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Underestimated #4
The Heir of Shadows
There was a little girl, who had a little gun, pointed right at the center of her forehead.
When she was good, she was very, very good
Because if she was bad, she was dead.
Raised by a monster, rescued by a liar
The life Ava escaped from is a memory she would like to forget
But the past never stays buried for long and when a tragic event forces Ava back home
The monster is waiting to finish what he started.
With fragile bonds put to the test, Ava will need to find the strength to fight back, putting her faith in the club she was never a part of and a President who is more of a stranger to her than a brother.
Blood might be thicker than water, but its blood that attracts sharks
And if she doesn’t learn to stay two steps ahead of the deranged killer who hunts her, she’ll drown.
In a world of bloody secrets and twisted legacies, only one truth remains:
To prevail, one of them must die.
But who will survive?
The Fallen King, or his Tainted Heir?
Please be advised that this book may cause shallow breathing, exploding ovaries and spontaneous disintegration of panties. As a result, all readers should be over the age of 18 and refrain from reading in public places.
Trigger warning: This book contains swearing and deals with subjects such as sexual assault and violence that some readers might find upsetting.
There are also sexy fun times with not one but three bikers but please remember, The Heir of Shadows is not for the faint-hearted.
When she was good, she was very, very good
Because if she was bad, she was dead.
Raised by a monster, rescued by a liar
The life Ava escaped from is a memory she would like to forget
But the past never stays buried for long and when a tragic event forces Ava back home
The monster is waiting to finish what he started.
With fragile bonds put to the test, Ava will need to find the strength to fight back, putting her faith in the club she was never a part of and a President who is more of a stranger to her than a brother.
Blood might be thicker than water, but its blood that attracts sharks
And if she doesn’t learn to stay two steps ahead of the deranged killer who hunts her, she’ll drown.
In a world of bloody secrets and twisted legacies, only one truth remains:
To prevail, one of them must die.
But who will survive?
The Fallen King, or his Tainted Heir?
Please be advised that this book may cause shallow breathing, exploding ovaries and spontaneous disintegration of panties. As a result, all readers should be over the age of 18 and refrain from reading in public places.
Trigger warning: This book contains swearing and deals with subjects such as sexual assault and violence that some readers might find upsetting.
There are also sexy fun times with not one but three bikers but please remember, The Heir of Shadows is not for the faint-hearted.
392 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2021
546 people are currently reading
709 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
January 8, 2021
Something went wrong
I had loved every book in this series until this one.
I probably skimmed through most of it if I am honest. I love strong FMC and was really excited about getting Diesel’s story...
I am not sure how to describe it but it’ll give it my best shot. At the beginning of the book Ava is understandably struggling with the perception of herself, what she believes she deserves and just surviving each day. This lasts for about 40-50% of the book. Next thing we know she has overcome her demons and has become a badass, except we didn’t get to experience the change with her, and we didn’t get to live her badass moment with her either... what we got was a recount of it at a moment when she was once again struggling because of the way the MCs had treated her.
This book really made me dislike everyone in Carnage to be honest, the way they treated Ava... the author made a point of having the FMC from the previous books acknowledge that Carnage was misogynistic, and it felt like they had made their peace with that even if they didn’t agree with it. Which to me, was a disservice to the strong characters that had been written in the previous books...
I was a bit disappointed with this one, but I will give the next one a go because out of all the books I have read by this author this was the 1st one that didn’t really work for me.
I had loved every book in this series until this one.
I probably skimmed through most of it if I am honest. I love strong FMC and was really excited about getting Diesel’s story...
I am not sure how to describe it but it’ll give it my best shot. At the beginning of the book Ava is understandably struggling with the perception of herself, what she believes she deserves and just surviving each day. This lasts for about 40-50% of the book. Next thing we know she has overcome her demons and has become a badass, except we didn’t get to experience the change with her, and we didn’t get to live her badass moment with her either... what we got was a recount of it at a moment when she was once again struggling because of the way the MCs had treated her.
This book really made me dislike everyone in Carnage to be honest, the way they treated Ava... the author made a point of having the FMC from the previous books acknowledge that Carnage was misogynistic, and it felt like they had made their peace with that even if they didn’t agree with it. Which to me, was a disservice to the strong characters that had been written in the previous books...
I was a bit disappointed with this one, but I will give the next one a go because out of all the books I have read by this author this was the 1st one that didn’t really work for me.
March 8, 2021
1.5 stars
It seems every h in this series (I’ve read) doesn’t get a HEA until they’re pregnant 🙄. If they’re not pregnant in their own book they’re pregnant in the next. As Rebel Diesel Ava & Lucky, not 1 of the 4 people in this relationship are ready for a baby. The relationship isn’t secure, Ava isn’t mentally stable, & the guys aren’t listening to what the h is putting down. Lucky was the nearest thing to ready but if it’s 3 guys to 1 girl it doesn’t matter. The MC where absolute assholes, her brother Saint the worse in the bunch. The men steamroll her preferences & would prefer she have no opinions. I had a strong dislike for Diesel & Saint in particular. It was a fucking mess. Her treatment was second class. Even though it’s free with KU I’m not sure this is a worthwhile series.
Pet peeve pregnant.
Trigger warning: Abduction & Suicide. The possibility of a few more exist but I can’t remember.
It seems every h in this series (I’ve read) doesn’t get a HEA until they’re pregnant 🙄. If they’re not pregnant in their own book they’re pregnant in the next. As Rebel Diesel Ava & Lucky, not 1 of the 4 people in this relationship are ready for a baby. The relationship isn’t secure, Ava isn’t mentally stable, & the guys aren’t listening to what the h is putting down. Lucky was the nearest thing to ready but if it’s 3 guys to 1 girl it doesn’t matter. The MC where absolute assholes, her brother Saint the worse in the bunch. The men steamroll her preferences & would prefer she have no opinions. I had a strong dislike for Diesel & Saint in particular. It was a fucking mess. Her treatment was second class. Even though it’s free with KU I’m not sure this is a worthwhile series.
Pet peeve pregnant.
Trigger warning: Abduction & Suicide. The possibility of a few more exist but I can’t remember.
January 15, 2021
3.5 stars | I truly have loved every single book of this series. This one fell flat for me, especially the first half of the book.
We have Ava, who has gone through way more than anyone ever should. My heart truly broke for her. Seeing how scared she was of everyone and everything had me feeling sadness and rage over the card life dealt her. Obviously, I couldn’t wait to see her come back stronger than ever.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a transition from the scared girl she was to the badass woman she became. All of a sudden, she was strong and ready to tackle on the world, and I’m still here trying to process how did that happen. Granted, it was shared later on, but I would have preferred to see her change in action.
The other half of the book had me going crazy! There was so much happening and I was here for it. There wasn’t a dull moment; things kept happening left and right.
And guys, I actually shed a tear. A tear fell down my cheek, okay?! You know how rare this is if you’ve read my reviews for other books. The last few chapters had my heart being squeezed and almost ripped out of my chest.
AND THEN THE ENDING!!! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT!!! I cannot wait for the third book to, hopefully, get all the answers!!
We have Ava, who has gone through way more than anyone ever should. My heart truly broke for her. Seeing how scared she was of everyone and everything had me feeling sadness and rage over the card life dealt her. Obviously, I couldn’t wait to see her come back stronger than ever.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a transition from the scared girl she was to the badass woman she became. All of a sudden, she was strong and ready to tackle on the world, and I’m still here trying to process how did that happen. Granted, it was shared later on, but I would have preferred to see her change in action.
The other half of the book had me going crazy! There was so much happening and I was here for it. There wasn’t a dull moment; things kept happening left and right.
And guys, I actually shed a tear. A tear fell down my cheek, okay?! You know how rare this is if you’ve read my reviews for other books. The last few chapters had my heart being squeezed and almost ripped out of my chest.
AND THEN THE ENDING!!! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT!!! I cannot wait for the third book to, hopefully, get all the answers!!
March 14, 2021
Well this is one emotionally charged story
I knew going into this book it would be a major tear jerker. Ava's life has not been easy but she has such inner strength. As always Candice raises the bar with every book in this series and continues to throw massive shocks in you don't see coming. Massively recommend this series for every RH and MC addict out there.
I knew going into this book it would be a major tear jerker. Ava's life has not been easy but she has such inner strength. As always Candice raises the bar with every book in this series and continues to throw massive shocks in you don't see coming. Massively recommend this series for every RH and MC addict out there.
February 4, 2021
I loved Ava, how strong she was & her ability to move on from her past. I also loved the fact Luna & Reign made an appearance. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series. It’s been an enjoyable read & I look forward to book 5 👌🏼
December 28, 2020
3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
let me start by saying this: i love candice, love her writing, will always be a fan of hers, but i definitely have a little bit of a love hate relationship with these books. even with a badass/ strong FMC, there is just enough unconscious (and conscious) sexism that almost makes it not enjoyable- which speaks to how freaking talented the author is to pull me back in again and again- but more on this later.
im going to be completely honest- i struggled with this review a little bit- to the point where i just put it out of my mind and told myself i’d come back later- and here i am.
first, of course, i received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
second, this book has MAJOR triggers. so please please be very careful if you have any.
third- this review is a looong one, so buckle up. ( will include a TL;DR at the end)
here’s what i did enjoy:
1.) i looooooooved how it wasn’t just an automatic bff girl party between all the Hs in the series. it’s very realistic in the sense that there is resentment, mixed feelings, anger and jealousy. it makes me SO conflicted because first, i LOVE reign. she’s my favorite h from this series & second, i absolutely feel for Ava and don’t blame her at all, which makes me experience so many different emotions. i want reign to be happy and loved but ava’s anger is real and 100% justified.
2.) this book really spoke to me in a way i wasn’t expecting. it hit home for me in a way that i don’t want to go into on GR (lol) but as a survivor of all kinds of abuse from my own father, this one was definitely a doozy. and i absolutely appreciate how candice handled Avas trauma and brought up touchy but completely realistic topics like- therapy, revenge, resentment, self sacrifice.
3.) UGH BATES. that’s it. that’s the whole thing.
4.) loved getting to see the cameos of characters from previous books, even a little one sentence reference to Viddy.
5.) as always, candice loaded this bad boy up with twists, turns, and just a punch in the jaw of an ending you never saw coming.
^ i could list more, but this is already long enough and i hit the most important marks.
i’m gonna be real with y’all- this book (and series as a whole) is not my typical style. i hate sexist Hs, and since this is a MC book, there’s definitely more sexism than my usual reads. but again, this is an MC book, so it’s to be expected.
HOWEVER- it is important to note that it’s so obvious that this is not the actual authors feelings and it is done in a.. hmm.. (i want to say natural but maybe realistic would be a better word?) way that doesn’t make me feel gross reading. although a few times there i wanted Ava to punch them in the face. but i digress.
there is something about candices book’s that bring me back in every. damn. time. and not just in a ‘oh i have nothing to read, might as well’ way, but a put it on my upcoming releases shelf and get excited way.
one thing that really irked me, though, is how badly almost everyone in the situation handled it. ava made some really dumb choices (although hers were because of the trauma) her guys were so great at first and then became idiots, saint drove me crazy, ORION MADE ME WANT TO SCREAM- ugh everyone was just so dumb and needed to get the hell over themselves, sit their asses down, and talk it out. like cmon now. y’all are smarter than this- or at least i thought you were! especially after everything you’ve been through with luna, megan & reign.
it was admittedly harder for me to connect with the Hs in this book than it has been for me with previous books in the series. i can’t deny that i had a lot of feelings reading this book, but i also can’t deny that the primary one was irritation. some of these MC boys annoyed the eff out of me- and not just the three Hs.
i wouldve liked to see a little more character development for the guys- it was almost like the author was relying on us having read the previous books and picking up their characters from there. while i personally have, some others may have not & its also hard to remember that stuff when it’s been a while between books. it wouldn’t have been a problem if i had reread or was binge reading the whole series, but i didn’t have time to do that & not everyone will.
TL;DR: this book got 3.75 stars from me because i did enjoy it overall and am looking forward to reading more in the series. i don’t think i’ll reread this particular book, but i think i’m gonna go back and read about my girl Reign again because i freaking love her. again, please be SUPER SUPER mindful of your triggers when reading this book, but i would definitely recommend the read.
let me start by saying this: i love candice, love her writing, will always be a fan of hers, but i definitely have a little bit of a love hate relationship with these books. even with a badass/ strong FMC, there is just enough unconscious (and conscious) sexism that almost makes it not enjoyable- which speaks to how freaking talented the author is to pull me back in again and again- but more on this later.
im going to be completely honest- i struggled with this review a little bit- to the point where i just put it out of my mind and told myself i’d come back later- and here i am.
first, of course, i received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
second, this book has MAJOR triggers. so please please be very careful if you have any.
third- this review is a looong one, so buckle up. ( will include a TL;DR at the end)
here’s what i did enjoy:
1.) i looooooooved how it wasn’t just an automatic bff girl party between all the Hs in the series. it’s very realistic in the sense that there is resentment, mixed feelings, anger and jealousy. it makes me SO conflicted because first, i LOVE reign. she’s my favorite h from this series & second, i absolutely feel for Ava and don’t blame her at all, which makes me experience so many different emotions. i want reign to be happy and loved but ava’s anger is real and 100% justified.
2.) this book really spoke to me in a way i wasn’t expecting. it hit home for me in a way that i don’t want to go into on GR (lol) but as a survivor of all kinds of abuse from my own father, this one was definitely a doozy. and i absolutely appreciate how candice handled Avas trauma and brought up touchy but completely realistic topics like- therapy, revenge, resentment, self sacrifice.
3.) UGH BATES. that’s it. that’s the whole thing.
4.) loved getting to see the cameos of characters from previous books, even a little one sentence reference to Viddy.
5.) as always, candice loaded this bad boy up with twists, turns, and just a punch in the jaw of an ending you never saw coming.
^ i could list more, but this is already long enough and i hit the most important marks.
i’m gonna be real with y’all- this book (and series as a whole) is not my typical style. i hate sexist Hs, and since this is a MC book, there’s definitely more sexism than my usual reads. but again, this is an MC book, so it’s to be expected.
HOWEVER- it is important to note that it’s so obvious that this is not the actual authors feelings and it is done in a.. hmm.. (i want to say natural but maybe realistic would be a better word?) way that doesn’t make me feel gross reading. although a few times there i wanted Ava to punch them in the face. but i digress.
there is something about candices book’s that bring me back in every. damn. time. and not just in a ‘oh i have nothing to read, might as well’ way, but a put it on my upcoming releases shelf and get excited way.
one thing that really irked me, though, is how badly almost everyone in the situation handled it. ava made some really dumb choices (although hers were because of the trauma) her guys were so great at first and then became idiots, saint drove me crazy, ORION MADE ME WANT TO SCREAM- ugh everyone was just so dumb and needed to get the hell over themselves, sit their asses down, and talk it out. like cmon now. y’all are smarter than this- or at least i thought you were! especially after everything you’ve been through with luna, megan & reign.
it was admittedly harder for me to connect with the Hs in this book than it has been for me with previous books in the series. i can’t deny that i had a lot of feelings reading this book, but i also can’t deny that the primary one was irritation. some of these MC boys annoyed the eff out of me- and not just the three Hs.
i wouldve liked to see a little more character development for the guys- it was almost like the author was relying on us having read the previous books and picking up their characters from there. while i personally have, some others may have not & its also hard to remember that stuff when it’s been a while between books. it wouldn’t have been a problem if i had reread or was binge reading the whole series, but i didn’t have time to do that & not everyone will.
TL;DR: this book got 3.75 stars from me because i did enjoy it overall and am looking forward to reading more in the series. i don’t think i’ll reread this particular book, but i think i’m gonna go back and read about my girl Reign again because i freaking love her. again, please be SUPER SUPER mindful of your triggers when reading this book, but i would definitely recommend the read.
October 24, 2023
Wow
I was unsure what star to give this.
I absolutely loved it, but, and this is a big but, if I hadn't read any of the other books I would of felt no connection to the main characters. There's no description or explanation as to who the characters are or even what they are to each other. I understand the author assumed you have read book 1 and 2, but it would of been nice to feel the same love you felt in book 1and 2.
That being said, the book itself is amazing, the plot weaving and tension make you sit on the edge of your seat.
What I will add to, is I love how when the physical side starts you don't get pages and pages of sex. It's serving scene and done tastefully, it also lasts a normal amount of time lol, not like hours and hours as some author's do.
It's lovely how gentle they are with her, part of me thought where do you get one grin
I was unsure what star to give this.
I absolutely loved it, but, and this is a big but, if I hadn't read any of the other books I would of felt no connection to the main characters. There's no description or explanation as to who the characters are or even what they are to each other. I understand the author assumed you have read book 1 and 2, but it would of been nice to feel the same love you felt in book 1and 2.
That being said, the book itself is amazing, the plot weaving and tension make you sit on the edge of your seat.
What I will add to, is I love how when the physical side starts you don't get pages and pages of sex. It's serving scene and done tastefully, it also lasts a normal amount of time lol, not like hours and hours as some author's do.
It's lovely how gentle they are with her, part of me thought where do you get one grin
January 15, 2021
DNF. Made it to 61% but couldn’t go further.
To say I was disappointed with this book is an understatement. I really enjoyed book 2 and 3 but hated how Saint was made to look like an incompetent asshole who couldn’t manage to string a sentence together in front of Ava in this book.
Then we go from a girl who has survived years of sexual abuse who was just starting to be ok being touched in a somewhat sexual manner one morning to her getting dp’d in the afternoon.
When I turned the page after that and saw a month had passed by that’s when I had to stop and put the book down. What’s the point of having a badass female character in the book when you miss the whole evolution??
I’m gutted the book turned out this way.
To say I was disappointed with this book is an understatement. I really enjoyed book 2 and 3 but hated how Saint was made to look like an incompetent asshole who couldn’t manage to string a sentence together in front of Ava in this book.
Then we go from a girl who has survived years of sexual abuse who was just starting to be ok being touched in a somewhat sexual manner one morning to her getting dp’d in the afternoon.
When I turned the page after that and saw a month had passed by that’s when I had to stop and put the book down. What’s the point of having a badass female character in the book when you miss the whole evolution??
I’m gutted the book turned out this way.
January 9, 2023
"Daddy missed you"
This book started so dark, found it harder to get into just because of the storyline and I just didn't find it beliveable that after all that abuse she'd be ready for DP couple months later. Saying all that I do love this series and candices writing, so pushed through ready for the next one.
This book started so dark, found it harder to get into just because of the storyline and I just didn't find it beliveable that after all that abuse she'd be ready for DP couple months later. Saying all that I do love this series and candices writing, so pushed through ready for the next one.
July 30, 2025
Another great book
Yet another fantastic edition to this series. I loved Ava and how strong she was. I had been impatiently waiting for Diesels part in this series, and I wasn't disappointed. These guys were so unbelievable patient with Ava. Lots of action and suspense. Steamy times and lots of love.
Yet another fantastic edition to this series. I loved Ava and how strong she was. I had been impatiently waiting for Diesels part in this series, and I wasn't disappointed. These guys were so unbelievable patient with Ava. Lots of action and suspense. Steamy times and lots of love.
January 20, 2021
OMG
I think this book ripped my heart out. The heart ache, tragedy, characters. I loved this book and can’t wait to see where the series goes next.
I think this book ripped my heart out. The heart ache, tragedy, characters. I loved this book and can’t wait to see where the series goes next.
January 18, 2022
WOW! That ending was WOW! I loved Ava's story and how strong she was! This was so emotional! Blood, death, violence and so many twists! I'm going to read the next book in the series right away!
October 7, 2024
Wow, this is the fourth book in the Undeterestimated series. It was a totally wild ride from start to finish. Way more so than the books that came before it. Not going to mention characters as I don't want to spoil anything...
March 23, 2022
My least favorite of the bunch
This was my least favorite as it didn’t feel like the style of the previous books.
Especially with the bad guy prevailing because of obvious missed opportunities. The last 3rd of the book dragged them irritated me.
Still a fan and will be reading the next.
This was my least favorite as it didn’t feel like the style of the previous books.
Especially with the bad guy prevailing because of obvious missed opportunities. The last 3rd of the book dragged them irritated me.
Still a fan and will be reading the next.
September 15, 2022
Okay, so I haven't read any of the other books in this series, which means this book is my introduction. It's not a good one. Spoilers ahead because I can't explain to you where this book goes wrong without providing a lot of detail.
The opening scene of this novel is of the FMC, Ava, being held captive and brutally sexually assaulted by a man who appears to be her biological father. It's sick and difficult to get through.
Cut to the next chapter, three guys that are a part of the Carnage MC are out searching for Ava. They don't find her at the location they're searching, but get a call that she's been brought to the hospital. Turns out that Ava's brother Saint is a chapter president and he's been searching for her for over a year.
So, here's where things get fucked up. In this book, we learn that Ava's father was abusing her as a kid. At some point, she goes into witness protection with her uncle until, a year before the book begins, she comes out of hiding because Saint's girl has been kidnapped by her father. Saint's girl, Reign, gets rescued and in return Ava is once again captured by her awful father. She's kept prisoner for over a year. She is brutally raped by him day after day, not allowed to shower, and fed only oatmeal. She spends months trying to break a spring out of the shitty mattress in her cage, and when she finally does, she realizes it's not sharp enough to do much damage to her father. She instead cuts her own wrists, and he freaks out and drops her off at the hospital. We'll LATER learn that not only did he rape her, he wanted to impregnate her, too.
Fucking awful, right?! Oh, don't worry. It gets worse. After all of this abuse, you would expect Ava to be absolutely traumatized and struggling to move forward. Somehow, she grows (very quickly) to trust three MC guys who show up at the hospital at the start of the book. These guys are sexualizing her literally the moment they meet her - what the fuck? She then, after just two months, gets over everything and becomes a badass who kidnaps and holds her father captive. THEN, the MC blames her and treats her like shit because she went behind their backs to get to her abuser.
This book is a fucking shitshow. My previous synopsis doesn't even do this book justice in how bad it is.
There's absolutely no realism for Ava's PTSD, nor do we even get to see her actively work through anything as the reader.
The guys are sexualizing her off the bat, which is so uncomfortable considering it's mentioned early on that she's dirty and stinks and is so malnourished. WTF??
Then, tack on the BLATANT sexism happening in the MC towards the end of the book, despite the fact that there's all these other women who seem to have their own books in this series. None of this sexism gets resolved.
It's fucking confusing, poorly written, and reeks of misogyny.
I'm surprised at all of the positive reviews here because I don't think this book is well written, I don't think the plot is well developed, and I don't think that the serious subject matters included are well tackled.
I would never recommend this to anyone unless they actively wanted to read a book that would piss them off.
The opening scene of this novel is of the FMC, Ava, being held captive and brutally sexually assaulted by a man who appears to be her biological father. It's sick and difficult to get through.
Cut to the next chapter, three guys that are a part of the Carnage MC are out searching for Ava. They don't find her at the location they're searching, but get a call that she's been brought to the hospital. Turns out that Ava's brother Saint is a chapter president and he's been searching for her for over a year.
So, here's where things get fucked up. In this book, we learn that Ava's father was abusing her as a kid. At some point, she goes into witness protection with her uncle until, a year before the book begins, she comes out of hiding because Saint's girl has been kidnapped by her father. Saint's girl, Reign, gets rescued and in return Ava is once again captured by her awful father. She's kept prisoner for over a year. She is brutally raped by him day after day, not allowed to shower, and fed only oatmeal. She spends months trying to break a spring out of the shitty mattress in her cage, and when she finally does, she realizes it's not sharp enough to do much damage to her father. She instead cuts her own wrists, and he freaks out and drops her off at the hospital. We'll LATER learn that not only did he rape her, he wanted to impregnate her, too.
Fucking awful, right?! Oh, don't worry. It gets worse. After all of this abuse, you would expect Ava to be absolutely traumatized and struggling to move forward. Somehow, she grows (very quickly) to trust three MC guys who show up at the hospital at the start of the book. These guys are sexualizing her literally the moment they meet her - what the fuck? She then, after just two months, gets over everything and becomes a badass who kidnaps and holds her father captive. THEN, the MC blames her and treats her like shit because she went behind their backs to get to her abuser.
This book is a fucking shitshow. My previous synopsis doesn't even do this book justice in how bad it is.
There's absolutely no realism for Ava's PTSD, nor do we even get to see her actively work through anything as the reader.
The guys are sexualizing her off the bat, which is so uncomfortable considering it's mentioned early on that she's dirty and stinks and is so malnourished. WTF??
Then, tack on the BLATANT sexism happening in the MC towards the end of the book, despite the fact that there's all these other women who seem to have their own books in this series. None of this sexism gets resolved.
It's fucking confusing, poorly written, and reeks of misogyny.
I'm surprised at all of the positive reviews here because I don't think this book is well written, I don't think the plot is well developed, and I don't think that the serious subject matters included are well tackled.
I would never recommend this to anyone unless they actively wanted to read a book that would piss them off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2021
Not a Relaxing Read
**Just a quick warning that there is sexual and physical abuse featured in this book. If you feel that this subject matter might cause you to experience emotional distress, you should probably skip this book.**
Ava is the daughter of Garrett, a serial killer cop who went undercover at Kings of Carnage for years. Garrett is obsessed with his daughter and his abuse of her started early on. Though she managed to escape for a while with her uncle, under witness protection, she was forced out into the light when Garrett found a perfect replacement victim in Reign, who Ava’s uncle had come to care for.
After Ava emerged from witness protection she was abducted by Garrett and her uncle was killed. She has been subject to his obsession for a year and a half, whilst her newly discovered brother, Saint, and the rest of the Kings of Carnage hunt for her.
The story starts just before Ava gets away from her father and the book gets going with quite traumatic events. You don’t get eased into this book. In fact, I didn’t really ‘enjoy’ this book. There is quite a lot of difficult subject matter, and it doesn’t have much in the way of levity to counter balance it. I also found it difficult to connect to Ava, and I think that is because of the trauma involved which subjugated a lot of her normal personality and that a chunk of the book was more about how she was viewed than what she was experiencing. I understand why the author made this choice, for plot reasons, but it didn’t help me actually empathise with the character much until towards the end of the book when more of her actual personality was allowed out.
I felt that the author took some shortcuts on character development for the male characters in this book because they had appeared in previous books in the series. It meant that they didn’t really show themselves properly in this book, which I felt was a bit of a shame, as they are all interesting characters.
This felt like a necessary book for the series as a whole, but as a stand-alone book, it didn’t work for me as much as the other books in the series. However, I will still be downloading the next book in the series as soon as possible because I really want to know what happens next as there was a tiny bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the book.
**Just a quick warning that there is sexual and physical abuse featured in this book. If you feel that this subject matter might cause you to experience emotional distress, you should probably skip this book.**
Ava is the daughter of Garrett, a serial killer cop who went undercover at Kings of Carnage for years. Garrett is obsessed with his daughter and his abuse of her started early on. Though she managed to escape for a while with her uncle, under witness protection, she was forced out into the light when Garrett found a perfect replacement victim in Reign, who Ava’s uncle had come to care for.
After Ava emerged from witness protection she was abducted by Garrett and her uncle was killed. She has been subject to his obsession for a year and a half, whilst her newly discovered brother, Saint, and the rest of the Kings of Carnage hunt for her.
The story starts just before Ava gets away from her father and the book gets going with quite traumatic events. You don’t get eased into this book. In fact, I didn’t really ‘enjoy’ this book. There is quite a lot of difficult subject matter, and it doesn’t have much in the way of levity to counter balance it. I also found it difficult to connect to Ava, and I think that is because of the trauma involved which subjugated a lot of her normal personality and that a chunk of the book was more about how she was viewed than what she was experiencing. I understand why the author made this choice, for plot reasons, but it didn’t help me actually empathise with the character much until towards the end of the book when more of her actual personality was allowed out.
I felt that the author took some shortcuts on character development for the male characters in this book because they had appeared in previous books in the series. It meant that they didn’t really show themselves properly in this book, which I felt was a bit of a shame, as they are all interesting characters.
This felt like a necessary book for the series as a whole, but as a stand-alone book, it didn’t work for me as much as the other books in the series. However, I will still be downloading the next book in the series as soon as possible because I really want to know what happens next as there was a tiny bit of a cliffhanger at the end of the book.
March 25, 2021
The Heir of Shadows by Candice Wright
After Reign, I was so excited for Ava’s story. Ava’s life has been tragic, in every sense. To truly understand, you must read the other novels in the series before reading Heir of Shadows.
Now, without spoilers this will be tough but here it goes. Lucky, Rebel and Diesel have been searching for Ava for a long time. Once they have her, they know she’s the one. After what she’s been through her entire life, the three struggle with how to show Ava that’s she’s beautiful, worthy and so damned loved.
Their love for Ava can only go so far, bylaws and all that jazz keeping Ava in the dark and hearing “club business” repeatedly. Ava isn’t going to be in the dark again though. Ava isn’t some demure scared little girl, though no one could blame her if she was. She’s smart, fierce, and so done with people putting her in cages. She, like all of the other FMC’s in the series, is not to be underestimated.
Just like the other books in this series, there are twists and at one point I’m pretty sure the book just smacked me right in the face. I was so mad, seething really, at this fictional world that Candice so graciously created. Getting past my anger towards every single biker in the book (read it and you’ll know), I LOVED this!! Do yourself a favor and read the entire series, you won’t regret it.
After Reign, I was so excited for Ava’s story. Ava’s life has been tragic, in every sense. To truly understand, you must read the other novels in the series before reading Heir of Shadows.
Now, without spoilers this will be tough but here it goes. Lucky, Rebel and Diesel have been searching for Ava for a long time. Once they have her, they know she’s the one. After what she’s been through her entire life, the three struggle with how to show Ava that’s she’s beautiful, worthy and so damned loved.
Their love for Ava can only go so far, bylaws and all that jazz keeping Ava in the dark and hearing “club business” repeatedly. Ava isn’t going to be in the dark again though. Ava isn’t some demure scared little girl, though no one could blame her if she was. She’s smart, fierce, and so done with people putting her in cages. She, like all of the other FMC’s in the series, is not to be underestimated.
Just like the other books in this series, there are twists and at one point I’m pretty sure the book just smacked me right in the face. I was so mad, seething really, at this fictional world that Candice so graciously created. Getting past my anger towards every single biker in the book (read it and you’ll know), I LOVED this!! Do yourself a favor and read the entire series, you won’t regret it.
April 7, 2021
This is the fourth book in the series and they need to be read in order. For me this book is the most tragic yet. Ava has been through so much. She has moved from one cage to another. The guys never stopped looking for her. But she has just moved from one cage to another. This one is nicer and so are her guards. In face they have helped more than anyone. They guys have helped her put herself back together. Helped her realize that she can want and have desires. But, are they holding her back at the same time? Their need to protect her may be hindering her as well. She has survived and now it is her time to shine. Candice has done it once again. This book picks up right shortly after book three ends. There is danger, romance, and so much more in this book. Ava is the most underestimated of the girls. These guys are learning to change the way they see the women in their lives and what they can handle. I think the women of this series are the strongest of them all. This series is full of secrets being revealed. Of strong women becoming stronger. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Fantastic job once again Candice.
April 20, 2022
First things first; I like the cover of this book!
The heir of shadows is the fourth book in the ‘’underestimated’’ series. I devoured this book in one sitting and was satisfied throughout. I found the writing style easy to follow, the characters likeable and the storyline angsty and action packed. This book is Ava’s story who we briefly met in book three. Ava has had a horrific life and the nightmare continues. Rebel, Diesel and Lucky are tasked with finding and rescuing Ava. When the come face to face with her will they want more?
The chemistry between Ava, Rebel, Diesel and Lucky is clear to see and I liked them together.
I totally understood why Ava was angry and hurt by what her men took from her.
I loved that when it came down to it, although unplanned, she did what she originally wanted.
I absolutely loved her bond with Bates and how she grounded him when he needed it. It is no secret that I love Bates!
My heart broke for Ava and all she had been through.
I liked the ending and the epilogue for this story. That cliff hanger shocked me!
The storyline for this book is easy to follow and it is an entertaining read. I cannot wait for more books from this series.
The heir of shadows is the fourth book in the ‘’underestimated’’ series. I devoured this book in one sitting and was satisfied throughout. I found the writing style easy to follow, the characters likeable and the storyline angsty and action packed. This book is Ava’s story who we briefly met in book three. Ava has had a horrific life and the nightmare continues. Rebel, Diesel and Lucky are tasked with finding and rescuing Ava. When the come face to face with her will they want more?
The chemistry between Ava, Rebel, Diesel and Lucky is clear to see and I liked them together.
I totally understood why Ava was angry and hurt by what her men took from her.
I loved that when it came down to it, although unplanned, she did what she originally wanted.
I absolutely loved her bond with Bates and how she grounded him when he needed it. It is no secret that I love Bates!
My heart broke for Ava and all she had been through.
I liked the ending and the epilogue for this story. That cliff hanger shocked me!
The storyline for this book is easy to follow and it is an entertaining read. I cannot wait for more books from this series.
January 12, 2021
Heartbreaking in so many ways this book confronts so many dark topics which may upset some folks. Ava (FMC) Saints sister has been missing for over a year. Kidnapped by the Garrett. Someone who gets off on playing sadistic minds and manipulation. Ava's story though is a book of two halves for me. Beginning with freedom and her coming to terms with the ordeal she went through during kidnapping. To then being shielded and protected by Rebel, Lucky and Diesel. How they took care of her, brought her out of her shell, got her to grow in confidence & thrive was really lovely. Leading the 2nd part where she grew into a much stronger character than she was before. She showed true grit and determination then I thought. Her story is a hard read especially when she finally tells the whole story to the Carnage MC. What Garrett did to her. It brought a few tears but I found myself cheering for her as she put those sexist bikers in their place. This is one hell of a read and like the other books in this series once you start reading it it grips you and you can't put it down
January 22, 2021
I loved, loved this one! I swear the Underestimated series just keeps on getting better and better. I did not see all the twists coming with Ava's story and it was just fab. Heartwrenching at times but also super steamy. Can't wait for the next one x
January 14, 2021
Do you ever read one of those new releases you were so excited going in to and then just sit back and think, "What happened to this series?!" This new release was one of those moments for me. I've been steady really enjoying this series, even if I was a bit tired of the three H's to one h theme of the series. I get why this was wrote in as a by law of the MC, but at the same time it's becoming a bit too unbelievable. The situation with King and the original trio sounds the most believable that the h just accepted the other two so she didn't have to stop being with the man she actually loved.
Sp oi l er ish co nt ent ahead!
The previously introduced MC characters treated Ava very poorly. Also, the H's in this story were confusing except for Lucky. We met Lucky in Megan's story and that resonated with us readers. But then Diesel and heck, I can't even strongly recall the 3rd H's name now...Rebel, that's what it is, it was like I didn't even know who they were hardly and no real back story was given.
Ava is stuck in a kidnapped torture situation again, this time for a year. It was a horrible experience for her. I felt like she flipped back to normalish too soon to be believable. I did believe that she would need and crave her own style of revenge, but I just felt like her internal monologue and actions did not have a smooth and steady healing vibe. It was more light switch on off on off fine...I'm fine, totally fine ride of her processing. I just didn't buy into her reactions.
I was also disappointed by not getting the chapters live in action of how she trapped her father, but instead it was a mild boring retelling to the others.
The hot scenes, weren't all that hot.
The A's need to create some strong emotional events of the story is understandable. HOWEVER, to blatantly take out so many characters and hurt several other characters seemed over done when you consider some of the character were lead character and strong sides in this series. It was just TOO much.
I feel like this installment has broken my trust in this author and I want to tell her to just sit down and slow down. THINK about your decisions. I already know the next book in this series is going to be unlikable. Pike and Sunshine were introduced in this story, I found my self WAY more interested in them than these mains. They both grew up in the system, had each other and it seemed like they loved each other fiercely. I was so into their story. But SP O I LER she kills off Pike in this story with Sunshine being preggo! WHAT!? No...NOOOO! So you have a girl who had her true love soul mate, you take him out and now she's supposed to fall in love with Kermit, who it's safe to assume is a good two to THREE DECADES older than her! Is she also going to get paired with two other guys or what? I'm not into cheating or second chance romances really. I'm also not a fan of people finding true love after they already had true love. Doesn't come off realistic that you meet sooo many loves.
Sidenote, another issue I had was when the three mains found Ava hiding out, how she just fell back into a relationship with them when she did NOT want to be at Carnage or supposedly with them. But then she's just bam holding their hands and finding support with them. There was a lot of potential to really dive deeper into emotional processing and feelings that was a missed opportunity with that situation. Where was the communication? Where was the TRUE expression of how they made her feel?
This installment felt like a rush bottom of the barrel scraping to put a story together that left out the magic.
Sp oi l er ish co nt ent ahead!
The previously introduced MC characters treated Ava very poorly. Also, the H's in this story were confusing except for Lucky. We met Lucky in Megan's story and that resonated with us readers. But then Diesel and heck, I can't even strongly recall the 3rd H's name now...Rebel, that's what it is, it was like I didn't even know who they were hardly and no real back story was given.
Ava is stuck in a kidnapped torture situation again, this time for a year. It was a horrible experience for her. I felt like she flipped back to normalish too soon to be believable. I did believe that she would need and crave her own style of revenge, but I just felt like her internal monologue and actions did not have a smooth and steady healing vibe. It was more light switch on off on off fine...I'm fine, totally fine ride of her processing. I just didn't buy into her reactions.
I was also disappointed by not getting the chapters live in action of how she trapped her father, but instead it was a mild boring retelling to the others.
The hot scenes, weren't all that hot.
The A's need to create some strong emotional events of the story is understandable. HOWEVER, to blatantly take out so many characters and hurt several other characters seemed over done when you consider some of the character were lead character and strong sides in this series. It was just TOO much.
I feel like this installment has broken my trust in this author and I want to tell her to just sit down and slow down. THINK about your decisions. I already know the next book in this series is going to be unlikable. Pike and Sunshine were introduced in this story, I found my self WAY more interested in them than these mains. They both grew up in the system, had each other and it seemed like they loved each other fiercely. I was so into their story. But SP O I LER she kills off Pike in this story with Sunshine being preggo! WHAT!? No...NOOOO! So you have a girl who had her true love soul mate, you take him out and now she's supposed to fall in love with Kermit, who it's safe to assume is a good two to THREE DECADES older than her! Is she also going to get paired with two other guys or what? I'm not into cheating or second chance romances really. I'm also not a fan of people finding true love after they already had true love. Doesn't come off realistic that you meet sooo many loves.
Sidenote, another issue I had was when the three mains found Ava hiding out, how she just fell back into a relationship with them when she did NOT want to be at Carnage or supposedly with them. But then she's just bam holding their hands and finding support with them. There was a lot of potential to really dive deeper into emotional processing and feelings that was a missed opportunity with that situation. Where was the communication? Where was the TRUE expression of how they made her feel?
This installment felt like a rush bottom of the barrel scraping to put a story together that left out the magic.
February 25, 2023
After giving herself up to her obsessive, abusive father to save Reign, Ava never thought she would see the light of freedom again. But in a stroke of luck she finds herself in a hospital room surrounded by burly MC crewmates that instead of making her shrink away in fear, make her cling to them as if they are the last line of defense between her and the year long sexual abuse she had suffered. Now that she is free her brother, the MC's President, will do anything to keep her safe. Even if that means having her stay in an isolated cabin in the woods with the three men that were the only things that made Ava feel sane again. Ava has a long road of recovery ahead of her and in that time her brother and his crewmates will stop at nothing to capture Ava's boogeyman. But Ava's heart is the one thing in danger of her losing that nobody can prevent.
Ava was a beautifully damaged soul that went through hell but was one of the strongest female protagonists of the series to date. But surprisingly that didn't make her all that endearing to me personally. Don't get me wrong, I felt horrible for her plight and I commended her on her recovery but she was a martyr in the making and it was annoying to watch her continuously put herself in terrible situations that could be avoided if only she were to trust someone. In the end she proved she didn't really need anyone's assistance in righting her wrongs which made the bond between her and her men feel a little lackluster. In this sort of literary dynamic the men are meant to stand at the woman's back and offer their strength so she can fight her own battles, but Ava didn't even need them at her back. She didn't even need them in the same room. It made their relationships just... odd. Not to mention I didn't feel I got to know the other two men in the dynamic aside from Diesel which kind of sucked because I really wanted to get to know Lucky from his appearances in the very first book on.
Out of all the books I feel like this one was probably my least favorite so far. I didn't find the heroine to be very likeable and the men just seemed to be more in the way than a vital part of the relationship story. It was not very well structured and I feel if Ava's issues were a little less pronounces and she leaned on the men a bit more then it would have made their love a little more believable and all-encompassing. That is not to say the book was bad, but... I feel there could have been vital changes to make the story and characters flow a bit better.
Aside from the romantic stuttering I was voracious in hoping that they were able to find and capture Ava's father before he found her himself. The taunting gifts he left and the arrogance was infuriating. I found myself more interested in the big baddie than the romance, which is saying something for me. But if it weren't for this, I may have even DNF'ed the read as unfortunate as that would have been.
February 3, 2025
Lots of Suspense in this one and one bad-ass woman who has been through entirely too much.
Ava has lived with or hidden from a man who has abused her all her life - her father.
She has been abducted at the end of the last book and nearly a year passes with her in his cage. She finally does the one thing to get her free by trying to kill herself but she knows he'll be back for her. During her recovery, she ends up with Rebel, Diesel, & Lucky who had been searching for her all this time. They finally find her in the hospital and take her into their keeping but she's simply exchanged one prison for another.
I loved Lucky, he was my favorite as their interactions made sense and I felt like they connected on a personal level. Not so much with Rebel and definitely not so much with Diesel. And the fact they just told her to deal with being caged until they caught her dad even after she offered to be the bait and they could control the outcome is just a bit too much for her.
We don't get to see her behind the scenes moments where she not only captures her dad on her own but also tortures him for months before the 3 stooges manage to finally figure out she's taken care of it herself. But what do they do, they let the police get involved and OF COURSE dear old daddy-o escapes yet again.
This time he kills a lot of people trying to get her out of hiding and in his clutches. Just so much wrong with it in the end but it sets up the next book. We'll see how this one goes. I have to say I preferred the series I started with since we only had M/F characters to keep up with. After a while, their backstories and motivations just become overwhelming and it's hard for me to keep straight who is who.
Ava has lived with or hidden from a man who has abused her all her life - her father.
She has been abducted at the end of the last book and nearly a year passes with her in his cage. She finally does the one thing to get her free by trying to kill herself but she knows he'll be back for her. During her recovery, she ends up with Rebel, Diesel, & Lucky who had been searching for her all this time. They finally find her in the hospital and take her into their keeping but she's simply exchanged one prison for another.
I loved Lucky, he was my favorite as their interactions made sense and I felt like they connected on a personal level. Not so much with Rebel and definitely not so much with Diesel. And the fact they just told her to deal with being caged until they caught her dad even after she offered to be the bait and they could control the outcome is just a bit too much for her.
We don't get to see her behind the scenes moments where she not only captures her dad on her own but also tortures him for months before the 3 stooges manage to finally figure out she's taken care of it herself. But what do they do, they let the police get involved and OF COURSE dear old daddy-o escapes yet again.
This time he kills a lot of people trying to get her out of hiding and in his clutches. Just so much wrong with it in the end but it sets up the next book. We'll see how this one goes. I have to say I preferred the series I started with since we only had M/F characters to keep up with. After a while, their backstories and motivations just become overwhelming and it's hard for me to keep straight who is who.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2021
Surprising?
I'm not sure about this book exactly. I feel like I've been tricked. The first quarter was good with resolving some issues from book 3, but then it got kind of slow...and sort of boring. But the the last quarter of the book shook things up again and it almost felt like the heroine, Ava, was messing with my mind. In the end, I find myself confused yet eager to see what could possibly happen next.
It's hard for me to read books about recent assault survivors who fall in love again. I'm not sure why it makes me uncomfortable, because people fall in love all the time, but it just feels weird. There's this fine line where I just want the woman to control everything and it makes me feel apprehensive toward any dudes trying to get some lovin'. I'm probably not explaining this well. Sorry. But this book allows for the passage of time which helps somewhat.
I could probably write an essay on the treatment of assault survivors, but instead I'll just say that there are a lot of mistakes made by the men in this book and in the series in general, which is the intent, just to show how women are still being treated poorly by men. Instead of making assumptions on what women want, why not just ask? So, I'm loving all this misogyny and the female characters pointing it out constantly, yet still choosing to live in this MC world. Contradictions make my brain hurt, but I like that. At least the men apologize and seem to want to change.
I loved this book and Ava discovering what love and pleasure should feel like when it's on her terms with 3 hot dudes. So, all in all it's another win for me and I'll be reading the next book now.
I'm not sure about this book exactly. I feel like I've been tricked. The first quarter was good with resolving some issues from book 3, but then it got kind of slow...and sort of boring. But the the last quarter of the book shook things up again and it almost felt like the heroine, Ava, was messing with my mind. In the end, I find myself confused yet eager to see what could possibly happen next.
It's hard for me to read books about recent assault survivors who fall in love again. I'm not sure why it makes me uncomfortable, because people fall in love all the time, but it just feels weird. There's this fine line where I just want the woman to control everything and it makes me feel apprehensive toward any dudes trying to get some lovin'. I'm probably not explaining this well. Sorry. But this book allows for the passage of time which helps somewhat.
I could probably write an essay on the treatment of assault survivors, but instead I'll just say that there are a lot of mistakes made by the men in this book and in the series in general, which is the intent, just to show how women are still being treated poorly by men. Instead of making assumptions on what women want, why not just ask? So, I'm loving all this misogyny and the female characters pointing it out constantly, yet still choosing to live in this MC world. Contradictions make my brain hurt, but I like that. At least the men apologize and seem to want to change.
I loved this book and Ava discovering what love and pleasure should feel like when it's on her terms with 3 hot dudes. So, all in all it's another win for me and I'll be reading the next book now.
January 8, 2021
My oh my, what twisted things
This is a solid 5 star rating for book 4 of the An Underestimated series.
First, let me say that ending was a major surprise. Goodness, I had to read that last page 3 times just to make sure I read it correctly. Ms. Wright most definitely wanted to throw in more twists, surprises and have the readers saying WTF!!!
This installment to the series was good, as with the first three. Ava, the MFC for this installment was portrayed really well for her role. I didn't expect the guys to be who they were but for me, that worked out.
There are some scenes where things are mentioned (not written out in gory disturbing details) that can be a trigger to some people. The storyline was full of emotions. There's plenty of heart breaking moments, some funny moments and a deeper inside look to some of the characters you would never have guessed would behave a certain way. The author did a great job there. So much happens in this installment to the series. I will say though, I loved seeing all the characters from the previous books included in this installment; well included or mentioned regularly without over doing it.
I've always found that while reading series, when the author continues with new characters but keeps the characters from earlier books intertwined into the storyline, is one of my favorite things.
Overall, I loved this installment to the series. Waiting for the next book to come out is going to be torture, especially after the ending the author wrote.
This is a solid 5 star rating for book 4 of the An Underestimated series.
First, let me say that ending was a major surprise. Goodness, I had to read that last page 3 times just to make sure I read it correctly. Ms. Wright most definitely wanted to throw in more twists, surprises and have the readers saying WTF!!!
This installment to the series was good, as with the first three. Ava, the MFC for this installment was portrayed really well for her role. I didn't expect the guys to be who they were but for me, that worked out.
There are some scenes where things are mentioned (not written out in gory disturbing details) that can be a trigger to some people. The storyline was full of emotions. There's plenty of heart breaking moments, some funny moments and a deeper inside look to some of the characters you would never have guessed would behave a certain way. The author did a great job there. So much happens in this installment to the series. I will say though, I loved seeing all the characters from the previous books included in this installment; well included or mentioned regularly without over doing it.
I've always found that while reading series, when the author continues with new characters but keeps the characters from earlier books intertwined into the storyline, is one of my favorite things.
Overall, I loved this installment to the series. Waiting for the next book to come out is going to be torture, especially after the ending the author wrote.
January 26, 2024
This story was not what I was expecting from the blurb. I like Candice's writing style, but her blurbs aren't always the best representation of what to actually expect from the story. This story was great. I loved Ava's character as well as the three MMCs. This story felt like it was less of a romance story and more of a journey for Ava to heal.
I do like stories where there's a serial killer and I think that Candice did an amazing job at going into some of the psychology of a psychopath like Garrett. I wish that we maybe got more of an explanation for things outside of "he's crazy" which is pretty much all we got. It felt like we missed Garrett revealing more backstory about himself that would maybe explain things a bit more.
This is something that I've noticed as a trend in a lot of these stories in this series.. the severe lack of backstory for some characters. It feels like we get a little backstory, but not enough to be really meaningful. Outside of the abuse Ava suffered, we never really get to know a lot about her. It was a shame. We knew a little of the backstory for the MMCs simply because they've appeared in other books, but not enough to really satisfy me.
So if there's one thing that I'd like to see for future books in this series is more backstory for all of the characters.
I do like stories where there's a serial killer and I think that Candice did an amazing job at going into some of the psychology of a psychopath like Garrett. I wish that we maybe got more of an explanation for things outside of "he's crazy" which is pretty much all we got. It felt like we missed Garrett revealing more backstory about himself that would maybe explain things a bit more.
This is something that I've noticed as a trend in a lot of these stories in this series.. the severe lack of backstory for some characters. It feels like we get a little backstory, but not enough to be really meaningful. Outside of the abuse Ava suffered, we never really get to know a lot about her. It was a shame. We knew a little of the backstory for the MMCs simply because they've appeared in other books, but not enough to really satisfy me.
So if there's one thing that I'd like to see for future books in this series is more backstory for all of the characters.
May 30, 2021
Um. This series started on such a high.
The whole mysterious vibe of Luna and the book in itself was amazing. From then it's been a bit of a decline story wise.
I had read the 3rd book a year ago, so when I did start reading this book I was so lost, I had to go back read the last couple of chapters and then read this.
I'll tell you what I did like, and like it in almost all her books, the strength of the FMC, so amazing, take no shit, it was all great.
What stumped me a little bit and made me go ,'Huh?' was this leap where Ava was going to burn Garrett, I was like whaaaaat, when,how did this happen?
And that whole chapter feels like such a glitch. She decides to kill G and the guys come in and say no and then she leaves them and takes off, I mean like heyyy, calm down, what's with the escalation. Then there is a 6 month leap.
I mean, I get the emotions here, but they were so fast forwarded and there such weird leaps and bounds, and like I know the author wanted to maybe finish the book in certain pages but I felt a little lost, annoyed and just wanted to get done after a certain point.
I'm still contemplating if I should read the last one , coz it feels like it's going to something like this again :/
The whole mysterious vibe of Luna and the book in itself was amazing. From then it's been a bit of a decline story wise.
I had read the 3rd book a year ago, so when I did start reading this book I was so lost, I had to go back read the last couple of chapters and then read this.
I'll tell you what I did like, and like it in almost all her books, the strength of the FMC, so amazing, take no shit, it was all great.
What stumped me a little bit and made me go ,'Huh?' was this leap where Ava was going to burn Garrett, I was like whaaaaat, when,how did this happen?
And that whole chapter feels like such a glitch. She decides to kill G and the guys come in and say no and then she leaves them and takes off, I mean like heyyy, calm down, what's with the escalation. Then there is a 6 month leap.
I mean, I get the emotions here, but they were so fast forwarded and there such weird leaps and bounds, and like I know the author wanted to maybe finish the book in certain pages but I felt a little lost, annoyed and just wanted to get done after a certain point.
I'm still contemplating if I should read the last one , coz it feels like it's going to something like this again :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2021
Candice never fails to grip my heart, and rip it out, then gently pack it back in, mended, and reinforced with love. That being said, the ending of this book kinda kicks you hard. I was not expecting that twist, but really I should not have been surprised since Candice is the queen of shocking twists. This was a heart wrenching addition to the series and to me it felt like the darkest of them all, It was an emotional rollercoaster and there were times where I was so frustrated with the characters I had to take a breather! The trauma Ava experiences hits hard, her journey of recovery is a rocky one and while the main guys are trying their best to help, they make so many mistakes because they do what they think is best, not what is best for her and this causes some major dissonances in their budding relationship. This was an engaging read that really kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation and angst. The way Candice writes sucks you in and you just can’t pull yourself away for too long because you need to see, need to feel , you need to KNOW what these bent but not broken characters are going to do next .
January 14, 2021
My favorite part of the books in this series are the strong FMCs. As the series title suggests, they are underestimated by the MCs and the men at every turn. While I recognize that this is a theme, you would think these guys would wise up by now! Not only do the love interests in this story constantly patronize and underestimate Ava, they try to control her life - after she's been imprisoned and had all of her rights and dignity stripped away from her. And on top of that, the men who think they are in charge are absolutely AWFUL to Ava, a victim of horrific and unimaginable crimes. I love Halo, Orion, Saint, and Priest. But holy hell, do I want to punch the hell out of them in this book. The genius of Candice Wright's writing is that this shows how deeply ingrained the misogyny and toxic masculinity is within the Kings of Carnage - even as they proclaim to love strong women. And it sets Ava up to be a stronger person than any other person in this entire series. Because she absolutely is, in every way imaginable. This book was an emotional rollercoaster. It was a book of the lowest of lows, survival, healing, growing, and hope. You are so invested in Ava's journey that you scream, cry, and rage along with her. This book is definitely a game changer for the series.
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