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Kings of High Court College #1
Bully King
High Court College isn't for everyone. And the secret society that meets deep in the woods is even more exclusive. Only a select few will get in during the summer rush--and Cadee Hunter wants to be one of them. Too bad it's Cooper Valcourt's mission to make sure she fails.
Bully boys.
Arrogant tyrants.
Blue-blood bastards.
Call them whatever you want.
Around here, we just call them Kings.
Fancy boats.
Lakeside mansions.
Luxe watches and bespoke suits.
The Kings of High Court College act like Gods.
And Cooper Valcourt is the worst of them.
He is the bully king.
His family owns everything.
And his mission is to put me in my place and send me packing.
But Cooper and I have a history filled with secrets.
And everyone knows that power doesn’t come from having money.
It comes from holding secrets.
And I’m holding one of his.
A very dark secret that can bring him to his knees.
*****
Bully King is new-adult, dark, bully romance from New York Times bestselling author JA Huss featuring boys with power and girls at their mercy. It’s a campus shrouded in lies and a summer rush into an elite society that can propel a poor girl straight into the ruling class.
If… she’s willing to pay the price.
Bully boys.
Arrogant tyrants.
Blue-blood bastards.
Call them whatever you want.
Around here, we just call them Kings.
Fancy boats.
Lakeside mansions.
Luxe watches and bespoke suits.
The Kings of High Court College act like Gods.
And Cooper Valcourt is the worst of them.
He is the bully king.
His family owns everything.
And his mission is to put me in my place and send me packing.
But Cooper and I have a history filled with secrets.
And everyone knows that power doesn’t come from having money.
It comes from holding secrets.
And I’m holding one of his.
A very dark secret that can bring him to his knees.
*****
Bully King is new-adult, dark, bully romance from New York Times bestselling author JA Huss featuring boys with power and girls at their mercy. It’s a campus shrouded in lies and a summer rush into an elite society that can propel a poor girl straight into the ruling class.
If… she’s willing to pay the price.
466 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 30, 2020
About the author
J.A. Huss
135 books8,841 followersJ.A. Huss never wanted to be a writer and she still dreams of that elusive career as an astronaut. She originally went to school to become an equine veterinarian but soon figured out they keep horrible hours and decided to go to grad school instead. That Ph.D wasn’t all it was cracked up to be (and she really sucked at the whole scientist thing), so she dropped out and got a M.S. in forensic toxicology just to get the whole thing over with as soon as possible.
After graduation she got a job with the state of Colorado as their one and only hog farm inspector and spent her days wandering the Eastern Plains shooting the shit with farmers. After a few years of that, she got bored. And since she was a homeschool mom and actually does love science, she decided to write science textbooks and make online classes for other homeschool moms. She wrote more than two hundred of those workbooks and was the number one publisher at the online homeschool store many times, but eventually she covered every science topic she could think of and ran out of shit to say.
So in 2012 she decided to write fiction instead. That year she released her first three books and started a career that would make her a New York Times bestseller and land her on the USA Today Bestseller’s List eighteen times in the next three years. Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world, the audio version of her semi-autobiographical book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie award in 2016 and 2017 respectively, her audiobook Mr. Perfect was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017, and her book, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Johnathan McClain is her first (and only) writing partner and even though they are worlds apart in just about every way imaginable, it works.
She lives on a ranch in Central Colorado with her family.
After graduation she got a job with the state of Colorado as their one and only hog farm inspector and spent her days wandering the Eastern Plains shooting the shit with farmers. After a few years of that, she got bored. And since she was a homeschool mom and actually does love science, she decided to write science textbooks and make online classes for other homeschool moms. She wrote more than two hundred of those workbooks and was the number one publisher at the online homeschool store many times, but eventually she covered every science topic she could think of and ran out of shit to say.
So in 2012 she decided to write fiction instead. That year she released her first three books and started a career that would make her a New York Times bestseller and land her on the USA Today Bestseller’s List eighteen times in the next three years. Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world, the audio version of her semi-autobiographical book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie award in 2016 and 2017 respectively, her audiobook Mr. Perfect was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017, and her book, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Johnathan McClain is her first (and only) writing partner and even though they are worlds apart in just about every way imaginable, it works.
She lives on a ranch in Central Colorado with her family.
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August 19, 2020
Sex, Lies and Secret Societies!
It makes perfect sense that J.A. Huss can do great Bully romance! Many of her other books contain entitled alpha males and we know that she can do terrific and complex storylines, and this book lived up to my expectations. The characters were terrific. I never knew who was telling the truth and who was lying and what their intentions were in the things they were doing.
The Hero, Christopher “Cooper” Valcourt is seen at first to be a rich spoiled jerk and my opinion of him didn’t change through much of the book, though I often had trouble seeing just what his motives were. Even so, it wasn’t hard to see that he kept doing the wrong things when it came to the heroine Cadee.
We find out early on that Cadee Hunter knew Cooper and his two best friends Ax and Lars three years ago when they first bullied her, then they each had some sort of sexual relationship with her. We also find out that Cooper talked Cadee into doing something she regrets when she was in trouble. It seems that after Cooper was done with Cadee, he basically told her to get lost because he never wanted to see her again. So there is no love lost between the two of them.
Cadee has lived on the campus of High Court Prep her entire life, but she was homeschooled. Her father was the groundskeeper and when he died, her mother became a cook on campus. She was fifteen when Cooper, Ax and Lars were seniors and they were together. Now Cadee is eighteen and the guys just finished their Junior year at High Court College which is over the wall from High Court Prep, so they hadn’t seen her around like when they were at the Prep school.
Cadee’s mother just passed away and Cadee is afraid Chairman Valcourt will make her leave her attic apartment in one of the buildings. However, he offers her a scholarship if she works as a server in the summer camp for the college secret society, which means living in their home.
There are a lot of intricacies in the plot because there are so many secrets. The reader is not made aware of the truth until it is revealed late in the book. The summer camp is really a like a fraternity/sorority rush. They actually call it the Fang and Feather Summer Rush. It takes place in a secret location every day and the freshman participants and even the servers are treated almost like they are being hazed. Cooper and his friends are the bully kings in charge of the festivities.
I enjoyed the book and it was nice that it had an ending and not a cliffhanger. Though there still are some questions left unanswered for book two in the duet. Such as what was everyone so afraid of? What happens in the crypt at the end of summer rush and did Cooper do something to make Isabelle go crazy that first night after he bought her in the auction or was it just because she was trapped? This book is more story than steam, but there is some heat between the two main characters and the story was excellent.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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It makes perfect sense that J.A. Huss can do great Bully romance! Many of her other books contain entitled alpha males and we know that she can do terrific and complex storylines, and this book lived up to my expectations. The characters were terrific. I never knew who was telling the truth and who was lying and what their intentions were in the things they were doing.
The Hero, Christopher “Cooper” Valcourt is seen at first to be a rich spoiled jerk and my opinion of him didn’t change through much of the book, though I often had trouble seeing just what his motives were. Even so, it wasn’t hard to see that he kept doing the wrong things when it came to the heroine Cadee.
We find out early on that Cadee Hunter knew Cooper and his two best friends Ax and Lars three years ago when they first bullied her, then they each had some sort of sexual relationship with her. We also find out that Cooper talked Cadee into doing something she regrets when she was in trouble. It seems that after Cooper was done with Cadee, he basically told her to get lost because he never wanted to see her again. So there is no love lost between the two of them.
Cadee has lived on the campus of High Court Prep her entire life, but she was homeschooled. Her father was the groundskeeper and when he died, her mother became a cook on campus. She was fifteen when Cooper, Ax and Lars were seniors and they were together. Now Cadee is eighteen and the guys just finished their Junior year at High Court College which is over the wall from High Court Prep, so they hadn’t seen her around like when they were at the Prep school.
Cadee’s mother just passed away and Cadee is afraid Chairman Valcourt will make her leave her attic apartment in one of the buildings. However, he offers her a scholarship if she works as a server in the summer camp for the college secret society, which means living in their home.
There are a lot of intricacies in the plot because there are so many secrets. The reader is not made aware of the truth until it is revealed late in the book. The summer camp is really a like a fraternity/sorority rush. They actually call it the Fang and Feather Summer Rush. It takes place in a secret location every day and the freshman participants and even the servers are treated almost like they are being hazed. Cooper and his friends are the bully kings in charge of the festivities.
I enjoyed the book and it was nice that it had an ending and not a cliffhanger. Though there still are some questions left unanswered for book two in the duet. Such as what was everyone so afraid of? What happens in the crypt at the end of summer rush and did Cooper do something to make Isabelle go crazy that first night after he bought her in the auction or was it just because she was trapped? This book is more story than steam, but there is some heat between the two main characters and the story was excellent.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
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September 18, 2020
I have nothing except one star to give to this fabulous book right here.
Spoilers and rants🚦
I don't why I keep doing this to myself like I hate bully romances but I keep giving them chances upon chances hoping this would the turning point where i can finally say; hey that wasn't so bad now, was it?
Seriously, what was I even expecting. If you are like me who can barely manage a doormat heroine then just back off right now. The positive review will only divert your opinion. But mine can push you to right track!!
Spoilers ahead 🥂
Cadee the lost soul, the loner, the weird kid who is now stuck in this so called hell university ( I forgot the name ) with no place to go because her mother has recently passed away. Her father was already dead. So yeah, her life basically sucks.
Then there is this bad boy call coper or something. He is apparently the black sheep of the family. His father hates him, but worry not he got his 2 buddies to back him up, his brother Dane hates him, but no worries he hates cadee
Pretty much the first time he meets cadee, they collide. he gets all angry and curses her saying he was pretty clear about never wanting to see her fucking face again, so why the fuck is he seeing after 3 years??
And what does she says: mumbles^ "sorry" when he was clearly at fault.
Okay so everyone in the university is just a stuck up rich pretentious bitch. And I don't why but I keep expecting cadee to fight back. horn to horn.
but she was such a little disappointment.
It was like knowing that your spider man will never come to save you when you are in trouble. You know that, I know that. But it's like wishing for one anyways.
Oaky apparently Copper's dad has this all planed out. He wants cadee to move in with them, tells her about the scholarship he has planned out and even gives some cash if she wants to head out somewhere.
So now little cooper is stuck with her. He hates her but he is stuck with her, his father has cancelled his flight to ND, he is moved out from his (own) apartment and he has zero cash in his bank balance. All in all, his father threatened him to join this summer camp of king or something.
The amount of stupidity I found here was not even funny. Seriously. It's plain madness.
Yada yada
But here is the fun part
Cadee has this history with this three guys and apparently they used to bully her which lead up to kissing, fucking and finally copper giving the ultimatum to her to fuck off after she has this abortion. She was hurt and betrayed but she knew what she was getting into. Though It doesn't stop her from missing him/ ..them?
So cadee is stuck for now. She becomes the victim for everyone to prey on. And she literally take it head on. Like people will say we lick my feet and she will. Because you wouldn't want to mess with the kings now would you?
There were so many instances like the: the water ballon fest, that literally gets thrown at her, she was subjected to physical humiliation and ends up peeing herself and I cannot even fanthom how many time she was verbally sexualised by copper and his gang.
There is this one scene where Copper licks her neck, plays withher tits and wants two guys to join them but there are countless people watching them. And you know what is crazy, she lets them.
I don't know why she lets herself be amount to that. she can choose to just walk away but the only thing she keeps telling is that she is stronger than this, that She is defiant and can handle shit.
But other times you will find her crawling, massaging someone's leg, showing her tits, being subjected to all kind of bullies. So yeah, she handles no shit.
So the funny part is. No one wants this life not even copper but they are stuck here because of their rich asshole parents. So everyone is just trying to fill up the roles. With Survival of the fittest mantra!!
It turns out copper actually wants to save cadee and wants her gone for her own good. Tells her he actually likes her and she accepts that because she is literally drooling everytime he is around. So yeah, they fuck at some point.
I seriously had hard time understanding copper and cadee's relationship. One time he tells his buddies to have sex with her because he enjoys sharing her and in the next instance tell her he loves her and that he is not sharing?
Really bro
I was done by this point. I started skimming through.
Bdw I completely forgot; The most horrendous thing I found in this book was the culture of selling a girl. Bid on her and get her favours for a week. Like what, they are in colleges for gods sake!!
Big reveal:
We did see that cadee did have an abortion but it was not copper's child. In the beginning author gives references that the abortion was forced by cooper ( so I though it was his child). But it wasn't
She was actually raped by his brother Dane. and like a good dad, the dad tried to compensate for the loss to cadee's father man to man in cash. and when that did not work out. Guess what
Later he even kills cadee's mom because it seems like she too found out about this big secret and was planing to move out but being the dick that he is he did not wanted to take any risk.
So here is the fun part, cooper was this coward person back then ( he admitted it himself) who just wanted to fish for this big secret so he could use it against Dane.
so he used cadee. Bullies her, kissed her blabla and ended up liking her.
Then he asks her to abort the child no surprise there because he is a pathetic loser. He tells her to never show her fucking whore face and it's almost funny funny, how everyone is like
"okay sir"/"yes sir" to that.
I could not see a good reason for her to accepts him back so easily. I get it that she no pride, no spine but .. no I still don't get how amazingly stupid and spineless she was.
So after this big confrontation the buddies are pissed everyone is shocked.
The spineless women tries to take some blow for herself by saying: "I did not say this to you or anyone because you would give the choices back to me and I wanted someone to take actions for me instead"
But it seems like copper had asked her about the whole situation and you know what she had said: "I don't want a rapist's child"
Clearly a no, so how is that giving someone the full control of the situation. What if he had told her to give birth to that baby instead. Would she do it? I doubt it!
Like you have already made up your silly mind so what is with this stupidity cadee ??
Copper being a grown up baby accepts his fault. He is extremely sorry, but everyone come in terms with that one quite easily. You'd be surprised.
By the way did I mention they had already fucked before they came to this big confrontation so yeah they were in a relationship by then, copper and cadee sitting in a tree FUCKING*.
she still has this weird connection thing going on with the other two. But she doesn't want her copper to get jealous so they all leave it at that. I guess
In the end Copper finally blackmails his father. Tells him to fuck off and never show his face again and apparently cadee wasn't the first person on Dane's raping list.
Seriously my head is still spinning, nothing made sense in any way. There no romance whatsoever, The characters have little or no development. The connection is pretty much flat, in fact I kept searching for something, anything only to be disappointed in the end.
Think this is bad ?? Read the book
Ciao
Spoilers and rants🚦
I don't why I keep doing this to myself like I hate bully romances but I keep giving them chances upon chances hoping this would the turning point where i can finally say; hey that wasn't so bad now, was it?
Seriously, what was I even expecting. If you are like me who can barely manage a doormat heroine then just back off right now. The positive review will only divert your opinion. But mine can push you to right track!!
Spoilers ahead 🥂
Cadee the lost soul, the loner, the weird kid who is now stuck in this so called hell university ( I forgot the name ) with no place to go because her mother has recently passed away. Her father was already dead. So yeah, her life basically sucks.
Then there is this bad boy call coper or something. He is apparently the black sheep of the family. His father hates him, but worry not he got his 2 buddies to back him up, his brother Dane hates him, but no worries he hates cadee
Pretty much the first time he meets cadee, they collide. he gets all angry and curses her saying he was pretty clear about never wanting to see her fucking face again, so why the fuck is he seeing after 3 years??
And what does she says: mumbles^ "sorry" when he was clearly at fault.
Okay so everyone in the university is just a stuck up rich pretentious bitch. And I don't why but I keep expecting cadee to fight back. horn to horn.
but she was such a little disappointment.
It was like knowing that your spider man will never come to save you when you are in trouble. You know that, I know that. But it's like wishing for one anyways.
Oaky apparently Copper's dad has this all planed out. He wants cadee to move in with them, tells her about the scholarship he has planned out and even gives some cash if she wants to head out somewhere.
So now little cooper is stuck with her. He hates her but he is stuck with her, his father has cancelled his flight to ND, he is moved out from his (own) apartment and he has zero cash in his bank balance. All in all, his father threatened him to join this summer camp of king or something.
The amount of stupidity I found here was not even funny. Seriously. It's plain madness.
Yada yada
But here is the fun part
Cadee has this history with this three guys and apparently they used to bully her which lead up to kissing, fucking and finally copper giving the ultimatum to her to fuck off after she has this abortion. She was hurt and betrayed but she knew what she was getting into. Though It doesn't stop her from missing him/ ..them?
So cadee is stuck for now. She becomes the victim for everyone to prey on. And she literally take it head on. Like people will say we lick my feet and she will. Because you wouldn't want to mess with the kings now would you?
There were so many instances like the: the water ballon fest, that literally gets thrown at her, she was subjected to physical humiliation and ends up peeing herself and I cannot even fanthom how many time she was verbally sexualised by copper and his gang.
There is this one scene where Copper licks her neck, plays withher tits and wants two guys to join them but there are countless people watching them. And you know what is crazy, she lets them.
I don't know why she lets herself be amount to that. she can choose to just walk away but the only thing she keeps telling is that she is stronger than this, that She is defiant and can handle shit.
But other times you will find her crawling, massaging someone's leg, showing her tits, being subjected to all kind of bullies. So yeah, she handles no shit.
So the funny part is. No one wants this life not even copper but they are stuck here because of their rich asshole parents. So everyone is just trying to fill up the roles. With Survival of the fittest mantra!!
It turns out copper actually wants to save cadee and wants her gone for her own good. Tells her he actually likes her and she accepts that because she is literally drooling everytime he is around. So yeah, they fuck at some point.
I seriously had hard time understanding copper and cadee's relationship. One time he tells his buddies to have sex with her because he enjoys sharing her and in the next instance tell her he loves her and that he is not sharing?
Really bro
I was done by this point. I started skimming through.
Bdw I completely forgot; The most horrendous thing I found in this book was the culture of selling a girl. Bid on her and get her favours for a week. Like what, they are in colleges for gods sake!!
Big reveal:
We did see that cadee did have an abortion but it was not copper's child. In the beginning author gives references that the abortion was forced by cooper ( so I though it was his child). But it wasn't
She was actually raped by his brother Dane. and like a good dad, the dad tried to compensate for the loss to cadee's father man to man in cash. and when that did not work out. Guess what
Later he even kills cadee's mom because it seems like she too found out about this big secret and was planing to move out but being the dick that he is he did not wanted to take any risk.
So here is the fun part, cooper was this coward person back then ( he admitted it himself) who just wanted to fish for this big secret so he could use it against Dane.
so he used cadee. Bullies her, kissed her blabla and ended up liking her.
Then he asks her to abort the child no surprise there because he is a pathetic loser. He tells her to never show her fucking whore face and it's almost funny funny, how everyone is like
"okay sir"/"yes sir" to that.
I could not see a good reason for her to accepts him back so easily. I get it that she no pride, no spine but .. no I still don't get how amazingly stupid and spineless she was.
So after this big confrontation the buddies are pissed everyone is shocked.
The spineless women tries to take some blow for herself by saying: "I did not say this to you or anyone because you would give the choices back to me and I wanted someone to take actions for me instead"
But it seems like copper had asked her about the whole situation and you know what she had said: "I don't want a rapist's child"
Clearly a no, so how is that giving someone the full control of the situation. What if he had told her to give birth to that baby instead. Would she do it? I doubt it!
Like you have already made up your silly mind so what is with this stupidity cadee ??
Copper being a grown up baby accepts his fault. He is extremely sorry, but everyone come in terms with that one quite easily. You'd be surprised.
By the way did I mention they had already fucked before they came to this big confrontation so yeah they were in a relationship by then, copper and cadee sitting in a tree FUCKING*.
she still has this weird connection thing going on with the other two. But she doesn't want her copper to get jealous so they all leave it at that. I guess
In the end Copper finally blackmails his father. Tells him to fuck off and never show his face again and apparently cadee wasn't the first person on Dane's raping list.
Seriously my head is still spinning, nothing made sense in any way. There no romance whatsoever, The characters have little or no development. The connection is pretty much flat, in fact I kept searching for something, anything only to be disappointed in the end.
Think this is bad ?? Read the book
Ciao
December 4, 2020
Christopher Cooper Valcourt was a rich spoiled a-hole. His motives all over the book was trouble. Frustated with his misbehaving shenanigans, his father holds off money/luxuries and was told to cooperate.
Cadee Hunter was recently orphaned. After her father died she and her mother moved into an attic apartment above the college. Her mothers sudden death left her suddenly homeless and without her belongings.
Cooper and his best friends Ax and Lars have a history with Cadee. Pretending to be her friend and in relationship with her they suddenly dumped her three years ago. Cooper and Cadee share a secret and Cooper does everything possible to bully, humiliate and frighten her.
Cooper's father has an agenda with both Cooper and Cailee. With nowhere to go Cailee is offered a scholarship by Cooper's father who is the chairman of the college in return she has to serve in the summer camp for the college secret society which is Fang and Feather Summer Rush that takes place in a secret location with the freshman as participants, of course Cooper is the bully King there.
There are so many unexplained situations and mysteries to be revealed. Bully King wasn't as enjoyable as I thought, it certainly was interesting. The book does stand up to the ranks of bully romance but I found Cooper and his friends pitiful. The manhandling was distraughting and I felt no connection to the characters. While this book was not for me I'm hoping to finish the duet.
Cadee Hunter was recently orphaned. After her father died she and her mother moved into an attic apartment above the college. Her mothers sudden death left her suddenly homeless and without her belongings.
Cooper and his best friends Ax and Lars have a history with Cadee. Pretending to be her friend and in relationship with her they suddenly dumped her three years ago. Cooper and Cadee share a secret and Cooper does everything possible to bully, humiliate and frighten her.
Cooper's father has an agenda with both Cooper and Cailee. With nowhere to go Cailee is offered a scholarship by Cooper's father who is the chairman of the college in return she has to serve in the summer camp for the college secret society which is Fang and Feather Summer Rush that takes place in a secret location with the freshman as participants, of course Cooper is the bully King there.
There are so many unexplained situations and mysteries to be revealed. Bully King wasn't as enjoyable as I thought, it certainly was interesting. The book does stand up to the ranks of bully romance but I found Cooper and his friends pitiful. The manhandling was distraughting and I felt no connection to the characters. While this book was not for me I'm hoping to finish the duet.
August 6, 2020
*ARC received in exchange for an honest review*
"Bully King" by J.A. Huss is the first book in the Kings of High Court College duet.
It's marked as bully, NA romance, though I can't really see how any type of actual romance would happen between anyone.
DNF at 20%:
- To where I made it, the story reminded me too much of The Hunter, to a point the fact the heroine's last name is actually Hunter triggered some unpleasant flashbacks to that mess of a book. Some similarities, I can't be bothered to list them all at this point:
rich, influential father gets sick of his misbehaving, party animal son's shenanigans & forces him to do some type of work, son gets monetarily cut off & he has to cooperate in order to get his privileges back. Father dislikes/hates his son, acts weird towards the heroine (no joke, at least Gerald wasn't creepily caressing Sailor's lips and hands).
Hero and heroine knew each other prior & can't stand being in the same room.
- I get this is a bully book, but there should be limits & proper ways this can be woven into the plot/introduced gradually, especially when the story is marketed as romance. Right off the bat, the first interaction we get between the main characters is the hero snaring at the heroine, who is now an orphan (her mother just died, fathed died years ago) & calling her a whore . Goals. You'd think Cooper would be more understanding, seeing how he lost his mom when he was little.
Clearly that's not enough of him being a bully, so he proceeds to manhandle her, roughen her up, follow her to her apartment, tie her up when she's clearly distraught because all her belongings are gone from the apartment (and she has no one now, again her mom just died), gag her (because he just can't be bothered to listen to her "whining") & have one of his dudebros put a DIY-leash on her so they can escort her to his mansion. Not gonna lie, I was honestly wondering what the hell I just read.
Throughout all that you hear how Cadee is crying & clearly in distress , naturally all the "hero" does is laugh at her with his 2 friends & how hilarious it is they'd be parading her on a leash for people to see.
- Some quotes that just speak for themselves:
“What the fuck are you looking at, you stupid whore ?”
"I don’t answer her. I attack . Grab her by the shoulders, push her down on the couch, pin her in place with my knee on her ass, and tie her fucking hands together. She screams and wiggles the entire time, but I don’t care. I’m done. I pull her up on her feet, take my shirt off, and then stick it in her mouth like a gag. Her eyes are wide and her feet kicking. Which is not a smart move on her part, because she falls to the floor. And then, finally, she stops being a problem. Because she gives up and starts crying.
*2 mins later*
“She’s being a bitch,” I say. “So I tied her up.”"
(He literally used the word attack to describe his actions. And we're to accept that as normal.)
*Dudebro & Cooper talk about how he tied Cadee up, gagged her with his T-shirt..* - (Like what's funny about any of that? Since when is assaulting a woman hilarious?)
And last one for good measure:
"Cadee steps out. She looks like she’s been crying and her hands are still tied behind her back. I put a hand up to my mouth to hide my smile when I see the second length of baling twine has been tied into a slip knot and is now around her neck. My t-shirt is still stuffed in her mouth." (Haha. So hilarious.)
One thing I would kinda give as a prop to the author is that there was a warning at the beginning of the ARC: "It should go without saying that this is a BULLY ROMANCE, but just in case there is any doubt - THIS IS A BULLY ROMANCE AND THE HERO WILL ACT ACCORDINGLY." - Guess I should have listened to that. BUT, I do think there was a line & Cooper crossed it pretty early on.
This part would contain a tiny spoiler , because I just can't ignore how problematic it is:
I've read my fair share of bully romance throughout the years, can't say I enjoyed reading "Bully King" in any way or that I would recommend it as your next read. Just nope.
I feel like Cooper took everything to the extreme from chapter 1 & just made liking him impossible, especially when he's clearly enjoying being assaulty & gets amused when the heroine is suffering & in distress. I don't see how that's romantic or acceptable. After such scenes, all right at the beginning of the book, I feel like I've seen enough of the characters & the story to not keep torturing my nerves with it.
"Bully King" by J.A. Huss is the first book in the Kings of High Court College duet.
It's marked as bully, NA romance, though I can't really see how any type of actual romance would happen between anyone.
DNF at 20%:
- To where I made it, the story reminded me too much of The Hunter, to a point the fact the heroine's last name is actually Hunter triggered some unpleasant flashbacks to that mess of a book. Some similarities, I can't be bothered to list them all at this point:
rich, influential father gets sick of his misbehaving, party animal son's shenanigans & forces him to do some type of work, son gets monetarily cut off & he has to cooperate in order to get his privileges back. Father dislikes/hates his son, acts weird towards the heroine (no joke, at least Gerald wasn't creepily caressing Sailor's lips and hands).
Hero and heroine knew each other prior & can't stand being in the same room.
- I get this is a bully book, but there should be limits & proper ways this can be woven into the plot/introduced gradually, especially when the story is marketed as romance. Right off the bat, the first interaction we get between the main characters is the hero snaring at the heroine, who is now an orphan (her mother just died, fathed died years ago) & calling her a whore . Goals. You'd think Cooper would be more understanding, seeing how he lost his mom when he was little.
Clearly that's not enough of him being a bully, so he proceeds to manhandle her, roughen her up, follow her to her apartment, tie her up when she's clearly distraught because all her belongings are gone from the apartment (and she has no one now, again her mom just died), gag her (because he just can't be bothered to listen to her "whining") & have one of his dudebros put a DIY-leash on her so they can escort her to his mansion. Not gonna lie, I was honestly wondering what the hell I just read.
Throughout all that you hear how Cadee is crying & clearly in distress , naturally all the "hero" does is laugh at her with his 2 friends & how hilarious it is they'd be parading her on a leash for people to see.
- Some quotes that just speak for themselves:
“What the fuck are you looking at, you stupid whore ?”
"I don’t answer her. I attack . Grab her by the shoulders, push her down on the couch, pin her in place with my knee on her ass, and tie her fucking hands together. She screams and wiggles the entire time, but I don’t care. I’m done. I pull her up on her feet, take my shirt off, and then stick it in her mouth like a gag. Her eyes are wide and her feet kicking. Which is not a smart move on her part, because she falls to the floor. And then, finally, she stops being a problem. Because she gives up and starts crying.
*2 mins later*
“She’s being a bitch,” I say. “So I tied her up.”"
(He literally used the word attack to describe his actions. And we're to accept that as normal.)
*Dudebro & Cooper talk about how he tied Cadee up, gagged her with his T-shirt..* - (Like what's funny about any of that? Since when is assaulting a woman hilarious?)
And last one for good measure:
"Cadee steps out. She looks like she’s been crying and her hands are still tied behind her back. I put a hand up to my mouth to hide my smile when I see the second length of baling twine has been tied into a slip knot and is now around her neck. My t-shirt is still stuffed in her mouth." (Haha. So hilarious.)
One thing I would kinda give as a prop to the author is that there was a warning at the beginning of the ARC: "It should go without saying that this is a BULLY ROMANCE, but just in case there is any doubt - THIS IS A BULLY ROMANCE AND THE HERO WILL ACT ACCORDINGLY." - Guess I should have listened to that. BUT, I do think there was a line & Cooper crossed it pretty early on.
This part would contain a tiny spoiler , because I just can't ignore how problematic it is:
I've read my fair share of bully romance throughout the years, can't say I enjoyed reading "Bully King" in any way or that I would recommend it as your next read. Just nope.
I feel like Cooper took everything to the extreme from chapter 1 & just made liking him impossible, especially when he's clearly enjoying being assaulty & gets amused when the heroine is suffering & in distress. I don't see how that's romantic or acceptable. After such scenes, all right at the beginning of the book, I feel like I've seen enough of the characters & the story to not keep torturing my nerves with it.
March 5, 2023
**Sexual History SPOILERS is on my review of Book2 **
My advice: Just skim up to 85% of this book (Book1). But read the last 15%.
This is my 1st J.A. Huss book and I hope her other books read better than this. Because this book:
#1. lacked substance
It's a full-length book plus a 2nd book to complete this Duet. So, it has lots of details about going-ons in the school and the different characters involved. BUT it sorely lacked focus and details of significant information re: 18yo gardener’s daughter h and 21yo elite-college senior H’s past romance/relationship and their current one and exactly how H’s 2 male BFFs were involved. Significant details from 3 years ago glossed over (i.e., h’s 4-some with H and his friends when she was only 15yo and they 18, how their r/s progressed from non-existing to bullying ad stalking to smexxing then to nothing for 3 years despite them being in the same school location). Lots of head-scratching from me. And that's never a good sign.
#2. lacked emotion and romance
Everything felt even-keeled, even when the details were sad, upsetting, or shocking. It wasn't h's numbness to her mom's sudden death 2 weeks earlier. I can handle numb but I have to understand it and feel why she's numb from grief. So many things in this book were glossed-over. Including h's abortion 3 years ago. Even after reading the details of it in Book2, there was still a lack of emotion over it (i.e., was that a hard decision for her? did she regret it? did she feel guilty over it or glad? was she more upset about getting an abortion or H leaving her after?). I still don't know.
#3. Lots of telling and not showing.
And the telling wasn’t consistent (i.e., h’s POV says that she liked being a loner to being socially dependent and needing social approval from the elite people @ the school, h and H hating and worse, disregarding each other for the past 3 years to suddenly being in love and what not).
#4. inconsistent characterization of h and H’
For example, h described as innocent and a shy loner who was sheltered via homeschooling by her parents. Then, we get some fuzzy details about her already being a non-virgin when she was 15yo, when she and H and his friends started making out and eventually smexxing. If she was homeschooled and only had her parents as her friends, who was/were her previous lover/lovers? How did she meet them, when her POV showed that she was a loner and didn't have friends? If also didn't make sense re: how comfortable she was with public sexual activities in front of strangers. She's supposedly shy and socially inexperienced before she 4-somed with H and his friends.
She was also described as a simple girl who didn’t aspire for wealth and fame yet that’s the very thing she ended up doing due to her lack of escaping the cult-like elite school when she had the freedom to do so for and was consistently encouraged to do so (even given $200+k to do as she wished). Instead, she allowed herself to be humiliated by literally made to kiss H and others’ toes and crawl around and be sexually touched by others based on the elite-students’ orders. It just didn’t make sense why she stayed and subjected herself to all of that, when her POV and such showed that she was sick of being bullied and didn’t like the students and hierarchical structure there and could’ve freely moved anywhere.
At least, H’s character as an irresponsible/selfish/immature and mostly-clueless bully was consistent. But I can't take 21yo H seriously since he still acts like a spoiled teen and says things like "As if!", like Cher in the teen movie "Clueless". They both acted immature 3 years ago when they were younger teens. And they continued to act immature while playing adult games as young adults.
My advice: Just skim up to 85% of this book (Book1). But read the last 15%.
This is my 1st J.A. Huss book and I hope her other books read better than this. Because this book:
#1. lacked substance
It's a full-length book plus a 2nd book to complete this Duet. So, it has lots of details about going-ons in the school and the different characters involved. BUT it sorely lacked focus and details of significant information re: 18yo gardener’s daughter h and 21yo elite-college senior H’s past romance/relationship and their current one and exactly how H’s 2 male BFFs were involved. Significant details from 3 years ago glossed over (i.e., h’s 4-some with H and his friends when she was only 15yo and they 18, how their r/s progressed from non-existing to bullying ad stalking to smexxing then to nothing for 3 years despite them being in the same school location). Lots of head-scratching from me. And that's never a good sign.
#2. lacked emotion and romance
Everything felt even-keeled, even when the details were sad, upsetting, or shocking. It wasn't h's numbness to her mom's sudden death 2 weeks earlier. I can handle numb but I have to understand it and feel why she's numb from grief. So many things in this book were glossed-over. Including h's abortion 3 years ago. Even after reading the details of it in Book2, there was still a lack of emotion over it (i.e., was that a hard decision for her? did she regret it? did she feel guilty over it or glad? was she more upset about getting an abortion or H leaving her after?). I still don't know.
#3. Lots of telling and not showing.
And the telling wasn’t consistent (i.e., h’s POV says that she liked being a loner to being socially dependent and needing social approval from the elite people @ the school, h and H hating and worse, disregarding each other for the past 3 years to suddenly being in love and what not).
#4. inconsistent characterization of h and H’
For example, h described as innocent and a shy loner who was sheltered via homeschooling by her parents. Then, we get some fuzzy details about her already being a non-virgin when she was 15yo, when she and H and his friends started making out and eventually smexxing. If she was homeschooled and only had her parents as her friends, who was/were her previous lover/lovers? How did she meet them, when her POV showed that she was a loner and didn't have friends? If also didn't make sense re: how comfortable she was with public sexual activities in front of strangers. She's supposedly shy and socially inexperienced before she 4-somed with H and his friends.
She was also described as a simple girl who didn’t aspire for wealth and fame yet that’s the very thing she ended up doing due to her lack of escaping the cult-like elite school when she had the freedom to do so for and was consistently encouraged to do so (even given $200+k to do as she wished). Instead, she allowed herself to be humiliated by literally made to kiss H and others’ toes and crawl around and be sexually touched by others based on the elite-students’ orders. It just didn’t make sense why she stayed and subjected herself to all of that, when her POV and such showed that she was sick of being bullied and didn’t like the students and hierarchical structure there and could’ve freely moved anywhere.
At least, H’s character as an irresponsible/selfish/immature and mostly-clueless bully was consistent. But I can't take 21yo H seriously since he still acts like a spoiled teen and says things like "As if!", like Cher in the teen movie "Clueless". They both acted immature 3 years ago when they were younger teens. And they continued to act immature while playing adult games as young adults.
January 4, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Man, this started as one book and ended with a totally different one. These boys switched gears halfway through and I didn’t see it coming,
So, you’ve got Cooper, Axe and Lars. Three of the douchiest, cruelest assholes I’ve read in a while. I hated them on arrival and it only got worse as this story progressed.
Somehow Kadee got stuck in their crosshairs but did she cower? No, our girl kept her head held high no matter what. Not only did those three throw shit her way so did almost a dozen other stuck up blue bloods that think themselves kings and queens. Kadee was nothing but less than a servant to them but you wouldn’t know it just by looking at her.
She’s strong af and caring on top of that. She’s mixed up in this crazy cult like secret society and when it starts hitting the fan for everyone involved she’s there to help pick up the pieces. Helping these people that treated her like she was less than nothing.
Like I said before, the boys changed their tune. It’s about this time that they become protective of Kadee and we discover that there’s a lot of past feelings that are coming to the forefront.
As the book progresses we discover how these so called kings and queens are nothing but puppets. But what happens when they cut those strings and start pulling a few of their own?
This was better than I first suspected. I thought it was just another bully romance but my tune quickly changed when all the intrigue came into play. That’s when dominos started falling and a much bigger picture came into view.
Definitely looking forward to see what these crazy kids have up their sleeves next.
Man, this started as one book and ended with a totally different one. These boys switched gears halfway through and I didn’t see it coming,
So, you’ve got Cooper, Axe and Lars. Three of the douchiest, cruelest assholes I’ve read in a while. I hated them on arrival and it only got worse as this story progressed.
Somehow Kadee got stuck in their crosshairs but did she cower? No, our girl kept her head held high no matter what. Not only did those three throw shit her way so did almost a dozen other stuck up blue bloods that think themselves kings and queens. Kadee was nothing but less than a servant to them but you wouldn’t know it just by looking at her.
She’s strong af and caring on top of that. She’s mixed up in this crazy cult like secret society and when it starts hitting the fan for everyone involved she’s there to help pick up the pieces. Helping these people that treated her like she was less than nothing.
Like I said before, the boys changed their tune. It’s about this time that they become protective of Kadee and we discover that there’s a lot of past feelings that are coming to the forefront.
As the book progresses we discover how these so called kings and queens are nothing but puppets. But what happens when they cut those strings and start pulling a few of their own?
This was better than I first suspected. I thought it was just another bully romance but my tune quickly changed when all the intrigue came into play. That’s when dominos started falling and a much bigger picture came into view.
Definitely looking forward to see what these crazy kids have up their sleeves next.
August 7, 2020
I had no idea what to expect when I began reading this story and it would be fair to say I said WTF out loud a hell of a lot! I’m not familiar with ‘rushing.’ I know it’s an American college thing but no such thing exists in the country I live in.
This is a story about rich, entitled, spoilt teenagers who believe college should be run by an elitist group of students, themselves, and everyone else has to obey the rules to survive their college years. As if there isn’t enough pressure on them leaving home for the first time!
In the 8 weeks of summer leading up to beginning college, a group of the above students are invited by the chairman of the college to stay on the campus and take part in the summer rush. After their farewell party ends with them all in a spot of bother, Cooper Valcourt is about to board a flight for a holiday down under with his best mates Ax & Lars, when his father pulls the rug (flights) right out from under them all. He assigns them all to running the summer rush and there is no way they can get out of it.
Cadee has recently lost her mother and is worried she won’t be able to attend college. Both of her parents worked on the campus and she grew up living in a cottage on the property there. She hasn’t known any other life. When Chairman Valcourt makes her an offer of a job for summer things might be looking up, if it means keeping her place in college she is happy to take up his generous proposal. Something she will soon regret.
Cadee has history with Cooper. They share secrets that no one else knows about. She absolutely hates him and is not happy to find out they will be spending most of the summer together. Here’s the thing about Cadee though, she has been through so much already in her young life. It has shaped her into someone with a strong sense of self worth. Nothing more could ever break her as much as what she has already been through.
Cooper is in a no win situation with his father. He feels like he has no choice but to do what is expected of him. He must be the Bully King and form the Fang & Feather secret society for the upcoming year. Even if it means doing things that feel so wrong…
This story was a bit of a mind fuck, crazy and cruel things happen that really shocked me. It kept me turning pages though! I enjoyed how things turned out in the end but it was a bit painful getting there. Another interesting story from this talented author who loves to mess with my moral compass.
This is a story about rich, entitled, spoilt teenagers who believe college should be run by an elitist group of students, themselves, and everyone else has to obey the rules to survive their college years. As if there isn’t enough pressure on them leaving home for the first time!
In the 8 weeks of summer leading up to beginning college, a group of the above students are invited by the chairman of the college to stay on the campus and take part in the summer rush. After their farewell party ends with them all in a spot of bother, Cooper Valcourt is about to board a flight for a holiday down under with his best mates Ax & Lars, when his father pulls the rug (flights) right out from under them all. He assigns them all to running the summer rush and there is no way they can get out of it.
Cadee has recently lost her mother and is worried she won’t be able to attend college. Both of her parents worked on the campus and she grew up living in a cottage on the property there. She hasn’t known any other life. When Chairman Valcourt makes her an offer of a job for summer things might be looking up, if it means keeping her place in college she is happy to take up his generous proposal. Something she will soon regret.
Cadee has history with Cooper. They share secrets that no one else knows about. She absolutely hates him and is not happy to find out they will be spending most of the summer together. Here’s the thing about Cadee though, she has been through so much already in her young life. It has shaped her into someone with a strong sense of self worth. Nothing more could ever break her as much as what she has already been through.
Cooper is in a no win situation with his father. He feels like he has no choice but to do what is expected of him. He must be the Bully King and form the Fang & Feather secret society for the upcoming year. Even if it means doing things that feel so wrong…
This story was a bit of a mind fuck, crazy and cruel things happen that really shocked me. It kept me turning pages though! I enjoyed how things turned out in the end but it was a bit painful getting there. Another interesting story from this talented author who loves to mess with my moral compass.
August 11, 2020
OK,let me start with that I had so much expectations before reading this book ( yes ,i did read the blurb)and boy was I disappointed. It´s not a bully romance ,I repeat it´s not a bully romance.
What it is; rich kids taking advantage of a minor/poor/introvert girl that is mourning the death of her father and there is even sexual assault from named rich kids towards this girl, that will leave you with an unpleasant feeling. I`v read many bully romance through the years and the common link in those books are that the hero is often portrayed as cocky, with sometimes asshole behavior but never does he assault or mistreat the heroine as Cooper does in Bully King, honestly I didn't even see romance in this book.
* I received an arc in exchanged for an honest review*
What it is; rich kids taking advantage of a minor/poor/introvert girl that is mourning the death of her father and there is even sexual assault from named rich kids towards this girl, that will leave you with an unpleasant feeling. I`v read many bully romance through the years and the common link in those books are that the hero is often portrayed as cocky, with sometimes asshole behavior but never does he assault or mistreat the heroine as Cooper does in Bully King, honestly I didn't even see romance in this book.
* I received an arc in exchanged for an honest review*
August 5, 2020
A society for the rich and powerful. You’ll be forced to leave your morals at the door. You’ll be stripped down and have your will taken from you. All in the name of power.
Cadee has just suffered a great loss. Living at an elite school while her mother worked there, left her a spectator of the rich and powerful. Being homeschooled left her with no friends and no real connections. Her life is uncertain, until the Chairman offers her a new future.
The Fang and Feather Summer Rush has arrived. Cadee is going to work in the kitchen and then when she survives the summer, she’ll get a full scholarship for college. She wants that option, but has no idea what she has agreed to.
Cooper, Ax and Lars will be in charge of Rush and the pledges. It’s their punishment for their wild behavior that goes against their family’s plan. Depravity will reign as they choose six out of the ten pledges to become part of this elite society. If only they were the ones pulling the strings. Everyone is a pawn.
Cadee will be used and abused, but the girl is tough. She won’t let them break her. She is not one of them, but they want her gone anyway. Cooper is afraid the secret they share will be discovered and ruin everything. They will do whatever they can to wear her down.
She wants a future. Cadee is willing to do what she must to secure it. Cooper can’t help his attraction, but he can only protect her to an extent. She’ll have to fight her own battle.
There are so many secrets. Powerful men hold the strings. However, no power is infinite. It may be time for a changing of the guard.
The Bully King will leave you tortured and tormented. This story is suspenseful and the players are cunning. Things aren’t always what they seem. Cooper will need step up and take a stand and Cadee will have to stay strong to play their games. And sometimes the ending you expect is not the one you will get. The ending will become a new beginning.
Cadee has just suffered a great loss. Living at an elite school while her mother worked there, left her a spectator of the rich and powerful. Being homeschooled left her with no friends and no real connections. Her life is uncertain, until the Chairman offers her a new future.
The Fang and Feather Summer Rush has arrived. Cadee is going to work in the kitchen and then when she survives the summer, she’ll get a full scholarship for college. She wants that option, but has no idea what she has agreed to.
Cooper, Ax and Lars will be in charge of Rush and the pledges. It’s their punishment for their wild behavior that goes against their family’s plan. Depravity will reign as they choose six out of the ten pledges to become part of this elite society. If only they were the ones pulling the strings. Everyone is a pawn.
Cadee will be used and abused, but the girl is tough. She won’t let them break her. She is not one of them, but they want her gone anyway. Cooper is afraid the secret they share will be discovered and ruin everything. They will do whatever they can to wear her down.
She wants a future. Cadee is willing to do what she must to secure it. Cooper can’t help his attraction, but he can only protect her to an extent. She’ll have to fight her own battle.
There are so many secrets. Powerful men hold the strings. However, no power is infinite. It may be time for a changing of the guard.
The Bully King will leave you tortured and tormented. This story is suspenseful and the players are cunning. Things aren’t always what they seem. Cooper will need step up and take a stand and Cadee will have to stay strong to play their games. And sometimes the ending you expect is not the one you will get. The ending will become a new beginning.
August 5, 2020
4 1/2 stars
Cooper Valcourt, King, arrogant, downright a-hole had little Cadee in his sights for a long time. He was indeed King bully for sure. If you thought you read “bully” themed books before, this one takes the cake. There were times while I was reading when I thought, “wtf is this guys problem.” So of course, I was drawn to him. I wanted to know what made him tick and what made him hate Cadee so much.
Cadee Hunter was not like the rest of them stuck up rich spoiled brats. She came from no money and lived in an attic above the collage. Both her parents were deceased, and she was about to lose her home. So how did a nice girl like her get involved with Cooper and his best friends Ax and Lars. The three biggest bullies of them all. Maybe the real question is how she got involved with them a second time after they threw her away.
There was so much to unraveling and at one point I didn’t even know there was anything to be unraveled. I thought we would get a bully turned lovers’ story and man, was I wrong. We were hit with something I did not see coming at all.
Overall great storyline. I was hooked and wanted to know what was going to happen. I do wish we got more of a back story of the four of them together, it sounded hot and heavy. There were a few things I didn’t quite get, but nonetheless I enjoyed the book and loved the characters well, Definity the fearsome foursome the most.
*an arc was provided in exchange for an honest review* ~Alison
Cooper Valcourt, King, arrogant, downright a-hole had little Cadee in his sights for a long time. He was indeed King bully for sure. If you thought you read “bully” themed books before, this one takes the cake. There were times while I was reading when I thought, “wtf is this guys problem.” So of course, I was drawn to him. I wanted to know what made him tick and what made him hate Cadee so much.
Cadee Hunter was not like the rest of them stuck up rich spoiled brats. She came from no money and lived in an attic above the collage. Both her parents were deceased, and she was about to lose her home. So how did a nice girl like her get involved with Cooper and his best friends Ax and Lars. The three biggest bullies of them all. Maybe the real question is how she got involved with them a second time after they threw her away.
There was so much to unraveling and at one point I didn’t even know there was anything to be unraveled. I thought we would get a bully turned lovers’ story and man, was I wrong. We were hit with something I did not see coming at all.
Overall great storyline. I was hooked and wanted to know what was going to happen. I do wish we got more of a back story of the four of them together, it sounded hot and heavy. There were a few things I didn’t quite get, but nonetheless I enjoyed the book and loved the characters well, Definity the fearsome foursome the most.
*an arc was provided in exchange for an honest review* ~Alison
Shelved as 'dnf'
November 8, 2022Awesome.
A doormat heroine and a spoiled entitled baby of a hero who forced the h to get an abortion when she was FIFTEEN and he was 18 - after he and his buddies passed her around. And they are STILL BULLYING HER 3 yrs later. Gross.
Edited to add: I got some more info that made this worse not better. The 15 yrs old h got pregnant when the hero’s brother raped her… so they’ve been knowingly harassing and humiliating a rape victim. Good times. I feel so much better now. 😵💫
A doormat heroine and a spoiled entitled baby of a hero who forced the h to get an abortion when she was FIFTEEN and he was 18 - after he and his buddies passed her around. And they are STILL BULLYING HER 3 yrs later. Gross.
Edited to add: I got some more info that made this worse not better. The 15 yrs old h got pregnant when the hero’s brother raped her… so they’ve been knowingly harassing and humiliating a rape victim. Good times. I feel so much better now. 😵💫
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2021
2⭐️⭐️
Style: Dark Bully Romance
Story: 2/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
Dark Level: 1.5/5
Sexual Level:
Triggers: Yes
Violence: No
Male: Spoil & Annoying
Series: No
Pages: 466
Audio: Guy/Good - Girl/Ok
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
STORY:
I have little to say on this book. I just could not relate with the story, or its characters. For me personally, it was not for me. It has nothing to do with it being dark or bully romance. I think it was the dynamics of it. Cadee, I didn’t even connect with her. Cooper, just seems spoil and annoying and not a college guy. He seems high school younger with the way he acted. The plot, I couldn’t, I really tried to connect and find a lifeline.
CHEMISTRY:
It was not bad, but couldn’t connect with how I felt about the story.
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Lars, Axel, and Cooper’s brothers. There were a handful. This world that was created, I did not feel comfortable in it.
Overall, I felt no connections. I still wouldn’t deter anyone from experiencing this story themselves. I just felt for me, personally, there were no sparks or connection.
***I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read and hope this review was helpful.
Style: Dark Bully Romance
Story: 2/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
Dark Level: 1.5/5
Sexual Level:
Triggers: Yes
Violence: No
Male: Spoil & Annoying
Series: No
Pages: 466
Audio: Guy/Good - Girl/Ok
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
STORY:
I have little to say on this book. I just could not relate with the story, or its characters. For me personally, it was not for me. It has nothing to do with it being dark or bully romance. I think it was the dynamics of it. Cadee, I didn’t even connect with her. Cooper, just seems spoil and annoying and not a college guy. He seems high school younger with the way he acted. The plot, I couldn’t, I really tried to connect and find a lifeline.
CHEMISTRY:
It was not bad, but couldn’t connect with how I felt about the story.
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
Lars, Axel, and Cooper’s brothers. There were a handful. This world that was created, I did not feel comfortable in it.
Overall, I felt no connections. I still wouldn’t deter anyone from experiencing this story themselves. I just felt for me, personally, there were no sparks or connection.
***I don’t equate these stories to real life. It’s about personal taste and what you would or want to tolerate with the books you read. I know we all have different opinions and preferences with what we read and hope this review was helpful.
August 9, 2020
32% DNF....No can do! Not even going to waste anymore of my time....I can just tell that this book is going to have me yelling out loud...
“you dumb bitch!” lol.....
I should’ve known better, because I know JA Huss is known to make her FMC doormats...my mistake.
I need a FMC to some what stick up for herself and Cadee Hunter wasn’t one of those females...she had no back bone whatsoever...This book wasn’t for me...
Positive note tho..... I love both narrator’s for the audiobook. Jacob Morgan is one of my favorites! He was one of the reason I gave this book a go, because I Love listening to Jacob Morgan’s sexy voice. Plus he always does a fantastic job! This was my 3 time listening to Emma Wilder and I really enjoy her voice too. You won’t be disappointed in the audiobook that’s for sure.
“you dumb bitch!” lol.....
I should’ve known better, because I know JA Huss is known to make her FMC doormats...my mistake.
I need a FMC to some what stick up for herself and Cadee Hunter wasn’t one of those females...she had no back bone whatsoever...This book wasn’t for me...
Positive note tho..... I love both narrator’s for the audiobook. Jacob Morgan is one of my favorites! He was one of the reason I gave this book a go, because I Love listening to Jacob Morgan’s sexy voice. Plus he always does a fantastic job! This was my 3 time listening to Emma Wilder and I really enjoy her voice too. You won’t be disappointed in the audiobook that’s for sure.
January 14, 2023
What the flip flop did I just read ?!?! What the hot F ?! I am officially stressed !!
Want to read
October 13, 2020🎁 Kings of High Court College Series (2 book series) is FREE on Amazon today (10/13/2020)! 🎁
August 14, 2020
Terrible and degrading
****Spoilers ****
This is the worst book I've ever read. A girl who enjoys being degraded and having foursomes. How can she be a heroine?? She's filthy with low self esteem that's not even found by the end of the book. I dont understand how anyone can like or enjoy this book. There's nothing romantic about it. There's even a part she's molested and poked at while what is the supposed hero of the book participates and watches. What a sick read. I'm disgusted
****Spoilers ****
This is the worst book I've ever read. A girl who enjoys being degraded and having foursomes. How can she be a heroine?? She's filthy with low self esteem that's not even found by the end of the book. I dont understand how anyone can like or enjoy this book. There's nothing romantic about it. There's even a part she's molested and poked at while what is the supposed hero of the book participates and watches. What a sick read. I'm disgusted
August 13, 2020
WOW. LOVED this so much. I don't really want to say anything about this book because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. I've never read a bully romance before. I'm not sure if others are like this, but this was amazing. There is one other book, coming out September 2nd and I can't wait for it to come out!
July 25, 2020
This was such a unique bully book. It is very hard to find refreshing books and new premises in this subgenre. But J. A. Huss did it. I had such a blast reading this book.
Cooper was such a brat of a character. In the first few chapters he really was the bully king. Add a secret society and a girl meant to be used as a mean to an end, you have a unique read.
Cadee was such a great character. She was so badass in her own way and I loved how she stood her ground against Cooper and his gang.
There were many twists and turns and a lot of sizzling moments. Great secondary characters (my favorite was Ax) and wonderful overall characterization. I devoured the book in 24 hours. I highly recommend it to the fans of the genre. My only one complaint is that I needed this to be more of a slow burn. I wanted the transition from enemies to lovers to have been smoother and at a slower pace.
Still, this was a top favorite read from this author. I cannot wait for more.
I voluntarily received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Cooper was such a brat of a character. In the first few chapters he really was the bully king. Add a secret society and a girl meant to be used as a mean to an end, you have a unique read.
Cadee was such a great character. She was so badass in her own way and I loved how she stood her ground against Cooper and his gang.
There were many twists and turns and a lot of sizzling moments. Great secondary characters (my favorite was Ax) and wonderful overall characterization. I devoured the book in 24 hours. I highly recommend it to the fans of the genre. My only one complaint is that I needed this to be more of a slow burn. I wanted the transition from enemies to lovers to have been smoother and at a slower pace.
Still, this was a top favorite read from this author. I cannot wait for more.
I voluntarily received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
January 6, 2021
Took me a while to get behind the h's stupidity. If you can overlook that, then it's pretty good. But it is a classic case of girl-running-into-burning-building because she's oh-so invincible.
July 18, 2020
This is one Page Turner of a Book! Christopher “Cooper” Valcourt is one of The Kings of High Court, along with Lars and Ax. He is the “Heir” to the college of sorts but after a bit of trouble, he gets stuck having to run the Fang and Feather Summer Rush. He is Trouble with a capital T and has his sights set on tormenting Cadee Hunter, But why? They grew up in conflicting worlds but are they truly that different? What is the real story behind the hate? Everything Isn’t all black and white in this new bully, secret society romantic suspense. There is a major twist as well. This isn’t your typical bully romance in my opinion. There are so many other layers to the story and Cooper, Lars & Ax are so intriguing, I need more. Get ready for the “rush” ride of your life. If you enjoyed a certain “Elite” series by “A. Jones” then you will definitely enjoy this one. Told in dual POV
📸 Teaser Collage by Miss Petite Brunette Book Blog
📸 Teaser Collage by Miss Petite Brunette Book Blog
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August 24, 2020DNF 12%
To properly appreciate this book I needed to be in the mood for sexy humiliation of a heroine and I just wasn’t getting it.
And at 12% I haven’t given it much of an opportunity, but I wasn’t getting into how hateful the hero was, and it’s pointed out that he’s weak and stupid in the first few pages when he loses a battle of wits with his father. It establishes a clear need for a character journey, to get over his petulance, look outside his own needs and grow up, but I couldn’t find anything I was interested in about him.
Actually, that may have changed if he’d been the only viewpoint character, if I could have had the fun of being outraged over his entitled disregard for anyone else, and his anger and frustration over being a privileged male treated as a weak and naughty child. However the heroine also has a viewpoint and I can do without her brand of nonsense.
Also, I got really stuck on a tiny detail and I couldn’t let it go. The heroine’s homemade homeschool diploma. She mentions it once, in the whole catalogue of early woes (orphan, about to be homeless, isolated from her peers).
She’s been trying to apply for community college but she can’t get in, because they won’t accept the homeschool diploma her mum made for her, and she needs a GED. I don’t know/much care what that is, in the same way I don’t know/much care about how you fund college when you are suddenly destitute at 18. All I could think about was, this homemade diploma. I mean, I can image her mum doing a google search and finding a template, the one with the fancy border and maybe a rosette graphic, and a bit of writing and blank spaces to fill in (this ... is awarded to ... for her .... signed ...). I can also imagine the same template used by parents who are doing some kind of behaviour management with a child, to get them to wash their hands, or do chores. Or, like the one my parents made for me when I learned to ride a bicycle.
And then I imagine being an intake officer at a college, getting a scanned copy of this with an admissions form, and having one of those breathless moments of disbelief, the one where you’re reminded that there are people out there who simply are not equipped with what I’d assumed were some baseline person skills. I mean, I’d be nice in the email I sent back, requesting some recognisable information on education levels, but I’d also be slightly embarrassed for the human on the receiving end, because they clearly need help.
The heroine, however, only thinks about this for about 5 seconds. She also seems to be adding it to her list of how awful her life is, and I GET that it’s hard when she’s also just lost her mum, but I am still totally lost on her ability to be in the world without a parent. To be classic, I’ll just blame her mum for not doing any work on her daughter. But also: I’m pretty sure the mum had probably done it as best she could, and this girl is hopeless.
So that’s my journey with this book. It might be thrillingly awesome at abject humiliation and wallowing in entitlement rage. However what’s staying with me for some time to come is the heroine’s wounded sense of outrage that the real world doesn’t think a homemade high school diploma is good enough.
To properly appreciate this book I needed to be in the mood for sexy humiliation of a heroine and I just wasn’t getting it.
And at 12% I haven’t given it much of an opportunity, but I wasn’t getting into how hateful the hero was, and it’s pointed out that he’s weak and stupid in the first few pages when he loses a battle of wits with his father. It establishes a clear need for a character journey, to get over his petulance, look outside his own needs and grow up, but I couldn’t find anything I was interested in about him.
Actually, that may have changed if he’d been the only viewpoint character, if I could have had the fun of being outraged over his entitled disregard for anyone else, and his anger and frustration over being a privileged male treated as a weak and naughty child. However the heroine also has a viewpoint and I can do without her brand of nonsense.
Also, I got really stuck on a tiny detail and I couldn’t let it go. The heroine’s homemade homeschool diploma. She mentions it once, in the whole catalogue of early woes (orphan, about to be homeless, isolated from her peers).
She’s been trying to apply for community college but she can’t get in, because they won’t accept the homeschool diploma her mum made for her, and she needs a GED. I don’t know/much care what that is, in the same way I don’t know/much care about how you fund college when you are suddenly destitute at 18. All I could think about was, this homemade diploma. I mean, I can image her mum doing a google search and finding a template, the one with the fancy border and maybe a rosette graphic, and a bit of writing and blank spaces to fill in (this ... is awarded to ... for her .... signed ...). I can also imagine the same template used by parents who are doing some kind of behaviour management with a child, to get them to wash their hands, or do chores. Or, like the one my parents made for me when I learned to ride a bicycle.
And then I imagine being an intake officer at a college, getting a scanned copy of this with an admissions form, and having one of those breathless moments of disbelief, the one where you’re reminded that there are people out there who simply are not equipped with what I’d assumed were some baseline person skills. I mean, I’d be nice in the email I sent back, requesting some recognisable information on education levels, but I’d also be slightly embarrassed for the human on the receiving end, because they clearly need help.
The heroine, however, only thinks about this for about 5 seconds. She also seems to be adding it to her list of how awful her life is, and I GET that it’s hard when she’s also just lost her mum, but I am still totally lost on her ability to be in the world without a parent. To be classic, I’ll just blame her mum for not doing any work on her daughter. But also: I’m pretty sure the mum had probably done it as best she could, and this girl is hopeless.
So that’s my journey with this book. It might be thrillingly awesome at abject humiliation and wallowing in entitlement rage. However what’s staying with me for some time to come is the heroine’s wounded sense of outrage that the real world doesn’t think a homemade high school diploma is good enough.
September 6, 2020
DNF 55% I refuse to trudge through this steaming pile of shit any longer. This book is barley enjoyable. I feel like some authors forget this but you actually can make an asshole hero a good person that can be redeemed. You can make a strong heroine without making her roll over and impersonate a doormat. (And yes, Cadee had her good moments where she didn't take any shit from the "bully gang" or whatever they're called, and I respect that and don't dislike her as much as Cooper because of that.) If you're going to write a bully romance you need to carefully balance the bully aspect and the romance. There are lots of people who enjoyed this and that's fine, but I can't do this.
I actually updated my progress through the book so here they are:
33.0%
"Cooper, the "hero" has yet to be an actually good person. I miss my bully romance heroes who were actually good people underneath all the shit they did and said. I think I'm at chapter 12 and neither perspective has shown me any good about Cooper.
Cooper better have the biggest redemption arc because he's an immature little asshole right now."
33.0%
"I mean even his thoughts make him sound like a dick. He lives in a bubble where it's all about him. He doesn't regret anything he does as long as he had fun even if his actions make his life harder.
He doesn't give a shit about what he made Katie go through. It's all about how she could use it against him. It's not his secret, it's hers. And he hasn't even considered how apologizing could make Katie keep quiet."
45.0%
"How do you even redeem a hero after this point? What just happened reminds me of the locker room scene in Willow Heights Prep Academy bk two (Betray Me). There are books I've enjoyed in the dark romance genre, but sometimes I just hate it. You can't make an awful character with almost non-existent goodness(??) and make them do a few semi-nice things that barely make up for past actions and expect me, the reader, to forgive them."
I might be done with bully romance. I probably won't go looking for it specifically but if I come across one that seems interesting I may read it. It just seems the genre is either repetitive or the bullying crosses the line of redeemable for me.
I actually updated my progress through the book so here they are:
33.0%
"Cooper, the "hero" has yet to be an actually good person. I miss my bully romance heroes who were actually good people underneath all the shit they did and said. I think I'm at chapter 12 and neither perspective has shown me any good about Cooper.
Cooper better have the biggest redemption arc because he's an immature little asshole right now."
33.0%
"I mean even his thoughts make him sound like a dick. He lives in a bubble where it's all about him. He doesn't regret anything he does as long as he had fun even if his actions make his life harder.
He doesn't give a shit about what he made Katie go through. It's all about how she could use it against him. It's not his secret, it's hers. And he hasn't even considered how apologizing could make Katie keep quiet."
45.0%
"How do you even redeem a hero after this point? What just happened reminds me of the locker room scene in Willow Heights Prep Academy bk two (Betray Me). There are books I've enjoyed in the dark romance genre, but sometimes I just hate it. You can't make an awful character with almost non-existent goodness(??) and make them do a few semi-nice things that barely make up for past actions and expect me, the reader, to forgive them."
I might be done with bully romance. I probably won't go looking for it specifically but if I come across one that seems interesting I may read it. It just seems the genre is either repetitive or the bullying crosses the line of redeemable for me.
December 1, 2022
1 star
DNF
I ain't got time or energy for this shitshow.
I'll be quick and I'll just say that it was a mess.
A disappointing mess.
The heroine was looking for her brain this entire time and trying to learn how to spell SELF-RESPECT and yet failing miserably every fucking time.
If you want more details go to Pisces's review here.
She got it all covered really well and I am just too tired to go through this shit once again.
This is NOT what I expected, wanted or liked.
None of these.
So fuck this shit, I'm out!
DNF
I ain't got time or energy for this shitshow.
I'll be quick and I'll just say that it was a mess.
A disappointing mess.
The heroine was looking for her brain this entire time and trying to learn how to spell SELF-RESPECT and yet failing miserably every fucking time.
If you want more details go to Pisces's review here.
She got it all covered really well and I am just too tired to go through this shit once again.
This is NOT what I expected, wanted or liked.
None of these.
So fuck this shit, I'm out!
August 12, 2020
Bully King is a contemporary, new adult, bully romance with a bit of second chance trope. This is my first read from the author and I was really looking forward to reading it. Cooper and his friends was the perfect bully in my opinion. What I'm struggling a tad was the development of romance between Cadee and Cooper. I felt that I was missing the chemistry. I know that they have history and were sort of dating before the "incident" that changed everything. But somehow, I couldn't relate and root for their love story. I guess what I need is maybe a bit of flashback of their history- the stalking, dating and the fallout. I hope that I will see these in the next book.
August 5, 2020
Wow, wow, WOW!
Absolutely amazing.
Soo much angst, longing, loving and lies - my head was left spinning!
What are they going to do next?
Who did that?
Why is she different?
Cadee and Cooper were fantastic. I really enjoyed their relationship- the banter, the history, the hate, the steam.
I WANT MORE!
So so good!
Absolutely amazing.
Soo much angst, longing, loving and lies - my head was left spinning!
What are they going to do next?
Who did that?
Why is she different?
Cadee and Cooper were fantastic. I really enjoyed their relationship- the banter, the history, the hate, the steam.
I WANT MORE!
So so good!
August 7, 2020
DERIVATIVE SERIES IDEA ... AND FELT LIKE THE LOVE CHILD OF SHEN AND TIJAN
"Do you know what your problem is, Christopher?” ~~ EVERYTHING.
At the very least, the twit needs a lobotomy and reprogramming to become human. I had high hopes for Cooper and Cadee in this new series, but it was simply not to be.
Bully romances are wired straight to my brain. It may be cliché, but a sexy, rich, and spoiled-rotten bully targeting an outcast girl with nowhere to turn makes me rub my little hands in glee. I am giddy at the thought of loving to hate the rotten core right out of them, and know that no matter how unredeemable, despicable, and mean-spirited they are in pushing the envelope, I will always come around and love them in spite of it. And although I haven’t read a Huss novel since The Turning Series which I loved so much -- as well as many of her past books -- well … this new series pancaked for me.
Many things went sideways. Straight off, it didn’t read like her writing. More like she was the sudden love child of Shen and Tijan. Cooper may be a college guy and Cadee a college bound prep school grad, but it felt so immature and the dialogue was subpar. Pages of talking in circles and not getting to the point. If I wanted to read that level and style, I’d read the two aforementioned authors. I expected more from Huss, like on the adulting side. The real problem for me is how this new series was surely spawned …
Face facts. There is currently a major lack of worthwhile stories, no matter what over-inflated reviews would have us believe. Imitators, by any other name, are still imitators, and a flood of derivative series was inevitable in light of one in particular. Just like sharks circling for fresh blood, some authors – including maybe this one – I believe have found it. It seems to me that imitations are surfacing of the Inferno Boys – a new, popular, and incredibly well-written series about a bunch of spoiled rich boys and their controlling fathers. Each book showcases a different guy with a suspense plot threading through the entire series. Suddenly, thus spawns a new batch of 9-12 book series that are similar. Disagree? Well, you know what they say about a duck. And this one is quacking all over the place.
This series is 12 books long! At this rate, Cooper was enough, and I won’t make it through that many decadent, spoiled, rich friends who whine worse than a bagful of cats and are infinitely less interesting. Cooper and his buddies are set to spend a fun summer working abroad before their fathers pull the plug to straighten out their wild ways. Cooper’s is out to teach him a lesson and dangles his inheritance on a stick to force compliance. Now he’s stuck all summer under his dad’s thumb and watchful eye while living back in the family mansion with no money or freedom. His punishment is a summer assignment, more like family duty, that all his brothers fulfilled before him. It involves the prep school and college they control as the backdrop, but geez I felt like I’ve read these cookie cutter characters a thousand times before with nothing new to pique my interest, not even the promise of Huss’s typical writing.
The bully romance usually has a poor, damsel in distress – that would be newly orphaned Cadee whose mother just died and left her floundering, penniless, and worried about college. This contrived twist leaves her steeped in misfortune – homeless with collegiate uncertainty, financial insecurity, and in the way of those bad boys. Enter Cooper’s father and his plan for him and her.
Big surprise, there’s history between them that goes back 3 years – something about a one-time encounter in prep school that involved a blowie that Cooper would rather forget. Or so he says. Cooper acts like he hates Cadee, but not really. He’s still a stellar jerk. Ultimately, this is another in a long line of unremarkable bully romances where the boy is as vile as can be. The writing isn’t that good and it’s slow as molasses -- even the beginning and the dialogue in between all that foot stomping and tantrum throwing, whining and resistance from the manboys being forced to do whatever they don’t like. It was okay, but I just couldn’t get into it. Not one whit of interest was stirred in the next book. That said, I really like this author and may rethink the next book to give it one more chance. Wanna read a fantastic bad boy series that’s fresh and original? Read the Inferno Boys.
"Do you know what your problem is, Christopher?” ~~ EVERYTHING.
At the very least, the twit needs a lobotomy and reprogramming to become human. I had high hopes for Cooper and Cadee in this new series, but it was simply not to be.
Bully romances are wired straight to my brain. It may be cliché, but a sexy, rich, and spoiled-rotten bully targeting an outcast girl with nowhere to turn makes me rub my little hands in glee. I am giddy at the thought of loving to hate the rotten core right out of them, and know that no matter how unredeemable, despicable, and mean-spirited they are in pushing the envelope, I will always come around and love them in spite of it. And although I haven’t read a Huss novel since The Turning Series which I loved so much -- as well as many of her past books -- well … this new series pancaked for me.
Many things went sideways. Straight off, it didn’t read like her writing. More like she was the sudden love child of Shen and Tijan. Cooper may be a college guy and Cadee a college bound prep school grad, but it felt so immature and the dialogue was subpar. Pages of talking in circles and not getting to the point. If I wanted to read that level and style, I’d read the two aforementioned authors. I expected more from Huss, like on the adulting side. The real problem for me is how this new series was surely spawned …
Face facts. There is currently a major lack of worthwhile stories, no matter what over-inflated reviews would have us believe. Imitators, by any other name, are still imitators, and a flood of derivative series was inevitable in light of one in particular. Just like sharks circling for fresh blood, some authors – including maybe this one – I believe have found it. It seems to me that imitations are surfacing of the Inferno Boys – a new, popular, and incredibly well-written series about a bunch of spoiled rich boys and their controlling fathers. Each book showcases a different guy with a suspense plot threading through the entire series. Suddenly, thus spawns a new batch of 9-12 book series that are similar. Disagree? Well, you know what they say about a duck. And this one is quacking all over the place.
This series is 12 books long! At this rate, Cooper was enough, and I won’t make it through that many decadent, spoiled, rich friends who whine worse than a bagful of cats and are infinitely less interesting. Cooper and his buddies are set to spend a fun summer working abroad before their fathers pull the plug to straighten out their wild ways. Cooper’s is out to teach him a lesson and dangles his inheritance on a stick to force compliance. Now he’s stuck all summer under his dad’s thumb and watchful eye while living back in the family mansion with no money or freedom. His punishment is a summer assignment, more like family duty, that all his brothers fulfilled before him. It involves the prep school and college they control as the backdrop, but geez I felt like I’ve read these cookie cutter characters a thousand times before with nothing new to pique my interest, not even the promise of Huss’s typical writing.
The bully romance usually has a poor, damsel in distress – that would be newly orphaned Cadee whose mother just died and left her floundering, penniless, and worried about college. This contrived twist leaves her steeped in misfortune – homeless with collegiate uncertainty, financial insecurity, and in the way of those bad boys. Enter Cooper’s father and his plan for him and her.
Big surprise, there’s history between them that goes back 3 years – something about a one-time encounter in prep school that involved a blowie that Cooper would rather forget. Or so he says. Cooper acts like he hates Cadee, but not really. He’s still a stellar jerk. Ultimately, this is another in a long line of unremarkable bully romances where the boy is as vile as can be. The writing isn’t that good and it’s slow as molasses -- even the beginning and the dialogue in between all that foot stomping and tantrum throwing, whining and resistance from the manboys being forced to do whatever they don’t like. It was okay, but I just couldn’t get into it. Not one whit of interest was stirred in the next book. That said, I really like this author and may rethink the next book to give it one more chance. Wanna read a fantastic bad boy series that’s fresh and original? Read the Inferno Boys.
September 19, 2020
Not much of a fan of this one and I can't stand Cooper OR Cadee - they annoy me equally. I honestly can't say that I like any characters in this book; however, I will continue on because I'm curious. Maybe some of them will surprise me in book 2. Seriously scratching my head right now in confusion though. Too many secrets and trying to get everything straight in my head.
August 12, 2020
Oh, boy.
I’m able to enjoy an angsty, convoluted plot once in while, but on the condition that character development is present.
Nothing rips me out of the story faster than inconsistent characters, who just react to stuff, stumble onto important info, and then it’s all over, with a bow on top.
One minute they loathe each other, the next she ruminates over how the awful jerk-face who makes her life hell is “really a good guy”, while said guy feels “protective” over the girl he just called a worthless bitch in front of everyone. But wait! Things are not what they seem...
Wut?
Sorry, plot reversals need to make sense.
I reread one of my favorite series right before this book and was afraid of entering book slump mode.
Think I’ll call this one a palate cleanser and move on.
★ 1/2 stars
I’m able to enjoy an angsty, convoluted plot once in while, but on the condition that character development is present.
Nothing rips me out of the story faster than inconsistent characters, who just react to stuff, stumble onto important info, and then it’s all over, with a bow on top.
One minute they loathe each other, the next she ruminates over how the awful jerk-face who makes her life hell is “really a good guy”, while said guy feels “protective” over the girl he just called a worthless bitch in front of everyone. But wait! Things are not what they seem...
Wut?
Sorry, plot reversals need to make sense.
I reread one of my favorite series right before this book and was afraid of entering book slump mode.
Think I’ll call this one a palate cleanser and move on.
★ 1/2 stars
September 27, 2020
I really didn’t like this book! It was soo confusing! If someone asked me what this book was about and who ended up with who. I would not be able to tell you
September 13, 2021
This has to be the weirdest book I've ever come across. No kidding. 🏆
Went into this book, expecting -
• Dark Romance.
• Spine-tingling plot.
• Possessive male lead.
• Redeeming ending with a cute-sy epilogue.
Came out more confused than ever.
First of all, even after finishing this I'm still clueless and can't decided if this is a reverse harem or not. It is indicated that all three of them had a past but after she was violated, Christopher kinda dumped her, and then even the other two, Ax and Lars never gave her a second thought after that?
I don't really know what to make out of the book since when I was actually reading it, it felt like the author had devised a maze-like plot which was unfurling in a 'supposedly' captivating way, but as I am writing this review it's starting to dawn on me that it was all just "bully" and hardly any "romance" here.
High Court College and its students suck BIG TIME.
They're all rich stuck-ups who don't have a single kind bone in their bodies. They only care about getting high, getting wasted, doing dirty or pranking and humiliating people.
C'mon! Atleast the universe where the story is based should be welcoming. But here, the universe, the side characters, as well as main characters, all of them were one dimensional, boring and plain annoying.
All the men are major a-holes. Including Cooper/Christopher dearest. Made me want to throw down my book in anger because of the blatant way in which they were humiliating Cadee. I get it, yes this is a bully romance & I should know better but this book somehow makes me quite furious. I don't understand if it's because I hate Cadee's doormat personality or the toxic behaviour of the guys or both, but whatever it was, this book gave me a headache.
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