ever guessed a Sam character’s path right yet. *cough* Meg *cough* I digress.
Uhm. If you’re into books with obsessed/possessive heroes who are sort of mean, but someone obtain the heroines love and devotion anyway, then you will love Contempt.
October 23, 2023
was this parker and landon’s book or hannah’s?? the amount of times i rolled my eyes with the mention of dare and aubrey like they had their book move on. also parker dming dare/aubrey gave me such secondhand embarrassment i literally had to take a break it was so bad
November 3, 2023
Whelp... it did disappoint. I read this hours after it was released and by the third chapter I knew it wasn't gonna be any good. The author's note at the beginning made me leave the book before coming back again because it got me wary and suspicious. And my suspicions were right🙃. The first chapter was hot and to me, felt like it was written for promo and to attention-grab because the following chapters didn't have the same energy. There were some dialogues sprinkled through out the book that was quite good but the whole book was lackluster. Parker and Landon were incredibly boring. I couldn't see Landon's appeal. They had zero chemistry. I enjoyed Hayden (his father) scenes more than theirs. I even liked Anae more!😶 Says a lot, methinks.💁
Andddd, just what is that epilogue?😒 I was already tired of Hannah and her "sweetness" and it made me have a solid reason to hate her now. I hope Sam doesn't overthrow all we know about Dare. Dare and Aubrey had better be endgame and I want no wrench in the wheel of their romance. I won't tolerate any conflict for the sake of conflict because that would just be bad writing. I never liked and couldn't read the Morelli series so I'm not about to like a repeat. Even If It Hurts really hit all my boxes for this exact trope and for Sam to threaten to overturn all that is plain cruelty😭😭😭. Playing with your readers feelings just for the fun of it isn't cool and edgy. And I would be angry if she was just teasing us OR she really meant to nullify book 1. Either way, I'm staying pissed.
The bet between Maleek and Arden was so basic, I almost cried. Oh baby, that trope has been used so many times I could literally write how it's gonna end word for word😭😭😭😭. It couldn't be more how-to-cause-conflict-and-angst 101😩. Elementary typa shit.
All the boys in this book are just mid in addition to being dicks. Calvin is a dick. Dare is a psycho. Carter is a jerk. But they could never be accused of trying too hard or being mid. They could hold their own. It was a cringe-fest whenever Arden and his crew showed up. It was too try-hard and wannabe-dark.
I won't be reading Hannah's book right off the bat. I'll just wait for the reviews to decide. The drop was much lower and disappointing because of how high my expectations were. Will still check out Sam's new releases that ain't Hannah's.
Update: Can't wait!!!! Didn't really like Gemma's book which was disappointing because I'd just come from the high that was Dare.
Please, please, please, don't disappoint.
Andddd, just what is that epilogue?😒 I was already tired of Hannah and her "sweetness" and it made me have a solid reason to hate her now. I hope Sam doesn't overthrow all we know about Dare. Dare and Aubrey had better be endgame and I want no wrench in the wheel of their romance. I won't tolerate any conflict for the sake of conflict because that would just be bad writing. I never liked and couldn't read the Morelli series so I'm not about to like a repeat. Even If It Hurts really hit all my boxes for this exact trope and for Sam to threaten to overturn all that is plain cruelty😭😭😭. Playing with your readers feelings just for the fun of it isn't cool and edgy. And I would be angry if she was just teasing us OR she really meant to nullify book 1. Either way, I'm staying pissed.
The bet between Maleek and Arden was so basic, I almost cried. Oh baby, that trope has been used so many times I could literally write how it's gonna end word for word😭😭😭😭. It couldn't be more how-to-cause-conflict-and-angst 101😩. Elementary typa shit.
All the boys in this book are just mid in addition to being dicks. Calvin is a dick. Dare is a psycho. Carter is a jerk. But they could never be accused of trying too hard or being mid. They could hold their own. It was a cringe-fest whenever Arden and his crew showed up. It was too try-hard and wannabe-dark.
I won't be reading Hannah's book right off the bat. I'll just wait for the reviews to decide. The drop was much lower and disappointing because of how high my expectations were. Will still check out Sam's new releases that ain't Hannah's.
Update: Can't wait!!!! Didn't really like Gemma's book which was disappointing because I'd just come from the high that was Dare.
Please, please, please, don't disappoint.
Read
December 7, 2024Sadly I DNF this book. I never thought I would DNF a Sam Mariano’s book but here we are.
I couldn’t like Parker and Landon neither separately nor together. He was the jerk/bully but for no reason whatsoever. So you always liked the girl, well go get her. What are we , 5 ? You are not in kindergarten that you have to pull the hair of the girl you like it . And Parker on the other hand is the doormat or all doormats. RIDICULOUS. Plus I didn’t like that Anae is in this book, also the Hannah situation felt like Parker and Landon were side characters in their own book. Also I DONT EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT THE DIRECTION SAM MARIANO IS GOING WITH HANNAH’S STORY ! If she pairs her with Aubrey and Dare I might commit suicide. 😤🤮😡
I am a BIGGGGGGGGGG FAN of trouples and everyone knows that. And Even if it Hurts is one of my favorite books, but I honestly don’t think there is a world in what I would be ok with Dare getting BOTH good girls, Aubrey and Hannah. HE DOESN’T deserve it. He barely deserves Aubrey, I mean he DOESN’T even deserve Aubrey, but regardless I LOVE their book and their love story as it is. I was mever a fan of him kinda giving Anae a slap on the wrist in the end of Even if it Hurts and I am not ok thinking he was pulling the strings on Anae to make Hannah miserable. When Hannah’s book comes out I will wait till there’s enough reviews so I can see the direction it goes cause if it goes to this direction than I’ll stop this series where I am and count my losses and think about Even if it Hurts as a standalone.
Did you see how this quickly became a review about other people ? That’s how unremarkable this book actually is.
I couldn’t like Parker and Landon neither separately nor together. He was the jerk/bully but for no reason whatsoever. So you always liked the girl, well go get her. What are we , 5 ? You are not in kindergarten that you have to pull the hair of the girl you like it . And Parker on the other hand is the doormat or all doormats. RIDICULOUS. Plus I didn’t like that Anae is in this book, also the Hannah situation felt like Parker and Landon were side characters in their own book. Also I DONT EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT THE DIRECTION SAM MARIANO IS GOING WITH HANNAH’S STORY ! If she pairs her with Aubrey and Dare I might commit suicide. 😤🤮😡
I am a BIGGGGGGGGGG FAN of trouples and everyone knows that. And Even if it Hurts is one of my favorite books, but I honestly don’t think there is a world in what I would be ok with Dare getting BOTH good girls, Aubrey and Hannah. HE DOESN’T deserve it. He barely deserves Aubrey, I mean he DOESN’T even deserve Aubrey, but regardless I LOVE their book and their love story as it is. I was mever a fan of him kinda giving Anae a slap on the wrist in the end of Even if it Hurts and I am not ok thinking he was pulling the strings on Anae to make Hannah miserable. When Hannah’s book comes out I will wait till there’s enough reviews so I can see the direction it goes cause if it goes to this direction than I’ll stop this series where I am and count my losses and think about Even if it Hurts as a standalone.
Did you see how this quickly became a review about other people ? That’s how unremarkable this book actually is.
September 28, 2024
2.5 what-the-…-happened stars
I have a lot of thoughts… and feelings… the biggest feeling I’m feeling is… bereft…
I’ve been waiting for over a year and a half for this book… ever since we met Parker and Landon in Undertow (Bully King anthology). So I’ve been patient… and I’m feeling 😭.
I’ll give a brief overview of the storyline before I get into my likes and dislikes.
Parker and Landon (both 18) are living together now. Their parents got their HEA in book 2, Undertow, and it would all seem like things are looking up, except that Landon is Parker’s bully…😬
Yeah, He’s been bullying her for YEARS… 😅
When he was 12 and his mom died, Parker thought she’d do something nice for him because she felt terrible, and she had her best friend (AKA Hannah, or as many see her, the main character of this book 🤣) make muffins… and then Landon promptly threw them all over her, inside her shirt where she had a training bra on, and completely embarrassed her 😐
Since then, there have been incidents of bullying done, but nothing as intense as what happened earlier that year and in the summer during Undertow.
Now, they have to navigate being under the same roof, and Parker’s gonna do whatever she can to avoid being alone with Landon…
But Landon’s not gonna let her get away this time 🫣
What I liked/loved: POSSIBLE SPOILERS :
—the tension 👀. I mean, that opening chapter where Landon asks Parker if she needs help with boxes and he just invades her space had my tummy fluttering 😅. I expected A LOT more of this, and we do get some good tense-filled scenes 😉
—the audacity 😈. Not Landon doing inappropriate things to Parker while their parents are RIGHT THERE, and Parker can’t do anything about it 🫣 because then poor Landon will get in trouble, and she doesn’t want him to get in trouble does she? 😅. Give me alllll the taboo 🤣
—the non con and dub con 👀. I realize this isn’t people’s cup of tea, and SM put lots of warnings on this so if you can’t read it, don’t 😬. It IS a bully book… I was feeling all kinds of feeling while these scenes were happening… you can’t tell Landon no 🤷🏻♀️
—no? What’s that? Landon’s gonna take what he wants (while making sure Parker enjoys herself). Landon is a bulldozer 😈
—cereal eating 🔥. Landon always makes sure Parker feels lots of happiness when he eats cereal 😉💦
—MINEMINEMINE 💅 (but I’ll comment on this down below)
—the 🔥. Parker is his, and Landon’s gonna make sure she knows (but I’m gonna comment on this down below)
—Hayden and Gemma 🫶. I enjoyed seeing their HEA from Undertow. I was feeling skeptical at the end of Undertow, so I’m glad Hayden’s making sure to keep Gemma happy 😅
—dark humor 😅. I saw glimpses of Sam’s dark humor in here, and Iuuuurved it 🤣
—Hannah. We definitely see a looooooot of Hannah… she has a terrible home life and Parker wants to help her. Plus, crazy psycho Anae is back 😑. Sigh.
—the Octopus plushie ❤️
—Disneyworld? Sign me up 🤣
—Hayden getting Landon’s permission 🫶
—muffin basket? Awwww 🥹 (but I’m gonna comment on this down below)
—I WAS gonna write down how jealous he gets… but…
What I didn’t like/wanted more of: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
—LANDON HAS BEEN WANTING PARKER THIS WHOLE TIME????😐. Are. You. Serious???? 😑So. Let me get this straight. HE made sure Parker NEVER dated anyone, NEVER kissed anyone, NEVER learned how to NOT be awkward with guys while he did what??? Stayed celibate waiting on the sidelines?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
No…
NOPE🤬
HE WAS WITH ALL THE GIRLS HE COULD BE WITH!!!!!
I. Am. Pisssssssssed!!!
Whyyyyy does he hate her?? Because she brought him muffins? Whyyyyyyyy?!!!?!? It makes no sense!
His friends even joke with him about his obsession, yet the first day of school, after Parker and Gemma move in, he takes ow with him after school instead of taking Parker home.
Isn’t he just so sweet 🥹…
But he’s been wanting/obsessed with Parker this whole time?
Pssssshhh… sure buddy 😒🙄
Here’s the thing. There’s no reason why they CANT be together 🤷🏻♀️. Gemma and Hayden only met the year before, and he’s been bullying her since they were in middle school.
So… WHY doesn’t he act sooner????
^^this made me have a bad taste in my mouth, because Landon makes sure NO ONE touches Parker (I keep wanting to type Hannah 🤣 whoops), yet he gets to play????
I. Don’t. F’ing. Think. So 😐
I know it was a long shot, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be completely happy with this book, but to know he’s been WANTING her for years while simultaneously c blocking her just angers me to no end. Ugh
—telling versus showing 😒. Sigh. The second half of the book, or maybe the last third, was rushed! We get a summary paragraph of Landon talking to Gemma, and, the biggest disappointed telling scene was the…
—NONEXISTENT “I love you” scene 😐. At the end of the book, we find out they love each other, but it’s not the first time they say it 🤔. Ummm… what? Those scenes are PIVOTAL in romance novels… yet we don’t get it 😐
—whyyyyy does Parker want Landon? 🤷🏻♀️ he’s not the best student, he’s an amazing swimmer, he’s been her bully, he’s been a manwhooooore, so what exactly is she attracted to? 🤔There’s a scene early in the book where I thought maybe we were gonna get some angst related to his mom’s death, but then that ends quickly. I needed more here
And also. Why does Landon want Parker? I needed more here. I know she has good qualities. She’s a smart cookie. She’s considerate. She wants the best for people. But what else?
—the lack of safety talk 😒. I’m one of those readers that need to know the H is clean. Days before, Landon had his d in the OW’s mouth, so is he clean? Ugh
—more of a buildup 😐. How did Parker go from running away from Landon to wanting him? I know. I need to not compare this book to other books by Sam, but normally, we get a well-though-out transition to the change in their dynamic, especially in the h’s POV, but I always felt like I had whiplash with how quick it changes. There IS some buildup, but it’s not what I’m used to from SM.
—the NONEXISTENT OMD 😑. I was feeling happy that Parker was maybe able to find herself a non manwhore guy who’s interested in her, but then we find out that… IT’S ALL FAKE 😒. I love me some OMD 🤣
—Parker and Landon who? 🫣. Omg. I had to keep checking myself as I typed this review. I keep wanting to write Hannah 😬, and it’s because so much of the book focuses on Hannah and her struggles, her life, her past… which includes Dare, Aubrey and even evil Anae 😬
—Arden and the BJ😐. Talking about Hannah, if Arden ends up being her H, I’m gonna be 🤬🤬🤬🤬. I’ve read MANY of Sam’s books, and I’ve never read a bj scene by a side character like the one included in this book 🥴. I didn’t need to know what he looks like while a random woman’s pleasuring him 🥴. I really hope he’s not Hannah’s man… especially because she’s a virgin (like all the heroines in this series)
—Hayden and Gemma getting married where? Hmmm 🤔 I’m not sure this was convincing enough for me. I felt like it was rushed (or maybe I was just so irritated I wanted to hurry up and finish 🤣)
—why is Anae still alive??? 🤦🏻♀️ this better not be one of those redemption arcs for a true villain (I think only Damon from the Devil’s Night Series can do that 🤣). She definitely cracked me up though… but then I side-eyed her existence 😬
—with all the fighting Landon threatened, why didn’t we see any REAL OMD? 😑. Sigh. This was disappointing 😒
—the lack of angst or explanation. Why is Landon such an ahole to Parker? It would’ve been nice if we had been shown this bully-worthy-hatred and the reasoning behind it. I thought we’d get some info on his
⚠️ safety squad ⚠️SPOILERS
-no cheating*/sharing/omd*
-noncon/dubcon
-owd: the H takes ow home and makes a comment of her throat being full of his 💦. She makes an appearance but then he ends up turning her down for the h. The ow even makes a video for the h clearing up he didn’t take the ow home
-omd: 🙄it seems like there’s omd but then there’s NOT. It was all made up by the H 😑😐
-praise kink/biting/marking/somnophilia/hand necklace/breath play/edging/face f'ing
-no condom/then condoms
-virgin h/manwhore H who’s been cock blocking the h for years
-no condom/condoms/then none/bc
-HEA
I have a lot of thoughts… and feelings… the biggest feeling I’m feeling is… bereft…
I’ve been waiting for over a year and a half for this book… ever since we met Parker and Landon in Undertow (Bully King anthology). So I’ve been patient… and I’m feeling 😭.
I’ll give a brief overview of the storyline before I get into my likes and dislikes.
Parker and Landon (both 18) are living together now. Their parents got their HEA in book 2, Undertow, and it would all seem like things are looking up, except that Landon is Parker’s bully…😬
Yeah, He’s been bullying her for YEARS… 😅
When he was 12 and his mom died, Parker thought she’d do something nice for him because she felt terrible, and she had her best friend (AKA Hannah, or as many see her, the main character of this book 🤣) make muffins… and then Landon promptly threw them all over her, inside her shirt where she had a training bra on, and completely embarrassed her 😐
Since then, there have been incidents of bullying done, but nothing as intense as what happened earlier that year and in the summer during Undertow.
Now, they have to navigate being under the same roof, and Parker’s gonna do whatever she can to avoid being alone with Landon…
But Landon’s not gonna let her get away this time 🫣
What I liked/loved: POSSIBLE SPOILERS :
—the tension 👀. I mean, that opening chapter where Landon asks Parker if she needs help with boxes and he just invades her space had my tummy fluttering 😅. I expected A LOT more of this, and we do get some good tense-filled scenes 😉
—the audacity 😈. Not Landon doing inappropriate things to Parker while their parents are RIGHT THERE, and Parker can’t do anything about it 🫣 because then poor Landon will get in trouble, and she doesn’t want him to get in trouble does she? 😅. Give me alllll the taboo 🤣
”You think you’re safe when they’re around. Maybe now you understand; you’re only safe from me when I want you to be.”
—the non con and dub con 👀. I realize this isn’t people’s cup of tea, and SM put lots of warnings on this so if you can’t read it, don’t 😬. It IS a bully book… I was feeling all kinds of feeling while these scenes were happening… you can’t tell Landon no 🤷🏻♀️
—no? What’s that? Landon’s gonna take what he wants (while making sure Parker enjoys herself). Landon is a bulldozer 😈
—cereal eating 🔥. Landon always makes sure Parker feels lots of happiness when he eats cereal 😉💦
—MINEMINEMINE 💅 (but I’ll comment on this down below)
—the 🔥. Parker is his, and Landon’s gonna make sure she knows (but I’m gonna comment on this down below)
—Hayden and Gemma 🫶. I enjoyed seeing their HEA from Undertow. I was feeling skeptical at the end of Undertow, so I’m glad Hayden’s making sure to keep Gemma happy 😅
—dark humor 😅. I saw glimpses of Sam’s dark humor in here, and Iuuuurved it 🤣
—Hannah. We definitely see a looooooot of Hannah… she has a terrible home life and Parker wants to help her. Plus, crazy psycho Anae is back 😑. Sigh.
—the Octopus plushie ❤️
—Disneyworld? Sign me up 🤣
—Hayden getting Landon’s permission 🫶
—muffin basket? Awwww 🥹 (but I’m gonna comment on this down below)
—I WAS gonna write down how jealous he gets… but…
What I didn’t like/wanted more of: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
—LANDON HAS BEEN WANTING PARKER THIS WHOLE TIME????😐. Are. You. Serious???? 😑So. Let me get this straight. HE made sure Parker NEVER dated anyone, NEVER kissed anyone, NEVER learned how to NOT be awkward with guys while he did what??? Stayed celibate waiting on the sidelines?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
No…
NOPE🤬
HE WAS WITH ALL THE GIRLS HE COULD BE WITH!!!!!
I. Am. Pisssssssssed!!!
Whyyyyy does he hate her?? Because she brought him muffins? Whyyyyyyyy?!!!?!? It makes no sense!
His friends even joke with him about his obsession, yet the first day of school, after Parker and Gemma move in, he takes ow with him after school instead of taking Parker home.
Isn’t he just so sweet 🥹…
But he’s been wanting/obsessed with Parker this whole time?
Pssssshhh… sure buddy 😒🙄
Here’s the thing. There’s no reason why they CANT be together 🤷🏻♀️. Gemma and Hayden only met the year before, and he’s been bullying her since they were in middle school.
So… WHY doesn’t he act sooner????
^^this made me have a bad taste in my mouth, because Landon makes sure NO ONE touches Parker (I keep wanting to type Hannah 🤣 whoops), yet he gets to play????
I. Don’t. F’ing. Think. So 😐
I know it was a long shot, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be completely happy with this book, but to know he’s been WANTING her for years while simultaneously c blocking her just angers me to no end. Ugh
I've been marking territory I didn't even understand I wanted since middle school. From the moment Parker stood in front of me with a shirt full of muffin crumbs and tears glinting in her pretty brown eyes after I'd humiliated her, I couldn't stomach the thought of her with anyone else. The stakes felt too high. It wasn't even about the sex. I've had plenty of sex that didn't mean anything. It was the fact that if I let another guy get that close to her, maybe she'd fall for him.
I couldn't have that.
—telling versus showing 😒. Sigh. The second half of the book, or maybe the last third, was rushed! We get a summary paragraph of Landon talking to Gemma, and, the biggest disappointed telling scene was the…
—NONEXISTENT “I love you” scene 😐. At the end of the book, we find out they love each other, but it’s not the first time they say it 🤔. Ummm… what? Those scenes are PIVOTAL in romance novels… yet we don’t get it 😐
—whyyyyy does Parker want Landon? 🤷🏻♀️ he’s not the best student, he’s an amazing swimmer, he’s been her bully, he’s been a manwhooooore, so what exactly is she attracted to? 🤔There’s a scene early in the book where I thought maybe we were gonna get some angst related to his mom’s death, but then that ends quickly. I needed more here
And also. Why does Landon want Parker? I needed more here. I know she has good qualities. She’s a smart cookie. She’s considerate. She wants the best for people. But what else?
—the lack of safety talk 😒. I’m one of those readers that need to know the H is clean. Days before, Landon had his d in the OW’s mouth, so is he clean? Ugh
”Did you hear the one where you invited me over?” He doesn’t specify when, but I know when. The night he broke into my goddamn house. “Brittany didn’t like that one,” he says, as if letting me in on a secret. “Why’s she the one with a throatful of cum if you’re the one who can summon me with a text?” I am simultaneously revolted and annoyed by what he just said. “Please stop talking.” “Am I offending your virginal sensibilities—again?”
—more of a buildup 😐. How did Parker go from running away from Landon to wanting him? I know. I need to not compare this book to other books by Sam, but normally, we get a well-though-out transition to the change in their dynamic, especially in the h’s POV, but I always felt like I had whiplash with how quick it changes. There IS some buildup, but it’s not what I’m used to from SM.
—the NONEXISTENT OMD 😑. I was feeling happy that Parker was maybe able to find herself a non manwhore guy who’s interested in her, but then we find out that… IT’S ALL FAKE 😒. I love me some OMD 🤣
—Parker and Landon who? 🫣. Omg. I had to keep checking myself as I typed this review. I keep wanting to write Hannah 😬, and it’s because so much of the book focuses on Hannah and her struggles, her life, her past… which includes Dare, Aubrey and even evil Anae 😬
—Arden and the BJ😐. Talking about Hannah, if Arden ends up being her H, I’m gonna be 🤬🤬🤬🤬. I’ve read MANY of Sam’s books, and I’ve never read a bj scene by a side character like the one included in this book 🥴. I didn’t need to know what he looks like while a random woman’s pleasuring him 🥴. I really hope he’s not Hannah’s man… especially because she’s a virgin (like all the heroines in this series)
—Hayden and Gemma getting married where? Hmmm 🤔 I’m not sure this was convincing enough for me. I felt like it was rushed (or maybe I was just so irritated I wanted to hurry up and finish 🤣)
—why is Anae still alive??? 🤦🏻♀️ this better not be one of those redemption arcs for a true villain (I think only Damon from the Devil’s Night Series can do that 🤣). She definitely cracked me up though… but then I side-eyed her existence 😬
—with all the fighting Landon threatened, why didn’t we see any REAL OMD? 😑. Sigh. This was disappointing 😒
—the lack of angst or explanation. Why is Landon such an ahole to Parker? It would’ve been nice if we had been shown this bully-worthy-hatred and the reasoning behind it. I thought we’d get some info on his
⚠️ safety squad ⚠️SPOILERS
-no cheating*/sharing/omd*
-noncon/dubcon
-owd: the H takes ow home and makes a comment of her throat being full of his 💦. She makes an appearance but then he ends up turning her down for the h. The ow even makes a video for the h clearing up he didn’t take the ow home
-omd: 🙄it seems like there’s omd but then there’s NOT. It was all made up by the H 😑😐
-praise kink/biting/marking/somnophilia/hand necklace/breath play/edging/face f'ing
-no condom/then condoms
-virgin h/manwhore H who’s been cock blocking the h for years
-no condom/condoms/then none/bc
-HEA
October 25, 2023
I have truly read all the previous books in the series yet it felt like i missed a book in between. Secondly parker is a stupid girl and no it didnt had non-con or even dub-con if you ask me. It was i don't know the name exactly but maybe its called pseudo dub con.
Honestly in Undertow, author showed me a smart Parker, who negotiated with Hayden and didn't let Landon get away with his shit. But here she was just waiting for Landon to harass her and get his fill so that they can finally be happy together. Smh.
Honestly even all this could have worked but for some reason it didn't. The usual charm n chemistry that Miss Mariano's book usually have was missing here big time.
I have read her many books even the ones with non-psycho heroes so clearly that was not the issue.
The plot, chemistry everything was lacking. Sad sigh.
Honestly in Undertow, author showed me a smart Parker, who negotiated with Hayden and didn't let Landon get away with his shit. But here she was just waiting for Landon to harass her and get his fill so that they can finally be happy together. Smh.
Honestly even all this could have worked but for some reason it didn't. The usual charm n chemistry that Miss Mariano's book usually have was missing here big time.
I have read her many books even the ones with non-psycho heroes so clearly that was not the issue.
The plot, chemistry everything was lacking. Sad sigh.
February 21, 2024
5 twisted stars!!
This book was amazing! I didn't think any couple could ever top Dare and Aubrey but Landon and Parker are absolutely my heroes.
Landon is fiercely possessive and overbearing. He's also over the top loyal and when he decides on something, boy does he commit. Not your typical Alphahole, Landon can be a real sweetheart when he wants to, though I'd never say that to his face.
Parker is definitely not Aubrey 2.0. She's completely her own person and I love her so much. Her friendship with Hannah was beautiful and the chemistry with Landon was off the charts.
10/10 would recommend, can't wait to read this again.
This book was amazing! I didn't think any couple could ever top Dare and Aubrey but Landon and Parker are absolutely my heroes.
Landon is fiercely possessive and overbearing. He's also over the top loyal and when he decides on something, boy does he commit. Not your typical Alphahole, Landon can be a real sweetheart when he wants to, though I'd never say that to his face.
Parker is definitely not Aubrey 2.0. She's completely her own person and I love her so much. Her friendship with Hannah was beautiful and the chemistry with Landon was off the charts.
10/10 would recommend, can't wait to read this again.
Read
February 27, 2022I can’t wait for this
October 28, 2023
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.75
First Impressions
Contempt is the newest release in the "Coastal Elite" series but its also a book that I have been eagerly anticipating since the beginning of the year ever since I read "Undertow". Now this book will not work for everyone and I definitely think you need to have low expectations because this book won't be what you actually expect it to be. This doesn't feature an actual psychopath in the hero unlike what we have seen in previous heroes. He is messed up and dark in some areas, but its more he is emotionally damaged and just a jerk about it. lol Its really that simple and you definitely see this difference which I appreciated in how this author handled their journey. Its going to be unlike anything you have read so far from this author but delivers just as much complexity as you would hope for.
First Line
The top box tilts as I make my way down the stairs as carefully as I'm able.
Summary
This story begins with our hero and heroine moving in together. Landon and Parker are about to become step siblings. They have known each other for years. When Landon lost his mother, Parker reached out to him with compassion, but Landon didn't react to her genuine heart as he should have and ever since has constantly bullied her over the years but yet is highlly possessive of her and won't let any other man touch her. Parker has such a giving heart and is feeling fragile having to be so close to Landon who terrifies her. But she also wants her mother to be happy and is willing to sacrifice so much for that to happen. But learning to live together with Landon won't be easy, and will put up challenges for both Landon and Parker. But will Landon and Parker be able to find a common ground and something more along the way when they least expect it?
What I Loved
This book y'all just captivated me. I knew Sam Mariano would write such a treasure and she really knocked this one out of the park. Contempt was such a highly anticipated release for me and I have to say that this won my heart and more and the laughs babes ...the LAUGHS. I honestly couldn't contain my humor with this one here. This one is so different from the previous two books and and had a voice to it that I wasn't expecting. I also enjoyed seeing the different type of hero than I was expecting. Now don't get me wrong, Landon is a very disturbed young man. However, he isn't as dangerous as some of the other heroes I have read by this author. Just the type of hero you would expect in a standard bully romance only with the Sam Mariano twist to it. After reading the first two books I was so intrigued to see where this author would take this one.
I do recommend for the highest quality of an reading experience, read the previous two books:
Even If It Hurts
Undertow
There is something so valuable in the relationship that is delivered here. We see so much more hidden depths to the characters and a bit of what makes their relationship so connecting to each other. They have been involved with each other for many years. This isn't a new development, only with their age, both learning to become more mature, that other feelings are entering into the sphere and they are both learning how to adapt to the changes. If you respect the complexity that this author writes within her stories, then look no further than with Contempt. I absolutely had such a good time with seeing Landon grow and face up to his grief and learn to accept the love that Parker was willing to give him. But man his character was so entertaining. He has such an easy confidence about him, and from beginning to end the core of what makes him Landon doesn't really end but his growth and maturity does. We also see some growth in the relationship with his father.
Now as for Parker, her character I fell hard for. I really do love Sam Mariano's heroines. I just relate to them so well. Parker was so personable and has such a kind heart but she does let herself be taken advantage of easily which happens with those with softer personalities. She is a fighter at times though, she has a will when it really matters and when it comes to those that she loves deeply. There are facets to her character that I wanted to dig deeper with and Mariano delivers that dimension to us.
What I Struggled With
I honestly didn't struggle with hardly anything on this. I just fell hard for everything and can't wait for the next couple and man I have a feeling its going to have Cinderella vibes and I am down for that.
Overall View
Contempt is a angst fest of a romance, its a story of discovery, maturity and facing up to your challenges no matter the cost. A YA/NA that delivers all the way for this reader!
Favorite Quote(s)
“In case I’ve left any doubts, I consider you mine, Parker. And there’s nothing you can do to change that.”
I think we’ve always loved each other, even when we hated each other. And I know we always will.
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Young Adult
Character Types: Jerk Hero
Themes: Bully Romance, Step Family Love, Dubious/Non Consent
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Forced Proximity
Book Perspective
Duo POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Relationship Conflict
Song This Book Inspires
Find You by Ruelle
Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes, you need to read this series in order
Steam/Spice Explanations
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
October 23, 2023
I have been completely useless today and ignored almost every single responsibility I have to read this book. I regret nothing. I have been dying and waiting for this book for over a year and it was worth every agonizing moment 🥰
⚠️Warning, I’m certain I’ll drop spoilers in this so if you don’t actually want spoilers then back out now. ⚠️
Also, I’m probably going to ramble. I’m admittedly a bit of a Sam Mariano fan girl. I feel like she writes stories just for me sometimes. They feel like it’s exactly what I wanted to read - even if I didn’t realize it’s what I wanted.
Semi-specific safety notes - there is no cheating here. Landon was obsessed with/bullied Parker for 6 years. He bullied guys away from her. Landon was not celibate while he did this 😒. I don’t love that fact but Parker seems *mostly* unbothered by his past with the OW. He was never serious about anyone but Parker. He doesn’t cheat on her once he starts with her. There is mild OW drama and a some fun OM drama too.
If you love Sam Mariano’s other books then you are going to be on cloud 9 🥰. This is Sam in all her glory. Landon is aggressive, a bit mean at times and manipulative. Parker is soft, self sacrificing and protective of her mother and Hannah, she puts up with too much of Landon’s antics in that perfect way Sam’s heroine’s handle her heroes.
If you don’t like Sam’s books then you probably aren’t reading this 😂. ⚠️If this is your first Sam book you should stop and go back to the first book in this series, Even If It Hurts and then Undertow before reading this.⚠️ Characters in those books are prominent side characters here and there is much backstory and context needed to really enjoy and understand this.
🚩Now - real talk - if this is your first Sam Mariano book I’d recommend stopping and reading Untouchable, The Boy on the Bridge or Descent first. They are standalones that have NOTHING to do with this series but the H (Dare) in Even if it Hurts could be quite a shocking introduction to Sam’s brand of dark romance. Dare is crazy and kind of scary in a strangely thrilling and delicious way. 🚩
I was surprised at the author’s note asking readers to be open minded and not compare Landon and Dare. I wouldn’t have thought that could be a concern but having now read it, I get it. Dare isn’t *in* this book. He never physically appears during this book but he’s mentioned frequently because Parker’s best friend is Hannah and her wicked, crazy stepsister Anae is still obsessed with Dare - so he’s not there with them but his presence lurks around the story. He and Aubrey are mentioned a lot throughout the book. He even plays an “off camera” role as there are messages exchanged at one point with him. The differences between Dare and Landon are vast. I see how you could be tempted to compare them. I definitely think it’s better to judge them each on their own merits. They both have the same end goal - keep their chosen ladies at any cost. 🔥
Landon’s possessive “mine, mine, mine” gave me thrills throughout 🥵🔥. I can’t claim he’s my favorite Sam hero but he ain’t bad either. He chases off any guy who thought to look twice. He’s pretty ruthless in his determination to have Parker.
⚠️More specific safety notes - ⚠️
Now, he did lose a few points with me for fucking around with other girls during this 6 year time frame, he seemed to mostly do it searching for a reaction from her. Parker isn’t super upset by Landon’s manwhoring during that time frame - she didn’t even seem super jealous- more upset for the girls he was using them trying to provoke a reaction from her. *We don’t see any of his prior behavior on the page.*
Now in this book he implies he got a BJ from an OW (Brittany) 🤮 just after Parker and her mom move in but it’s not mentioned again - to me it was unclear if he was just trying to rile her up or if he was really serious. He makes it clear he’s not into the other girl and Parker knows he uses her to try and make her jealous. I don’t love it but it was pretty minor in the book and Parker was mostly unbothered by his past dalliances , she even alluded to appreciating his … skill building 😅. I would not be that magnanimous personally but Parker marches to the beat of her own drum. He does have to learn that Parker will no longer accept him messing with her like that once he’s started up with her. *There is no cheating.* He doesn’t do anything with Brittany or any other girl after he kisses Parker and declares she belongs to him.
This is filled with dubcon/noncon situations as you may expect in Sam’s books. Landon isn’t particularly interested in “no” from Parker.
I appreciated the way Landon staked his claim on Parker. The way Gemma and Hayden reacted to their relationship felt very authentic to their characters and situation. They are definitely one big happy family😅
What’s coming next?
As far as speculation about Hannah’s coming story - I don’t know but I’m excited and I can’t wait. I believe based on posts from the author in the spoiler group for this series on Facebook that Dare and Aubrey are end game in their own relationship. I believe Hannah is getting her own H. I think likely it will Arden Prince based on the things in this book. The Prince thing makes sense with Cinderella thing going on with Hannah. I think Landon’s cousin Malek will stir up drama and cause Arden as many problems as he can in his pursuit of Hannah. It’s like these guys have never seen an 80’s teen movie, the whole bet thing is going to be so fun to read!
If I’m wrong and somehow Hannah ends up with Dare or mixed with Aubrey and Dare’s relationship then I would trust no one other than Sam Mariano to take me on that journey. It sounds like a scary ride but after she gave us Mia and Mateo I implicitly trust her to give me the story that needs to be told - even if it hurts 😅🔥.
I’m dying for Surrenders re-release. I bought the original Sophie’s Surrender but have forced myself not to reread it yet in anticipation of its coming re-release as Surrender. I’m excited for the reread and dying to read Sleeping Beauty the bonus story about Aubrey and Dare.
Wherever Hannah’s books end up going will be an amazing ride and I’m so thankful for Sam Mariano for sharing these stories with us.
⚠️Warning, I’m certain I’ll drop spoilers in this so if you don’t actually want spoilers then back out now. ⚠️
Also, I’m probably going to ramble. I’m admittedly a bit of a Sam Mariano fan girl. I feel like she writes stories just for me sometimes. They feel like it’s exactly what I wanted to read - even if I didn’t realize it’s what I wanted.
Semi-specific safety notes - there is no cheating here. Landon was obsessed with/bullied Parker for 6 years. He bullied guys away from her. Landon was not celibate while he did this 😒. I don’t love that fact but Parker seems *mostly* unbothered by his past with the OW. He was never serious about anyone but Parker. He doesn’t cheat on her once he starts with her. There is mild OW drama and a some fun OM drama too.
If you love Sam Mariano’s other books then you are going to be on cloud 9 🥰. This is Sam in all her glory. Landon is aggressive, a bit mean at times and manipulative. Parker is soft, self sacrificing and protective of her mother and Hannah, she puts up with too much of Landon’s antics in that perfect way Sam’s heroine’s handle her heroes.
If you don’t like Sam’s books then you probably aren’t reading this 😂. ⚠️If this is your first Sam book you should stop and go back to the first book in this series, Even If It Hurts and then Undertow before reading this.⚠️ Characters in those books are prominent side characters here and there is much backstory and context needed to really enjoy and understand this.
🚩Now - real talk - if this is your first Sam Mariano book I’d recommend stopping and reading Untouchable, The Boy on the Bridge or Descent first. They are standalones that have NOTHING to do with this series but the H (Dare) in Even if it Hurts could be quite a shocking introduction to Sam’s brand of dark romance. Dare is crazy and kind of scary in a strangely thrilling and delicious way. 🚩
I was surprised at the author’s note asking readers to be open minded and not compare Landon and Dare. I wouldn’t have thought that could be a concern but having now read it, I get it. Dare isn’t *in* this book. He never physically appears during this book but he’s mentioned frequently because Parker’s best friend is Hannah and her wicked, crazy stepsister Anae is still obsessed with Dare - so he’s not there with them but his presence lurks around the story. He and Aubrey are mentioned a lot throughout the book. He even plays an “off camera” role as there are messages exchanged at one point with him. The differences between Dare and Landon are vast. I see how you could be tempted to compare them. I definitely think it’s better to judge them each on their own merits. They both have the same end goal - keep their chosen ladies at any cost. 🔥
Landon’s possessive “mine, mine, mine” gave me thrills throughout 🥵🔥. I can’t claim he’s my favorite Sam hero but he ain’t bad either. He chases off any guy who thought to look twice. He’s pretty ruthless in his determination to have Parker.
⚠️More specific safety notes - ⚠️
Now, he did lose a few points with me for fucking around with other girls during this 6 year time frame, he seemed to mostly do it searching for a reaction from her. Parker isn’t super upset by Landon’s manwhoring during that time frame - she didn’t even seem super jealous- more upset for the girls he was using them trying to provoke a reaction from her. *We don’t see any of his prior behavior on the page.*
Now in this book he implies he got a BJ from an OW (Brittany) 🤮 just after Parker and her mom move in but it’s not mentioned again - to me it was unclear if he was just trying to rile her up or if he was really serious. He makes it clear he’s not into the other girl and Parker knows he uses her to try and make her jealous. I don’t love it but it was pretty minor in the book and Parker was mostly unbothered by his past dalliances , she even alluded to appreciating his … skill building 😅. I would not be that magnanimous personally but Parker marches to the beat of her own drum. He does have to learn that Parker will no longer accept him messing with her like that once he’s started up with her. *There is no cheating.* He doesn’t do anything with Brittany or any other girl after he kisses Parker and declares she belongs to him.
This is filled with dubcon/noncon situations as you may expect in Sam’s books. Landon isn’t particularly interested in “no” from Parker.
I appreciated the way Landon staked his claim on Parker. The way Gemma and Hayden reacted to their relationship felt very authentic to their characters and situation. They are definitely one big happy family😅
What’s coming next?
As far as speculation about Hannah’s coming story - I don’t know but I’m excited and I can’t wait. I believe based on posts from the author in the spoiler group for this series on Facebook that Dare and Aubrey are end game in their own relationship. I believe Hannah is getting her own H. I think likely it will Arden Prince based on the things in this book. The Prince thing makes sense with Cinderella thing going on with Hannah. I think Landon’s cousin Malek will stir up drama and cause Arden as many problems as he can in his pursuit of Hannah. It’s like these guys have never seen an 80’s teen movie, the whole bet thing is going to be so fun to read!
If I’m wrong and somehow Hannah ends up with Dare or mixed with Aubrey and Dare’s relationship then I would trust no one other than Sam Mariano to take me on that journey. It sounds like a scary ride but after she gave us Mia and Mateo I implicitly trust her to give me the story that needs to be told - even if it hurts 😅🔥.
I’m dying for Surrenders re-release. I bought the original Sophie’s Surrender but have forced myself not to reread it yet in anticipation of its coming re-release as Surrender. I’m excited for the reread and dying to read Sleeping Beauty the bonus story about Aubrey and Dare.
Wherever Hannah’s books end up going will be an amazing ride and I’m so thankful for Sam Mariano for sharing these stories with us.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 24, 2023I don't know how to rate this book I couldn't put it down but I was more interested about Hannah than the main lead and wherever I go everyone is interested in her or hating how much she is talked about.even the parents where more interesting to me than the main couples.
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We didn't get know why London liked parker?why Parker who in previous book want to press charges suddenly went mushy and accept him even thought she didn't seem to enjoy him?
.also London drinking problems where never talked about nor his dub con activities..I would have like Parker talking and questioning london actions not going with just so her mom not divorce his dad. I'm she did not even know she was staying at his old room until final chapter
For me untouchable will always be my favorite because the character felt equal match h knew her limits, gave us input of the psychology of the H ..we get to see their movement from hate to like to love we get to see Carter offer something to the h other than his d!ck.
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We didn't get know why London liked parker?why Parker who in previous book want to press charges suddenly went mushy and accept him even thought she didn't seem to enjoy him?
.also London drinking problems where never talked about nor his dub con activities..I would have like Parker talking and questioning london actions not going with just so her mom not divorce his dad. I'm she did not even know she was staying at his old room until final chapter
For me untouchable will always be my favorite because the character felt equal match h knew her limits, gave us input of the psychology of the H ..we get to see their movement from hate to like to love we get to see Carter offer something to the h other than his d!ck.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2023
3 stars: A semi-enjoyable ride to no where
I have a lot of thoughts about how I feel about this book. I liked the first 60-65% of this book, but I really, really, really disliked the last portion. It felt like Sam lost motivation to follow through with the rest of the plot and characters, and then pulled a complete 180 for Hannah with the epilogue.
I think what this book suffered from the most is that it wasn't really about Parker and Landon's relationship, which it is being advertised as. It was more so about building out the world and other characters through their perspective. I get that this is a "bridge" book in this series, so Sam can get back to her eventual possible throuple of Hannah/Dare/Aubrey, but if that's the case I feel like Sam needed to have made this book shorter and explained that to us more as readers.
I also didn't like that this is being advertised as a "dark step-brother bully romance", because it's not. Hayden and Gemma, Landon and Parker's parents, aren't even married in this book. Everyone just lives together and their parents are engaged. They aren't step siblings, Parker and Landon even say this in the book at least twice. It's not used as kink fodder either, Landon's def not into the fact that Parker could be his potential step-sister. I just feel like this was big misrepresentation on Sam's part to have the book advertised this way.
Again I liked the first 60-65% of this book, because I genuinely liked the characters at first and I liked the healthy friendship between Hannah and Parker. It's nice to see someone standing up for Hannah! Also there some decent angst building scenes between Parker and Landon.
However, for some reason in the second half-ish of the book, once Parker and Landon finally got into a relationship, everything fell pretty flat. They were just "together", it's like the book could have been 200 pages shorter in my opinion. They have one minor misunderstanding towards the end, but other than that it was pretty lovey-dovey and smooth sailing for them. Even their parents were even weirdly super accepting of their relationship, even though Gemma, Parker's mom, was super against it from the beginning! There's a bit of an argument, but then she's all like "oh well, what can I do, if they want to bang they are just going to do it anyway". I'm usually ok with Sam's weak willed FMCs, but that really took the cake for me.
I will continue reading the series as I'm intrigued to see what happens with Hannah's character. Whether she ends up with Aubrey and Dare or with Arden Prince. I'm here for the chaos of it. I also didn't dislike this book either nor Sam's writing overall. I'm just a little upset that I felt a bit cheated out of Landon and Parker's story.
One last thing this is a reminder to future me:
Series order and info:
#1 Even if it Hurts - Dare/Aubrey -Baymont, CA
#2 Undertow - Hayden/Gemma (Dare's lawyer and Parker's mom) - Baymont, CA
#3 Contempt - Landon/Parker (Hayden's son and Hannah's friend) - Baymont, CA
#4 Surrender - Silvan/Sophie (Dare's college "friend" and new character) - Boston, MA
Note: this is being re-released in Oct. 2023 with extended Dare/Aubrey epilogue
-------Announced books, but the order could be changed ---------
#5 Deception - Hannah/(who the heck knows bro) - Baymont, CA?
#6 Unnamed (Sequel to Deception) Hannah/(again who the heck knows) - Baymont, CA?
I have a lot of thoughts about how I feel about this book. I liked the first 60-65% of this book, but I really, really, really disliked the last portion. It felt like Sam lost motivation to follow through with the rest of the plot and characters, and then pulled a complete 180 for Hannah with the epilogue.
I think what this book suffered from the most is that it wasn't really about Parker and Landon's relationship, which it is being advertised as. It was more so about building out the world and other characters through their perspective. I get that this is a "bridge" book in this series, so Sam can get back to her eventual possible throuple of Hannah/Dare/Aubrey, but if that's the case I feel like Sam needed to have made this book shorter and explained that to us more as readers.
I also didn't like that this is being advertised as a "dark step-brother bully romance", because it's not. Hayden and Gemma, Landon and Parker's parents, aren't even married in this book. Everyone just lives together and their parents are engaged. They aren't step siblings, Parker and Landon even say this in the book at least twice. It's not used as kink fodder either, Landon's def not into the fact that Parker could be his potential step-sister. I just feel like this was big misrepresentation on Sam's part to have the book advertised this way.
Again I liked the first 60-65% of this book, because I genuinely liked the characters at first and I liked the healthy friendship between Hannah and Parker. It's nice to see someone standing up for Hannah! Also there some decent angst building scenes between Parker and Landon.
However, for some reason in the second half-ish of the book, once Parker and Landon finally got into a relationship, everything fell pretty flat. They were just "together", it's like the book could have been 200 pages shorter in my opinion. They have one minor misunderstanding towards the end, but other than that it was pretty lovey-dovey and smooth sailing for them. Even their parents were even weirdly super accepting of their relationship, even though Gemma, Parker's mom, was super against it from the beginning! There's a bit of an argument, but then she's all like "oh well, what can I do, if they want to bang they are just going to do it anyway". I'm usually ok with Sam's weak willed FMCs, but that really took the cake for me.
I will continue reading the series as I'm intrigued to see what happens with Hannah's character. Whether she ends up with Aubrey and Dare or with Arden Prince. I'm here for the chaos of it. I also didn't dislike this book either nor Sam's writing overall. I'm just a little upset that I felt a bit cheated out of Landon and Parker's story.
One last thing this is a reminder to future me:
Series order and info:
#1 Even if it Hurts - Dare/Aubrey -Baymont, CA
#2 Undertow - Hayden/Gemma (Dare's lawyer and Parker's mom) - Baymont, CA
#3 Contempt - Landon/Parker (Hayden's son and Hannah's friend) - Baymont, CA
#4 Surrender - Silvan/Sophie (Dare's college "friend" and new character) - Boston, MA
Note: this is being re-released in Oct. 2023 with extended Dare/Aubrey epilogue
-------Announced books, but the order could be changed ---------
#5 Deception - Hannah/(who the heck knows bro) - Baymont, CA?
#6 Unnamed (Sequel to Deception) Hannah/(again who the heck knows) - Baymont, CA?
June 9, 2024
Since my expectations were pretty well managed going into this book, I got what I expected. I have to agree with all the reviews that point out that Parker and Landon are side characters in their own story (or, should we say, Hannah's story?). It's pretty clear that Sam really loves Hannah's character and would much rather just write her story. And, I guess, she is doing that. When that's the expectation going in, the book is OK. It's definitely far from my favorite from Sam, but I enjoyed some parts of it since I really like her writing style. I don't really see Dare and Hannah being a thing, but we'll have to see how it all plays out in the end.
Parker and Landon themselves were quite forgettable. Sure, there were some cute moments and I enjoyed the spice. But the romance took a back seat to everything else in the book and, as a result, wasn't really developed. Sam is usually great at really getting into her characters' minds and showing us why the fit so well, what is is that make them work for each other etc. But here, I didn't really see the connection. And it's a shame because there is a lot to mine with Landon's mom etc. Also, as male leads go, Landon was just meh. He has zero goals or aspirations in life and is content to just spend daddy's money. Parker seemed to have more of a connection with Hannah, to be honest. All in all, I didn't hate it, but it wasn't up to my expectations when it comes to Sam's work.
Parker and Landon themselves were quite forgettable. Sure, there were some cute moments and I enjoyed the spice. But the romance took a back seat to everything else in the book and, as a result, wasn't really developed. Sam is usually great at really getting into her characters' minds and showing us why the fit so well, what is is that make them work for each other etc. But here, I didn't really see the connection. And it's a shame because there is a lot to mine with Landon's mom etc. Also, as male leads go, Landon was just meh. He has zero goals or aspirations in life and is content to just spend daddy's money. Parker seemed to have more of a connection with Hannah, to be honest. All in all, I didn't hate it, but it wasn't up to my expectations when it comes to Sam's work.
October 24, 2023
DNF! Ok so sam mariano is doing what she does best. She writes a perfect book with perfect characters but then ruin it with adding another character and making it a main character.
I loved aubrey and Dare story and i am going to stick to it. No hannah no end game. Dare loved aubrey in his own way and is obsessed with her. Thats it. Finish.
Give hannah another hero or something dont ruin your first book which people loved it. I am not going to finish this book because i cannot handle another threesome shit she did in her previous work. I can clearly see that happening. She will make aubrey a villian slowly and hannah and Dare main couple. NO THANKYOU!
I even remember once Dare saying in first book that "he does not like hannah personally but can see why aubrey likes her." He was only talking to her because of aubrey now the author is creating the narrative that Dare was always interested in hannah. Hannah is his endgame. What rubbish!
I loved aubrey and Dare story and i am going to stick to it. No hannah no end game. Dare loved aubrey in his own way and is obsessed with her. Thats it. Finish.
Give hannah another hero or something dont ruin your first book which people loved it. I am not going to finish this book because i cannot handle another threesome shit she did in her previous work. I can clearly see that happening. She will make aubrey a villian slowly and hannah and Dare main couple. NO THANKYOU!
I even remember once Dare saying in first book that "he does not like hannah personally but can see why aubrey likes her." He was only talking to her because of aubrey now the author is creating the narrative that Dare was always interested in hannah. Hannah is his endgame. What rubbish!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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