Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Credence by Penelope Douglas

19 reviews

hannahhagedorn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So clearly there is something wrong with me but that’s for my therapist to dissect. This book has been on my tbr for years and I was so scared of it cause everyone said it was really bad and filled with incest. In legality terms maybe, in blood terms… no. Yes there’s some pretty taboo themes and questionable choices at times but I think we all need to remember that this isn’t reality. We are stepping into another world where things may not be as black and white as the pages of the book. This book is set up really well and as with most of this author’s works it has substance (as opposed to what all those one stat reviewers say). There is a plot and it’s actually pretty heartbreaking most of the time. I think the people reviewing low either bypass the trigger warnings or think they can handle more than they actually can. I liked the relationships Tiernan formed with Jake, Noah, and Kaleb. I think each of them had such distinct personalities that it almost felt like reading multiple books at once with one overarching plot. Almost like Devil’s Night but with the same fmc of course. I was in such a reading slump the past few weeks but I read this book super fast, and when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about what was gonna happen next. I don’t recommend reading before you’ve read the trigger warnings, I didn’t read them but I also haven’t been triggered by a book in the past and I’ve read much worse than this. Again that’s a problem for my therapist that I will not likely address. All the love, always <3
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just_kt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The isolated mountain setting adds an eerie, atmospheric touch that keeps things interesting with vivid descriptions that really bring the mountain to life.

However, the story itself is incredibly polarizing. The book is mainly a series of time jumps and sex scenes, with very little actual plot development, plot devices come out of the blue and almost feel they were added as an afterthought. While Tiernan’s journey of self-discovery is central to the story, her character arc often takes a backseat to the shock factor of the relationships. The emotional depth and growth I was hoping for felt overshadowed by the novel’s focus on taboo elements rather than meaningful storytelling.

While I appreciate the bold themes and exploration of trauma and loneliness, the pacing felt rushed, and the ending left much to be desired. If you’re looking for a structured plot with strong character development, this may not be the best fit. However, if you enjoy dark, boundary-pushing romances and don’t mind a story that leans heavily on steamy scenes, Credence might still be worth a read.
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whatkatyread87's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

In my opinion, the step-family taboo was totally unnecessary. This is a great story where things move forward and progress in a way that makes sense. But the taboo didn’t even really add anything to the story? 
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lorie266's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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k8lynn's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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sam_willson's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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shellbycox's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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pippamillerxoxo_'s review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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booksalacarte's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Credence- 1⭐️ 5🌶️


Contemporary Romance
Taboo Romance
Multi POV 
Small town
Polyamorous FMC

Tw: suicide, parental death, SA, Rape, emotional abuse, physical abuse, pedophilia, predatory behavior, grooming a minor

The start of this book is interesting. A 17yo, raised by her parent’s assistant, looses her narcissist parents to suicide and goes to live with her step uncle in the middle of nowhere… but then the FMC turns 18 and things take a turn that I knew was coming, but by the end I felt like I was reading a train wreck I wanted to just finish and be done with. I think the setting was the only thing I enjoyed about the story. The rest just was a giant red flag. I think I kept reading because I was interested in how the situation could be sustainable enough to be considered a happily ever after.

This… was not the book for me. I don’t enjoy reading about the romantic couples abusing each other. I don’t consider that romance.

All of the characters were sad and depressing. There wasn’t a single person in this book that knew what joy or contentment looked like. Every single person in this book needed interventional therapy. The men were all misogynistic and gross. And once they had their “turn” they basically disappear from the plot . How? What? 

The POV shifts were fine, but the 1 POV from the MMC (who is barely in the book other than SA/R scenes) was written to make his internal monologue sound like an absolute psychopath. 

 This was definitely a “taboo romance”. Although there was not really anything romantic about it. The girl sleeps with her step-uncle and step-cousins, who are supposed to be alpha males, but didn’t get possessive when it came to their own family. Nope. The spice was very disjointed and flipped on and off like a switch. It read more like Stockholm syndrome. The only character that showed her any type of romance was her pedophile step-uncle. 

As if it could get any worse, it was over written. There is more than enough plot with the step-family…. Absolutely no other plot tools were needed to add to the drama. 

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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potalian's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.75

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