Book Review | Red Thorns – Rina Kent (Thorns Duet, Book One)

Red Thorns
By: Rina Kent

Series: Thorns Duet
Book # in Series: 1 of 2
Publisher: Blackthorn Books, LLC
Publication Date: June 10th, 2021
My Rating: 4 Stars
My Reading Format: kindleunlimited

Synopsis:

A bet turned into a disaster.

Sebastian Weaver is the star quarterback and the college’s heartthrob.
Rich. Handsome. Bastard.
Everyone’s attention flocked toward him and all the girls dreamed to be with him.
Not me.
At least, not until he made a move on me.
See, I thought I was stronger than Sebastian’s charms.
I thought I could survive being his target.
I thought wrong.
Little did I know that he will make my most twisted fantasies come true.
Fantasies I didn’t know existed…

Red Thorns is a dark new adult book that contains dubious situations some readers might find offensive and/or triggering.
This is part of a duet and is not standalone.

honey-script.light

Red Thorns is the first book in Rina Kent’s Thorn Duet. This is Sebastian Weaver and Naomi Chester’s wonderfully twisted romance!

Naomi Chester wants to live her life in the background, but that’s a little bit harder to do now that she’s caught the eye of the quarterback, Sebastian. She’ll do everything in her power to keep him at distance, but something tells me, there is no refusing Sebastian.

Sebastian Weaver is as determined and stubborn as they come. Being raised up as a politician’s grandson will do that to a person. There are expectations in line for Sebastian, and the feisty woman he has his eyes on isn’t included. Sebastian has spent years construction and perfectly placed front to cover up his wicked side. But the longer he chases after Naomi, the more that wicked side is exposed. All he has to do is get her in his bed, then the bet will be won, and he can go on his merry freakin’ way…. Oh, if only it were that easy.

My Thoughts:

Rina Kent has a way of drawing her reader’s attention to every single detail of her stories. I’m sitting here looking for secret passages and loopholes, trying to expect the unexpected and prepare for the worst case scenario. And she still finds a way to rip that rug right out from under my feet! It has to be said, though the rug was emotionally pulled out from under my feet, I slightly predicted, or should I say, I knew what the outcome of Sabastian and Naomi’s romance would be in this first book all thanks to the Lies & Truths Duet. But the secret Naomi’s mom was hiding, now that is something I didn’t see coming!!

It has to be said, I think I’m loving the main characters in this duet more than the last! I love how Naomi and Sabastian, on the outside, couldn’t be more opposite. But beneath the surface they have something in common. I don’t recall ever reading and indulging in the predator/prey style kink in romance. I also have to say, there were moments that tested my limits, but it also tested my curiosity. This is definitely a taboo style romance and with that comes some pretty hefty trigger warnings surrounding fantasies, if you get where I’m going with this. Just know, everything was 100% consensual.

I think Naomi may just be one of my favorite characters so far in Rina Kent’s world. I love how different she is from other characters. She doesn’t care to fit in and she doesn’t care to run with the popular club. She’s not shallow whatsoever, but beneath the surface there is an insecurity and that insecurity is heightened the more she spends time with Sebastian. And that’s what caused my heart to break. I knew the reveal of the bet was coming, and I knew Sebastian’s true motive about the bet. But that doesn’t mean the hurt was lessened. If anything I wish Sebastian would have opened up and told Naomi about it all before it was brought to light by Naomi’s worst enemy. Of course, if that was the case, we wouldn’t have the epic cliffhanger that came with this novel. So bottom line, I loved the fierce persona Naomi brought to this character. But I also loved the fact that she had insecurities just like every other woman on this planet.

Now onto Sebastian. I loved everything about Sebastian, but sadly, I wanted to see more of the person he kept locked up. You see, Sebastian Weaver lost his parents when he was just a little boy. And in Sebastian’s mind, the accident that took his parents, was planned. Sebastian has lived his life trying to hide the violence he feels in his very soul. He’s tried to hide his beast, but the moment he sets his sights on Naomi, all bets are off. His beast wants her, and his beast always gets what he wants. I loved how alpha and dominant his beast side is.

I think I’ve rambled enough! Let’s just say, I cannot wait to jump into Black Thorns! I have a feeling the final book in this duet is going to be as epic as they come!!

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Peace Love and Happy Reading,

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