Traumatic Past – Page 3 – Talk Nerdy Book Blog

April 15, 2020

12 Min read

T

Series: The Young Elites

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Synopsis:

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumoured to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Ending

 Cliffhanger

Representation

• Asian Author
• BIPOC supporting characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• Disabilities
– Partially blind main character

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Violence (including, torture, abuse and murder)
• Domestic abuse
• Heroine was emotionally, psychologically and physically abused by her father, while her sister was showed in love
• Death (including, death of a past lover)

Mature Themes

• Allusions to sex (including, in the context of an escort service)
• The Hero is grieving the death of his fiancée
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3/5 stars

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Thrilling and Introspective: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

July 25, 2019

12 Min read

T

Series: Sands of Arawiya

Release Date: May 14, 2019

Synopsis:

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• BIPOC main and supporting characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Death
• Violence
• Abuse
• Emotional torture

Mature Themes

• The Hero is dealing with the emotional and psychological torture of having his past love interest punished for loving (and being kind) to him by his father
• The Heroine’s best friend is in love with her, and she’s considering taking it further
• The Heroine is haunted by the death of her father
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4/5 stars

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Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis

By Sarah

In 3-stars, Book Review

February 28, 2019

8 Min read

S

Series: Standalone

Release Date: December 26, 2018

Synopsis

Let him who is without sin cast the first stone…

I’m the second-most hated person in Amber Springs.

First place honors go to my twin, Ethan; however, hate isn’t a strong enough word to convey how people feel about him.

Not that I blame anyone—some days, I hate him too. Mostly, I’m just lost and afraid, drowning in a sea of betrayal and guilt, wondering how this happened right under my nose.

There’s no choice but to leave. To move clear across the country in a last-ditch attempt to start over.

Transferring to a new school midway through senior year is hellish for most people. For me, it’s a welcome relief—until someone discovers our secret and now everyone knows.

The pointing, whispering, and scathing looks follow me around again, and I’m back to square one. Except, this time, I’m not alone.

Axel, Skeet, and Heath took me under their wing from the minute I arrived here. I’ve no idea why three of the hottest guys in town took any interest in me or why they continue to have my back, but I’m so grateful to have them in my corner.

Because, right now, they’re the only reason I’m not following my brother into an early grave.

This is an upper YA/NA reverse harem STANDALONE contemporary romance. Due to sensitive content, sexual situations, and possible triggers, this book is recommended to readers aged 18+. Full length novel.

Ending

 HEA

Representation

• Side characters with a disability
• Main character struggles with depression

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Gun violence (School shooting)
• Sexual violence: Gang-rape (Discussed but no flashback)
• Bullying
• Suicidal ideation
• Suicide attempt

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does have a significant separation (1.5 years) between the Heroine and Heroes (One hero is celibate, and another is also celibate, although he attempted to hook-up with an OW but couldn’t at the last minute. The last hero is NOT celibate, at all.)
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

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The Gladiator’s Downfall by Kristen Banet

By Sarah

In 5-stars, Book Review

February 13, 2019

11 Min read

T

Series: Age of the Andinna

Release Date: December 14, 2018

Synopsis

Mave knows where she stands in life.

She’s an Andinna. A member of the winged, horned, and tailed warrior race that the Elvasi Empire defeated in the Hundred Year War and then enslaved. She’s a slave, and has been one for a thousand years, the personal property of the Empress of the Elvasi Empire, since the end of the War. She’s a gladiator, thrown onto the sands of the Colosseum to die, though it backfired on those who wanted her dead. She’s the Champion of the Colosseum, and has been for roughly nine hundred years.

All of these things have marked her as an outcast among her own people. Hated, distrusted, and despised, she knows the name of her people, but not much else.

But she knows where she stands. Keeping her head down and her blades sharp has carried her this far, and she refuses to acknowledge the deepest wishes she holds in her heart. Those will only get her killed.

Alone, she’s stood against everything they have ever thrown at her, refusing to give them what they want.

What Mave doesn’t know is that it’s all about to change.

The Gladiator’s Downfall is a 129,000+, full-length novel.
Age of the Andinna is a reverse harem epic fantasy series. The female lead will collect her lovers as the series progresses.
There is triggering content in this series including but not limited to: abuse, violence, mature language, and sexual content. It’s recommended for mature audiences.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• Gay supporting characters
• Bisexual side characters
• MM side romance

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Violence
• Physical, emotional and psychological abuse
• Slavery
• Allusions to rape (In the Heroine’s past and present. But, in the present, it’s off-page.)

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Summer and Smoke by CoraLee June

By Sarah

In 3-stars, ARC, Book Review

December 6, 2018

12 Min read

S

Series: The Bullets

Release Date: December 2, 2018

Synopsis

Summer Bright is just a name on a tombstone. A whispered mystery on the long-forgotten Woodbury Lane. Her ghost teases me with fear and perfection. She knows I’m not strong enough to do what I should’ve done years ago.

The Bullets are united once more, bonded by their demand for blood. There’s a vulnerability in their friendship, though.

Gavriel craves control.
Blaise fears losing me.
Ryker fights his guilt.
Callum’s moral compass will get us killed.

Chesterbrook may be where the old me died, but it’s also where I learned that hell isn’t a place, it’s a person. And if we aren’t careful, our plan for revenge could go up in smoke.

Ending

 Cliffhanger

Representation

• Bisexual side characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Violence (including murder)
• Physical abuse (memories)
• Threat to one’s life

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
– Blaise and Summer participate in one of Nix’s scenes, as voyeurs.
– During the scene, an OW touches Blaise, and Summer gets jealous and mad. Blaise gets turned on.
– Neither has sex with the OW/OM though.
• Does have the one of the Heroes pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: eARC

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Warning: This is a review of the second book in the series; therefore, there will be spoilers from the first book below. Click Here to read my review of the first book in the series.

Note: I received Summer and Smoke through CoraLee June’s team in exchange for an honest review.

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Chosen by Stacy Jones

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

November 10, 2018

6 Min read

C

Series: Chosen

Release Date: December 19, 2017

Synopsis

One minute Lily is trying, and failing, to run her grandmother’s farm—her last remaining connection to her family. The next, she wakes to find herself in a cold, sterile cage surrounded by monsters, with no memory of how she got there. Accidentally abducted by alien poachers, unsure if she will live or die, she is dreading the worst. What she doesn’t expect is for her captors to dump her on an alien planet to fend for herself. Now, she must fight to survive the planet… or die trying.

Frrar, Tor, and Arruk have been searching endlessly for a mate to belong to, someone to finally accept them, but they are losing hope. The time of cleansing, when the great waters drown the land, draws near. They are on the verge of abandoning their search and fleeing the forest when they spot a strange, tiny, two-armed female. They are immediately drawn to her, fascinated by her differences, but they must act fast to save her life, and their own, from the coming flood.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

No strong representations of the following:
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Abduction by alien species
• No abuse
• One of the Hero’s family died tragically

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• No pushing away
• No separation between the Heroes and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

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Bound Spirit by H.A. Wills

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

November 10, 2018

5 Min read

B

Series: The Bound Spirit

Release Date: July 27, 2018

Synopsis

Seventeen year old, Callie thought climbing out of her hell of an abusive home life was going to be her biggest struggle, but it’s only the beginning. Starting over in a small nowhere town in Oregon with an aunt she didn’t know existed until a week ago, she makes five new guy friends that are each something otherworldly. Something supernatural– and they say she is too. As if high school wasn’t hard enough.

In this captivating and vivid, paranormal reverse harem, join Callie on her journey of healing from the horrors of her past, while discovering that the world is far weirder than she could’ve possibly imagined.

Warning:

This book contains graphic violence, adult language, underage drinking, mild sexual content, and deals in sensitive issues such as abuse, suicide, and PTSD. Reader discretion is advised.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• Black main character
• Hispanic main character
• Bisexual main characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Heroine has been emotional, physically and psychologically tortured by her father (flashbacks and memories)
• Murder of whole family (and one of the heroes)
• Violence
• Significant PTSD
• Suicide ideation

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• Does have OW: most of the heroes, except for the ghost, have an OW. Also, the series will eventually have M/M relationships in the harem.
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4/5 stars

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Sunshine and Bullets by CoraLee June

By Sarah

In 4-stars, ARC, Book Review

August 30, 2018

13 Min read

S

Series: The Bullets

Release Date: August 19, 2018

Synopsis

Sunshine.

It’s a nickname I haven’t heard since I lived on Woodbury Lane, where the houses were pretty but the secrets? Deadly. It was a pet name known only to the Bullets. Rough, violent, and ruthless, they laid claim to the town — and my heart.

I wasn’t supposed to fall for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks—especially not four of them. But they were the only ones who understood that sometimes hell hides in plain sight.

I was the girl with all the conveniences a privileged upbringing could provide. The world only saw two loving parents and a pristine home life, but I knew the truth. And it was going to get me killed. So, I disappeared, from everyone and everything I’d ever known. I changed my name and my appearance, but the scars I carry, they’re still the same.

The Bullets are all grown up now, too — a crime boss, a pro fighter, a bounty hunter, and a federal agent. Life took them in different directions, but they once shared the bonds of a brotherhood forged under the harshest conditions. Together they were fearless. Brutal. Unstoppable.

I’m praying they can find that unity again. If I’m going to survive this, it’ll take everything they have. Because that’s the thing about running from the past.

Eventually, it catches up to you.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• Bisexual supporting characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Heroine’s family was abusive towards her (Flashbacks)
• Violence (flashbacks and present)
• Severe PTSD
• Grief over the presumed death of the Heroine
• BDSM (One of the heroes–Gavriel–agrees to protect Sunshine in the present for a price: she must submit to him)

Safety Rating: Not Safe

• No cheating
• Does have descriptive sex scene with OW (in the Past, the heroes hook-up with girls right in front of Sunshine at parties. Can’t remember if there’s a sex scene in their POV, but there is A LOT of OW).
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a significant (~5 years) separation between the Heroes and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: eARC

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Note: I was lucky enough to have received an ARC of Sunshine and Bullets (this novel was given in exchange for an honest review)!

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Power of Five by Alex Lidell

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

June 21, 2018

4 Min read

P

Series: Power of Five

Release Date: May 4, 2018

Synopsis

Four elite fae warriors. One mortal female. A magical bond they can’t allow—or resist.

Orphaned and sold to a harsh master, Lera’s life is about mucking stalls, avoiding her master’s advances, and steering clear of the mystical forest separating the mortal and fae worlds. Only fools venture into the immortal realms, and only dark rumors come out… Until four powerful fae warriors appear at Lera’s barn.

River, Coal, Tye, and Shade have waited a decade for their new fifth to be chosen, the wounds from their quint brother’s loss still raw. But the magic has played a cruel trick, bonding the four immortal warriors to… a female. A mortal female.

Distractingly beautiful and dangerously frail, Lera can only be one thing—a mistake. Yet as the males bring Lera back to the fae lands to sever the bond, they discover that she holds more power over their souls than is safe for anyone… especially for Lera herself.
Power of Five is a full-length reverse-harem fantasy novel.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• wlw side characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Heroine was a servant before the Heroes found her
• Heroine was abused by her owner
• One of the Heroes was tortured and raped during captivity

Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Heroes and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle

Rating: 4/5 stars

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The Raw Touch by Serena Akeroyd

By Sarah

In 2-stars, Book Review

May 3, 2018

5 Min read

T

Series: Standalone

Release Date: January 23rd, 2018

Synopsis:

Touch.

The simplest form of communication.
For some, the most complex.

Undercover cop, Lucia has more secrets than a rat’s nest. She works the beat, works it well, until she infiltrates a gang where she finally finds her place. Jungle justice suits her down to a tee, but the day comes when she has to return to her real life, and brothers in arms suddenly become enemies, as she flounders to find her place in the world once more.

Martinez, a gang boss, one of the most powerful men in the city, has had his eyes on Lucia from the start. His instincts told him she was the rat in his midst, but other, baser, parts of him swayed his judgment. When his brother is sent down thanks to Lucia’s testimony, he can think only of revenge.

When a woman who can’t stand to be touched has to fight for her life in the bed of a man who can kill her in the blink of an eye, everything, even reality, unravels.

On the run, her past as a cop and footsoldier chasing at her heels, Lucia’s safety lies in the hands of the one man who can and will hurt her the most.

Through his raw touch, she has to find a haven where all around her, there is nothing but hell. Can she allow him into the ashes of her life, if it means her survival is at risk?

Find out in The Raw Touch.

Reader Advisory: this full-length novel contains scenes of dubious consent, as well as information that readers might find upsetting.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• BIPOC main and supporting characters

Possible Triggers

• BDSM
• Sexual abuse
• Abduction
• Dubious consent – Although, I hate the term. Either consent is given, or it is not given. However, the author warns of a ‘dubious consent’ scene in the synopsis, so I’ve included it here.

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 2/5 stars

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TagTraumatic Past

Tantalizing Yet Disappointing: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Thrilling and Introspective: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis

The Gladiator’s Downfall by Kristen Banet

Summer and Smoke by CoraLee June

Chosen by Stacy Jones

Bound Spirit by H.A. Wills

Sunshine and Bullets by CoraLee June

Power of Five by Alex Lidell

The Raw Touch by Serena Akeroyd

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