Scarred

h, so I just finished Scarred by Emily McIntyre, and honestly, it’s for all of us who secretly had a thing for the villain growing up. Like, screw the hero—give me the guy with the moral ambiguity and the better wardrobe any day. This one’s a Lion King retelling, but in a way that feels fresh. The character names are clever little nods to the original, which made my nerdy heart happy, and Emily manages to weave in some real-world issues without it feeling preachy. The pining? Perfectly painful. The character growth? Solid. And the smut? Yeah, it’s good. Like, really good. That said, the beginning was a bit of a slog for me. It just felt slow, and the whole “virgin heroine” thing? I don’t know, it feels kind of overplayed at this point. Like, we get it, she’s pure—now can we move on? But honestly, even with those little annoyances, the story just works. The writing can get a bit all over the place sometimes, but it weirdly fits the vibe. It’s chaotic in a way that keeps you hooked. It’s not some deep, life-changing read, but it’s fun. It’s steamy. It’s exactly the kind of thing you pick up when you want a quick escape and a morally gray love interest who makes you question your life choices. Definitely worth it, even if I did roll my eyes a couple times along the way

3.5⭐ | 4🌶️ Tristan Faasa (Scar) is planning a coup. Sara is betrothed to his brother and plotting revenge. But neither can deny their attraction… the result is a dark, steamy, and heart-wrenching romance that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Tropes: 💞 Enemies to Lovers 🚫 Forbidden Romance 🗡️ Revenge Mission 👑 Royal Romance ⚔️ Morally Grey Hero 🖤 Dark Romance 🔒 Secret / Hidden Relationship 📜 Fractured Fairy Tale Retelling Review: I really enjoyed this one—what a fascinating twist on The Lion King, with Scar stepping into the “hero” role. Sara is an easy FMC to love: kind, brave, cunning, and shrewd, with a strong sense of justice that makes her both relatable and compelling. Tristan, like the other MMCs in this series, is morally grey—sometimes even black—and harder to love at first. But as the story unfolds, you understand his tragic backstory and the reasons behind his darker choices. You start to empathize with him, seeing that his actions are often for the greater good, which adds incredible depth to his character. The character development throughout the novel is strong, and I was engrossed from start to finish. Once Tristan finally realizes he loves Sara, their romance is heart-wrenching, sweet, and completely satisfying. And the spice? Absolutely steamy and engrossing. Overall, this is a fantastic fairy tale retelling from the villain’s POV, blending morally complex characters, high-stakes tension, and a slow-burn romance that delivers both emotional depth and steamy payoff. A must-read for fans of dark romance and twisted fairy tales.

This is Emily McIntire's second book in her Never After series. This was a dark romance and a fractured fairytale, where the villain gets the happily ever after. In the early 1900s, when the king dies, his first born is preparing to take the throne, while his second born is preparing to steal it. Michael and Tristan are brothers who never got along and were always fighting, not to mention Michael is also the reason for the scar on Tristan's face. Tristan is leading the rebellion to steal his brother's throne and nothing will get in his way...except maybe Sara. The woman who is brought to the castle to marry his brother and become queen. But there is more to Sara than meets the eye, Tristan is instantly drawn to her and her sweet smile, doe eyes, quick tongue, feisty, independent, and strong-willed personality, as well as the sense that she's keeping a big secret of her own. Sara came to the castle with a plan of her own and she is willing to risk her life to see it through. I felt like it took a little bit for me to get into the story of this one, only because Hooked was soo good, there was definitely a book hangover after that story ended. But once this story got going and I was getting to know the characters I was captivated. There were so many Lion King references which made the story even more enjoyable. And also, the audio of this book is so good, the dual narrators did such a good job with voices and accents. I loved this book! 🧡📚

Fue un regalo y me gusta

I enjoy it! The story by itself is great. Loved Tristan, Sarah , Simon and Michael. Very well written, the plots are amazingly very well built, I didn’t expect the ending☺️

Wow oh wow Emily has done it again! This is the second standalone book in the never after series, and is as entertaining, twisted, spicy and thrilling as the first. Whilst this series is not retellings of popular Disney stories, it is almost like a very adult dark reimagining of them – and I’m living for it. The first book was a reimagining of Hook in a modern mafia scenario, where as this one takes a completely different turn imagining Scar from the lion king in an early 1900 kingdom and a secret battle for a kingdom. We follow not only Tristan our spare heir, tortured soul, enigmatic alpha bad guy, but also Sara a young girl burdened by family loyalty and responsibility. It was a guarantee that I was going to love Tristan because he has all the makings of a classic dark romance, Anti-Hero, morally grey hottie. He’s a character of many facets looking for his place in the world following the death of his father and in the shadow of his idiot brother. The only love interest that was going to work for him was always going to be somebody that could be equal to his intense energy, and we get that and more with Sara. She’s cunning, smart, passionate and empathetic, she sees people of every class which isn’t necessarily a given in this era and is no damsel, knowing exactly how to take care of herself – she’s definitely her own hero. So as not to spoil I won’t go into the details of the plot but rest assured that it is a thrilling ride from the first page into the last. There is a cast of supporting characters that help to drive the story and are interesting to get to know on the fringes of the main relationship that does stem entirely from Tristan and Sarah. It was an instant five star read for me because this series is shaping up to be incredible, the way Emily does re-imaginings is the best I’ve personally read so far and I love seeing little snippets of the original stories bringing familiarity.

Such a great book! One of the better books I've read and also one of the first dark romances! The story was amazing and I liked the subtle references to the lion king. The characters were perfect and the story came together perfectly in the end. I totally recommend this book! The spice was amazing and I enjoyed the MC's development through the book. Remember to check TW before reading since this book is pretty brutal and dark.

This is the first book I've read by Emily McIntire, and I'll be honest. I nearly gave up pretty early on 🫣 but I'm definitely glad I didn't. It took me a while to get into it, and even though it's not an overly long book, it is a slow burn. I loved Tristan from the beginning. I could just tell instantly he was going to be a favorite for me. Of course, Sara was great, too. I loved how she really rebelled against having to be all proper because she had that ruthless side to her also. Once the spice kicked off between them, it didn't disappoint, and I loved how it all worked out. I'll definitely be checking out the other books 🫶 Sara had one purpose eradicate the Faasa line. After they took her father's life, she was determined to return the favor. Her uncle had groomed her until she was ready and then sent her to the king. Her task was to gain favor with the king and then slowly pick them off, opening up the throne for someone who would have the people's best interests at heart. She had been warned to stay away from the unhinged Scarred Prince, but there was something in his Jade green eyes that lured her in, though she didn't allow herself to become sidetracked. Tristan, on the other hand, had no such Qualm. He became slightly obsessed with his soon to be sister-in-law, knowing she was hiding something. Sara tried to find out more about the rebellion who lay hidden waiting to take out her future husband in the hopes of maybe pushing them forward but in order to learn more she'd have to trust the person she was trying to avoid getting close to. She knew getting close to Tristan would end badly for her because either she'd be hung for treason from her future husband or she'd lose her heart to a man she was meant to removing from the world. It became a gamble about who was truly the villain in this story and who she was willing to risk the most for. Recommend Reading 📚