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Pandora's Box #2
Hush
K
My life. My rules.
That’s how it’s always been for me. Well, since I did something that ripped apart the threads of my humanity.
After that, I let go of everything that left me exposed.
Relying on myself alone was the best option.
I can’t allow anything near me anymore, not even the one girl who somehow intoxicates my blood and proves she means more.
Calypso
Sacrifices were made when I was young. Vital pieces of my vulnerability were stolen from me.
It would have been far too easy if I hadn’t seen her again.
So, of course, the one girl I hate most is the constant reminder of my most painful past.
She thinks I’m still the weak one between us.
It’ll be my sweet revenge proving her otherwise.
Trigger Warning: This book is recommended for ages 18+ and contains many subjects that could be a potential trigger. A blanket trigger warning is listed for this story. Please be aware before stepping into this dark world.
My life. My rules.
That’s how it’s always been for me. Well, since I did something that ripped apart the threads of my humanity.
After that, I let go of everything that left me exposed.
Relying on myself alone was the best option.
I can’t allow anything near me anymore, not even the one girl who somehow intoxicates my blood and proves she means more.
Calypso
Sacrifices were made when I was young. Vital pieces of my vulnerability were stolen from me.
It would have been far too easy if I hadn’t seen her again.
So, of course, the one girl I hate most is the constant reminder of my most painful past.
She thinks I’m still the weak one between us.
It’ll be my sweet revenge proving her otherwise.
Trigger Warning: This book is recommended for ages 18+ and contains many subjects that could be a potential trigger. A blanket trigger warning is listed for this story. Please be aware before stepping into this dark world.
434 pages, Paperback
Published May 27, 2021
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November 25, 2021
❝I'm not giving you up to anyone else, ever again. It's us, always. So, while you have your moments of claiming me and reminding me I belong to you. You have to know it's the same way for me. I won't let you go again, never.❞
THIS BOOK HURT. BUT IT HURTS SO GOOD. 😩
no bc k and caly's romance was enemies to lovers at its finest, these two were at each other's throats through majority of the book and i ate it up but i also cried when they finally got together bc they were so fucking cute. i loved them as enemies, but i loved them even more as lovers. 🥺 k was such a bitch, but a likable one (at least, imo lmao). she didn't give a fuck and i was rooting for her. i adored caly so much. she's been through hell and back and she deserved all the good things. the way they protected each other?? chefs kiss. i loved how ruby and aura played a huge role in this, i honestly can't choose between ruby/aura and k/caly cause they all just stole my heart from the first page of both books.
im so glad
leaving this off with a cute k and caly scene in their past:
My eyes widen and I scoff at her use of a curse word. "Wow, cursing now? I really have rubbed off on you." I straighten my spine, a wash of pride crossing my expression.
She laughs, a bright and bubbly sound as she quickly covers her mouth in order to stifle it. But I reach forward, grasping at her fingers and tugging them away. "Don't," I say quietly, my smile suddenly falling and my heart skipping in my chest for a moment. "I like the sound of your laugh too much. Don't ever quiet it." EXCUSE ME?? this was precious and so wholesome.
ALSO !! skilla needs her own book pls. she deserves a happy ending too. 🥺
THIS BOOK HURT. BUT IT HURTS SO GOOD. 😩
no bc k and caly's romance was enemies to lovers at its finest, these two were at each other's throats through majority of the book and i ate it up but i also cried when they finally got together bc they were so fucking cute. i loved them as enemies, but i loved them even more as lovers. 🥺 k was such a bitch, but a likable one (at least, imo lmao). she didn't give a fuck and i was rooting for her. i adored caly so much. she's been through hell and back and she deserved all the good things. the way they protected each other?? chefs kiss. i loved how ruby and aura played a huge role in this, i honestly can't choose between ruby/aura and k/caly cause they all just stole my heart from the first page of both books.
im so glad
leaving this off with a cute k and caly scene in their past:
My eyes widen and I scoff at her use of a curse word. "Wow, cursing now? I really have rubbed off on you." I straighten my spine, a wash of pride crossing my expression.
She laughs, a bright and bubbly sound as she quickly covers her mouth in order to stifle it. But I reach forward, grasping at her fingers and tugging them away. "Don't," I say quietly, my smile suddenly falling and my heart skipping in my chest for a moment. "I like the sound of your laugh too much. Don't ever quiet it." EXCUSE ME?? this was precious and so wholesome.
ALSO !! skilla needs her own book pls. she deserves a happy ending too. 🥺
June 2, 2021
Five Fucked Stars
Hush is book two in Pandora’s box series, and holy hell, what a fantastic book. Did it check my boxes? Yes
FF ✔️
Enemies to lovers ✔️
Dark ✔️
Cult ✔️
Erotica✔️
Great world building ✔️
K and Calypso's story is intense and complicated. Once childhood friends, now enemies. You can feel their pain. So emotional and raw. The past comes back to haunt them. Secrets both have hidden from each other and hope never to expose.
Calypso is one hell of a heroine; she is a warrior. She just kept picking herself back up. Don't get me wrong; I like K. She is a kicks ass hero. But Calypso is on a whole different level. I did like how they both pushed each other's buttons and made each other jealous and determined not to give any emotions.
I don't give my emotions, my connection to anyone because they’re just that—mine.
Hush is book two in Pandora’s box series, and holy hell, what a fantastic book. Did it check my boxes? Yes
FF ✔️
Enemies to lovers ✔️
Dark ✔️
Cult ✔️
Erotica✔️
Great world building ✔️
K and Calypso's story is intense and complicated. Once childhood friends, now enemies. You can feel their pain. So emotional and raw. The past comes back to haunt them. Secrets both have hidden from each other and hope never to expose.
Calypso is one hell of a heroine; she is a warrior. She just kept picking herself back up. Don't get me wrong; I like K. She is a kicks ass hero. But Calypso is on a whole different level. I did like how they both pushed each other's buttons and made each other jealous and determined not to give any emotions.
I don't give my emotions, my connection to anyone because they’re just that—mine.
The book is all sorts of messed up. It's crazy, and I embrace the crazy along with the dark. Triggers galore. Hush is not for the faint of heart. On my dark scale, it's dark gray. From the first sentence, I was drawn in and read the book in one sitting.
Let's talk spice, five out of five. It's more on the erotica side. D/S , degradation, and so much more. Which I always prefer. The kink club scene is my favorite. I even felt like I needed a cigarette after that.
The author's writing transports you into an alternate universe that you feel like your part of. I always enjoy escaping into her books. There are cameos from Vibe, including Ruby and Aura. I can't get enough of this world. I would recommend reading Vibe to understand more the back story of this book. However, you can read as a standalone. It’s a must-read.
June 23, 2022
✧ ↝ 3 stars | 57% | ~spoilers in review~
i’m glad i gave this a chance after not liking the first one bc this shit was still completely outta pocket but i think it worked a lot better for me this time because i knew what it was, i wasn’t expecting it to be just smut without any cults. although, i wasn’t expecting that scene where those guys tried to cut one of the main characters’ clit off wtf was that 💀
there were times when i lovedthe smut this and other times when i was like get me the fuck out of
here please.
the characters:
• k was hot and also such a bitch. she had some good character growth and i appreciated how she slowly became more soft for calypso but still kept her original personality. i hate it in books when someone is an ice queen and then randomly switches over to being sweet bc of their partner, but in this one the progression felt natural and made sense in relation to the situations that they were both in. k definitely did some questionable things but i also really liked her at times. she was 100% a hypocrite near the end which annoyed me but i liked her character in general. (probably maybe just saying this bc she was hot and maybe if she was mean the whole time i still would’ve liked her bc she was hot)
• calypso was genuinely such a cool character. she was one of those people who started out soft and got hurt so bad that she became not soft but also wasn’t unnecessarily cold and someone who pushed people away for no reason. she really held her own against k and she had a complexity to her that most main characters in romance or smut books don’t have. i appreciated how the author wrote her because she never fit into an exact category. sometimes she was soft and sweet and other times she was a hot dominant bitch who wouldn’t take shit from k, but not in the way that weak heroines cAn tAke caRE oF tHEmSeLVeS but are actually weak asf. she was genuinely a strong person and really fucking cool and hot tooi’d let her top me any day
THE BAD
• the whole cult plot i’m sorry. i find books and movies about cults very intriguing and interesting but something about the cult in these books is just too much gratuitous rape and sexual abuse and i don’t want to read about it and neither am i entertained by it because it is predictable and yet stressful. like i came here for the sapphic smut and enemies to lovers i do not want to read about this awful cult and it’s fucking cunt leader. thank you.
• the writing was so bad. so, so bad. i learned three things from the writing in this book:
1. the author doesn’t know the difference between “too” and “to”
2. the author does not know where to put commas or end sentences or write the sentence “i want to kill him” instead of “i want kill him” (what she wrote)
3. the author does not know how people use swear words or where the appropriate time is in a sentence to swear. for example, does it make any sense if you write, “‘i want to kill him,’ i fucking said.” instead of “‘i want to fucking kill him,’ i said.” no, no tiene puto sentido.
• the bad part of k and calypso’s backstory made me sick. here’s the thing. the main reason they are enemies at the start of the book is because while k and calypso were younger and falling in love, k raped calypso and told calypso that basically she was nothing to her and had no feelings towards her. she fucking raped her. i was wondering how the author was going to spin the backstory so that there would be a decent reason to forgive k, and there’s a halfway good reason, but. the reason is because k’s brother and father say that they’re going to kill calypso and imply that they’re going to rape her as well. k doesn’t want this to happen to calypso, so she offers to “get rid of her instead.” now, i hate this trope, because i think that the person should always just tell the other person what is actually going on. that never happens, but it would’ve been enough for k to have told calypso that she was nothing to her and made calypso feel so hurt that she didn’t come near k’s family again. but. k did not have to rape calypso. she flat out did not have to do it and i do not understand why she did. maybe she was scared that if she didn’t her father and brother would do it? but that makes no logical sense to me and tbh i hated that part of the book. it also didn’t sit right with me when calypso was about to easily forgive k for raping her before she even knew why k did it. i hated this whole rape backstory and i wish the author just hadn’t included it altogether because it was honestly disgusting.
THE GOOD
• the dancing scenes at the strip club were so cool i loved those parts honestly. that was definitely my preferred setting/plot to this book over the whole weird cult shit. i loved how the girls who worked there kinda had a community and had friendships and had each other’s backs through some of the hard stuff. a lot of the scenes at the strip club were really hot too i’m sorry but like the scene at the kink club >>>
• the enemies with sexual tension was done so well at the beginning. it was very Tryst Six Venom vibes (which we all know is top tier sapphic enemies to lovers for some people at least including me) and it was just so hot and tension filled just 10/10 i ate it up. i wasn’t even waiting for them to get together fr i was happy with every interaction bc i was so entertained
• the sweet part of k and calypso’s backstory the whole rape part of their backstory aside, k and calypso falling in love before that happened was so pure. they would sit under the rain together🥺🥺
and there’s that one quote where k tells calypso to never stop smiling 🥺 like awh
• the development of k and calypso’s romance as more than enemies with sexual tension was done excellently. they hated each other until there was the bigger threat of Dom and the cult, which seemed like a natural way for them to start trying to protect each other and get softer with each other instead of just hate fucking. it worked really well for me and i liked how their relationship progressed and they healed more.
• the smut (obviously) was absolutely amazing. if you’re going to read this, the smut is the main reason why you should and it makes all of the cult bullshit worth it. it is so fucking hot. the frequency and quality are perfectly matched and it doesn’t get boring either it is just unparalleled. the sexual tension is so good and so are the smut scenes. i am too lazy to add quotes to if you want to see for yourself then read the book 🥰 (or just read the smut scenes and skip the other stuff)
• the power dynamics were so, so good. because both main characters were so dominant in different ways, the power dynamics were so interesting and made the book ten times better. k was such a bitch and hard to mess with, but because calypso had reasons to hate k and have revenge against her, calypso was the more dominant one in the smut scenes and it was done so well. k didn’t lose her toughness either and neither of them acted out of character but it was so hot omg
trigger warnings:
for almost constant rape scenes, sexual abuse, mentions of incest, sexual assault, violence, drug abuse, homophobia, etc
i’m glad i gave this a chance after not liking the first one bc this shit was still completely outta pocket but i think it worked a lot better for me this time because i knew what it was, i wasn’t expecting it to be just smut without any cults. although, i wasn’t expecting that scene where those guys tried to cut one of the main characters’ clit off wtf was that 💀
there were times when i loved
here please.
the characters:
• k was hot and also such a bitch. she had some good character growth and i appreciated how she slowly became more soft for calypso but still kept her original personality. i hate it in books when someone is an ice queen and then randomly switches over to being sweet bc of their partner, but in this one the progression felt natural and made sense in relation to the situations that they were both in. k definitely did some questionable things but i also really liked her at times. she was 100% a hypocrite near the end which annoyed me but i liked her character in general. (
• calypso was genuinely such a cool character. she was one of those people who started out soft and got hurt so bad that she became not soft but also wasn’t unnecessarily cold and someone who pushed people away for no reason. she really held her own against k and she had a complexity to her that most main characters in romance or smut books don’t have. i appreciated how the author wrote her because she never fit into an exact category. sometimes she was soft and sweet and other times she was a hot dominant bitch who wouldn’t take shit from k, but not in the way that weak heroines cAn tAke caRE oF tHEmSeLVeS but are actually weak asf. she was genuinely a strong person and really fucking cool and hot too
THE BAD
• the whole cult plot i’m sorry. i find books and movies about cults very intriguing and interesting but something about the cult in these books is just too much gratuitous rape and sexual abuse and i don’t want to read about it and neither am i entertained by it because it is predictable and yet stressful. like i came here for the sapphic smut and enemies to lovers i do not want to read about this awful cult and it’s fucking cunt leader. thank you.
• the writing was so bad. so, so bad. i learned three things from the writing in this book:
1. the author doesn’t know the difference between “too” and “to”
2. the author does not know where to put commas or end sentences or write the sentence “i want to kill him” instead of “i want kill him” (what she wrote)
3. the author does not know how people use swear words or where the appropriate time is in a sentence to swear. for example, does it make any sense if you write, “‘i want to kill him,’ i fucking said.” instead of “‘i want to fucking kill him,’ i said.” no, no tiene puto sentido.
• the bad part of k and calypso’s backstory made me sick. here’s the thing. the main reason they are enemies at the start of the book is because while k and calypso were younger and falling in love, k raped calypso and told calypso that basically she was nothing to her and had no feelings towards her. she fucking raped her. i was wondering how the author was going to spin the backstory so that there would be a decent reason to forgive k, and there’s a halfway good reason, but. the reason is because k’s brother and father say that they’re going to kill calypso and imply that they’re going to rape her as well. k doesn’t want this to happen to calypso, so she offers to “get rid of her instead.” now, i hate this trope, because i think that the person should always just tell the other person what is actually going on. that never happens, but it would’ve been enough for k to have told calypso that she was nothing to her and made calypso feel so hurt that she didn’t come near k’s family again. but. k did not have to rape calypso. she flat out did not have to do it and i do not understand why she did. maybe she was scared that if she didn’t her father and brother would do it? but that makes no logical sense to me and tbh i hated that part of the book. it also didn’t sit right with me when calypso was about to easily forgive k for raping her before she even knew why k did it. i hated this whole rape backstory and i wish the author just hadn’t included it altogether because it was honestly disgusting.
THE GOOD
• the dancing scenes at the strip club were so cool i loved those parts honestly. that was definitely my preferred setting/plot to this book over the whole weird cult shit. i loved how the girls who worked there kinda had a community and had friendships and had each other’s backs through some of the hard stuff. a lot of the scenes at the strip club were really hot too i’m sorry but like the scene at the kink club >>>
• the enemies with sexual tension was done so well at the beginning. it was very Tryst Six Venom vibes (
• the sweet part of k and calypso’s backstory the whole rape part of their backstory aside, k and calypso falling in love before that happened was so pure. they would sit under the rain together🥺🥺
and there’s that one quote where k tells calypso to never stop smiling 🥺 like awh
• the development of k and calypso’s romance as more than enemies with sexual tension was done excellently. they hated each other until there was the bigger threat of Dom and the cult, which seemed like a natural way for them to start trying to protect each other and get softer with each other instead of just hate fucking. it worked really well for me and i liked how their relationship progressed and they healed more.
• the smut (obviously) was absolutely amazing. if you’re going to read this, the smut is the main reason why you should and it makes all of the cult bullshit worth it. it is so fucking hot. the frequency and quality are perfectly matched and it doesn’t get boring either it is just unparalleled. the sexual tension is so good and so are the smut scenes. i am too lazy to add quotes to if you want to see for yourself then read the book 🥰 (or just read the smut scenes and skip the other stuff)
• the power dynamics were so, so good. because both main characters were so dominant in different ways, the power dynamics were so interesting and made the book ten times better. k was such a bitch and hard to mess with, but because calypso had reasons to hate k and have revenge against her, calypso was the more dominant one in the smut scenes and it was done so well. k didn’t lose her toughness either and neither of them acted out of character but it was so hot omg
trigger warnings:
for almost constant rape scenes, sexual abuse, mentions of incest, sexual assault, violence, drug abuse, homophobia, etc
March 23, 2023
when i tell you i hate this book with a PASSION im not kidding.
i read the first book in this series and loved it and i was excited bc this is one of FEW wlw dark romance series. but this book was terrible
the whole plot derives around themes of r*pe. it is mentioned SO. MANY. TIMES in the book. we criticise colleen hoover for using traumatising experiences as the base of her plot, and now im criticising liza james.
spoiler but not spoiler, the love interest r*pes her. oh but don't worry, there's a justifiable reason. "i had to do it or my family does it and you die". why tf would u write this? why would u TRY to even JUSTIFY r*pe in the first place??!!
now i get that there's the theme of the cult, and "purifying" or whatever. but the love interest r*ping her future partner doesn't sit right with me. she should've been traumatised. like seriously traumatised.
But calypso is attracted the r*pist love interest throughout the WHOLE FREAKING BOOK??? sure, there's a little bit of enemies to lovers, but COME ON.
i had to dnf somewhere around 80% but i read too much not to count it towards my reading goal.
anyway im just gonna pretend vibe was a standalone and forget this book ever exists <33
i read the first book in this series and loved it and i was excited bc this is one of FEW wlw dark romance series. but this book was terrible
the whole plot derives around themes of r*pe. it is mentioned SO. MANY. TIMES in the book. we criticise colleen hoover for using traumatising experiences as the base of her plot, and now im criticising liza james.
spoiler but not spoiler, the love interest r*pes her. oh but don't worry, there's a justifiable reason. "i had to do it or my family does it and you die". why tf would u write this? why would u TRY to even JUSTIFY r*pe in the first place??!!
now i get that there's the theme of the cult, and "purifying" or whatever. but the love interest r*ping her future partner doesn't sit right with me. she should've been traumatised. like seriously traumatised.
But calypso is attracted the r*pist love interest throughout the WHOLE FREAKING BOOK??? sure, there's a little bit of enemies to lovers, but COME ON.
i had to dnf somewhere around 80% but i read too much not to count it towards my reading goal.
anyway im just gonna pretend vibe was a standalone and forget this book ever exists <33
Shelved as 'dnf'
May 29, 2021Pandora’s Box Series
Vibe ➟ 3.5 stars
Hush ➟ did not finish
did not finish @ 10 %
↪This might be an unpopular opinion but enemies to lovers doesn't do it for me anymore. If, I am reading enemies to lovers, the characters have to HATE each other. I am sick and tired of reading books where the characters "hate" each other. For example, in this book the two heroines can't stand each other but they still find each other attractive and get jealous when they are hooking up with people. These kinds of stories just don't interest me anymore. At this point if the mains don't hate each other to the point, they actually want to kill each other it is becoming a no go for me. I was really excited for this since it is a F/F romance, and good sapphic romances are so rare to find but I didn't love the first book anyways, so I just decided to quit it. I was already getting the vibe where I would be skimming most of it. Maybe I'll come back to it but I doubt. Anyways, at least I am getting better at DNFing.
Vibe ➟ 3.5 stars
Hush ➟ did not finish
did not finish @ 10 %
↪This might be an unpopular opinion but enemies to lovers doesn't do it for me anymore. If, I am reading enemies to lovers, the characters have to HATE each other. I am sick and tired of reading books where the characters "hate" each other. For example, in this book the two heroines can't stand each other but they still find each other attractive and get jealous when they are hooking up with people. These kinds of stories just don't interest me anymore. At this point if the mains don't hate each other to the point, they actually want to kill each other it is becoming a no go for me. I was really excited for this since it is a F/F romance, and good sapphic romances are so rare to find but I didn't love the first book anyways, so I just decided to quit it. I was already getting the vibe where I would be skimming most of it. Maybe I'll come back to it but I doubt. Anyways, at least I am getting better at DNFing.
June 20, 2021
4.5
YESSS THIS WAS SO GOOD!!
I would say this is still dark asf, but not as dark as Vibe. It’s enemies to lovers which made the hate sex SO FREAKING GOOD. K is an absolute bitch most of the time, but I still loved her. Calypso goes through it 90% of the time, but is a freaking bad ass. There was so must angst and tension between the two of them and they literally don’t get together till the last 10% of the book lmao. Also want to note that K rides a motorcycle which made her 10 times hotter.
YESSS THIS WAS SO GOOD!!
I would say this is still dark asf, but not as dark as Vibe. It’s enemies to lovers which made the hate sex SO FREAKING GOOD. K is an absolute bitch most of the time, but I still loved her. Calypso goes through it 90% of the time, but is a freaking bad ass. There was so must angst and tension between the two of them and they literally don’t get together till the last 10% of the book lmao. Also want to note that K rides a motorcycle which made her 10 times hotter.
March 16, 2022
someone get this author serious help please
May 28, 2021
I’ve made no secret that Vibe is one of the most powerful and transformative books I’ve ever read. Liza floored me with the hauntingly beautiful story and it’s brilliantly powerful and resonant allegory about our own humanity. So when I heard she was telling us more from this world, I was ecstatic to revisit a world and characters that altered me so fundamentally. And Hush is a triumphant return- but one that is most decidedly different in both chemistry and impact, but a story no less meaningful and thought provoking.
While this takes place in the Vibe world, is also F/F, and involves the same dark enemies as its predecessors, you shouldn’t expect this to be anything like Vibe. Because Liza James is an author with a point of view, but also a writer that bleeds her own feelings on the page. SO in the same way Vibe had something to say, in the same way Vibe was a place for both us and Liza to work with our “ish”- Hush is a gutsy, emotional, and deeply raw and vulnerable artistic expression- but with something new to say. And, no pun intended, with a totally different vibe.
K and Lyp’s relationship dynamics are what makes this story so different- this is a love story built on hate, trauma, deception, and desperation. This is not a tale about an unbreakable and undeniable connection- because K and Lyp’s connection has been broken time and time again, defiled and deformed by their own decisions and that of the dark and depraved world that has harmed them. Liza presents us a different kind of love- one that is toxic, born and reborn in pain. K and Lyp’s love story is one of destruction and damage- there is no true healing or love’s saving touch. Because love is pain, and for them there is no choice about whether they suffer, the only choice is whether they suffer alone.
Liza doesn’t just allow these characters to damage each other, she unveils how they damage themselves as they battle seemingly insurmountable demons- metaphoric and almost literal. K drowning in her own hostility and anger, shuttering herself inside her biting barbed wire of a personality. While Lyp tries to delude and numb- with drugs, with detached and feigned connections, with her forced emptiness. At times, they are both radically unlikable- and I love that Liza did not back down from that. They are stubborn and vindictive, but worst of all they are liars. Never have I seen characters so reliant on deceit- they lie not only to each other, but to themselves. And because they are characters who delude themselves, I struggled to connect with both of them- to burrow into their emotions. But that's okay- because this isn't about my personal connection with them, this is about me understanding the impact of their connection to each other. Together, they are emotionally dangerous. Their chemistry is turbulent and volatile at its most stable, at its full on nuclear disaster. So much anger and trauma divides them, that only something so evil could force them to seek to bridge it, to force them to face the weaponize mistruths and deception between them. And even when they explore their messy and fragile tether, their love is never sweet- oh no, their love is hostile. I don’t know how, but Liza harnesses hostility in a romantic way- because these two fighting each other is their way to cope and forgive. Their love is a fight.
So yes, they are embattled, fighting not only a shared enemy but fighting each other, but especially fighting themselves. Whereas Vibe was about emotional liberation and freeing your repressed identity, Hush is more about ownership. Owning the parts of yourself that are broken, and owning the damage you’ve caused to yourself and others. Unlike Ruby and Aura, these characters have already examined the best and worst of each other, and they’ve just chosen to mute that part of their souls. Owning their full selves takes courage and vulnerability that both have not been able to muster in their tragic solitude, the irony of course being the very person that inspires the pieces of their souls that they have buried is also the only person that can unearth them.
Brilliantly, the backdrop of this story is reminiscent of Vibe’s- we have the seductive glowing lights of a seedy strip club and the same megalomaniac leader of a now wounded, but not erased, depraved cult. This not only lulls us into the story with its familiar architecture, a clever distraction that only serves to make the twists and volatile emotions more jarring, but it also helps Liza juxtapose our Vibe world couples. Couples who on the surface have a similar journey, but couples whose love is nothing alike. IN the same setting, up against the same foe, Liza uses those parallels to create space for K and Lyp to recreate our understanding of how people love, to accentuate what makes K and Lyp so special, and so challenging. Which is also a smart and uncanny nod to our own humanity- we all live in the same dark and twisted world, but the damage it inflicts on us and the damage we inflict on others varies- even though pain itself is universal. Nature and nurture. But both Hush and Vibe have a clear and compelling thematic truth- that freedom and self-actualization only comes when we open our own pandora’s box. The journey is in facing every dark nook and cranny of our own hearts, of our own souls- and in refusing to hush those sides of ourselves. Pain makes us human, but in order to claim our humanity, we have to own that pain, face it head on, and love ourselves BECAUSE of it, not despite it. That is the most challenging battle we’ll ever face.
I’m so grateful I discovered an author as brave as Liza James- an author who tells stories with such integrity and soul. She gives us stories that are hard to process, and at times perhaps some don’t even fully understand, because she remembers that her words are art that more than entertain (though they do). Her stories are meant to help us more clearly see pieces of ourselves, to challenge or transform us in some way- and Hush is yet another example of her special talent. Vibe transformed, Hush challenges. They are tragic chaos, intense passion. But they are truth, the raw and uncomfortable truth we all have within us. If only we’re brave enough to face it.
PS: Liza responsibly cautions you in the beginning, but take note of the trigger warnings. There are many, and Liza does not sugarcoat them- trauma is blunt and cold, and Liza writes it just as it is committed. If you have any triggers, this book is not for you.
While this takes place in the Vibe world, is also F/F, and involves the same dark enemies as its predecessors, you shouldn’t expect this to be anything like Vibe. Because Liza James is an author with a point of view, but also a writer that bleeds her own feelings on the page. SO in the same way Vibe had something to say, in the same way Vibe was a place for both us and Liza to work with our “ish”- Hush is a gutsy, emotional, and deeply raw and vulnerable artistic expression- but with something new to say. And, no pun intended, with a totally different vibe.
K and Lyp’s relationship dynamics are what makes this story so different- this is a love story built on hate, trauma, deception, and desperation. This is not a tale about an unbreakable and undeniable connection- because K and Lyp’s connection has been broken time and time again, defiled and deformed by their own decisions and that of the dark and depraved world that has harmed them. Liza presents us a different kind of love- one that is toxic, born and reborn in pain. K and Lyp’s love story is one of destruction and damage- there is no true healing or love’s saving touch. Because love is pain, and for them there is no choice about whether they suffer, the only choice is whether they suffer alone.
Liza doesn’t just allow these characters to damage each other, she unveils how they damage themselves as they battle seemingly insurmountable demons- metaphoric and almost literal. K drowning in her own hostility and anger, shuttering herself inside her biting barbed wire of a personality. While Lyp tries to delude and numb- with drugs, with detached and feigned connections, with her forced emptiness. At times, they are both radically unlikable- and I love that Liza did not back down from that. They are stubborn and vindictive, but worst of all they are liars. Never have I seen characters so reliant on deceit- they lie not only to each other, but to themselves. And because they are characters who delude themselves, I struggled to connect with both of them- to burrow into their emotions. But that's okay- because this isn't about my personal connection with them, this is about me understanding the impact of their connection to each other. Together, they are emotionally dangerous. Their chemistry is turbulent and volatile at its most stable, at its full on nuclear disaster. So much anger and trauma divides them, that only something so evil could force them to seek to bridge it, to force them to face the weaponize mistruths and deception between them. And even when they explore their messy and fragile tether, their love is never sweet- oh no, their love is hostile. I don’t know how, but Liza harnesses hostility in a romantic way- because these two fighting each other is their way to cope and forgive. Their love is a fight.
So yes, they are embattled, fighting not only a shared enemy but fighting each other, but especially fighting themselves. Whereas Vibe was about emotional liberation and freeing your repressed identity, Hush is more about ownership. Owning the parts of yourself that are broken, and owning the damage you’ve caused to yourself and others. Unlike Ruby and Aura, these characters have already examined the best and worst of each other, and they’ve just chosen to mute that part of their souls. Owning their full selves takes courage and vulnerability that both have not been able to muster in their tragic solitude, the irony of course being the very person that inspires the pieces of their souls that they have buried is also the only person that can unearth them.
Brilliantly, the backdrop of this story is reminiscent of Vibe’s- we have the seductive glowing lights of a seedy strip club and the same megalomaniac leader of a now wounded, but not erased, depraved cult. This not only lulls us into the story with its familiar architecture, a clever distraction that only serves to make the twists and volatile emotions more jarring, but it also helps Liza juxtapose our Vibe world couples. Couples who on the surface have a similar journey, but couples whose love is nothing alike. IN the same setting, up against the same foe, Liza uses those parallels to create space for K and Lyp to recreate our understanding of how people love, to accentuate what makes K and Lyp so special, and so challenging. Which is also a smart and uncanny nod to our own humanity- we all live in the same dark and twisted world, but the damage it inflicts on us and the damage we inflict on others varies- even though pain itself is universal. Nature and nurture. But both Hush and Vibe have a clear and compelling thematic truth- that freedom and self-actualization only comes when we open our own pandora’s box. The journey is in facing every dark nook and cranny of our own hearts, of our own souls- and in refusing to hush those sides of ourselves. Pain makes us human, but in order to claim our humanity, we have to own that pain, face it head on, and love ourselves BECAUSE of it, not despite it. That is the most challenging battle we’ll ever face.
I’m so grateful I discovered an author as brave as Liza James- an author who tells stories with such integrity and soul. She gives us stories that are hard to process, and at times perhaps some don’t even fully understand, because she remembers that her words are art that more than entertain (though they do). Her stories are meant to help us more clearly see pieces of ourselves, to challenge or transform us in some way- and Hush is yet another example of her special talent. Vibe transformed, Hush challenges. They are tragic chaos, intense passion. But they are truth, the raw and uncomfortable truth we all have within us. If only we’re brave enough to face it.
PS: Liza responsibly cautions you in the beginning, but take note of the trigger warnings. There are many, and Liza does not sugarcoat them- trauma is blunt and cold, and Liza writes it just as it is committed. If you have any triggers, this book is not for you.
June 3, 2021
She does it again
Liza never fails to impress me. Both with her writing and her characters.
K and Lyp are the epitome of tension. I thought Fated was filled with tension? Please. Hush puts it to shame.
Their journeys are rough and ugly. They’re hard to get through and at times I had to sit the book down and take a minute. Everything is raw but beautiful.
I will forever be in awe of Liza’s stories and how beautifully she writes them.
Liza never fails to impress me. Both with her writing and her characters.
K and Lyp are the epitome of tension. I thought Fated was filled with tension? Please. Hush puts it to shame.
Their journeys are rough and ugly. They’re hard to get through and at times I had to sit the book down and take a minute. Everything is raw but beautiful.
I will forever be in awe of Liza’s stories and how beautifully she writes them.
June 2, 2021
“I feel her. Everywhere. In my head. In my blood. In my past and future.”
Hush is the second book in Pandora Box series which is an F/F dark romance with hate to love and cult vibes. I absolutely adored Vibe so I was really looking forward to reading K and Calypso’s story. Unfortunately, this story fell a little flat for me. It still had the dark and gritty vibes that Vibe had but I just wasn’t invested in the story. I think that fans of Liza James (especially Vibe) will enjoy this, my feelings for Hush was very much the case of ‘its not you, it’s me”.
I have loved Liza’s previous work but I just wasn’t super in love with this book and the writing. I think it needed a bit more polishing and tightening up in scenes, but aside from that I did love these characters and it was so nice to see Ruby and Aura again!
Give this a shot if you love dark books involving cults and lots of great steamy F/F scenes!
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review
CW: cults, sexual assault, heavy drug use, trauma, loss of a loved one.
May 28, 2021
WOW! Holy Crap! This was my first read by Liza James and definitely not my last. I am completely blow away! Loved the electric energy between Lyp & K.. Like I could feel it myself, 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. This book took me on a rollercoaster ride like none I have ever been on. Thank you Liza for bringing their story to life. I f'in loved it!
January 26, 2023
ahhhhhhhhhhhh. “Even with the drugs I've been taking, it feels like I'm only addicted to her.” This was again fucking amazing omg how am I suppose to read other books after reading vibe and hush jesussssss. I love you so much Lyp you are a fucking boss. You are a lucky girl K
May 26, 2021
Liza is pretty much the only FF I read. Her writing style makes it so easy to become engrossed in her stories.
I ended up loving K and Lyp more than I expected. I’m a fan of hate to love tropes but I also loved that they were childhood friends before they were enemies.
And it’s not an easy road to the love part.
It’s all power moves, messy, toxic, dark and gritty. But that’s one of the things I love most about Liza’s stories. She’s not afraid to dive deep and show how much her stories mean to her.
You can also expect to see beloved characters from Vibe, Pandora’s box, steammmm, and closure on things left open from Ruby and Aura’s story!
Alpha read. 4.5 stars!
I ended up loving K and Lyp more than I expected. I’m a fan of hate to love tropes but I also loved that they were childhood friends before they were enemies.
And it’s not an easy road to the love part.
It’s all power moves, messy, toxic, dark and gritty. But that’s one of the things I love most about Liza’s stories. She’s not afraid to dive deep and show how much her stories mean to her.
You can also expect to see beloved characters from Vibe, Pandora’s box, steammmm, and closure on things left open from Ruby and Aura’s story!
Alpha read. 4.5 stars!
July 5, 2023
OM-Goodness. This book. If you like DARK romance books, then get this book. Get it now. I’ll wait. But, if you don’t like really raw and possibly triggering dark (almost bully) romance books, then you may want to pass on this one. If you’re on the fence, then hit that “read more” button and stay awhile.
Full disclosure, this is my third read of Vibe/Hush Duology. I forgot how much I like the series; though Hush is technically part of a duology, it can be read as a stand-alone. There are also name drops from Liza’s Fated series, and the kink club in this story is also mentioned in Frost (Review will eventually be coming for that too). It’s taken me this long to review it because I am trying to get better are reviewing the couple thousand books I have across all my platforms (No joke, I recently finished cataloging them all. Fuck. My. Life. It was mind-numbing. Sorry, my ADHD is killing me right now, but I will finish this, now on to the Review!
K is in it for the thrill, the dominance, and the control. She enjoys a submissive she can use and move on from because no matter what, they can never be the person she wants. And that will never change. It cannot.
Lyp has seen it all and has become jaded to her own reality. Where there was one glitz and glamor is now bland and boring. In order to feel some connection to life, she jumps from one high and guy to another, never allowing anyone to tie her down.
What happens when these to enemies keep being pulled, pushed, and forced together. Fight? Fuck? Flee?
I love that Liza doesn’t shy away from difficult emotions, especially when it comes to her character's traumatic backstories. Since this is an enemies-to-lovers romance Lyp and K have some raw and difficult emotions to heal from before they can come together. And, I enjoyed seeing how their growth from when you first seem them in Vibe, and where they finish by the end of Hush.
Aside from all of the feels, there are also some really well-written spicy scenes. I swear, Woo. I needed a minute after some of the later spicy scenes because Liza knows how to write them well. Damn.
Now it bears repeating, if you do not like non-con or dub-con scenes, you may want to pass on this one, because there are on-page descriptions of dub-con and drug-induced sex. Which I would flag as a technical non-con scene since the POV character is convinced she is having sex with someone else.
Personally, I love any well-written book, regardless of how trigger-filled, or how wholesome it is. And in my opinion, this is a very well-written book with a ton of kinks and other goodies.
Genre(s): contemporary, erotic romance, new adult, dark romance, cult, bully romance
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, Mild-angsty, cult, strong female MC, not the victim.
Kinks: D/s dynamic, degradation, dub-con, CNC (consensual non-consent), bratty sub, BDSM switch, Topping the top, forced submission, forced oral, impact play, punishment, orgasm denial, orgasm control, pain slut, voyeurism, mirror sex, wakeup sex, claiming, choking, begging.
TW/CW: Sexual assault: on-page descriptions of dubious consent and non-consent/rape, cults, heavy drug use, trauma, loss of a loved one, brainwashing, drug-induced manipulation, gang bang, attempted castration, past sexual assault
Overall rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Characters: 5/5
Prose: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Full disclosure, this is my third read of Vibe/Hush Duology. I forgot how much I like the series; though Hush is technically part of a duology, it can be read as a stand-alone. There are also name drops from Liza’s Fated series, and the kink club in this story is also mentioned in Frost (Review will eventually be coming for that too). It’s taken me this long to review it because I am trying to get better are reviewing the couple thousand books I have across all my platforms (No joke, I recently finished cataloging them all. Fuck. My. Life. It was mind-numbing. Sorry, my ADHD is killing me right now, but I will finish this, now on to the Review!
K is in it for the thrill, the dominance, and the control. She enjoys a submissive she can use and move on from because no matter what, they can never be the person she wants. And that will never change. It cannot.
Lyp has seen it all and has become jaded to her own reality. Where there was one glitz and glamor is now bland and boring. In order to feel some connection to life, she jumps from one high and guy to another, never allowing anyone to tie her down.
What happens when these to enemies keep being pulled, pushed, and forced together. Fight? Fuck? Flee?
I love that Liza doesn’t shy away from difficult emotions, especially when it comes to her character's traumatic backstories. Since this is an enemies-to-lovers romance Lyp and K have some raw and difficult emotions to heal from before they can come together. And, I enjoyed seeing how their growth from when you first seem them in Vibe, and where they finish by the end of Hush.
Aside from all of the feels, there are also some really well-written spicy scenes. I swear, Woo. I needed a minute after some of the later spicy scenes because Liza knows how to write them well. Damn.
Now it bears repeating, if you do not like non-con or dub-con scenes, you may want to pass on this one, because there are on-page descriptions of dub-con and drug-induced sex. Which I would flag as a technical non-con scene since the POV character is convinced she is having sex with someone else.
Personally, I love any well-written book, regardless of how trigger-filled, or how wholesome it is. And in my opinion, this is a very well-written book with a ton of kinks and other goodies.
Genre(s): contemporary, erotic romance, new adult, dark romance, cult, bully romance
Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, Mild-angsty, cult, strong female MC, not the victim.
Kinks: D/s dynamic, degradation, dub-con, CNC (consensual non-consent), bratty sub, BDSM switch, Topping the top, forced submission, forced oral, impact play, punishment, orgasm denial, orgasm control, pain slut, voyeurism, mirror sex, wakeup sex, claiming, choking, begging.
TW/CW: Sexual assault: on-page descriptions of dubious consent and non-consent/rape, cults, heavy drug use, trauma, loss of a loved one, brainwashing, drug-induced manipulation, gang bang, attempted castration, past sexual assault
Overall rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Characters: 5/5
Prose: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
June 2, 2021
Quando achava que estava pronta para qualquer coisa, que nada me iria surpreender eis que a autora me apresenta este livro que me deixa literalmente de queixo caído!!! WTF!!!
A cada página que passava, só pensava "isto não pode ficar mais twisted do que está", e a verdade é que isso aconteceu.
Este livro é ainda mais dark, twisted e taboo que o primeiro e eu ADOREI!!! O Vibe consegue ser ligeiramente mais "fofo" mas este...Ui, este!!! É cru, é selvagem é tudo.
Adorei a ligação marada que existe entre a K e a Capypso - o ódio é puro, mas a linha que separa o amor do ódio é muito ténue, ainda mais tendo em conta o passado em comum delas...Não esperava isto, mas foi incrível vê-las a crecer e perceber o que de facto querem para as suas vidas.
A química sexual é de arrebentar qualquer escala!!! Impossível de descrever, a perícia com que a autora faz estas cenas (e todas as cenas intensas) é surreal - sexy as f*
Este livro vai por um aspeto que ficou em aberto no livro anterior e que honestamente me surpreendeu, pois não pensei que a ligaçao fosse ser esta - fiquei chocada!!! Mas foi de génio e adorei como tudo culminou.
Um livro incrível que me deixou a vibrar com cada capítulo.
A cada página que passava, só pensava "isto não pode ficar mais twisted do que está", e a verdade é que isso aconteceu.
Este livro é ainda mais dark, twisted e taboo que o primeiro e eu ADOREI!!! O Vibe consegue ser ligeiramente mais "fofo" mas este...Ui, este!!! É cru, é selvagem é tudo.
Adorei a ligação marada que existe entre a K e a Capypso - o ódio é puro, mas a linha que separa o amor do ódio é muito ténue, ainda mais tendo em conta o passado em comum delas...Não esperava isto, mas foi incrível vê-las a crecer e perceber o que de facto querem para as suas vidas.
A química sexual é de arrebentar qualquer escala!!! Impossível de descrever, a perícia com que a autora faz estas cenas (e todas as cenas intensas) é surreal - sexy as f*
Este livro vai por um aspeto que ficou em aberto no livro anterior e que honestamente me surpreendeu, pois não pensei que a ligaçao fosse ser esta - fiquei chocada!!! Mas foi de génio e adorei como tudo culminou.
Um livro incrível que me deixou a vibrar com cada capítulo.
May 26, 2021
When I heard that we were getting another book in the Pandora's Box universe, I didn't think anything could top Vibe. Boy was I way wrong. Hush came out of nowhere for me and I welcomed the dark, gritty and crazy ride we took. To say I loved it would be an understatement. I felt so much reading this book. I felt emotional, overwhelmed, angry, frustrated. I ran the gamut of emotions my friends.
K and Calypso have this shared history together and that just made their connection more intense. I was shocked by the reason behind their animosity towards each other. They made so many decisions thinking it was for the other's benefit and while I understood their choices, I also wanted to throttle them and just talk about those situations. Their scenes together were brimming with anger and passion. The tension was real and I lived for it.
I felt everything Calypso was feeling. She was so trapped and defeated that I was in tears for her. I wanted her to gain the freedom that she longed for and was so happy when she finally got it. It was satisfying to go through her journey with her. I love the person she came to be. Same with K. We met her in Vibe as this super confident woman no one messes with but she's so vulnerable. She has a heart even though she doesn't like to admit it and I don't blame her one bit for being so guarded. Her childhood was less than pleasant and her journey was just as satisfying.
This book was so intense. It never shied away from the ugly and held nothing back. There were moments I was filled with so much anxiety from scenes I couldn't believe were happening. What an experience. I am an emotional wreck after reading this book and I know I've used this word so much in this review, but the ending was so satisfying. I was giddy with the outcome. I really, truly hope this is not the last we see from this universe (Low key want a Skilla book. Poor girl deserves better. Okay more like high key. LOL) because as long as Liza writes them, I'll keep reading them.
K and Calypso have this shared history together and that just made their connection more intense. I was shocked by the reason behind their animosity towards each other. They made so many decisions thinking it was for the other's benefit and while I understood their choices, I also wanted to throttle them and just talk about those situations. Their scenes together were brimming with anger and passion. The tension was real and I lived for it.
I felt everything Calypso was feeling. She was so trapped and defeated that I was in tears for her. I wanted her to gain the freedom that she longed for and was so happy when she finally got it. It was satisfying to go through her journey with her. I love the person she came to be. Same with K. We met her in Vibe as this super confident woman no one messes with but she's so vulnerable. She has a heart even though she doesn't like to admit it and I don't blame her one bit for being so guarded. Her childhood was less than pleasant and her journey was just as satisfying.
This book was so intense. It never shied away from the ugly and held nothing back. There were moments I was filled with so much anxiety from scenes I couldn't believe were happening. What an experience. I am an emotional wreck after reading this book and I know I've used this word so much in this review, but the ending was so satisfying. I was giddy with the outcome. I really, truly hope this is not the last we see from this universe (Low key want a Skilla book. Poor girl deserves better. Okay more like high key. LOL) because as long as Liza writes them, I'll keep reading them.
May 27, 2021
5/5⭐️ 4.5/5🔥
💚💗💚💗💚💗💚💗💚💗
💜💚💜💚💜💚💜💚💜💚
Vibe: Book one in Pandora’s Box 4/5⭐️ 4/5🔥
Now I did rate Vibe a star lower, don’t get me wrong I LOVED Ruby & Aura and everything about there relationship and authors writing HOWEVER, if I’m being honest Aura bf and her shitty supposedly bff were NOT IT and the way Aura’s lived her life with them was just not it for me, now we get a bit of K and her character as a side character in Vibe but not much but that didn’t stop me from immediately wanting more from K’s character.
💗Dark Romance
💚FF Romance
💗Enemies to Lovers
💚Childhood Best Friends
K and Calypso were my absolute FAVORITE, as I said this was darker, spicier, HATRED between the two of them but also healing and closure.
K & Lyp, we’re the best of friends had this beautiful relationship but it went down hill after a unforgettable night. They work at the same strip club and K is not having it, not feeling anything. All Lyp wants is for her to show her SOMETHING, ANYTHING. The plot from book one progresses/dissolves in Hush but of course not without drama, not without the darkness Calypso lived and went through since she was thirteen years old.
“I wanted your feelings K, I wanted you the fucking feel something”
I was so excited for this Dark FF Romance and Liza didn’t disappoint, she didn’t HUSH anything out (did you get my pun?🥺)
“We’re flames, from two separate fires exploding with the same oxygen. Uniting. Growing. Burning. Blazing”
“Always. No matter what happens, what we go through. We adapt and evolve. Okay?”
TW⚠️: cult and religious leader, violence, sexual abuse/assault , drug use/abuse, murder/death
💚💗💚💗💚💗💚💗💚💗
💜💚💜💚💜💚💜💚💜💚
Vibe: Book one in Pandora’s Box 4/5⭐️ 4/5🔥
Now I did rate Vibe a star lower, don’t get me wrong I LOVED Ruby & Aura and everything about there relationship and authors writing HOWEVER, if I’m being honest Aura bf and her shitty supposedly bff were NOT IT and the way Aura’s lived her life with them was just not it for me, now we get a bit of K and her character as a side character in Vibe but not much but that didn’t stop me from immediately wanting more from K’s character.
💗Dark Romance
💚FF Romance
💗Enemies to Lovers
💚Childhood Best Friends
K and Calypso were my absolute FAVORITE, as I said this was darker, spicier, HATRED between the two of them but also healing and closure.
K & Lyp, we’re the best of friends had this beautiful relationship but it went down hill after a unforgettable night. They work at the same strip club and K is not having it, not feeling anything. All Lyp wants is for her to show her SOMETHING, ANYTHING. The plot from book one progresses/dissolves in Hush but of course not without drama, not without the darkness Calypso lived and went through since she was thirteen years old.
“I wanted your feelings K, I wanted you the fucking feel something”
I was so excited for this Dark FF Romance and Liza didn’t disappoint, she didn’t HUSH anything out (did you get my pun?🥺)
“We’re flames, from two separate fires exploding with the same oxygen. Uniting. Growing. Burning. Blazing”
“Always. No matter what happens, what we go through. We adapt and evolve. Okay?”
TW⚠️: cult and religious leader, violence, sexual abuse/assault , drug use/abuse, murder/death
May 25, 2021
Hush takes us back to Pandoras Box and brings back The Nation and their hold over others in a different way.
K and Lyp both had difficult and confusing childhoods. Their only bright spot was their friendship...before K ruined it. Now they work together at Pandoras Box as dancers. They play this game drawing each other in and pushing each other out. Both hating each other but wanting each other.
Dom gets his claws in Lyp and she makes some sacrifices to try and keep others safe especially K. K is unaware of all that is really going on. She spends her time working at the club or underground fighting for extra cash. But she's also made sacrifices to keep Lyp safe.
Things take a drastic turn and Ruby and Aura are called in to help because they've dealt with The Nation before. There are other people involved that are a surprise. There's so much hatred and disdain surrounding the nation and the newly introduced members.
Can K and Lyp accept their true feelings and take the Nation down? Or will they let each other down?
Can they be like dragonflies and adapt to their own surroundings like when they were kids?
Lyp goes through such a powerful transformation during Hush. I thought she was weak at the beginning but she turned out to be stronger than I could have imagined. She went on a journey of self acceptance, learning to love herself, and learning to accept who she really is and say f you to the rest of the world. She overcame her fears and she took her challenges head on.
K and Lyp both had difficult and confusing childhoods. Their only bright spot was their friendship...before K ruined it. Now they work together at Pandoras Box as dancers. They play this game drawing each other in and pushing each other out. Both hating each other but wanting each other.
Dom gets his claws in Lyp and she makes some sacrifices to try and keep others safe especially K. K is unaware of all that is really going on. She spends her time working at the club or underground fighting for extra cash. But she's also made sacrifices to keep Lyp safe.
Things take a drastic turn and Ruby and Aura are called in to help because they've dealt with The Nation before. There are other people involved that are a surprise. There's so much hatred and disdain surrounding the nation and the newly introduced members.
Can K and Lyp accept their true feelings and take the Nation down? Or will they let each other down?
Can they be like dragonflies and adapt to their own surroundings like when they were kids?
Lyp goes through such a powerful transformation during Hush. I thought she was weak at the beginning but she turned out to be stronger than I could have imagined. She went on a journey of self acceptance, learning to love herself, and learning to accept who she really is and say f you to the rest of the world. She overcame her fears and she took her challenges head on.
May 22, 2021
Liza motherf**king James...what have you done to me!
This book was a wild, emotional, and extremely dark story. Liza James held absolutely nothing back, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. K and Calypso were volatile, chaotic, intense, passionate. It was like a storm brewing and causing destruction or a bomb exploding.
They gave and they took. They each battled with their emotions towards one another and towards themselves. They each had to fight their way through pain, trauma, and loss but at the end they came out even stronger...together.
"You and me. You're the other half of me, a piece that keeps me grounded and in reality."
This story was dark, twisted, warped and corrupted. K and Calypso’s story is not an easy one. It’s raw and uncomfortable, but it’s real and it’s their’s. They are each other’s light in the never ending darkness. The lighthouse guiding the other through their pain, anxiety and trauma. Their happiness is so intricately linked but also completely their own. They each find a way to love one another and to completely accept themselves individually.
"Always. No matter what happens, what we go through. We adapt and evolve. Okay?"
My words above don’t even begin to do this story justice! K and Calypso’s story was a beautiful disaster is the best possible way! Their story rocked me to my core and had me an emotional mess! Trust me, just read it.
*FYI, please heed the trigger warnings, they are there for a reason!
This book was a wild, emotional, and extremely dark story. Liza James held absolutely nothing back, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. K and Calypso were volatile, chaotic, intense, passionate. It was like a storm brewing and causing destruction or a bomb exploding.
They gave and they took. They each battled with their emotions towards one another and towards themselves. They each had to fight their way through pain, trauma, and loss but at the end they came out even stronger...together.
"You and me. You're the other half of me, a piece that keeps me grounded and in reality."
This story was dark, twisted, warped and corrupted. K and Calypso’s story is not an easy one. It’s raw and uncomfortable, but it’s real and it’s their’s. They are each other’s light in the never ending darkness. The lighthouse guiding the other through their pain, anxiety and trauma. Their happiness is so intricately linked but also completely their own. They each find a way to love one another and to completely accept themselves individually.
"Always. No matter what happens, what we go through. We adapt and evolve. Okay?"
My words above don’t even begin to do this story justice! K and Calypso’s story was a beautiful disaster is the best possible way! Their story rocked me to my core and had me an emotional mess! Trust me, just read it.
*FYI, please heed the trigger warnings, they are there for a reason!
May 25, 2021
What can I say? Another masterpiece by Liza. Truly an unforgettable book.
.
K, she’s a whole lot of damage. And I guess that says a lot about me that a lot of her views and how closed off she is, I actually can relate to. Calypso has her own set of damage that is relatable also so this was a surreal read for me. There’s so much depth to both characters and I didn’t think I’d relate to them as deeply as I did but I do. I’ve recently come to learning about my own damage and mental health and these characters were like a mirror image it was unbelievable. I love that we can all relate to them in some way.
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You can feel that this book and vibe have a special place with Liza. She has a unique way to portray every emotion possible into her writing and you can truly feel it. It’s been the most emotional roller coaster reading these books and I have to say they are works of art.
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Before this series I had not read a FF romance and the depth, the plot, the characters and the dark side truly made this an amazing experience. I didn’t think this could top Vibe but I gotta say this one may have beaten it by a hair. This world is amazing. The sense of reality, the details, truly incredible. As always when diving into a dark romance check your triggers!
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Truly amazing. Anyone wanting a page turning, twisty, dark F/F romance look no further. This book has everything and more!
.
K, she’s a whole lot of damage. And I guess that says a lot about me that a lot of her views and how closed off she is, I actually can relate to. Calypso has her own set of damage that is relatable also so this was a surreal read for me. There’s so much depth to both characters and I didn’t think I’d relate to them as deeply as I did but I do. I’ve recently come to learning about my own damage and mental health and these characters were like a mirror image it was unbelievable. I love that we can all relate to them in some way.
.
You can feel that this book and vibe have a special place with Liza. She has a unique way to portray every emotion possible into her writing and you can truly feel it. It’s been the most emotional roller coaster reading these books and I have to say they are works of art.
.
Before this series I had not read a FF romance and the depth, the plot, the characters and the dark side truly made this an amazing experience. I didn’t think this could top Vibe but I gotta say this one may have beaten it by a hair. This world is amazing. The sense of reality, the details, truly incredible. As always when diving into a dark romance check your triggers!
.
Truly amazing. Anyone wanting a page turning, twisty, dark F/F romance look no further. This book has everything and more!
May 27, 2021
"I know the darkest truth everyone refuses to acknowledge. You can't trust anyone"
3.5 rounded up.
Hush was a great book, I did really enjoy it.
Liza James does this crazy thing when it comes to peoples connection. Even if they hate each other, the tension and the pure chemistry ripples through the story and I am absolutely obsessed with it!
I didn't feel as connected with K and Calypso as I did with Ruby and Aura. As much as they were unlikable and frustrating at times as well, I just really struggled bonding with K and Lyp, even though I was desperate to.
I was also feeling a little let down by the storyline, it felt super similar to the first one and I had expectations that it would be something different.
Overall it was good and I did enjoy it, I loved the connection and constant crackling tension between the girls but at times I felt like I was reading the same story with different characters.
3.5 rounded up.
Hush was a great book, I did really enjoy it.
Liza James does this crazy thing when it comes to peoples connection. Even if they hate each other, the tension and the pure chemistry ripples through the story and I am absolutely obsessed with it!
I didn't feel as connected with K and Calypso as I did with Ruby and Aura. As much as they were unlikable and frustrating at times as well, I just really struggled bonding with K and Lyp, even though I was desperate to.
I was also feeling a little let down by the storyline, it felt super similar to the first one and I had expectations that it would be something different.
Overall it was good and I did enjoy it, I loved the connection and constant crackling tension between the girls but at times I felt like I was reading the same story with different characters.
May 28, 2021
K & Calypso relationship is a complicated one. Soon as chapter 1 we learn they have a history of childhood memories & experience lost together. One lost half their and the other all of it. K nick name for her is Lyp which triggers memories of....no spoliers 💔
Both heroine are kick ass and they both push each other by making each other jealous or upset. I wanted them to be together even thou it is toxic but...they belong together 🔥
I do love Caly way of living and I wish I was brave to live like that care free and just dance. K has a dickhead of brother and dad, they demand so much from her.
My fav scene is Caly playing her guitar & her speech about a girl that took something from her. I wish I could her song! I bet her lyrics would break my heart and soul. On stages with dancing poles around her and just people watching a dancer sing & play...
☆MUST READ☆
This is my first FF read and I made the right choice! I have not read Vibe which is Ruby & Aura story. They do appear in this book and you can read this as a standalone, like I did💚💟
🌻
Both heroine are kick ass and they both push each other by making each other jealous or upset. I wanted them to be together even thou it is toxic but...they belong together 🔥
I do love Caly way of living and I wish I was brave to live like that care free and just dance. K has a dickhead of brother and dad, they demand so much from her.
My fav scene is Caly playing her guitar & her speech about a girl that took something from her. I wish I could her song! I bet her lyrics would break my heart and soul. On stages with dancing poles around her and just people watching a dancer sing & play...
☆MUST READ☆
This is my first FF read and I made the right choice! I have not read Vibe which is Ruby & Aura story. They do appear in this book and you can read this as a standalone, like I did💚💟
🌻
January 2, 2022
Actual rating is 4.5 but still!
God i love K and Calypso so much, and i loved how they both had their individual character growth. The earlier parts of the book are a bit too toxic but the ending is so worth it. I love their relationship and dynamics so much.
This is also so well-written i cannot stress this enough. Oh and rubyaura in the background plsss i'm sobbing they are the absolute cutest istg
God i love K and Calypso so much, and i loved how they both had their individual character growth. The earlier parts of the book are a bit too toxic but the ending is so worth it. I love their relationship and dynamics so much.
This is also so well-written i cannot stress this enough. Oh and rubyaura in the background plsss i'm sobbing they are the absolute cutest istg
July 23, 2023
2.5⭐️
I wish it was different and the story actually started very interesting. But unlike with Vibe I didnt...vibe with this book at all. Yes, pun intended.
While both books were definitely dark, there was something about Ruby's and Aura's relationship that pulled me in. It wasn't like this with K and Calypso.
Which made the book appear even more brutal and fucked up.
Overall I think Hush had great potential especially with the whole fighting thing. But it didn't work out for me personally.
I wish it was different and the story actually started very interesting. But unlike with Vibe I didnt...vibe with this book at all. Yes, pun intended.
While both books were definitely dark, there was something about Ruby's and Aura's relationship that pulled me in. It wasn't like this with K and Calypso.
Which made the book appear even more brutal and fucked up.
Overall I think Hush had great potential especially with the whole fighting thing. But it didn't work out for me personally.
June 3, 2021
Hi Friends! Let me tell you about this book I just read. 𝓗𝓾𝓼𝓱 is the conclusion of the 𝓟𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓸𝓻𝓪’𝓼 𝓑𝓸𝔁 duet that centres around 𝓚 & 𝓒𝓪𝓵𝔂𝓹𝓼𝓸, two dancers at Pandora’s Box. If you have not read Vibe yet, I would highly recommend reading that before digging into this intensely emotional story.
𖧷
𝓚 & 𝓒𝓪𝓵𝔂𝓹𝓼𝓸 have had equally brutal upbringings (unbeknownst to either of them) being intertwined with The Nation, along with 𝓡𝓾𝓫𝔂 & 𝓐𝓾𝓻𝓪. As children they were each others comfort, until one malevolent event ruined it all, forcing them apart. As adults they both end up working at the same club, with a palpable disdain for one another. As much as these two refuse to “show” any emotion towards each other or other characters, this speaks highly of the emotions they are trying to shadow.
𖧷
Liza’s writing just hits different with me, I feel like I am sitting at the top of a roller coaster from page one, stuck in this intense fog of raw emotion anticipating the climax and when it hits, holy fcuk! This was no different, the vibe was feverish, the angst was maddening and the sex was HOT! Like way hot! 𝓚 & 𝓒𝓪𝓵𝔂𝓹𝓼𝓸’𝓼 chemistry is equally domineering and submissive, both becoming enraptured in roles I did not expect! But it worked, and I love them so much!
𖧷
𝓚 & 𝓒𝓪𝓵𝔂𝓹𝓼𝓸 have had equally brutal upbringings (unbeknownst to either of them) being intertwined with The Nation, along with 𝓡𝓾𝓫𝔂 & 𝓐𝓾𝓻𝓪. As children they were each others comfort, until one malevolent event ruined it all, forcing them apart. As adults they both end up working at the same club, with a palpable disdain for one another. As much as these two refuse to “show” any emotion towards each other or other characters, this speaks highly of the emotions they are trying to shadow.
𖧷
Liza’s writing just hits different with me, I feel like I am sitting at the top of a roller coaster from page one, stuck in this intense fog of raw emotion anticipating the climax and when it hits, holy fcuk! This was no different, the vibe was feverish, the angst was maddening and the sex was HOT! Like way hot! 𝓚 & 𝓒𝓪𝓵𝔂𝓹𝓼𝓸’𝓼 chemistry is equally domineering and submissive, both becoming enraptured in roles I did not expect! But it worked, and I love them so much!
June 15, 2023
OH MY WOW
Liza James is the QUEEN of dark romance!!! The connection. The trauma. The fight. The survival. The hatred. The LOVE. Make sure you have the time because this book, like her others, is extremely hard to put down!! Gripped from the very beginning to the very last word. Wow. Just wow. Thank you for wrecking me and putting me back together (mostly) ❤️
Liza James is the QUEEN of dark romance!!! The connection. The trauma. The fight. The survival. The hatred. The LOVE. Make sure you have the time because this book, like her others, is extremely hard to put down!! Gripped from the very beginning to the very last word. Wow. Just wow. Thank you for wrecking me and putting me back together (mostly) ❤️
January 28, 2024
good book
This book was a good book.
It hit me in the feels in places and made me scream in others.
Here we have K and Lyp. We see glimpses of them in book one.
I thought things wrapped up from book one with Aura’s background but I was sorely mistaken.
For me this one didn’t have the same dominant factor book one did but I liked it all the same.
This book was a good book.
It hit me in the feels in places and made me scream in others.
Here we have K and Lyp. We see glimpses of them in book one.
I thought things wrapped up from book one with Aura’s background but I was sorely mistaken.
For me this one didn’t have the same dominant factor book one did but I liked it all the same.
May 27, 2021
Otay y'all new to me author and I wasn't fond of K or Calypso at first. There personalities were hard to get and they were very frustrating at time. More into the story I got the sexual tension and they become less enemies for frenemies maybe. The explosion when there forced to face there feelings was mind blowing. But I did enjoy the end and seeing how it turned out!
July 24, 2021
This book, like vibe, is very very very dark!
And at times it was too much for me…. (Just too dark)
There is a lot going on in this book.
But the love story is beautiful, it’s best-friends to enemies to lovers.
It’s about two souls connecting and fighting for each other against all odds.
And at times it was too much for me…. (Just too dark)
There is a lot going on in this book.
But the love story is beautiful, it’s best-friends to enemies to lovers.
It’s about two souls connecting and fighting for each other against all odds.
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