Review: Dark Valor by Helena Novak (Virtuous Sinners)
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Well.
Dry fisting:
What more do you need to know - the killer MC (Godric) fists the other dude (Lucas) with only a little spit. Very rapidly too - a couple fingers, then bam! Fist. And then arm to the elbow. He also drags the Lucas around by his arm in his asshole, so.
He bites my tailbone, pumping his thick arm deeper and deeper until I’m sure I’ll split in half.NO
Mindbreak:
This was, I think, supposed to be mindbreak via making Lucas question his reality/make the Godric into his savior or only thing he can trust. It did not work for me.
The main tactic the killer MC uses is breaking into Lucas’ house, and then …moving things? Being seen but for some reason Lucas thinks he didn’t literally hear and see him? At one point, he sees Godric in the mirror behind him, but the only investigation he does is to turn around and give up.
His eyes lock on mine in the mirror, and he drops the phone with a sharp gasp. By the time he whips around, I sidestep out of the door, slipping back into his room.An incredibly hilarious one is the night after Godric picks Lucas up from a murder scene at the club, dry fists him, and then leaves. For some reason, having the sheets be changed (ok he did laundry in the middle of the night?? pls) is enough to have Lucas go “nothing happened???i am crazy???”
From what I can make out of my back, my ass looks untouched,
MY DUDE YOU WERE FISTED YOUR ASS IS NOT “UNTOUCHED”
Basically, unless Lucas was established to have some sort of already-present susceptibility to doubting his reality, this would never work, and definitely did not work for me. This was gaslighting without paying the utility bill.
Characters/plot/idk:
Lucas has a nebulous sketchy backstory, which was not enough to support his internal doubt of his mind.
Godric is a dumbass - he’s hiding from the cops, but when faced with cops (to give a statement for a drugged girl at the bar), he chooses to be extremely antagonistic. Instead of trying to be uninteresting? Giving them a fake name? If you’re hiding, why are you drawing attention to yourself?
Around the time my file ended, somehow the Russian mob showed up tangentially so uh…not sure where that was going.
The writing:
There’s always some element of personal taste in this, but I found it to be excessively dramatic at times. Some very overwrought metaphors and analogies where they were not needed (all over the place).
The angry irrational obsessiveness did hit some good notes with Godric, so that was nice.
Unfinished file:
When I got to Chapter 11, all I got was
“…check for updates, would ya? Something probably happened here. Thanks!”
as the last page. Mmm…pass. My friend’s file had an extra 20 pages, so I guess technically I didn’t finish it, but I was not compelled to hunt those down. She looped me on the story, nothing significant happened.
There was also a point where the security guard was called “NAME”, so it was feeling a little rough around the edges in general.
Overall, this didn’t work for me. I’ve read surprise fisting before, but never surprise dry fisting. The connection to “valor” as the virtue for this book was tenuous at best, given Godric is obsessed with courage and Lucas is a giant chicken. Such are the perils of babby’s first dark romance and multiauthor series.
Virtuous Sinners series
I Am God’s Dagger ⭐⭐⭐
Dark Valor ⭐⭐
Day of Judgement ⭐
Speak and Obey ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Moment of Truth (i cannot find this??)
Nightingale - ⭐
Man of Carnage
Pure Silence
Basically, unless Lucas was established to have some sort of already-present susceptibility to doubting his reality, this would never work, and definitely did not work for me. This was gaslighting without paying the utility bill.
Characters/plot/idk:
Lucas has a nebulous sketchy backstory, which was not enough to support his internal doubt of his mind.
Godric is a dumbass - he’s hiding from the cops, but when faced with cops (to give a statement for a drugged girl at the bar), he chooses to be extremely antagonistic. Instead of trying to be uninteresting? Giving them a fake name? If you’re hiding, why are you drawing attention to yourself?
Around the time my file ended, somehow the Russian mob showed up tangentially so uh…not sure where that was going.
The writing:
There’s always some element of personal taste in this, but I found it to be excessively dramatic at times. Some very overwrought metaphors and analogies where they were not needed (all over the place).
Pity, really, ‘cause if anyone deserved the wrath of Godric Buchannon, it’s these scumbags.ok edgelord
His stoic expression is unlike anything I’ve seen before, all curiosity and no genuine interest to be found. Like staring down a wild boar after you traipsed to close to the space they determined was theirs.feral hogs are known for their curiosity
The angry irrational obsessiveness did hit some good notes with Godric, so that was nice.
Unfinished file:
When I got to Chapter 11, all I got was
“…check for updates, would ya? Something probably happened here. Thanks!”
as the last page. Mmm…pass. My friend’s file had an extra 20 pages, so I guess technically I didn’t finish it, but I was not compelled to hunt those down. She looped me on the story, nothing significant happened.
There was also a point where the security guard was called “NAME”, so it was feeling a little rough around the edges in general.
Overall, this didn’t work for me. I’ve read surprise fisting before, but never surprise dry fisting. The connection to “valor” as the virtue for this book was tenuous at best, given Godric is obsessed with courage and Lucas is a giant chicken. Such are the perils of babby’s first dark romance and multiauthor series.
I Am God’s Dagger ⭐⭐⭐
Dark Valor ⭐⭐
Day of Judgement ⭐
Speak and Obey ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Moment of Truth (i cannot find this??)
Nightingale - ⭐
Man of Carnage
Pure Silence
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