If you go into Scarred by Emily McIntire thinking this book will be similar in setting to Hooked, you will be shocked it’s not. Scarred is a re-imagining of the Lion King and we are in a fully fictional kingdom, not Massachusetts. That being said, I enjoyed this book immensely.
Scarred by Emily Mcintire
Scarred by Emily McIntire is the 2nd book in the Never After Series. It is a complete standalone so you do not need to read any other the other books in the series. It is a dark romance set in a kingdom, was published on January 4th, 2022, and is 447 pages long. You can find this book on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon, or the author’s website here.
Premise
Tristan wants the throne, the one his brother now sits on, but he also wants Sara, his brother’s betrothed, and he’ll do whatever he needs to to get both. Meanwhile, Sara is ready to rid the world of the entire line after what happened to her family. However, as Tristan nears her she struggles with making her plans a reality.
Triggers
Triggers found in Scarred include:
- Sexually explicit scenes
- Graphic violence, torture, and murder
- Physical Assault
- Suicide
My Thoughts
Upon opening this book I was immediately, and unsurprisingly, in love with Tristan. Sure he’s the villain, but you know, he went through a lot of bad stuff, ok? (Note: It’s only okay when it’s fictional, right?) He was a beautifully created character and I was on his side from the start. A couple of times I even had to tell Sara to calm TF down and trust him.
“No, little doe, not here. They don’t get your tears.” – Scarred, by Emily McIntire
Scarred, like Hooked, was a plot heavy book with a pretty awesome world mixed in and Emily did such a beautiful job in building that world too. With a plot heavy book you won’t find a large amount of spice scenes. What you will find in Scarred, is quality spice scenes, and Tristan, hngh, he’s just perfect.
I really enjoyed our main female lead. She was strong, determined, and she wasn’t going to let anything or anyone get in her way. Sara had a goal to accomplish. While at times I yelled at her about her untrusting nature – which was rightful for her to have and I was an impatient reader – she was deliciously sneaky and a complete bad ass at times.
“In a world of people who don’t see me, sometimes, it feels as if he’s the only one who does.” – Scarred, by Emily McIntire
I don’t think it would be a Never After book if the twists weren’t there to keep you on your toes. Secrets surround almost every single character in this story.
As far as the vibes of Scarred go, it still absolutely falls in dark romance, but it is not a contemporary. At times it felt very fantasy or even a bit historical fiction. It was not at all expected, but still masterfully done. This was a keep flipping pages and stay up late kind of book.
“You could burn down the entire kingdom until it’s nothing but charred rubble, and I would crawl over the embers with glee, so long as I could worship at your feet.” – Scarred, by Emily McIntire
Who Would Like Scarred?
Tropes in Scarred include:
- He falls first
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow burn
- Royalty
If you like fantasy, or even a bit of historical fiction, darkness, and a re-imagining of stories where the villain gets the girl. This book will be for you and it is not necessary to read Hooked before reading this, it is a true standalone in the series.
If you’ve read Scarred by Emily McIntire, or if you’re adding it to your TBR, let me know in the comments below. I always enjoy talking to other readers about books I loved.