TITLE | LUST

GENRE | ROMANCE [18+]

AUTHOR | DefinitelyNot_

CHAPTERS REVIEWED | 6 + PROLOGUE

SPECIAL REQUESTS | NONE

TITLE | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5

for a book that includes a lot of explicit scenes and dialogues, i believe the title is perfect. it revolves around the one thing Dahlia wants to get away from and yet, she somehow always finds herself unable to run away. it also focuses on Fiero's devious intentions. plus, it's short and to the point, so that's always a bonus.

COVER | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

absolutely perfect! it's dark and sinister and definitely gives off the toxic vibes that you're going for. it's also extremely aesthetic, so that directly wins a point with me. however, with mature rated books, it's always better to have two people on the cover, with a lot of black or red lighting. you could take a look at Tamara Lush's (TamaraLush) or Kimberly Hernandez's (XthatONEchicX) book covers. i believe that their cover type would look wonderful for your book.

BLURB | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

okay, this needs a crazy explanation so, let me know if you don't get what i wanted to put across. when we talk about a blurb, we imagine it displayed right below the cover, you know? you see the cover and you think, "hmm, that's interesting. what's it about?" then you click on the book and the description asks you to read the blurb as a separate chapter and half your motivation is gone. you add it to your library and mostly likely, you miss out on a great read.

your description is so wonderful, i know it deserves to be the first thing that a reader sees. maybe you placed it in a chapter for aesthetic purposes or maybe for your read count but trust me, that description needs the spotlight. also, if i may suggest not placing fonts in the description? it works fine on IOS but i checked from my backup android phone and the whole blurb was a series of "????".

PLOT | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5

i've read my own share of smut, fluff and mature stories. but the best part about your story was the fact that Dahlia didn't crave this toxicity. most stories rely on fantasies and depict the female partner as submissive and eager to please. someone who apparently has no problem with all the nonsense the guy throws at her. your character's motivation was the need for companionship which was unfairly taken advantage of. so yes, i love that idea which makes it is so realistic and not another 50 shades of grey knockoff. (although you did have a whole paragraph dedicated to 50sog haha).

CHARACTERS | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

god, the toxicity. it's obviously the central point of the story which is why i'm reviewing on the basis of more toxic, more points. the way you built Fiero's character was nothing short of a miracle. i didn't expect to ever hate a character so much, but wow. every time Fiero acts like a jerk, it  makes me want to sucker punch him in the gut. moving on to Dahlia, i love how you showcased her relationships with Silvia, Kaia, Xand and Alexander before bringing Fiero fully into the picture. it gave a real depth to her character and that's great work, right there!

GRAMMAR | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5

i'll be honest with you. i didn't think i would fail to find grammatical errors. finding mistakes is what i do best and you've stumped me!

DESCRIPTIONS | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

my favourite extract from the story was "when honey met chocolate". for a lot of people, this might not be earth shattering but they would have to read the first chapter to know why it made such a huge impact. the story is based on attraction and that sentence literally showcased the whole story in one glance for me. i also liked how you didn't info dump in the first three chapters. having said that, i would suggest reducing chapter lengths to make it easier to get through them.

DIALOGUES | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5

to begin, the dialogues were casual, well-structured and suggested familiarity, which is a must, in cases of relationships which the protagonist has been in for a long time. also, Dahlia's personality shifted through chapters. one moment she's tough and standing up for herself, the next Fiero leaves her speechless. you portrayed that beautifully. however, Fiero's dialogues were always sexual in intent. i get that that was his character but i would like to see more emotional personality except just the face of a jerk because humans tend to be more complicated than that.

FLOW/LOOPHOLES | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

while you did pace the story really well, sometimes the chapters got too lengthy. this hampers a reader's concentration and i would suggest you keep each chapter to no more than 1700 words. also, there were no loopholes. you've got a well tied story and that's commendable!

ENGAGEMENT | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5

you really captured my attention! the flawless grammar, the subtle descriptions, the light sarcasm, everything was on point. i was tempted to give a higher rating but it was the chapter length that made me take breaks in between.

FINAL VERDICT | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

i just have one thing to say here. i'm so glad to find a book where the author puts in a disclaimer letting readers know that toxicity is not okay. i loved how the female protagonist was not someone who wished for a wild affair and was instead invested in finding something meaningful. you also did a great job with making me completely hate Fiero so, haha well done!

thank you for requesting!