Reviewing Book Scarred (Never After Series) by Emily McIntyre

Reviewing

Scarred (Never After Series) by Emily McIntyre 

     Scarred is a forbidden dark royal romance book. While, it is not a retelling there are certain references that are loosely inspired from The Lion King. This is a twisted retelling of The Lion King, with the Scarred Prince Tristan as the antihero of this tale. As the second born, he was never destined to wear the crown, but his tormented childhood at the hands of his older brother, the new king, eventually thrust him into the role of leader of a rebellion against his own flesh and blood. Enter Lady Sara Beatreaux, Sara has a goal to be the Queen and that means marrying the man she hates just so she can put an end to his evil and tyrannical bloodline after they murdered her father. Tristan wants revenge on the brother who tortured and broke him when they were children and to claim what is rightfully his…including Sara, his brother’s betrothed..She never anticipated the allure of the Scarred Prince. Tristan is forbidden, and he belongs to the enemy camp. But as they spend time together, the line between hatred and desire blurs, leaving Sara torn between her duty for vengeance and the unexpected feelings she's developed.. 
The main characters, Tristian and Sara were fantastic. Each were extremely strong-willed and fierce with their mission and goals. Their storylines and overall character development was really good as well. How does a book just instantly heal your soul? Emily McIntyre’s books are always amazing . While, this was a slow burn romance the tension, chemistry and development between Tristian and Sara was so well written that the wait was absolutely worth it. Once the spice begins it’s incredibly passionate, kinky and just hot, but in my opinion, I think Scarred is her best novel yet!!! It was raw, passionate, and deeply moving. McIntyre put her heart and soul on display and what an absolutely beautiful and dark place it is! 
    There is magic in the way even the smallest details are described that keep the reader enthralled. Nothing pulls me out of a book faster than rereading the same exact line in every chapter to describe different scenes or characters. So, the fact that she keeps it new and fresh with all the wonderful, and very colorful, descriptions is like finding treasure within a treasure. I also love that she promises villains, and that's exactly what we get. None of the sappy 'I can fix him with love' kinda storyline. Just an appreciation for what made us love the character and an understanding that not everything needs fixing. I also really liked how the characters have weaknesses. It's too easy, and tempting, to write characters that are nearly invincible, but it takes away from the storyline and loses the emotional impact. Both Tristan and Sara know they have limits, that are used against them, and they have had to learn how to use their other strengths, or their enemies failures, to their advantage. The plot twist also successfully got me, which isn't an easier thing to do. But the author also got me in Hooked.

 I do highly suggest checking the trigger warnings before reading as there are some sensitive and dark content that  touches on a theme of bullying that is handled delicately with extremely powerful outcomes and  a message that will stay bundled up in your heart for the rest of your days on this earth. Never has a book ever been more perfect for me like Scarred, the second stand-alone in Emily McIntyre’s Never After dark romance series. It’s rare when I find a book that I feel like the author wrote it specifically for me.             How does a book just instantly heal your soul? Emily McIntyre’s books are always amazing but in my opinion, I think Scarred is her best novel yet!!! It was raw, passionate, and deeply moving. McIntyre put her heart and soul on display and what an absolutely beautiful and dark place it is! Betrayal and plot twists, surprises and lots and lots of subconscious lip biting and eye brow raising at all the hot and heavy chapters. Emily McIntyre was so generous to us, dear readers!
    Overall, this book was very entertaining and well developed. Told from dual perspectives, Scarred tells the tale of two powerful people bloodthirsty for revenge I will say that the one thing that somewhat confused me was the time period/setting of this book. I wasn’t really sure what era this was all taking place at, so I would have liked just a bit more elaboration.
The ending did feel a bit rushed and I would have liked that the epilogue had included a hint of a future family but nonetheless the conclusion was very enjoyable.
Overall, just a well written and entertaining story. SPOILER ALERT 

I’m in love with Tristan, so I’ll serenade you with my favorite quotes of his!
“You’d make a stunning portrait.”
“I’d like to draw you,” I rephrase, moving in closer, my fingers dancing across her skin.
“Just like this, with your face kissing the stars… I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Are you calling me beautiful?”
“I’m saying you could drive a man insane. Make him raze the world just to see you smile.”
“You could burn down the entire kingdom until it’s nothing but charred rubble, and I would crawl over the embers with glee, so long as I could worship at your feet.”
“If that’s love, then yes, I love you.”
“I can’t feel anything but loving you.”
“If something happens, know that I will find you in every lifetime, Sara Beatreaux. You are mine, and not even death can keep you from me.”