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dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident
Minor: Sexual harassment
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i know rina kent claims to be british but as someone who's lived all over england (literally north, midlands, and now south/southwest) i do not know a single person who talks like that. i feel like maybe she picked up a few words and ran with it because most of the british slang is misused or super oddly placed in sentences. i think her dialogue in general isn't accurate to how people naturally speak but this book was riddled with spelling + grammar mistakes even outside of the dialogue. the main characters had no chemistry, from what i can see at least, but it was an easy read at least and i enjoyed some of the supporting characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Abandonment
Drugging, Amnesia, Post traumatic stress disorder, Revenge porn, Slut-shaming, Student/teacher relationship, and Date rape
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I am trying to read the Rina Kent universe in order so this is my first one. Bully romance is nothing new and it felt nostalgic?? Like a lot of tropes remind me of wattpad where the MMC would be horrible but we still loved them lol. The plot reminded me of wattpad too, not the quality but the set up . I liked how he fell first and Astrid didn’t just roll over and take his bs. It was overall enjoyable but Levi isn’t my favorite book bf. Maybe it’s because the age range isn’t usually my favorite, at least for a romance central plot. I think the ones with Aiden will be more for me. I liked how there was a mysterious vibe also. The first few chapters felt like a fever dream!! I was like SLOW DOWN !!! but overall it was funny and I fully laughed a bunch of times. I don’t know if it was intentional all the time bc the British English vernacular was cracking me up. The side characters were really fun as well, it got me excited for Ronan and Aiden’s stories. I can’t wait for the rest of this universe. Levi and Astrid…. You cute or whateva. Princess and the King. 👑
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Abandonment
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Astrid! I've meant to go back and read the parents' books, and I've finally started that journey since I'm between books and waiting on the newest Legacy of Gods series. But Astrid and Leon are probably one of the couples I'm the most excited to read about. They are also the ones that we've seen the most out of the first 5 books in that other series. Plus, I really love their kid's books! They are Landon, Brandon, and Glyndon's parents, and it was so much fun seeing how these two met. I kept seeing a lot of similarities to their books, and it was a lot of fun seeing where this universe started. I missed the college setting. In this world, the Royal Elite school is just a high school; we saw them all focus on what they want to do next. We barely saw Astrid's artistic side emerge, and she became a world-famous artist. But we saw the beginning of her and Levi's sports careers. We even got to see their families, and it's just a wild ride in this whole thing. I loved it and can't wait to work on more of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Car accident, Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Murder
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Car accident, Murder
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Alcoholism
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve seen Rina Kent’s books everywhere on IG and have several of her books on my TBR, so I finally made time to read one of her books. I started with the suggested reading order on Rina Kent’s website and borrowed Cruel King from Kindle Unlimited. It’s one of her New Adult Romances with one of my favorite tropes, Bully Romance. I know bullying in romance books is not for everyone, but I love these books for some reason.
Storyline/My Thoughts: Cruel King is a prequel to Rina King’s Royal Elite series but can be read as a standalone, according to the author’s website and other reviews I’ve read on this book. This prequel does introduce other MMCs that get their books later in the Royal Elite series, which I now can’t wait to read after reading Levi King’s book.
This book is not only a bully romance but an instant hate-to-love romance between the main characters for different reasons. The FMC, Astrid Clifford’s father, specifically told her to stay away from the Kings at Royal Elite. Unfortunately, she finds herself in a predicament at a party and unexpectedly meets Levi King. After the party, Astrid’s life of invisibility flips upside down. Now she is visible and a target for everyone at Royal Elite, including Levi King, whose mission is to make her life difficult. He wants her to let go of her mission of finding out who targeted her specifically at the party, but she’s not bowing to his demands.
If you enjoy bully romance, as I do, you know eventually what will happen; the bully falls in love with the person they are tormenting. It’s inevitable, especially in the case of Levi King, when he starts to hang out and learn more about Astrid Clifford. You would think I would be bored of the same storyline regarding bully romances, but I enjoy reading how the bully falls for the girl and how he ends up becoming her savior at one point in the story. I crave these types of stories.
What were my thoughts when it came to Levi King? In the book, he is an ultimate jerk to Astrid, which is expected since he’s a bully. I liked his character, even if he was the bully of the story. He had his own issues that he was dealing with and acted out in ways due to what he had been put through. He lived with his Uncle, who tried to control his life, and his cousin. He and Astrid had similarities to what they were dealing with regarding family issues. Neither one was respected or even shown love, and both lost either one or both parents.
What did I think of Astrid Clifford? I liked her, but she sometimes drove me crazy with her choices. I felt for her character and how her father and his family (wicked stepmother and stepsister vibes) treated her. The poor girl was still grieving losing her mother to a car accident she had been in with her mother. Then, she ends up in another accident, and this time she believes someone is targeting her. The girl couldn’t catch a break, and then Levi King happened.
The book may be a bully romance, but there’s a mystery to solve involving poor Astrid. There is a shocking twist at the end that I was even surprised by and didn’t suspect to happen. I won’t spoil it for readers who haven’t read this book. I’m glad everything came together, and Astrid and Levi had a happy ending. More for Astrid since she deserved it.
Overall, I give the first book I read from Rina Kent four stars and will definitely continue to read the Royal Elite series. Rina Kent, a new-to-me author that I will now have to check out her whole backlist of books she’s written. Wish me luck, I will need it since she has a lot of books, but I’m one determined reader.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Royal Elite series.
Steam/Spice: 🌶 🌶 🌶
Genre/SubGenre(s)/Trope(s)/Element(s): Romance. YA/NA Romance. Bully Romance. Hate to Love. Enemies to Love. Sports Romance. Soccer/Football Romance. Athlete/Football/Soccer Player MMC.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you enjoy New Adult Romances with the bully and hate-to-love/enemies-to-lovers tropes, this book/series may be for you.
Favorite Quote(s): “Those who don’t play chess think the king is the strongest piece because the game ends when he dies, but they don’t stop to think that if the queen dies first, the king doesn’t have a chance to survive.”
“What the hell do you want from me?” I’m glad my voice doesn’t crack like my insides. “Your fire.” His lips graze the lobe of my ear and a zap of shivers shoot through my body. “Your fight.” His voice drops to a low, tingle-inducing range. “Your everything.”
“He thought he broke me, but he shouldn’t have let me pick up the pieces because what doesn’t kill me, better run.”
“If you’re a mistake, I’ll still make it every fucking time.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual content, Car accident
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault