George lives with her gambling addicted father. He is constantly running up debt and guys are coming to collect. Lachlan is sent3.5 / Stars 3 / 5 Steam
George lives with her gambling addicted father. He is constantly running up debt and guys are coming to collect. Lachlan is sent by his father to collect. Lach is cold and brutal and being molded to the form of his rich, brutal dad. He's expected to marry a certain girl, look the part, act the part, and do the work his father requests. That night Lack takes George to a dinner at his family's home because his betrothed flakes on him. His father is horrible, and the night doesn't go well. They end up back in Lachlan's room, where he shows her some of his kinks. At the end of the night, he's experienced something different with her and that starts his obsession with her.
The book then follows George trying to keep her job, do well in school, and keep from falling for Lach. Lachlan spends the time trying to get her to be the "side woman" that he sleeps with while still hanging onto the arranged marriage to keep his father happy. Things basically spiral from there. Lachlan manipulates so much around him for George that I honestly wasn't sure if I found it oddly romantic or extremely shady and annoying. I went back and forth with his character. Sometimes I really liked him and others I hated him. I'm sure that's the point though. I hated his father and George's father. I also hated the woman Lach is supposed to marry (the ending did not save her character for me). All in all, I think I felt down the middle about this book. There were too many moments where I didn't like the characters for me to fully love it...but I also don't know how I would have preferred them. I did love Patrick - even though I still think there is something more behind his character. He was just way too helpful and nice to not have something else behind it. ...more
Coach's daughter Bad boy / Good girl Forced proximity Bully Both virgins
I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. And ho4.5 / 5 Stars 3 / 5 Steam
Coach's daughter Bad boy / Good girl Forced proximity Bully Both virgins
I was not expecting to love this as much as I did. And honestly, I'm still debating on if this should be a 4.5 or not. Lily is the coach's daughter and she's basically invisible at school. She does everything she's supposed to in order to make her parents happy. Cayden has a very traumatic past. He was bounced around between terrible homes and ended up with a man that sent him down the wrong path. He's a hockey player and is trying to go pro so he can make something of himself. He transfers to Lily's school with the help of her father to help their hockey team. He also ends up moving into their home so he can stay at the school and on the team without the threat of his previous guardian.
I felt so much for Cayden. He's had it so rough and doesn't really know what a kind touch is or even how to handle it if given. He's never been able to trust anyone, so he immediately thinks the worst in everyone and is in constant survival mode. Some of the things he does is very questionable, but also completely understandable.
Lily and Cayden get off on the wrong foot from the jump, but they are also both drawn to each other. Watching them go back and forth was so frustrating but addicting. I wanted her to stand up for herself and for him to find love and his HEA. It's truly one of those books that grabs your attention right away and doesn't let up.
5 / 5 Stars (no one is more surprised than me) 4 / 5 Steam
After reading the first book I was prepared to read this series and rate them all around 3 st5 / 5 Stars (no one is more surprised than me) 4 / 5 Steam
After reading the first book I was prepared to read this series and rate them all around 3 stars. I have read the reviews where several people say all the books are basically the same, so it was an easy assumption. However, definitely an incorrect one. While the plot is similar (bully hero, stalker putting the heroine in danger) the main characters are drastically different. I need a good plot in my stories, but my real enjoyment is usually character based. And the characters in this story were gold for me.
Aspen is strong. She's gone through a lot and still holds her head high. When things happen to her, she doesn't cower, she embraces it and does what she can to flip it back on Steele. I loved how she confused and surprised Steele so often. Steele didn't seem that dark to me. He actually seemed like he had a vulnerable side. He was also focused on consent. There is a moment where the consent isn't there and the safe word is used but not followed but his reaction to realizing it redeemed him. It felt realistic to me, something where he realized they hadn't had enough communication about limits. Was he still a bully to her? Yes. But she gave as good as she got. Was there still some forced activity? Yes. But it fit more into the con/non-con.
Tropes: Bully / Dark Romance Hockey / Sports Romance Light BDSM Stepsiblings
So yeah, I'm stunned and pleasantly surprised that I loved this one so much. I actually adored both of the characters and even liked the bully aspect. It was a wild ride that I had a blast with. ...more
There was so much going on in this. I struggled through the first 70%…it felt long and I couldn’t find any real connection betwe3 / 5 Stars 4 / 5 Steam
There was so much going on in this. I struggled through the first 70%…it felt long and I couldn’t find any real connection between the characters other than lust. I did enjoy the last 20% of the story quite a bit but it sort of felt off to me. Violet was weak throughout the entire story. But Greyson was all over the place. He was a dark character, seemingly devoid of emotion or compassion but then in the last 20% he suddenly found it all. I feel like I missed the switch that got flipped. Maybe the minute he realized they were on the same side against his dad? I honestly don’t know. He was obsessed with her from the very start but was never nice to her…until the end. And then he just flipped into the compassionate white knight. The book was way too long, in my opinion. For my tastes anyway. I think I do better with shorter books when it comes to bully romance. I almost gave up around the 60% mark because I hated the dynamic between them and how it didn’t seem like it was changing at all. I’m glad I stuck it out though because I did really enjoy the last 20% a lot. So much so that I’ll be continuing the series. ...more
I just knew I was going to love this series. I had this feeling...no idea why it took me so long to actually read the books. I5 / 5 Stars 3.5 / 5 Steam
I just knew I was going to love this series. I had this feeling...no idea why it took me so long to actually read the books. I have 4 editions of this book physically - that's how much I KNEW I was going to love it.
Anyway, it follows Finn and Oliver. Finn loses his mom in a terrible car accident, and it changes him completely. He's never had a great relationship with is dad, but the accident makes it much worse. They have so little communication that Finn doesn't know his dad is remarried until he moves the new wife and her son into their home. Oliver is Finn's new stepbrother. He's happy for the move and a fresh start after coming out to his friends at his previous school and them reacting terribly. That's as much as I'll say to avoid spoilers. This relationship is so sweet! It's a bit of a slow burn. Oliver knows he's gay, but Finn has never been attracted to guys before. I loved that him realizing his attraction and following through with it wasn't overly dramatic. He took it with stride and handled it well, in my opinion. The biggest issue for these two is that they are newly stepbrothers and what it could mean if they act on it. Obviously, they can't deny their attraction to each other and eventually give in. And when I say they give in... they really do. The steam, just so hot. This book gives off the innocent and sweet vibes until around the halfway mark and then BAM! Trust me. I absolutely loved how attentive Finn was right from the very start. There was no animosity, hatred, or misplaced aggression between Finn and Oliver. Finn immediately became protective of Oliver and Oliver was smitten with Finn right away. I loved it.
There is some definite bullying in the book from other characters directed towards Oliver and it's heartbreaking to see it play out. But it's handled well, in my opinion. The dad never quite warmed up enough for me. I'm glad it worked out and they got their moment to really talk things out, but it didn't satisfy me enough to bring me around to him.
This is a really beautiful story, an incredibly strong debut from Charli, and a story I'll definitely come back to and read again for comfort. ...more
The story follows Everly as she navigates through her life completely changing. She moves in with her uncleI loved this book and cannot wait for more!
The story follows Everly as she navigates through her life completely changing. She moves in with her uncle after her parents death. Her uncle is the dean at Blackstone University. Saint, Callum, and Mateo are the bad boys living in a junkyard from the "wrong side of the tracks." They are out for revenge. They bully and torment Everly, using her as part of their revenge plan. To say anymore would spoil it so I'll stop there.
This hooked me from the very start. The characters are diverse with lots of personality to make them stand a part (which is often something that I struggle with in reverse harem). They all have a bit of a hard past, but other than that they are different enough to truly stand out. The plot is constantly moving forward and is gripping. It keeps you wondering, asking questions, and anxious to find out what happened and what is going to happen next. The romance is a slower build but still steamy. I loved the push and pull among them. Everly not being able to resist the boys and them having to remind themselves of their main goal despite their pull to her. And that cliffhanger!!!
If you enjoy enemy to lovers, bully, reverse harem then I definitely suggest giving this book a read. I loved it and can't wait for the next in the series!...more
This one was much better than the first book. In my opinion, we really need to see the heroes pov to get the full picture and 4 / 5 Stars 3.5 / 5 Steam
This one was much better than the first book. In my opinion, we really need to see the heroes pov to get the full picture and depth of emotions. Things are not always as they seem and getting glimpses into the heroes mindset can change everything.
I won’t say much because this book hinges on the secrets that are uncovered and how.
It took me a minute (more like one full book and 80% of this one) but I finally fell in love with Aiden. This boys background…my heart hurt. The minute his past was revealed I swear I felt pieces inside me shift and drop into place. It took this series from meh to oh my god I need more now.
I don’t typically read series that follow the same couple. I don’t have the patience to read multiple books to uncover their full story. And usually it feels like one or two of the books aren’t needed anyway. Maybe that’s true about this one as well. But I needed this book. The first one left me disliking all of the main players of the story and liking the side characters. This one made me like Elsa because she finally stood up and forced some answers. She put things into action other than just spreading her legs. And I fell in love with Aiden. I even found an odd respect for Jonathan (still don’t like him though…I mean obviously with that damn cliffhanger). I hate Silver. I like Knox a lot…but now I’m nervous about his actual role…clearly he wasn’t quite what he seemed. All of this to say, I think that this book will seem unnecessary for some but for me, I needed it to set up the finale. I needed it to set up the players correctly for how all of this is going to shake out in book 3. If I had gone from book one into the finale I think the trilogy would have been a meh series for me. Though I do think some of the steamy scenes could have been left out and this book could have been split and added to book one and three making it a duet. The books are short enough that an extra 100 pages to each would have been just fine.
I’m definitely anxious to continue the series now. I need to read Aiden getting his happy ending. ...more
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