There is a bit too much yo-yo emotion in these chapters that does not make sense.

This story was amazing, thank you for writing this!

Ugh! The ANGST! My heart is breaking!
On one hand, I think Christine trying to convince him not to kill is very noble, one the other hand, if I were in her shoes I totally wouldn't, because I have such little tolerance for child beaters.

Erik's backstory shattered my heart into a thousand, million, billion little pieces. Poor Erik, poor little girls! And an overly religious abusive mother would certainly do some damage.

Wow! This is an incredibly powerful chapter. I think you are a bit better at describing injuries than I am, I could feel each bruise and cut and broken bone. My poor, sweet Jamie. When the broken hand was revealed I kept saying, 'this cant be his writing hand, because he's left handed' and thank goodness I was correct.

I was there when Christine found Erik leaning against the wall fighting back tears, you painted the scene so vividly. You've portrayed Erik as this very stoic, very proud, very stubborn and reserved man, that to see him fall apart like this is so unbearable.

And I have to say, I really do not blame Erik for wanting to go commit murder at all.

I'm going to hold this chapter on a pedestal for how I would like to write.

Ok, getting back to this story.

I love love love the contemplative inner monologue Christine has when she stumbles upon Erik's odd collection of masks. I'm very intrigued with the mask that was incomplete...does this play a part later I wonder?

Christine picking a lock is an image that I love.

There's still that tension, and good lord is it delicious. Anytime Erik play with Christine's hair I get all tingly.

And then we have Erik and his rose project which really adds a lot of depth to his character.

Eep! And now Jamie! :(

This was absolutely breathtaking. Tasteful, yet seductive. And filled with all the glorious emotions required to make a decent lovemaking chapter work.

However, I'm dying of curiosity to know what women Erik had been with perviously though. Under what circumstances? Why didn't they work out as a romance? How many lovers has he had? Etc. I'm filling to the brim with queries about Erik's former sex life now.

God. This whole chapter gave me full body chills.
There are far too many moments to point out.

"At what cost, Erik? I won't deny it. You gave me my soul. I didn't know where I started and where you ended. I felt you inside my every thought …your voice alone…but every drop of blood, every death, even every frightened stare I witnessed on their faces when your name was mentioned tore that soul apart. Don't you see? I was ashamed of my Angel; I was ashamed of myself! I thought I was blessed, and it had turned into a curse."

Moments like this are just riddled throughout.

I have to say, as far as character evolution goes, this chapter was immense. The tension, the angst, the fight, the anger and bitterness only to melt away into the most exquisite sweetness.

Christine’s reasoning for leaving Raoul make even more sense. I cannot imagine the agony of marrying the person who doesn’t truly have your heart because they are the safe choice, becoming pregnant shortly after and then experiencing the backlash from a man like Philipe.

I’m sure to the De Changy’s she became even more of a disgrace with the loss of a child who they thought may be their own, but suspected otherwise.

I feel like this story is so heavy sometimes that I read a couple chapters then stop to emotionally process what I’ve read.

This is fantastic, and gives me some serious writer’s envy. ;)

I love that Erik loves nutmeg and would put it in apple pie (it belongs in apple pie! Good job Erik!)

And his Mendelian rose experiments are very true to character.

Here comes Emily, stepping up to Erik and giving him solid advice about regrets.

they kissed! finally!

loved seeing these two finally sit down and talk it out like adults. im excited to see where their growth will lead... hopefully into each other's hearts. I know despite his actions otherwise that erik is still very much so deeply in love with Christine.

man im enjoying this story quite a bit so far, but the religion parts are a little off putting, not everyone is religious

Wow. This conversation between Christine and Erik was so tense. His cruelty really emerges, but there are moments of sweetness there. And that damn key! He’s in so much denial about his feelings regarding everybody, James, Emily but especially for Christine.
He loves them, but he’s so guarded he refuses to admit it.
And poor Christine. I’m starting to like her now, she realizes what a huge mistake she made and fears it is too late to repair their relationship. She doesn’t want to leave because her heart is just as locked up as his is.

The rooms with the lavender. Haha, those must be the rooms where he was keeping her things.

The adorable, intimate relationship between James and Erik kills me. I just love how Erik has become a surrogate father here. I've always appreciated stories that reimagine Erik as a parent, it is truly interesting to see how others give him that role.

"He thought of all the boring hunting stories a relevant question may initiate and stayed quiet." - So Erik appropriate.

We have a mildly jealous Erik here, which in this case just comes off a bit childish. He's such a grumbler!

We get more info about the two women who were murdered. I have a suspicion the murders are going to come up later...especially since we have these notes!

The angst in this chapter is palpable.
God the roller coaster of character development that you constructed here had so many dips.
I’m many ways Christine is extremely selfish, but she has the opportunity to grow here I think.
And poor Erik, I mean, he wears that key around his neck and holds this sad torch all alone. When she confesses her love to him, ugh, the agony of that conversation!

I find it really hard to feel sorry for Christine and her initial jealousy of Emily when she’s unsure of the relationship he has with the comes off as a real privileged brat in this chapter. She’s got some serious soul searching to do. Erik’s cruel behavior seems entirely justified.

Also. Blue the dog! I just love a little beggar.