🍷🍷 #Review of That Sik Luv by Jescie Hall

Title: That Sik Luv

Author: Jescie Hall

Format: 496 pages, Kindle Edition

Published: March 3, 2023

Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Reviewer: Crystal

Source: Purchased by Reviewer

Rating: 2 out of 5 

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Fornication is a sin.

As it reads, we should flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

They teach us that these thoughts, these actions, are immoral. But that dark side that lives inside all of us, the true nature of man, drives us to seek the need that burns within, demanding to be set free. Deep inside of our bones lies that intrinsic need, one desperate to escape. An innate behavior, seemingly out of our control.

One that screams for sins they tell us are condemning.

Aero is the throat from which I scream.

The dark parts of myself I want hidden from this world are all he sees when he gazes at me beneath yet another mask.

He’s the demon drowning me in my own underlying desires.

He may never stop. Not until I succumb to my truths, or die beneath the weight of his unrelenting grasp.

Because according to him, the life I’ve been living is a hell far worse than death.

Crystal's Thought:

"Tonight I'll meet my demon in the dark."

I'm going to preface this review by stating that I have not read Haunting Adeline, so I cannot comment or compare the two books. 

I blame BookTok for this one. I was pulled in by the titillating videos and early raves about That Sik Luv. Unfortunately though, it did not live up to the hype for me. If you are reading purely for sex and shock value then this book will definitely be up your alley, but if you're reading for all of the technical aspects of a good book; a well-paced story line, a plot that makes sense, good editing, and characters that you can connect with, then you may be disappointed. 

That Sik Luv follows Briony, a young woman raised in the church who aspires to be a leading figure within. The men around her however, will do anything in their power to prevent a woman from rising to the top, even if that means committing a few sins. After all, God forgives those who seek his mercy. Little does Briony know, she has a stalker who is all too willing to show Briony the darkness that hides behind religion, and that is secretly within her. A darkness that will either destroy her, or burn down the world around her...

I read fiction. I know that what transpires between pages is not real, but I need it to be believable. I also need it to make sense. That Sik Luv failed at both. I'm not talking about the abundance of triggers found within this book, either. That is to be expected with a dark romance, and while some scenes did gross me out a bit, I wouldn't have minded them if I found credence in the actuality of it happening between these two characters. But I did not. My first issue with this book was the editing. There was an abundance of missing words, confusing verbiage, and long-winded dialogue. It threw me out of the story and dragged down the plot. 

My main issue with this tale however, and what made the entire story-line implausible for me, were the inconsistencies and major plot holes.  I'm going to list them out below, these are ***Spoilers***  for the book....

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1️⃣ Aero broke his tooth in one scene, yet it was never mentioned again. 

2️⃣ Briony's age changes from 20 to 18, intentionally by her adoptive parents but unknown to her - How do you pass off a person as being two years older than what they are, especially at a young age? Which if she doesn't remember her birth mother or adoption, then she must have been. There is a visible difference between a two year old and a four year old. 

3️⃣ Aero's molestation at the Bishop's hands - At the beginning of the story the author states that his mother hides him from his father, because his father wanted him dead. If that were the case, how was he also raised in the church as a child, a church that his father and brother are a major part of? 

4️⃣ Briony's mother's death, Aero's part in it, and his coinciding jail time - The story states that Aero made a promise to Briony's mother at her death to protect and look after her, so Aero had been unknowingly watching over her all this time. But it never explains how he ended up with her mother at 11 years old. This is also when he was supposedly framed for Briony's mother's death and imprisoned.  At 11? How could all of these aspects be possible, at the same time, and at such a young age?
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This book was a struggle for me to finish, but I'm stubborn and since I purchased this book I didn't want to waste money by DNF'ing it, so I slogged through it. All in all, with the numerous plot holes, I just couldn't buy into this story. It was spicy, there was a plethora of sex scenes, all in typical dark romance fashion. But I never once connected with the characters or felt invested in their outcome. There was one sweet scene from Aero to Briony, which I highlighted; "You deserve better than the mess they made of me." and I did enjoy the strip club scene with Nox, he was honestly my favorite part of the book. But in the end, That Sik Luv missed its mark on being a well constructed and entertaining tale.