This was a highly anticipated read and it did not disappoint in the slightest. This is one of my favorite taboo tropes and Emily wrote it so perfectly. This book was definitely much darker than the others in the series so check TW! The twist at the end was not something I saw coming and I usually am so good in my predictions. I wish this book would have been longer only because I wanted more of Father Cade and Amaya.

Thank you #netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest reivew

Anything by Emily McIntire is a guaranteed fun time all around!! This was such a hot reimagining of hunch back of notre dame! The slow burn was perfect and when it finally burned, boy did it seriously ever!! The chemistry and the tension was off the charts!! Genuinely could not put this down from start to finish!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bloom Books, and Emily McIntire for an arc of this book!

I went into this book completely blind as I have never read one of Emily McIntire's books before. It definitely exceeded my expectations and while some of the things that happened in the book were easy to guess, some were not. What I enjoy most about this book is that while loosely based off a very innocent story (with some dark undertones) and took it to a whole different level. The writing style was great and it kept me engrossed the entire time. I completely binged this book in 2 days. And while that's not always difficult to do, I will say that there was never a dull moment in this book.

Amaya's lot in life was not even remotely good. Her mother abandons her and her little brother who has special needs. She has the attention of the one man she doesn't, Parker Errein who also happens to be her mother's ex and basically the king of her town. She's forced to pay off her mother's debt to him the only way she can, which is through exotic dancing. The one silver lining? She actually really enjoys dancing. Life is going as its been for years at this point until Cade Frederic strolls in to her life. Father Cade Frederic has been called to the town of Festivale to reinvigorate the church (by separating it from the dark connection to Parker).
What we quickly see is that while Cade is a man of God, he has demons as well. While this may seem to make him just human like everyone else, he is not. Cade's demon seeks redemption via the sacrifice of others who also have demons. Every life he takes is another step closer to ridding him of his demon. At least that's what he tells himself. Next on his target is Parker but there's a slight complication when he sees Amaya. Her close orbit to Parker does not help Cade focus on what he needs to do. Inevitably, these two damaged souls find each other and that becomes a life altering event.

I don't want to spoil this for anyone who may want to read it because I loved not knowing what happens. What I assumed was just a little bit of a dark romance was much more. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read the rest of Mrs. McIntire's Never After Series!

This is a ~dark~ romance that, in typical Emily McIntire fashion, is also super spicy. This fractured fairytale inspired by The Hunchback of Notre Dame follows a troubled priest and the mysterious woman he is obsessed with. I enjoyed this book but I will say some parts were difficult to read for me so I'd highly recommend checking out the trigger warnings before starting if needed.

Cade is truly obsessed with Amaya which I always love but I do wish there was at least a little bit of a ramp up to the obsession.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This was one of the most depraved romance novels I've ever read. Dark, painful, raw. I loved it. I would say this is not for the faint of heart, not even a little bit. But it was well-written and the story was captivating.

Emily can do no wrong!!! Like always the references to classic fairytales is what sets her books apart from other reimaginings. They are brilliantly done. And don’t get me started on the spice!! This series is a must read for people who grew up loving Disney and now have a dark romance addiction

Crossed was definitely higher up on my list of faves from Emily in the Never After series. It was just enough of a dark element to it to be different and stay within the elements of the characters personalities. I was rooting for our villain yet again in this on which was fun, and I loved seeing Esmerelda in another light.

I'm ready for the next one, I LOVE Emily's writing and literally all of her books when i see her name I'm so eager to get my hands on it. I love her as a person and my heart aches for what she's going through but she's strong and will get through this! THIS WAS SO GOOD. Emily’s darkest book yet, but it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The plot was really well done, I loved all the twists and turns. I especially loved how Amaya & Cade developed as a couple and as individual characters, it was quite the ride. Also yes the smut was incredibly hot,

I love Emily Mcintie and she wrote another fantastic novel “Crossed”. This book almost passed “Scarred” as my favorite in the series. The twist with Sister Genevieve had my gasping out loud. I love how she can take these should be awful evil characters, and make them seem understandable and almost likable. Phenomenal book.

I love this series. Crossed is definitely the darkest book in the series thus far, which is to be expected considering it's based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the male lead is based on the character Frollo.
This is definitely a dark retelling. You can see which characters the author got inspiration from, but there have been significant changes made. I loved the story and the angst that the characters felt.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:
Esmeralda, a stripper, gets forced into marrying a rich man while she is really in love with a priest.

This is loosely based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame characters as a reimagined story where the villain gets the happy ending. I have read all 5 of Emily’s books and have really enjoyed her stories. This is the Disney movie that I am least familiar with in terms of characters. There is spice and the same HEA for the villain… in this case Cade (aka Frollo). It was hard for me to separate the idea of a frail/creepy priest in the movie and the young attractive priest in the story along with the religious aspect muddying the waters (might be just me). I still enjoyed it and it was definitely one of the darker ones she has written. I am looking forward to book 6 and commend her for beating breast cancer! Go Emily! 💓

Thank you to Bloom Books for the finished copy! 🖤🖤

If dark & forbidden romance with steamy chemistry and slow burn sounds interesting to you, then this book is for you!! I love that Emily sprinkles in little references from the original movie throughout the book. it starts out slow, but once the pacing picks up and the movie lot starts flowing, the slow burn starts burning. I also love that this one actually feels like a forbidden romance, Amaya and Cade had very minimal on page interaction, but it made sense and was very necessary considering they’re in different circles of people. This one is the darkest in the series so far, in my opinion.. so keep that in mind. Overall this was enjoyable!

These books are super popular. I can see why, especially with the Millenial crowd who grew up watching the Disney version of these stories. I've tried all of them, and I can't get into them though. Not a single one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the E-ARC

This is the 5th book in The Never After Series. The book was very slow at first but you have to keep reading for it to get better., It is not my favorite of the series. It was a good read and was entertaining. 3.5 stars..

The 5th book in The Never After Series is loosely based on the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I must say I struggled to get into the book at first, but I kept reading, and it was decent. Not my favorite from the series, but overall a good read. 3.5⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

McIntyre's latest entry in her darkly romantic villains turned lovers romance series delivers on everything you would expect and more. Cade and Amaya's forbidden attraction got dark very quickly but will keep you rapt until the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Sourcebooks for this free arc in return for an honest review

This dark twisted book follows our two main characters Cade and Amaya. Father Cade, the sweet sultry priest, is full of darkness, sun and secrets. Amaya, is a young woman who’s been left with the burden of caring for her autistic brother. Somehow these two stumble upon eachother and the story is breathtakingly wonderful.

This novel is a love story to the fans from Emily and you can definitely tell that from reading this book. Quinn, takes inspo from Emily’s own daughter. She captured the traits of autism with care and made him such a loveable character.

The relationship between Amaya and Cade is a rough ride but definitely worth it. This book is full of trigger and content warnings. The spice (which is in the last 100 pages) could have been a bit longer but they were still good.

Overall this book is a 4 stars for me!

This is everything I needed and wanted from Emily McIntire. Her Never After Series has been hit or miss with me but upon seeing it was a Frollo inspired romance, my birthday wishes and every falling start finally came true! While this isn't a fit for my library, I have been recommending this book to everyone asking for something *spicy* to read!