Description
Hooked: A Dark, Contemporary Romance is something you won’t want to put down! Need we say more?
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Hooked
Author: Emily McIntire
$4.99
Hooked: A Dark, Contemporary Romance is something you won’t want to put down! Need we say more?
Additional information
| Dimensions | 0.85 × 8.5 cm |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Bloom Books (September 5, 2021) |
| Paperback | 338 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1737508370 |
Steli Simeonova –
I am frustratedWTF? Please, someone tell me I read something wrong. I just finished that book, and I tell you, I wish I hadn’t started it.”Hooked” is a dark Hook retelling with a morally black hero and a very dark romance. It’s a story about Wendy, the daughter of Peter, and her journey to the broken James aka Hook. It has twists and turns and was quite a rollercoaster, which means we have a lot of things to unpack.I am gonna start with the general info. The writing style was great, and the plot was more than interesting (I finished it for 4 days during the exam session). So the writer certainly has a talent.However, the end left me highly frustrated, the plot twist was predictable, and there was quite a lot to improve for the characters. By the middle of the book, I was craving James to redeem himself to Wendy, and I usually like my men broken. This never happened…TBF, the end didn’t feel like HEA at all. Yes, they got together, but at what cost? (longer rant on my Goodreads profile)Overall, 3.75. I enjoyed the book but the end deducted a whole star from it. If you like dark romance, then go ahead, and read it, but be prepared something dark is coming, and the light in the end is more dim, than bright.
Johanna –
Dark Fairytale RomanceRetelling of Peter Pan with a great and dark twist 🌀Villain gets the girl, yes please🥴🙌🏻🖤 I had to sit and dwindle on this one after I read it since I didn’t like it’s predictability, but I honestly loved it at the same time🏴☠️ I’d read this one all over again if I had to!!! Hook is my favorite🪝and Wendy was a bit too naive but that’s what makes her different; and let me tell you she grows some thick skin in the end🙌🏻 Dark Fairy Tale Romance is one of my favorite genres by far and to mix it in with a bit of Mafia…. I just can’t🤗 I read this in less than 24 hours & can’t wait to soon read the next 2 in this series🖤🖤🖤Favorite Quotes:🖤“Just remember, that whenever things feel bleak, all situations are temporary. It’s not your circumstance that determines your worth, it’s how you rise from the ashes after everything burns.”🖤“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 bit of love.”🖤“Daring if I’m the dark, then you’re the stars.”
Wicked Humor –
Enjoyable, But How Far is Too Far?There are other well-written reviews, so I’ll keep this short. Yes, I enjoyed Hooked. Yes, I’d recommend it.But two things bothered me, and in discussing them, there are minor spoilers.First, a plot hole involving “the woman” and the bakery. There was a really easy way for Hook to solve the mystery–show the baker photos of the potential women involved. The fact a super-villain like Hook misses that option (especially because of the ramifications) has me doubting how good he really is at his job.Second, I can accept Hook torturing people in the drug trade and still want him to find personal happiness. But when he tortures a civilian who just happened to give the love of his life a hard time–that takes it too far. Hook moves from sexy arch villain to sociopath who needs to be put down. For me, he can’t come back from that.Everyone has a different limit on their dark tastes. I’m one of those who wanted Dexter, from the Showtime TV program, to have a happy ending. To my way of thinking, Dexter is far more moral than Hook. They both kill, torture and mutilate. But the reasons are as different as night and day, and while I’d give Dexter his HEA, I wouldn’t give one to Hook. Of course, your tastes may vary.
Rose Geer Robbins –
Getting hooked on Hooked….This book was recommended through goodreads, so I took a chance because who doesn’t want the villain to have a happy every after?Intrigued, shocked, horrified, a little let down, and relatable.Let me explain. I do believe that there is a side story to the villain in every book, myth, fable- and we never get to hear it. The bad guy is just a bad guy. In this story, the lines of good and evil are twisted and blurred as the story of Peter and Hook is rewritten as a modern-day fantasy crime ring.You must judge for yourself which is the lesser evil between the two.But then there is Wendy. Perfect, obedient, quiet, and loveable Wendy who will do anything to protect her family and wants the fairy tale.But the world is not a fairy tale, and Emily McIntire hits it on the head. Sometimes the fairy tale is dirty. And the fantasy’s that we have lurking in the back of our minds, it’s okay to enjoy them- even if they are not your everyday, vanilla thoughts.Now just my own thoughts, because I did enjoy the book and even went on to purchase the next one- the plot could have been a little bit more. It was so fast that I was left confused a little. Wham, bam, thank you mam. New characters and bombs were being dropped before I could process the last heavy hitter. If you want a fast paced, readable book that is the perfect length for a cross county flight- here you go!But I wanted more. I wanted more details. I wanted the tea!Purchase the book with an open mind, willing to experience a new idea of fantasy, and be ready to root for the bad guy!
Sianny banany –
4.5 starsJames has had a hard childhood, and it’s turned him into a dark man. He is hooked (see what I did there) on revenge against the man who killed his family, and will stop at nothing to get his vengeance.When Wendy enters his bar he can’t believe his luck. Before he realised who she was he was drawn to her innocence, add in the fact that she’s the daughter of his nemesis and he’s almost giddy with glee. He knows she’s an innocent in it all but he will still use her to antagonise her father.Wendy is sick of being told what to do, of being neglected by her father, of all his lies. She starts to rebel, one tiny act at a time, and when she meets James she can immediately sense that he’s dangerous. Yet she’s not afraid of him, quite the opposite in fact. And so for once she pursues her feelings, her needs, her wants. But is her newfound “freedom” actually recklessness?I totally get the hype on this book! It’s so dark, enthralling and sexy – kind of like James himself.McIntyre is adamant that this is not a fairytale retelling and I can understand why. It’s not a fantasy, nothing about the original Peter Pan story is the same, except for some names and phrases, and it’s 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩 for kids. It is reminiscent of some of Katy Regnery’s darker fairytale retellings. More inspired by the original tale than the story retold.James is not a good guy, nor does he reform to become a good guy. And I think that was a perfect decision because his character wouldn’t have felt as genuine. Wendy does change a little throughout the book but honestly it was more coaxing out thoughts and feelings she was already keeping under a lid, so her character still felt real to me.Plenty of spice and dark themes so if you have triggers then definitely read the warnings.The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because there were some wording choices throughout the book that made me pause (because I’m annoying like that) to question if the sentence made sense to me. So it took away from a totally continuous flow of reading. But it was honestly so minimal, I’m just that person.
Steph –
Wow oh wow, can I have a Hook please?I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw this one being talked about, I like retellings to an extent but they aren’t my favourite things in the world. But to hear a dark romance with ties rather than a retelling? I was hooked (sorry 😉)The story of Wendy and James and the dark underworld of Massachusetts was a spicy, intriguing and unable to put down read. While I guessed most of the twists and turns, it didn’t take away from how well it was written and how invested I was in the story.James is a force to be reckoned with. This beautiful broken boy had such a presence to him it leaped off the page and early scenes his power and way of being reminded me a lot of Kaz Brekker – who I also adore.Wendy isn’t the type of female character I’m usually enamoured by as I (rightly or wrongly) prefer really strong or kind of crazy female leads, however she was an enjoyable lead and I liked getting to see her grow stronger as the book went on.My first book by Emily and after this into I’ll be looking forward to more reads by her.
Vanessa –
I devoured it in one nightGenre: Romance, PG-18 literature*WARNING* – Contains Explicit language“Darling, if I’m the dark, then you’re the stars.”THOUGHTSTo be honest, it was the book cover that first caught my attention. Then after reading the note regarding ‘Reader discretion..’, consider me intrigued. That was last May but I didn’t get a chance to read it until this weekend. And I devoured it in one night – started reading this at 11PM and went to bed at 5AM.Our main character, James, was not meant to be liked. Right hand man of the renowned syndicate in the area, he was after blood: blood of the man who was supposed to protect and take care of him; and blood of the man that caused his suffering. But life has a different plan because in comes Wendy, daughter of the man James wants dead.This is a VERY adult romance that contains explicit languages so be warned. And if you’re a fan of predator/prey trope then this one’s for you. Though there’s a section that sort of delved into a miscommunication/jumping-into-conclusion trope which I’m not exactly a fan of so that part sort of threw me off. But overall I enjoyed this book.The final “showdown” was expected but still came as a surprise. And at the end, I’m just glad that everything worked out well for everyone. So they still ended with a happily ever after which is nice.
Harley Reid –
Absolutely amazingAs soon as I read the blurb for this book I was so excited so naturally, I downloaded it as soon as it was available in KU.Sometimes, we are so excited about something that it finds a way to not live up to our expectations but this book was EVERYTHING!I am not usually a fan of retellings because it is rare that I have read one that has truely given it’s own spin but even when I thought I knew what was going to happen, the surprises kept coming. That, along with the beautiful relationship between Wendy and James makes this my favourite book of the year (so far) and believe me – I have read some awesome novels over the last 9 months.I highly recommend that you give this book a try, if you like dark romance, you will not be disappointed.
I♥️Romance –
HEA for the VillainThis is not a fairy tale re-telling, but it draws on elements, and character names from Peter Pan.The opening is dark and gritty. It’s not for the faint hearted, there’s violence, blood, gore, and no detail is missed. This is a proper villainous hero. James Barrie, aka Hook, heads a criminal organisation. Since childhood he’s planned to bring down the man who killed his father and destroyed his life, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s daughter, Wendy, shows up at his club, he sees his chance to destroy both.James is not a nice guy. He’s been abused as a child but now he’s the one with the power. He kills without remorse and he enjoys it. I’ve mentioned before that I struggle to relate to the romanticisation of villains, so I was not sure how much I’d enjoy this.Wendy has lived a privilege, protected life. She’s innocent and naive and too eager to ignore and brush over the defects in her relationship with her father. Peter Michaels is clearly not the upstanding businessman he pretends to be.Her father’s absenteeism makes her desperate for attention so she can’t help but be taken in by Hook’s attention. Wendy easily falls into line, doing whatever Hook says to keep him happy and attentive, diving into his bed and having unprotected sex.Obviously, messy feelings get in the way of Hook’s plans. When he thinks she’s betrayed him, he kidnaps her, holds her hostage in a dingy basement, and threatens her with his infamous hooked blade. Wendy finally stands up to Hook a little until he threatens he brother.By this point I became morbidly curious about how the author was going to redeem him. Which was why I continued reading.Hook tells Wendy why he wants vengeance against her father, but it’s all very quick. Then she seems to be ok with everything. He apparently also tells her about the abuse he suffered from his uncle, but we don’t get to know much more or see her reaction, we’re just told.The plot then goes haywire and everything is wrapped up too quickly in a rush to the end.The heat in this is very high. There’s plenty of sex scenes with dom/sub elements, asphyxiation, and dirty talk. However, the strange plot and romanticisation of villains means I won’t be reading any more in this series. It’s just not for me.