Does It Hurt?

1st person/dual pov Spice: 10/5 - Hot AF! WHOA... just whoa. If I had to sum this book up in just one word it would be that one. I am so glad I held off on reading this until the audio was out because experiencing it for the first time on audio was beyond amazing. I am once again blown away by the performance of Troy and Michelle. I have listened to them narrate together before but this one is my favorite of theirs. It. Was. Perfect. Troy's accents are phenomenal, but the old man in the lighthouse felt like a whole new person joined the cast! And don't even get me started on Enzo and his drool-worthy Italian self. My Italian obsessed self was all but clawing at my headphones wanting to pull that man into real life haha! However, my favorite thing about the narration was Michelle's performance. Her sassy and sarcastic attitude towards Enzo made their banter truly come to life and the way she delivered all of the little quirky things that Sawyer would say when anxious had me hollering! It felt so genuine and real that it just made me love the character even more. It's audiobooks like this that keep you coming back for more. Now for the story itself. I had no idea what to expect when the book started. We know Sawyer is running from someone and something in her past but we aren't really sure what. She alludes to the fact that she is a fugitive so we assume it's the law she is running from but still, I wasn't completely sure that was the whole situation. I also had no idea what she could have done to warrant being hunted down. It's all very mysterious and will definitely keep your attention hooked. In a last-minute change of plans to avoid being caught, she lands herself on a plane and winds up in a little coastal town in Australia. Here we find out that she has been stealing the identities of different men in order to fly under the radar and avoid being found. She is determined to keep a low profile and only spends money on things she feels she needs to in order to survive and not draw attention to herself. This has worked for her for years and no one has ever caught on to her. Then she meets Enzo. Enzo is this dark and broody gorgeous Italian man with a chip on his shoulder and Sawyer knows spending even one night with him is a terrible idea yet she can't stop herself. After a night together that neither of them expected Sawyer does what she always does and steals the information she needs before leaving his house without a backward glance. She never expected him to see him again. So when he runs into her several days later and invites her out on his boat she gives in and goes knowing this is yet another terrible idea. What she didn't know was that Enzo had a secret of his own and no longer feels anything for her but hatred. A secret that led to rushed decisions and not checking the weather before hitting the water. Actions that land them in the middle of the ocean where a storm creeps up on them putting their lives in danger. Now they must work together to survive until they can find a way to make it back to civilization while facing the secrets between them that are all slowly coming to the surface. Oh and not giving into the intense attraction they have for one another of course lol. This story has way more suspense to it than I was expecting and I loved it. If you like a good bit of mystery with your romance then this is a good one to pick up. It's got some great humor as well because the banter between these two is full of sass and enemies to lovers/hate to like or love you vibes. I thought it was paced very well and didn't feel like it was dragging on even though several weeks go by with them stranded together. And if you want something spicy that will blow your mind and have your libido doing jumping jacks well this one will do that and then some! The. Spice. Is. Next. Level. Just when I thought I couldn't be shocked by some of these smutty scenes anymore here comes Enzo and his wild AF ways of bringing someone to ecstasy until they almost die. And no I'm not kidding - near death is sometimes an understatement lol. I honestly never thought I would find myself using spicy and sharks together to describe a book but I should really learn to never say never in the romance world, especially when it comes to dark romance. (and yea sharks are involved but no - no lines like "that" were crossed so before anyone jumps to crazy conclusions just chill - we like it dark but not that dark over here so kindly step away from the report buttons and read the book first so you know what I'm talking about lol) Beyond that you've got a dirty talking man, in English and Italian thank you very much, who's mission is to bring his partner to ecstasy in ways that are nothing short of a religious experience. Telling someone you're going to see God may induce an eye roll until you realize he meant it literally and not figuratively haha! I can promise you that whether you're religious or not this man would make you see the gates of some sort of afterlife before bringing you back from the brink via 0rg@sm. That my friends is enough to have me sold on any book and the fact that the rest of it is so enjoyable is just a bonus. So run, don't walk, and listen to daddy Enzo learn you a thing or two about experiencing life-altering spice hahaha. But please if you need TWs do not, I repeat do not, skip the ones for this book. Trust me. It's worth it because Enzo just knocked Zade out of his top spot when it comes to HD Carlton's book men and that alone is saying something.

Grab a lifejacket, folks, because H.D. Carlton's "Does It Hurt?" is a whirlpool of emotion that might just sweep you off your feet – or at least off your cozy reading nook. Sawyer is a bit like that friend who always has a crazy story to tell, while Enzo has more mood swings than a soap opera character. Their dynamic? Imagine putting a cat and a dog in a room and waiting to see who comes out on top. And then there's Sylvester, the lighthouse keeper who's about as normal as pineapple on pizza. Our duo finds themselves on an island that's like the setting of every horror movie ever. Think less 'tropical paradise' and more 'I hope I survive the night.' It’s the kind of place where you wouldn't be surprised if the walls started whispering. Carlton takes us on a journey through the ups and downs of trauma, survival, and finding that unexpected someone who understands your kind of crazy. It's about finding calm in the eye of a personal hurricane and realizing that sometimes, the person you want to throw overboard is the one you can't live without. Oh bouy let’s talk about the spice! Because Carlton serves it up hotter than a jalapeño latte. These scenes are like reading something you'd blush about later – they’re not just steamy; they're 'check over your shoulder to make sure no one's reading along' steamy. "Does It Hurt?" is the kind of book you read when you want love, suspense, and a touch of 'what the heck did I just read?' It's perfect for those who enjoy a good 'love on the rocks' story with a side of supernatural eeriness. Just a heads up – you might need a night light after this one.

Enzo personality is the right for guy that fall for grumpy men, I loved the seriousness of the story, the very good plot, a very engaging story.

*spoiler-free review* 5/5 ⭐️ overall rating 4/5 🌶️ smut Tropes/Elements: ∆ dark romance ∆ revenge ∆ forced proximity ∆ enemies to lovers ∆ MMC with an accent ∆ dual POV ∆ touch her and die ∆ one bed ∆ creepy, eerie, suspenseful I read this book before I was really active on Goodreads, and it still lives rent free in my head, so I might as well give it the review it deserves – I am 28 years old and recently got back into reading. Does It Hurt is the 7th book I have read since starting this journey. This was also my FIRST dark romance. And let me tell you, I was pulled into the depths of these waters with Enzo and Sawyer immediately! I absolutely devoured this book. This was the perfect mix of darkness – I loved the grumpy MMC with his sexy Italian accent. I had to look up many of the translations, but I absolutely loved it. The quotes and translations made the MMC’s words hold so much more passion and depth. “Bella Ladra” *swoons* This was also a dark story in terms of, suspense and fear as well… and I absolutely did not see this coming since I went into this without really reading up on the book first, (with that in mind - please check TW's), but as I mentioned, this is a spoiler-free review. So we’ll leave it at that. But the best part of this book was that it isn’t like some of the other dark romance I have read since, which feature pathetic FMC’s with no character development or personality. The FMC is a quirky, independent character. We get to hear her story, we get to see more than one side of her, and we get to watch her take action and develop throughout the book: “But I realize now that I was wrong. Being scared and weak aren’t synonymous. It takes strength to keep getting back up after constantly being knocked down.” This book gave me everything I needed it to. All in all, I am new to H. D. Carlton, but I won’t be for long. I think this was extremely well done and I cannot wait to read more of her work!

I had to read this book in under 24 hours… amaaaaaazing I fell in love with both Sawyer and Enzo:)

At first I decided to read this because I had read haunting and hunting Adeline, at first I was struggling to get into the book but as I pushed through the first 100 pages I was hooked and couldn’t put it down and would totally recommend to people who enjoy this author.