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wiznee's review
dark
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
bookwormbetty's review
5.0
I’m so invested
Holy smokes, I’m so invested in this series and these characters, I’ve never been this invested before. The plot gets thicker and thicker,and I really want to know how this is going to unfold. I love the character development and everything about this series to be honest. Lawd I can’t wait to read the next book.
Holy smokes, I’m so invested in this series and these characters, I’ve never been this invested before. The plot gets thicker and thicker,and I really want to know how this is going to unfold. I love the character development and everything about this series to be honest. Lawd I can’t wait to read the next book.
shedevilreads's review
5.0
Ruthless Traitor by Heather Long is a reverse harem romance. This is the third book in the 82 Street Vandals series.
the book comes with a caution "RUTHLESS TRAITOR is a full length mature college/new adult romance with enemies-to-lovers/love-hate themes. This is a reverse harem novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. This is book three in the series."
I absolutely love this series! Heather does an amazing job pulling me in from the first chapter. I am loving the relationship that's blooming between Emersyn and the Vandals.
I really enjoyed getting Emersyn, Milo, Liam, Rome, Jasper, Vaughn, Freddie, Kellan, and Doc's point of views throughout the book. Getting the flashbacks of their lives really brought another dimension to the story. I am falling more and more for these boys!
The cliffhanger was amazing! I can't wait for the next book Dirty Devil to be released on February 15, 2022.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dark romances, enemies-to-lovers romance, new adult romances, reverse harems, or romantic suspense. This book has it all and is definitely one of my TOP READS for 2021!
the book comes with a caution "RUTHLESS TRAITOR is a full length mature college/new adult romance with enemies-to-lovers/love-hate themes. This is a reverse harem novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. This is book three in the series."
I absolutely love this series! Heather does an amazing job pulling me in from the first chapter. I am loving the relationship that's blooming between Emersyn and the Vandals.
I really enjoyed getting Emersyn, Milo, Liam, Rome, Jasper, Vaughn, Freddie, Kellan, and Doc's point of views throughout the book. Getting the flashbacks of their lives really brought another dimension to the story. I am falling more and more for these boys!
The cliffhanger was amazing! I can't wait for the next book Dirty Devil to be released on February 15, 2022.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dark romances, enemies-to-lovers romance, new adult romances, reverse harems, or romantic suspense. This book has it all and is definitely one of my TOP READS for 2021!
booksfirst_sleeplater's review
5.0
It's hard for me to believe that this series can get any better, but with every book that releases it does just that!! Heather has been weaving a seriously complicated web, but in this book we get a lot more back story on all of the guys. (And Emersyn too) I LOVED the Raptor POV chapters, because we really didn't know anything about him going into this book. Ruthless Traitor also solidified my love for the twins. I am firmly #teamliamandrome!
I liked that this book was a lot more introspective and getting to know the characters better, and getting some backstory. But I do know that all this was setting up for a monster of a fourth book, especially after that crazy ending!! Cannot wait to see what happens next!
I liked that this book was a lot more introspective and getting to know the characters better, and getting some backstory. But I do know that all this was setting up for a monster of a fourth book, especially after that crazy ending!! Cannot wait to see what happens next!
bookwormbetty's review against another edition
5.0
I’m so invested
Holy smokes, I’m so invested in this series and these characters, I’ve never been this invested before. The plot gets thicker and thicker,and I really want to know how this is going to unfold. I love the character development and everything about this series to be honest. Lawd I can’t wait to read the next book.
Holy smokes, I’m so invested in this series and these characters, I’ve never been this invested before. The plot gets thicker and thicker,and I really want to know how this is going to unfold. I love the character development and everything about this series to be honest. Lawd I can’t wait to read the next book.
becky_102's review
dark
emotional
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
5.0
kfriend's review against another edition
4.0
Like the silks that our heroine Emerysn once spun herself in, our story is increasingly tangled- a marvel that is artful, beautiful, mesmerizing, and also cuttingly dangerous. Book one brought all the provocative, evasive, disorienting charisma, and book 2 was about establishing the foundational relationship dynamics, finding the fragile but intense connections between these characters. And Ruthless Traitor capitalizes on both of those foundations, dealing us an immersive, emotively tinged glimpse into the baggage weighing each of these characters down. This is the beginning of being submerged in the Vandals’ pain, in the myriad of tragedies, traumas, and decisions that have torn them apart inside but brought them together as a family. A family seemingly unbreakable, but at a crossroads as context and motivations have shifted.
The puzzle has only gotten more complicated - in fact, we don't even have all the pieces. But this book is about giving us some important ones, pieces that help us better understand this motley crue.
The Vandals world is such a complex tapestry of secrets, lies, half truths, and misdirection- and quite honestly, Heather is a creative genius to create a story so intricate, complicated, and dynamically rich. And I’m impressed how she keeps up with it all- every detail, every moment big and small are part of a broader narrative, one being told in both the past and the present. It’s quite a storytelling fete- and one she’s achieving brilliantly. Even more so, the characters themselves are complicated mosaics, intensely layered individuals whose identities we have to understand in so many parallels. Not only are we steadily chipping away at who they are in the present, as they expose their vulnerability to one another and their secrets slowly come to the surface, but we’re also trying to separate their vandal persona from their true heart- all while trying to discover who they were in the past, too.
The narrative approach, the past and present ping pong, is a powerful and thoughtful way for us to truly immerse ourselves in each of them. The past continues to be purposefully enigmatic- an impressionistic dip into the essence of our characters in moments critical to who they are in the present. Moments that have shaped their loyalty and connection to each other, moments that have added weight to the heavy baggage they all carry, and most important, moments that interconnect them in purpose in ways we don’t yet fully understand, but feel so intensely. All while we’re trying to make sense of the jaw dropping revelations Emersyn is grappling with as the result of the prodigal return of the near mythical Raptor- as well as her ever changing, deepening relationships with the Vandals crew, something that Raptor’s presence also unsettles. Even the writing styles have a contrasting flair - the past carries that enigmatic atmospheric paralipsis approach, each a vignette that feels both isolating and focused. While the present is full of emotive meta-immersions focused on their interconnections, and exploding with emotional drama. The approach, while brilliant, does cause the present day plot to at times feel like it lacks momentum- we get very little answered, and have a lot more questions- but it does help us more deeply mire ourselves in the psyche of each of these deliciously mysterious, magnetically charismatic characters. Their story, their actions, the broader puzzle might still be a mystery to us, but the nature of their hearts, and the weight that each of them carry is increasingly less opaque- which further invests us in the glimmers of vulnerability and transparency we see transpiring in the present day as each battle their loyalty to Raptor, to themselves, and to Emersyn. And even if we’re impatient for the romance, or the secrets, to unfold before us- Heather has warned us to buckle up- this is a long series, and these characters have a lot of suffering to do before they find healing. And Ruthless Traitor is about digging deep in that suffering- understanding just how deeply they are all wounded, and just how earth shattering it is that they’ve all chosen to deviate from the plan when it comes to Emersyn.
I will continue to shout just how novel and unique this story is. This is the work of an artist-an author who is painting a story with careful and intentional choices, each brushstroke meticulously placed. So the plot thickens, and thickens some more- and Heather is still priming the canvas in a lot of ways. We have more questions than answers- even about our characters, even about who the harem will be still, and even still about our beautifully broken heroine. Just when we think we know her, just when we feel like we’ve finally found the center of her mind, she does something that not only shocks us, but will completely change the direction of this story. Her journey to power, to healing and freedom has only just begun- and I have a feeling the next few chapters are going to be heartbreakingly challenging for all of these characters. I’m not sure my heart can take it- but I need answers, and I’m ready to watch these Vandals show us the depths of their fight.
The puzzle has only gotten more complicated - in fact, we don't even have all the pieces. But this book is about giving us some important ones, pieces that help us better understand this motley crue.
The Vandals world is such a complex tapestry of secrets, lies, half truths, and misdirection- and quite honestly, Heather is a creative genius to create a story so intricate, complicated, and dynamically rich. And I’m impressed how she keeps up with it all- every detail, every moment big and small are part of a broader narrative, one being told in both the past and the present. It’s quite a storytelling fete- and one she’s achieving brilliantly. Even more so, the characters themselves are complicated mosaics, intensely layered individuals whose identities we have to understand in so many parallels. Not only are we steadily chipping away at who they are in the present, as they expose their vulnerability to one another and their secrets slowly come to the surface, but we’re also trying to separate their vandal persona from their true heart- all while trying to discover who they were in the past, too.
The narrative approach, the past and present ping pong, is a powerful and thoughtful way for us to truly immerse ourselves in each of them. The past continues to be purposefully enigmatic- an impressionistic dip into the essence of our characters in moments critical to who they are in the present. Moments that have shaped their loyalty and connection to each other, moments that have added weight to the heavy baggage they all carry, and most important, moments that interconnect them in purpose in ways we don’t yet fully understand, but feel so intensely. All while we’re trying to make sense of the jaw dropping revelations Emersyn is grappling with as the result of the prodigal return of the near mythical Raptor- as well as her ever changing, deepening relationships with the Vandals crew, something that Raptor’s presence also unsettles. Even the writing styles have a contrasting flair - the past carries that enigmatic atmospheric paralipsis approach, each a vignette that feels both isolating and focused. While the present is full of emotive meta-immersions focused on their interconnections, and exploding with emotional drama. The approach, while brilliant, does cause the present day plot to at times feel like it lacks momentum- we get very little answered, and have a lot more questions- but it does help us more deeply mire ourselves in the psyche of each of these deliciously mysterious, magnetically charismatic characters. Their story, their actions, the broader puzzle might still be a mystery to us, but the nature of their hearts, and the weight that each of them carry is increasingly less opaque- which further invests us in the glimmers of vulnerability and transparency we see transpiring in the present day as each battle their loyalty to Raptor, to themselves, and to Emersyn. And even if we’re impatient for the romance, or the secrets, to unfold before us- Heather has warned us to buckle up- this is a long series, and these characters have a lot of suffering to do before they find healing. And Ruthless Traitor is about digging deep in that suffering- understanding just how deeply they are all wounded, and just how earth shattering it is that they’ve all chosen to deviate from the plan when it comes to Emersyn.
I will continue to shout just how novel and unique this story is. This is the work of an artist-an author who is painting a story with careful and intentional choices, each brushstroke meticulously placed. So the plot thickens, and thickens some more- and Heather is still priming the canvas in a lot of ways. We have more questions than answers- even about our characters, even about who the harem will be still, and even still about our beautifully broken heroine. Just when we think we know her, just when we feel like we’ve finally found the center of her mind, she does something that not only shocks us, but will completely change the direction of this story. Her journey to power, to healing and freedom has only just begun- and I have a feeling the next few chapters are going to be heartbreakingly challenging for all of these characters. I’m not sure my heart can take it- but I need answers, and I’m ready to watch these Vandals show us the depths of their fight.
rhreviewer91's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
So, every other chapter basically goes from someone's past (ranging from about 14-16ish years ago to only months prior) back to the present day. It's not very hard to follow at all, though despite it being necessary to know all the details, I did find it a *little* tedious. However, the story is really picking up, and I'm loving it. There's 9 books total, and I'm glad I still have 6 left because I can not get enough of these characters!
The emotional roller coaster isn't too crazy, but be prepared for your feelings to go up and down a bit throughout the book!
The emotional roller coaster isn't too crazy, but be prepared for your feelings to go up and down a bit throughout the book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Drug use
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Abortion, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Rape
wingleaderreads_rae's review
3.0
In parts the story was getting a little slow, super over Milo's pissy fits and violence. The ending also enraged me but, Rome and Freddie have my heart. Although Liam is coming in hot
bookfreak08's review against another edition
5.0
So many secrets and so many lies and a puzzle that seems to never fit fully and in the middle is our own heroine Emersyn fighting her way out for her freedom and her healing. On the other hand, each and every one of the Vandals entrap us with their own mystery, charisma and deeply buried emotions. Their possessiveness albeit comes with alphaholeness (don’t know if it is actually a word?!) enwraps the reader and makes us fall in love with each and every one of them. It is a dream come true for a RH fan. Furthermore, the emotions ran high for me through this one and after the cliffhanger Ms. Heather Long has bestowed on us AGAIN, I will have to hold my ground and maybe come up with my own answers, solutions and puzzle pieces until the fourth book Dirty Devil comes out in February.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.