I recently devoured two novels that completely changed my perspective on romance: The Horrific Cruise and The Flawless One. As someone who's more into fantasy, I approached this genre with a mix of excitement and skepticism.
But Exmo's novels are a game-changer. They're incredibly well-written, and nothing like the domestic dramas and romance novels my mom used to read when I was a kid.
The Horrific Cruise is a fantastic story with a 'From Hate to Love' trope, which is one of my favorite narrative devices. But what sets it apart is that the action takes place in the real world, making it feel incredibly realistic.
This book might not be the hottest on my bookshelf, but it does have some light sex scenes. The tension between the main characters is palpable, and it's what really draws you in.
Cost: around 500 rublesPage count: 448 pages with small textGenre: modern foreign literature, novel, Young AdultPublisher: FreedomWhere to buy: I ordered it on Ozon, but the book is available in most major bookstores, both online and offline.Age rating: 18+The story has a unique and engaging plot. The main character, Tennessee Turner, is a single mom who's hated by the entire town. She's almost a virgin, but has a reputation as an easy girl. And then there's Dr. Cruz Castillo, the perfect, handsome, sexy, and wealthy doctor who's loved by everyone.
They absolutely despise each other, and their initial interactions are pretty intense. But as the story progresses, you start to see the cracks in their facades, and it's fascinating to watch them fall apart.
I was underwhelmed by the cover design. It's cute and summery, but it doesn't exactly grab your attention. However, the simple sketches at the start of each chapter are a nice touch.
The pages themselves are white, but a bit thin, so you can see the lines through them. The font is classic and a bit small, but it's easy to read without straining your eyes.
The story takes place in a tiny, almost invisible town that you'd never find on a map. It's got a tiny population, and everyone knows each other's business. There's just one school, one café, and so on.
I mean, in our world, we'd call it a small town or a village, but this one's got a weird charm to it. The thing is, it's super annoying and uncomfortable when everyone knows your business, especially if it's not exactly... pleasant.
Tennessee Turner is a single mom who's hated by the entire town. She's almost a virgin, but has a reputation as an easy girl. And then there's Dr. Cruz Castillo, the perfect, handsome, sexy, and wealthy doctor who's loved by everyone.
They absolutely despise each other, and their initial interactions are pretty intense. But as the story progresses, you start to see the cracks in their facades, and it's fascinating to watch them fall apart.
My brain kind of froze when I read this part. I mean, in Russia, the word 'Neryaska' has a slightly different connotation, and to me, it's more like someone who's sloppy or unclean. But in the book, Neryaska is described as 'forever ruining things, clumsy, unlucky, and so on.'
Nessy's a beautiful girl with a sexy figure, but she doesn't do anything to achieve it. So, I guess you could say she won the lottery of life in some way.
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He's Cruz Castillo. Correction - Dr. Cruz Castillo. He's a popular doctor, a cool doctor. Sexy, rich, handsome, buff, and tan. Cruz is a pretty helpful guy and has a reputation for being extremely positive, and his grateful patients even give him free pastries.
He was holier than the water Jesus walked on...
and more virtuous than Mother Teresa...
Cruz is so used to being perfect for everyone that when he finds himself in a new environment where no one knows him, he stops pretending and starts causing chaos and making up crazy stories about himself. And Nessy really helped him with that.
Certainly, he was an amazing lover, and he never let anyone go without a free orgasm 😉
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I've gotta say, Nessa's a total disaster when it comes to planning things. She was supposed to book our cruise, but she messed it up and ordered tickets for the wrong ship. It's a big deal because both our families were supposed to go on this cruise to celebrate my sister's wedding, but now we're stuck on a different boat.
And to make matters worse, I'm stuck in a cabin with Dr. Cruz, who's basically the most popular guy on the ship. I've got to admit, I've never been a fan of his, and it looks like the feeling is mutual.
I could marry any woman right now (except maybe Tennessee Turner), but honestly, I wouldn't want to marry Nessa even if she was the last woman on earth.
I've really grown to love the main character, despite what everyone else seems to think of her. She's a strong woman, and it's hard not to feel sorry for her after one mistake ruins everything. Even her own parents are barely speaking to her, and the only one who seems to support her is her 13-year-old son.
It's weird because she hasn't dated anyone in 13 years, but everyone still thinks of her as some kind of easy target.
So, Nessa and Dr. Cruz decide to play a game while we're on the cruise. It's not a bad idea, considering we're stuck in a small cabin together, but they agree to keep it a secret and end things when the cruise is over.
But, of course, things don't go according to plan.
*who would have thought?*
There's chemistry between them, sparks flying everywhere, and things get a lot more complicated than they expected.
I was expecting the plot to get dull, but then Robert shows up - the same old Robert who stole Nessie 14 years ago. And the missing dad is dead serious about reuniting with his family.
*How simple life is for men*.
Despite the straightforward plot, the book really hooks you in - there's humor, sarcasm, a bit of passion, and some seriously romantic undertones, which makes it a real page-turner from the very first pages.
The introduction is anything but dull, which is a rarity for romance novels. And the pages just fly by at breakneck speed because I'm dying to know who Nessie ends up with.
There are a few quotes that I just had to highlight. They're so raw and relatable that I'd be happy to save them not just in the book, but on my phone too.
A happy person would never hurt anyone else.
Trying to hurt someone else is just a sign that you're hurting yourself!
But, as the book's Nessie said, what people think of me is none of my business - some people are just destined to dislike me.
The book has 34 chapters, with the narrative changing from time to time. Some chapters are written from Nessie's perspective, while others are from Cruz's.
This isn't a new concept, but it's still a great one – I've been seeing it a lot lately. It really helps you dive deeper and understand both perspectives.
I was blown away by how quickly and easily I could read it – the writing style is just fantastic, light and enjoyable. I never found myself wanting to put the book down or re-read confusing passages.
As it turns out, this author has written some amazing novels, and I've seen them popping up in book communities. People were raving about them, so I'm definitely going to take note and check out more of their work. The Cruel Prince is a great example!