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changenotcoins 's review for:
Vengeful Gods
by Elliott Rose
I really wanted to love this book. Elliot Rose is an auto read author for me, and Vengeful Gods had so many elements that should have been a win—reverse harem, obsessive men, swords, a secret society, and tattoos! But somehow, it all fell flat.
Let’s start with the positives: the spciy scenes were hot. If you’re here purely for smut, you’ll probably enjoy that aspect. But for a book this long, I expected way more from the plot, the character development, and the relationships. Unfortunately, this was a case where the story didn’t add anything to the smut—it was just filler between sex scenes.
Here’s where it lost me:
1️⃣ The romance made zero sense. How did we go from "we literally hate you and wanted to torture/kill you" to "we love you and can’t live without you" with no development in between? The only thing bridging the gap was sex.
2️⃣ Almost no character interactions outside of sex. There was no tension building, no getting to know each other, no moments that made me believe in the relationships.
3️⃣ The FMC was supposed to be this tough, independent tattoo artist who escaped her criminal family, but she spent the entire book just going along with what everyone else told her to do—whether it was the love interests, other women, or the bad guys. Not a single escape attempt, no resistance, nothing.
4️⃣ The secret society plotline was confusing and felt detached from the actual story. It was like, “Oh, right! There’s a secret society stealing children! Back to the smut.”
5️⃣ The ending was anticlimactic. The "secrets" revealed were just meh, and the twin switcheroo twist? So predictable.
6️⃣ Calling this a Beauty and the Beast retelling is a stretch.
7️⃣ Shortening Raven to Ven pulled me out of the story every time. It just sounded silly, and not fitting for her and the things she did (or did not do).
Overall, I did finish the book, so there’s that. But for me, it was way too long for a story that didn’t add any real substance to the steam. If you’re looking for dark romance with a solid plot and compelling character dynamics, this one might not hit the mark.
Would love to hear from someone who did love it—what was your favorite scene that wasn’t a spicy scene? Because I genuinely can’t think of one.
Let’s start with the positives: the spciy scenes were hot. If you’re here purely for smut, you’ll probably enjoy that aspect. But for a book this long, I expected way more from the plot, the character development, and the relationships. Unfortunately, this was a case where the story didn’t add anything to the smut—it was just filler between sex scenes.
Here’s where it lost me:
1️⃣ The romance made zero sense. How did we go from "we literally hate you and wanted to torture/kill you" to "we love you and can’t live without you" with no development in between? The only thing bridging the gap was sex.
2️⃣ Almost no character interactions outside of sex. There was no tension building, no getting to know each other, no moments that made me believe in the relationships.
3️⃣ The FMC was supposed to be this tough, independent tattoo artist who escaped her criminal family, but she spent the entire book just going along with what everyone else told her to do—whether it was the love interests, other women, or the bad guys. Not a single escape attempt, no resistance, nothing.
4️⃣ The secret society plotline was confusing and felt detached from the actual story. It was like, “Oh, right! There’s a secret society stealing children! Back to the smut.”
5️⃣ The ending was anticlimactic. The "secrets" revealed were just meh, and the twin switcheroo twist? So predictable.
6️⃣ Calling this a Beauty and the Beast retelling is a stretch.
7️⃣ Shortening Raven to Ven pulled me out of the story every time. It just sounded silly, and not fitting for her and the things she did (or did not do).
Overall, I did finish the book, so there’s that. But for me, it was way too long for a story that didn’t add any real substance to the steam. If you’re looking for dark romance with a solid plot and compelling character dynamics, this one might not hit the mark.
Would love to hear from someone who did love it—what was your favorite scene that wasn’t a spicy scene? Because I genuinely can’t think of one.