So, was it worth reading to complete the duet? No, no it wasn’t.

I’m going to be honest—I pretty much guessed what would happen in this second book before even starting it. I don’t understand the hype, and honestly, I was bored. But I guess I wasn’t expecting much, considering I gave the first book three stars.

Now, let’s get into my thoughts (which may contain spoilers—so be mindful). This book is quite dark due to its content and themes, so definitely check trigger warnings before diving in.

On a positive note, I enjoyed Adeline’s strength in the first half of the book—she really held onto it. But by the halfway point, it started to fade. Then came the journal found in the floorboards, and suddenly, every other chapter featured diary entries from a past captive. And I was just like… why are we doing this again? We already got this in the first book. If anything, I would have preferred Adeline making journal entries from the start instead—it would have given us a better look into her thoughts.

Now, let’s talk about the part that annoyed me the most: Adeline’s escape. It was so bland. She finally gets out and starts running toward the train tracks—smart move, good for her. But then, in the very next chapter, we jump to Zade heading to the location, and suddenly, there are sixty men searching the property for the escaped prisoner. And yet, ZADDY just says, “It’s her, let’s head to the train tracks,” and boom, there she is. Like… seriously? That was way too convenient. I actually laughed. If there were that many men looking for her, I expected more of a struggle. But nope—Zaddy rolled up and found her easy peasy.

Another issue I have is when Adeline has been saved, and at some point, she says, “Oh, Zaddy, it’s not your fault I was captured, but you saved me.” GIRL, be so for real. You are delulu—that man is partly responsible for you being captured and tortured.

I really don’t like Zade—he’s bland and monotone, with no depth of character. All we really know about him is that he’s an obsessed stalker who’s willing to kill and eradicate anyone involved in trafficking or harming women and children. But beyond that? There’s nothing. I feel like I know nothing else about him, which made it impossible for me to care about his connection with Adeline—I just didn’t feel anything between them.

I’m not a fan of the character Sibby either. She feels like a Harley Quinn knockoff, and personally, a character like this doesn’t phase me or interest me 

Lastly, the spice was uncomfortable. After everything Adeline went through in the first half of the book, I was honestly shocked by how the spice scenes played out toward the end. I just couldn’t enjoy it, and as I mentioned above, I didn’t feel any real connection between them.

This did not live up to the hype and just isn’t for me. Honestly, I can see why I put off reading this for the past 3–4 years.

Genre/Type: Dark Adult Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook and Kindle Read 
Pages: 684
Audiobook Length: 17hrs 24mins 
Narrators: Teddy Hamilton and Michelle Sparks - 
Rating: 🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Series or Standalone: Book Two In The Cat and Mouse Duet 
Tropes or Themes: Medical Content, Scars, Violence, Gun Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cursing, Self Harm, Torture, Murder, Death, Trafficking, Drugs, Drugged Situation, Primal, Mental Health, Revenge, Trauma, Sexual Content, Dirty Talk, Praise, Knife Play, Blood Play, Backdoor Scene, Crawling Scene, Bath Scene and Outside Scene. 
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