I enjoyed this book a lot. It is dark, it is emotional and it is SEXY. I love the fact that everyone has somewhat of an arch with Jess and even Jess’ character develops so well. I am not a fan of bully romances but this one was done well. Not only was Jess (as the bully) remorseful about her actions, there were moments in the past when she was doing the bullying where she felt remorse and also when she showed kindness and empathy towards her victims. The way they each fell for Jess and Jess fell for them in return was so well done and written. I have a soft spot for Lucan and can’t wait to read the 2nd part.

Content Warnings

readbyjaimes's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.5

Oh my god???? Where has this book been all my life?

I LOVED this book! I totally didn't see this coming. I've known about Harley Laroux for about 3 years now and just never felt the itch until I was randomly in Barnes and decided to pick this book up. (And yes I came home and read The Dare in preparation do not fear) But I couldn't have predicted how much I was going to adore every single one of these characters. Seriously I was in the end pages of this book and while reading, ordering book 2.

I feel like I made a bunch of new friends and found a safe space with them, that's how this book made me feel. And while yes the smut was AMAZING Laroux did not skip out on the meaningful and emotional side of these characters. Like "keep chasing sunrises", ARE YOU KIDDING?????? I'm honestly not a very emotional person but that had me choking up. It made my heart feel so warm to see all of them so happy together and then slowly softening and opening up to Jessica made me so so happy. I'm literally checking the shipping every day on book 2 I'm so serious. I strongly believe that book 2 could be a 5 or STRONG 4.75 ⭐️

Content Warnings

fnicholee's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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This was incredibly well done and I basically binge read almost all of it in one sitting (besides the first chapter or two which I read earlier)
I’d seen this recommended on tiktok before but I’d been hesitant because I generally don’t like bully romances.
I finally got around to reading it cause Gracie on tiktok recommended it and said besides The Bully by Sophie Lark this book series is the only bully romance she’s liked. This pushed me to give it a chance as The Bully is just about the only bully romance I’ve liked (till I read this)
And damnnn am I so glad I did this book is insanely good and ofc I’ve already started the second part

Content Warnings

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful slow-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

4.0

I think it’s a testament to Laroux’s writing that, despite bully romances very much not being my thing, and despite degradation/humiliation very much not being my thing, I still loved this book.

The same can be said for the fact that although initially I was skeptical of the high page count, this book didn’t feel overwritten, and it held my attention from beginning to end.

Being the wet blanket that I am, there were a couple instances where I found myself proclaiming aloud: “that’s not entirely safe,” but all-around, I thought that the depictions of BDSM and its guidelines were handled well.

As a side note: at first when the negotiation of Jess’s servitude in payment for her car repairs was floated, it was presented as this very “you give us consent to do whatever we want, when we want,” situation, which was raising all sorts of red flags. [For the record, that’s not how consent works; you cannot give consent carte blanche like that without any parameters or discussion of boundaries. And if anyone asks you to, you should run.] But thankfully, that’s not where the conversation ended in this case, and they did go on to have a healthy discussion of hard and soft limits, safewords, etc. I really appreciated that. BDSM, for all the stigma that surrounds it, is a community incredibly preoccupied with safety, consent, and respect.

Content Warnings