These Violent Delights (1) (These Violent Delights Duet)

"And hope was dangerous. Hope was the most vicious evil of them all.""The stars incline us, they do not bind us."The year is 1926 and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the street red with blood, leaving the city in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is 18 year old Juliette Cai, who has returned to Shanghai to assume her role as the heir of the Scarlet Gang. The only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlet Gang for generations, and whose heir apparent is Roma Montagov, Juliette's first love... and betrayal. When gangsters on both sides begin clawing their own throats out the people start to whisper. They whisper of a contagion, madness, and a monster. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set aside their grudges and work together, for if they can't stop this mayhem, there will be no city left for them to rule. I have mixed emotions about this book it started out really creepy and interesting with a hint at something diabolical in the works. Yet, that quickly shifted. Instead all we got were overwhelming descriptions of Shanghai and the shifts in times, people and power. It was a Romeo and Juliet retelling but I swear it wasn't until like the last 100 pages that we had any hints of romance. All the romance was just hinted at as something that happened four years before the book started. It was mostly just about the power struggles of each gang and even the power struggle that both heirs were facing in their own gangs. The book was very slow which was frustrating because it was beautifully written, but I honestly felt like half the chapters could have been taken out and the book would have worked just as well. We get a lot of tension between Roma and Juliette with little point. Honestly, most of their dynamic was frustrating because of some big betrayal that we don't find out until closer to the end of the novel. That being said Juliette was an amazing main character, she was ruthless and fierce. I hated that this talked about a monster, because it took forever to even get to the monster in the plot. It wasn't until the last 10 chapters that this book really took off and then had some surprise twists! However, will I read book 2... yes, because I don't feel like anything is resolved in this one.

3.7I saw this book over and over on booktok so I threw it on my library hold list without reading the synopsis. This is a new thing I'm doing, trying to open myself up to books I would otherwise skip (and maybe miss something good because I 'meh'd the synopsis). Im glad I took this tactic on this book because, had I not, I never wouldve picked it up.Some history on me - I *loathe* Romeo and Juilet. It is the worst story in the history of ever... a 13yo and a 16yo see each other twice, decide they are instantly, madly in love with each other; then ruin their and their entire family's life over the course of a week. Its not a love story, like so many like to swoon about, its a (literally) tragedy. So as soon as I picked this book up and saw it was a R&J retelling my brain went 'doooooh' but I promised I would give it 25% before I set it down and DNF. I was immediately placated by the fact they were both 19 (still teenagers, but at least slightly older) and had a history from 4 years prior. It immediately made it seem a more realistic story than R&J.I ended up enjoying this story quite a lot. Its, obviously, not sunshine and daisies (again - its based on a tragedy so I knew not to expect happiness bubbling everywhere), but it was an interesting read with the added bonus of the mystery to uncover. I really love Marshall and Benedikt and their banter (I'll keep this spoiler free - meaning I cant say s***, ugh).It was violent (obviously: title), and not a fast read for me. I had to set it down sometimes because I kept expecting people to die all the time (**anxiety**). But I made it through and Im glad for it. I will - eventually - pick up book 2.

The book is beautifully written and I love the description that the author has of Shanghai. You feel as if you are actually there in Shanghai seeing everything at the characters go through. The book was a little bit slow at first however the ending was very very good and I will be purchasing the second book to see what happens at the end of the series. If you are a fan of Shakespeare interpretations I really recommend this book.

Amazing , show-stopping , one in a million , brilliant , never been done before - I’m running out of adjectives 😩I have so much to say but my brain cannot even fathom how much I love this book. It’s a strong debut and the entire TVD universe has me by the throat.Chloes prose is so enchanting and romantic that I fell in love with her writing style and descriptions from the very first page. The intricate and beautiful descriptions created such a vivid image in your head that it’s very easy to journey around Shanghai with Roma And Juliette.I loved the tension between them especially how headstrong Juliette is and her intense ability to despise Roma (something I could not do 🙇🏽‍♀️). The characters are all so well developed and 3D, each not being like the other. Chloe weaves in transphobia and Kathleen’s story so respectfully placed and so smoothly, I was so pleasantly surprise because in the writing it came out like it was second nature to her - it’s very easy for rep to be forced but that wasn’t the case here.I love , LOVE , let me say it one more time - LOVE benedikt and i will fight anyone who disagrees with how amazing he is.The plot is so unique , especially the monster, I’ve never read a story that has had that type of monster so that was fascinating and it left me on my toes about how they’re going to possible defeat it. I also loved the political intrigue. As a history and political junkie , I found that this novel wasn’t advertised with political intrigue but more romance and it’s the entire opposite in the book. So, whilst I was upset there wasn’t enough romance - I was elated that western imperialism , communism and capitalism were all discussed.I think I’ve said too much but please buy this book. It’s more amazing than I can put into words!!

Apparently I'm the girl that just doesn't get along with highly anticipated reads. I originally picked this book up because it sounded like an awesome premise.A romeo & Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shangai. I'm a massive fan of storytelling set in Asia but man alive, there is just no world building whatsoever. I didn't feel transported to another time, I didn't really get a feel for the culture or the way of life. I really needed more in that regard.The characterisation was weak. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. Juliet was written as a strong and independent woman but I just found her incredibly winey and childish. As the heir to the Scarlet gang she seemed more interested in maintaining her poker face with Romo. Likewise, he was the same but male. Never felt any affection for either and for a romantic retelling, it felt a bit soulless.The first couple of hundred pages was a complete info dump and to say I was exceedingly bored was an understatement. The book didn't need to be as long as it did and a lot of the narrative was endless descriptions and no action.

primeiramente, so deixando claro que essa avaliacao é do paperback em si, nao da historia ou da autora.o livro é RIDICULO DE ECONOMICO. eu paguei 70 reais por um livro que nao vem com UM BRILHINHO NA CAPA, UMA PARTE EM AUTO RELEVO. as folhas sao literalmente DA COR DE JORNAL, tem um cinza feio e inclusive tem cheiro de jornal. estou extremamente decepcionada, se soubesse que estaria dando 70 reais por um livro com qualidade de 10 eu com certeza faria outra escolha. isso é literalmente um roubo.

* Não recomendo se for sua primeira leitura em inglês;* A ambientação desse livro é simplesmente INCRÍVEL, ele se passa em 1920 em Shanghai e tem um estilo de gangues, revoltas, violência e armas, que eu particularmente amo;* Romance estilo enemies to lovers, achei a história em si um pouco maçante e repetitiva, além disso o vilão é bem nhem, mas ao todo é um livro bem interessante, só não me prendeu quanto eu esperava que ia;* Retrata muito bem a relação política existente naquela época, e é bem descrita, o que pode dificultar um pouco o nível de inglês. A autora estuda relações internacionais e dá pra perceber na escrita que ela pesquisou bastante para tentar trazer essas questões da realidade da época junto com a história ficcional;Enfim, é um livro que eu recomendo, principalmente se você gosta de peças infernais.

I was kindly gifted a copy of this ebook by Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So thank you so so much!When I initially heard about These Violent Delights, all I knew was that it was a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in a 1920’s Shanghai. For me that was enough to get excited and immediately pre-order. I have always been a huge fan of the forbidden romance/enemies to romance tropes, so Romeo and Juliet was always up my street.I didn’t know much more about this one until I received the ARC, so I was extremely pleased to find that not only was it an R&J retelling but also containing a murder mystery, monsters, and gangsters.The thing that really captured me was the writing style. I was immediately drawn in to the 1920’s Shanghai and politics surrounding the story itself. I found it informative without even realising, with the rich descriptions I felt as if I were there myself at times.In regards to the story I really enjoyed it, it dived right into the action and was easy to follow, there was little hidden in regards to the gory deaths and that made it all the more exciting. Although we immediately knew the cause of these deaths it was still surrounded in mystery and remained that way until the very last page, being 464 pages (according to Goodreads) the expectation would be that we would get an early reveal or after some time it would become a little predictable or even dare I say it a bit boring. But I was still as hooked as I was when I first started. The one thing I love about the mystery's is trying to predict the killer, but I had no chance with this one. Characters were introduced so intricately that you didn’t question their motives until everything became clear at the end.Throughout the book various plot holes arise, mentions of the past we do not know about but so desperately want to, they are revealed neatly at the end in a way which fits the story, rather than simply info dumping.I loved the ending, it was suspenseful, everything came to together and set up book 2 perfectly. My only issue is that by reading this ARC I now have even longer to wait for the sequel!I liked being able to recognise the characters from the play, being such a big family on both sides I found it easier to keep track of each one and their relevance to the plot. I felt we saw more of the Cai’s rather than the Montagov’s, so although I feel I have a pretty good idea of Juliette’s family with Roma I still feel a little unsure. But I am hoping this is something that can be looked into more in the sequel. However I do have to say that this replicates their relations to their family perfectly.We become immediately aware that although both are in line to take over from their family only one is more comfortable doing so. Only Juliette was trying to fit into the role which was almost being taken from her, whereas with Roma, I can’t recall more than a single instance that he was actually at his family home, unstinting to continue on with the reigns being passed onto him.Speaking of characters, I enjoyed the diversity. I will admit I did get a little confused with Kathleen’s past, when they spoke about the death of a sister, I assumed it referred to Kathleen in her being transgender. However when another sister was mentioned I did get a bit lost. I am planning to re-read this once the book is released, and since I have a physical copy I think it will make it easier to keep track of what may have happened.I loved the closeness of both families, Roma with his cousin and friend, and their slow building romance between them. And also Juliette and her cousins. Aside from Roma and Juliette I think Marshall and Benedikt’s relationship was a big favourite of mine, I loved the friendship and the banter they had, but also when it was suggested there was more to it.Ultimately the build up between Roma and Juliette was so frustrating, but at the same time I don’t think it could have happened any other way. I loved how long it took for them to trust each other fully again, with the combination of not knowing what had happened between made it all the more interesting to read on.Overall I loved the book, I felt it was executed perfectly and was more than I was hoping for in every way. I do have some theory regarding book 2, there was a mention of a traitor but nothing more was said so I am hoping this is going to be a bit plot point in the sequel. I have an idea on who I think it may be, so time will tell!My only issue that I had, and it was a relatively small one considering was with the bugs. Naturally we don’t know a lot about the bugs however, I wanted to know how they knew that by killing the host the bugs would also die. There was a lot of talk of killing this monster to save everyone (which was pretty important) but no one really thought about what they would do if the bugs weren’t affected, or even if they couldn’t kill it.Again its not a bit issue at all, I am pretty hopeful we will find out more in book 2!

This is a brilliant retelling of Romeo and Juliette set in Shanghai in 1926. Roma Montagov, heir to a Russian mafia family, the White Flowers and Juliette Cai, daughter to the head of the Chinese drug cartel, the Scarlets. Roma and Juliette met young, fell in love but were cruelly separately by Roma's betrayal which led to deaths on both sides. Juliette leaves Shanghai to live the high life in New York while Roma remains behind.Juliette returns and tensions between the rival families are at an all-time high. However, a new threat arises with dire consequences for both the White Flowers and Scarlet gangs. A mysterious affliction is sweeping through their members and making them claw their throats out in a sudden onset of madness. Roma and Juliette must set aside their animosity and distrust and work together to find a solution. Their investigation uncovers a powerful supernatural foe at the heart of the contagion. As the deaths pile up, tension rises between the ex-lovers which force them to confront their unresolved feelings and the trauma of their pasts. Will they find the solution before it's too late and can move past their differences to rekindle their love?This was a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read for me as I loved the attention to detail given to the backstory and world-building at the start which set the stage for a gripping and addictive plot. The fresh take on the Shakespearean story was incredibly creative and I found that both the main characters as well as the supporting roles were beautifully written with complex backgrounds, motivations and diverse personalities. The sexual tension jumped off the page and the visceral love story between Roma and Juliette was both riveting and emotional to read. I loved the Shanghai backdrop with its rich Chinese customs and cultural references as well as the historical elements of the rise of communism and the interference of foreign powers of that time which were incorporated into the plot. This added more depth and realism to the story.