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What Makes Patri

 



Savage Kings
by L.M. Harrison
Release Date: August 8, 2022

Synopsis:

Three beautiful, cruel boys rule Kingsworth Prep. And I'm the girl who almost ruined them...

It all started with that video I posted of them—you know, the one that went viral. But that was before I knew who they were.

Ezra Covington, Bellamy Thorn, and Dashiell Laurier.
Three untouchable royals who were just… well, royally touched.
Three gorgeous, ruthless kings used to getting exactly what they want.

Now they want me.

They want my screams against their mouths. My ruin beneath their fingers. My demons exposed to the world.

Little do they know, my demons bite back.

And that makes me just as savage as any king.


WARNING: Savage Kings is a bully romance that contains graphic content and situations that might make some readers uncomfortable. It is a reverse harem novel, meaning the heroine has more than one love interest. It is book 1 in the Savages of Kingsworth series and ends in a cliffhanger.



As all our favourite bully romances, the book starts with the Royals of Kingsworth: Dash, Esra, and Bellamy - entitled rich kids - who meet our MC on an unfortunate night when one of them was propositioning her sister despite her saying no. Grace, our MC, posts their absolute entitlement on social media going viral overnight and, as you can imagine, this didn't go well with the Kings.

Through some blackmail, they end up making Grace attend their school where their revenge starts. However, things turn dark pretty quickly.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and definitely picked my interest to want to continue the series. However, I found some topics (especially towards the end) thrown into the story quite abruptly instead of getting them as a natural build-up. So the cliffhanger left me confused - instead of just being shocked or getting the "aha! I knew it" feeling.

I did like that the three guys are portrayed as antiheroes and the main character does not excuse their behaviour just because "they are good-looking and rich". I also saw a lot of chemistry going around between all four of them and the different contrasts between their personalities.

I do love it when an MC is outspoken and strong and I think it's quite clear from the beginning that Grace fits the mold.

Aside from the plot getting a bit choppy/all over the place towards the end, I truly enjoyed this RH bully romance and I can't wait to read the next books in the series!


September 29, 2022 1 comments

 


Hate You Forever

by Denver Rose
Release Date: January 31st 2022
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

I, Tara Mangal, take thee, Marnix Taylor, to have and to hold from this day forward.
For better, for worse, for richer, poorer, in sickness, and in health.
To love and to cherish, till death do us part.

Or at least that’s the story we’re spinning to the world...

My new husband is an infuriating, stubborn man with no remorse, no sense of humor, and no idea of what love or marriage is supposed to be about.

Good thing I didn’t pick him because I actually wanted to marry him.

The only reason I agreed to his ridiculous terms was to escape being married off to another man. A man my parents had chosen, not knowing he was dead set on destroying me.

I barely escaped a life with the monster of a man from my past, only to have three new ones dropped into my lap.

Marnix Taylor, my savage husband who can take anyone down with one look.
Cohutta Reilly, the sweet, playful jokester who also happens to be my husband's best friend.
And Rushton Bergman, the quiet, brooding bodyguard, determined to protect me at all costs.

The three of them may think they can control me, but they will soon learn that Tara Mangal can’t be tamed. Not even by the three hottest men in Craibridge.


Hate You Forever is book one in the Hate Series. It is a reverse harem novel with themes like marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, and bodyguard romance. This series takes place in the same fictional city of Craibridge as Love in Sight and Love Triggered, and will contain some character cross over, but is a standalone series. You don't have to read the others to read this series!

TW: Book contains material only appropriate for 18+. May contain situations or talk concerning abuse, r@pe, drugs, violence.



HATE YOU FOREVER is the first book I read by Denver Rose, but after finishing and leaving me on that major cliffhanger, I am definitely reading more of her books.

Our story starts with Tara and her family restaurant on the brink of being taken away from her. She has been working hard to make her family proud, and being independent, but the restaurant is struggling. 
Marnix, one of our boys we will swoon over and want to slap from time to time, is a rich lawyer from the other side of town. He overhears a conversation Tara is having on the phone with her parents while eating at her restaurant that will trigger the events in the story.
After meeting Tara, the attraction is undeniable even though Tara is not falling head over heels for him as women normally do. That's also when he learns that in order to inherit the company his father left him, he needs to be married within 3 years and it has to be for at least 1 year before the company is legally his. Otherwise the company goes to his father's partner (who we hate, cause he is a horrible person).
That's when Marnix or Nix, decides to marry Tara and when Tara meets Rush and Reilly. One becomes her bodyguard and confidant, the other turns out to be a lover Tara had prior meeting Nix.

The chemistry, the sexual tension, banter and arguments between the characters is everything you need in a love-hate reverse harem story. I am not going to lie and say I did not find myself not wanting to shake Nix until he stopped being an idiot, but the story process was beautiful.

I didn't know how strong of a MC Tara is until we went deeper into the story. The more you read and you discover, the more you admire her and want to slap Marnix (maybe gently) for not seeing the right signs.

To add a little spice into the mix, we also get to read from different POVs. Which definitely helps to build the characters in your mind and why the do what they do. I personally find this aspect really important when we are reading a love-hate relationship. 

As always, when things are looking like they might have a happy ending, a cliffhanger is thrown into the mix, the bad guy pops out with an "aha" and we are left devastated because why would you not protect and stop the hate towards our MC? But hey, hell breaks loose and I CANNOT WAIT to see what will happen next. I hope Nix gets put in his place for being an idiot with trust issues and the bad guy gets what he deserves. I hope book 2 is Tara raising from the ashes and serving some well deserved justice.

If you love love-hate relationships, I highly recommend this book. It has the extra added hotness that it's a reverse harem. The book does contain some dark themes, so please check the trigger warnings before starting it.

Trigger warnings: This book contains abuse, rape, drugs and violence. If these topics are not appropriate for you, I would recommend to check other titles. 




January 27, 2022 No comments

Web of Lies

by Aly Beck
Release Date: November 10th, 2021
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

My enemy is invisible.

Nameless. Faceless. Controlled. Puppets on strings. Sheep in the masses.

And I’ve turned into their number one plaything.

When I transferred to East Point Prep, I had one mission in mind: find the people responsible for murdering Magnolia. Someone within these entitled walls killed my only friend and threw her overboard like she was human trash.

Now, they’ll pay.

My best friend told me everything through weekly emails, leaving coded clues in her simple messages. I know every incident, and I have the names of her bullies—her murderers.

Seger, Chase, Zeppelin, Carter, and Ainsley.

Somehow everything gets twisted and turned around. Every piece of evidence turns to ash. Magnolia lied to me, and I have to unravel her words one piece at a time to understand the truth hidden within her code.

My pawns become my kings. The ones I once called my suspects turn into allies. They help me search for the invisible culprit slithering through the shadows.

The hunter becomes the hunted.




I am going to start saying the things I disliked about this series: the fact I need to wait 3 months for book 2. Now, onto the good stuff.

I am always a bit sceptical when starting murder/mystery romance books, because normally the plot is super obvious and you can see what's about to happen. Not a criticism at all, because sometimes, we just need that. Easy, murder/mystery romance novels. However, when I started this book, I was hoping it would have more "substance" to it. And oh boy, let me tell you Aly Beck did indeed understand the assignment. Let's just say I am still trying to understand why Magnolia was murdered and why hiding the identity of one of the characters.... I have a lot of whys to ask the author.

But I am getting ahead of myself. As a quick summary, the story follows Kaycee in her quest of finding her best friend's, Magnolia, killer. To do that, she gets transferred to East Point Prep where her two older siblings graduated from and the new school Magnolia was attending when she was murdered. From a series of emails that we get given throughout Book 1, we can read Magnolia's POV and her life, and also, as the story progresses, we start to see hidden clues on her emails to Kaycee. Based on those emails, Kaycee has her first batch of suspects: Twins Seger and Zeppelin West, siblings Chase and Ainsley Benoit and Carter Cunningham aka Cruel Carter. We also get introduced to "Tristan", Kaycee's best friend who met online playing videogames.

The first few days in the school seem to be okay and seems like Kaycee is making friends with the group of suspects. However, after a party, her door gets painted grey with a red cross which means she's been "marked". From there onwards, the whole school is against her including her newfound group of friends and the bullying starts.

I liked the fact that the author gives us the chance to find the clues left by Magnolia. I loved that the deeper and deeper you go into the story, the more complicated and complex it gets and once you think you have understood what's going on, another thing is being thrown at you.

I like how Kaycee is a strong girl despite her disability and it doesn't let her define her. Actually I think I love her because of it. I like her personality and her character and i love whenever she wanders into her mind and her "allies" find it cute.

I did not appreciate that last chapter where everyone's loyalties get questioned aka "big cliff-hanger moment" and then the book stops. ALY WE NEED TO CHAT ABOUT PLAYING WITH OUR BOOKISH HEARTS.

Aside from that, I 100% recommend this book. It's perfect for those people looking for a mild spicy RH book, with some mystery and murder in it. My only advise is that the book does have some dark themes, and I think the author hinted that the whole murder plot may be linked to darker themes, so please check the trigger warnings before starting the book.

I also wanted to voice some stuff that may be considered spoilers, so if you don't want to read them now you is your time to leave.




WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS






SERIOUSLY, STOP SCROLLING NOW.







OKAY, HERE WE GO.







For those of you okay having some spoilerish comments/feedback, I want to say how much i liked having Tristan as the unknown ally from the very start. I knew, like FELT IT IN MY BONES!, that he was going to turn out to be one of the boys, and I have my clear suspect. So if you read the book and want to share your suspect DM at whatmakespatri on IG.

Another thing I liked was that from the very first kick in the private areas (lol), I knew Carter was going to be EVERYTHING but Cruel. I am not sure why i keep getting swayed into the dark side by bad boys. I have to confess that on the last chapter I did a tiny dance and couldn't stop smiling after seeing the change in Carter. That's all I needed to be okay until book 2.

Also, I have a theory about the numbers on the victims names AND I am so confused with Piper's character. She is a bit mental, but I wonder how she fits in all of this. Moreover, I want to know Ainsley's secret and who Magnolia's lover was. I am having a girl guess and I think it's either one of the adults in the story OR Ainsley. There I said it.

If my rants don't make sense to you right now cause you are like me and love to read spoilers before you read the book, go read the book, come back and DM me on IG ;)

This is an honest review. For transparency, an ARC was provided to me by Affinity Author Services, but the rating and review of the book has not been swayed in any shape of form by this. Thank you Aly Beck & AAS for providing me with the ARC.




January 11, 2022 No comments

 


Carnival Hill (The Harlequin Crew #3)

by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Release Date: June 28th 2021
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Dark, New Adult, Suspense, Reverse Harem
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

I thought that I was broken before, but my damage never tasted as bitter as this.

The Harlequin boys are more than just a memory now. More than a daydream of our youth and an idea to cling onto.

They’re my greatest weakness and my biggest regret, but I’ve started to realise that coming back to Sunset Cove was always my fate.

My heart beats to the turn of the tide here. My skin only warms beneath this sun. And my soul will only ever be home on these streets and with the men who grew out of my memories.

But nothing is the same as I remember and the time for childish games is coming to an end.

I may want to pretend that the last ten years never happened, but the nightmare I lost myself in has followed me home and I can’t keep ignoring the things I once did to survive.

The question is, will my mistakes be the end of me and my boys? Will the choices I made then change everything now?
And will the life I never wanted steal away my only chance at the life I’m afraid to wish for?

This is an enemies to lovers contemporary series where the girl will end up with multiple love interests and all of the characters are in their late twenties. Trigger warning: this series features gangs, violence, dark romance and jealous/possessive themes.



I should be familiar by now with the emotional wreck Caroline and Susanne always leave me in after finishing one of their books, but for some reason I was not expecting to reach a whole new level. I literally threw my kindle across the room when I reached the last chapter with "F*cking Shawn".

Don't get me wrong the book was good. The level of angst that Caroline and Susanne provide to readers is over the roof, to the point that at some point you want to go yourself to the Harlequin House, make Rick, Fox, Chase, JJ and Rogue sit down and act as a mediator while they talk about their "true feelings".

That said, even though there's a hole in my heart I feel this is my favourite book in the series. I feel like the previous books have been a build up and a chance for the characters to grow on us for this exact moment. There's drama (lot of that), there's romance, there's funny moments (excuse me while I have Tatum's guys order the Harlequin Crew to steal a giant squid lol) and there's a bunch of revelations. But more than that, the villain gets upgraded to super villain boss.

I love the more we go with this series, we get to see more of the characters and their layers. To understand that their relationship with Rogue is not perfect and sometimes not the healthiest but they would do anything for her.

Of course, the queens of cliff-hangers left us with a massive turn in the story right at the very end (we were so close to a somewhat happy ending guys...) and now here I am empty and emotionless waiting for the next book because I need the boys to realise the truth and go save the day. I don't think my bookish heart can deal if we spend HALF A BOOK in the next instalment of them moping around while they believe some bullshit story (I have strong feelings about this guys...).

Anyway, I don't know if my ramblings make any sense since I started this book last night and finished it at 2am, BUT long story short, read this series and then message me. We can cry and be angry together. It will be epic.

Side note, I never thought I would be saying this, but I ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE CRYING FOR CHASE.


July 13, 2021 No comments

 


Broken Trust (Pacific Prep #1)

by R.A. Smyth
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Release Date: July 7th 2021
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Reverse Harem, High School
Goodreads | Amazon 

Synopsis:

My name is Hadley Parker, and today is the first day of the rest of my life.
Today I start school at Pacific Prep. This is my new lease on life, and I won’t be wasting it.
I need this, now, more than ever. I need the education, the promise of a future that I wouldn’t get anywhere else.
These rich kids don’t like me though.
When Hawk Davenport decides he doesn’t want me here, his friends back him.
Along with Hawk, Westley Warren, Cam Rutherford, and Mason Hayes rule this school and nobody dares go against them.

They don’t know the real me. I won’t back down.

*********************************************
This book is a reverse harem, meaning the FMC will have three or more love interests.
The book also has trigger warnings for emotional/physical bullying, abuse, violent scenes, reference to self-harm and mature content/swearing, so please do not read if you are easily offended or have the mentioned triggers.
This book is intended for 18+
*********************************************



Broken Trust is the perfect novel as a first book in the Pacific Prep series.

The story on itself starts unravelling slowly and I loved that whenever you thought you knew where the story was going the author would just unveil something and drop a bomb that you definitely see it coming. I love stories with layers and mind-blowing revelations and R.A. Smyth is definitely getting better and better at writing those.

The story starts with Hadley Parker, a foster kid, starting at Pacific Prep, a super rich and elitist school, on a scholarship. There she meets the Kings: Hawk, Westley, Cam & Mason and the school tradition: every few months the Kings pick a girl of their choosing to be their girl (and that means she does ANYTHING for them). But never the scholarship girls.

The relationship with Hadley and the Kings starts a bit rocky: Hawk seems to hate Hadley cause she refuses to bow to him, Mason seems like the silent and indifferent one, while West ends up helping her in computer science and being friendly with her and Cam never stops flirting with her.

I loved that the characters were so different and not everyone was head over heels with the MC. I even felt disappointed with Cam's behaviour since I was expecting him to be "Team Hadley's" until the very end, but even with that switch I ended up liking him for not being what any other story is.

The MC is also a strong character with surprises up her sleeve. I loved how baddass she went mid-book in the gym and against Hawk.

We can see from the prologue and the last chapter in the story where the story is sort of going. It has some topics that can be a trigger for some (e.g. abuse, self harm, etc.; read carefully the author's warning) and that we have seen in the Crescentwood series too.

If I have to complain about something it would be the fact that one of the characters, Derek, was introduced at the very end of the story and for me he just appeared out of nowhere. Now, you can say I am being picky (I know I am) BUT he feels like he is going to be a BIG character in the series and I feel a bit meh that he just "appeared". But as you can see, this has not been a problem with my rating of the story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I am dying to read book 2 and August 23rd can't come soon enough. R.A. Smyth has become one of my autobuys authors and I can't wait to see what more books she has for us.

I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.


July 12, 2021 No comments

 



Untamed (Rejected Mate Academy, #1)

by E.M. Moore
Published: April 12th 2021
Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Fantasy
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

Welcome to the school for shifter rejects…

Unwanted.

Dismissed.

Cast away by their mate, the renounced are directed to attend university together by the Pack Council to salvage what’s left of their shattered lives. The objective? Reform, impress, or get the hell out.

There’s no room in the packs for wolves who don’t conform. Who can’t breed future heirs.

With living feral, a.k.a. certain death, as the only alternative, the rejects need to win back their true mate—or find an appropriate alternative—before they’re banished from the packs forever.

The Rejected Mate Academy series is an M/F wolf shifter romance. The first book, Untamed, will more than likely release sooner than the current pre-order date. For news and announcements on this series, please join E. M. Moore’s Facebook group or subscribe to her newsletter.




E.M. Moore just keeps giving us the best stories.

I read this standalone novel in the Rejected Mate Academy series in less than 3 hours and my emotions are all over the place right now.

The story focuses on Kinsley who has been rejected by her mate, Jonah, for 2 reasons:
1) Not trying to get along with the pack
2) The rumour of her mother having an affair outside her mated marriage and her being the product of said affair

Starting this series it was really difficult (emotionally), because you always expect the word "MATED" to fix 90% of the problems right? Like you can be wary if you don't know the person (as you should girl) but you at least try? But WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND REJECTS THEIR MATE? Moreover, to make this rollercoaster of emotions even worse, the person who gets rejected is the one sent over to Greystone Academy (aka Rejected Mate Academy) and if they don't woo their mates into de-rejecting them they get boot out of the academy and become feral because they do not cannot belong to any pack.

With that knowledge, you can fully understand Kinsley's emotions at the beginning of the story, between letting her wolf swoon over her fated mate and d*ck punching him. Who wouldn't?

As the story progresses we get to see a little bit more of Jonah's true personality and that his intentions may not have been completely spiteful and can be considered somewhat reasonable. So the relationship ships quite easily after the first few chapters due to the angst and intense sexual attraction (and frustration) both MC are feeling.

I think the story was beautifully written, with a well set up plot with its bumps to test the two main characters and a great way to start a series about rejected mates. We definitely meet new characters who can be potential new characters for future novels and I can't wait for those (Side note: Can we get Mia a new mate please? Thanks.).

That said, this HOT angsty paranormal romance story is everything I needed today, and I am sure you will enjoy it if you like fated mates stories. My only advice? Get lots of chocolate!



April 12, 2021 No comments

 


Three Divisions (Crescentwood #1)

by R.A. Smyth
Release Date: February 2021
Genre: Contemporary, Dark, Polyamorous, Reverse Harem, Young Adult, High School
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

Mum is dead.
The father I never knew has claimed me, and I’ve been uprooted from my world and thrown into a life of privilege.
I’m not welcome here.
Two boys are leading the school to drive me out, and I’m being followed constantly by two more.

Things are much darker here than I thought; Crescentwood is full of dangerous criminals and dirty politicians.
I’m a pawn in a game I don’t know how to play, but I’m stronger than they know.

Trust no one. Corruption rules this town.

***This book is a reverse harem, meaning the FMC will have three or more love interests.
The book also has trigger warnings for emotional/physical bullying and abuse, violent scenes, reference to suicide and mature content/swearing, so please do not read if you are easily offended or have the mentioned triggers
This book is intended for 18+



I started this book not knowing what I was diving into. The amazing people at Affinity Author Services sent a a digital copy of the book in exchange of my honest review and I did not just read it, I INHALED IT. I read THREE DIVISIONS in one sitting and then immediately after started book 2 (otherwise, I would have fainted) and now I am eagerly waiting for book 3. April can't come soon enough.

Let's back up a bit. So the story starts with the POV from a guy who is clear is the "bad guy here" trying to expand his less than legal business to higher levels (not going to lie I thought he was going to be one of the characters we needed to root for and I was already judging). But then, the story starts with Sophie. A strong MC where life has moulded her to be resilient and always fall on her 2 feet. Something happens to her where she ends up being shipped to the US to live with her father, who she has never heard of before.

However, the new expected improvement in life, soon becomes clear that it's not that. Her father is clearly dangerous and she stepped into a school where the 2 guys from the wealthiest families (also the hottest) hate her just by association to her father, and into a world where she is being monitored, followed around and forced to make friends.

Can I just say that Ty and Aiden are my favourite characters? There I said it.

This story, well the series in general, is dark and twisted. Everything you expect in a story where gangs are involved and the wealthy can do anything they want. R.A. Smyth did a great job balancing the plot with mystery and building the relationships between all the characters, as well as leading to the plot twists and discoveries we unravel at the end of the book.

Highly recommend this RH romance suspense if you enjoy bully romance, a bit of suspense and some dark scenes from time to time. I am definitely staying here and waiting for book 3.
March 30, 2021 No comments

 


Queen of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #4)

by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Published: February 14th 2021
Genre: Reverse Harem, Romance, Contemporary, Dark, New Adult, High School, Suspense, Mystery, Romantic suspense, Fiction, Polyamorous
Goodreads | Amazon
Synopsis:

Once upon a time I met four monsters and thought the world would come to an end at their hands.

But I was a fool.
Because I didn’t understand the bigger picture.
That the enemies I thought I knew would become the reason for my entire existence. My strength. My pain. My life. My love.

The big bad wolf has teeth and claws as sharp as iron, and the danger before my eyes is blinding. So blinding that I didn’t see the true danger lurking in the dark.

But now my eyes are wide open and I see it all.

Alone and afraid and running out of time, I’m not afraid of monsters anymore.

I’m counting on them to come for me.

Because if they don’t, this foolish girl might be lost forever in the dark.




If you are like me and like to take a sneak peak at all the reviews in a series, just go and read this series. It is worth it. Now with the disclaimer, that my review my contain spoilers if you haven't read the previous 3 books.

This is one of the most bittersweet books I have read in a while: I am happy that Caroline & Susanne gave us the ending Tatum, Saint, Blake, Kyan and Nash deserved, but I am also sad their journey is over.

in this fourth and last instalment in the Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series, Tatum has been kidnapped by Saint's father since he discovered she can be used to produce a vaccine and can sell them to the highest bidder (Seriously, this book was like looking at a parallel window to the craziness we are currently living). Susanne & Caroline were that naughty with the massive cliff-hanger in book 3 and made us wait holding our breaths, but luckily the boys rescue Tatum and you follow them throughout the journey of outsmarting Saint's father, surviving and ending the whole organisation that caused the pandemic and among other atrocities.

I like that we also get to learn a bit more about Tatum's family background and how we get more time with Kyan's crazy uncle who is having his own series (now available to read, by the way).

Overall, Caroline & Susanne build up this story to be more than just a RH bully-romance and I liked how the relationship between the guys and Tatum has built and change throughout the 4 books, even with Nash being part of their tight group to the point where they would do anything for each other. The ending did justice to our beloved characters and let's just say that everyone got what they deserved..... *smiles wickedly*

Now for the important things, I think my favourite guy is Kyan because I am attracted to his fierceness and craziness so there you go. Also, throughout the story he was the one that always made me laugh by poking at Saint so..... There. I said it. 🦑🦑

Thank you to Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti and Erica Collins for giving me early access to QUEEN OF QUARANTINE to write an honest review about the book.



March 21, 2021 No comments

 


The Better Bully

by Roxanne Tully
Release Date: February 16th 2021
Genre: Adult, Romance, Bully, Enemies to Lovers, Sports
Gooodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

Reed

Hang on a second. I never bullied anyone. I’m not that guy.
I was a star quarterback in high school with more friends than I could keep track of. With it being my senior year and college scouts already taking interest, I had a bright future.

Then this crazy redhead shows up ranting at me like I’m the filth of the earth…what right does she have? So naturally I had to defend myself. I may have gone a little overboard – but it was only to ensure she’d stay out of my way for good.

That was four years ago.

Now she shows up at Whitman U and I find myself going beyond my norm to keep her from dodging me at every turn.

Violet

The fresh start I was supposed to have by transferring to Whitman is starting to feel more like a big bag of dirt. And when things couldn’t get worse, I come face to face with an enemy of the past.

But it seems I’d fallen into some sort of alternate universe. Because instead of making my life hell, Reed Hayes had become my unforeseen protector in the havoc that has become my life.

Author’s note: This is an enemies to lovers sports romance.



The Better Bully is an easy to read enemies to lovers bully sports romance book.

This story was a bit different than my usual bully romance reads. The bullying was not as graphic and even though the author tells us the last year of high school was rough for our main character (Violet), we don't really "see" any of the bullying. By the time the "NOW" story starts following, the bullying is something in the past (when they were teenagers), yes, there's animosity between the characters, a lot of sarcastic banter between them, but none "hardcore bullying". I liked that this story is focused on "now that we are adults, things are different" to the point of Reed staying away because Violet would be more intriguing that he may have predicted.

I was a bit outraged (as much as Reed) that Violet started this whole thing because she was fiercely defending her older and nerdy brother and the brother LITERALLY WAS OBLYVIOUS to everything that was happening to Violet in high school.

Overall you have the perfect combination of topics to have an enjoyable romance: ex-drama, a past that might make the relationship complicated, the brother not liking the past and the relationship and situations forcing the 2 characters to interact all the time.

A few things that made this book enjoyable were:
1) The back and forth between Reed and Violet.
2) The different POVs. We get to see what's happening from Reed & Violet's POV and that adds a lot to the story.
3) The back story and the impact that is having in the "NOW" events.

So if you are looking for a light romance read with a bit of bullying with an enemies to lovers trope, I recommend THE BETTER BULLY.



✅ Enemies to lovers Sports Romance
✅ Brother’s best friend
✅ First person dual POV

February 17, 2021 No comments

 


Shattered Dreams

by Amber Torney
Release Date: November 2020
Genre: Polyamorous, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult, Reverse Harem
Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

**Phoenix**

Shhh ... don’t scream
I prayed the hand over my mouth would suffocate me
before I ever had to tell my best friend the truth.
I loved Logan Ducane—he was everything to me.
But my secrets ripped our families apart.
I’ve spent the last four years trying to rebuild a life worth living,
and trying to find my voice after I’d lost so much.
Four years of progress ...
GONE.
I thought I had nothing left to lose,
but I was so wrong.
My bags are packed, and I’m on my way,
to let another Ducane boy finish ripping me to shreds.
He says I’m the enemy ...
but if only he knew.

**Logan**

The last time I saw her she was scared, crying, and bloodied,
my cousin’s cold and lifeless body at her feet.
Four years ago, everything I thought I knew was uprooted and shattered.
The girl I thought I loved was the cause of so much pain and angst.
Her lies destroyed everything we had,
but now I get my chance to make her pay.
Four years of hate, anger, and pain—all ready to be released.

Shattered Dreams is a Young Adult, Dark Bully Enemies to Lovers, Reverse Harem Romance. This book contains Dark and often confronting themes that some may find TRIGGERING.



Shattered Dreams is the debut book for Amber Torney, and also the first book in the breakout Crew series. As an overall, before we dive into a more in depth review, I would like to say that this is a good start for a series I will definitely be following. However, I think there are a few gaps that could have been fixed, but hope these get mended in book 2.

WARNING: This book contains triggering topics such as rape, stalking and bullying. So before you dive into this story, be aware that these topics are the main focus of Phoenix's story.

Just as a quick summary, we follow Phoenix's story (since everything that happens and new characters only get introduced into the story when she moves around) from different POVs, which always help understand what are the intentions when there are some bullying scenes in the story. Logan and Phoenix were best friends as kids. Their moms were best friends and everyone thought they would end up together. However, one day something really bad happens (trying not spoil anything here, even though it's quite obvious...) and ends up with Phoenix's dad in jail, and Logan loosing all contact with Phoenix and even blaming her for the death of someone in his family.

Fast-forward to now, after years of therapy and trying to be comfortable around people, Phoenix's on the right path when tragedy strikes again. Forcing her to move to the States with her guardian: Logan's parents. That's when Logan starts to unfold "his plan" to ruin Phoenix's life like "she did 4 years ago".

I have a few problems with the story and it doesn't have to be necessarily with the author's writing:

1) The parents. Logan's parents believed that not telling what really happened four years ago was "for the best" since he already lost so much... *insert eye roll* I am not a parent, so I am not sure what I would do, but I want to say not telling Logan the truth was an absolute and out of touch for what Phoenix had to go through. Ending in Logan not truly understanding the situation and hence seeking revenge. I suppose otherwise we wouldn't have this story...

2) Logan. A scene that really, really bothered me was when he was looking at the live recording happening in Phoenix's room and when she was having the night terrors triggered by her experience 4 years ago, he LITERALLY THOUGHT THOSE WERE CAUSE BECAUSE OF A GOOD DREAM. So freaking disconnected from reality this guy.

3) The guys we are shipping. So 3 are clear: Stryker, Logan (cause duh) and Jonah (?). But then I thought the other 2 in Logan's group were in Phoenix's sexy radar? I don't know if it was me just misinterpreting the whole thing or not, but if they are they were literally non-existent in this story. So I suppose I would like to see more of their POVs in book 2 and see a somewhat relationship with Phoenix that can justify her being with them.

4) The relationships. This is related to the previous topic, but when Phoenix calls her friend Angel back in Australia she says "she likes them all". Hang on girl, define all. As in all of Logan's friends, him included AND Jonah? If so, why? Because the interaction throughout the whole book was with Logan, Stryker and Jonah. Maybe I misread this bit, but as of now I cannot understand why would she like the other 2 unless it's just a physical attraction.

The ending was quite abrupt and left in a cliff-hanger. However, "the revealing" at the end wasn't really a massive shock to us readers. I suppose it's more about Phoenix actually talking to someone and saying it out loud what happened all those years ago the shock factor.

Overall, it was a good read, don't get me wrong. I will be definitely grabbing book 2 and reading more about Phoenix's story. There are a lot of unanswered questions that the author left unanswered aside from the boy drama that really caught my attention and I want to know more. It was definitely a quick read and would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a YA RH bully romance with difficult topics that will make you think about the characters decisions.


February 15, 2021 No comments
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Hello! I'm Patricia, a spaniard spain based in the UK UK

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