Giant Men Violent Women by Clover Blaire is a speculative fiction novel that revolves around its two main characters and the social structure of an empirical and wholly self-governing town called Darling in New Hampshire. The book's plot rests on a backdrop of a prison reformation system called The Prison Work Program, which the government of Darling have determined to be the best way for the convicted to serve their time. Activists call it the Slave Work Program as the scheme is draconian and inhumane. On top of this system are the families who have had a generational hold on Darling, namely those of the male main character Ashley Bragg, whose line are referred to as The Twenty-Four, more colloquially known by the book's title. Presley Ann moves to Darling from Boston at a time when the system is prompting social discord and two prominent leaders are dead. Ashley and Presley Ann are on opposite ends of the spectrum even within the House of New Hampshire, in relationships with others, and still pulled toward one another by a chemistry that cannot be ignored but to which neither is willing to concede.

There is a lot to unpack after reading Giant Men Violent Women by Clover Blaire. Is it a romance? Is it a mystery? Is it a Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale meets The Narkina 5 Imperial Prison Complex? Yes, it's all of these things and so much more. First things first, the overriding thread that keeps the story moving is the extreme chemistry between Ashley and Presley Ann. When I called the non-prison prison work a backdrop, that's essentially what it is, albeit one that is incredibly unique and, frankly, brilliant. It is a driver for the tension, as are the political and social dynamics that rule Darling, but they all center around how Ashley and Presley Ann view, process, and react to everything revolving around them, including each other. One thing that I really like is that Presley Ann is no pushover. She is a strong, intelligent, independent woman with agency and not some wounded pup looking for an alpha male. She is an alpha female. She is flawed and this makes her authentic, but she is a force. The shifting first-person point of view between Ashley and Presley Ann allows us to root for and want to strangle both of them at alternating intervals, and if there is one thing I can say about Blaire's ability to weave a story it's that she is bloody great at it...quite literally, in the case of this novel.

Giant Men Violent Women by Clover Blaire encompasses the phrase “what is meant to be will be”, but is that the case for Presley Ann Scot and Ashley Bragg? Presley Ann has liked Ashley since the moment they met, but meanwhile, Ashley thinks she hates him. After whisking Presley Ann away to Boston for one night of what could’ve been, Ashley’s engagement to another is announced. It seems that even though their fates are intertwined life keeps on coming in between.

Giant Men Violent Women by Clover Blaire is a romance set in New Hampshire and focused on the state’s elite. It echoes the Romeo-and-Juliet trope minus the deaths of our main characters; their happily ever after is guaranteed. While this is in the romance genre, the story does contain elements of murder, mystery, and a dystopian-like feel to their reality. I love that it is written from a dual point of view, as this gives us a better understanding of Presley Ann and Ashley’s characters. There are quite a few references in the story regarding its title. I believe that Blaire might have left this up to our interpretation. Even though the men in the story hold positions of authority in political circles, the women hold these positions in social ones. The women also seem to be more vicious than the men in some cases, as life in high society can sometimes be. This is a classic friends-to-lovers trope that will keep you on the edge of the next page!

Giant Men Violent Women by Clover Blaire is a romance story with a twist. Presley Ann Scots moves to Darling, New Hampshire for a new start in life. She has no idea it will take one look at Lawyer Ashley Braggs and she will be insanely attracted to him. There is one issue though, Ashley is engaged and seemingly not interested in Presley. But things get heated when the chemistry between them reaches a fever pitch. Everyone believes Presley is successful in seducing Ashley, but the reality is that they are avoiding the temptation. There is a lot more holding them back than just a moral compass. There are secrets, desires, and plot twists waiting to happen before Ashley and Presley can act on their feelings.

The story is interesting, and Clover Blaire created an emotional roller coaster that I was not expecting. I expected sass, betrayal, and drama, but Blaire gave me all of that and plenty more to go along with it. I love how she portrays Ashley because this is the highlight of the story for me. He wasn’t nice, he was an anti-hero through and through! He was part of New Hampshire Royalty which already raised flags for me, and his personality wasn’t winning any brownie points from me. However, his development is fantastic, and he truly redeems himself as the story continues. Presley on the other hand is all fire and no break. She is a powerhouse that rules the story and grabbed my attention from the get-go. Presley is spunky and dedicated and she knows what she wants. I loved the narrative style because it reveals so much about the characters. There are plenty of plot twists that I wasn’t able to guess correctly, the world-building is fantastic, and the overall feel of Giant Men Violent Women is just brilliant.

Clover Blaire paints a picture of a parochial New Hampshire town called Darling that is anything but in the debut to the new series Giant Men Violent Women. Ashley Bragg is the descendant of lawmakers who run Darling, the son of the judge, and is a lawyer himself. He is primed for an advantageous marriage to a woman of beauty and conventional breeding. His fiancee's father replaced the former governor who was murdered; a rather convenient way of keeping the controversial Prison Work Program, which has inmates working as slave labor, intact. Presley Ann blows into town with some pieces of juicy information up her sleeve and catches the attention of Ashley, who she sees without the rose-colored glasses that the rest of Darling wears. Presley Ann's boyfriend is one of the facilitators that leads the charge against the Prison Work Program and the Bragg family view his uprisings as seditious. In the eye of the storm, we find Ashley and Presley Ann whose feelings for one another are the storm.

Clover Blaire gives readers a good dose of sizzle in the hotbed that is Darling, New Hampshire in Giant Men Violent Women. It's a good old tale of power and inequity, love and betrayal, and the law of attraction wrapped up in a social prison project. Defining the book's genre is hard as it involves a town that is backward in conservative values [think Antebellum South], dystopian in how it is run as its own horrible country, a two-fold murder mystery, a steaming romance, and class disparity. Blaire gives the characters their own voices and Presley Ann narrates her side in the first person, as does Ashley. My heart ached for Presley Ann when she lets down her guard and is burned severely, and I was surprised by a twist that goes way further than a tropey misunderstanding. Blaire keeps it real in a place that defies reality and makes it feel authentic. The oppression of Darling's citizens, especially the women and without question the enslaved prisoners, will complicate Ashley's likeability because he is complicit...but who doesn't love a good redemption story? Very highly recommended.