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Rydeville Elite #1
Cruel Intentions
In the power struggle between two elite groups, one feisty girl will bring them to their knees…
Life is a cruel game where only the most ruthless survive. It’s a truth my mother rebelled against, and she paid for it with her life. Now, I play their game. Publicly accepting the destiny that lies in wait for me when I turn eighteen.
But, behind closed doors, I plot my escape.
Trent, Charlie, and my twin, Drew, rule the hallways of Rydeville High with arrogance and an iron fist. I execute my role perfectly, hating every second, but they never let me forget my place in this world.
Everyone obeys the rules. They have for generations. Because our families have always been in control.
Until Cam, Sawyer, and Jackson show up. Throwing their new money around. Challenging the status quo. Setting hearts racing with their gorgeous faces, hot bodies, and bad boy attitudes.
Battle lines are drawn. Sides are taken. And I’m trapped in the middle, because I made a mistake one fateful night when I gave my V-card to a stranger in a blatant F you to my fiancé.
I thought it was the one thing I owned. A precious memory to carry me through each dark day.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Because the stranger was Camden Marshall, leader of the new elite and my perpetual tormenter. He hates me with a passion unrivaled, and he won’t be the only one. Fire will rain down if the truth is revealed, threatening alliances, and the power struggle will turn vicious.
My life will hang in the balance.
But I’ll be ready, and I’m not going down without a fight.
Due to mature content and themes this book is recommended to readers eighteen and over.
Life is a cruel game where only the most ruthless survive. It’s a truth my mother rebelled against, and she paid for it with her life. Now, I play their game. Publicly accepting the destiny that lies in wait for me when I turn eighteen.
But, behind closed doors, I plot my escape.
Trent, Charlie, and my twin, Drew, rule the hallways of Rydeville High with arrogance and an iron fist. I execute my role perfectly, hating every second, but they never let me forget my place in this world.
Everyone obeys the rules. They have for generations. Because our families have always been in control.
Until Cam, Sawyer, and Jackson show up. Throwing their new money around. Challenging the status quo. Setting hearts racing with their gorgeous faces, hot bodies, and bad boy attitudes.
Battle lines are drawn. Sides are taken. And I’m trapped in the middle, because I made a mistake one fateful night when I gave my V-card to a stranger in a blatant F you to my fiancé.
I thought it was the one thing I owned. A precious memory to carry me through each dark day.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Because the stranger was Camden Marshall, leader of the new elite and my perpetual tormenter. He hates me with a passion unrivaled, and he won’t be the only one. Fire will rain down if the truth is revealed, threatening alliances, and the power struggle will turn vicious.
My life will hang in the balance.
But I’ll be ready, and I’m not going down without a fight.
Due to mature content and themes this book is recommended to readers eighteen and over.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 10, 2019
About the author
Siobhan Davis
107 books8,875 followersDownload a free copy of Tell It to My Heart: https://bit.ly/TITMHDLGR
Siobhan Davis™ is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Top 5 bestselling romance author. Siobhan writes emotionally intense stories with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She has sold over 2 million books, and her titles are translated into several languages.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She lives in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Connect with Siobhan:
Website: www.siobhandavis.com
Facebook: AuthorSiobhanDavis
Instagram: siobhandavisauthor
Email: siobhan@siobhandavis.com
TikTok: @siobhandavisauthor
Readers Group: https://bit.ly/35yTX14
I don't read messages on Goodreads or check my inbox. If you need to contact me, email is the best.
Siobhan Davis™ is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Top 5 bestselling romance author. Siobhan writes emotionally intense stories with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She has sold over 2 million books, and her titles are translated into several languages.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She lives in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Connect with Siobhan:
Website: www.siobhandavis.com
Facebook: AuthorSiobhanDavis
Instagram: siobhandavisauthor
Email: siobhan@siobhandavis.com
TikTok: @siobhandavisauthor
Readers Group: https://bit.ly/35yTX14
I don't read messages on Goodreads or check my inbox. If you need to contact me, email is the best.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,465 reviews
October 12, 2021
'CRUEL INTENTIONS' is the first book in S. Davis' 'Rydeville High Elite' series. Spoken in 'Dual POV's'
Where manipulation and blackmail go hand in hand..
Holy crap! This was a clusterfuck of epic proportions!! Whiplash from here to Africa!! Twists and turns that had me sitting on the edge of my seat!!
Take a seat as your thrown into Abby's world, as she awaits her eighteenth birthday with trepidation because her destiny is an arranged marriage which is the norm from generation to generation and the guy she's promised to is a wanker of the highest order. Yeah I kind of didn't like him at all.
But anyways moving along....
Reaching breaking point as things become too much for her to bear when she least expects it a beautiful stranger comes to her rescue, a night she will hold forever in her heart. This stranger gave her a taste of what life could really be like if only she had a choice...
But she doesn't have a choice, she's a prisoner in a gilded cage and her father is the one who holds the key, he controls her every move, even to what she should wear, that just makes her want to plot her escape even more.
The old elites are made up of Trent, Charlie, and her twin, Drew, these group of guys rule the hallways of Rydeville High with arrogance and an iron fist. No one steps out of line.
But when the guys have to go away on some secret trip leaving behind Abby..Things are going to change drastically...
And that's when we welcome the new generation Camden, Sawyer, and Jackson when these guys show up at Rydeville High, battle lines are drawn, and no one will come out unscathed. Least of all Abby.
Bully books have recently become my kryptonite, they seem to tick all my boxes more than any other genre lately. And this book right here stood out above the rest!! Siobhan has definitely got my attention because this book is in a league of its own.
This had so much angst!!
Buckets full of teenage drama!!
Not one hot boy but three!! In my element!!
These three guys would even get a nun questioning her chastity!!
Right from the get go the sexual chemistry between our heroine and our hero sizzled off the pages!!
Always in the back of my mind that chant like a broken record 'come on do it already' but all in good time..That chemistry was just brewing away in the background.
Love to hate you
Hate to love you
Push and Pull
The pace was perfect
The storyline was amazing
The characters were easy to connect with
The book was hard to put down..
You know when you start a book and you just know it’s going to be a goodie, I knew straight away. First few chapters in and I was hooked.
Utterly Unique
Unquestionably Unputdownable
Undeniably epic
Uber outstanding!!
Luckily for me I don’t mind cliffys because this book threw me over without a care in the world. Now we’ll all be playing that impatiently waiting for August to come!!
August 21, 2019
WARNING! DO NOT READ THIS SERIES IF the following content bothers you to read about!
SEXUAL ASSAULT, DRUG USE, FORCED CAPTIVE CIRCUMSTANCES, VIOLENCE, H BEING SERVICED BY ANOTHER WOMAN AFTER MEETING HEROINE, ANXIETY INDUCING EVENTS SUCH AS SEDATION, LIES, DECEIT, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THIS BOOK, CLIFF HANGER ENDING, at least until the series is complete. Book two contains EVEN WORSE events where the heroine is mutilated (unless in book 3 that turns into another lie? But it seems like it supposedly really happened to her.)! There is no fixing what is done to her in book two. WARNING!
Had I known better the depth of darker angst driving content this book and the series would actually include, I would NOT have started this series. While I don't personally have trigger content that bothers me in books, there just simply are styles of books I do not enjoy, this ultimately ended up being one of those series. Did it drive strong emotions? Yes. But they were not enjoyable. It was like purposely torturing yourself. Gluten for mental mood punishment type of read. That being said, after reading book 1, I found a lot of fault and issues with plot, story line and development decisions. But since I'm nosy, I wanted to know what would happen next in this series. Are any characters actually redeemable? Will book 2 actually feel like at least partly romance? And frankly, I hate that I have that feeling of wanting to know. I picked up book 2 and good gosh, it goes even further down the romance literary drain.
As of the time of this review book 2 in this series is also out and I started it after finishing book 1 within the last few days.
There are no trigger style warnings in the description as of right now for book 1 or book 2 on A. BUT THERE SHOULD BE! This series is referred to as ‘bully romance’ and ‘dark romance’. But it’s just simply NOT. It goes beyond the lines of romance and is abusive and dark. It’s a terrible angst anxiety packed ride where characters do not act within normal possible reactions to the events that take place.
Spoiler-ish content follows for rating justification and for those who like MORE details before trying a new book.
Boy meets girl who is sad, stops her from doing something bad. They hook up. Months go by….
The book is told ALL from the HEROINES POV.
Boy and girl meet again finding out who each other truly is. The H, Cam, assumes the worst of Abby since she is an Elite family member. After meeting her at school again Cam and his two cronies Sawyer and Jackson start in on Abby in the auditorium saying they own her now yada yada. Cam forcibly puts Abby up against the wall choking her with his forearm cutting off air and hurting her back. This is the main time he is as violent with Abby. But I don’t respect ANY H who would put his hands on the h violently. He also allows the girl who services him earlier on in the book to attack Abby at school. Eventually the girl is pulled off of her and Cam walks Abby to the nurses office.
One of the Elite members forces Abby to service him occasionally since he is her arranged marriage fiancé, yes at 17yo. He also becomes violent with her pushing her down one time. Then later in the book he shoves his finger in at HER FATHERS request in front of everyone in the room bare bottomed to try and see if she’s still a virgin. Her brother and no one else in the room attempts to really stop it. Her father also beats her severely.
The H, Cam and his friends along with members of the Old Elite, her twin Drew, Trent and Charlie all hide things from her, keep secrets, won’t fill her in and are all at some point nasty to her. It’s EXTREMELY frustrating and anger inducing moments throughout.
There are betrayals running throughout and Abby doesn’t know whom she can trust. Every time she turns around it seems she is being mentally and/or physically assaulted.
Why are these kids even attempting to still go to school?
The events in this book are beyond believable for high school age kids. Sure, some of this stuff might seriously go on in old money families and secret organizations. But you REALLY have to suspend beliefs and go into fantasyland to buy the plots and events of this series since it involves a bunch of kids and their psycho fathers.
The author seems to have really taken to trying to write a series to jump on the currently popular ‘bully’ and ‘dark’ romance trains. However, this series misses out on the romance. For basically the entire book Cam is nasty to Abby. You only think he might care when you learn he draws sketches of her and he occasionally doesn’t want anyone else to touch her. But these types of moments are few and far between. I just couldn’t feel the love on these pages between these two.
Also, these characters at times have somewhat justifiable behaviors and reactions to events taking place. But for the most part, the author misses the mark on how a human who endures such events would actually react. Perhaps extreme fear, shutting down, becoming mute, never giving up fighting constantly in a physical sense, going psychotic, self-harm, severe depression yada yada…. But none of this happens! It’s just a bunch of internal blabbering from the heroine that she’s going to get revenge and she has a plan, but nothing exciting happens from her end. It’s all bad stuff happening to her with her then having no sort of realistic possible choice of reactions; very few when she does remotely seem to react.
That being said the heroine does break another girls wrist and enact a public exposure embarrassment plan against some secondary characters that wasn’t tied really directly to the MAIN story line plot.
There is a difference between dark and then down right violent abuse. And this series falls into down right violent abuse where the heroine should not be reacting in the ways that she is.
There are a lot of hidden details, most of which make the reader have more questions. Very few of those questions are answered over the course of the book. The book ends on a major cliff hanger.
There were not many grammar or editing error of over looks.
This author asked fans to go and like higher rated reviews to offset the likes on lower ranked reviews in her FB group for this series. She also directly mentioned reviews with spoiler content, while specifically pointing out one review on book 2 of this series. While I understand many writers view their books/writing as strictly a business and they likely want as many high reviews as possible to attract new readers, this seemed like a very distasteful practice to try and rally the groupie troops.
I would NOT recommend this series.
SEXUAL ASSAULT, DRUG USE, FORCED CAPTIVE CIRCUMSTANCES, VIOLENCE, H BEING SERVICED BY ANOTHER WOMAN AFTER MEETING HEROINE, ANXIETY INDUCING EVENTS SUCH AS SEDATION, LIES, DECEIT, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THIS BOOK, CLIFF HANGER ENDING, at least until the series is complete. Book two contains EVEN WORSE events where the heroine is mutilated (unless in book 3 that turns into another lie? But it seems like it supposedly really happened to her.)! There is no fixing what is done to her in book two. WARNING!
Had I known better the depth of darker angst driving content this book and the series would actually include, I would NOT have started this series. While I don't personally have trigger content that bothers me in books, there just simply are styles of books I do not enjoy, this ultimately ended up being one of those series. Did it drive strong emotions? Yes. But they were not enjoyable. It was like purposely torturing yourself. Gluten for mental mood punishment type of read. That being said, after reading book 1, I found a lot of fault and issues with plot, story line and development decisions. But since I'm nosy, I wanted to know what would happen next in this series. Are any characters actually redeemable? Will book 2 actually feel like at least partly romance? And frankly, I hate that I have that feeling of wanting to know. I picked up book 2 and good gosh, it goes even further down the romance literary drain.
As of the time of this review book 2 in this series is also out and I started it after finishing book 1 within the last few days.
There are no trigger style warnings in the description as of right now for book 1 or book 2 on A. BUT THERE SHOULD BE! This series is referred to as ‘bully romance’ and ‘dark romance’. But it’s just simply NOT. It goes beyond the lines of romance and is abusive and dark. It’s a terrible angst anxiety packed ride where characters do not act within normal possible reactions to the events that take place.
Spoiler-ish content follows for rating justification and for those who like MORE details before trying a new book.
Boy meets girl who is sad, stops her from doing something bad. They hook up. Months go by….
The book is told ALL from the HEROINES POV.
Boy and girl meet again finding out who each other truly is. The H, Cam, assumes the worst of Abby since she is an Elite family member. After meeting her at school again Cam and his two cronies Sawyer and Jackson start in on Abby in the auditorium saying they own her now yada yada. Cam forcibly puts Abby up against the wall choking her with his forearm cutting off air and hurting her back. This is the main time he is as violent with Abby. But I don’t respect ANY H who would put his hands on the h violently. He also allows the girl who services him earlier on in the book to attack Abby at school. Eventually the girl is pulled off of her and Cam walks Abby to the nurses office.
One of the Elite members forces Abby to service him occasionally since he is her arranged marriage fiancé, yes at 17yo. He also becomes violent with her pushing her down one time. Then later in the book he shoves his finger in at HER FATHERS request in front of everyone in the room bare bottomed to try and see if she’s still a virgin. Her brother and no one else in the room attempts to really stop it. Her father also beats her severely.
The H, Cam and his friends along with members of the Old Elite, her twin Drew, Trent and Charlie all hide things from her, keep secrets, won’t fill her in and are all at some point nasty to her. It’s EXTREMELY frustrating and anger inducing moments throughout.
There are betrayals running throughout and Abby doesn’t know whom she can trust. Every time she turns around it seems she is being mentally and/or physically assaulted.
Why are these kids even attempting to still go to school?
The events in this book are beyond believable for high school age kids. Sure, some of this stuff might seriously go on in old money families and secret organizations. But you REALLY have to suspend beliefs and go into fantasyland to buy the plots and events of this series since it involves a bunch of kids and their psycho fathers.
The author seems to have really taken to trying to write a series to jump on the currently popular ‘bully’ and ‘dark’ romance trains. However, this series misses out on the romance. For basically the entire book Cam is nasty to Abby. You only think he might care when you learn he draws sketches of her and he occasionally doesn’t want anyone else to touch her. But these types of moments are few and far between. I just couldn’t feel the love on these pages between these two.
Also, these characters at times have somewhat justifiable behaviors and reactions to events taking place. But for the most part, the author misses the mark on how a human who endures such events would actually react. Perhaps extreme fear, shutting down, becoming mute, never giving up fighting constantly in a physical sense, going psychotic, self-harm, severe depression yada yada…. But none of this happens! It’s just a bunch of internal blabbering from the heroine that she’s going to get revenge and she has a plan, but nothing exciting happens from her end. It’s all bad stuff happening to her with her then having no sort of realistic possible choice of reactions; very few when she does remotely seem to react.
That being said the heroine does break another girls wrist and enact a public exposure embarrassment plan against some secondary characters that wasn’t tied really directly to the MAIN story line plot.
There is a difference between dark and then down right violent abuse. And this series falls into down right violent abuse where the heroine should not be reacting in the ways that she is.
There are a lot of hidden details, most of which make the reader have more questions. Very few of those questions are answered over the course of the book. The book ends on a major cliff hanger.
There were not many grammar or editing error of over looks.
This author asked fans to go and like higher rated reviews to offset the likes on lower ranked reviews in her FB group for this series. She also directly mentioned reviews with spoiler content, while specifically pointing out one review on book 2 of this series. While I understand many writers view their books/writing as strictly a business and they likely want as many high reviews as possible to attract new readers, this seemed like a very distasteful practice to try and rally the groupie troops.
I would NOT recommend this series.
August 27, 2019
“You’re Camden Marshall,” I whisper, struggling to breathe above the panic running riot inside me.
“Yes, Abigail.” He spits my name out like it pains him to speak it. “And we need to talk.”
Elites Trent, Charlie, Drew and his twin sister Abigail rule the hallways of Rydeville High. In the world of the filthy rich and ruthless, prearranged marriages are a must. Thus Abigail is already engaged to Trent and she cannot do anything about it. Her future is pretty much predetermined. Abigail hates her life, hates her disgusting fiancé and hates her father. She even suspects that he is responsible for her mother death. During her weakest moment of her life, she decides to give her precious virginity to a total stranger.
Soon after that at Rydeville High, three new boys appear. They are cool, goodlooking, not backing out and are ready to party. These boys come from families with new money and obviously they want to become the new school elites.
Abigail has the biggest surprise in her life when she realises that one of them is the strange boy that saved her and slept with her.
But now he blackmails her!!! The ruthless bastard!!!
It's been a while since I read such a great book with high school bullying that involves so much angst and edgy romance.
Loved it!
I am looking forward to next book.
“Yes, Abigail.” He spits my name out like it pains him to speak it. “And we need to talk.”
Elites Trent, Charlie, Drew and his twin sister Abigail rule the hallways of Rydeville High. In the world of the filthy rich and ruthless, prearranged marriages are a must. Thus Abigail is already engaged to Trent and she cannot do anything about it. Her future is pretty much predetermined. Abigail hates her life, hates her disgusting fiancé and hates her father. She even suspects that he is responsible for her mother death. During her weakest moment of her life, she decides to give her precious virginity to a total stranger.
Soon after that at Rydeville High, three new boys appear. They are cool, goodlooking, not backing out and are ready to party. These boys come from families with new money and obviously they want to become the new school elites.
Abigail has the biggest surprise in her life when she realises that one of them is the strange boy that saved her and slept with her.
But now he blackmails her!!! The ruthless bastard!!!
It's been a while since I read such a great book with high school bullying that involves so much angst and edgy romance.
Loved it!
I am looking forward to next book.
June 8, 2019
The current trend – obsession, even – in romance really confuses me. In my mind, bullying does not result in love. It does not matter how people try to justify this, my personal experience has made it impossible to put the two aspects together in my mind. I have physical and emotional scars from years of bullying, to this day it still influences my thoughts and decisions, and I cannot imagine how I could have ever fallen for a bully.
In fact, when I stop and think about it I can come up with the moment that most bully romances would have turned into the moment where my feelings changed. There was one time, when I was sitting in the reception covered in blood following another incident in which I was badly injured and one of the guys who’d been bullying me walked by. He hadn’t been there at the time of the injury, but when he walked by, he stopped and looked at me. I was a mess and he came over and helped me clean up the blood from my face and helped remove the stones from my hair. In the books, this is where my heart would have turned to mush. Instead, I was terrified he was going to do something else to me.
I was terrified he was going to do something else to me, that he was there to gloat. Even when he made it clear he did not agree with what had happened, I did not believe him. I viewed it as some twisted part of the game they were playing – after all, similar things had happened before – and I was on edge the entire time. In retrospect I can see it was a turning point for him – he was never involved in any of the later injuries I received, and he made a point of checking on me when they were really bad – but during the rest of my time at school I continued to be fearful of what he would do as I did not believe it to be a real change.
I understand how easy it is to confuse emotions, I understand the science of misplaced attraction, but I find it impossible to believe someone can do a complete one-eighty towards someone responsible for so much pain in their life. It’s years later and my scars have not healed. The physical scars are faded and I lie about how I received some of them, unwilling to share the true stories behind the scars. The other physical injuries are mostly a thing of the past (although the time they destroyed my ankle will be a constant reminder of the things that happened to me, as I’ve ended up in hospital as a result of the injury almost yearly since the event). The emotional scars will never heal, as to this day I do not trust people when they are nice to me and there is the constant worry of what they’re planning to do to me.
Despite all of this, Siobhan Davis is an author I’ll always read. She has a way of convincing me to try new things and usually has me falling in love with things I did not expect to love. The fact the Kyler arc of the Kennedy Boys series is considered a bully romance had me believing the Rydeville High Elite series would wow me in the same way. After all, I do not consider the Kyler arc a bully romance. Sure, he was an a-hole, but it was not a typical case of bullying. Thus, I was eager for Cruel Intentions.
Throughout Cruel Intentions my feelings were mixed. There were times when I enjoyed the story, times when I was indifferent to the story, and times where I was finding it difficult to get into the story. Despite my feelings towards the bully romance trend, my issue was not in that. My issue was in how the book seemed to be trying too hard. Things were taken to extremes and focused upon trying to create a shock effect, which took away from the story unfolding. Things were dramatic and over the top, and I could not get on board with these things. It just wasn’t doing anything for me.
However, when things were focused upon moving the story forward I was enjoying myself. There was plenty to come together, and it was interesting to watch the way things unfolded. Only, these aspects did not remain. We regularly returned to being overly dramatic and I was pulled back towards my indifferent state. Add in the fact I did not feel the romance between the two characters – we were constantly told there was chemistry between them rather than being shown the depth of the chemistry between them – and I was surprised by Cruel Intentions.
It had the potential to be another winner from Siobhan Davis, another book capable of changing my mind, yet it didn’t do what I had hoped. I was addicted, as I always am with the author’s work, but it was lacking in the things that usually leave me obsessed with a Siobhan Davis novel. I wanted more depth for the romance, not more depth in the overly dramatic elite story. Sure, the elite storyline was important – but I got tired of watching excess drama play out, especially with how I wanted the main storyline to progress and develop.
Don’t get me wrong, this was addictive, it simply wasn’t all I’d hoped it would be. It’s a three-point-five-star rating rather than the high rating Siobhan Davis usually pulls from me, but it certainly has me wanting to see what comes next. I’m not desperate in the way I have been with other Siobhan Davis cliff-hangers, but I’m certainly curious.
I know I’m in the minority with this one, as everyone else seems to have been wowed, but I expected more from this than I was given. My fingers are crossed book two gives me the usual Siobhan Davis feels.
In fact, when I stop and think about it I can come up with the moment that most bully romances would have turned into the moment where my feelings changed. There was one time, when I was sitting in the reception covered in blood following another incident in which I was badly injured and one of the guys who’d been bullying me walked by. He hadn’t been there at the time of the injury, but when he walked by, he stopped and looked at me. I was a mess and he came over and helped me clean up the blood from my face and helped remove the stones from my hair. In the books, this is where my heart would have turned to mush. Instead, I was terrified he was going to do something else to me.
I was terrified he was going to do something else to me, that he was there to gloat. Even when he made it clear he did not agree with what had happened, I did not believe him. I viewed it as some twisted part of the game they were playing – after all, similar things had happened before – and I was on edge the entire time. In retrospect I can see it was a turning point for him – he was never involved in any of the later injuries I received, and he made a point of checking on me when they were really bad – but during the rest of my time at school I continued to be fearful of what he would do as I did not believe it to be a real change.
I understand how easy it is to confuse emotions, I understand the science of misplaced attraction, but I find it impossible to believe someone can do a complete one-eighty towards someone responsible for so much pain in their life. It’s years later and my scars have not healed. The physical scars are faded and I lie about how I received some of them, unwilling to share the true stories behind the scars. The other physical injuries are mostly a thing of the past (although the time they destroyed my ankle will be a constant reminder of the things that happened to me, as I’ve ended up in hospital as a result of the injury almost yearly since the event). The emotional scars will never heal, as to this day I do not trust people when they are nice to me and there is the constant worry of what they’re planning to do to me.
Despite all of this, Siobhan Davis is an author I’ll always read. She has a way of convincing me to try new things and usually has me falling in love with things I did not expect to love. The fact the Kyler arc of the Kennedy Boys series is considered a bully romance had me believing the Rydeville High Elite series would wow me in the same way. After all, I do not consider the Kyler arc a bully romance. Sure, he was an a-hole, but it was not a typical case of bullying. Thus, I was eager for Cruel Intentions.
Throughout Cruel Intentions my feelings were mixed. There were times when I enjoyed the story, times when I was indifferent to the story, and times where I was finding it difficult to get into the story. Despite my feelings towards the bully romance trend, my issue was not in that. My issue was in how the book seemed to be trying too hard. Things were taken to extremes and focused upon trying to create a shock effect, which took away from the story unfolding. Things were dramatic and over the top, and I could not get on board with these things. It just wasn’t doing anything for me.
However, when things were focused upon moving the story forward I was enjoying myself. There was plenty to come together, and it was interesting to watch the way things unfolded. Only, these aspects did not remain. We regularly returned to being overly dramatic and I was pulled back towards my indifferent state. Add in the fact I did not feel the romance between the two characters – we were constantly told there was chemistry between them rather than being shown the depth of the chemistry between them – and I was surprised by Cruel Intentions.
It had the potential to be another winner from Siobhan Davis, another book capable of changing my mind, yet it didn’t do what I had hoped. I was addicted, as I always am with the author’s work, but it was lacking in the things that usually leave me obsessed with a Siobhan Davis novel. I wanted more depth for the romance, not more depth in the overly dramatic elite story. Sure, the elite storyline was important – but I got tired of watching excess drama play out, especially with how I wanted the main storyline to progress and develop.
Don’t get me wrong, this was addictive, it simply wasn’t all I’d hoped it would be. It’s a three-point-five-star rating rather than the high rating Siobhan Davis usually pulls from me, but it certainly has me wanting to see what comes next. I’m not desperate in the way I have been with other Siobhan Davis cliff-hangers, but I’m certainly curious.
I know I’m in the minority with this one, as everyone else seems to have been wowed, but I expected more from this than I was given. My fingers are crossed book two gives me the usual Siobhan Davis feels.
February 28, 2024
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Universal: https://smarturl.it/CruelIntentionsEbook
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June 25, 2019
I love high school books but usually bullies are not my cup of tea ... well, I'm not a girl who forgives easily! (Just ask my husband 😂) - but this book was different... Think of a combination of 'Bully' by Penelope Douglas and 'Indebted' by Pepper Winters!!! 💣😱
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📚 "How is it that someone so ugly on the inside looks and smells so beautiful on the outside." 📚
The Rydeville High has been run by the elite group - Trent, Charlie, Drew and their families for years. Everyone knows and respect that... But when a new elite group appears and tries to take control, everything gets messy. Camden (Cam), Sawyer and Jackson are seeking for revenge and nothing will stop them. ⚔💥
On the outside, it seems like Abigail's (Drew's twin sister) life is perfect. But her father control her life- who to talk to, what to wear, where to go and even whom to marry... and she's fed up! 😱
One night, when she almost gives up, Abby meets a mysterious man at the beach and she chooses for the first time on what will make her feel alive - even only for one night ... 🙏
Imagine her surprise a few months later, when she finds that the amazing man - is the enemy... and he hates her!!! 😬
Cam is a dangerous mystery- his soft touches replaced with hatred expressions, humiliation, and pain. But one thing didn't change. The hot attraction- and it annoys both of them ... 💔
Who are the new elite? What are they fighting for? Why does Cam hate Abby so much? And when the secrets and motivations of all the groups will be revealed... Can Abby survive without getting hurt? 💥💣💥
📚 "How is it I crave the thing I hate the most?" he whispers, his mouth moving to my jaw. "How do you do that? Make he want you when I despise you? "📚
I'm still shocked!!!! 😱
This book is dark, twisted and cruel - which made me think, where are the teachers or any adults...?
The answer? NOWHERE. Because in this book, everyone is EVIL! the students, and the adults. 😱
They are in high school - but the plot felt more mature... except for the times when the characters responded with sticking their tongue out or flipping the bird...
To be honest? I was supposed to hate this book - and that's what I felt at first... just instead of wanting to read another, I couldn't stop reading, talking and thinking about it! 😱
The story and the characters made me angry - but I kept reading in any spare moment... This book will make you bite your nails and read at a record pace just to turn another page and find out what else will happen! And even between the moments of pain and anxiety, there were quite a few comical moments of laughter! 😂
📚 “Is there anything that doesn’t turn you on?” I retort.
“Other dudes and the Kardashians,” he blurts, fake shivering. “But apart from that, not a lot.” 📚
But what I liked most is that the heroine usually forgives to fast and behaves like a rag... But here, Abby remains strong and the person who grovels was Cam. YOU GO, GIRL! 🎉
Even the secondary characters were excellent ... Although most of them made me want to commit murder, but when a writer manages to evoke such strong feelings out of me, no matter whether they are good or bad - she does something right! And this book made me feel!!! 👏👑
📚 "I hate you," I whisper, my hands sliding around his bare sweat-slickened torso.
"I hate you too," he whispers back, roughly grabbing my neck and yanking my mouth to his.📚
This is a must-read book for anyone who loves dark bully romance!
And the ending?!? Ahahahaha!!! 😱💥
I tried to flip the pages in my Kindle, praying that it wasn't really over... I even wrote a message to the writer saying that she probably sent me a damaged file! Because how can it end like this?!? What will I do until the sequel comes out?! Why can't it go on forever, like "The Bold and the Beautiful"??? 😂😂😂
*** I received an ARC from the author for an objective review ***
upload image
📚 "How is it that someone so ugly on the inside looks and smells so beautiful on the outside." 📚
The Rydeville High has been run by the elite group - Trent, Charlie, Drew and their families for years. Everyone knows and respect that... But when a new elite group appears and tries to take control, everything gets messy. Camden (Cam), Sawyer and Jackson are seeking for revenge and nothing will stop them. ⚔💥
On the outside, it seems like Abigail's (Drew's twin sister) life is perfect. But her father control her life- who to talk to, what to wear, where to go and even whom to marry... and she's fed up! 😱
One night, when she almost gives up, Abby meets a mysterious man at the beach and she chooses for the first time on what will make her feel alive - even only for one night ... 🙏
Imagine her surprise a few months later, when she finds that the amazing man - is the enemy... and he hates her!!! 😬
Cam is a dangerous mystery- his soft touches replaced with hatred expressions, humiliation, and pain. But one thing didn't change. The hot attraction- and it annoys both of them ... 💔
Who are the new elite? What are they fighting for? Why does Cam hate Abby so much? And when the secrets and motivations of all the groups will be revealed... Can Abby survive without getting hurt? 💥💣💥
📚 "How is it I crave the thing I hate the most?" he whispers, his mouth moving to my jaw. "How do you do that? Make he want you when I despise you? "📚
I'm still shocked!!!! 😱
This book is dark, twisted and cruel - which made me think, where are the teachers or any adults...?
The answer? NOWHERE. Because in this book, everyone is EVIL! the students, and the adults. 😱
They are in high school - but the plot felt more mature... except for the times when the characters responded with sticking their tongue out or flipping the bird...
To be honest? I was supposed to hate this book - and that's what I felt at first... just instead of wanting to read another, I couldn't stop reading, talking and thinking about it! 😱
The story and the characters made me angry - but I kept reading in any spare moment... This book will make you bite your nails and read at a record pace just to turn another page and find out what else will happen! And even between the moments of pain and anxiety, there were quite a few comical moments of laughter! 😂
📚 “Is there anything that doesn’t turn you on?” I retort.
“Other dudes and the Kardashians,” he blurts, fake shivering. “But apart from that, not a lot.” 📚
But what I liked most is that the heroine usually forgives to fast and behaves like a rag... But here, Abby remains strong and the person who grovels was Cam. YOU GO, GIRL! 🎉
Even the secondary characters were excellent ... Although most of them made me want to commit murder, but when a writer manages to evoke such strong feelings out of me, no matter whether they are good or bad - she does something right! And this book made me feel!!! 👏👑
📚 "I hate you," I whisper, my hands sliding around his bare sweat-slickened torso.
"I hate you too," he whispers back, roughly grabbing my neck and yanking my mouth to his.📚
This is a must-read book for anyone who loves dark bully romance!
And the ending?!? Ahahahaha!!! 😱💥
I tried to flip the pages in my Kindle, praying that it wasn't really over... I even wrote a message to the writer saying that she probably sent me a damaged file! Because how can it end like this?!? What will I do until the sequel comes out?! Why can't it go on forever, like "The Bold and the Beautiful"??? 😂😂😂
*** I received an ARC from the author for an objective review ***
June 12, 2019
When I started this book I couldn't believe I was reading about 17 and 18-year-olds. The Rydeville High school is ruled by the Elite, which consists of Abby and her twin Drew, Trent, and Charlie. They are considered the rich and powerful. Now Abby may be part of the Elite, but she doesn't have much say. She is expected to listen and act accordingly. Most of the Elite, are already arranged to be married. And Trent, the dude Abby is supposed to marry, he really tops the asshole cake !!
Not wanting to give any of herself to her "fiancee", she decides to give her innocence to a stranger...a savior of sorts. Someone she chose for herself...a moment she will always hold dear. There is not much else she can do though...she is stuck in the life she was born in.
She doesn't know that everything she knows is about to change...and she will come face to face with her savior again... Will he still be her savior though.
I love high school settings, and when they have bullies in them...even better !! I was a bit confused when I started this one though. For a minute I thought they were all much older, but then I figured they were just that screwed up. I can't imagine my parents just giving me away in marriage because of family business and status...
As much as Abby was stuck, she still tried to be as strong as she could be. I really admired her and I can't wait to see what is gonna happen next.
Fair warning....we've got another cliffy right here !!!
An ARC was provided to
in exchange for an honest review
June 12, 2019
*I was given an ARC in exchange for honest review*
I hate having to post this because now I'll probably be off the review team and that sucks. But I will ALWAYS be honest with my thoughts and opinions. I've only read one other book by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was a cute new adult romance that I really need to reread because I liked it. But this one... I have two hard limits when it comes to books. Cheating and drugs. Drugs are used so much that my three strike rule went out the window at 17% into the book. Which sucks, I still kept reading because I felt it was my duty but I knew then and there is was going to get a bad rating.
That's not it though, the characters.... they are all freaking awful. Every. Single. One. There were no characters in this story I enjoyed or related to. They were all so nasty and mean to each other. I think this book was trying to be like Paper Princess or Punk 57 but it failed horribly.
The main girl we follow, whose name I've already banished from my mind, is trapped in this marriage-to-be because her father is an elite bastard who should have his kids taken away and be locked in prison. He lets his best friend (the father of her fiancee) grope his daughter... freaking walks in on her and doesn't even care. It was vile and nasty.
Now normally, I like sex it my books, makes it feel more real but this was overkill! Every little thing was about sex or they were talking about sex. There was even a scene where the MC is being pushed against a tree and things went down in front of the whole group, orgies, violence, just rather disgusting dialogue.... this book has it all. Her brother doesn't give a crap that his twin sister's fiancee is abusive to her. Just tells her to open up to him. Everyone just wants to sleep with the MC. That's it. No one cares about each other.... just sex.
The writing is really good, I found one continuity error that I'm sure will be fixed in the final version, so that's not a big deal at all. Honestly, while this book is not for me. It maybe for you, so give it a go if it sounds interesting to you. I hope you get more from it than I did.
I hate having to post this because now I'll probably be off the review team and that sucks. But I will ALWAYS be honest with my thoughts and opinions. I've only read one other book by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was a cute new adult romance that I really need to reread because I liked it. But this one... I have two hard limits when it comes to books. Cheating and drugs. Drugs are used so much that my three strike rule went out the window at 17% into the book. Which sucks, I still kept reading because I felt it was my duty but I knew then and there is was going to get a bad rating.
That's not it though, the characters.... they are all freaking awful. Every. Single. One. There were no characters in this story I enjoyed or related to. They were all so nasty and mean to each other. I think this book was trying to be like Paper Princess or Punk 57 but it failed horribly.
The main girl we follow, whose name I've already banished from my mind, is trapped in this marriage-to-be because her father is an elite bastard who should have his kids taken away and be locked in prison. He lets his best friend (the father of her fiancee) grope his daughter... freaking walks in on her and doesn't even care. It was vile and nasty.
Now normally, I like sex it my books, makes it feel more real but this was overkill! Every little thing was about sex or they were talking about sex. There was even a scene where the MC is being pushed against a tree and things went down in front of the whole group, orgies, violence, just rather disgusting dialogue.... this book has it all. Her brother doesn't give a crap that his twin sister's fiancee is abusive to her. Just tells her to open up to him. Everyone just wants to sleep with the MC. That's it. No one cares about each other.... just sex.
The writing is really good, I found one continuity error that I'm sure will be fixed in the final version, so that's not a big deal at all. Honestly, while this book is not for me. It maybe for you, so give it a go if it sounds interesting to you. I hope you get more from it than I did.
December 17, 2019
Five amazing stars for Abby and Cam 😍😍😍!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is the first book I've read by Siobhan Davis and OMG this is one the best book that I've read this year!!!
I really love Siobhan's writing style because this book was so easy to read and it's a page-turner 😄.
Before this one, I didn't read a dark romance with bully trope so I think from now on because of "Cruel Intentions" I will start reading this genre more 😍.
This was one of the books which you need to read all night because you need to know what happens next.
Abby and Cam are very complex characters. Their relationship isn't like the ones you can find in fairy tales. They hate each other. There is no respect because in fact they enemies.
Because they belong to the two different kinds of the elite.
The end was so unexpected, I was like "What happened right now?!?!" 😲.
And yes, there is a cliffhanger in the end. So, right now I need to wait to find out what happened to Abby 😫.
P. S. I can't wait for the second book in this series and I need it right now.
I really hate cliffhangers in the books 😭.
Highly recommended!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is the first book I've read by Siobhan Davis and OMG this is one the best book that I've read this year!!!
I really love Siobhan's writing style because this book was so easy to read and it's a page-turner 😄.
Before this one, I didn't read a dark romance with bully trope so I think from now on because of "Cruel Intentions" I will start reading this genre more 😍.
This was one of the books which you need to read all night because you need to know what happens next.
Abby and Cam are very complex characters. Their relationship isn't like the ones you can find in fairy tales. They hate each other. There is no respect because in fact they enemies.
Because they belong to the two different kinds of the elite.
The end was so unexpected, I was like "What happened right now?!?!" 😲.
And yes, there is a cliffhanger in the end. So, right now I need to wait to find out what happened to Abby 😫.
P. S. I can't wait for the second book in this series and I need it right now.
I really hate cliffhangers in the books 😭.
Highly recommended!!!
June 12, 2020
DNF
Lets get into it. I do not understand Abby. Here she is. Privilege rich girl. Part of popular students in school. It seems she has everything. Behind close door, she played this role as angry resentful girl to all of her privilege. Her fiancee treats her with no respect. She agrees to bully other students in her school so she can maintain her status as mean girl.
From her dialog, she seems strong, but why she willing to accept every play and every bad treatment coming to her way? From her fiancee, her parent and even her fiancee's father. To me it seems she is asking for it to get attention from Cam.
And Cam. He is suppose to be her love interest. But he is moving on background. I only catch a glimpse of him now and then.
I listened until more than 6th hour. I give up. I just can not do it anymore. Nothing click for me.
2 stars
Lets get into it. I do not understand Abby. Here she is. Privilege rich girl. Part of popular students in school. It seems she has everything. Behind close door, she played this role as angry resentful girl to all of her privilege. Her fiancee treats her with no respect. She agrees to bully other students in her school so she can maintain her status as mean girl.
From her dialog, she seems strong, but why she willing to accept every play and every bad treatment coming to her way? From her fiancee, her parent and even her fiancee's father. To me it seems she is asking for it to get attention from Cam.
And Cam. He is suppose to be her love interest. But he is moving on background. I only catch a glimpse of him now and then.
I listened until more than 6th hour. I give up. I just can not do it anymore. Nothing click for me.
2 stars
December 17, 2019
WHERE DO I BEGIN.....
So I went into reading this because I was curious about this “Bully Romance” and wondering what made it different from enemies to lovers. FYI a lot makes it different from enemies to lovers like a whole damn LOT 🥴
1) This about a rich girl who is apart of the elite which means they are all assholes and think they better than everybody. Her father is an asshole, her fiancé is the biggest asshole, her brother is an undercover asshole, and she’s just as much of an asshole.
2) The rich elite rule the schools but not for long cuz new money is coming and they don’t play by the rules. Shockingly our damsel has a history with the new elite and she’ll have to play to the beat of their music or suffer the consequences.
So supposedly there is a lot more to the Abigail than being a spoiled little rich girl and yeh life is super tough cuz daddy is an abusive bastard but none of that makes her a likeable character cuz she’s also an asshole willing to do whatever she wants to get what she wants. Sorry, but none of that makes her a hero or even likeable, I disliked her as much as everyone else.
The Criteria for a Bully Romance
- Sexual Assault (you will be touched up on your body by 3 dudes, they will also film you naked in your room and send the footage to the entire school. This also includes the filming of a private moment between your bestfriend and her brother and use it as revenge porn. You will be dragged by your hair and held down and you will feel nothing but the romance 😍)
- Slut Shame (Slut shame like there is no tomorrow. Let it be known that your vagina is unused and everyone else has a saggy cunt. Skank, use skank a lot and make sure to let the school know that home girl can be choked and humiliated cuz she’s a skank).
- The Bully is the hottest (He’s so hot y’all everyone wants to fuck him. Don’t mind that he’s physically hurting me and him and his friends are rapey as hell hes so damn hot and my juices flow)
Final: The use of the word “Dark” 😫 just cause you throw in some abusive scenes and make all the men assholes and rapey does not make a book dark. This is reading with the nightlight on because this is neither dark or romance. There is nothing romantic about any of this shit and everything about is cliche and ridiculous. I’m not even interested to see where the series go because I can already guess, the baby bomb at the end told me all I needed to know. There is also nothing distinct about the writing, anyone on KU writing “dark romance” could claim this as their own.
I’m not a huge fan of dark books cuz it can be hard to read but I’ve read darker and I all I did was roll my eyes 🙄 to this.
August 30, 2019
5 WHOA CROWNS
I don’t even know what I just read. I do. That is my hyperbolic nature coming out, but my mind is jumbled mess. Honestly. What?!
The new elite, what can I say. I love them. Should I ? Probably not, but I don’t care. I do. My rebel heart loves them. Jackson with his playboy heart, Cam with his moodiness, and Sawyer with his stoic, yet ethical soul. I LOVE THEM. They are deplorable at times, but there are also moments that show their heart and those are the one I cling to.
The old elite, well, I love some of them, but like the heroine, I’m not quite sure who is trustworthy. They are corrupt and vile and have messed up values, but when you are raised by the corrupt, what do you expect. I do hope the ones that seem good remain so, but I’m not holding my breath.
The chemistry between Cam and Abby is straight up FIRE. I have no other words for it. Is he always kind? No, this is a bully romance. There are a lot of moments where my heart broke for Abby, but she is a fighter, even if there are times when she has to bite her tongue and take it. She has gumption and I love that in a heroine.
This story utterly captivated me. I couldn’t put it down. You know the kind of story where you read a page a stop light, hide from your kids so you can read uninterrupted. That was this. I’m dying for the next book, and I’m not even done processing this one. If you love a bully romance, you NEED THIS BOOK!
I don’t even know what I just read. I do. That is my hyperbolic nature coming out, but my mind is jumbled mess. Honestly. What?!
The new elite, what can I say. I love them. Should I ? Probably not, but I don’t care. I do. My rebel heart loves them. Jackson with his playboy heart, Cam with his moodiness, and Sawyer with his stoic, yet ethical soul. I LOVE THEM. They are deplorable at times, but there are also moments that show their heart and those are the one I cling to.
The old elite, well, I love some of them, but like the heroine, I’m not quite sure who is trustworthy. They are corrupt and vile and have messed up values, but when you are raised by the corrupt, what do you expect. I do hope the ones that seem good remain so, but I’m not holding my breath.
The chemistry between Cam and Abby is straight up FIRE. I have no other words for it. Is he always kind? No, this is a bully romance. There are a lot of moments where my heart broke for Abby, but she is a fighter, even if there are times when she has to bite her tongue and take it. She has gumption and I love that in a heroine.
This story utterly captivated me. I couldn’t put it down. You know the kind of story where you read a page a stop light, hide from your kids so you can read uninterrupted. That was this. I’m dying for the next book, and I’m not even done processing this one. If you love a bully romance, you NEED THIS BOOK!
August 31, 2019
HOLY CRAP. Cruel Intentions just rocked my whole world and came out of nowhere for me!! This story was blisteringly hot and delicious and filled with so much toxic (but decadent) bully goodness I might die. This story was sexy and delicious and so angsty at times I was rocking in the corner. It was also dark, disturbing and a bit uncomfortable at times but that is what made it so addicting. If you love bully romances, this book is for you!! The secrets, lies, conspiracies were so consuming. This book was absolutely amazingggg!!!
This is only my second Siobhan Davis story but lord did this book make me take notice. Anyone who knows me knows that bully romances are my crack and this story? Lorddd did it deliver. I was obsessed with all the confrontations between the New and Old Elite and how one girl was caught in the crossfire between both worlds. I loved Abigail. She was sassy and strong and determined to get to the bottom of all the long-lost secrets and lies while keeping her heart from getting trampled on by the cold and callous stranger she once knew.
AHH!! I am trying to remain vague as the shocks and twists in this story will blow your mind. This story was so delicious and dirty and dares to push the envelope into even dirtier territory. But the romance itself is amazing. Abigail and Cam are two peas in a pod. Strong and determined to win at all costs but their sizzling attraction is FIREEEE. And that ending? OMGGGGGG!!! I NEED MOREEEEEE!! ~5 STARS! ~Ratula
This is only my second Siobhan Davis story but lord did this book make me take notice. Anyone who knows me knows that bully romances are my crack and this story? Lorddd did it deliver. I was obsessed with all the confrontations between the New and Old Elite and how one girl was caught in the crossfire between both worlds. I loved Abigail. She was sassy and strong and determined to get to the bottom of all the long-lost secrets and lies while keeping her heart from getting trampled on by the cold and callous stranger she once knew.
AHH!! I am trying to remain vague as the shocks and twists in this story will blow your mind. This story was so delicious and dirty and dares to push the envelope into even dirtier territory. But the romance itself is amazing. Abigail and Cam are two peas in a pod. Strong and determined to win at all costs but their sizzling attraction is FIREEEE. And that ending? OMGGGGGG!!! I NEED MOREEEEEE!! ~5 STARS! ~Ratula
August 31, 2019
Oh la la...
Really enjoyed this one...
Bully romance with drama and action and suspense...
interesting, edgy and angsty...
And it ends with a cliffy...damn
Really enjoyed this one...
Bully romance with drama and action and suspense...
interesting, edgy and angsty...
And it ends with a cliffy...damn
July 29, 2019
DNF at 63%.
Yikes, this was a giant disappointing mess. High school/college bully romances are all the rage lately, and I’m ALL for it. Unfortunately, this brought nothing new to the table for me.
Abigail and Cam had literally zero chemistry. This should have been brimming with tension since it is a bully romance, and I got nothing with them.
The family/town old blood vs. new blood drama/politics between everyone felt extremely fake and just not plausible. Especially the school's hierarchy Elite system, I won't even get started on that lol
Every page I was waiting for something to hook me and get me invested in this story, but I never got it. There was just nothing about this story that made me want to continue reading.
I’ve seen some stellar reviews for this, so I’m extremely disappointed this didn’t work for me!
Yikes, this was a giant disappointing mess. High school/college bully romances are all the rage lately, and I’m ALL for it. Unfortunately, this brought nothing new to the table for me.
Abigail and Cam had literally zero chemistry. This should have been brimming with tension since it is a bully romance, and I got nothing with them.
The family/town old blood vs. new blood drama/politics between everyone felt extremely fake and just not plausible. Especially the school's hierarchy Elite system, I won't even get started on that lol
Every page I was waiting for something to hook me and get me invested in this story, but I never got it. There was just nothing about this story that made me want to continue reading.
I’ve seen some stellar reviews for this, so I’m extremely disappointed this didn’t work for me!
June 11, 2019
“And that’s how it done, Son!”
WOWZER...
The romance world has been saturated with “bully” books recently. Some have been AH-MAY-ZINNNG. Some, not so much. When this trope is done well, I can’t get enough of it, but lately I’ve been picking up some BR books that have just fallen flat, mainly because there has been nothing new in them, so with every new release, I tend not to get too excited about them anymore, purely to avoid any disappointment. So, I one-clicked CRUEL INTENTIONS and tried to keep my expectations low. I’m not gonna lie, I read the early reviews and spoke to some friends who warned me of some potential triggers, but since I can read pretty much anything without being shocked, I dived straight in.
Let me just say Cam...that dude gave me fucking whiplash and my messages to one of my girls can attest to this. One minute I was like “Jenny, I LUUURVE Cam” then minutes later I was sending her angry emojis and swearing blind that I hated him. The other guys, Jackson and Sawyer, I loved. Jackson was a dick, but a lovable one...and Sawyer was the strong silent type. At times, the three of them were truly vile to Abby...but nothing they did could compare to what she had to deal with from her father and “fiancé” Trent. They were absolutely disgusting, and there was a certain part of the story that had me feeling a little queasy.
Abby...now that girl was FIERCE. I love a strong heroine, and she was the epitome of this. She had to deal with so much shit, but she always stood up for herself and was just kickass; at times she was so broken and my heart hurt for her but she always held her head high and came back twice as determined.
There were so many twists and turns in this story, and I didn’t see half of them coming. The writing was fast-paced and had me on the edge of my seat; on more than one occasion I was seconds away from launching my kindle out the nearest window. CRUEL INTENTIONS definitely had that shock factor, and ended on one helluva cliffhanger, I’m honestly not sure that I have the patience to wait for book two.
If you are a fan of bully romance books, then I can’t recommend this one highly enough, it’s certainly going to be on my top reads list for this year.
WOWZER...
The romance world has been saturated with “bully” books recently. Some have been AH-MAY-ZINNNG. Some, not so much. When this trope is done well, I can’t get enough of it, but lately I’ve been picking up some BR books that have just fallen flat, mainly because there has been nothing new in them, so with every new release, I tend not to get too excited about them anymore, purely to avoid any disappointment. So, I one-clicked CRUEL INTENTIONS and tried to keep my expectations low. I’m not gonna lie, I read the early reviews and spoke to some friends who warned me of some potential triggers, but since I can read pretty much anything without being shocked, I dived straight in.
Let me just say Cam...that dude gave me fucking whiplash and my messages to one of my girls can attest to this. One minute I was like “Jenny, I LUUURVE Cam” then minutes later I was sending her angry emojis and swearing blind that I hated him. The other guys, Jackson and Sawyer, I loved. Jackson was a dick, but a lovable one...and Sawyer was the strong silent type. At times, the three of them were truly vile to Abby...but nothing they did could compare to what she had to deal with from her father and “fiancé” Trent. They were absolutely disgusting, and there was a certain part of the story that had me feeling a little queasy.
Abby...now that girl was FIERCE. I love a strong heroine, and she was the epitome of this. She had to deal with so much shit, but she always stood up for herself and was just kickass; at times she was so broken and my heart hurt for her but she always held her head high and came back twice as determined.
There were so many twists and turns in this story, and I didn’t see half of them coming. The writing was fast-paced and had me on the edge of my seat; on more than one occasion I was seconds away from launching my kindle out the nearest window. CRUEL INTENTIONS definitely had that shock factor, and ended on one helluva cliffhanger, I’m honestly not sure that I have the patience to wait for book two.
If you are a fan of bully romance books, then I can’t recommend this one highly enough, it’s certainly going to be on my top reads list for this year.
August 15, 2022
3.5
I enjoyed the clear Grease inspiration in this story. I didn't realize until later that the high school in Grease is even named Rydell High. The beginning beach scene with the two MMCs was written beautifully, and gave me major Sandy & Danny vibes. The idea to have them meet again belonging to two opposing cliques in high school is a brilliant idea for a bully romance.
This book was addicting to read, but this didn't quite do it for me enough to rate it 4 stars. While this book may come across as very dark to others, I felt the MMC was quite redeemable & he didn't bully the heroine all that much imo (besides the lunchroom antics). I thought the heroine's reaction towards the end that drove her to leave for Jane's was an overreaction on her part. Though the very ending seems like a huge betrayal, I know there's more that hasn't been revealed that will obviously redeem K.
The hacking element in this book was ridiculous. I get with these NA stories you have to suspend disbelief, but it amazed me how many of these high schoolers were pros at hacking into systems. It started occurring so much that it seemed like a lazy plot device on the author's part to forward the plot in some way. Mr. Robot has ruined me, and if an author goes into too much detail when they describe hacking it turns me off. London Miller was able to pull off a hacker character because she remained vague and didn't go into extraneous details that would come across as inauthentic. The idea that these kids know hackers who can permanently scrub videos & photos from the internet is ridiculous. Nothing from the internet is ever permanently erased.
Then at the very end with the twist: This is one of my least favorite plot devices in NA.
The ow drama/cheating didn't bother me here, but will bother others. Safety details:
I don't know, I'm the type of reader who has to know the end of the story & the writing was addictive enough for me to be tempted to read the next book. I'll probably skim the next book or look for spoilery reviews to decide if the next book is worth reading.
Also: So annoyed when all the top reviews for Book #2 are vague five stars, with little plot detail, clearly this authors' ARC readers. I'm trying to find a good 2/3 star review with plot details to see if the second book is worth picking up. Sometimes I want to know spoilers before starting the book. Then to top that off, I see multiple reviewers on this page claiming they were kicked off the author's ARC team for not liking this book and rating it less than 4 or 5 stars. Authors who try to control & manipulate their readers with this "non manipulation" manipulation tactic is frustrating for me to see. Though upfront they will say they welcome all reviews, they're training their readers that if they want to continue to receive free books, they gotta rate 4/5 stars. This culture permeating FB is so bad it's gotten to the point where I'm starting to see 4/5 star reviews from some of the fans, but they complain about the book in their review like they didn't really like it all that much. I actually chose to read this book because of the top 1 star complaining about how dark this is. If an author writes a "dark bully romance", but it's not dark enough to offend one reader and make them leave a 1 star, then that book probably won't be dark enough for my tastes. And public review sites are for the public, not author's egos. Also, authors kicking off readers for leaving less than 4 or 5 stars is breaking Amazon's TOS. It would be in an author's own interest for multiple reasons not to pull that shit. Anyway, I don't know how this author runs her ARC team now, but when I see readers talk about being kicked off ARC teams for leaving less than 4 stars, this turns me off from wanting to support the author in any way. And I hope readers know that if an author in a facebook group ever encourages their readers to like five star reviews to raise their visibility, that can be screencapped & reported to Goodreads. While Amazon prevents financial incentives for reviews, Goodreads is stricter & prohibits any type of incentivization (even when it's not a financial incentivization) in their TOS, even if it's simply incentivization for likes from the authors.
I enjoyed the clear Grease inspiration in this story. I didn't realize until later that the high school in Grease is even named Rydell High. The beginning beach scene with the two MMCs was written beautifully, and gave me major Sandy & Danny vibes. The idea to have them meet again belonging to two opposing cliques in high school is a brilliant idea for a bully romance.
This book was addicting to read, but this didn't quite do it for me enough to rate it 4 stars. While this book may come across as very dark to others, I felt the MMC was quite redeemable & he didn't bully the heroine all that much imo (besides the lunchroom antics). I thought the heroine's reaction towards the end that drove her to leave for Jane's was an overreaction on her part. Though the very ending seems like a huge betrayal, I know there's more that hasn't been revealed that will obviously redeem K.
The hacking element in this book was ridiculous. I get with these NA stories you have to suspend disbelief, but it amazed me how many of these high schoolers were pros at hacking into systems. It started occurring so much that it seemed like a lazy plot device on the author's part to forward the plot in some way. Mr. Robot has ruined me, and if an author goes into too much detail when they describe hacking it turns me off. London Miller was able to pull off a hacker character because she remained vague and didn't go into extraneous details that would come across as inauthentic. The idea that these kids know hackers who can permanently scrub videos & photos from the internet is ridiculous. Nothing from the internet is ever permanently erased.
Then at the very end with the twist: This is one of my least favorite plot devices in NA.
The ow drama/cheating didn't bother me here, but will bother others. Safety details:
I don't know, I'm the type of reader who has to know the end of the story & the writing was addictive enough for me to be tempted to read the next book. I'll probably skim the next book or look for spoilery reviews to decide if the next book is worth reading.
Also: So annoyed when all the top reviews for Book #2 are vague five stars, with little plot detail, clearly this authors' ARC readers. I'm trying to find a good 2/3 star review with plot details to see if the second book is worth picking up. Sometimes I want to know spoilers before starting the book. Then to top that off, I see multiple reviewers on this page claiming they were kicked off the author's ARC team for not liking this book and rating it less than 4 or 5 stars. Authors who try to control & manipulate their readers with this "non manipulation" manipulation tactic is frustrating for me to see. Though upfront they will say they welcome all reviews, they're training their readers that if they want to continue to receive free books, they gotta rate 4/5 stars. This culture permeating FB is so bad it's gotten to the point where I'm starting to see 4/5 star reviews from some of the fans, but they complain about the book in their review like they didn't really like it all that much. I actually chose to read this book because of the top 1 star complaining about how dark this is. If an author writes a "dark bully romance", but it's not dark enough to offend one reader and make them leave a 1 star, then that book probably won't be dark enough for my tastes. And public review sites are for the public, not author's egos. Also, authors kicking off readers for leaving less than 4 or 5 stars is breaking Amazon's TOS. It would be in an author's own interest for multiple reasons not to pull that shit. Anyway, I don't know how this author runs her ARC team now, but when I see readers talk about being kicked off ARC teams for leaving less than 4 stars, this turns me off from wanting to support the author in any way. And I hope readers know that if an author in a facebook group ever encourages their readers to like five star reviews to raise their visibility, that can be screencapped & reported to Goodreads. While Amazon prevents financial incentives for reviews, Goodreads is stricter & prohibits any type of incentivization (even when it's not a financial incentivization) in their TOS, even if it's simply incentivization for likes from the authors.
October 24, 2019
This book is the shittiest shit I've been unfortunate enough to touch in the year 2019. The LL is constantly being fondled by everyone... her dad beats her half to death when he finds out she isnt a virgin.. just shit.. and at 33%, im tapping out✌🏽
January 13, 2022
3,5. So much drama… 🤷🏻♀️
July 15, 2019
Fucking hot! Yep that is exactly what this book was!
It ended on a cliffy😵Thank goodness I have the second one
It ended on a cliffy😵Thank goodness I have the second one
June 10, 2019
My heart is pounding so hard, it may beat right out of my chest. Siobhan, you never cease to amaze me!!
Cruel Intentions is the start of Siobhan's newest series, Rydeville High Elite, and boy does know how to get your heart pumping and body racing. I gobbled this book in one day. There was no way I could read this any slower, and I tried because I knew it was going to end in a cliffy. But I was so pulled in to this story that I wasn't coming up for air. And I didn't.
Rydevillle High is not your typical high school. The school (pretty much town) is run by the top four elite families and their generations-old idealism of how their world works. It is world were pre-arranged marriages still happen to keep the 4 elite families in place; women are only props and men rule. However, the school is where the boundaries are set and learned and carried out once the new generation is of age to takeover their fathers' places.
However, there are a few within the inner circle that are sick of the old ways and are trying to shake things up. But there's a new group of families trying to move in and take claim as the new leaders of Rydeville High. They want to shake things up differently.
When new lines are drawn between family and friends, no one can be trusted and everything becomes blurred.
I will be honest - I do this book no justice for how damn enticing it is. LOL There are some pretty intense and rough scenes that may upset some folks but this book is superbly well written. There is bullying and it's taken to the next level but don't let that stop you from reading. There is ALOT of teenage drama angst but OMG, I loved it. The sexual tension can be cut with a butter knife and it's soooooo good. I want to say soooo much more, but I can't. Just go read it.
Siobhan plays this book out beautifully. Every scene bleeds into the next perfectly and each piece to this puzzle is sprinkled well throughout the book. This book is rifled with tension, action, suspense, angst and drama and I loved every damn word of it. I'm no sure I have the patience to wait for the next one......I need more, NOW!!
Please note that this book is a bully romance. While I am not a fan of romanticizing the topic of bullying, this book is extremely well written, aside from that fact. I chose to not allow my personal issues with bullying go into this review but if you have any triggers that go along with bullying, please read this book with caution.
Cruel Intentions is the start of Siobhan's newest series, Rydeville High Elite, and boy does know how to get your heart pumping and body racing. I gobbled this book in one day. There was no way I could read this any slower, and I tried because I knew it was going to end in a cliffy. But I was so pulled in to this story that I wasn't coming up for air. And I didn't.
Rydevillle High is not your typical high school. The school (pretty much town) is run by the top four elite families and their generations-old idealism of how their world works. It is world were pre-arranged marriages still happen to keep the 4 elite families in place; women are only props and men rule. However, the school is where the boundaries are set and learned and carried out once the new generation is of age to takeover their fathers' places.
However, there are a few within the inner circle that are sick of the old ways and are trying to shake things up. But there's a new group of families trying to move in and take claim as the new leaders of Rydeville High. They want to shake things up differently.
When new lines are drawn between family and friends, no one can be trusted and everything becomes blurred.
I will be honest - I do this book no justice for how damn enticing it is. LOL There are some pretty intense and rough scenes that may upset some folks but this book is superbly well written. There is bullying and it's taken to the next level but don't let that stop you from reading. There is ALOT of teenage drama angst but OMG, I loved it. The sexual tension can be cut with a butter knife and it's soooooo good. I want to say soooo much more, but I can't. Just go read it.
Siobhan plays this book out beautifully. Every scene bleeds into the next perfectly and each piece to this puzzle is sprinkled well throughout the book. This book is rifled with tension, action, suspense, angst and drama and I loved every damn word of it. I'm no sure I have the patience to wait for the next one......I need more, NOW!!
Please note that this book is a bully romance. While I am not a fan of romanticizing the topic of bullying, this book is extremely well written, aside from that fact. I chose to not allow my personal issues with bullying go into this review but if you have any triggers that go along with bullying, please read this book with caution.
Read
February 11, 2022Note to thine own f’ing self….
Yet another armchair depression author. We meet the FMC as she is in the throes of suicide… she’s replaying how she has zero control as a privileged, caged bird, and she wants to end it by throwing herself to the mercy of the ocean. Bam, a hot guy shows up to poof away all suicidal thoughts in place of lustfully gazing upon him and wanting to fuck, not drown, her sadness away. Message: Snap your fingers (or just insert a hot guy) and depression and suicide just vanish.
One glance from this stranger heats my blood and stirs desire low in my belly. I cock my head to the side, intrigued and aroused, my previous self-destructive mission all but forgotten.
^ So, with that, am I really supposed to read on? Is there any fucking hope that an author so f’ing disconnected could ever pull off a “dark” book of delight?
I read a couple more pages just for shits and giggles.
With almost zero dialogue, we have strangers kissing wrists between “pregnant pauses” 🙄 and electricity “crackling” in the air. Stranger sex can be hot, but f’me… the chick goes from trying to kill herself to throwing her virginal vagina at some random dude’s mouth and dick within the first EIGHT MOFO PAGES. Meh.
Hygiene issues aside… my reader’s mind doesn’t flip on a dime like this. And, I hate when authors try to spray poopoouri on shit.
He makes love to me then, only picking up his pace when I confirm it no longer hurts, but he’s never rough, completely attentive to my needs, and he brings me to a second orgasm as his own climax hits.
Making love? You’ve known this guy for EIGHT PAGES! And, I say this guy because she doesn’t even know the name of the random dude she’s “making love” to here.
So, yep, confirmed within eight pages that this shit is not for my ass. Maybe, it’s because I just read Venom, and I really don’t want to waste my time on the hope and prayer the author can do dark right when she can’t get suicide and random stranger sex right🤦♀️🤷♀️?!?
Yet another armchair depression author. We meet the FMC as she is in the throes of suicide… she’s replaying how she has zero control as a privileged, caged bird, and she wants to end it by throwing herself to the mercy of the ocean. Bam, a hot guy shows up to poof away all suicidal thoughts in place of lustfully gazing upon him and wanting to fuck, not drown, her sadness away. Message: Snap your fingers (or just insert a hot guy) and depression and suicide just vanish.
One glance from this stranger heats my blood and stirs desire low in my belly. I cock my head to the side, intrigued and aroused, my previous self-destructive mission all but forgotten.
^ So, with that, am I really supposed to read on? Is there any fucking hope that an author so f’ing disconnected could ever pull off a “dark” book of delight?
I read a couple more pages just for shits and giggles.
With almost zero dialogue, we have strangers kissing wrists between “pregnant pauses” 🙄 and electricity “crackling” in the air. Stranger sex can be hot, but f’me… the chick goes from trying to kill herself to throwing her virginal vagina at some random dude’s mouth and dick within the first EIGHT MOFO PAGES. Meh.
Hygiene issues aside… my reader’s mind doesn’t flip on a dime like this. And, I hate when authors try to spray poopoouri on shit.
He makes love to me then, only picking up his pace when I confirm it no longer hurts, but he’s never rough, completely attentive to my needs, and he brings me to a second orgasm as his own climax hits.
Making love? You’ve known this guy for EIGHT PAGES! And, I say this guy because she doesn’t even know the name of the random dude she’s “making love” to here.
So, yep, confirmed within eight pages that this shit is not for my ass. Maybe, it’s because I just read Venom, and I really don’t want to waste my time on the hope and prayer the author can do dark right when she can’t get suicide and random stranger sex right🤦♀️🤷♀️?!?
June 11, 2020
4.5 stars
Ok this was amazing. Literally read this in a day... A DAY. Obsessed with this twisted mess 😍
Ok this was amazing. Literally read this in a day... A DAY. Obsessed with this twisted mess 😍
June 20, 2019
As always, Siobhan Davis brings her “A Game” to her work, not asking you to like the characters or the twists, but one cannot help but admire her ability to wring every drop of emotion from your body from love to hate to horror to disgust. CRUEL INTENTIONS is dark, your limits will be scoured raw and your beliefs in reality will be tested beyond the limits, because humans can be cruel, twisted and their minds distorted. The strong will devour the weak and we only need to look at the headlines to see that. And. It. All. Starts. Somewhere.
This is a story of control, power and the complete debasement of humanity and it is in high school! I have a love/hate relationship with this book and everything about it, but I also have a huge amount of respect for an author who will follow where her writing takes her and do it well. How else could she evoke such a powerful emotional response from me?
Most definitely not for the weak of heart, soul or stomach, let go of your fantasies of a kind and gentle world and get ready to enter the house of horrors where even the strong may not survive and the twisted machinations of the mind run rampant!
Once again, Siobhan Davis has created a dark tale that one cannot help but feel strongly about, good or bad. The writing is strong, the subject matter unfathomable.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Siobhan Davis!
Series: Rydeville High Elite - Book 1
Publication Date: June 10, 2019
Publisher: Siobhan Davis
Genre: New Adult Dark Bully Romance
Print Length: 397 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
This is a story of control, power and the complete debasement of humanity and it is in high school! I have a love/hate relationship with this book and everything about it, but I also have a huge amount of respect for an author who will follow where her writing takes her and do it well. How else could she evoke such a powerful emotional response from me?
Most definitely not for the weak of heart, soul or stomach, let go of your fantasies of a kind and gentle world and get ready to enter the house of horrors where even the strong may not survive and the twisted machinations of the mind run rampant!
Once again, Siobhan Davis has created a dark tale that one cannot help but feel strongly about, good or bad. The writing is strong, the subject matter unfathomable.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Siobhan Davis!
Series: Rydeville High Elite - Book 1
Publication Date: June 10, 2019
Publisher: Siobhan Davis
Genre: New Adult Dark Bully Romance
Print Length: 397 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
June 10, 2019
Cruel Intentions is the first book in the Rydevilee High Elite Series by the amazing Siobhan Davis. She did a fantasic job with this bully romance. 5 twisted stars. This story has everything you want-lies, secrets and steamy scenes. I lvoed how big of a dick Cam was. And how Abby never backed down. She was strong and did not give up the fight. I loved the secondary characters (new elite) just as much and am praying that they get books of their own. Siobhan did an amazing job on this twisted romance and, I can't wait for book two.
Want to read
March 5, 2024🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/16/2021)! 🎁
June 7, 2019
4.5 massive clusterfuck stars!
Ok, so I’ve just finished this book and my mind is blown! I’m going to try and write a review that doesn’t give anything away.
The first thing that I will say is this book is full of triggers... there are some really dark themes in this book.
I was anxious the whole way through and then there were a couple of chapters that really tested me and made me feel sick in the pit of my stomach. Anyone that reads my reviews knows that I love dark romance and it takes a lot to shock me... so take my warning and be prepared as this is no where near an easy read.
This is a high school bully romance with a twist.
So to start we have Trent, Drew and Charlie who make up the old Elite. Drew is Abby’s twin brother. They are the Elite and the run the school.
Then you have their rivals the New Elite that are made up of Camden, Jackson and Sawyer and they are new to the school. There is a big rivalry between them and that’s part of the mystery.
Abby is the girl caught into between both sets of Elite’s and how this story plays out and why this story plays out in the way it does is brilliantly shocking.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding this plot and a lot of questions that you will want answering. I still have loads of questions now. All I’m doing now as I’m writing this is trying to figure out what the fuck I’ve just read and trying to piece it all together.
The reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because of some of the stuff that happened in the book is a serious topic and (without giving away spoilers) I felt like it was sometimes brushed over and not treated seriously.
This book is brutal, toxic, disturbing, filled with moments that will shock you, betrayal that you don’t see coming, angst, back and forth that will have you pulling your hair out and moments where you will want to give up because you just can’t read about any more bad stuff happening to the heroine.
My advice.
Push through.
It’s 100% worth it.
Yes I was messaging my blogger friends in shouty caps, but when a book has you THAT invested, you know every moment you swore, was sweating and felt sick was totally worth it.
Go and read it... if you dare.
Ok, so I’ve just finished this book and my mind is blown! I’m going to try and write a review that doesn’t give anything away.
The first thing that I will say is this book is full of triggers... there are some really dark themes in this book.
I was anxious the whole way through and then there were a couple of chapters that really tested me and made me feel sick in the pit of my stomach. Anyone that reads my reviews knows that I love dark romance and it takes a lot to shock me... so take my warning and be prepared as this is no where near an easy read.
This is a high school bully romance with a twist.
So to start we have Trent, Drew and Charlie who make up the old Elite. Drew is Abby’s twin brother. They are the Elite and the run the school.
Then you have their rivals the New Elite that are made up of Camden, Jackson and Sawyer and they are new to the school. There is a big rivalry between them and that’s part of the mystery.
Abby is the girl caught into between both sets of Elite’s and how this story plays out and why this story plays out in the way it does is brilliantly shocking.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding this plot and a lot of questions that you will want answering. I still have loads of questions now. All I’m doing now as I’m writing this is trying to figure out what the fuck I’ve just read and trying to piece it all together.
The reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because of some of the stuff that happened in the book is a serious topic and (without giving away spoilers) I felt like it was sometimes brushed over and not treated seriously.
This book is brutal, toxic, disturbing, filled with moments that will shock you, betrayal that you don’t see coming, angst, back and forth that will have you pulling your hair out and moments where you will want to give up because you just can’t read about any more bad stuff happening to the heroine.
My advice.
Push through.
It’s 100% worth it.
Yes I was messaging my blogger friends in shouty caps, but when a book has you THAT invested, you know every moment you swore, was sweating and felt sick was totally worth it.
Go and read it... if you dare.
February 19, 2023
I have read a few books by Siobhan Davis and each has done their romance niche justice. I couldn’t wait to listen Cruel Intentions. This is the first book in the Rydeville High Elite series, and the series is off to a great start.
This is a dark story so I would be remis if I didn't say that my review comes with a trigger warning for abuse and very dark behaviour.
This was darker than my usual read, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. This book has some complex and unpleasant characters. It has a feisty female lead in Abby and a great story-line.
The plot was really gritty and intense, I was completely immersed in the story and felt quite the myriad of emotions. To me this is the sign of a really good book. If it doesn’t evoke a reaction then it hasn’t drawn you into it’s world.
Ms Davis’ always manage to grab me early on and then spit me out emotionally wrung out at the end of then story. Seriously she is one of the authors that takes me into the book, out of reality and bam! Burned dinner and angry family members.
A good book means a take-away or two in this house and Ms Davis is costing me a small fortune.
Now for my gripe! Yes folks, I can strongly recommend Cruel Intentions but there is one of those pesky cliff-hangers. However, still worth it!
While I read this book in arc form when it was released I have recently purchased the audiobooks in the series and asap stuck my headphones in and listened and listening was a different experience. The audio version made a huge impact, the shocks were more shocking and the intensity was amped up. (I love reading and this book did pack a punch initially) It took me a while to get used to the audiobook style. While I often listen to books with two narrators they tend to go a chapter at a time but in this audio version the male vocals were voiced by the male narrator and the female voices by the female narrator. Once I got used to it I was all in with the story and the characters. I am blown away by the vocal talents of Carly Robins and Tor Thom. They didn't read the story, they acted it and delivered a brilliant performance that really was an intense ride. Now onto book two
This is a dark story so I would be remis if I didn't say that my review comes with a trigger warning for abuse and very dark behaviour.
This was darker than my usual read, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. This book has some complex and unpleasant characters. It has a feisty female lead in Abby and a great story-line.
The plot was really gritty and intense, I was completely immersed in the story and felt quite the myriad of emotions. To me this is the sign of a really good book. If it doesn’t evoke a reaction then it hasn’t drawn you into it’s world.
Ms Davis’ always manage to grab me early on and then spit me out emotionally wrung out at the end of then story. Seriously she is one of the authors that takes me into the book, out of reality and bam! Burned dinner and angry family members.
A good book means a take-away or two in this house and Ms Davis is costing me a small fortune.
Now for my gripe! Yes folks, I can strongly recommend Cruel Intentions but there is one of those pesky cliff-hangers. However, still worth it!
While I read this book in arc form when it was released I have recently purchased the audiobooks in the series and asap stuck my headphones in and listened and listening was a different experience. The audio version made a huge impact, the shocks were more shocking and the intensity was amped up. (I love reading and this book did pack a punch initially) It took me a while to get used to the audiobook style. While I often listen to books with two narrators they tend to go a chapter at a time but in this audio version the male vocals were voiced by the male narrator and the female voices by the female narrator. Once I got used to it I was all in with the story and the characters. I am blown away by the vocal talents of Carly Robins and Tor Thom. They didn't read the story, they acted it and delivered a brilliant performance that really was an intense ride. Now onto book two
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,465 reviews