Devious Obsession

Hockey Gods #2

by S. Massery

"If you want to stay, you have to play the game…"

Steele O’Brien is everything I hate in hockey players.
He’s cocky, brooding, antagonistic.

I played his game, learned his secrets.
But that was before I found out he’s my new stepbrother.

Now we’re at college together, and I can’t escape him.
Or his demons.

It seems that, for him, the game isn’t over.
He says I'm his to play with. His to torment.
And he's determined to not only get under my skin, but carve his name into it.

Genres: Dark Romance, Sports Romance, Hockey, Sports, Romance, Dark, Enemies To Lovers

436 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2023

About the author

S. Massery is a dark romance author who infuses all her stories with a dash of suspense. Formerly from Massachusetts, she now resides in Southern California with her dog, Alice.

Before adventuring into the world of writing, she went to college in Boston and held a wide variety of jobs—including working on a dude ranch in Wyoming (a personal highlight). She has a love affair with coffee and chocolate. When S. Massery isn’t writing, she can be found devouring books, playing outside with her dog, or trying to make people smile.

• Facebook Group —> http://facebook.com/groups/smasserysquad 

• Facebook —> http://facebook.com/authorsmassery

• Instagram —> http://instagram.com/authorsmassery 

• Newsletter —> http://smassery.com/newsletter
• Tiktok —> http://tiktok.com/@smassery

Reviews

[val ❋ · Rating 2 out of 5]

she has rocks for brains

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Needing to walk the line between too much and not enough, Aspen Monroe finds herself at a party that will let her do just that.

When Steele O’Brien learns that his one-night-stand not only attends Crown Point University, but has an unexpected connection to his father, he vows to make her life a living heII.

As it so often does, the lines between hate and love blur as obsession takes over.

Steele is, arguably, a perfectly balanced alphahole. And Sarah has solidified her position as a one-click author for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 🥵😩🫣😊😍
Ending: 💗 {HEA}
POV: 👫🏻 {Dual}

🗂 Genre: Contemporary Romance

✨ Tropes: Alphahole, Bully, College, Curvy Woman, Forbidden, Jealous/Possessive, Manipulation, MINE!, One Night Stand, Stalker

💋 Kinks: Crawl, Cum Jammer, Degradation, Domination, Edging, Finger Licking Good, Orgäsm Denial, Primal, Public Play, Restraints, Spit, Voyeurism

⚠️ Warning: This book may cause blushing, squirming, combusting panties, and/or self-care.

🚩 Safety Squad: DubCon, K!dnapp!ng (Not by H), Past SA (Not by H), UnaIiving, VioIençe, and other triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📣 Type: Devious Obsession is part of the Hockey Gods series, but can be read as a standalone.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Only people in this world you should fear are the ones with no fear, themselves."

Steele O'Brien.
Hockey God in every sense of the word.
He is cocky and he knows it.
And he also made Aspen Monroe his number one target.
His new stepsister.
His new game.
But Aspen knows how to play too.
And Steele won't stop until he has carved his name into every part of Aspen.

"I'm going to make you believe that I'm the Devil reincarnated. And I'm out for your soul."

I remember reading this for the first time and absolutely loving it. And guess what?
THAT HAS NOT CHANGED!!!

"It's not meant to be like this. I shouldn't be attracted to her and want to hurt her in the same breath."

Steele O'Brien - literally one of my elite book boyfriends and Aspen takes no crap. I mean she has guts, she has the comebacks, she has the venom (IYKYK). This whole series is dark but this book made me go (the first time) out loud like "oh shit". I ate it up again the second time around and it was so much fun. And I'm always a sucker for a "making each other's lives miserable as a way of communicating affection" trope (you know what I mean).

"Steele calls me the viper - but he's the snake."

This playlist (as always) is giving dark hockey badass romance aesthetic 💜🏒🎼

(Link - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/637... )

🎶 "COFFIN" - PLVTINUM
🎶 "Shivers" - No Resolve
🎶 "Gangsta - Harley Quinn & Joker Flashback Version" - Kehlani
🎶 "Cravin'" - Stileto, Kendyle Paige
🎶 "Sick Thoughts" - Lou Bliss
🎶 "Lose Control" - Teddy Swims
🎶 "The Color Violet" - Tory Lanez
🎶 "Enter Sandman" - Alessia Cara, The Warning
🎶 "Sweet Dreams" - Beyonce
🎶 "RUNRUNRUN" - Dutch Melrose
🎶 "AMERICAN HORROR SHOW" - Snow Wife
🎶 "Devil in Her Eyes" - Bryce Savage
🎶 "Guys Don’t Like Me" - It Boys!
🎶 "butterflies" - GAYLE
🎶 "Burning Down - Alex's Version" - Alex Warren
🎶 "Soaked - Slowed Down" - Shy Smith
🎶 "I Feel You" - Depeche Mode
🎶 "High For This" - The Weeknd
🎶 "stalker" - Stevie Howie
🎶 "lovely liar" - Stevie Howie
🎶 "Unholy" - Hey Violet
🎶 "Dirty Pretty" - In This Moment
🎶 "See You Bleed" - Ramsey
🎶 "Miss Murder" - Charlotte Sands
🎶 "No Mercy" - Austin Giorgio
🎶 "Drinking With Cupid" - VOILA
🎶 "Teeth" - 5 Seconds of Summer
🎶 "Devil Devil" - MILCK
🎶 "Family Line" - Conan Gray
🎶 "A Little Death" - The Neighbourhood
🎶 "Parasite" - Connor Kauffman
🎶 "I Hate Everything About You" - Three Days Grace
🎶 "Chills - Dark Version" - Mickey Valen, Joey Myron
🎶 "Bigger Person" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎶 "Collide" - Justine Skye, Tyge
🎶 "Pain" - Jake Daniels
🎶 "Kill Everyone" - Hollywood Undead
🎶 "Joke's On You" - Charlotte Lawrence
🎶 "Fake Fiction" - Picturesque
🎶 "You Put a Spell on Me" - Austin Giorgio
🎶 "HEARTBEAT" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "DEVILISH" - Chase Atlantic
🎶 "Holy" - Zolita
🎶 "MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT" - Elley Duhe
🎶 "Eat Your Young" - Hozier
🎶 "I Want It All" - Cameron Grey
🎶 "Haunted Heart" - Christina Aguilera
🎶 "Haunted (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Stalker's Tango" - Autoheart
🎶 "Body" - Rosenfeld
🎶 "Final Nail" - Taylor Acorn, Charlotte Sands
🎶 "Psycho" - Taylor Acorn
🎶 "obsessed" - zandros, Limi
🎶 "Overnight x Le monde" - surround, (((())))
🎶 "Nightmare" - UNDREAM, Neoni
🎶 "Nightmare" - Halsey
🎶 "Guest Room" - Echos
🎶 "Control" - Zoe Wees
🎶 "Make Hate to Me" - Citizen Soldier
🎶 "what it means to be a girl" - EMELINE
🎶 "Addicted" - Saving Abel
🎶 "Love Is a Bitch" - Two Feet
🎶 "I'm a Sucker for a Liar in a Red Dress" - Adam Jensen
🎶 "PIECES" - Elley Duhe
🎶 "If You Have My Voodoo Doll, Give Me a Hug" - Loveless
🎶 "The Exit" - Conan Gray
🎶 "Mount Everest" - Labrinth
🎶 "GASOLINE" - Maneskin
🎶 "Blood" - In This Moment
🎶 "Love Bites (So Do I)" - Halestorm
🎶 "Ordinary Life" - The Weeknd
🎶 "Smells Like Sex" - Sizzy Rocket
🎶 "Bones" - MOD SUN
🎶 "Aimed to Kill" - Jade LeMac
🎶 "More" - 5 Seconds of Summer
🎶 "forget about us" - Clinton Kane
🎶 "Checkmate" - Conan Gray
🎶 "Make Me Feel" - Elvis Drew
🎶 "Bite Me" - Avril Lavigne
🎶 "Mine" - Sleep Token
🎶 "Starving" - Hailee Steinfeld, Grey, Zedd
🎶 "Miracle" - Bad Omens
🎶 "Victim" - Halflives
🎶 "Lipstick" - Charlie Puth
🎶 "LET THE WORLD BURN" - Chris Grey
🎶 "Swim" - Chase Atlantic
🎶 "IF THERE IS A GOD, IT'S ME" - PLVTINUM
🎶 "Like A God" - Lia Marie Johnson
🎶 "Beggin'" - Maneskin
🎶 "Harder To Breathe" - Letdown.
🎶 "Bring Me To Life" - Evanescence
🎶 "COMPLETE MESS" - 5 Seconds of Summer
🎶 "Never Tear Us Apart - Orchestral Version" - Paloma Faith
🎶 "Once Upon a December (from Anastasia)" - Emile Pandolfi
🎶 "Forever and a Day" - Benson Boone
🎶 "Tainted Love" - Claire Guerreso
🎶 "Tattoo" - Loreen

"I'm going to have so much fun tormenting you, sweetheart. Fucking count on that."

And you already know the spice is 💋💋💋

"Wet already, Little Viper?"

"You're soaked. You're a fucking slut for this, aren't you?"

"That's right, sweetheart. I am your god."

🏒 Tropes 🏒

🎼 Dark Hockey Romance
🎼 Bully Romance
🎼 Forbidden Romance
🎼 Stalker
🎼 Enemies to Lovers
🎼 Step-Siblings

Book Edit - https://www.instagram.com/p/DB1BmTzgt...

[irrelevant opinion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating:3.5⭐️ (I would usually round up to 4 but it’s not worthy)

If you want a dark romance with a shit ton of sex scenes and an author who is pushing as many triggers as they can, this is for you!

The plot in this book was very minimal, it’s as if the idea was there and the author said ehh fuck it let’s just add a bunch of CNC scenes and cover up the fact I’m not giving these characters any type of background or depth.

I don’t have any triggers but there was twice in this book I felt Steele very clearly crossed CNC into straight NC. And so I would be wary if that’s a limit for you.

I loved book one of this series, I felt Greyson and Violet had amazing chemistry and all their scenes were incredibly hot. And all their kinks just FIT them and it was perfect.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the same for this book. Steele and Aspen had barely any chemistry after the prologue. I felt the heat in that chapter and after that, it was if Aspen just put with it because it felt good but she didn’t actually care what was being done to her.

Also, this was advertised as a step siblings romance? Yeah. Not really. They don’t even know each other. And there really wasn’t any animosity or forbidden aspect it, since Steeles father purposely sent her there to spy on Steele. And the fact Steele “hates her” because she was sent to spy and his father remarried her mom is BS. you’re almost 22 with access to your inheritance? Get over yourself. Also Aspen very early on tells Steele she’s sending his dad bogus reports and not actually watching him. Does he care.. No? And his ‘bullying’ attempts to her were.. just odd and very counter productive to how possessive he was of her.

Honestly the fact this book is marketed as a step siblings bully romance is just very gimmicky to me considering the step sibling part is minimal. And the bullying is basically non existent and Aspen doesn’t even care about it.

The last remaining 30% actually slows down with the sex and has some plot to it. But the way it’s thrown about.. just severely underwhelming. I’m disappointed in this after I thoroughly enjoyed book one.

[sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

how did he go from drugging her and making her life miserable to giving her back massages and eating her pussy while she’s on her period

[Kiran · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt way too similar to the last one, and I feel like I’ve read stories about the same characters over and over again recently. What’s the obsession with dub con sex or primal sex, whatever the fuck people call it, why are so many books centred on that? I feel like it’s supposed to make it edgy but it’s all the same.

I also feel like the tragic heroine is getting overworked now, Aspen is painted as this broken girl who needs and craves kinky sex because of her trauma, but Steele does things that are unforgivable. And she barely bats an eye. He drugs her! He knows nothing about her, her history, her trainer, her medical history, he could have caused a psychotic breakdown, but all he did is record it because he doesn’t want his Dad spying on him. Like anything he does is that interesting? Give me a fucking break.

And the idea that rough sex and rape/assault, he does several things without her consent including fucking her while drugged (after he drugged her the first time and witnessed how it blew up her entire life! What a prick!) and tying her up with a gag shoved in her mouth, both times unable to use her safe word. The reason she chose her safe word as fire also lit up a fire inside me, because Steele is the written embodiment of the type of men that don’t give a fuck about women unless they’re getting some sexual gratification from them, there was so much unnecessary, repetitive sex in this that lacked anything appealing (a lot of hair pulling and show me your tits basically) and only highlighted his selfishness considering he didn’t care about birth control and often finished first and sometimes didn’t “see” to her at all.

I’m tired of these girls letting these loser guys pull and push them around, it’s always the same. Aspen has had a fucking miserable life and has been treated horribly by the people that are supposed to love and protect her and it infuriates me that she settled and let Steele get away with all of this shit. And it’s always the same for these “bully” tropes. I love a bully trope, some of my favourite books fall into this category but they at least were a little more creative. So far in Massery books it’s always the same. Always slut shaming and whore jokes and indecent pictures to ruin their reputation, it’s gross, not okay and my biggest annoyance with it (because I get it, it’s fiction and I love an asshole as much as the next person, I really do) is it’s just not very creative. It’s just rinse and repeat. Is it because they’re in college and it needs to be more risqué? Is that the point of it, because I don’t get it? You really didn’t think advertising a twenty year old girl as a prostitute on the internet and spreading this around a college campus wouldn’t put her in danger, read a fucking newspaper, or watch a Netflix series. And what is with it that these girls? They just readily accept that they will move into their place when they caused the problem in the first place?! Make it make sense.

Don’t even get me started on the snake. Such a little boy.

And another stalker. Another shitty Mum. More financial difficulties. The patriarchy is too strong if it’s always the female characters who are broke as shit and have to have these rapey guys ensure they stay in college. Aspen’s Mum married rich. She should have money too. Where is the self-respect? I know her Mum is an asshole, but why didn’t Aspen call her Mum and say hey your asshole husband pulled my funding what the actual fuck? Either tell him to reinstate it or I’ll tell everyone Steele is using steroids or something, I don’t know? But anything would be better than this weak malleable complacency, it takes me right out of the story and just makes me feel sorry for the character. I’m not trying to be insensitive but if we can believe that non-con play is healing her, we can believe she has a brain and a backbone despite the shit she’s had to endure in her past.

The revelation about Miles bores me and grosses me out, siblings that share sexual partners is just not sexy at all. I’m probably going to skip his book. Plus, Willow sounds like a tit and I was hoping she would remain an annoying background character and would remain with Knox until his book and he finds someone else, to cause some extra drama. So that’s a bummer. I hope every other future romance won’t require a friendship with the dance team because they all have no backbone and very little dance skills by the sound of it.

I have hope for Knox’s book, I hope he hooks up with the snake chick she sounds cool, even if she did hook up with Steele. I’m less interested now that Willow and Miles are likely a thing, I thought it would be cool to have Knox try to juggle two relationships in the name of a bet. How sad is that, that a bet one of the oldest tropes in the game (She’s All That comes to mind) is actually intriguing to me?

[vana ★ · Rating 1 out of 5]

you know… i really hit a point in this book where i thought, wow this won’t get any worse. like he had already posted that she was a sex worker (not true), leaked her address, taken a nude photo of her without her consent, and gagged her which resulted in her not being able to say her safe word while a literal snake was on top of her in the dark and both her hands and her feet were tied up. and all of that and i thought, ok this could still be worse..

AND THEN THE TATTOO???? i have never face palmed because of book in my life. NEVER. until this moment. LIKE WHAT???

[Mal · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️

I thought I knew what to expect when I started this book, but this was not it. This was messy. It wasn’t hot. It wasn’t sexy. The “obsession” in this book was straight up abuse.

I gave it two stars because I kept on reading, hoping it would get better. As cringy and triggering as it was, it made me want to know if this story would burst into flames in a dumpster or would somehow turn itself around.

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steamy bully romance!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💚🖤
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 😊😄😘😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

The Hero: Steele O’Brien - Steele is one of the best friends of Greyson from the first book in this series, they are on the Crown Point University hockey team together and are now seniors. He was shown as a pretty good guy and Violet (Grey’s girlfriend) knew that Steele has some darkness in him. Steele’s father got married on a whim weeks ago, he has no idea why and is a bit worried about it.

The heroine: Aspen Monroe - she is a transfer student and new junior at Crown Point University this year. She has recurring dreams where she wakes up in the middle of the night with someone on top of her and she likes it. She picked CPU for its arts program, though her family lives close by. Aspen isn’t an athlete; she is studious and plays the piano.

The Story: The athletes at CPU have a lot of parties. Eric, one of the guys on the hockey team, hosts a summer party and invites a bunch of his friends and girls to play a game about dark desires, with no restrictions. When Steele first sees Aspen, he is immediately intrigued, and he gets her as his partner in the game. The higher the card each person picks tell how deviant they want to be. The jokers mean anything goes and both Steele and Aspen choose a joker. They tell each other their darkest fantasies and enact them.

It isn’t until later that Steele and Aspen find out their parents are married. I usually like stepbrother/stepsister romance, but I have to say, that unless they are living together, I don’t really see much point. Though in this one, Steele doesn’t have a good relationship with his dad, which is one of the reasons he and Aspen hadn’t seen each other before. His dad offered to pay for Aspen to go to CPU if she would spy on Steele and give him updates on what he is doing.

I don’t know what kind of people that this school happens to produce, but Steele isn’t much different from Greyson in the first book, and like Violet, Aspen seems to like everything he does to her, since he gives her a safe word and rather than use it, she lets him do all sorts of terrible things to her and treat her like crap. Steele, like Greyson also doesn’t think anything of beating up other guys that may get too close to their girl or breaking bones on those same guys. Though I did like some of the background stories, especially the fact that Aspen’s uncle and father seem to be criminals.

This audiobook was told in multiple points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Desireé Ketchum. Teddy Hamilton is one of my favorite male narrators. He has a great voice and sounds so natural when he speaks. Desireé Ketchum has a soft, feminine voice which was pleasant, but I don’t like the fact that you could tell she was reading.

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[Erika Braga · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t think this book was also going to be 5⭐️ BUT IT IS !!!

Unfortunately it is almost the exact same story of the first one (brutal obsession) but believe me when I say it does NOT take away from the book. Steele is A CRAZY MOTHERFUCKER, I didn’t think he would be crazier than Greyson but he is. Hahaha ! In the best ways possible. This book as the first one is SUPER SPICY 🥵 and delicious. Aspen puts more of a fight but she’s not a match for Steele. He is an insane guy 😂
I like Aspen backstory, it was very different and cool. I hope to maybe in the future read her uncle story !?!?
This series is good good if you are into the twisted dark things.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Star rating: ★★☆☆☆
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

It started off good, but it really fell apart for me. What ruined this book the most that this was almost 500 pages… had 99% smut and 1% plot. And the 1% plot wasn’t even good? I think this has so much potential as a dark hockey romance if the plot was more prevalent and intriguing.

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGGG! Devious Obsession is absolutely everything I could have wanted from S. Massery and more! I am so OBSESSED with Steele and Aspen it isn't even funny. He is sexy and brutal and right up there with Greyson. Likewise, Aspen is his perfect match and the person who just gets him. But Real Talk: this man is not playing. His darkness reigns supreme and I for one can not get enough.

If you went into this story and did not heed the author's trigger warnings, oh boy were you in for a surprise. Steele is absolutely incredible. He is dark, dangerous and seriously depraved. Now do you see why I love him? This story is sexy, compelling and so intense. It is undoubtedly one of my 2023 top favorites. I need more from this author stat and this book isn't even officially out yet. You will be that addicted!

Word of advice? Read this book, inhale all the emotions that Steele and Aspen make you feel and enjoy the very, very sexy and thrilling ride Massery gives us! There is nothing else like it! Bravo! 5 stars!

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9⭐️

So, um, they fuck a lot, that’s for sure 🤣. And I was kinda disappointed in Steele’s character tbh. I thought I would love him when I got sneak peeks of him in book one and there are actually many things I liked about him. At first, I even thought he would be my favorite male character by the end of the book. BUT, there’s just something about a man (and people in general) that justifies a bad action with “it was just a joke” that I find so ICKY. Rather it is or isn’t a joke, it just sounds like the person isn’t owning up to their actions once they face the consequences. Anyway, I was unfortunately not able to let that go 🥲.

I loved Aspen though! I just absolutely loved her vibe (and other things I can’t remember but I remember loving everything about her 🤣). I felt so bad every time Steele would do something to get to her (when I tell you this man is INTENSE). But it all started getting much less dark near the middle of the book. That’s what I had noticed with book one as well. They’re really dark at the beginning and then they soften a little.

One last thing about the end, that conversation with Steele’s dad weirded me out a little. He was being too nice, he realized things but the fact we weren’t there to see when he realized them makes everything that he said weird to hear from him.

Anyway, I still enjoyed it. It was a bit unnecessarily long though tbh

[Kate V · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars!

This series is my new obsession! I love when I find a series that follows a formula in a way and I am completely in love with the alphaholes and the women that become their other half in these books.

Steele and Aspen encounter each other for the first time at a party and their chemistry is undeniable and hot. Their inner demons come out to play and boy do they align. Little do they know they'll see each other again as step-brother and step-sister. It's safe to say that Steele does NOT take this news well and Aspen isn't so thrilled about it either.

So what's an alphahole to do? Make Aspen's life miserable of course! And boy does he...almost to the point that he's unforgivable. But fear not...Massery comes in and makes you fall head over heels for Steele without even realizing how you got there.

“I love you,” he says. “I’m not a wordsmith. Not even close. But I’m so fucking obsessed with you, I can’t stand it. I love you. I’ll love you forever.”

Steele was unrelenting, harsh and made no apologies for who he was. To be his obsession was to be his and I loved the way Steele came to the realization that Aspen was more to him than a toy to destroy. Aspen was a really great character because I adored her authenticity and strength. She wasn't a door mat but she knew when to be vulnerable. Steele and Aspen were fantastic characters.

Devious Obsession was spicy spicy, action packed and a little emotionally traumatizing but I loved the way Steele and Aspen fell in love. Both have pasts that aren't rainbows and butterflies and despite their tumultuous start, it was beautiful how Steel became Aspen's rock and Aspen became Steele's heart. Devious Obsession has ALL the triggers so be aware before diving into this. Me? This kind of story and its triggers are my crack so I was HERE for it. Both the relationship and the suspenseful plot were developed well and I can't wait for the next book!

[hope]

dnf @ 33%

i can’t fucking do this.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ (rounded to 3)

I would absolutely recommend checking the triggers list.

Listen. I loved Brutal Obsession. I was obsessed and Greyson Devereux will always be elite for me. This book just didn’t hit the same. I couldn’t get into it and I honestly should have DNFed. I finished it though so I guess that’s something.

I felt zero connection and chemistry between Steele and Aspen. The spice was a miss and the storyline was all over the place. I felt like there were so many different things going on and none of it worked well together.

Step siblings? Not really.
Enemies to lovers? Didn’t make sense.

I don’t have any triggers. The book lists CNC and dub-con, but some of the scenes clearly crossed that line.

I’ll probably read the next book but man I’m so disappointed with this one. I could say more but I’ll just leave it at this.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tropes: dark romance, bully romance, hockey romance, enemies to lovers, step-siblings, forced proximity, morally grey mmc, stalker, he falls first and harder, curvy fmc, fmc with traumatic past, obsessed, possessive and protective mmc.
Rating: 2.75✨

This book is a rounded 3 star rating but only because it got me hooked and I read it all.

I didn’t like Aspen’s mother. She literally forgets about her first born 99% of the time. Her ex and her are fighting for the title of worst parent of the year? There aren’t any other explanations.

Steele they could never make me like you, just know that. I can’t get past the things he did to Aspen, and it doesn’t help that he isn’t even sorry or that he didn’t do any grovelling at all.
I guess they are both f*cked up bc if I were Aspen I would’ve never forgiven him, NEVER.

I’ve to say tho that it was a cute moment when he said “Sleep. I’ll keep your nightmares away”. It was the only moment where I truly appreciated him, but still if it wasn’t clear, I will never like you, Steele.

[inesnjreads · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s probably on my top 5 of books I regret reading

[THE PETITE LIBR☆RY · Rating 2 out of 5]

He drugs you, films you, posts the video on the internet to humiliate you and you stay with him? Bitch, you better be joking.

[Lb [worlds longest slump] · Rating 2 out of 5]

TLDR; same plot as book one but with more unsafe kink practices, trauma and a more unhinged/less redeemable MMC.

So… this one is a mixed bag. I almost DNF’d it right at the end because this books entire plot is recycled from the first one. Like, it’s actually laughable, they are so similar. So by the time it got to the last scene I was so checked out and already knew what was gonna happen. Anyway, whatever.

This review is big on spoilers FYI.

Steele seems like a bit of a normal guy in book one, a bit of a flirt and maybe a lil sweet, but NAH that would be stupid obviously. He is none of those things. He is a raging asshole.

HOWEVER, it started off super promising. The first scene of the book is set up in such a way that when our FMC and MMC meet, there is a discussion of boundaries, kinks and the establishment of a safe-word. This all happens before 5% and before they hook up for the first time. Bestie, when I tell you I was BUZZIN reading that. I was like fuck yeah, the author learned her lesson from book one and made the con non-con have actual consent first! Yas! So that was fab and we love it. BUT THEN…

This all comes crumbling down in a big fucking way at around 40-45% when Steele kidnaps Aspen and then proceeds to not only tie her up and leave her alone, but also gag her. How is she supposed to safe-word out in this scenario, you ask? Oh yeah SHE FUCKING CAN’T!!!!! Honestly, reading this scene was distressing for me, and this is coming from someone with literally no triggers. Aspen gets triggered badly by this scenario and tries to use her safe-word repeatedly to no avail and proceeds to have a panic attack. When I tell you THE TRAUMA this would have caused. It’s gut wrenchingly sad. I felt so so so bad for her and I was furious with Steele for putting her in that situation. It is a prime example of people doing non-con WRONG and it’s scary as fuck. Oh he recognises he did the wrong thing and says he won’t do it again but is that good enough? With nary even an apology? No bitch it fucking is not.

I’m just gonna rant about this for a minute… bear with me.

Istg can we have some dark romances that indulge in these kinks safely please? Like the whole point of the kink community is that you should be able to explore your desires in a way that doesn’t cause harm to you, and your partner is the one who is supposed to ensure that. The Losers duet by Harley Laroux is a really good example of books that do this well. There is kidnapping, slavery, humiliation and degradation, pain etc etc etc but it’s all safe and it’s all explicitly consensual. Like fuck me man I am so sick of reading about literally traumatic bullshit that’s avoidable. Ugh. Gross. Obviously this sort of thing just isn’t for me.

The other thing I actually could not condone or get over is that Steele then proceeds to drug Aspen. AGAIN. This is like, thrice now, I think. And tattoos her. Okay… so I’ve read this in books before and not been that bothered tbh. But this guy? This fucking guy? Does he tattoo something normal? NO. OFC NOT. He tattoos “property of” his GD NAME on her PUBIC AREA!!!!!! Like a literal lunatic! Then tries to explain it away as a way of protecting her. Oh get off my dick you fucking psychopath, I’m not swallowing the bullshit you’re spewing. Jesus Christ. Not only that but he also implants a tracking device under her skin at the same time. Yeah, look, I don’t even have anything to say about that at this point.

Back to the idea that the entire plot is recycled. Oh yeah. It is. Not only is every milestone in their relationship the same as book one (they fuck on the ice, they dare the MMC to start a fight and draw blood in a hockey game. Omg that sounds familiar where have I read that before? Oh literally in THE LAST BOOK). But the FMC is getting stalked throughout the book by someone unknown and then gets kidnapped as the final hurrah and the MMC goes and saves her. Wow how creative.

Book three sounds more promising but honestly, who knows. If we just get more stalking and kidnapping with unsafe kink practices in it, I won’t hold my breathe.

[Megan Coggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
Bully romance plus step siblings plus hockey is a triple threat.

Compared to Brutal it had a little less suspense to it it.
Steele was also a relatively nicer guy but while still not being super gentle.
Aspen, gosh my heart hurt for her story.
I thoroughly liked it.

[Jen ♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get past the Steele presented in the first half of the book. He did a lot of things that didn't sit well with me. I know this is a dark romance but every reader has their own limit, and for me it is the drugging. He went too far too many times, some of his antics I could get on but the drugging will always be a hard limit for me.

I have a love/hate relationship with their primal kink and the dubcon that has been going between them since the beginning. At times I think it was purely assault but then I'll get so confused that she maybe even wanted it.

I didn't read the first book in this series but I read that it has the same plot as this one. So I think I'll pass on that. Sadly this book didn't work for me, but to each their own as always.

[Lammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I Could Have Wanted

This book had everything. Dark Romance ✔️
Fantastic characters - obsessed alpha asshole and feisty heroine who gives as good as she gets ✔️. Great storyline with a rich plot✔️. Lots of spice ✔️.

Steele and Aspen both had so much going on and everything just came together perfectly for one of my favourite stories this year.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
4/5 🌶️

Tropes:
•Hockey romance
•Bully romance
•Step-sibling(ish)
•Chasing
•Breeding kink
•Praise
•Degradation
•Spitting 😧

If you like dark romances and you like hockey romance, this is the perfect mix of the two. Dare I say, Steele is even dirtier/darker than Greyson in book 1? 🥵

The spice was so good in this and I was surprised to feel that this was even spicier than book 1!

THIS MAN IS UNHINGED 🔥

I loved it and I can’t wait for the next book/book 3!

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Patreon Feb 2024. Exclusive review available soon

[BearMi · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is where Tiktok f's up and the lines between CNC/dubcon and rape get so blurred, general public gets confused.

Her 'sleeping'
Him: imma f*ck her
Her 'wtf'
Him: "do you want to get f*cked now?"
Her: "NO"
Him: "eh, sounds like 'yes' to me." proceeds.

DNF at 45%
I don't star-rate my DNF's
But i gots to with this one.
Y'all, i don't even.. let's play 20 questions (but with 5, because this dumpster fire deserves no more:

(i) was Steel hot? - no, he was a bully-asshole who at some point realizes he's f*ed up and STILL continues to be the asshole.
(ii) did we appreciate Aspen being 'curvy'? - it's shoved into the readers' throats that this is where her insecurity comes from, and almost makes a point of saying - well, of course she's insecure (please victimize her more), she's curvy and wants to hide it from others all the time - so no, I don't appreciate using body size as backstory for being a victim of abuse.
(iii) does she get even with him? - granted, i can't with this shit at under 50% - but so far, nope. She just curls in on herself and then lets him spit in her mouth. Hot, you say? Nah. and that's after she, on another glorious occasion, vomits his jizz out after he comes on her tongue.
(iv) aren't the smut scenes so hot? - well, you may judge by the above, while they are meant to be reading as unhinged and spicy, to me they are reading like an emetic. And i appreciate good CNC, and the scene of the forced BJ from God of Malice (Rina Kent) lives rent free right up in here. So no, i don't think i have ever felt less hot and bothered while reading straight up smut.
(v) isn't it a mark of excellent bully writing if you hate the MC? Sure, but also, how am i meant to take this clusterf*ck of a bully relationship any kind of seriously if he comes all over her chest in a stairwell of the uni, and she just huffs and puffs and moves on. She should have quit the school right there and then and we would all have called it a day.

That's all i will say about this, Teddy Hamilton is as always wonderful, but even he couldn't save it. Stick with Rina, Teddy.

[TrippyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this as much as I expected . This is an obsession bully romance high on spice and low on plot. The man is filthy. I am not exaggerating. They are having sex every two seconds lol so if u are just looking for some mindless smut and love Teddy Hamilton narration then you’ll probably have a good time. It wasn’t a chore to get through at all.

What I didn’t like:

It has a lot of issues like non con , abuse & the heroine has no backbone . She lets steele treat her like crap the entire book & Theres literally no groveling.there relationships purely physical i feel like theres no emotional connection. i would have bumped this up a star if she was more of a badass and made him work for her instead If u knocked on her head it would echo.


*******

An example of the noncon/abuse: not only does he drug her at one point then record her and upload it, he tattoos her without her consent.

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trope: bully
Angst: 😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Absolutely loved it. Pretty dark bully romance with the added spice from it also having a taboo step sibling component. Sensitive readers should definitely read the trigger warnings. Story was super fast paced with a touch of suspense - super hard to put down. The smexy times were super hot, but definitely had an edge that may not be for everyone. Can't wait to read the next book!

⛔️ My bookshelves can sometimes be spoilers

[Stephanie Hubenak · Rating 5 out of 5]

"ℬ𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓁𝓎, ℐ 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝓁𝑜𝓌 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒻*𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹. ℐ 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝒹𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝑜𝓊𝓁, 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝒸𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃."

Are we even surprised? My love for Sara runs deep and this book is no exception. She is the queen of dark romance with unhinged (but somehow loveable) MMCs and I'm here for it. It's no secret that Jacob is my favorite but Steele...he's special, my friends. He went absolutely feral over Aspen and I wasn't even mad at it.

"ℬ𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁. ℬ𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝒾𝓃. ℬ𝑒𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝒶 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 ℐ'𝓋𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊."

Listen, some of the things that Steele does is...questionable...but somehow...I don't really know HOW she does this, she makes me absolutely swoon and melt over Steele. He WANTS to hate her....but he can't seem to get her out of his head.

"ℋ𝒶𝓉𝑒? 𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝒶𝓁𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓎 𝒶𝒹𝓂𝒾𝓉𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝑒𝓃𝒿𝑜𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 ℐ 𝒹𝑜 𝓉𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝓁𝒾𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝓅𝑒𝓇. ℐ𝓉'𝓈 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝑜𝒻 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜𝓌𝒾𝓃𝑔...𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊, ℐ'𝓁𝓁 𝒹𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉."

As with all dark romance, please check your trigger warnings. This book gets all my stars! I absolutely love Sara's writing and I can't wait for the next book!

[RavenOfTheSea · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Because you’re beautiful. Because you’re sin. Because you’re a distraction. And I’ve never hated anyone more than you,” he confesses.

5/5 ⭐ 4/5 🌶️

I'm officially obsessed with the Hockey Gods series! Steele left me speechless. He sure gave me whiplashes and was a total maniac, but his povs were everything. I’m so not ready to let him go!

I loved his obsession, his possessive side, the irrational ways he acted. Steele could be the most protective, caring soul and a total psycho at the same time. He pushed Aspen through some very traumatizing “incidents” but also dedicated his entire existence to her. Is it maddening of me to simp him? Tots! Will I stop? H*ll to the no!

This is a dark bully, steb-s*blings, hockey romance and I emphasize the bully because this isn’t a light story. The relationship between the characters is dark - the best kind of dark for me -, there's no groveling or apologies. Steele is who he is, he has his own brand of f*cked up and owns it. Although I freakin' loved him, he couldn't conquer the crown from Greyson. He did scoop his way to the throne, though. Just next to Grey.

I also adored Aspen. Her story and thoughts were magnificent to explore. I loved how she didn't give in to Steele and fought every single step of the story, how she embraced her dark side and desires. I don't love her as much as I loved Violet but she sure was an amazing fmc.

Even though it's a hefty book, the story was captivating and it was addictively easy to go through it. The plot was interesting, the chemistry and tension between the mcs were incredible. Loved the book and the series so far.

Did I like it? Yeees!
Would I reread it? Totally will reread.