Book Review: Does It Hurt? by H.D. Carlton

Does It Hurt?

H.D. Carlton

Publisher: Independent

Published Date: July 22, 2022

Genres: Dark Romance, Thriller

432 Pages / 12 Hours 7 Minutes

Date Read: March 29, 2023

Format: 📱

Source: Kindle Unlimited

As always, if you prefer a spoiler free review please read my quick review instead of the in depth review below.

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About the Book

Sawyer is on the run and survives off others' identities and staying on the move. That is until she crosses the wrong man, Enzo Vitale. Enzo has an obsession with Sawyer, mostly focused on getting revenge for stealing his identity. Soon after their paths cross, they are shipwrecked onto a small, remote island during a storm. In this isolated lighthouse, they must rely on each other even through their feelings of distrust. The longer they remain on the island the more they realize that they might be in more danger than they thought.

Quick Review (Spoiler Free)

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this story. Talk about slow burn though. My God. Again… check your trigger warnings on this one. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. The things that happened at the lighthouse were nuts! I love when my romance books and thriller books get a bit of a mashup.

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Now, let's get into the details!!

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Enzo is a little unhinged but I again can’t resist a man with bold confidence. This dude… is absolutely crazy. But the dynamic between him and Sawyer is definitely more in the true enemies category and less in the insta-love. I find that a lot of enemies to lovers stories are not really true enemies but Enzo truly can't stand Sawyer through a good chunk of this book. I was in complete shock at the shark scene for one example.

And that lighthouse… my goodness. I was not expecting the level of messed up that showed itself during the twists. I was on the edge of my seat with this part of the book, too. I love when a thriller can keep me guessing and anticipating what is going to happen. At some points, I almost forgot that the focus here is dark romance and I got lost in the messed up background story. The thriller aspect kept me invested in this one just as much as the romance did.

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Ratings