alaa_bookishlife's reviews
541 reviews

Where do I start with this masterpiece? An amazing book with the best plot to a wonderful author that no words can describe, and try as you can, nothing will prepare you to the mixture of emotions in it.

Now be aware, my review may contain some spoilers, I'll try to keep it under control, but I did warn you in case I can't lol

Starting Control Me, i though it would be another Mafia book where it has the normal hurt/comfort, the girl gets hurt and the man is helping her, but no, Michelle Heard took it to another level, and unexpected level may I add.
No amount of preparation readied me to Abbie's suffering, to Nikolai's emotions, or to Alek.
Reading book one, Abbie was after Nikolai, flirting and wanting him but he it's not just that he falls first for her, he admits first, he fights for her, he's always there for her, he's with her every step of the way, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
What Abigail went through is hard, and to say she was an innocent that literally has nothing to do with anything at all, would be an understatement, like Nikolai said "Due to her father’s stubbornness, there was a hit on her life. Due to her best friend’s boyfriend having a pissing contest with the yakuza, she got kidnapped and beaten." she did nothing and she paid for everything dearly. That she could go back to normal after everything, is a miracle, but she's a strong one, easily can be one of the strongest FMCs I've ever read about.
Nikolai, the supportive MMC, I love him, he's nothing like what I originally thought about him in book one, there's more to his character, the real reason for his first marriage said it all, but he proved to be even more with everything Abbie went through, he was in the dark, not knowing anything for sure, yet he was always with her, always supporting her, helping her to go through it all, without even knowing anything, not asking questions, not because he didn't want to know, but to give her time, as much as she needed him, she needed the time to actually understand what happened.
I'll take a minute to appreciate Alek, how he helped her, he did go against Nikolai to hide her secret, knowing it's not his place to say anything, I'm really waiting to see what his book looks like, I'm sure we'll suffer with him :D

I'll just have to talk about the healing part, after what happened, the physical healing can be the easiest part, the emotional and the mental healing tho? These parts can take forever, and to be honest, I was afraid we won't have a proper healing process, to go through everything, to really have the time to heal, but Michelle Heard, being the amazing author she is, we've got it all, the physical, the emotional and the mental, and not all together at the same time, nope, each process in itself alone.
I can't even begin to describe the emotions that, I, as a reader, went through while reading, it's not just sadness, I felt broken with both of them, cried my heart out for them, that scene when Nikolai broke down I had to stop for a moment to get myself under control, and it wasn't that he was crying, yet still, it was super emotional.

I loved their intimate scenes, their first time together was absolutely stunning, but the first time after everything happened, this scene is stuck with me, it was so sweet so intimate, no words can justify how good and well written it was.

I want to sum it all and write a few words about how good this was, but I honestly can't, this book deserves more than can be put into words.
Michelle Heard did the best job in writing this book <3

In one word, it's a perfection, I'm absolutely speechless by how good that book was, it's worth the wait.
That was one hellova ride, an unexpected one, with lots of tension and energy, we got surprises, things we totally didn't expect, and more importantly, we go one of the most beautiful relationships.
We've got to see some of Giorgio and Martina in WSU, but whatever your first impression about them was, forget it and start a new page, it couldn't be farther from the truth.
I loved Giorgio "although there were time I wanted to smash his head" he's amazing, he has a plan and wants nothing more than completing it, he has his future designed, he know what he wants and how to get it, but then Martina come through the doors to his life, and those plans jump out the window, and try as he does, he couldn't stay away from her, she's his temptation, he's risking everything but he can't deny his desire for her.
Martina, the sweetest girl I've seen in book one, turns out, she's not the sweet teenager girl who's spoiled and does nothing wrong, she's a strong one, she's suffering, doesn't know how to deal with her problems, but once she sets her sights on something, she doesn't give up. And I mean AT ALL COSTS.
I loved how their relationship grew, it wasn't out of the blue, she didn't wake up one day and said "I feel like I want him", he didn't see her and was like "oh she seems like the one, I'll forget everything to get her" nope, you'll get the whole cycle, from the moment they decided they hate each other, till the "I love you" part, which wasn't a fast one.
Absolutely adored them, they're the perfect couple to read about, and to make it better, she's the one doing the temptation right here, she starts th whole "I want you" while he's in denial.
The plot twist about Giorgio's past wasn't something I saw coming, i was sure I knew everything, just to be shocked about it, that's not something I expected, neither was Polo's truth, who he really was, and I still haven't made peace with what Polo did in the end, I hate that, reread the whole scene just to make sure it's not a mistake.
To sum it all up "don't know how the hell I'll sum this book up lol" WST was a complete perfection, with some surprises and the best spice.
Ms Gabrielle did it again and now I'm here waiting for book three, more than excited to read it after that last scene.

I wanted to start the new year with something special, and this book is just that, special.
This book was absolutely one of the best books I've ever read, with a really good unexpected twists, great main characters, and even better side characters, it was the absolute perfection
We have Max and Wes's story here, which is full of ups and downs, emotions I personally didn't expect in a sport new adult book, and seeing as the author is really talented, made it all the better
Now you might think that Max was an a-hole, take a sit, take a deep breath and relax, because he's not, and he genuinely made it to the top of my favorite characters list "which is a long list", he was that protective, possessive, jealous boyfriend AND friend, that character was so well written, and I couldn't blame him for what he did, and quit frankly, I felt sad for him, but he got what he deserved ;)
Wes, the sweetheart of the story, I loved him, he didn't give up on Max, gave them a chance everytime Max asked for it even without him knowing that, and I can say that Wes is my favorite forgiving character, he loved Max even when he was behaving badly, when he thought that Max didn't want him, he didn't stop at any time.
Overall, this book got me really emotional, I was a big mess of emotions, especially in the second half of it, and I emotional doesn't mean just sad, I was angry with them, happy, confused, it was a really great work.
The last few chapters shocked me a bit honestly, because I know people can go to any length to get what they want, I just didn't expect it to be like that, btw, I'm still shocked thinking about what happened :D
We met many side characters here, I have my own assumptions for them, no that's a lie, I made my own stories for them😂 and I can't wait to read more about them, to know their stories and their real characters, I'll absolutely be reading more by the author <3