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Book Review: Hades Saga (Books 1-3)

After I finished reading the Hades X Persephone Series, I knew I was going to read the Hades Saga too. I knew I needed to see how this story, told from Hades’s perspective, differed from Persephone’s and see if there was anything different about these books than the others. And this saga didn’t disappoint. Like with the Hades X Persephone Series, though, I’m going to discuss each of the books here so you can get a clear picture of what I think of these books.  

A Game of Fate (Hades Saga #1)

Rating: 4 stars

Hades, God of the Underworld, is known for his inflexible rule, luxurious night clubs, and impossible bargains. Use to control, he is not prepared to discover the Fates have chosen his future wife and Queen—Persephone, Goddess of Spring.

Despite her attraction to the god, Persephone, an ambitious journalism student, is determined to expose Hades for his cruel and ruthless ways.

Hades finds himself faced with the impossible—proving his future bride wrong. Despite his efforts, there are forces who wish to keep the two apart and Hades comes to realize he will do anything for his forbidden love, even defy Fate.

What I enjoyed reading A Game of Fate was not only getting their love story told from Hades’ perspective but also finding out more about the inner workings of the Underworld. In the books from Persephone’s perspective, you don’t get that because she’s never been there until after she’s met Hades. And I enjoyed it because you, as the reader, get to see what it takes Hades to keep everything going in the Underworld.

What I also enjoyed about the story here is that when Hades meets Persephone, there are other things going on that he’s dealing with. I enjoyed seeing this story from his perspective because I got to learn about what other things he has to deal with while he’s simultaneously falling in love with Persephone. I feel like this gives me, as a reader, a better understanding of why he acts the way he does in these books. I also enjoyed reading his thoughts when it comes to her, too, because the author does a wonderful job of putting us in Hades’s shoes.   

What I also enjoyed in A Game of Fate was seeing his interactions with Hecate and Hermes. I feel like this book does a wonderful job of highlighting the dynamics in his friendships with other immortal beings.

If there was anything with this book I didn’t particularly like, which I know I’ll more than likely say with the rest of the books in this saga too, it’s what information he’s keeping from Persephone. While I understand his need to protect her from things she doesn’t fully understand yet, I feel like he can sometimes be a little overprotective when it comes to her. But it feels like in this book, it’s a little too much since the two of them have just met and are still in the process of getting to know each other. Especially with him already knowing that she’s destined to be his wife.

As a whole, though, A Game of Fate was an enjoyable read for me in this saga, as I enjoyed getting to see their story told from Hades’ perspective and getting to see the inner workings of the Underworld realm that Hades rules. Also, just really enjoyed getting to see his interactions with other immortals and seeing his relationship with Persephone bloom.   

A Game of Retribution (Hades Saga #2)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Hades, God of the Dead, does not take sides or bend the rules. He makes no exceptions to these values—not for god or mortal, even his lover, Persephone, Goddess of Spring.

Usually, fear prevents retaliation. But not this time.When Hera, Goddess of Women, approaches Hades with a plan to overthrow Zeus, he declines to offer help. As punishment, Hera sentences Hades to perform a series of labors. Each feat seems more impossible than the last and draws his attention away from Persephone—whose own tragedy has left her questioning whether she can be Queen of the Underworld.

In comparison to its predecessor, A Game of Retribution was a much more enjoyable read for me. I enjoyed it because, as a reader, I continue to see what’s going on from Hades’ perspective. I also enjoy that I get to see hints regarding what’s to come later in this series through this book. I see this through Hera asking Hades to help her with her plan to overthrow Zeus. But when he refuses to help her, she chooses to put his relationship with Persephone through the wringer. You get hints of what’s to come plot-wise in the story through this because it’s apparent how much Hera can’t stand her husband, and we get to see her surrounding herself with the character who’s going to take advantage of that.     

This book in the series is the one where their relationship struggles the most. When seeing what had happened through Persephone’s perspective, I hadn’t understood as much why Hades hadn’t been around for her as much as he maybe should’ve. But after reading this book, I now understand why. I’m not saying, though, that you have to read A Game of Retribution to necessarily know that Hades has problems of his own he’s dealing with. After all, he is the God of the Dead, so it would make sense to me that things are going on that we wouldn’t be privy to. If anything, this just highlights to me how every relationship has struggles. But what matters when it comes to them is how you handle those struggles. And in this book, it’s very apparent how much Hades cares about Persephone with how he fights for them.

What I also enjoyed about reading this book is that I felt like I had more of an understanding of Hades’ character. I felt like I could see how much he cares about Persephone through the choices he makes to protect their relationship from those who want to destroy it.    

The one issue I had with A Game of Retribution is the same issue I had with A Game of Fate: Hades not sharing everything with Persephone with regards to what he’s dealing with in his life. If anything, it was more of an issue in this book for me because of what Persephone was going through. I felt like Hades acted a lot like he didn’t understand why Persephone was upset about losing her friend. I get that since they live in the Underworld, she would get to see her friend whenever she wanted. But with the way she loses her, I felt like Hades should’ve told her what would happen if she were to interfere with fate. I felt like if he had done so, things could’ve turned out differently here than they did. I’m not saying I blame Hades necessarily for how things turned out, but I do think he should’ve had an honest conversation with her about what happens when you try to interfere with the fate of someone when it’s their time to go.

But as a whole, I immensely enjoyed reading A Game of Retribution as I love reading this story from Hades’ perspective. I also enjoyed it because of getting to see the struggles he’s going through while Persephone is dealing with the loss of her friend, and what he’s doing to overcome his problems.

A Game of Gods (Hades Saga #3)

Rating: 3 stars

Hades, God of the Dead, has finally made Persephone his in every way possible. With their wedding on the horizon, the couple should be ecstatic. But Demeter is wreaking havoc on their bliss by battering the whole of New Greece with erratic and dangerous weather. At the same time, Theseus continues with his agenda against the Gods, allying with the hate-group Triad in an effort to bring down all of Olympus.

Hades refuses to allow anything to stop him from securing Persephone as his bride, but he must play a deep strategic game with the Gods of Olympus to safeguard their future. And it is not entirely clear which Gods are truly on his side.

Out of the books in the Hades Saga, A Game of Gods is my least favorite one. What I enjoyed about it is seeing the story being told from Dionysus’ point of view from when he was first introduced to Ariadne. And seeing how what the two of them are doing together connects with what’s going on in Hades’ life with Persephone. I found those chapters interesting because they brought to light some information I didn’t originally have before.

What I also enjoyed about this book was seeing Hades and Persephone’s relationship continue to develop. Seeing how they have overcome a lot of the issues that they have in this series as a whole. I also enjoyed seeing Hades’ relationships with Hecate and Hermes in this book continue to develop.     

However, there was a lot about A Game of Gods I didn’t like. In particular, it felt like, other than the chapters told from Dionysus’ point of view, there wasn’t a whole lot of new information I gleaned from reading this book. If anything, this book just felt like a complete retelling of the events that take place in A Touch of Malice, minus the chapters that are from Dionysus and Theseus’ point of view. Speaking of Theseus, I felt like his chapters in this book were completely pointless, as they didn’t add anything to the story for me and could’ve been completely taken out.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading this book. But in comparison to the rest of the books in this saga, it felt like there wasn’t really anything new that it brought to the story with these characters.   

As for the Hades Saga as a whole, I enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed getting to see the story told from Hades’ perspective and getting insights into the Underworld directly from the God of the Dead that we never could’ve gotten from Persephone. I also enjoyed it because I learned what was going on in Hades’ life while he was falling in love with Persephone, and seeing their relationship continue to develop. My biggest issue with this saga was how much Hades doesn’t tell Persephone about what’s going on. I get he does it because he wants to protect her, but a lot of what’s happening is things that are eventually going to impact her life, too. So I feel like he just needed to be honest with her and tell her. But overall, as a whole, I enjoyed reading this series too.      

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Book Review: Hades X Persephone Series (Books 1-4)

So technically, there’s a total of seven books written by this author in this series if you include the Hades Saga too. However, as I haven’t read those books yet, this is my review of the books in this series from Persephone’s perspective, which is called the Hades X Persephone Series. I decided to read this series starting with these books first because it made sense even if it means I’m not reading these two series together in what’s considered the proper reading order. I also out of the two was more interested in hearing Persephone’s side of the story over Hades as well, which is why I decided to read these books first before reading the Hades Saga, which I plan on reading too soon. So below is my review of the four books in the Hades X Persephone Series, starting with A Touch of Darkness.  

A Touch of Darkness (Hades X Persephone #1)

Rating: 4 stars

Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist.

Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible.

After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.

The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden.

What I enjoyed reading A Touch of Darkness was seeing the love story unfold between Hades and Persephone from Persephone’s perspective. I especially enjoyed this retelling of this mythology because it’s a more modern take on their story with Persephone looking to become a journalist and have a normal life. And I enjoyed that because it was interesting to see where things would go. 

Seeing everything unfolding from Persephone’s perspective and reading her thoughts on what’s happening is interesting because you can see her character development. When she first meets Hades, she already has preconceived thoughts about him and publishes a story about him going off what her mother taught her to believe. But as she gets more engrossed in Hades’s world and learns more about him, she realizes everything her mother Demeter told her about this God is wrong and starts to question everything Demeter has taught her to believe. I enjoyed seeing her character development in A Touch of Darkness because you see her learn from the choices she makes and realize that not everything is what it seems.

What I also enjoyed about reading this book was the characters. I enjoyed seeing Persephone’s new friendships with nonmortals such as Hermes and Hecate and seeing her interactions with her best friend Lexa and other mortals that she starts to befriend, like Sybil. I also enjoyed seeing her interactions with the dead souls in the Underworld and Hades’s dogs. I feel like in this book, her character is working on finding her place in this world after being kept hidden by Demeter for so long, and am happy to see it through her interactions with those she considers her friends.

What I also enjoyed about reading A Touch of Darkness was getting to read about what the Underworld is like from Persephone’s perspective. I enjoyed every time she went there because it felt like there was always something going on but also because it doesn’t seem like all that bad of a place to go once you die. It also has always sounded like an interesting place to me even before I started reading this series so maybe that could be why I was interested in reading what it was like there.     

If I have anything I don’t particularly like about A Touch of Darkness it would have to be the lack of plot in this book compared to the others in the series and how quickly Hades and Persephone’s romance develops in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing Persephone trying to fit in as a mortal and going to the Underworld to try and make life bloom there. But in comparison to the rest of the books in this series, there isn’t all that much that happens here. I still enjoyed it because it gave a good starting point for these characters and what’s going on in their lives. But in comparison to the rest of the books in the series, the plot here is lacking to me. I also wasn’t as fond of Hades and Persephone’s romance in this book because I was expecting their romance to develop slowly between the two of them, but it felt like they were instantly attracted to each other instead. While I don’t necessarily mind that whenever I read stories with romance in them, I just didn’t feel like it made sense here because of Persephone’s upbringing and everything she was told about Hades before she met him. Granted, I know she realizes her mother lied to her a lot, but I still didn’t think she would immediately develop a romance with Hades. I figured their romance would start differently than it does.

But as a whole, I enjoyed reading A Touch of Darkness and found it to be a good start to this series about Hades and Persephone. It was a combination of mythology and romance that I found endearing and was excited to continue reading the next book in the series, A Touch of Ruin to see what would happen next.

   A Touch of Ruin (Hades X Persephone #2)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Persephone’s relationship with Hades has gone public and the resulting media storm disrupts her normal life and threatens to expose her as the Goddess of Spring.

Hades, God of the Dead, is burdened by a hellish past that everyone’s eager to expose in an effort to warn Persephone away.

Things only get worse when a horrible tragedy leaves Persephone’s heart in ruin and Hades refusing to help. Desperate, she takes matters into her own hands, striking bargains with severe consequences.

Faced with a side of Hades she never knew and crushing loss, Persephone wonders if she can truly become Hades’ queen.

Reading A Touch of Ruin made me glad to continue reading this series as I felt like you got to see here Persephone faced with a lot. From her relationship with Hades being discovered and published in the mortal realm, to her looking to write about another one of the Gods to get justice for a friend, Persephone’s life disguised as a mortal takes quite a turn.

What I enjoyed with Persephone in this book is that I could relate to her character. She goes through a lot in A Touch of Ruin that I honestly felt like I could relate to as the loss she goes through is one I know all too well and wouldn’t wish on anyone. In this book, she felt more mortal than God with everything she struggled with, and I found myself feeling for her in everything that happened. Yes, she didn’t make some of the best choices, but I felt like I understood why she made them as she wanted to save her closest friend. And that’s something I found I couldn’t blame her for even though it ended up causing more harm than good in the end.

What I also enjoyed in this book was getting to meet Apollo. He starts here as not an enjoyable character due to the circumstances he’s introduced. But then once Persephone gets into a bargain with him, I found myself liking his character because he very easily could’ve not helped her after what she tried to do. Instead, though, I felt like we saw a side to him I wasn’t expecting, and it made me want to see how things would turn out with him and Persephone becoming friends.

What I also enjoyed reading A Touch of Ruin was seeing the obstacles Hades and Persephone had to deal with in their relationship. Most of these obstacles were due to the world knowing about their relationship and finding out that Hades was keeping things from Persephone. I felt that their relationship going through struggles here was needed though because I wanted to see what happened with their relationship whenever things got bad between the two of them. And I wasn’t at all disappointed as I felt like their relationship grew from the struggles they dealt with in this book.

If I had to choose anything with A Touch of Ruin I didn’t particularly enjoy it would have to be the plot surrounding Persephone’s secret admirer. It’s not because of who it ends up being, I just personally felt like she was already going through a lot in this book I didn’t feel like she needed something else to deal with along with everything else. I’m glad about the way the situation ends because I didn’t feel like she should have trauma to deal with too along with her grief but just wish this wasn’t included as a part of her story. I get why considering the character and making it align with the mythology, I just personally felt like Persephone went through enough with losing her closest mortal friend and didn’t need something else to deal with along with coping over that loss.

Overall though, I would say A Touch of Ruin is probably my favorite book in this series. Because I found what Persephone was going through relatable to me so I felt like I could relate to what was happening in this book more as I felt like I was seeing her have human moments and see her and Hades go through struggles in their relationship that resulted in only making them stronger.

A Touch of Malice (Hades X Persephone #3)

Rating: 4 stars

Persephone and Hades are engaged. In retaliation, Demeter summons a snowstorm that cripples New Greece, and refuses to lift the blizzard unless her daughter calls off her engagement. When the Olympians intervene, Persephone finds her future in the hands of ancient gods, and they are divided. Do they allow Persephone to marry Hades and go to war with Demeter or prohibit their union and take up arms against the God of the Dead? Nothing is certain but the promise of war.

I feel like I enjoyed A Touch of Malice because it’s the book that for me does a good job of explaining what will lead these characters into war. This book does a wonderful job of setting the story for what will happen in the last book in this series as you start to see as this book goes on Gods picking sides when it comes to Hades and Persephone’s relationship. I feel like seeing them pick sides here gave me a good indicator as to what would happen once the war started. I also enjoyed it because I finally was introduced to the other Olympians, and you get to see the dynamics between all of them in relation to Hades.

What I also enjoyed with this book is I felt like you got to see Persephone’s character develop. She begins to truly learn how to harness her magic but also learns how to handle herself when it comes to interacting with other Gods. I especially enjoyed seeing her relationships with both her mortal friends and the Gods she’s friends with. Seeing her friendships in this book was nice as I felt like with everything that happened in the last book, she needed to have some moments with those she cared about to take her mind off her grief and the trauma she endured.

If I had to choose anything with A Touch of Malice I didn’t enjoy it would have to be the ending. I feel like all the conflicts that occurred in this book that would lead these characters into war didn’t truly build up until the end of this book and it all felt extremely messy and disjointed. Especially the big fight that occurs between Persephone and Hades against the Olympians, which ended up not being that much of a fight at all. But what bothered me about it was that it felt like the Olympians attacked her for no reason other than feeling threatened by her magic now that she was married to Hades. It also bothered me because it wasn’t much of a fight either as I was expecting casualties or for the organization that was attacking Gods to show up and start hurting characters on either side of the fight. It also just didn’t make sense for it to occur to begin with as it didn’t lead to anything significant happening other than discovering which Gods were on Hades and Persephone’s side in the fight, which wasn’t all that surprising to me. I felt like this fight could’ve been taken out of the book completely with how little it added to the story to me and the ending would’ve been much better without it.

The rest of what happened at the end of A Touch of Malice concerning Theseus didn’t bother me quite as much because, with everything that happened, it made sense to me. As the leader of the organization that was attacking Gods, it made sense to me that we would see more of his character and that he would bring about the war that has been talked about since the beginning of this book. The only thing that bothered me was what Persephone ended up doing. I’m not going to say more in case anyone reading my review of this book reads these books other than I felt sad for her with everything that happened to her and Hades. But at the same time, it made me ready to see what would happen in the next book too.

Overall I enjoyed A Touch of Malice because it set up the story of what was to happen next concerning the war and enjoyed continuing to see Persephone’s character development through the use of her powers. While I didn’t enjoy the battle between the Gods at the end, seeing how Theseus’s character is involved in what’s been going on was an interesting twist that made me excited to read the last book in this series to see how this series concludes.

A Touch of Chaos (Hades X Persephone #4)

Rating: 3 stars

Persephone, Goddess of Spring, never guessed a chance encounter with Hades, God of the Underworld, would change her life forever—but he did.

A fight for humanity and battles between gods, it’s a world Persephone never thought she would see. To end the chaos, she must draw upon her darkness and embrace who she’s become—Goddess, Wife, Queen of the Underworld.

Once, Persephone made bargains to save those she loves, now she will go to war for them.

While I enjoyed reading A Touch of Chaos, there were a lot of loose ends with this book that made it not as enjoyable as the rest of the books in this series. I will say though that I did enjoy the pacing in this book because events transpired quickly in each chapter. From the first page to the last, a lot was going on. I felt like I was on edge while reading, waiting to see what would happen next.

What I especially enjoyed here was continuing to see Persephone’s development through her powers. I especially appreciated it when she used her abilities to defend the souls in her home from the threat Theseus unleashed on the Underworld and when she went to get Hades back. I loved seeing her come into her powers as a Goddess and embracing them to help those she cared about be safe. There was also a lot of character development for her in this book with how she dealt with the deaths of those she cared about too, which made sense considering the number of characters that end up dying by the time this book is finished.  

I also enjoyed the introduction of Dionysus and Ariadne into A Touch of Chaos. I especially enjoyed seeing their relationship with each other as you could see how much Dionysus cared about Ariadne when I made it to the chapters told from his perspective. I wasn’t sure what the importance of their characters was here originally until Ariadne helped Persephone save Hades in the maze and you found out about her sister and Theseus’s obsession with Ariadne.

I felt bad for Ariadne in this book because of her sister and how he treated her and what happened to her and her sister in this book because of Theseus. What Theseus did to Ariadne in this book made me hate him even more than when I started this book so much that I couldn’t wait for him to die. Especially since I had to read about it from his perspective. As a warning, what Theseus does to Ariadne is extremely traumatic and the author does have a content warning at the start of this book concerning the traumatic things that happen within this book’s pages. So if you’re reading this post and decide to give this series a read, please make sure to read the content warning so you’re prepared for what’s to come.  

There were so many things that happened in A Touch of Chaos that while interesting, resulted in this book having a lot of loose endings, which made this book not as much of an enjoyable read for me. For example, I didn’t truly understand why Dionysus went looking for Medusa. With everything else that was going on, finding her didn’t seem like it should’ve been a high priority in the story as once he finds her nothing happens with her character in this book. I also feel like we don’t get any closure concerning what happened with a lot of the characters in this book. Like now that Ariadne and Dionysus are reunited, what’s going to happen with their relationship, and how is Ariadne going to recover from the trauma she endured from Theseus? Another example has to do with the Gods that are now dead. What’s going to happen now with these Olympians dead? Who’s the God that’s going to keep things going after everything that’s happened?  

I also in general wanted more of an epilogue with the characters that made it to see how their lives were after everything that happened as what we got while it was enjoyable to read, wasn’t enough. I felt like there was so much about what happened that was never discussed as it felt like everything just returned to normal once the fighting was over. I also wanted to see what happened with Theseus now that he’s one of the souls in the Underworld as his death wasn’t nearly as satisfying to me as I first found it when I originally read it. I wanted to see justice enacted against him in the Underworld and wanted to find out what they decided as his punishment there.

What I also found disappointing with A Touch of Chaos was the fight scenes. I felt like all the fights save what happens in the maze were easily resolved. Even when it came time to take down Hades’s father, it happened way too easily, which made me feel like something else could potentially happen to him later on. I also feel like there should’ve been something that happened with Persephone due to her taking someone’s life before their thread was cut, but that’s never truly addressed here either.

Overall what I enjoyed about A Touch of Chaos was how fast-moving the story was, Persephone continues to grow in development with her abilities, and the introduction of Dionysus and Ariadne into the story. Nothing else only because there were too many loose ends and because none of the characters truly get a resolution to what happens to them after the events in this book. As a whole though, I truly enjoyed reading the Hades X Persephone Series. I felt like this version of their romance was enjoyable to read as it was a unique take on mythology and can see myself reading these books again in the future once I’ve gotten to read the Hades Saga. Maybe the next time I decide to read this series, I’ll follow the recommended reading order to see what reading the books in that order is like.

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Book Review: The Harlequin Crew Series

After having read the Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series and Dead Men Walking duet, I figured I might as well continuing reading books set in the same world. Since I’ve enjoyed the books I’ve read in this world so far, I figured I might as well give The Harlequin Crew series a try to see how much I enjoy it. So to kick these reviews off, let me start by talking about the first book in the series, Sinners’ Playground.

Sinners’ Playground (The Harlequin Crew #1)

Rating: 4.5 stars

Dead girls don’t feel pain. But they like the taste of vengeance.

Maybe that’s why I came back to my hometown. Because it sure as hell wasn’t for the surf. But what else was I supposed to do when I found myself in Sunset Cove with twenty bucks to my name, the key to my enemies’ secrets hanging around my neck and a mouth full of grave dirt that wouldn’t wash clean?

I hate the Harlequin boys.

But this is the perfect opportunity to take what they owe me. Because once upon a time, they broke my heart, stole my life, and sent me away from everything I’d ever known.

Fox, JJ, Chase, and Maverick. The four names tattooed onto my heart more permanently than any of the ink on my skin. They don’t just live in this town anymore, they rule it. And the view here may be beautiful, but the sun, sea and sand hide dark secrets.

The gangs. The lies. The violence.

It all lurks beneath a veil so thin that once you’ve seen through it, you can never close your eyes to the truth again.

But I don’t plan on closing my eyes. I have four devils set in my sights. And this dead girl no longer has anything to lose.

This is an enemies to lovers contemporary series where the girl will end up with multiple love interests and all of the characters are in their late twenties. Trigger warning: this series features gangs, violence, dark romance, and jealous/possessive themes.

This book is a wonderful start to this series as I was immediately hooked to Rogue’s story and the story of the boys who stole her heart and broke it. What I enjoyed most is the overall story, the setting of Sunset Cove, and all of the characters that as a reader I’m introduced to.

What I enjoyed about the plot is that from the beginning, it hooks you in. The main female protagonist, Rogue, is a dead girl walking who returns to her hometown of Sunset Cove after ten years, promising to get revenge on the boys who broke her heart and kill the man who tried to kill her. Of course, doing those things isn’t going to be an easy task as she was told if she ever came back to Sunset Cove again, she was as good as dead. And the guy who tried to kill her is the leader of a dangerous gang called the Dead Dogs and an enemy of the Harlequin Crew, the gang that rules over Sunset Cove and whose leader is one of the boys who broke Rogue’s heart ten years ago. I enjoyed the plot in Sinners’ Playground because I knew there was no way Rogue was going to be back in Sunset Cove again without the guys she once loved knowing she was back and was interested to see how everything played out for everyone in this book. And where the plot went once Rogue was back didn’t disappoint, keeping me on my toes and continuing to read to see what would happen next.

What I also enjoyed about Sinners’ Playground was the setting of Sunset Cove. It’s interesting reading a book series that takes place in a beach town that’s run by a gang. But I also like it too because I love going to the beach. So even though Sunset Cove is rough around the edges, I feel like I enjoy this setting for this series because I feel like I can imagine a lot of what’s happening in the story pretty vividly. And even though it’s not a typical beach town, I still feel like Sunset Cove could be an interesting town to go to for vacation.

I also love the characters as well. I felt like as far as female protagonists go, Rogue is an overall badass. Now I’m not going to say I agree with all of the choices she makes because I do sometimes feel like she makes terrible decisions. But I also understand that she’s used to depending only on herself ever since she was made to leave Sunset Cove ten years ago, and she doesn’t want anyone trying to control what she does even when she’s being told it’s for her own good. So I actually feel like I understand a lot of the choices she makes, even the really terrible ones. And considering all of what she’s been through, I don’t blame her for the way she acts towards these guys when she’s back in town and they know she’s there. But I feel like she’s a wonderful female protagonist and enjoy her character here. I also like JJ and Maverick as well because I feel like out of the guys she knew, both of them seem to understand her the most regarding what she wants. Which I find crazy, considering how much Maverick hates Fox and his crew because of what happened that resulted in Rogue leaving ten years ago. I also find them to be the most interesting characters out of the boys Rogue used to love out of the four in the group. Their background and stories interest me the most as well, which I think helps as I want to understand what they both went through during the time Rogue was no longer in Sunset Cove.

If I had to choose anything with regards to what I dislike from reading this first book in The Harlequin Crew series, Sinners’ Playground, it would have to be the way Fox and Chase act when Rogue returns. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely like both their characters because I know the way they act in this book isn’t going to last for the whole series. But I wasn’t fond of them in this book when I was reading it. What I didn’t like about Fox here is how controlling he is when it comes to Rogue and how much he freaks out whenever she manages to get away. It’s not like I don’t understand that he’s trying to protect her, both from his father Luther who is the one who promised her death if she ever returns to Sunset Cove, and from the man who tried to kill her even though she hasn’t told him in this book yet who the one responsible is. But at the same time, I feel like he goes way too overboard with it sometimes. I also don’t like how possessive he acts with her by claiming her as his girl when she hasn’t agreed to be with him at all. I know he did it to offer her protection in his gang, but it’s just too controlling for my tastes so I don’t like him all that much because of it.

With Chase, what I dislike is how much he hates Rogue even though he’s one of the people responsible for her leaving Sunset Cove. While I get a lot of his hate has to do with how much his heart hasn’t fully healed from her absence and not wanting her to destroy the lives of the people he considers family, I also find it frustrating. Because I know from reading the chapters from his perspective how much he actually still loves her, whether he truly wants to admit it or not. And instead of admitting those feelings and facing them, he’s determined to get her out of Sunset Cove and making sure she doesn’t want to come back. His overall hatred for her is what results in the way Sinners’ Playground ends, and while I don’t necessarily hate the ending of this book, I hate how much Chase is giving into the hatred he feels towards Rogue because his plans to get her away from the men he calls family is only going to end up backfiring and hurting the people he cares about the most more than anything.

Despite how much I dislike Fox and Chase and the way they treat Rogue in this book, I enjoyed reading the first book in this series and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next in the second book in the series, Dead Man’s Isle. 

Dead Man’s Isle (The Harlequin Crew #2)

Rating: 4.5 stars

I’m the girl who no one wanted. Or the one who got away. Depending on who you ask.

Either way, betrayal and heartache have been my friends for far too long and it’s time for me to start over.

I gave the Harlequin boys a chance to change. A chance to prove that history wasn’t just set to repeat itself. But they failed with spectacular colours.

Maybe it’s time for me to stop running. After all, Sunset Cove has been living under the Harlequins’ thumb for far too long. It’s time to set our demons free and let them burn this place to the ground. Who knows if I’ll survive the fallout? But I guess I’ll soon find out if dead girls can die twice.

This is an enemies to lovers contemporary series where the girl will end up with multiple love interests and all of the characters are in their late twenties.

Just like Sinners’ Playground, I enjoyed reading Dead Man’s Isle immensely. What I enjoyed with this book is that I felt like I got more of a peak into Maverick’s character. A lot of the chapters from his perspective gave a lot of insight into what his life was like after Rogue left and how he started up his gang against the Harlequin Crew. And I enjoyed reading his chapters because I felt like I had a better understanding of his vendetta against the guys he used to see as his brothers. I also felt bad for him too though because you could clearly see how dark his life had become and how much pain he had in life once Rogue was gone.

What I also enjoyed about this book was how it picked up where its predecessor left off. In this book in the series, you start to see some of the consequences of one of the character’s actions from the decisions he made at the end of the last book. You also see Rogue make a lot of big decisions here that initially surprised me but then didn’t when I thought further about them. I understood she made these choices so that she could continue living in Sunset Cove and get back at her ex who tried to kill her. And I’m here for it because I’m interested to see how she gets back at Shawn for everything he put her through before she came back to Sunset Cove.

What I enjoyed about everything that happened in this book is that I feel like the plot keeps picking up. The main plot in this book focuses on the rivalry between the Dead Dogs and Harlequin Crew and the war that both gangs are in with each other while Rogue continues working on her plan to destroy the men who broke her heart. I enjoyed every minute of this story because things just get more intense and take a turn I don’t expect. So I find myself becoming enamored with the story and excited to see what will happen next as these guys fight for Sunset Cove and to keep Rogue safe from Shawn.

I also enjoyed continuing to see her relationships with Maverick and JJ. Even though it’s clear how much these two guys still dislike each other, it’s also clear to see how much they both care about Rogue and making her happy too. I also enjoyed Rogue’s relationships with Fox and Chase in this book too more than I did in Sinners’ Playground. What I enjoyed with Fox’s character in Dead Man’s Isle is the references made to other books that I’ve read before (one of which is another series by these authors) as he decides to read some of the romance books that JJ has to see what he can do to win Rogue over. I still don’t like how controlling he acts towards Rogue in this book, but I don’t feel like it’s quite as bad as the first book in the series. With Chase, you could see the guilt he felt over the big decision he made that ruined his relationship with Rogue. And I felt bad for him because of how much he was beating himself up over it, especially felt bad too when Fox and JJ discovered what he’d done. I know a big part of it for me is that his character is someone I can relate to because of what he’s been through, and I understand his feelings when it comes to Rogue and feeling like he’s not enough for her. He goes through so much in this book and with the way this book ends, I know he’s about to go through a whole lot more trauma than he deserves.

If I had to choose anything about Dead Man’s Isle that I dislike it would have to be Shawn’s character. Don’t get me wrong, he makes for a wonderful villain in this series. But I hate him as a whole so much. He reminds me of some guys I’ve dealt with before in the past with regards to the way he treats women. He’s also just a really annoying character as well as he’s one of those villains that just opens his mouth and talks a lot when he’s coming out on top. And I really really am excited to continue reading the books in this series to see Rogue and the guys she loves bring about his death and downfall. Because I know when it comes, everything these characters have been through because of him will be worth it.

Overall though, I enjoyed reading Dead Man’s Isle. It does a wonderful job picking up where its predecessor left off, gives me more insight into one of my favorite characters from these books, shows me more of a relationship between two of the guys Rogue loves, and shows some character development between two of the guys I wasn’t as fond of in this book’s predecessor. And while I hate Shawn’s character despite how good of a villain he truly is, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Carnival Hill to see how this series continues to play out.

Carnival Hill (The Harlequin Crew #3)

Rating: 4.5 stars

I thought that I was broken before, but my damage never tasted as bitter as this.

The Harlequin boys are more than just a memory now. More than a daydream of our youth and an idea to cling onto. They’re my greatest weakness and my biggest regret, but I’ve started to realise that coming back to Sunset Cove was always my fate.

My heart beats to the turn of the tide here. My skin only warms beneath this sun. And my soul will only ever be home on these streets and with the men who grew out of my memories.

But nothing is the same as I remember and the time for childish games is coming to an end.

I may want to pretend that the last ten years never happened, but the nightmare I lost myself in has followed me home and I can’t keep ignoring the things I once did to survive.

The question is, will my mistakes be the end of me and my boys? Will the choices I made then change everything now? And will the life I never wanted steal away my only chance at the life I’m afraid to wish for?

This is an enemies to lovers contemporary series where the girl will end up with multiple love interests and all of the characters are in their late twenties. Trigger warning: this series features gangs, violence, dark romance and jealous/possessive themes.

I really enjoyed reading the third book in The Harlequin Crew series, Carnival Hill. What I enjoyed about reading this book was the plot continuing to do a wonderful job of continuing where its predecessor left off and the character development Chase and Fox go through. The plot in this book in the series shows extremely well how serious this war is between the Harlequins versus the Dead Dogs. Shawn is out for all of their blood and won’t stop coming after them until he gets what he wants. And he puts our heroes (especially our boy Chase) through hell. This book in the series is extremely dark as everyone realizes how big of a threat fucking Shawn is to their unit. And I loved every minute reading it to see where the story would go for this cast of characters as I rooted for them to bring Shawn to his end.

I also love the character development between two of the guys in the series that give Rogue the most trouble as they both realize what they’ve been doing when it comes to her is wrong. I also think what helps for my enjoyment of the character development here is that Chase did a lot for everyone in this book. He went through so much trauma in this book that I found myself having to hold back tears after he was able to escape it. And even when he escaped from it, he was still dealing with what he went through even though he was no longer dealing with it. And even though it was terrible to behold, I enjoyed it for his character because it strengthened his relationship with Rogue. While Fox at times here still acts all overprotective/possessive, I did find him more enduring and not as overbearing as in the previous novels. I think it’s because I understand him with it even though it’s not completely okay either. But I’m excited to continue to see his character develop and realize he doesn’t need to be that way with the people he loves.

Let’s not forget too the amount of character development Rogue goes through in Carnival Hill. Yes, there continue to be times where she doesn’t make the best decisions, but I have a hard time being annoyed with it because of the strength she shows in this book. She knows what Shawn is like and still makes the big sacrifice she makes at the end of this book even though she knows what will happen to her for making this choice. While I wasn’t overall happy with the ending in this book, I understood why Rogue made that choice regarding the men she loves. It made sense to me because if she felt like she stood a chance of being able to end this war without losing her guys, why not take it? It was painful to read and see how it played out and I was very sad about it, but I understood what Rogue was trying to do. I hated how it made all of them feel when they watched the video she made, but I understood it all the same. I feel like her making this choice, knowing what it could cost her made me love her character even more as I understood very well what she was getting herself back into but doing it because of how much she loved the men that made up the center of her world.

I also love the development between Rogue’s guys. I know I saw some of it as well in Dead Man’s Isle, but I enjoyed it even more here. Especially when they are working together in moments where you wouldn’t expect it. The best example that comes to mind here is Maverick being the one who saves Chase from Shawn and brings him back to JJ and Fox. Didn’t expect that to happen until it did and hearing Maverick’s thoughts on it made me realize how much I love their dynamic and how it’s coming together for them. Especially since you can see in this book that Maverick is no longer fighting his feelings when it comes to his friends he grew up with regarding when one of them ends up still being alive. I feel like his relationships with JJ and Chase (hell, even Fox near the end) develop well here and I was happy to see them all together. I’ve also found Fox’s dad, Luther, to be an enjoyable character in these books recently and enjoyed his presence in this book. His relationship with both Fox and Rogue I enjoy seeing and am excited to continue to see more of his character as these books go on.

I know I already mentioned this earlier, but I really hated the way this book ended. Yes, I understood the reasoning behind what Rogue does, but it doesn’t make it any easier to read. I would say it was my least favorite ending with these books so far. But I’m also looking to cheer Rogue on in her quest to kill Shawn and do whatever it takes to accomplish that task. At the same time though, seeing how Rogue hurts the guys she loves was really difficult because I knew them believing her lies will cost her in her quest for vengeance.

But despite the ending, I enjoyed reading Carnival Hill and was excited to read the next book in the series, Paradise Lagoon despite how much darker I knew things were about to get for Rogue and her guys. 

Paradise Lagoon (The Harlequin Crew #4)

Rating: 5 stars

I made my choice. I took the hard way out. Now all of our fates are riding on the dice I’m about to throw and luck never was on our side.

I was whole once, with my boys in this slice of paradise we’d carved out for ourselves, but in the time that we were parted we grew up. Grew apart. And as much as I might have yearned to reclaim that girl with the sand between her toes and the sun on her cheeks, it’s time I admit that I spent too long in the shadows to ever truly be her again.

My heart may be breaking for the men I left behind, but I know that I can make that pain count for something, because I’m no fool believing the pretty promises of a mad man.

No. I’m the assassin he just opened his fortress to. And now that I’m inside, I intend to repay him for every moment of suffering he has inflicted upon me and my boys.

Shawn Mackenzie thought he killed me once upon a time. Now this dead girl is back to return the favour.

Out of the books in the series so far, this one is my favorite. All of the characters in this series went through a lot of character development in this book and I enjoyed it. Especially Fox as even though he was still a little stubborn and hard headed, he truly realized the error of his ways when it came to being overbearing with Rogue. And Chase finally realized the error of his ways when it came to Rogue and in this book, began to do the right thing when it came to their relationship once everyone was back together again. JJ and Maverick’s character development in this book came through both of them continuing to get along with each other and working together to get Chase into their group. But they also had character development through forgiving Rogue’s actions at the end of Carnival Hill and doing what they could to help Rogue through what she went through because of Shawn. Rogue’s character development in this book is great because she realizes how strong she really is and how much these guys truly care for her. Yes, she and Chase still have some trauma that they are dealing with because of Shawn, but they both also realize they have people in their lives who love and care about them that they can go to for support.  

In comparison to the other books in this series, Paradise Lagoon was really dark and touched on some heavy subject matter, such as sexual assault, rape, and abuse. But then it also had some light moments too where you could see all of these characters’ love for each other shining through. I saw this especially through Luther’s relationship with his sons, Fox and Maverick. You can see how much he cares about Fox and Maverick in this book and realize the error of the choices he made that resulted in their fractured relationship with each other. You also see development in Fox and Maverick’s relationship with each other too. When this series started, they both hated each other because of what happened that resulted in Rogue leaving Sunset Cove. But now that the truth has come to light regarding who was responsible for Maverick’s trauma, you start to see these two working on building a better relationship with each other.

I also enjoyed reading chapters in this book from Luther’s perspective. I feel like you learn a lot about him through his chapters and enjoyed getting to read his thoughts on everything going on in his gang. I especially enjoy his chapters when it comes to interacting with one of the leaders in the cartel that’s in this book, Carmen. I find their interactions interesting because it feels like there might be more between the two of them than the working relationship that’s being portrayed. I also enjoy their interactions because I like Carmen’s character and enjoy seeing her in this book as I last saw her in the Dead Men Walking duet. Granted, she does make an appearance in previous books in this series too but seeing her and Luther’s interactions I enjoy so wanted to make note of it here since they interact a bit in this book.

Speaking of characters from other books, Brooklyn, Mateo, Brutus, and Niall from the duet also make an appearance in this book. And Tatum and some of her guys from Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep have also made more than one appearance in this series too. But in this book, I enjoyed seeing all of these characters again because of the relationships they develop with some of the main characters in this series. The way Brooklyn and Fox interacted in this book for example, I found to be one of my favorite moments because I never expected the two of them to end up getting along in the way they do. With Tatum and her guys, I enjoy seeing their interactions with Rogue and her guys in this book because you see Tatum and Rogue’s friendship growing in this book. And with their friendship, you get to see these characters and how they interact with each other, and I love it because of how much I enjoyed reading the Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series.

Even the ending to Paradise Lagoon was great. It left me hanging, wanting to know what was going to happen next and how the story of these characters was going to come to an end in the next book in the series in their fight against Shawn. Overall a good book with a lot happening that made me excited to read the last book, Gallows Bridge to see how this story would end. 

Gallows Bridge (The Harlequin Crew #5)

Rating: 4 stars

Every story comes to an end eventually. Maybe ours was never meant to have a happy ending.

I was back in my hometown at last, surrounded by the boys I’ve loved for my entire life, and I’d finally had everything I’d ever wanted. But fate never was kind to this dead girl, and we aren’t done fighting to claim our happily ever after.

This might not be a fairy tale, but I swear on all I am that I’ll defeat the villain of our story before it’s done. The only question left to answer is whether or not we’ll all live to see him die.

I’ll do whatever it takes to get revenge for everything Shawn has taken from us and claim the ending we deserve. But it’s gonna be one hell of a ride to get there.

This is the final book in the Harlequin Crew series. Beware of dark themes, devious villains, and beautiful men with blackened souls. This series is part of the United States of Anarchy universe and there are some characters which cross over with other series in this world including Kings of Quarantine and The Death Club, but each dark and twisted tale can be read independently.

As a whole, I enjoyed the way this series comes to an end. It was nice to see Rogue and her guys finally have an upper hand in their fight against Shawn and see how they get back at him. But I will also say this is my least favorite book in this series because there were some aspects here I didn’t quite like too because they didn’t make sense to me, which I will get into shortly.

What I enjoyed with this book was seeing everyone finally together. I feel like Fox finally realizes here how much Rogue cares not just about him but all of the guys in their group and starts accepting it. He gets character development here that I wasn’t expecting when he realizes that while he can’t always be in control of the people around him, there are times when he can and that’s okay. I also enjoyed seeing them all together because with some of the flashbacks, you get an idea of what their dynamic was like before, and seeing them as adults you realize their dynamic hasn’t changed even after all the years apart. I felt like I was seeing them as their younger selves, and I was happy that they could have each other in their lives again like they used to. I also enjoyed how things came together for the blood relatives of Chase and JJ in this one. It was nice that Chase’s dad finally got what he deserved, and it was nice to see JJ’s mom happy as I felt like these family dynamics concluded the way they needed to for these characters.

What I also enjoyed about Gallows Bridge was seeing the characters from the other books in the series I mentioned during my review of Paradise Lagoon. I enjoyed seeing them here too because I felt like they all played an important role with what was going on in this final book and enjoyed seeing them all being in each other’s lives. How they help Rogue, JJ, Fox, Chase, and Maverick here was great and I was happy to see it.

I also enjoyed them getting back at Shawn for everything he put these characters through in this series and some of the epilogue too. What I enjoyed about them getting back at Shawn was that they basically did what he did to Chase in Carnival Hill but for a longer time. While I wasn’t at all expecting that (though I know they wanted to make him suffer for everything he’d put them through), I found their revenge on him great and was interested to see how they were going to end his life. And that didn’t disappoint me either because I felt like he needed an end that guaranteed he wasn’t coming back and how that happened here I felt like was a good way for that. I also enjoyed some aspects of the epilogue too though not all of it. What I enjoyed with the epilogue is what ends up happening to Sinners’ Playground as I wasn’t expecting that place to end up making a recovery the way it does. It surprised me, but in a good way as I knew that place played such a big part in these character’s lives that it was nice to see they could have that place back again. I didn’t really care too much for any of the other epilogue chapters because it didn’t make sense to me considering how much Rogue and the rest of the characters were against that happening in the first place. I also wasn’t fond of it because of how JJ, Chase, and Maverick reacted to the news, especially with everything these characters had been through up to this point in the series with Rogue. It’s not like I don’t understand why since that’s something none of them wanted either, but it rubbed me the wrong way because it almost felt like they were considering abandoning Rogue because of it and that bothered me.

What I didn’t care about regarding Gallows Bridge was the plot as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been wanting Shawn’s death since I started this series and was excited for it to finally happen. But the events leading up to it here just felt off to me. What probably doesn’t help is that I feel like Shawn himself changes course with regard to what he’s going to do when it comes to the Harlequin Crew and Rogue. From the start of the series, he was going after all of them because he wanted to take over Sunset Cove and break Rogue. But then in this book, he changes direction and decides he’s going to kill Rogue because he knows it’s going to hurt these guys. It’s not that I don’t understand why considering how things go down at the beginning of this book. But it felt like once he made that his plan, he didn’t think through everything when it came to planning that to happen. Yes, he had some ideas that he executed successfully in order to try and get what he wanted. But I feel like he didn’t think through the whole thing and come up with a backup plan in case his initial plan went wrong. I feel like if anything, it just proved Rogue’s point when it came to their relationship and him needing to make her feel like he was the center of her world. I also feel like it’s what resulted in his downfall as he had plenty of opportunities to get away from them once he was outnumbered in the beginning of this book. But he chooses not to and decides to continue going after them by looking to kill Rogue instead.

Besides the execution of the plot, I also felt like it took a while to get to the part in the story where they get the upper hand against Shawn. I think a big part of it is because a lot of Gallows Bridge was more focused on character development between Rogue and her guys than on killing Shawn. I say this because a majority of the book I saw these character’s interactions with each other more than anything happening with finding Shawn and killing him. While I didn’t mind it, I feel like Shawn didn’t play as prominent a role as the villain in this book as he did the rest of the series as he wasn’t in this book quite as much until the last bit. And since he’s the main villain in this series, it didn’t make sense to me that he was gone for a majority of this book until the climax of the story.

What I also didn’t enjoy with this book was Luther. More specifically, his absence in this book once one of Carmen’s men saves his and Fox’s life. Since there were a couple chapters from his perspective, I expected him to have more involvement here like he did the rest of the books in this series. But instead, he takes off at one point and leaves Rogue and the guys to handle Shawn. As a whole, I like his character and seeing his interactions with Carmen and was just surprised how absent he was in this book when he was heavily involved with what went on in Sunset Cove before.

But as a whole, even though this book isn’t my favorite in this series, I’ve enjoyed reading The Harlequin Crew series. I enjoy Rogue as the main female lead and how strong she was through everything she went through here and I love the guys she surrounds herself with and getting to read their story. I loved getting to be in Sunset Cove as it made a wonderful setting for everything that happens here and seeing all of the character development these characters get through to get their happy ending. This series got really dark but there were a lot of heartfelt moments with these characters that made this story enjoyable to read. I also enjoyed getting to see some of my favorite characters again from Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep and Dead Men Walking and seeing them interact with the characters here. And I’m glad I read these books because I enjoyed them so much and highly recommend this series to anyone wanting to read a dark romance series that takes place in a beach town with mob and gangster violence as a part of the story.

Thank you so much for reading my review of The Harlequin Crew series! If you enjoyed reading my review of this series, please leave a comment below and check out another one of my blog posts.    

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Book Review: Dead Men Walking Duet

After finishing reading Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series and reviewing it, I decided to read this duet as I heard one of the character’s perspectives was someone from the series who’s character I enjoyed meeting. The duet also takes place in that series’ world so was looking forward to reading this duet and see how I enjoy it. So let me begin by reviewing The Death Club, the first book in this duet.

The Death Club (Dead Men Walking #1)

Rating: 3 stars

Chaos. Carnage. Killing. The three Cs that make my life complete.

I know killing technically doesn’t start with a C – but wouldn’t life be better if it did? Just like it would be better if the Devil was my boyfriend, Santa wasn’t a d*ck and I didn’t live under a bridge.

I wished for my life to improve, but it didn’t. I was kidnapped, sold, sold again, stuck in a death game, sold AGAIN and now I’m living in a serial killer’s basement.

Oh, and there’s another dude down here who lives in a cage and doesn’t talk. I call him Dead Man on account of his soulless eyes. He either wants to kiss me or choke me out. I can’t decide which I want most.

Anyways, my hot, tattooed, muscular insane Irish captor thinks I might make a good hit woman once he trains me up. Which is a freaking insult by the way as I’m already the best killer in town. Ask anyone. Except the cops. Don’t ask them or they’ll send me back to that creepy asylum where they gave me the crazy pills. But shh, that’s a secret.

Want to know another one? I quite like it here. Every day is anarchy and that’s my favorite flavor.

So I think I’m gonna join The Death Club and let my freak flag fly.

This is a brand new dark menage series set in the same world as the Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series with character crossover. Each series can be read independent of each other, and the lead female character will end up with more than one love interest.

This book is an interesting start to this duet. However, The Death Club isn’t my favorite read out of the books by these authors I’ve read so far. What I enjoyed about it though was the characters and their development as this book went on.

It was nice to read chapters from Niall’s perspective. Especially the chapters that crossed over from Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep because I was able to read his thoughts at that time when those events happened. I enjoyed his character in those books, so I was really excited to read and learn more about his character in this book and he didn’t disappoint. I also enjoyed the perspectives of Brooklyn and Mateo because I feel like they are interesting characters with interesting stories. And I enjoyed seeing Brooklyn’s dynamic with these two guys as this book went on because you can see how much she cares about both men and how much they also care about her. I especially enjoyed Brooklyn’s character because her thoughts and dialogue remind me a lot of how I am, so it was nice to read a character who reminded me a little of myself. I also enjoyed her development because you see her begin to trust these guys as the story goes on since she reveals to them the truth as to what happened to her that made her the way she is.

What I also enjoyed about The Death Club was the suspense that happened with regards to going after the people that helped destroy Brooklyn’s life. I felt like the moments in this book that really stood out to me and made this book an enjoyable read for me was when these characters went off killing people. I felt those moments here really stood out to me because you found out more about these characters and there were moments where things could’ve gone horribly wrong but then didn’t. I also enjoyed the way this book ended because the two characters who really didn’t like each other had no choice but to work together and I love that was something that happened here. Especially because I didn’t feel like I knew how things would play out considering everything I knew up to that point in this story. But seeing them working together was such a wonderful thing that I was really happy to see.

I would say my biggest complaint concerning reading The Death Club though is the story itself. The book starts off interestingly when these characters are introduced, and I see what happens to them that leads to the particular moment in the story. But then I feel like once Niall offers to train Brooklyn to be a killer like him, the story doesn’t really go anywhere for a majority of the book. There ends up being a whole lot of either Brooklyn or Mateo attempting to end Niall’s life and being unsuccessful but that’s really it for most of the plot. The way Niall attempts to train Brooklyn to be a killer is interesting but then whenever she doesn’t do things EXACTLY the way he wants, he accuses her of not being cut out for killing and wonders why he bothers with teaching her anything. And this happens EVERY time he’s training her, no matter what she does just because she’s not doing things the way he wants her to.

Overall I enjoyed reading The Death Club because I find these fucked up characters to be interesting. But the plot doesn’t go anywhere a majority of the time until near the end when Brooklyn leaves and decides to go after two of the people who hurt her on her own and what happens after that as well. I found each of the characters interesting, just wish there had been more with the plot besides when these characters go off and kill that added to the story. But because of how much I enjoyed these characters and the way this book ended, I also read Society of Psychos to see how this duet would end.

Society of Psychos (Dead Men Walking #2)

Rating: 3 stars

I’m the prince of death. A son of carnage born of wicked deeds and sin-filled nightmares. Nobody understood me. Until her.

My Spider. The wild girl I claimed from a sea of violent men. But others want her too…

The enemies who lurk within my walls seek to steal her from my grasp. They’re my captives, but maybe they’re the answer to my greatest fear too. Because the Grim Reaper shadows every move I make, and he’s always watching her.

Perhaps I need a ring of warriors to surround my little psycho and protect her from death’s claws. Because now she’s stolen my black heart, I can’t fail her like I’ve failed before.

This is a dark romance series where the main character will end up with more than one love interest. This series is set in the United States of Anarchy universe. All the series in this world can be read independently but if you’d like to enjoy the crossover characters then you may also want to check out Kings of Quarantine and The Harlequin Crew.

This was a good way to end this duet as I felt like this book did a wonderful job at picking up where The Death Club ended. It also gave us another character in the story that I wasn’t expecting but that I found myself wanting to know more about since he wasn’t in the first book.

I felt like this book did a wonderful job at tying all of the loose ends together with these characters and going after the people who ruined Brooklyn’s life. I continued to enjoy reading Niall, Mateo and Brooklyn’s perspectives and seeing how this story was going to play out. Angry Jack was an interesting addition to their group, especially when Mateo is the one who uncovers his story and how he ends up in the institution where he met Brooklyn. I would say I especially enjoyed the dynamic here between Mateo and Angry Jack as I feel they have a whole lot in common than you expect.

I also love that I finally see development between the guys Brooklyn cares about. Both Mateo and Angry Jack have a reason to hurt Niall but because of Brooklyn, I feel like that quickly changes here when they all work together to go after the people who ruined Brooklyn’s life. And I feel like Niall undergoes quite a bit of development in Society of Psychos when he realizes his relationship with Brooklyn isn’t like his last one and he actually starts to let go of his past.

If there’s anything with this book that I have criticism for, it’s the same criticism I had for The Death Club. Don’t get me wrong, the story that is here is interesting. But I found there were some moments here in this book too where the plot didn’t move forward. I also found a lot of the deaths of the people who ruined Brooklyn’s life were very anti-climactic as I felt like there was so much build up for them only for Brooklyn and her guys having very little difficulty in killing them. Still interesting in some ways, but very anti-climactic and disappointing too.

As a whole though, I did enjoy this series. I enjoyed getting to meet such interesting characters with dark stories and seeing how everything played out for them. It was nice to see chapters told from Niall’s perspective because I enjoyed his character whenever he made an appearance in Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series, and I was glad to see him get the happy ending he deserved even if it wasn’t what I expected. Just wish the plot moved a little more quickly, but still enjoyed these books, nonetheless.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my review of the Dead Men Walking duet! If you enjoyed my review of this duet, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below or check out another one of my blog posts.       

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Book Review: Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep Series

When I first started reading this series, I initially was thinking of having two reviews of the series since there were a total of four books. But because of how quickly I’ve been going through these books so far, I’ve decided against it and am going to do this one review where I talk about the whole series in this review, starting with the first book in the series, Kings of Quarantine.

Kings of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #1)

Rating: 4 stars

Cruel. Heartless. Quarantined. The ruthless boys of Everlake Prep never saw lockdown coming.

But the virus isn’t their number one enemy. I am.

And as if being confined to a boarding school for the elite wasn’t bad enough, now I’m stuck in isolation with the boys who hate me most too.

Saint, Kyan and Blake. The Night Keepers. Or so they call themselves. They’ve embodied the Native American legend which lives in this valley, taking on the role of the monsters who lurk in the forest. And though they act like beasts, they may also be the most tempting creatures I’ve ever seen.

With the virus escalating and my dad’s name splashed through the news, my entire world is falling apart. What he did has cast a dark shadow over me. And the Night Keepers want to make me pay for his crimes.

Then things went from bad to worse when I touched the sacred rock. A rock which supposedly holds a curse to bind me as the Night Keepers’ slave. And as crazy as it sounds, I decided to play along. Because there are things about me they don’t know. Things my dad has hidden from me for years. All I can be sure of is that I have to find a way to escape this school. But until then, those savage boys are making my life a living hell.

As the virus sweeps through the country and the world twists into something ugly and unknown, the kings of this school become true monarchs. Even the teachers bow to them now. And I’m kind of glad about that ‘stay six feet away from one another’ rule, because without it, I know they’d rip me apart.

At least there’s a silver lining. I’m cozying up to Coach Monroe. My hot as hell, brooding P.E. teacher who has a vendetta of his own against the Night Keepers. And with his help, I may succeed at doing more than escaping the clutches of these heartless fiends. I might even destroy them along the way.

My father taught me how to be strong. How to prepare for the end of the world. So this isn’t going to be the end of my world, mark my words. But if I’m able to use my mind and body to bring these assholes to their knees, it might just be the end of theirs.

This is a high school bully RH series with off the charts angst, dark themes and is not for the faint of heart. Prepare to enroll at Everlake Prep. Bring your hand sanitizer, face masks and toilet paper to barter with, but don’t expect to hold onto them for long. Because it’s time to go into quarantine with the Night Keepers. And everything you own now belongs to them.

Considering how much I’ve enjoyed reading the Zodiac Academy series by these authors, I’m not too surprised that Kings of Quarantine had me hooked from the beginning. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of the main female being a total badass despite what’s she going through at the hands of the Night Keepers, the Night Keepers themselves, or both, but I enjoyed reading this book immensely from beginning to end.

What I love about Tatum’s character is that despite how these guys treat her, she continues to pick herself back up. Yes, there are moments where you see her fall apart, but she always ends up picking herself back up in the end despite how things get. I also love that she talks back to them even though she knows doing so might make things worse for her. I also enjoyed reading Saint, Kyan, Blake, and Monroe’s perspectives because as the reader, I get to see things from their perspective and get an understanding of why they are the way they are. And I saw as I read this book that things aren’t necessarily what they seem. While I do find their treatment of Tatum abhorrent in this book, I also enjoyed seeing the dynamic between them and her as she becomes one of the few people who stands up to them and the comebacks she has are wonderful. I especially enjoyed her relationship with Coach Monroe here as once she tells him how these guys are treating her, it was wonderful to see that she had at least one ally on her side who was willing to help her come up with a plan to get back at them for everything they do to her.

I also enjoyed learning about the Native American legend that these boys were trying to embody as I found it to be a fascinating aspect of the story here. Especially once Tatum finds herself embroiled in it by touching the stone rock. I know that’s when her life basically became a living hell, but I still found the whole thing interesting anyway because I was wondering how it would truly end up affecting their relationship.     

Another favorite aspect of Kings of Quarantine I enjoyed was learning about the Hades Virus, which is basically this series version of Covid-19. I felt bad for Tatum because of her father being blamed for the virus spreading into the world and killing people and becoming the most hated girl at Everlake Prep because of it. But the story of it and how its spread impacted the school in this book was eerily similar with regards to Covid-19. Especially when the Night Keepers take it upon themselves to squirrel away all of the toilet paper and most of the rest of the supplies from the school’s kitchen and what ends up happening as a result of that later in this book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Kings of Quarantine despite how rough things were for Tatum and couldn’t wait to see how the ending impacted what happened in the next book in the series, Kings of Lockdown.

Kings of Lockdown (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #2)

Rating: 4 stars

The sex tape

The fish stew

The Unspeakables

The storm

The font

The bathtub

The ice

The gun

The clothes

The humiliation

The shower

The letters

THE VOW

I had my chance to run from these brutal boys and I didn’t take it. The bonds between us are too strong now. Bonds of blood, oaths, betrayal and vengeance. And I intend to make good on all of them. I’ve made my list. And I won’t stop until each and every one of their crimes has been paid for.

Divide and conquer. We’re going to tear them apart from the inside out. I won’t quit until I’ve had my pound of flesh and then some. These broken boys paint themselves up as kings and stand themselves on a pedestal above everybody else. But that only means they’ve got further to fall. And they’re going to fall hard.

I know their strength now, but I’ve learned their weaknesses too. And I might just be becoming their greatest one. My father taught me how to survive, and it’s time to use everything I know about predators to lure them into my own trap.

Lies, betrayal, seduction. I’ll use every weapon at my disposal to bring them to their knees and once I’m done with them, they won’t own me.

I’ll own them.

This is book 2 in a dark romance series with love-hate themes, scenes of intense bullying, sexual scenes and may have triggers for some readers. It is a reverse harem which means the main character will end up with multiple partners.

Like Kings of Quarantine, I couldn’t put this one down. I felt like the story does a wonderful job of picking up where its predecessor left off by showing us the impact of the choices the characters made by the end of the previous book. The story continues to show development between Tatum and her relationship with the Night Keepers. But here, she really stood her ground against them to where she had the power to make rules for all of them that if not followed she could then dole out whatever punishment she saw fit. And I loved that for her as she was finally able to find ways to get back at these guys for everything they did to her.  

I enjoyed seeing Tatum and her relationships with Blake, Kyan, Saint, and Monroe continue to grow. I felt like I learned a lot more about these guys than I did before. Especially when the truth becomes revealed regarding the Unspeakables. I had originally felt sorry for them in Kings of Quarantine, but once Kyan tells Tatum the reason why the Night Keepers treat them the way they do, I felt like Tatum did. I also felt like it showed a better side of these guys as you realize they aren’t just looking out for themselves but their classmates who also attend Everlake Prep. I especially felt for Kyan here with regard to the information he reveals to Tatum regarding one of the Unspeakables in particular since what he shares is extremely personal. I especially enjoyed her relationships with Blake, Kyan, and Monroe here as with each of these guys, you can see how much all of them care about her and how much she cares about them. Not to say I don’t enjoy the development of her relationship with Saint, but there are times when their relationship feels so slow-moving. 

I also enjoyed the overall plot of this book too. Besides Tatum working on getting her revenge on the Night Keepers with Monroe, there’s a stalker at the school who has their sights on Tatum. There’s also the continued storyline development regarding the Hades Virus where Tatum finally hears back from her father who wants to meet with her. That’s when the truth regarding who unleashed the virus gets revealed and some other details regarding the virus that weren’t originally known before. A lot happens in this book that kept me engaged, wanting to find out what would happen to Tatum and these guys next.

If I had to choose anything from Kings of Lockdown that I wasn’t too pleased about, it was the ending. I felt like it ended abruptly but also with a cliffhanger that if this book series wasn’t already complete, would’ve left me upset in wanting to know what would happen next. I also just found the ending in general terrible because I felt bad for Tatum for having to endure more terrible things and for her to lose someone she deeply cared about in that way. Especially because it happened right in front of her and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it from happening.

Despite the ending though, I enjoyed reading Kings of Lockdown, and it made me excited to see what would happen in the next book in the series, Kings of Anarchy.     

Kings of Anarchy (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #3)

Rating: 4 stars

My father always taught me to take care of myself. He made me strong, cunning, and calculating. But my Brutal Boys made me unbreakable.

Have you ever heard the saying that it takes one to know one? Because from the very first moment I met the men I’ve claimed as my tribe, I knew that I was looking into the faces of monsters. And that really should have been all it took for me to know that I was one too.

Hiding beneath my skin isn’t an innocent girl, waiting for someone to ride in on a white horse and rescue me from my demons. So I think it’s time I showed the world my claws.

I’m sick of people thinking they own me. My Night Keepers and now the members of this twisted club all need to learn a lesson in that.

I’m not a doll made to dance to their tune, I’m not a puppet intended to play a part and I’m certainly no plaything to be used and destroyed. I’m a warrior with a goal of my own. And everyone who wants to stand in my way had better get used to the idea of falling to ruin at my feet.

When everything you thought you could rely on is ripped away from you, you have no choice but to find out what you’re truly made of. And deep down in the depths of my soul, I know that I was made to survive.

I have suffered through torment, fought against my oppressors, and tamed the creatures who tried to bury me in the dark.

It’s time that everyone stopped underestimating me. I’m done being a queen without a crown. I’m ready for my coronation.

This is a high school bully romance series.

From the beginning, Kings of Anarchy gripped me. I don’t know if it was because Kings of Lockdown ended on such a cliffhanger that I was hooked to find out what happened next. And oh this book didn’t disappoint. 

What I enjoyed with reading this book in the series is that we continue to get more backstory with the guys. And I love that at this point, the focus of the series is on growing Tatum’s relationship with these guys and finding out who’s really responsible for releasing the Hades Virus out into the world. At this point in the story, you see all of Tatum’s relationships coming together and everyone truly becoming a family and I’m here for it. I especially enjoyed her relationships with Blake and Kyan here as they are probably my favorite guys in the group. Not to say I don’t like Monroe and Saint because I do. I think I can just relate to Blake and Kyan more out of the guys Tatum loves because of the personal things they’ve both been through as some of them are things I’ve also been through, such as grief over losing someone you care about.

I love that this book focuses on Tatum’s grief and feel like her relationship with Kyan gets stronger in this book due to the club and him getting sick due to the Hades Virus. There’s something wonderful that happens in this book that I was extremely happy with too which I feel like also helped strengthen their relationship and was excited to see the other guy’s reactions to it even though I knew they probably weren’t going to be happy about it.

I also love that we get to see Saint’s intelligence here. Out of the Night Keepers, he’s truly the brains and he single-handedly is the one figuring things out regarding the Hades Virus and the terribly sick club that Kyan has a membership in due to his family. I honestly feel like if it wasn’t for Saint, they wouldn’t have been able to accomplish a lot of what happens in this book concerning the knowledge of the Hades Virus and the club. I also loved seeing his dynamic concerning Monroe in this book as he actually uncovers the truth regarding Monroe’s identity here. And I love that it ends up strengthening their brotherhood instead of weakening it as it turns out Saint has the same hatred that Monroe does.

I also enjoyed seeing the stalker and Justice Ninja storyline continue to play out here and see how it ends up connecting with everything else that’s going on. They still don’t figure out the identity of these individuals in this book, but they come dangerously close at the end, which definitely gave me an inkling as to who was involved.

Speaking of endings, the way Kings of Anarchy ends definitely shocked me as I wasn’t expecting it at all. I know I probably should’ve expected it considering everything that happens here, but I didn’t. But it also made sense too because I figured the character involved with how things go here would play a bigger role than he had until this point in the story. It also made sense just because someone with a lot of power had to be involved with the spread of the Hades Virus. But it also made me all the more eager to find out what happened next in the final book of this series, Queen of Quarantine.

Queen of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #4)

Rating: 4 stars

Once upon a time I met four monsters and thought the world would come to an end at their hands.

But I was a fool. Because I didn’t understand the bigger picture. That the enemies I thought I knew would become the reason for my entire existence. My strength. My pain. My life. My love.

The big bad wolf has teeth and claws as sharp as iron, and the danger before my eyes is blinding. So blinding that I didn’t see the true danger lurking in the dark.

But now my eyes are wide open, and I see it all.

Alone and afraid and running out of time, I’m not afraid of monsters anymore. I’m counting on them to come for me. Because if they don’t, this foolish girl might be lost forever in the dark.

Queen of Quarantine was a great way to end such an invigorating series. From start to finish, this book didn’t disappoint as I felt like all of the answers I had been hoping to get were finally delivered. And there was no end in sight to the intense action that took place in this book until the very end. Not only did I get an answer to who the stalker was (though that ended up being no surprise, considering everything about this character you heard about up to this point), but also found out who was responsible for the release of the Hades Virus and in charge of that terrible club, which were in fact connected as the person responsible for the release of the virus was also the one in charge of the club.

What I enjoyed with this book was how it hooked me into wanting to find out how everything would end. With the way Kings of Anarchy ended, I knew I was in for a ride as the guys went on their mission to save Tatum. But I definitely didn’t expect some of the twists that came along as once they saved her they found themselves in just as much danger too, maybe even more so. The story about the Hades Virus and how desperate companies in the world were to get a vaccine out into the world because of how many lives were lost because of it and how that resulted in some of the events that happened in this book was interesting. It didn’t remind me quite as much about Covid-19 considering how some of the people I know are regarding that vaccine and in this book, these companies are more interested in being the first company to create the vaccine so they can make money off of people’s desperation in getting it. Even if that means hurting people who’ve had the virus and are now immune to it by using them unwillingly to create more doses of the vaccine. But it was interesting to see this connection with Covid-19 by people staying indoors to avoid getting it and how quickly this virus spread due to the absence of a working vaccine.

There definitely were some tough moments in this book. Like when Tatum is held hostage in the beginning, when Kyan gets kidnapped by the stalker, and when everything comes to a head with the person responsible for the Hades Virus being released into the world and the terrible club. But I also found some good moments here too for the characters that I enjoyed reading. These good moments made this book enjoyable even when things were tough for the characters, and I didn’t know how this book would end. I also enjoyed the rough moments too though as I felt like I learned more about these characters and how they dealt with terrible situations. And that helped me see them differently and also understand their thoughts and what they were thinking.

I would also say I enjoyed the way this series ended too. However, I hated how long it took for them to get at the man solely responsible for everything they’d been through. The way it happened in the book threw me too because I felt like they were going to deliver him a lot of pain, but that’s not how it went down. If anything, I felt like his death was less than what he deserved. But I was happy to see all of these characters get the happy ending they deserved and that justice did get served.  

But as a whole, I enjoyed reading this series. The different storylines and how they connected were enjoyable and kept me engaged in wanting to find out what happened next, and I enjoyed seeing Tatum’s relationship with these guys and how everything came together. These books were a good read and I’m sad to have finished this series, though I know I can always revisit these books again in the future whenever I choose. I highly recommend these books to anyone who’s enjoyed reading the Zodiac Academy series and anyone who’s read any other books by these authors. Also, recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading dark stories with really dark themes and doesn’t mind seeing reverse harem in the books they read.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my book review of the Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series! If you enjoyed my review of this series, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below or check out another one of my blog posts.     

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