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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am and forever always will be a fan of ANYTHING that Rachel Leigh writes but I am a sucker for a good bully romance throw in step siblings and it's over.
This book was everything I want in a bully romance. I loved how possessive Rome was of Elodie.
"Im not strong enough to refuse Rome everything he wants. Even if what he wants is me."
Rome Cromwell hates Elodie Astor. Elodie has no idea why he dislikes her so much, but she refuses to sit by and let him ruin her life. One Night changed everything and while Rome becomes her hero Elodie Becomes his ruin.
"I want to destroy Elodie for what she did to me, but I have a feeling she's going to be my demise in the process."
5/5 For the story as a whole
5/5 for the spice
This book was everything I want in a bully romance. I loved how possessive Rome was of Elodie.
"Im not strong enough to refuse Rome everything he wants. Even if what he wants is me."
Rome Cromwell hates Elodie Astor. Elodie has no idea why he dislikes her so much, but she refuses to sit by and let him ruin her life. One Night changed everything and while Rome becomes her hero Elodie Becomes his ruin.
"I want to destroy Elodie for what she did to me, but I have a feeling she's going to be my demise in the process."
5/5 For the story as a whole
5/5 for the spice
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️
TW: stalking, kidnapping, school bullying, dubious consent, drugging
Thank you @valentine_pr and the author for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Rome and Elodie’s parents have just married making them newly minted step-siblings. Unbeknownst to Elodie, she inadvertently ruined her new step-brother's life after saving hers. Now Rome is hell bent in making her life miserable.
It's been a while since I've dipped into reading step siblings romances, probably since the late 2000s and it was a manga series 😅. There's something about this particular niche of forbidden romance that is just extra angsty. Given that this is set in high school, the dramatics are very fitting for the age group. While it is a light dark romance, we also get a bit of mystery when Elodie discovers she has a stalker.
I gotta say though, I found the MMC pretty insufferable for the first quarter of the book and agreed with the twin brother when he said he was being a spoiled brat. Like use your words man. I pretty much stayed for the spice and the FMC. Don't let her studious, introverted demeanor fool you, she's got sass and bullies be damned. Despite Rome being annoying in the first quarter of the book, it still managed to keep my attention and I finished within a day.
This is my first book by Rachel Leigh that I've read and it likely won't be my last. As soon as I find the time to read everyone's backlogs like I said I would 😅.
If you're looking for a light dark mystery romance that's an easy read and tropes like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, step siblings, and he falls first, you might like Heartless Monster.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Stalking
Moderate: Sexual assault
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Heartless monster by Rachel Leigh
This book was an amazing read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was definitely a page turner. It starts out strong and it just keeps getting better and better throughout the book. Rome was my favorite character, even though something’s he did I don’t agree with. I definitely understood why he did it and at the end he amends for his wrong doings. I definitely recommend this book if you love enemies to lovers, step siblings, bully romance, force proximity, virgin Heroine, small town and so much more.
My favorite trope where:
- "I want it to hurt. Your cries are
a sweet symphony to my ears. I want to be the reason for every tear that falls down your pretty little face. You fucked my life up, and now I plan to return the favor."
-"Oh, brotherly love at its best."
- "Rome is not our brother. Neither are
Wilder and Callan. Sayer, I'll claim because he's sweet."
- "Besides, it really wouldn't break my heart if you did choke to death."
This book was an amazing read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was definitely a page turner. It starts out strong and it just keeps getting better and better throughout the book. Rome was my favorite character, even though something’s he did I don’t agree with. I definitely understood why he did it and at the end he amends for his wrong doings. I definitely recommend this book if you love enemies to lovers, step siblings, bully romance, force proximity, virgin Heroine, small town and so much more.
My favorite trope where:
- "I want it to hurt. Your cries are
a sweet symphony to my ears. I want to be the reason for every tear that falls down your pretty little face. You fucked my life up, and now I plan to return the favor."
-"Oh, brotherly love at its best."
- "Rome is not our brother. Neither are
Wilder and Callan. Sayer, I'll claim because he's sweet."
- "Besides, it really wouldn't break my heart if you did choke to death."
Intense, full of red flags, and an MC who falls first...YES PLEASE!! My heart began to race from all the warnings before the book even began and I was ready to dive in. I love Rachel's crazy-psycho characters and Rome Cromwell completely fits the bill, I fell in love!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was teetering more around a 3.5 ⭐️ for me personally. I really liked Rome and Elodie as both individuals and a duo but at times the story felt drawn out and slow.
I love a good bully romance and while Rome is initially attracted to Elodie before bullying her the hatred felt weak. What he tries to use against her wasn’t threatening in my opinion and I enjoyed the book far more once he started realizing his obsession with her. Their chemistry was great and the secrecy added an intriguing element that was lacking in the bullying portion.
The secondary threat is what really kept me interested in reading, and had me gripping my kindle at times wondering what would happen. The ending did feel a tad rushed, or at least it could have been drawn out given what we were building towards but it wasn’t bad at all.
This books biggest opportunity was Elodie’s mom… what kept irritating me was how little she cared for her daughter. She was written to care but when certain details were shared it felt so flat? You’d think as her mother she’d be more concerned but no. The ending of the book left me scratching my head a bit because again, it FELT like there should be more concern or hesitation but nope.
Spice 4/5 🌶️ and read like early-mid twenties smut.
At the end of the day I did still enjoy this read, it met my bully romance needs and I’m still really intrigued by book 2!
Thank you Valentine PR & Rachel Leigh for providing me with an opportunity to read an advance copy!
I love a good bully romance and while Rome is initially attracted to Elodie before bullying her the hatred felt weak. What he tries to use against her wasn’t threatening in my opinion and I enjoyed the book far more once he started realizing his obsession with her. Their chemistry was great and the secrecy added an intriguing element that was lacking in the bullying portion.
The secondary threat is what really kept me interested in reading, and had me gripping my kindle at times wondering what would happen. The ending did feel a tad rushed, or at least it could have been drawn out given what we were building towards but it wasn’t bad at all.
This books biggest opportunity was Elodie’s mom… what kept irritating me was how little she cared for her daughter. She was written to care but when certain details were shared it felt so flat? You’d think as her mother she’d be more concerned but no. The ending of the book left me scratching my head a bit because again, it FELT like there should be more concern or hesitation but nope.
Spice 4/5 🌶️ and read like early-mid twenties smut.
At the end of the day I did still enjoy this read, it met my bully romance needs and I’m still really intrigued by book 2!
Thank you Valentine PR & Rachel Leigh for providing me with an opportunity to read an advance copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Bullying