We finally have a female main character who stands up for herself and doesn’t let a man push her around. Cecily might end up being my favorite woman in this series for that alone. After two books of very submissive female main characters, Cecily’s character was an overwhelmingly welcome relief.
Cecily has been labeled the prude of her friend group, they regularly tease her about not even wanting to verbally call body parts by their actual names. But we find out immediately that there is a reason behind her shying away from all things sexual. After having a terrifying experience with her ex boyfriend, she hasn’t been involved with any men for two years. Until Jeremy. We know all about Jeremy from God of Pain, about how protective he can be, as well as controlling when it comes to the safety of his younger sister, and about how much he has to live up to as he prepares to take the place of his father in the mafia one day. Cecily the homebody, who only seems to be confrontational when it comes to men trying to control women, certainly doesn’t seem like the type of girl who would ever want to be involved with a future mafia lord. The girl who hopes to become a therapist one day hardly seems like she would want to be in a relationship with a man who blackmails and tortures others for a living. There are even rumors floating around campus that he has already killed a man. But the two share a very uncommon kink, and this is ultimately what intrigues Jeremy enough to pursue Cecily.
As the relationship began between these two I thought I was going to be reading what would basically be a God of Malice or God of Pain sequel. But there were finally some differences in the plot that I actually really enjoyed. Both Glyndon and Annika ultimately let the men do what they wanted, that being have the final say in all things. They may have tried to fight them, but they both ended up letting their lovers have complete control over them. Cecily actually put her foot down and set ground rules. And Jeremy actually listened. I loved how she stood up for herself and what she believed in, she didn’t change in any major ways to be with him and she didn’t let him bully or coerce her. Jeremy is not Mr. Perfect. But he actually ends up being quite reasonable, relatively, he listens to what she has to say and he backs off when she tells him to. This makes Jeremy my favorite male main character so far as well, because he actually seems like someone who could really exist. Killian and Creighton were too brutal, too unforgiving, too overpowering. I know these stories are fiction, but sometimes you can take it a little too far. The unrelatability is what made me not enjoy the overall novels.
So if you have read the first two books and you thought to yourself I don’t know if I can pick up another book in this series, I can’t read the same story again, God of Wrath is different. Or, if you read my other reviews and didn’t feel compelled to pick up either of those books, every book in this series is a standalone, so you could choose to read just this one. And while all these books are standalones, they take place in the same universe and all the same characters are at least mentioned in every story. I am actually working on creating a timeline that I think I will post after I finish the last Legacy of Gods book. All these stories happen around the same time, and I am finding it an intriguing project to map out when all the major events happen.
Nonfiction and Nonsense 