Darling: An MM Pornstar x Politician Age-Gap Romance

I do love an age gap with a bit of a Daddy vibe! Christian - buttoned up / closeted government official (Daddy vibes) Asher - young content creator who escaped a religious cult And totally unrelated to the content of the book (which was obviously fabulous since this entire series has been 5 stars for me) - but the cover - sigh.... so beautiful as all of the covers in this series have been! Keep up the good work Scarlett!

So I started with Hamartia and read that book I think ten times. Even bought the print edition. Then read the next one and went … ok different but good. It’s been interesting to see the evolution of writing from the Kpop meets rock star, to ballet dancers, to this politician and his politically risky love. It’s also interesting to see how the stories while not exactly overlapping do bump up against each other. (The young artist in this novel is the brother that was mentioned in book one of the rock groups only female member) book two introduced Felix (politicians son and ballet dancers) and Christian (older politician and widower who had been secretly in a relationship with Felix after his wife died). Christian is the focus of this book three, our exiled to the US British politician. I really like how S Drake uses language, usually a particular phrase to convey an entire accent or culture (Rafe’ French GF “I am lovely Non?”). In this novel it’s “Darling”. Both the C’ last name And a term of endearment not common here in the US. (Unless it’s in the south and you are dropping the consonants at the end) I still maintain that book one of this series is my favorite because of How that book progresses, there is stillness and quiet I don’t see in the other books. I also have a weakness for rockstar romances so that could be the issue as well. The end of this book is wonderful. Supporting cast is next level (Fox’ best friend, C’s secretariat and not so secret CIA informant)…

I don't think there was anything in this book that I did not like. Asher was by far the most interesting MMC I've read about. The way he carried himself, the way he just didn't hide who he was. I love that for him and about him. Christian, sweet man, was everything. I have seen broken characters, and I have seen how they tend to portray themselves after traumatic events. But, the kindness and the selflessness of Christian Darling will be unmatched. His heart is so tender and I loved that. They both deserve the world on a silver platter. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the more emotionally driven plots. Where the very real lifestyle dilemmas have bigger impacts on the characters. I would read this ten times over ago. And I will. If I could rate it six stars I would. The ending made me tear up. I love a HEA. And that was delivered.

I think I might have had too high of expectations for this book. Asher is this sweet soul who is who he is and does not care what others think and I love him for that. Christian is well... he exists. I feel like this was 95% Christian hating himself and doing nothing about it and Asher getting hurt because Christian is an absolute bellend. Seriously Asher deserves so much better than Christian. It reads pretty slow and dry at times, and anyone could have seen that unnecessary third act breakup coming from a mile away. By the end of the book it is indicated that there is this great love between the two, but I have a hard time seeing it since there was so much focus on the physical aspect of their time together. Now that I have successfully managed to make myself sound like a hater, I will say what I did like about this book. I really liked the positive light it shown of sex work and the adult entertainment industry. Asher is a consenting adult and talks about shows that it is possible for adult entertainers can maintain romantic relationships and how it is separate from their work. I really like that Asher was not made to be less than because of his job.

I've been waiting for this one - and wow, Darling did not disappoint. Scarlett's writing is incredible as always - she just knows how to pull you in and make you fall in love with her characters. And make you feel everything - the laughter, the heartbreak, and healing. Asher and Christian completely wrecked me (in the best way). They are magic together. Asher is sunshine and sarcasm, while Christian is filled with grief and convinced he can't love again. The way their worlds collide? Perfection. The chemistry between them is off the charts - every look, every touch. Fire. Asher is officially my fav character of Scarlett's. Such a sweet, quirky boy. It was also so fun seeing Felix and Nico again, and I love the friendship between Christian and Felix. I rarely re-read books, but as soon as I finished Darling, I wanted to start it again. Heartfelt, emotional and beautifully written. Darling was everything I hoped for and more.