Release Date: November 11th
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This is book 2 in Tuesday James' Thunder Ridge series. While you don't absolutely have to read These Jagged Edges first, I would recommend that you do so you get the whole picture as it pertains to other characters in the story.
This Violent is a second chance, childhood friends to lovers book with a fake engagement and forced proximity. Louisiana Wright and Henry Wilder have known each other most of their lives, and have basically been family, ever since Henry's mom took Lou and her little sister in after their mother left. Henry and Lou have only been close, and had a relationship as teens. Everything seemed to fall apart after Lou's dad died. For ten years, Lou tried to push Henry away, but Henry never stopped trying to break down the walls that she tries to keep up.
Then Henry discovers Dallas, an abandoned child, living on the outskirts of their town. He takes him in, and recruits Lou as his fiancée to be able to keep Dallas. It takes time, obviously, for Dallas to understand and truly believe that Henry and Lou are there for him, and are not going to let him go without a fight.
This book was spicy, and had quite a bit of kink thrown in. Things between them are always intense, but there was one questionable scene to me, where Henry was full on "fuck a safe word", with no mention of them previously allowing that kind of activity.
Thanks to Luna Literary and Tuesday James for the gifted copy — all opinions are my own.