Consent by Charmaine Pauls

I'm not even sure where to begin. This duet was so intense, heartbreaking, and emotional. I both hate and love Gabriel, just like Valentina. My heart broke for what she had to go through because Gabriel made some really bad and stupid decisions in Dubious. He secretly got Valentina pregnant, without her consent, which made her assume that it was her fault. It's horrible. In Consent, Valentina and Charlie are both struggling to survive after she made the decision to run away from Gabriel. Once again, Valentina also made some really bad and stupid decisions. I'm grateful that this period of time didn't last long but it did take Gabriel a couple of months to find her. A lot of things happened in this book that ultimately escalated in many deaths. I was really shocked by the end.

Gabriel's character has me conflicted because while he is a bad man, especially since he forced Valentina to be with him and made it seem like he did not love her, the truth is that he fell for her since the very beginning. Valentina has also fallen in love with her captor. There were a lot of miscommunications and Gabriel's lack of self-esteem essentially prevented him from accepting Valentina's love. While all of this is going on, Gabriel is trying to figure out Valentina's past and what he finds is not pretty. As for Valentina, I loved her character. She goes through so much pain and hardship since she became Gabriel's maid. Not only did she lose her thumb but also her heart and future in the process. I wanted her to have a happy ending.

I do have to say that last part of the book near 75% was where it got really bizarre and somewhat unrealistic. Gabriel goes through a major change and I'm not sure if it's for the better. I don't know why the author decided to go this direction. I was conflicted to say the least. In the end, I really enjoyed this duet and Charmaine Pauls' writing was absolutely stellar. I was already impressed with her since reading Diamonds in the Dust but this has solidified my status as her fan. I highly recommend this book for those of you who love dark romance, especially with a hero who is possessive and will never let his heroine go. There is a lot of drama and the sex scenes were scorching hot. And like the title of the books, there is a lot of dubious consent but at the same time, Gabriel and Valentina's time together was never forced. It's hard to explain but the attraction goes both ways.

Rating: ★★★★☆