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Intrigue and Obsession: A Review on the Rollercoaster Ride of Book 1 Degradation By Stylo Fantome

Some books feel like home. Maybe because we get too comfortable reading to or because we relate with characters so much that it doesn't feel like we are treading on foreign territory. The Kane trilogy is something like that for me. This book series has impacted me deeply and I still don't know the exact reason why. It just feels like mine. 
The series is written by Stylo Fantome. There are five books in the series; Degradation, Separation, and Reparation, are the main trilogy.  Completion and Reception are short novellas. Every once in a while I drift back to this series and start reading it. I relate to many things Tatum(FMC) represents and I have been in love with Jameson for like forever (MMC). He is the most perfect MMC a book could have 😅. Here is the GoodReads description of the first book in the series from where the story starts. 
Eighteen-year-old Tatum O'Shea is a naive, shy, little rich girl. Twenty-three-year-old Jameson Kane is smart, seductive, and rich. They come together for one night, one explosion, one mistake, and Tate is hurled into space—no family, no money, and no Jameson.
Seven years later, life is going pretty good for Tate, when she runs into Jameson again. This time, she thinks she's ready for him. She has no naive bone left in her body, and she can't even remember what shyness feels like. Jameson has evolved, as well—sharp words, sharper wit, and a tongue that can cut her in half. It all sounds like fun to a woman like Tate, and she is ready to play, determined to prove that she isn't the same girl he conquered once before. A series of games start, each one more devious than the last. But as the line between games and reality becomes blurry, Tate quickly learns that Jameson has most definitely earned his nickname, “Satan.” Can she beat him at his own game before someone gets hurt? Or will he leave her soulless, making him the winner, once and for all?
Genre
Dark Contemporary Romance

Theme and Tone
Dark Romance Vibes

Characters
Multilayered characters who tiptoe around their feelings

Language and Writing Style
Mature and very well-written

Tropes
  • Contemporary
  • Time Gap
  • Age gap
  • Forbidden Love
  • FMC falls head-first
  • MMC is a dark brooding man
  • Misunderstandings
  • Miscommunication
  • Love-Hate Reationship


My Review

Stylo Fantome is also one of my favorite authors and she writes very well. This series was just epic on every level. It made me feel also many emotions; anger, jealousy, heartbreak, sadness, pity, and love for the characters. The characters are so well-written that one can't help but fall for them. Tatum is the ultimate badass female character. She is a good girl pretending to be bad. Angier Is the best friend one could hope for. Sanders is the heartthrob. Jameson is the devil. Ellie is the worst sister ever.

I love the first book most because Tatum and Jameson make a deal and just have a very happy time together. For the first time when I read it, I knew something was going to happen and I was dreading what would be and then it happens and it was epic 😂. Oh, it was a terrible turn of events but it was perfect for the storyline.

Every time I read this book it incites the same feelings within me, the heartbreak for Tatum at the same scene every time. And then pity for Jameson he is such a stupid a*hole in the book; considering he is very intelligent but still does the stupid shit to the person he cares about the most. 


My Rating
Overall: ★★★| 5 Stars
Plot: ★★★★ | 5 Stars
Characters: ★★★★| 5 Stars
Ending: ★★★★★| 5 Stars
Fun: ★★| 5 Stars
Spice Level: ðŸŒ¶ðŸŒ¶ðŸŒ¶ðŸŒ¶| 4/5 (Hot af)
Bookcover: | 3 stars (It's perfect according to the genre and the storyline)

The Best Part:
  1. The banter between Tatum and Jameson is just wholesome
  2. Sanders is a sweetheart
  3. Tatum and Angier's friendship
  4. Jameson daring Tatum to do stupid stuff 
  5. The Ending
The Worst Part:
Nothing

Best Character
Tatum, Jameson, Sanders, Angier

Worst Character
Ellie, Mr and Mrs. O'Shea, Petrushka, Dunn

My Favourite Quotes

“He was so good looking, it was probably illegal. She worried if she looked at him too long , she'd go blind.”


“Because, he's Jameson Kane. He's like my worst nightmare and my biggest dream, all rolled in to one.”


Why are you so good to me?” he whispered. She laughed. “Because you were so bad to me,” she teased.”


“I like it better when you say mean things,” she whispered. “Why?” “They don't hurt as much.”


“Because, I have the strangest feelings about you. Like I want to take you everywhere and have you by my side, but I also want to hold you down. Make you beg and cry,”


“You're not 'everyone else', you're different. You get to see the real me,” he told her.”


“The old Tatum had been fun to play with, cute. This Tatum, he wanted to own. He wanted to break her down, bend her to him. She seemed a worthy adversary, and Jameson loved a good fight.”


Happy Reading!!


❤ 🎧☕️🕯️📖 ❤