| Title | : | Does It Hurt? |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published July 22, 2022 |
I've forgotten the answer to that question long ago. Ever since I ran from that house, so desperate to escape, I left with only the clothes on my back and socks on my feet. After that day, I've only ever walked in stolen shoes.
Could I be a girl who is searching for the meaning of life in faceless men? They were all so forgettable. Until he came along. He took me under a waterfall and made me forget my name, and in return, I took his instead.
Enzo Vitale.
An enigmatic man that will only ever love the deep sea. Or rather the predators that inhabit it. Turns out, he's not so different than the monsters he feeds. He lured me onto his boat like a fish in the ocean, seeking vengeance for my crime. Had I realized his intentions, and that a massive storm would leave us shipwrecked, I would've ran.
Now, I'm a girl who's seeking refuge in a decrepit lighthouse with a man who loathes me almost as much as he craves me. He wants to hurt me, but the old caretaker of the abandoned island may have intentions far more sinister.
It's no longer a question of who I am, but rather, will I survive?
Does It Hurt? Reviews
-
I didn't expect much from this book. It's the first published book coming off the duet, and most people are chomping at the bits for that world. I knew this book would be compared. Wouldn't live up to Zade and Addie. Truthfully, my expectations were extremely low.
But I needed something... I don't know, lighter? I needed to start fresh. Something new and different for not only myself, but maybe readers, too.
There will be people who will see Enzo and Sawyer as lesser than, but in some ways, I find their story so much more bizarre and interesting. And I love them for that. To me, they're explosive.
They're not grumpy x sunshine, they're thunderstorm x lightning. Enzo is angry, and loud. And Sawyer is bright, yet destructive. Maybe it's just because I love storms, but they're perfect together.
I hope you all go into it with 0 expectations, and no comparisons in mind. And I hope you all enjoy their story, as much as you're able.
Anyway, thank you for being here. That's really all I could ask for. -
on a scale of hooting to hollering i am hoarse with screaming
the title of this book is presented to us within the first 10% of this book when our hero asks, whilst impaling the heroine on his cock, "does it hurt bella" (b/c he's italian of course)
i was simply sent clear into another dimension. i tried, i really did try, to throw away all sensibility and just have a good time but the good times never came. unlike our heroine who came multiple times during the first sexual encounter at the 10% mark of this book.
story starts out with a girl escaping from we're not really sure what circumstances and taking a flight to australia. we quickly find out she's an identity thief and she takes the identities of men with unisex names that she has sex with. she gets a stick and poke tattoo at a bus stop. she gets hammered at a bar. she meets a guy who takes her to a remote cave and they have lots of squirty sex.
i'm just confused. was i supposed to swoon when she offers up her unprotected coochie to a stranger? giggle at the quirk of a tattoo from a different stranger? this isn't a dark romance this is SILLY.
dnf @10% -
"When I met you, you lifted me out of that darkness, and it was the first time I came up for air. You’ve become my oxygen, bella ladra, and I can no longer breathe without you.”
Plot- 4/5✨
Spice- 4.5/5🌶️
Oh wow. I devoured it. It's my first book by this author and I'm impressed. The writing comes natural, it's immersive. The balance of romance and suspense is good. The characters are well thought out. And oh wow the spice is so so amazing.
✔️Dual POV
✔️Dark Romance
✔️Horror- suspense vibes
✔️Action sequences
✔️Juicy smut
The story starts with our FMC - Sawyer, who's on the run and escapes to Australia, where she meets our MMC - Enzo, a sexy Italian who'll make you swoon so hard you'll never have a chance to catch your breath. Anyway, Sawyer steals his identity and the man sees red since. Will he find Sawyer and take revenge? Will he find Sawyer and hate her? Will he find Sawyer and love her? Or will they both find themselves in a totally messed up situation in a creepy lighthouse?
This book is so worth reading if you want something erotic, dark and full of suspense. I loved the last 150 pages. It kept me reading at a pace faster than the speed of light. I just had to know and find out! Also, did I mention juicy smut?
The characters are complex, backstories that can be triggering so do proceed with caution.
I did however at times find Sawyer to be a bit pretentious, her personality kept switching in the first 250 pages, which kinda annoyed me.
But it's nothing that will put one off.
I highly recommend!
⚠️ Trigger warnings- mentions of rape, incest, suicide, pedophilia; PTSD, depression, anxiety, violence, graphic murder, degradation ⚠️
Special note to authors- Please don't try to justify your characters shortcomings cause of religion, especially the Bible. There's no need to slander it. Everyone has sufferings, but what you do after that learning period, is what makes you as a person. -
4.5 stars 🦈
❝You are a thief, baby. You stole my name, and now you’ve taken my heart, too. Demand anything else from me, and I’ll give it to you.❞
tropes:
↣ one bed
↣ breath play
↣ forced proximity
↣ enemies to lovers
↣ degradation + praise kink
↣ identity thief x marine biologist
the minute this book opened up with the definition of a word i’ve never heard of was the moment i knew i would devour this book
autassassinophilia (n.) – a paraphilia in which sexual arousal and the achievement of orgasm are facilitated by the fantasy or belief that one is in danger of being killed.
the characters
sawyer bennet (h) is a girl running like hell from the demons that chase her, but sadly for her (luckily for us) she runs right into the clutches of her worst nightmare, enzo vitale 😍
enzo (H) is a business owner and shark expert. when he’s not thinking about all the little fishies in the sea, he’s thinking about feeding sawyer to the sharks below 🥰
because revenge is always a dish served hard– I MEAN hot 🤪
the setting
to sum this bad boy up, sawyer steals enzos’s identity after a one-night stand. although she feels very guilty, she knows she has to do whatever is necessary to prevent capture. well, after enzo discovers what she did, he’s fucking pissed and nothing will stop him from vengeance
after he tracks her down, he tricks her into believing that he has no idea what she did and convinces her to come on a cage diving exhibition with sharks. while on the boat and distracted by confronting sawyer, he fails to notice the storm rolling in before it’s too late
after they shipwreck, they find themselves on an island with a single structure, a lighthouse. they quickly learn they’re not alone and are confronted by the lighthouse caretaker, sylvester. whether it’s the caretaker or the ghosts upstairs, they very quickly realize…THEY’RE FUCKED
NOT LIKE SERIOUSLY THEY WERE BETTER OFF DYING BECAUSE HELLLLLL NO AM I WALKING INTO A CREEPY ASS LIGHTHOUSE WITH A CREEPY ASS MAN LIVING INSIDE.
romance/smut
this book really had me thinking…
zade??? zade who? i have never heard of that man in my life! i only know of enzo vitale (my italian sadist 🫡🥰)
fucking under a waterfall? sign me tf up right now. but also the way i have an obsession with heroes convincing the heroine they’re just gonna give her the tip and they give it all 😮💨
you may have wondered, why would the author make the name of this book a question? there must be some significance to the plot or maybe the trauma the heroine underwent during her childhood...NONE OF THE ABOVE—“Does it hurt, bella?”
“You’re so big.”
“And you’re going to fucking take it,” he snarls.
i really paused and said...HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE. it’s him asking her if his dick size hurts or even if it hurts that she can’t scream while he’s fingering her or when he gives it to her hard. i'm on my knees 🧎♀️🧎♀️
if a man doesn’t fuck me against my will while pushing my head in shark infested water than get him ouT OF MY SIGHT—“Such a pretty sight, to see you bleed for me,” he rasps. “I don’t think I’m the only thing that’ll love it, though.”
[…]
“The taste of you is fucking addicting, I must admit,” he purrs in my ear. “Let them taste you, too, baby.”
all the sudden i have a new kink 🥸
⇾ it’s the way he would hurt her with his words and love the way she would cry
⇾ how he wasn’t actually joking about her being shark food, before he revealed he knew what she did—“They won’t, like, eat the boat, right?”
“Why eat the boat when they can eat you instead?”
⇾ or the way he would degrade her because she betrayed him by stealing his name—“Would you scream this time?” he questions darkly. “You always do when you create your own little ocean all over me.”
“Fuck you.”
“I won’t. I’ve already conquered your ocean, amore mio. You have nothing left to give that I want.”
never before scene photo: enzo after sawyer orgasms iykyk
the degrading was fantastic, but what was even better is when would degrade her and start feeling bad afterwards. i loved that he starting to battle his inner need to make her hurt, while also battling his need to protect her from everything, including himself ✨
when sawyer asked him to say everything he couldn’t tell her, in italian...I WAS RUNNING TO GOOGLE TRANSLATE EVERY TIME HE SPOKE—“È impossibile odiarti quando mi fai sentire così vivo.” It’s impossible to hate you when you make me feel so alive
i just loved them together and the smut was 10/10 so that’s always a bonus 💗 what i’ve learned about HDC, since the
cat and mouse duet, is that she knows EXACTLY how to write an asshole. at the same time, i just loved how much enzo cared about sawyer while also being possessive. he had the whole “no one can hurt her but me” going on and it was perfect
honorable mention: one of the few times when enzo would praise her and degrade her in the same breath 🫦😮💨🥰“That’s it, you love being a good girl for me, don’t you, baby?” he drawls. “Just like you love coming all over my cock like a desperate little slut.”
the caretaker
CRAZY FUCKER, ON GOD. i really liked the mystery surrounding sylvester and the lighthouse. it definitely added an extra umph to the book and made it more than just an enemies-to-lovers with a whole lot of kinks.
SPOILERS BELOW REGARDING MYSTERY OF SYLVESTER AND THE LIGHTHOUSE
☆
☆
☆
i had an inkling that the footsteps, the knocking and the chain clanging that sawyer and enzo kept hearing weren’t actually ghosts of those who died at the lighthouse.
it was actually giving me jane eyre vibes since the footsteps actually belonged to sylvester’s daughter whom he held captive. her whole story was horribly tragic, she deserved so much fucking better but her death meant enzo lived soooo SORRY GIRL ✌🏻 it was just your time to go <3
honestly, watching enzo brutally kill syl was one of the highlights of the novel hehehe i wished enzo could have used his godlike persona to resurrect syl and do it again 😍
random note: enzo vitale is who i thought
killian carson would be ☹️
forever thankful that
neela introduced me to this author and sorry for leaving you in the dust with our br 💀 -
Does it hurt?was not what I expected, and I couldn't be more ecstatic about that. To me, Does it hurt? It Is like a fine glass of wine.
Fantastic plot ✔️
No plot holes✔️
Phenomenal characters development✔️
Great world building✔️
Suspense✔️
Dark ✔️ ( on my dark scale, Medium Grey)
Spicy ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️( I now have a new kink I didn't know I had)
Twists and Turns✔️✔️
Lies, betrayal, and Secrets✔️✔️✔️
Did I feel like I was aboard the crazy train? Yes. It's a question I always ask with dark romance. Jump on board the train for an intense and wild ride.
Sawyer is on the run and does what she must to survive. New to Australia, she goes into a Bar and meets Enzo. Enzo is the hot Shark researcher. Both admit to the instant chemistry between the two and agree to one night. Expect lies and betrayal take part. After Enzo finds out it’s all out war. After a storm, Both are stranded on an island with a questionable and creepy lighthouse keeper.
Sawyer and Enzio together are explosive. Also intense and chaotic, Sawyer is a warrior, and her banter with Enzo is top-notch. This book's dark humor is very comical, and I loved it! Enzo is grumpy and has his issues. Yet he is protective of Sawyer.
I love the author's writing style; it flows effortlessly from page to page. She draws you in from the beginning and keeps you there. The journey she puts on a rollercoaster is not only original but also emotional. I had so many emotions and wouldn't have it any other way. The spice is ten out of five and just another bonus. Words alone can't explain how spicy it is. My freak flag was flying.
If you want a explosive and original dark romance, this book is for you. A suggestion before reading the book, check the trigger warnings; I never read them, and this book is not for everyone, which is okay. -
Enzo, you know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious.
This was so musty in every sense of the word.
I want every memory of this book plucked out of my mind. -
the title literally refers to his dick
-
'🅳🅾🅴🆂 🅸🆃 🅷🆄🆁🆃?' Is a stand-alone semi dark romance book by H.D. Carlton. Spoken in 'Dual Perspectives.'
CrAzY love this author..From the cover to the synopsis this had my anticipation levels sky rocketing, as soon as this landed on my kindle life for the time being was forgotten! This was devoured and inhaled like I was under this authors spell. Beyond unique, hot as the desert, and just dark enough to satiate my dark soul, these two were perfection! This author recently became one of my favourites and this book just solidified the reason why!
Sawyer is on the run from authorities and does everything she must just to survive even if that means stealing others identities to do so. Arriving in Port Valen, a small sea side township in Australia she encounters Enzo the ridiculously good looking man in a bar, they instantly hit it off and she goes home with him that night, another falling victim to her theft.
Thirty four year old Enzo Vitale is a shark expert there's nothing he doesn't know about the species and isn't afraid to jump in the water and swim alongside them.
When Enzo realises Sawyer stole from him that night he's out for vengeance and nothing will stop him from getting his hands on her.
Which he does..
But neither of them expected to land up shipwrecked on a barren island in the middle of nowhere in a lighthouse manned by an old man named Sylvester who has lived most of his life isolated from the world.
Get ready to fall under this authors spell as she weaves an unforgettable tale of shipwrecks, ghosts, and no survivors, an eerie sound of chains scrapping on the floor in the dead of night and mysteries swirling around Sylvester.
-
2 stars
I absolutely love this cover and was so excited to read my first HD Carlton book, but this one was just bizarre and not in a good way (at least not for me). I like the occasional dark romance but this one was too strange, over the top, and honestly dragged for me. I know this author has a duet that is well loved and maybe that would work better for me. I know there are readers that would absolutely love this book, but it wasn't for me. Not every book is for every reader and that's okay :) -
It did hurt.
-
edit: I'm lowering my initial 2 stars to 1 because the mystery/suspense plot was one of the dumbest plots I've ever read in my life, and I'm judging everyone who is raving over how amazing this book is.
~
This book was trying to be too many things. Part new adult, part revenge, part stranded on an island, part gothic, part mystery/thriller. The execution of all these parts failed.
I picked this book up because of the hype and the cover was pretty. I did doubt how good this might be because of the title (I mean, really?) and the author listed K. Webster as one of her influences (I'm not a fan of K. Webster's prose or style of dark romance). The premise sounded irresistible to me so I decided to give this a try anyway.
Gillian Flynn and Peter Swanson have spoiled me, and the bar is high when it comes to thrillers and murder mysteries. They both write flawed anti-heroines who are complex. Everything about this author's premise and intent for her story should have resonated with me. I'm a fan of the gothic genre, and while I enjoy these genre benders (such as the gothic influences in Mansions by Whitney Bianca), wow this genre bender absolutely did not work for me. It reminded me of the time I was in 9th grade and ate cookie dough as my after-school snack and then decided to wash it down with gatorade. I immediately became nauseous. Some things don't mix well together.
Here, the execution came across as amateur. If you're a fan of LJ Shen & K. Webster you'll likely enjoy this.
I don't feel like taking the time to do a full critique. Some aspects I didn't enjoy:
1. How the author tried to make the heroine quirky by giving her a "favorite toe," and getting an ugly-ass, shoddy tattoo despite her gig being The "I'm special and different" vibes didn't click with me.
2. For a 28-year-old, the heroine's inner thoughts and dialogue were immature. Reminded me much more of a 19-21-year-old tbh. I suppose we all mature at different rates.
3. The sex scenes did nothing for me.
4. I initially was thrilled for a stranded at a lighthouse plot, but became immediately disappointed with the direction and execution of the lighthouse owner. Unfortunately, I'm a reader and fan of well-executed thrillers vs. K. Websters take on 'thrilling dark romances' and this entire mystery-murder, thriller, gothic part of the plot did not impress me whatsoever. If there are dark romance readers who in general enjoy K. Webster, then yeah, ignore my review, I'm sure you'll love this.
5. Who writes off the sound of people crying, banging on the floor, and walking as....ghosts? Especially when the owner of the building this is occurring in has admitted to murdering people and has locked you in a room twice?
This is my first read by this author. I'm out. I'm only giving this 2 stars because the prose was decent (I think it's better than LJ Shen or K. Webster's prose, but ehhh, not enough for me to want to try more from this author). -
Nooooope.
The secondhand embarrassment I got at FMC's 'quirkiness' and immaturity was so strong I even forgot MMC was wearing a tank top when they met and kept saying bella on repeat like he had a quota to fill.
The cringe will cost me 10 years of paychecks in favor of my dentist. Send the bill to HD Carlton, Tommaso.
I didn't mind the writing, but Jesus Christ, the FMC is insufferable. MMC talks and behaves like he just rolled out of the AO3 parody of a Wattpad's fanfic.
Smut was okay, tho, yet very over the top.
Not interested.
-
absolutely devoured and loved it as much as enzo devoured sawyer
like top reads of 2022
there’s a hot new bombshell in dark romance, and this is IT -
Dear Future Jonathan,
knowing you quite well... or i guess i don't really, because you don't exist yet but i know myself quite well and i don't really have high hopes for you when it comes to your reading choices based on that... you will probably scroll through your dnf shelf sometime soon and maybe consider picking this one up again.
I do not want you to do that.
I feel like you should just listen to me, but we both know you're a little brat and won't do that just to fuck me over, so here's a list of reasons why you should never touch this book ever again:
- i am on chapter 4 and fell asleep reading this four times already. no cap.
- the main character is the definition of cringe. if i have to hear her talk one more time, i might end it all
- i don't think i have ever found a male MC that uninteresting. my first thought was "...well maybe they introduce another one".
they do not introduce another one.
- i don't even know enough negative adjectives or synonyms for boring to describe the writing
- "Does it hurt" is apparently refering to his dick and not some great anxiety inducing plot, so there goes your only reason for even adding this to your tbr to begin with
In conclusion, we both know that you will not enjoy this, probably die of boredom or at least lose years of your life, and give it a one star rating at most.
So do us both a favour and stay the fuck away from it or i'll kill you :)
Love,
Present Jonathan (dnf at 10%) -
4.5 stars ✧
“you’ve become my oxygen, bella ladra, and i can no longer breathe without you.”
the title reference just being enzo asking if his dick is hurting her #SLAY what a man 🙏🏼
he says it to her multiple times but my favourite is when he says it to her mockingly BECAUSE THAT JUST HITS DIFFERENT IDC!!! mean guys just do it for me and then when he’s about to come she gets off him AND SAYS IT BACK!!!“that’s such a pretty smile, bella,” he purrs. a tear leaks from my eye, right where his mouth resides. his tongue darts out, catching the droplet. “what’s wrong?” he mocks, pulling tighter until i squeal. “does it hurt?”
[…]
“you were so close to coming, and i denied you, didn’t i?” anger flashes across his eyes and the corner of my lips curl upward. “does it hurt, baby?”
THEYRE BOTH SO FUCKING HOT???
also this is so iconic idc“does it hurt, bella?”
“you’re so big,” i choke. thunder reverberates through his chest, and i think he’s becoming unhinged.
“and you’re going to fucking take it,” he snarls.”
HAD ME SQUEALING OUT LOUD AT 4AM ISTG ENZO ID ACTUALLY LET YOU DO ANYTHING TO ME 💘💞💓
enzo being the hottest motherfucking asshole EVER??? id let him “just the tip” his way into my heart (and pussy) ANY FUCKING DAY.
⇢ told her to shut the fuck up <3“baby. shut the fuck up.”
THIS WAS SO CUTE her plastering herself to his back as they were searching the ground floor for the ghost/spirit ☹️☹️💞💞
⇢ SLAPPED HER?? ME NEXT PLEASE ENZO IM BEGGING“my eyes begin to roll when he hits a particular spot inside me. but the moment i do, a sharp crack fills the air, followed by a searing burn across my cheek.
“eyes on me, sawyer,” he demands hotly.”
⇢ shower scenes always fucking hit <3
the meticulous care with which he washes her hair and cares for her AND WE WERE BLESSED TWO SCENES FUCK YEAH. the domesticity with the second one had my heart warming 💞💞💞
⇢ actually killing for her my god. enzo what do i have to do for you to want me ☹️💟“a small gasp slips free when my lips softly caress the side of her reddened eye.
“enzo…” she whispers, her words trailing off as i softly press a kiss there.
“don’t worry, baby,” i breathe, the ice in my body chilling my words. “i’m going to end him. and i will let you watch.”
⇢ the dirty talk in italian?? 😮😮😮 THE NICKNAMES IN ITALIAN??? ENZO THE MAN THAT YOU ARE.
⇢ his love language being touch with sawyer ☹️💘
i could keep going, but for my own sanity i won’t. just know i will go to sleep tonight dreaming about enzo 💞💕💝💘💖💗💓
(also men with mommy issues get behind me, i’ll protect you because i can fix you mhm 🫡)
one thing about hd carlton is that she will write ICONIC sex scenes that you will never be able to forget amongst the slew of sex scenes that you read every day. the waterfall scene is ENGRAVED into my brain just as the house of mirrors & gun scene is from haunting adeline <3 i kid you not this shit had me screaming and kicking my feet reading it at 3am 😮💗
she’s also really fucking great at writing immersive settings and descriptions, because i genuinely felt like i was there with them. i could imagine every thing in detail and that really fucking freaked me out with the lighthouse and the creepy caretaker ect.
i also really fucking loved sawyer (not as much as enzo though, that man is engraved into my skin now) but she had her moments where my jaw dropped at how hot she was BECAUSE??? SHE CALLED HIM “GOOD BOY” AND I HAD TO PUT THE BOOK DOWN FOR A SOLID FIVE MINUTES AND JUST SCREAM ABOUT WHAT I HAD JUST READ ISTG. was fully running laps.
also her making him kneel before her and beg for forgiveness was SUCH a power move and then enzo his stealing the spotlight for me AND HIM SAYING HES PROUD OF HER FOR THAT 😭😭😭 and then saying,“if worshiping you is what you ask, i’d be happy to spend the rest of my life on my knees,” i tell her, my voice dipped so low, it’s nearly unrecognizable.”
enzo baby. honey. i’m free tomorrow PLEASE COME ROUND I NEED YOU SO BAD.
there were some questionable moments with sawyer, but i just close my eyes and pretend i do not see idc. let me live.
brain empty now, no thoughts just enzosawyer 💞💕💝💘💖💗💓🤍💟❣️❤️🩹❤️🔥“the day you stole from me was the best day of my life,” he whispers against my lips. “because then you became my life, and i don’t want it back. i won’t fucking take it.”
-
1 star
if i go back and count how many times bella & bella ladra is used and get a penny for each, i'll be a billionaire.
this book put me into a slump. it took me forever to read. i rolled my eyes too many times to count and burst out laughing during moments where that shouldn't be warranted.
i'm a hardcore Cat & Mouse duet fan and i was expecting a great story as such but was given 13 year old wattpad writing filled with intolerable repetition and many unneeded aspects.
i pushed through because i like H.D. Carlton and i just wanted to see how it ended.
safe to say, it's not worth it my friends. -
TW: SA, Child Abuse, Non-consensual consent. I received an ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.
As usual, HD coming in with her thriller-romance vibes that I love.
The author of the cat and mouse duet (possibly one of my favorite dark romances in a while) has won me over again, but surprisingly, not because of the couple.
She has stated multiple times does it hurt is completely different from Haunting Adeline and I 100% agree.
This is by far way lighter than the cat and mouse duet, with quite a few more sex scenes and a very chaotic and disconnected pair.
Adeline and Zade had some sort of unique synchrony and symbiosis that I did not feel with these two. Maybe that was the entire point? They are both very damaged and different from one another. I honestly didn't feel connected to their love story as much as I did to the world building.
The couple wasn't my cup of tea due to the lack of foundation. The way their attraction developed was a little out of synch and a little too fast for the first half of the book and for the second half I still couldn't really feel what exactly what united them and why. I just couldn't see them having a purpose for being together.
However, HD is my favorite for a reason, she appeals to me with her atmosphere creation and honestly her secondary characters are always the most intriguing to me.
The way she created an entire lore/thriller/horror movie inside this book was truly impressive.
The main couple has a very disturbing hate relationship and they end up stuck on an island together after their boat breaks in the middle of a storm and that is where she got her four stars from me.
Every small detail and interaction with the old man - resident of the island who shelters the couple - was so thrilling.
I absolutely adore the mystery behind this book, and now that I think back to the cat and mouse duet, that was also my absolute favorite part of Haunting Adeline.
HD's ability to leave bits and pieces behind to keep you guessing what's going to happen next is what gripped me for the entire ride. This is a thriller romance, and even though I did not care for the couple in this story at all, I can't deny this was a fantastic thriller and delivered everything it needed to.
The lighthouse and the island were very vivid in my head, her pacing was just right for all scenes and all interactions the couple shared with the old man and she was very successful in dosing the island's history.
The ending of this book was exciting, terrifying and surprising. I honestly will continue to read HD books for years to come for her ability to create and place ambience, vibes, disturbing tales and fear exactly where I need them to be.
it was a fun ride, if you're a horror movie person like I am, you are going to enjoy this one.
-
4 STARS
“Does it hurt, baby?” he asks quietly. “Not being able to scream for me like you want to.” 
The second HD Carlton teased with this book, I was eagerly stalking her for every little morsel of detail. So obviously the second it dropped on my kindle, I dropped everything to read it. And that page of trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel? Well, color me ALL OVER IT.Oh God,” I cry, trying to keep my voice down but failing miserably.
“Can you see him, baby? Ask him for forgiveness.”
“Why?” I pant, another high-pitched moan nearly swallowing the word.
“Because you worship me now.”
If there's one thing I've come to know about this author, it's her ability to create some of the most vivid and memorable characters. And I'm not just talking main characters, I'm talking about all the secondary characters. I'm a reader that will forget names, plot, almost all details, yet her characters and stories stay with me. And this book was no different.
Sawyer is on the run, forced to steal identities to survive. If there's one thing I love, it's morally gray characters, and she definitely serves some morally grey character energy. This is a woman who has been forced to do things she never thought she would, including sleeping with men to steal their identities after. She's riddled with remorse but unable to stop. Then she runs into an enigmatic stranger at a bar who's as rude as he is unforgettably sexy. So what does she do when he gives her the best sex of her life? Leave like a thief in the night with his identity in hand. But this time is different, because he tracks her down with every intention of punishing her for her sins.
Enzo is a shark expert with his own dark secrets. When he realizes the woman he spent the night with stole his identity, he doesn't call the cops. He wants to deal with her himself. So when he runs into her again, he's determined to make her pay. And so he lures her to his boat...completely blind to the deadly brewing storm.
Barely surfing the shipwreck, they find themselves on an island with an abandoned light tower, and forced to endure each other to survive.
Now I may be slight desensitized, but I didn't find this book as dark as the trigger warning made it seem. It has a dark vein for sure, but it felt more suspenseful and creepy. The darkly veiled mystery running parallel to the romance was also deliciously intriguing. Enzo was everything I love in my main characters; grumpy, enigmatic, possessive, and with a mean streak a mile long. Sawyer, admittedly, took me a bit longer to warm up to. She's a survivor, but I did wish she'd stand up more to Enzo. But she felt like she had to atone, and her tears would wash her sins away. I did get frustrated by her in parts, but then she fully grew on me towards the end when the full scope of her past gets revealed. She's an incredibly complex character, full of many layers, and while I didn't love all of them, I did love her as a heroine.
I binge read this book, eager to unravel the dark mystery. This author can definitely write one hell of an enrapturing read, and this one owned me from beginning to finish.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
-
Unfortunately this one also was left off reviewing because I was not able to handle that I didn't love the book as I had expected to and that was slowly eating away at me.
I thought giving it time to digest would help, but if anything, it made it worse.
Let's kick into it - 3 stars because I'm bitter about not getting an ARC.
I'M JOKING, PLEASE DON'T COME AT ME.
This book is getting 3 stars purely because of the fact that honestly? It wasn't that great.
After reading God of Malice (which was the only other release of July I was looking forward to), this was my next read and I made sure to have my schedule cleared to read it.. except both of those anticipated reads were just... meh.
And this is without me comparing it to the Royal Elite and Cat and Mouse series.
They both feel overhyped and even after reading the 5 star reviews? I cannot relate.
I’m coming across new releases this year that are so overhyped and it leaves me disappointed.
I am praying that the remaining 5 months of this year will treat me better. I think I deserve that.
This book was literally 80% smut and non plot related. Maybe more? I suck at stats, just an FYI.
Does It Hurt is told between dual POV's, one being Sawyer who steals peoples identity and Enzo, a shark expert who gets added to the list of Sawyer's victims.
It really peeved me off that after they had such a connection and good time, she still chose to steal Enzo's identity. Cause that’s exactly what it was; a choice. She could’ve chosen not to. She could’ve picked another victim, and that set the view of Sawyer more for me than anything else in this book.
So from the get go, I began pretty anti Sawyer.
I truly feel like the storyline didn’t really move.
At the start I kind of understood where the writing was coming from because you want to introduce these two characters get them together and get us to get a somewhat understanding for them but I was 19 chapters in and I’m thinking to myself - we’re 230 pages in, why the fuck is the plot not moving? If you remember when they snuck into Sylvester's room she found a very disturbing photo that kind of felt off and then later on there was also her trying to find the hollow point of the room but she didn’t try it outside of the room and she didn’t try it on the remaining space before Enzo interrupted her, this was just left off and we moved back to the filler plot
After she got drunk, she heard a woman crying but that was forgotten as well.
So I really believe that this book could’ve been a lot shorter. It just felt so long with not enough plot and so much sex and banter and it was just too much.
19 chapters aka 230 something pages in and it’s not really my thing so that really pissed me off. We do not like reading pages with so much filler information.
Let's go through some quotes from the book, shall we?
“His name is Enzo. Sorry for his manners. He got bullied in school and hasn’t seen a therapist yet. We really appreciate your kindness.”
Uhhh did she forgot he nearly drowned her? On purpose?
Also I hate that she gave out his real name without his permission when her whole thing is literally stealing peoples identities and living as them.
“The only thing warm about her is her pussy.”We got a comedian on our hands.
“You're seriously not going to be a gentleman?”
“That would imply there's a lady in the room, and all I see is a fucking leech.”
Aw Sawyer, did that hurt your feelings babe?
Here’s the thing. Sawyer? She’s a fucking crybaby. She likes to dish it out whenever she pleases but when it’s served back? It’s hurts the lil baby’s feelings.
Exhibit a:
“She was lucky then,” I whisper, hoping my words were as sharp as his. He doesn’t deign to give me a response, but he does turn away, and I know they were. I can feel it.
Did that hurt, baby?
This was possibly the cruelest thing that she could have EVER said to Enzo.
And I don’t care about y’all, I am never forgiving Sawyer for that.
Switch the positions? Sawyer would be crying like her usual baby self right about now and throwing herself a pity party while telling herself she deserves it. And you know what? She does.
Enzo? He deserves the fucking world. Not this bitch.
I came so close to reaching out to him, getting down on my knees, and begging for his forgiveness. I don’t know why or how, but I fucking miss him.
I prefer his fire over ice, his anger over silence, and his hate over indifference.
When I read this? You better believe I raged. She wanted to apologise so she didn’t have to deal with him not speaking to her. Not because she was actually sorry.
Here’s the thing I understand trauma to certain level. Sawyer definitely has trauma. From my point of view, she thinks her running is a form of escaping her past as much as the fact that she’s currently running to not get caught. It’s hard. It’s hard to heal, it’s hard to move on and it’s hard to open up about it.
But while reading this I really wholeheartedly felt that Sawyer had the capabilities to move on and to heal, to actually be happy but she stopped herself from doing so. In a way, she was her trauma.
I was so happy when the plot started actually moving again, saw the twists coming but rejoiced nonetheless. I usually do make it abundantly clear in book reviews that I only figured it out because I overthink but in this book? I just it was clear as fuck what was going to happen, unless you skim and don't pay attention.
The sex scenes? I feel like some should not have been in the book, especially when shit when down in the lighthouse, like how is it that you're technically living a scene from a horror movie, yet you find time to have sex? 🤡
I don’t understand how Enzo fell in love with Sawyer. That love can only be based on 3 things:
- The sex (which is understandable. Men do stupid things for pussy)
- That she saved his life (which was surprising seeing as how just before he drowned her but I'll believe it for this book to work)
- The trauma she’s gone through (because apart from his anger? Enzo is a big softie)
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. -
Ohhh man this was good!! Looks like we’re all fighting for Enzo but I claim him 🧎🏻♀️
FMC Sawyer, is on the run when she catches a flight to Australia. There in Australia, she meets tall, dark and handsome, Enzo. (He’s also Italian 😏) After a fun night, Sawyer steals his identity.
It’s not all what it seems to Enzo but none the less he finds out what Sawyer did and finds her. Hell bent on making her learn her lesson, he takes Sawyers on his boat and a 100 miles off the shore of Australia. Without any warning of fast approaching storm, they’re shipwrecked. Against all odds, they’re forced to seek asylum on a small island with what seems to be an abandoned lighthouse. But, it’s not and the lighthouse keeper poses more bad than good.
Y’all, this was such a good read. I loved Sawyers character. She had to do bad things to survive while running but for good reason. I loved her personality and her wittiness. There were times I couldn’t stop laughing or smiling at the things she said.
The best part? THE SMUTTTT 🙌🏻 so. freaking. good.
Enzo knows what he’s doing, let me tell you!
Also, yes this a horror suspense novel + romance. The author in my opinion did a great job keeping us on our toes. I didn’t want to put it down. I was never bored! -
3.5 stars
Well that was....interesting? From what this book was advertised as, I was actually expecting more. I wanted more sharks and more intrigue and more thrill. Instead, a lot of this book was pretty boring with them just sleeping together everywhere and not caring there were chains and noises in the attic or the creepy guy who liked the heroine a little too much listening in on their fun times together. Like, you're both hearing and seeing things and believe the creepy guy you're staying with that it's just ghosts!? Really??? But I feel like a lot of the "surprises" in this book were pretty predictable and I just wanted to be shocked. This book also takes place on an island and was supposed to have some crazy shark scenes, but we didn't even get that. We got a weird scene in the beginning before they're stranded, but that's it! Barely any more sharks! I just wanted a little more of everything. I was also expecting it to be darker? I didn't hate reading it and definitely didn't want to DNF it, but I just wanted more overall. -
I can't pinpoint what went wrong here, but something was missing.
I skimmed a lot because some parts were boring and I thought of quitting it many times.
The author wanted to portray the H as mysterious and dangerous, but it didn't convince me. I also found the island plot twist weak, and predictable in some ways. -
I didn’t get it with the Hunting Whatshername book and I didn’t get this.
Apparently having an Italian monster penis and being a squirter is all you need to fall deeply in love from sexcapade day one. They are constantly doing it in a mouldy bedroom or around sea water and sand and there is NOTHING sexy about having a man tell you he can smell your hooha from the other side of the room.
So, no more books by this author for me and shame on all of you who said this was brilliant. -
Edit: Reading this book is not enough! I NEED TO 𝑬𝑨𝑻 𝑰𝑻
This book is dark as hell and it’s creepy but so damn erotic and I love love LOVE Enzo mahboiiiii 💘
Side note:
There were so many WTF moments where I questioned my sanity but do I even have that??
𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴:
Sharks - Imagine Dragons
————————————————————————————
I’ve been waiting for Enzo since the dawn of time. 22nd July can’t come fast enough!! -
5 stars ☆ "If worshiping you is what you ask, I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life on my knees."
ENZO VITALE IS MINE BITCHES. BACK OFF 🤺
like words cannot explain how much I wanted to take this man’s d1ck from the back and slurp it like it’s my last thanksgiving meal like omg I want him to turn into his titan form and put me in his mouth and let me slideeee on down his throat like omg.
(if you know that audio then we’re good 😭) -
It was a great story! I started reading without knowledge about it. It was f…ing amazing.
It’s worth the reading. -
4✨
You became my life, and I don’t want it back. I won’t fucking take it.
Well, folks, this book is entirely fucked. Does It Hurt? is about Sawyer, a woman on the run after an entirely messed up childhood. While in Australia, she meets Enzo. After a night of adult fun, she steals his identity and makes a break for it. But, of course, he finds out and attempts to track her down. Once he finds her, he takes her onto his boat to scare the shit out of her (and casually like almost try to kill her? Debatable), but a huge storm hits and they capsize. Sawyer ends up saving herself and Enzo by landing on a spooky island with a lone lighthouse and an even spookier old dude. What follows is basically suspenseful and erotic story with Sawyer and Enzo trying to survive.
Both main characters are super flawed and so much fun to read. The suspense aspect with the old dude was so creepy! I kept reading and reading because I needed to know what was going on. I wouldn’t necessarily say this is scary, but I was definitely on the edge of my seat most of the time.
Read it you like dark erotic suspense novels with an asshole mmc, a flawed fmc, and twists and turns you can’t see coming.
TW:
Non/dub con, SA, incest (mentioned, forced), murder, gore, and violence. -
Wow. I think dark romance is a new favorite of mine. I loved it. GIVE ME THE FUCKED UP SHIT HELL YES.
Also the plot was better than the smut. Not many books I can say that about. -
If you see me reading this book , No you didn't 🤸♀️🙃
Edit: Everytime I think a have read or seen most of the kinks and TW existed to earth - I am proved wrong . H.D. CARLTON never disappoints to expand my knowledge on them 📜
I have to say that this book was mild ( wow never though I would say that😆 ) but yes ,it was compared to her other works. The characters were both interesting ,at first they seemed very 2d, I might say, but you know forced proximity gets the the jobbb done and brings out their personalities .I feel that we really saw them from the lighthouse and after . Enzo is at first very distant and mean and Sawyer is funny, a bit weird and nervous . If I am honest, their relationship was so hot and cold with a constant push and pull . They kinda figure out each other and at the end form a bond .
The real surprise was the plot ,I was intriuged and kept at my toes for the last 50% , it was creepy with plot twists and a mystery . I WANT TO PHYSICALLY FIGHT THE CREEPY OLD DUDE🤺🤺🤺
some of my favourite quotes :
“You know the song “Obsessed” by Mariah Carey? I think she knew what she was doing when she wrote it,”
slayyy💅
“You coming in?”
“Only if you promise not to touch me,” I call back.
“I promise not to do anything you don’t beg me for.”
Smoothh operatorrrr😩( the amount of begging this book had illegal and unholy)
“Oh God,”
“Can you see him, baby? Ask him for forgiveness.”
“Why?”
“Because you worship me now.”
🛐
Rating 4✨️ -
4.5 ⭐️
