Crossed by Emily McIntire is a Hunchback of Notre Dame re-imagining and I freaking loved this book. I will forewarn you, the villain main male character is a priest and he is in fact a villain. This was the darkest book so far in the series but also close to the top in term of my personal favorites.
Crossed by Emily McIntire
Crossed by Emily McIntire is the fifth book in the Never After series. It is a 418 page, complete standalone, dark romance that was published on August 1st, 2023. I personally listened to the audio book for this one and the narrators, Ellory Lane and Elliot Fitzpatrick were phenomenal. The book can be found on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon, and on the author’s website here.
Premise
Father Cade is a holy man who takes his job of wiping out sin seriously, and he must pay the price for his own sins as well. Amaya is a temptress, turning into the stripper Esmeralda so she can pay the bills and care for her younger brother. The town believes her to be as much of a witch as her mother – who skipped out on them years prior – and Father Cade is believing the same because he can’t get the woman out of his mind. He must rid himself of this sin and the world of her.
Triggers
Triggers found in Crossed:
- Sexually Explicit Scenes
- Torture, Violence, and Murder
- Religious Imagery, Trauma, and Blasphemy
- Self-Harm
My Thoughts
This book was a hard one for me, not only do I have my own religious trauma but there were parts of Amaya’s story in raising her younger brother that hit close to home.
“It’s a cruel place here on earth, filled with people who don’t get it. Who choose not to understand that just because someone is different, it doesn’t mean they’re less than.” – Crossed, by Emily McIntire
I had first started reading this book on KU but ended up putting it down due to an episode of mood reading. I picked up the audio book hoping that I could listen to it while driving or while doing some chores and instead I ended up completely absorbed into the story. In the end I ended up loving the book and can’t wait to buy my trophy copy for my shelf.
Cade is a complicated man with a tortured history. The way he was raised has left no room for him to be anything but a pious man, with the exception of a dark side of him that wishes to rid the world of evil. He is a murderer, in the priest’s cloth, and he punishes himself brutally for his own sins as well.
By far Emily’s darkest book of the series, so far. Crossed was beautifully haunting and for someone who doesn’t have religious trauma you would likely work through this book as quickly as the others. There were still moments for me when I was saying, “Just one more chapter.” I just did it a bit slower than I normally would.
“For so long, I hated her because I feared her. And now I fear her because I crave her.” – Crossed, by Emily McIntire
As with other books in the series, this book was plot heavy. However, the tension during the slow burn was immaculate. The spice scenes were interwoven into the story in such a way that you could feel the connection between Cade and Amaya.
That being said, both characters went through this dramatic character growth. Cade learning to deal with his traumatic history, and Amaya learning just how strong she really was. Then how the two ended up turning to each other when it was pretty clear the world would have tried to keep them apart.
“She was a vision in her violence, a fallen angel seeking vengeance for being wronged. She is a masterpiece, and she is mine.” – Crossed, by Emily McIntire
There were quite a few twists. The back stories of these characters were well connected to the plot points throughout the book. You go from not trusting Cade to hoping that he succeeds in his mission.
Crossed had a bit of dark gothic vibes for me. There was a lot of beauty in the darker detailing of this book but Emily is fantastic about detailing the worlds in a way that references the re-imagining so well.
Who Would Like This Book?
Tropes included in Crossed:
- Forbidden Romance
- Strong FMC
- Stalker
- Obsession
Look, Cade is a villain in this book, not like a good guy who murders bad irredeemable people. No, Cade is bad bad. This book is dark, but if you want a dark romance with a very bad priest who is hot AF, this is the book for you.
Make sure you check out my recommendations for all the Never After Books:
Have you read Crossed by Emily McIntire, or are you adding it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments below. I love connecting with other readers over books I loved.