A review by originalbooknerd
The Anti-Hero by Sara Cate

challenging dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

π•Ώπ–π–Š π•¬π–“π–™π–Ž-π•³π–Šπ–—π–” – π•Ώπ–π–Š π•²π–”π–”π–‰π–Š π•­π–—π–”π–™π–π–Šπ–—π–˜ #1 – π•½π–Šπ–›π–Žπ–Šπ–œ
 
β€œα΄›Κœα΄‡ ɴᴏΙͺκœ±α΄‡ α΄›Κœα΄€α΄› α΄„α΄α΄α΄‡κœ± α΄α΄œα΄› ᴏꜰ ᴍᴇ α΄€κœ± Ιͺ ΚŸα΄‡α΄› ɒᴏ κœ±α΄α΄œΙ΄α΄…κœ± ᴍᴏʀᴇ α΄€Ι΄Ιͺα΄α΄€ΚŸ α΄›Κœα΄€Ι΄ Κœα΄œα΄α΄€Ι΄. Ιͺα΄› κœ±α΄α΄œΙ΄α΄…κœ± ʟΙͺᴋᴇ α΄€ α΄α΄Ι΄κœ±α΄›α΄‡Κ€, Κ™α΄œα΄› Ιͺα΄› κœ°α΄‡α΄‡ΚŸκœ± ʟΙͺᴋᴇ κœ°Κ€α΄‡α΄‡α΄…α΄α΄.” - ᴀᴅᴀᴍ

β€œΙͺα΄›β€™κœ± Κœα΄€Κ€α΄… ᴛᴏ ΚŸα΄‡α΄€α΄ α΄‡ κœ±α΄α΄α΄‡α΄Ι΄α΄‡ ᴑʜᴏ ΚŸα΄α΄ α΄‡κœ± ʏᴏᴜ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ α΄›Κœα΄α΄œΙ’Κœ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴑ Κ€α΄‡α΄€ΚŸΙͺκœ±α΄›Ιͺα΄„α΄€ΚŸΚŸΚ Ιͺα΄›β€™κœ± ɴᴏᴛ ᴑᴏʀᴋΙͺΙ΄Ι’. ΚŸα΄α΄ α΄‡ Ιͺꜱ κœ±α΄›α΄œα΄˜Ιͺα΄… ʟΙͺᴋᴇ α΄›Κœα΄€α΄›. Ιͺα΄›β€™κœ± ʟΙͺᴋᴇ α΄…Κ€ΙͺΙ΄α΄‹ΙͺΙ΄Ι’ ᴘᴏΙͺꜱᴏɴ Κ™α΄‡α΄„α΄€α΄œκœ±α΄‡ Ιͺα΄› α΄›α΄€κœ±α΄›α΄‡κœ± ɒᴏᴏᴅ.” - κœ±α΄€Ι’α΄‡
 
Author: Sara Cate
 
Couple: Sage & Adam
 
Tropes: goody boy MMC, morally grey FMC, opposites attract, age-gap, taboo romance, dark romance, found family, enemy to lover, cam s3x, fake dating, preacher's son
 
Review: Be ready to be a sinner in Sara’s new opposites attract romance! Sage and Adam are two souls destined for each other and the storms they weather prove how well matched they are. I fell deep into their forbidden romance and lived to see how Adam would rebel next!
 
Sage is a young woman who works alongside her boyfriend when she first meets Adam and I enjoyed her unapologetic nature when she accepted to seat with him. I found myself silently laughing at how instant their connection was since she is an employee at a s*x club and Adam is the poster boy for good boys. Sara did a phenomenal job with creating Sage to be a total dichotomy and the way her character evolved in this story was perfect! When she is confronted with Adam and his father again, I was there for all her snark towards Adam and his patronizing ways.
 
Adam is the preacher’s son and the all-American good boy. His character is so righteous at the beginning that I was happy how Sage came in and knocked him down. The fake dating arrangement they both had also a disaster waiting to happen and I LOVED IT ALL! The main arc for Adam was him accepting Sage’s plan to fake date and anger his father. I enjoyed how Adam began questioning everything about his life and morals once he began to adore Sage. His growth was what made this book into a phenomenal read for me!
 
What starts out as fake quickly becomes real in this story at the two grow closer together. The insane amount of chemistry they share is intense and full of heat. I loved all the ways Sage broke down his walls and then rebuilt them with steel. Adam shocked me the. Most with how dominant he was for his character. The dirty talk and desire he could not control added so much to his β€œgood boy” persona and Sage was there to meet him stroke for stroke! Their HEA was hard won and I cannot wait for the next Goode brother to fall!
 
Rating: 100+. An intensely dark and taboo romance!

Thank you Hambright PR & Sara for the eARC copy!