Overall: 🐢🐢🐢
Storyline:
Writing Style:
Character Development:
Enjoyment:
“And to think, it all started with a little bit of faith. Misplaced trust. Missing pixie dust. And a villain who just needed to steal a little love.”
Hooked by Emily McIntire
The Story:
He wants revenge, but he wants her more…
James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game.
Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook.
Key Elements:
Romance, Dark Romance, Peter Pan Retelling, Violence, Mafia, Smutty, Enemy To Lover, Villain, Revenge, Wendy, Hook, Steamy
The Series:
- The Never After Series is a collection of Standalone books that currently have 6 books in the series.
- This series is a group of dangerous, sexy retellings that has our beloved fairy tale villains finally getting their own H.E.A! Whether it’s with the people we expect or someone new, it’s up to you to read and find out.
Why This Rating?
First and foremost, I have to admit something. While reading this entire book, I was keeping a notepad nearby and I was writing down every single Peter Pan Easter Eggs I could find. Like “Lost Boys -> Hook’s Crew” or “Tiger Lily -> yacht name”. Loved this aspect so freaking much! It added an extra layer to the reading experience. When I get a physical copy, you better believe I’m gonna annotate the shit out of it! #readingnerd
The writing was good! It seemed like the story flew off the pages with the help of some pixie dust and trust that the author was giving us a great story. But honestly, the details we were given are great. We don’t get to travel to many places, so don’t expect a wide range of scenes; however, the places that we do get to see the author doesn’t hold out on giving us everything. The writing is dark and violent. There is very little sheltered from us as the bodies start to pile up. the characters are entirely different beasts.
This is such a passion filled story. Wendy starts as this sweet, innocent, looking at the world with rose-colored lens woman who wants the best for her brother and to live independent of her father’s legacy. We watch a transformation happen as she finds her own passion and essentially herself while the story progress. James , a.k.a. Hook, is nothing but pure emotion and we are given it all the rage, desire, fear, haughtiness – despite his attempts to keep his emotions in check. Well, I mean, he tends to take out his anger often enough on various individuals, but who’s really keeping a body count? HELLO, my sweet sweet villain!
This is one hell of a steamy, naughty story. From thoughts to deeds, get ready for a sexy, smutty adventure in these pages. I would like to post a warning for any of us who read books or listen to audiobooks in public with this one. There is a good chance that anyone looking over your shoulder or hearing the voice while walking by your car will catch something spicy flitting across the page. Just keep a part of your mind on the faces you might be making 😉 *speaking from experience*… Ha! This is a great Enemy-to-Lover story with a bit of “Don’t touch her” sprinkled throughout.
I loved that this is a standalone story and everything was wrapped up at the end. You go into knowing that this is not going to be your typically fairytale retelling with the blood, violence, and revenge literally kicking off the book on page one. Which is absolutely delightful to find a new way of approaching a retelling! It was a fun read that I think others would enjoy reading too. You’ve got to be ready for the dark, cruel, explicit, and smutty read you are about to get into reading though. But if you’re picking up a book about a villain and know it’s their H.E.A. story, let’s face it, you kind of know that these aren’t going to be your typical Prince Charmings out here.
Time to get lost in the next story!
