I love Giancarlo. He's literally being added to my favorite characters list as we speak because holy shit, he was written so beautifully.

I freaking loved Giancarlo and Ash's relationship. I loved how Giancarlo saw Ash, knew how innocent he was, and immediately wanted to protect him. The second he met Ash, I fear Giancarlo was absolutely screwed. 😂

Giancarlo was such a complex character. He had so many issues and knew exactly what was wrong with him, but in a way he had accepted those parts of himself. I found that really interesting. And Ash, my sweet "innocent" ball of fluff, went through so much but still kept standing at the end of it all. I loved watching him grow throughout the story. Giancarlo helped him learn how to stop people-pleasing, to tell people to fuck off when needed, and realize that he deserved better and that he was more than what his father wanted him too be. Seriously, fuck his dad and every single person who treated him like shit. 😒

Also, Ash had me cracking up because I did not expect him to be that wild. Once Giancarlo saw Ashs big ass dick bruh went holy shit damn and i fear he was down bad immediately i love a twink top with a big D.The way he slowly got more confident and comfortable with himself was so fun to watch, and the porn homework definitely helped. And that office scene? Absolutely peak. My mouth was hanging open the entire time thinking, "Okay Ash holy shit didnt know you had it in you". Also the crazied look that Ash had whenever he was inside of him holy shit I was saying rip to Giancarlo even though i know he liked it lmao.

I also felt like such a proud mom during the restaurant scene when Ash finally stood up to his dad. That moment was so satisfying.

And thanks for making me cry. I wanted to slap some sense into Giancarlo more than once, but I also felt for him. He was carrying so much pain and fear, and it hurt watching him deal with it trying to break through how scared he was.

I seriously loved these two and could probably talk about them forever. Oh, and one more thing—I love Benito so much. I loved how he basically holdseverything together for his family and he takes on the difficult stuff so they dont have to he doesnt want them to be him only he can be himself.I can't wait to read his book.

But yeah, I absolutely loved this one.

How do I even put into words how much I freaking loved this book? It had me feeling so many emotions. Cop x mafia was absolutely peak in this story, and I loved getting to see the depth of each character. I also loved the funny parts like shit could be hilarious but than all the sudden laughing my ass off when Tex goes Wtf lmaoo.

First off, I freaking loved Enzo. Legit, he was probably my favorite character. Get yourself a man who would kill for you because Enzo absolutely would. I loved how strongly he believed that Tex was different and didn't let his past relationship with his trash ex affect how he saw him. Was he a murderer? Yes. Was he also an amazing boyfriend? Also yes. But i swear i always love the deranged crazy ones who dont feel that many emotions lmaoo 🤣.

And look, anyone who gets approval from my cats and makes sure they're taken care of after kidnapping me—even when I didn't ask them to—automatically gets a 5/5 star rating from me. Like the things he did the small thing all cause he knew Tex would like it. Like he didnt like movies but hes go to one for Tex legit so cuteee yes Enzo is cute okay lmaoo.

I also really loved Tex. In the beginning, he was fighting so many battles while trying to chase a dream that wasn't even his. He was constantly trying to compete with his shitty dad, and honestly, screw his dad. One line that really hit me was when he basically wondered how he could feel safer with a deranged killer than with half the people he worked with. That one was rough. Like imagine not being safe with the people around you but feeling safe with somone who others think is a monster. He had so many battles and im so happy he beat each and everyone of them in the end

The way he kept trying to talk himself out of being with Enzo had me laughing. He'd be like, "Yeah, I'm definitely not sleeping with Enzo again," and then immediately fail at that plan. At a certain point I was just like, dude, what are we even doing here? You two are clearly made for each other.

I have so much more I could say, but I don't want to write a whole essay, lmao. Just know that I absolutely loved this book, and I can't wait to keep reading the series. I'm so excited to get the rest of the brothers' stories.

You know, this book was good. Not perfect, but definitely not terrible. That being said, the amount of times I almost pulled my hair out because I just wanted one of them to confess their feelings had me genuinely worried I was gonna end up bald.

Look, I like angst. I love a good slow burn. But the fact that neither of them would get off their ass and actually tell the other how they felt had me screaming into the void. I get it, though. Emory was cheated on in the past and was terrified that because he and River lived such chaotic lives, the distance and lack of physical touch would eventually make River cheat too. Trusting someone after that kind of hurt isn't easy. And River? That man has been through so much. Between his struggles with alcoholism and everything else he's faced, he's built walls so high they're practically impossible to climb.

I understood where both of them were coming from, but I still wanted one of them to just speak up. Or at least for River to be like, "Hey, by the way, you're the only person I'm sleeping with." 😭 but I did like how the book ended i do wish we got to see the bandmates reaction to them being together also how didnt they know this whole time still a mystery to me...

But outside of the angst, this book had me feeling every emotion imaginable. I'll never truly understand what it's like to struggle with addiction, but the way it was written felt incredibly real and thoughtful. The author did such a great job showing both the pain and the complexity of recovery.

And Iris? Oh my god. I cannot wait for his book. I loved how River was there for him and understood that you can't force someone into recovery before they're ready. Yes, Iris was destroying himself, but forcing recovery on someone rarely works. They have to want it for themselves, and I appreciated that the book acknowledged that.

The spice was immaculate. My jaw hit the floor every single time River called Emory "my dearest." And then that scene with the custom dildo modeled after his dick? Yeah, I was done for. 💀

I also loved that even though the story tackled some really heavy topics, there were still plenty of funny moments mixed in. It kept the book from feeling overwhelmingly dark all the time.

I'm honestly really excited to read the rest of the series. Though I'm also a little scared for Iris's and Caspian's books because I already know those stories are about to punch me directly in the gut.