Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Corrupt

I am not going into this series thinking it's gonna be good. I know this. I'm in a little reading slump sooo I'm in the mood for a quick romance series to get me through the first couple weeks of my job.

Anyways...this book wasn't great, but it was fast paced and kept me interested for basically the whole book. I didn't really connect with the characters at all because I think they act pretty terribly for no reason (which I think is kind of the point), but they weren't super likable. These characters are morally grey (and sometimes just bad people) with bad pasts who do not good things.

I thought that Rika was treated terribly for no reason at all - and even the justification provided by the Horsemen doesn't justify the abuse and harassment she went through. I mean, they did some sick things to her. I felt like the turnaround between her and Michael wasn't all that smooth and it went from hatred to love wayy to quickly.

ALSO, why is this man literally a professional basketball player? Based on his history, literally how does he have time for that, I mean he spends the whole book thinking about Rika or terrorizing her and *allegedly* he's on one of the best teams in the NBA? Sir does not have time for that. Out of everything in this book, this was the most unrealistic part for me lol.

I liked the timeline changes between the past and present because it provided a lot of insight on the characters and the plot was certainly interesting, but besides that, this wasn't amazing.

Content Warnings

sshpurple1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Throughout this book, I thought to myself, ‘You guys need serious therapy.’ and ‘Rika, seriously, you’re going to take that from them?’. Told chiefly from Rika's and a little from Michael’s point of view, the story alternates between the present and the past. We are guided through the group’s history and present-day events. The author’s writing style makes the transitions smooth and keeps you in a mix of frustration and eagerly coming back for more. It was evident that though these ‘kids’ come from money, none have had an easy life emotionally. The characters are well-developed, and I could see them as real people. There are twists and intense steam.
I am looking forward to starting the second book in this series. One thing to note about this book is that this is a dark bully romance; this is not for everyone, and if you have never read this author or type of book before, I strongly recommend that you borrow it from the library before buying it.
2. Hideaway (2017)
3. Kill Switch (2019)
3.5. Conclave (2019)
4. Nightfall (2020)
4.5. Fire Night (2020)

Content Warnings