Sam Mariano

Good Lord...

It is hard for me to lose my ability to use words, however, that is what this author did in this story. There were so many red flags. Did that stop me? Oh, HELL NO. I might need therapy to explain why I found Dare so delicious. He was better than ice cream on a hot summer day. If I met him in real life, or I knew anyone that was possibly seeing him/interested in him, I would be screaming to RUN, and Run, The Flash, fast because he is his own level of cray cray. For those readers show more out there thinking he can't be worse than Carter or Mateo... prepare yourself. This cat is in a league all his own.

I don't want to give spoilers away, and would actually have a hard time even preparing someone for this book. It was intense. It was different, it exceeded my expectations. This is the start of something new and I am here for it. I had hopes of diving back into the Morelli world and was leary about the start of this. I need not have been because it was the best from the Filthy Elites anthology. show less

Even If It Hurts is the 1st book in the Coastal Elite series. This is a book where we see the beginning of the latest series by this author. I recently read Undertow and wanted to read the first book. I have been hearing all the best things about this one and I was curious to see how this one would compare with the elite "Untouchable", and while I definitely enjoyed this one and delivered a powerhouse of a bully romance, its nowhere close to how good Untouchable is for me. But having said show more that, Even If It Hurts was a phenomenal read and wow this one was definitely intense, dramatic and dark. If you only read contemporary romance, I do NOT recommend this book as it does contain dark themes with a anti hero who is a psychopath---literally haha

Even If It Hurts is a story that begins with our heroine, Aubrey, who is working hard by staying good in High school and taking care of her mother who has cancer. But with one altercation with one of the mean girls of the school, she is brought into the sphere of Dare who is the king of the school but also pulls no punches. At first there is a dare with Dare and his girlfriend to play a trick on Aubrey. But it becomes apparent that there is definitely more going on for Dare than meets the eye. And one has to wonder if he will protect Aubrey and betray her in the end...

So Even If It Hurts was completely different from "Untouchable" and even though there are some similarities, they are completely different. I did find that Dare to be much more of a sociopath than Carter Mahoney. Carter is just different in some ways and doesn't quite get as unhinged as Dare can get. So its definitely an experience to get Dare's perspective. And to be honest, in the first half, I wasn't seeing it haha but yeah once you get into the later half of the story, his character really shines through and you definitely see the sociopath that Dare is. I actually loved the heroine to be honest, I know she isn't everyone's favorite, but honestly, she really just worked for me so well on this one. I really was intrigued by her character and her reactions to Dare. The writing in this one is just as addictive as what you see in Untouchable, so I do think fans of Untouchable will be easily won over by this one here. But this one is so DIFFERENT from Untouchable, so keep that in mind. As I feel like people will go into this expecting an Untouchable type of story. It definitely has depths to the story that is typical of Sam Mariano, but at the same time, its going to deliver a story that is completely different than anything that you have read previously.

Overall I found myself hooked in line and sinker into Even If It Hurts, and this author really magnified the greatness of the complexity of their abilities in this one. It delivers on the dark, on the edgy feels and on the heart! If you are a fan of dark bully romance, then this one needs to be on your checklist! show less

I am going to start this review out with the reminder that it is imperative that this book needs to be read in order. Even though the story is about Dante it still has major perspectives to the story that would either a) not make sense or b) spoil this part of the story. I would hate for anyone to not understand the dynamics at play ESPECIALLY when it comes to Mateo.

Now that I have said that let me get on with this story. Sweet holy Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, and baby Jesus. I am not sure how it show more is that this author can make antiheroes so dang intriguing but she takes it to a whole different level. This lifestyle is pretty repugnant in so many ways. Something that all of the characters know. Hell, even the author knows but the author portrays it with an authenticity that makes it compelling to read. She even gives insight that even the main characters feel the demons left behind from their choices.

That was definitely the case with Dante. He knows that what he does to ensure he doesn't lose Colette is wrong, he just is willing to accept that because the love he does feel for her is right. He showed that he wasn't remorseful but that he would have, and did, do anything to have her be the light in his life. I am pretty sure he would have sold his soul to be with her. That is unconditional love. He showed his moments of love, tenderness, and even vulnerability when he needed to. He also showed that he might as well been made of steel in other ways because he was definitely a made man and one not about to bend. And that is what had me love him even more because I knew that he would have had no qualms lighting the world on fire for his Colette.

Dante was much different than Mateo but also the same in many ways. The same could be said about Colette and Mia. There was something intrinsically good and pure about both of these ladies. They knew the world they were getting into just as they knew that the men they loved weren't truly good. I liked watching Colette struggle with how to accept this and finally quit fighting it. Together, Dante and Colette were just as epic as Mateo and Mia just in a different way. They burned just as bright just with a different intensity.

I really enjoyed seeing some of the scenes that had occurred in previous books from a different perspective or lens. It helped add additional insight into the characters and the overall story. It also allowed me the chance to see how fantastic Mateo is at being the puppet master that he is. That man truly is a manipulative bastage/genius (tomato/tomahto) and cemented his placement in my top BBF's of all time. However, it also allowed the chance for Dante to creep up in the rankings because there is this "Je ne say quois" type feel to him. Basically, this author has proven that I would sell my soul for a Morelli man. Speaking of which, I am going to need this author to write about Alec asap. He has had some pivotal scenes in a couple of books and I am needing to know more.

The bottom line now that I have rambled like a rabbit shiny squirrel is read this book. However, read this book AFTER the others have been read. Even though I have read the series several times now as well as the Vegas spinoff, it makes me want to go back and reread it again because not only is it amazing but because I learn something every time I read it. I also suggest reading the often times missed book Entrapment, which is Mateo's POV and deleted scenes from various parts of the series (it isn't numbered as part of the Morelli series) because it really adds another dimension to the story. show less

4.5 stars

This book was recommended to me. The first half of the book I questioned why? Then it got GOOD. Sweet holy titfire did it ever. So much is screwed up about this. I loved Vince but sweet lord I loved Mateo even more. I know I shouldn't but I couldn't stop it. Everything about an anti-hero that I love. Twisted too. What is sad is that the author had me liking both the good and bad guy. Normally, I would have just liked the bad guy but this author is so phenomenal that I might as well show more have been her puppet while she was the puppeteer. Her words were the strings and she moved my feelings around to what she wanted me to feel. I have a feeling that this is not going to bode well in the future for me. I don't do well with choosing when both men are delicious.

Cannot wait for the next book.

Merged review:

When I started this series I was a little concerned. I thought to myself that there was no way that I could get into a book where the heroine was in high school. I was skeptical, to say the least. Well, color me surprised. By the 50% point of this book, I was HOOKED. I devoured the entire series and later Mateo's POV with bonus/deleted scenes in a matter of DAYS. I hardly slept, ate, or functioned.

I cannot recommend this series enough. It is dark but not all the time. It is also love. Mateo is definitely in my top three book boyfriends. Yes, I can say this despite the fact that he is a little (okay A lot crazy) but he is more than a bad guy here. Everything he does is with a purpose. He loves ferociously. Mia and Mateo together are perfection. The author is a master wordsmith. I will devour anything and everything that she writes from now on. show less