Hate Like Honey by Charmaine Pauls

I feel so conflicted writing this review because of the emotional turmoil that this book has inflicted upon me. However, there is no denying that Charmaine Pauls has written another incredible and heartbreaking sequel for Angelo and Sabella. Hate Like Honey is the second book in the Corsican Crime Lord series and it follows the devastating aftermath of Love Like Poison. There were heavy consequences to Angelo's obsession for Sabella and both their families paid the ultimate price. Unfortunately, Sabella won't be able to escape Angelo's wrath—which may prove to be the downfall of their relationship and any lingering feelings of love they may have for each other. I will forever be enamored by Charmaine's prose and her ability to craft words that will tug at your heartstrings. There was this feeling of impending doom throughout the book and I was completely floored when the marriage finally happened.

“At last, she’s mine, but it’s not the beginning I imagined. Our story doesn’t get a happy ending. In our case, we’re doomed to live unhappily ever after.”

I both loved and hated Angelo. He was a man who lost everything while only rage and a hollow shell of his former self remained. Angelo was determined to possess Sabella and when their union finally happened, he became someone almost unrecognizable—a darker and crueler version of himself who wanted to break the woman he loved. I hated what he did to Sabella but I can only pity him for the day she throws everything back at his face in the future. After everything that she went through, Sabella is no longer her innocent and ignorant former self. Her love for Angelo played a part in the downfall of her family and left her with only pain and tears. I hated that Angelo blamed her for everything when she was innocent in her father and brother's evil plans. I couldn't help but think Angelo and Sabella were both tragic characters in their love for each other.

“I should’ve known then, but I was young and inexperienced. Falling in love. Falling for the wrong man. That man took my heart, and he never returned it. There’s no hope of ever getting it back, because the man I gave my love to is an illusion.”

In the end, this book devastated me in the best of ways and I can't wait to see how their relationship will develop even further in Tears Like Acid. The current version of Angelo does not deserve my tears and I don't know how the author will be able to redeem her hero after this book. He was incredibly cruel and heartless in how he treated Sabella but there were moments of kindness and gentleness from him. This book does end with another cliffhanger and we're left wondering what will become of Sabella's fate. Angelo is not willing to let her go but he is unable to forgive her. Fans of Charmaine Pauls, dark romance, and the arranged marriage trope will be completely enthralled by her storytelling in this brand new series featuring a seemingly irredeemable and cruel anti-hero hellbent on possessing his strong-willed and former hothouse flower of a heroine.

*This ARC was generously provided by the author and publisher for an honest review*

Rating: ★★★★★