This story has a lot of romantic elements that can border on over the top at times. Nonetheless, it is balanced out by some very dark elements explored in the story including physical abuse and sexual exploitation. The female lead, Madeline, has had a tumultuous and abusive relationship with her stepbrother. This is strongly contrasted by Alexander's healthy relationship with his siblings. There are a lot of nice family moments once Madeline is under the care of Alexander. I always like moments like this in romances because it shows that the main couple has other relationships that are still important despite not being romantic. It gives them a better sense of realism. The side characters are likeable and I'd be open to reading books about them in the future.

As far as the relationship between Alex and Madeline, there is a slow build up to their mutual trust and intimacy. Madeline has a lot of trauma and Alex is consistently respectful about her boundaries, which I appreciated it. There were moments where he was more territorial about Madeline than I liked, but nothing that became overbearing or patronizing. The sex scenes in the book had a strong emphasis on consent which is especially appreciated because of Maddie's history with sexual assault. 

Overall, if you want a romance that may border on cheesy, but handles darker themes like sexual assault well, this may be a good choice.