Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

Big yikes. I’m afraid the shine of Onley’s psychopath MCs has finally worn off. This was unfortunately very disappointing, majorly because of how unimaginative and repetitive it felt. I’ve already read this story and these characters before, you know? There was nothing new and exciting to draw me in.

Most of the book is plagued by repetitive inner dialogue, and a big chunk of it was spent making sure I never want to read Drake and Remi’s book because of how badly Drake treats Remi. It genuinely felt like The Sin Eater was there to set up that book, which isn’t totally unusual in a series of interconnected books, but usually it happens later in the book, after you have a connection with the actual main characters. That wasn’t the case here, as the romance between Payton and Boone was underwhelming at best. There was also several mentions of bedroom dynamics and activities that just never happened, which was a tease and a letdown in equal measure.

Now, about the actual plot, I feel like the author really shot herself in the foot with this one. Mild ish spoiler warning: Not only was it kinda boring and predictable, I actively rooted for the ‘villain’ and ended up seeing the MCs and most of the side characters as the yucky guys doing a corrupt government’s dirty work. When you add the fact that they reveal they have no wish or intention to graduate/do the work they are at the school to learn? Now the whole concept of the series is ruined. No idea where she could possibly take it from here to salvage it.

The sex scenes were rough and the only reminder it’s a romance. Their first ‘full’ roll in the hay felt like they were performing for hidden cameras — throwing in all of the porn clichés. It didn’t feel personal or intimate, just scripted, ticking off activities from a list. The scenes felt a bit more genuine and personal later on.

I’m being very critical, but I love a lot of Onley’s books and it’s tough when you *know* they are capable of so much more than this. It felt rushed and devoid of personality.

“The boyfriend code,” he murmured right against his ear. Payton nodded. “Yeah. Like, I’m pretty sure it falls somewhere between cheating on me and watching an episode of our favorite show behind my back?” “That’s worse than cheating on you?” Boone asked, rocking them side to side as he clung to him. Why was that so nice? “Duh. Cheating could just be about sex,” he muttered into his chest, words muffled.

I’m aware some people do feel this way, but I really don’t (not to downplay the betrayal of watching a show solo), so it was kinda off-putting, especially really late in the book.

Also, no idea why this is marketed as dark romance. It’s not.

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Student/headmaster
Psychopath MC
Age gap
Androgynous MC
Silver fox
Size difference
Forbidden romance
Daddy kink
Overstimulation
Switch MCs
Face-riding
Morally gray

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Explicit sexual content
Sexual harassment
Alcohol consumption
Deepfake porn made of SC
SC drugged by other SC
Throat/face-fucking
Power imbalance
Spanking
Daddy kink
Mild degradation
Injured MC
Death of minor SC
Brief mention of statutory rape (MC’s parents — 16 and 24)
Brief mention of death of parent (past)
MC drugged
Gun violence
SC shot on page — critically injured
MC and SC held hostage
Graphic violence and murder

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual
Genre: Contemporary romance
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Vers (maybe), but no switching
Main characters’ age: 24 and mid 40s
Series: Interconnected standalone
Kindle Unlimited: For a little while
Pages: 376
Happy ending: Yes