Sweet Revenge by Cora Kent – Book Review

One word reaction – wow!

Sweet Revenge by Cora Kent is the third novel in her Blackmore University series. There are also three prequel novellas (maybe 10 chapters a piece) that give a little background story to each novel. From my understanding, you don’t “need” to read the previous books or the prequels to enjoy the story. THANK GOD. Because I was a little hesitant starting Sweet Revenge because I hadn’t read the first two (or the prequels). Cruel Intentions and Dark Obsession (the first two books in the series) are definitely next on my reading list now! (I may or may not have already started Cruel Intentions….)

The trigger warnings and sweet spots for Sweet Revenge are listed to the left (graphic credit goes to author Cora Kent). Stepmom/Stepson has never struck my fancy, to be completely honest, so I was hesitant for that reason as well. The other stuff is to be expected when you’re reading a dark romance novel. You should basically already know what you’re getting into.

Coming off a huge obsession with the litRPG genre, and cruising through the ACOTAR series, I was excited to get back into something that wasn’t along the fantasy/sci-fi route. This did not disappoint.

Sweet Revenge starts from male MC, Jackson Reid’s point-of-view. Jackson is the bastard son of Malcom McCade, hotshot attorney, that no one knows about (including his wife Carrie). Jackson is getting ready for a gala that is definitely not his normal AOE (area-of-expertise). Out of the gate, you learn Jackson is not happy with his father, Malcom, and desperately wants revenge for the way Malcom ignored him and wished he were never born. (So like, we’re already angry at this Malcom human, right?) Then, we switch to female MC, Carrie Pennington’s point-of-view. Carrie is the dutiful wife of Malcom McCade who works for charities that are near and dear to her heart, and tries to make her husband happy (to a gross fault and the detriment of her own happiness).

The relationship between Jackson and Carrie has such an organic, sweet front, with a dark, hidden secret. One of my favorite lines in the book happens during their first encounter at that gala when Jackson is discussing his love of the college library he works for, and how during his college years there, he came across a couple having sex in the library and says “I know people have sex in the library, but my God, on a first edition?” (Talk about foreshadowing, and I actually snort-laughed out loud).

When you’re reading, keep in mind that Jackson knows who Carrie is, but Carrie doesn’t know who Jackson is. Their relationship, and the pure women empowerment that happens throughout this book is actually beautiful. Carrie’s marriage is an absolute mess, and girl deserves WAY better, and Jackson truly helps her see that she does, and that SHE is capable of making it happen (even though there’s definitely a touch of hero worship happening). The “you deserve better and can be better for yourself” theme was a much bigger element in the story than I think I’m used to in dark romances.

The writing in this book was phenomenal. Cora Kent kept me hooked from beginning to end. Seriously, I stayed up WAY too late one night reading most of the book. It hit about 2am, and my littlest one climbed in bed with me after having a bad dream and said “mom, why are you still reading? It’s sleep time now.” Man, I was dragging at work the next morning, but it was so worth it.

If you’re a dark romance fan, especially one who wants to dabble in the lighter side of it, who also enjoys a good he falls first story, I HIGHLY recommend this series.

TLDR: Sex in a Library on a First Edition Good! Honestly, I was super hesitant about this book – I came in mid-series, and stepmom/stepson isn’t my usual vibe. I have immediately started reading the first two in the series after reading this. Cora Kent’s writing was phenomenal. Jackson & Carrie had me hooked on their stories immediately, and I couldn’t wait to see where they ended up. The spice level is mild, but in a way that it only adds to the story. If you love the lighter end of dark romance, this is totally the book for you! The icing on the cake for me? The women empowerment – “you deserve better and can do better by yourself, I’m just here to support” male MC had my heart really happy, and took a much bigger role than most dark romance, and I loved that.

Keeping it WTH-worthy,
-Kells-