Beautiful Thorns

Boys of Bellerose #4

by Jaymin Eve, Tate James

You know that saying, things can't possibly get worse? They always can.
And they do.
It's the last book of the series, you wouldn't be here right now unless you were invested so just shut your eyes, hold your breath, and dive in.
It'll all be worth it in the end.
Beautiful Thorns is book FOUR of FOUR in the Boys of Bellerose series. This is a mafia/rockstar reverse harem romance series with dark elements. This book does NOT end on a cliffhanger. Content is intended for a mature audience.

Genres: Romance, Why Choose, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Second Chance

516 pages, Paperback

Published March 30, 2023

About the author

Jaymin Eve is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and sci-fi novels filled with epic love stories, great adventures, and plenty of laughs. She lives in Australia with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and a couple of crazy pets. To date, she has sold over three million ebooks, and still can't believe that she gets to create fantasy worlds as a job. 

For action, adventure, romance, and a guaranteed HEA, start one of her series today.

Reading order:

Secret Keepers series (Paranormal Romance) House of Darken. House of Imperial. House of Leights. House of Royale.

Storm Princess Saga (PNR/Fantasy)
The Princess Must Die. The Princess Must Strike. The Princess Must Reign.

Curse of the Gods (Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance series) UpperYA/NA
Trickery. Persuasion. Seduction. Strength. Neutral. Pain.

Supernatural Prison (UF/PNR romance -shifter, vampire, fae, magic user) Upper YA/NA
Dragon Marked. Dragon Mystics. Dragon Mated. Broken Compass. Magical Compass.

NYC Mecca Series (UF/PNR Romance - shifters) Upper YA
Queen Heir. Queen Alpha. Queen Fae. Queen Mecca.

Hive Trilogy (UF/PNR Romance - vampires) Upper YA
Ash. Anarchy. Annihilate.

Walker Saga (Fantasy/adventure/romance - gods, mermaids, dragons) YA
First World. Spurn. Crais. Regali. Nephilius. Dronish. Earth.

Stay updated:

http://www.jaymineve.com

https://www.facebook.com/JayminEve.Au...

Reviews

[Jess | jadecanread · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really thought the author duo was on to something when they created a rockstar mafia why choose romance series. Part of me was skeptical--it's a lot to tackle in one four book series--but Poison Roses was such a phenomenal introduction that I was sure they could pull it off! And then it all went down hill and ended with this disappointing conclusion.

It took me 5 days (5 days!) to finish this, which is UNHEARD OF when it comes to me reading something Tate James has a hand in writing. I am a TJ fangirl through and through and it sucks to admit that the writing in this one was cringey and just not good.

There were too many loose ends introduced in books 1-3 that were hastily tied up in book 4. Most were addressed in a very unbelievable and borderline comical way.

I think Billie might be one of the worst FMC I've read in a while. She's an absolute doormat of a character; she's petulant, whiny, and just useless! This was the biggest example of "magic pussy" ensnaring the attentions of four men because she has nothing else going for her. (I should've known this was going to be the case when Rhett in book one took one lick of her cunt, sighed, and said "I finally get it" [about why Jace was so hung up on Billie]).

The guys were alright, none of them entirely swoony to me at the end. Most of them were in therapy and I feel like they should get a new therapist because they were completely delusional with their obsession with Billie.

What a fucking bummer. I was obsessed with this series and I'm so disappointed right now. I don't even want to rant about what I didn't like anymore because I'm just twisting the knife in my heart.

I'm giving this book a star just because the group scenes were choreographed really well but everything else was a no.

[My_Strange_Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series was such a hot mess. Like what the hell was that?

Like, how?! HOOOW!? Can all of this exist in 4 books and still be plausible??

Rockstar band ✅
Mafia Prince ✅
Cartel Assassin ✅
Former cult member ✅
Dead parent faked their death and is alive ✅
Estranged parent needs a transplant ✅
Long lost mother returning ✅
More than 5 attempts on their lives ✅
Bombs (plural) ✅

I was cackling at how unbelievable it was with every new twist.

I will not be reading either of these authors ever again 😂🤣

Why Choose/Reverse Harems are officially not for me, but beyond that, this series just made no freaking sense.

[Mayuha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review for series as a whole.

Disappointing.

Book 1 had promise and then it went downhill. You know when you make a hamburger and keep putting the fillings in and then grab it and they just… plop on the plate? That’s what this books felt like.

4 books and ALL the plot gets resolved in like the last 30% of the book? And when it comes to know why Wilson did what he did they’re like “oh we don’t need answers” but the first person that comes to offer them they readily accept. And you’re still getting answers in the epilogue? Kill me now, pls.

Not to mention that I’m pretty sure in the first book Jade mentioned his half sister Michelle, who then gets introduced as Teresa. Gray did a background check on Rhett Silver, and mentioned Ryan Gold as his original name, but then he becomes Nathan. Wilson “family” turns out to be just a Wilson with bought goons whose loyalties could be bought, but still no one could figure out it wasn’t a “family”. Giovanni Ricci, legendary head of the family, mafia king, the big bad wolf- died falling. Talk about anticlimactic.

Now about the characters and their character “growth”

Gray was the only one I liked. He was the only one I believed that loved Billie (i don’t know why though, that woman was annoying), the only one that still cared for her when she “ran” and thought to check on her while she supposedly got back to her ex. He trusted when she came back “pregnant” and didn’t mistreat her or pretend to play nice while claiming “the bitch got what she deserved” when being trashed in the media. I’m talking to you Rhett/Ryan/Nathan. And he called her on her shit when she talked a big game, when it was obvious that it was just that, talk. That bitch couldn’t walk the walk.

Rhett: I didn’t hate him. But I didn’t love him either. Honestly he was kind of forgettable to me in the midst of it all since Jace-the-asshole and his siamese Angelo took so much space, and Gray had a strong presence too even though he didn’t have as much screen time.

Angelo: still married, I think. Biggest ick. Not even a whisper about divorce. I couldn’t. I think he only came back to Billie because Vee didn’t swing for his team. You know Vee, “his beautiful, gorgeous, badass wife”. The fact that he kept referring to her as his wife made me so uncomfortable. And the fact that I could see his love for her more than I could see his love for Billie 🤢 He didn't even her that his relationship with Vee was fake, oh yes, you can feel the love. And what in the actual fuck?? he went and got married while she was in the hospital? After she lost her whole family? And her baby? And broke up with the love of her life for him to follow his dreams? He left her when he KNEW she had NOTHING? No family, no baby, no home, no job???? And then he says he loved her? He moved on, that was clear. He never once checked on to see if she was at least alive. He said it because he was scared his wife and dad would find out. Okay. Vee had a whole ass relationship, but go on. He didn't make any plans to leave his mafia life and come back to Billie. He never even left his fucking wife, NOT EVEN AT THE FUCKING END WHEN EVERYONE WAS DEAD. He didn't love Billie. He kept going on with his life, and he would've done so if she didn't get kidnapped. He loved Jace and his wife more that he loved her. She was his third choice, because neither Jace or his wife played on his team. I think he only stayed with her because he missed Jace. I mean, they loved each other so much he couldn't even fuck her after Jace left because "it wasn't the same". Ick.
And i just loved when he went on and on about how he "let Billie break all of their hearts" like he wasn't even there to agree. He was 18. She was 16, pregnant and scared and in no mental space to make that kind of decision. But of course, not one man in this series has to take accountability for their actions when Billie is there to be the punching bag. Is this an Adam and Eve retelling? Eve is the cause of all evil and condemned humanity because she ate a fucking apple, poor little innocent Adam. Oh god, this was painful to read.

Jace: where was the grovel? What.the.fuck. I don’t give a fuck about this man-child and was actively wishing a stray bullet would go through his skull. But no bad could happen to touched-by-god Jace. Everyone had a shitty fam? Not him. Everyone got fucked in life? Not him. The worst thing that happened to little Jace was getting his heartbroken at 16, and he went on to singing about it and making money of it for a decade. Imagine being that privileged. He stole Billie songs to make his debut, was that talked about? little. consequences? none. She shared the reason she left him, for him. Did he even tried to understand? No, because he was in pain. Was he thankful? Ah! You wish. Her family died and she lost her baby? It was her fault because she left him. This child had his head so far up in his ass that it was understandable why he talked so much shit. Not one person held him accountable for his actions. They may have jabbed him here and there, but then went and excused his actions. I am truly disgusted by him and how his relationship with Billie was rekindled. Even if she did cheat on him, that doesn't excuse what he said and did to her. Not to mention that 8 years had gone by. He was an embarrassment to the male sex, and to refer to him as a man is offensive and degrading to all the good man I know.
It was obvious he and Angelo would be the ones that got into the DVP, any excuse to get those swords touching. I wonder when the extra epilogue about how they didn't ever love Billie and only loved each other will come out.

Billie, Billie…. Horny. That's it. Billie's whole personality was being horny. It ruined the series because it stopped being what I love about RH: broken individuals making a whole with their broken pieces. It was more like a sex addict needing multiple boyfriends for when one of them said no, at least she had more to keep her fix. Those who deal with toddlers know how some of them get when you say no, and they get frustrated. And Billie was like that: she had the emotional capacity of a 5 year old and nymphomaniac tendencies, guess she should've talked about that in therapy.

This series gave me a fucking headache and I should've stop reading at book 2 when it was clear that the rest of it was going to be shit. But alas, I didn't.

[Krystal- Celestialbookdragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It looks like I'm in the minority for this one but I actually enjoyed this conclusion a lot more than the previous two books! It was everything I have been waiting for with this group of misfits! First and foremost, Jace and Billie FINALLY hashed everything out and put their pasts to rest so they could begin their official path towards forgiveness and healing. Once that was out of the way and we fixed the immediate problems from the ending of book three I was the happiest little clam! I was more than ready to watch this group take on their enemies and fight for their much deserved HEA! 💪🏻

Firstly, I was so happy that we were finally at a good place with all of Billie's relationships because after all of the turmoil from the last three books I needed a whole book of everyone being solid to heal my tortured heart! And I'll be the first to admit that were a lot of loose ends that needed to be tied up story-wise but unlike most people I actually felt like it was done pretty well! There was a nice balance of progress being made and some down time as we went through the book. Obviously there was a lot more happening in the second half since that's where we faced most of the multiple villains of the story but I still felt like the story progressed at a good pace and addressed all of the questions I had.

We also finally got some group scenes and man were they worth the wait! Each guy on their own had their own appeal but all of them together? Completely unmatched! 🥵🔥 In general, I feel like this group of guys was really well balanced with their personalities and as a result their dynamics, dialogue, and banter with each other always brought a smile to my face or had me laughing out loud! I also really enjoyed watching Billie and Vee's friendship continue to grow throughout this book and the series as a whole because homegirl really needed someone she could talk to and I couldn't think of a better bestie! It also helped that I found Vee's feral personality to be nothing short of entertaining! 🤣

And finally, I really liked that Billie's progress towards improving her mental health remained a highlight and it was so satisfying to slowly watch everyone face their own individual demons and come out on the other side as one happy family! Overall, I was very happy with this final book in a series that was filled to the brim with emotional damage lol. Thankfully, that first epilogue was the epitome of perfection and in my head that is exactly how I'll imagine they live the rest of their lives together! Thank you Tate and Jaymin for this rollercoaster of a ride! 🫶🏻

[Crystal (Crystalreads2) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just didn’t enjoy this book as much as the others.

Here is what I didn’t like

Too many events are going on without world-building after forty percent. The ending was anti-climactic and seemed rushed. Honestly, Jace, to me, didn’t gravel enough. On a positive note, happy Billie and Jace can find peace and begin to heal.

Here is what I liked

The first forty percent is top-notch and kept my attention. After that, the spice is the best part.

As I always say, it may be your five-star read.

[nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much going on. Like, you really expect me to believe that some punk ass rock stars have such shady criminal pasts and are skilled in killing people? Nah, bro. It's a bit much - even in fiction. My head is literally hurting and I actually fucking think this book gave me a migraine LMAO. This one wasn't as addictive as the others in the series and I'm kinda disappointed with the way this ended. Not the best RH series by Miss Tate but okay ig.

[CassDamm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad to be done with this series.

There was just SO much going on. A lot of it should’ve just be axed so this could be a trilogy instead of 4 400-500 page books.

I hate to say it, but I can say with certainty, it would’ve been better if tate James had written it solo.

[AMG · Rating 2 out of 5]

RH/Rock-Mafia/Enemies to Lovers

SYNOPSIS (of 4 Book Series): The FC grew up and fell in love with 2 of the MCs. The FC broke up with Jace "for his own good" and made him think that she wanted to only be with Angelo. Ultimately she did not stay with Angelo and Book 1 opens with the FC homeless and out of work. She sees a murder committed by the Ricci's and when running for her life bumps into Rhett the bass player for Bellerose, Jace's very popular rock band. Rhett falls for the FC immediately and despite Jace hating her takes her with the band to New York to escape the Ricci's who are coming after her. Book 2 and 3 cover the FC's developing relationship with Rhett, Grayson and ultimately Angelo as well as the transition from hate to love of Jace and the FC trying to stay away from the Riccis. This is all with the backdrop of the FC and the Band being attacked and trying to understand what is going on and why people are coming after them. Book 4 ends with the story coming together and a HEA.

I'll start by saying that the Broken Legacy series followed by Royals of Albon Academy, both by these authors, are 2 of my favourite series. Unfortunately, just as I found "Dylan" to be rushed and not on the same level, this series was the same but even worse. It felt like the authors just rushed this series out without proper editing or story development. There are so many gaps and inconsistencies as well as by the numbers plot devices used that I was skim reading by the end of Book 3. The basic storyline is good and the characters had potential but then they are let down by lack of character development, insta love, lack of story development and description and a story arch that does not hang together.

Book 1 starts strong with establishing Billie's background and her meeting back up with Jace who hates her and connecting with the Band. From Book 2 the story devolves with no clear direction or development of plot or characters. This was one of the biggest issues with the series, lots of different plot lines but not clarity as to why people acted how they did or how things fitted together. You are given no backstory of the relationship between the FC and her parents, just a few snapshots which do not tell you whether she got on with them or whether they were good or bad etc. Same with Angelo and Jace, no real descriptions of how they connected and how their relationship built just statements that they were a threesome but that the FC always preferred Jace. No explanation as to what exactly happened to the FC after Jace left or over the intervening 8 years or why she left Siena.

From Book 2-4 the story does not evolve, it seems to stay in stasis with a combination of sex scenes and dramatic events until Book 4 where you are (kind of) told why everything happened - only you are not told and the explanations provided do not make sense. It is unclear why or who was behind all of the attacks or why the attacks were all on the Band or even what was really going on and how everything fitted together. The story made no sense with a muddle of different villains some working together and some not. Is it a mafia war? Is it a personal vendetta? You have the Ricci's after Billie and apparently the Wilsons and Vee's family after the Band or possibly only Angelo - but why and why now?

Disjoints abound and are too many to list but include: (1) Book 1 the FC describes the fire that killed her parents to Rhett and refers to smoke alarms not working; in Book 2 Rhett asks what happened to her as if he did not know about the fire and then the FC tells him that there was a fire and the windows in her home were nailed shut so not an accident; then when the FC has a flashback to the fire there is no mention of windows being nailed shut and a different explanation is given for her parents death. You also never find out how she actually escaped the fire or what actually happened with Angelo. (2) In Book 3 there is an attack which you are told is to grab the FC by a rival gang but then suddenly switches to a different gang and the intent being to get Angelo. It makes no sense - what was the purpose of the attack and who was behind it? How did the MCs go from being on their knees, hands bound and mouths covered in tape to fighting and shouting? (3) When you find out who is behind Dirty Truths it is an anticlimax and again, makes no sense as initially you are told that Dirty Truths was a celebrity gossip website that appeared to get taken over as it had become more aggressive and focussed on Bellerose. When you discover who is behind the website you are told that they set it up to make some money on the side and there's no explanation as to why it was gunning for Bellerose. (4) Jace is really vile to the FC through the first 2 Books. Even when Billie explains why she acted as she did Jace still hates her and is nasty to her. It's not until around Book 3 that Jace suddenly does an about face and is grovelling for her forgiveness. It's unclear why he has a sudden change of heart as there's no additional information that he learns he just suddenly seems to decide, as Billie has gone through yet another traumatic event, that he loves her. (5) Finally you had the scene down by the docks and Giovanni turned up but then there is no mention of him or what he did just that he then left. This on top of no explanation as to why Giovanni wanted to torture the FC and then suddenly drops this desire along with his attempt to have her murdered

As mentioned, the sex scenes are plentiful and not in a good way. This series turned into one of those series that are more about gratuitous sex than a story or romance. The language was too crude for me with consistent references to the FC's c&%t. Personally I do not find that word sexy in any way but am fine with the odd mention. In this series that is the term generally used both by the MCs and the FC herself. I did not feel any real romance in the books just sex. There was no real development of the attraction or build up with Rhett or Grayson just a kind of instalove that made no sense as the FC was not actually particularly likeable or strong and I could not see anything that she did that would generate such a love. With Jace and Angelo you were simply presented with the fact that they had this deep love based on their past and that was it. I am a fan of RH when the relationships are about love and respect but not when it's just an excuse for orgies.

Unfortunately I quickly came to dislike the FC as she turned out to be incredibly weak (both physically and mentally) - she never fought back, was always the victim and needing to be rescued and cossetted all the time. All she was interested in was sex with the MCs and constantly whining about it and thinking about it whether it was at a funeral or after a violent attack - because apparently that's what you do. No panties and sex in the bathroom when having dinner with Jace's parents - classy; FC asking for triple penetration - lovely; FC begging for sex every five minutes? Here are some particularly romantic (sarcasm) quotes: "I was probably leaving a wet spot on my seat from excitement" or "the rich aroma of tomato sauce ... made me groan and I almost came again. Or maybe that was just the jizz-drip from the hot tub session" or "the house smelled of semen/there was cum all over the sofa" - yup, so romantic. The FC was a superficial nyphomaniac who was more interested in the physical aspects of the MCs than anything else. Plus - why do authors think it's a good writing technique to have the FC talk about her vagina in the third person? i.e. "She was such a slut" (when referring to her vagina). It's not.

Finally, Book 4 and the conclusion of the story was a complete let down. Not only did you not get any full understanding as to what was behind everything that happened (what you did get was confused and unclear) but then, after a big build up and being told constantly how horrible Giovanni was, how he met his justice was ridiculous; bringing in Rhett's family in Book 4 seemed pointless except as a mechanism to get around why they apparently couldn't just shoot Giovanni and to create more drama; the unmasking of Wilson was intended for dramatic effect but again, made no sense and you did not get any real understanding as to why Wilson did what he did. How can the FC forgive Grayson almost immediately for what he did but just write off Wilson without any attempt to understand? The sudden decision to take down the Ricci's through tax evasion was described as something the Ricci's would never see coming - seriously? Has noone heard of Al Capone? I'm pretty sure all mafia families keep their tax evasion either well hidden or above board these days!

Apologies for the long review but I was just so disappointed with this series having waited for it and it was just frustrating and a waste of time. I'm just glad I didn't pay for it but got it through KU.

[Bekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

How did we end up with this?
1&2 round of applause
3… ok ok ok I see where this can go…
4……..how can this be so anticlimactic for so long and then give us just a taste of interest

This final book felt like all build up minimal climax. Like one of those weird DJ dubstep song remix’s of a favorite 90’s song that never actually hits.

I was glad to see how it came together don’t get me wrong but there may have been too many twists to really enjoy the turns.

[Christina Close · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL I CAN SAY IS HOLY SH*T BALLS

This book was for sure the best closing of a series I've read in a long time.



The fact that Wilson was Billie's father one blew my mind but also kind of didn't shock me because this series needed another good plot twist. I absolutely died laughing during the 'murder party' scene. I have no clue why it made me laugh, maybe the irony of the situation is what got me, but either way I loved how messed up in the head Vee was. I was overjoyed when karma caught up to all of the bad guys in the end. No one deserved a better ending then Billie and her boys.

But OMG the fact that there was a happy ever after with two epilogues, which by the way triple penetration, good lord, I couldn't imagine that happening to me. But the steam level to this book was through the roof.

[Ashley Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.8/5

Bloody loved this one. Such a great ending to the series.
Tate James just writes the most incredible RH romances and the audiobook was AMAZING!

[Jocie (so behind on reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
2.75🌶️

This whole series was really great! I loved reading them. I consumed three of the books in a flash! However, this last one was not my favorite. I feel like everything was rushed just so it could all be tied up in a bow. You can see the characters growth throughout the series in bits and pieces. However, the last book completely changed. They just were all automatically fixed. All the problems were dealt with rather quickly and they seemed to fix all their trauma and troubles in a flash. It was a decent read for sure, but it took a lot of effort to finish it up. I just didn’t feel satisfied. Sure they got their happy ending, but I feel as though it was handed to them too easily at the end. Does that make sense? I have no idea if it does, but that’s how I feel.

[LolliMolly ⫷fiction addiction⫸ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF, I got bored. It went hard into the mafia storyline when I was in it for the band storyline. There was a lot of "oh no, I have to wait here while the plot happens to someone important to me somewhere else because I am a delicate flower who must be protected" 🤢
I get bored with too much action and not enough interpersonal plot, but I was sooooo boooooored waiting for someone important to be rescued that I lost all interest.

[Sentranced Jem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda disappointed to be honest… anticlimactic

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm embarrassed I let myself finish this series

[Courtnee · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Beautiful Thorns is the fourth and final book in the Boys of Bellerose series.

I genuinely don’t even know what to say at this point. I adored this book and the entire series, and I am devastated that it has come to an end.

The whole series of Boys of Bellerose has blown my mind. A strong FMC, four incredibly hot men, an interesting plot, insane character development, drama, action, twists and turns, angst, heartbreak, revenge, cliffhangers, and piercings and drool-worthy smut. I mean, what else could you want?

Beautiful Thorns tied everything up flawlessly and was the perfect end to an incredible series! We got to see Billie and her men finally get answers to so many questions and, of course, the HEA they all deserved.

Tate and Jaymin genuinely knocked this series out of the park, and I can honestly say it is already going to be in my top 10 reads of this year!

If you haven’t read this series yet, you need to stop what you are doing right now and read it! You will not be disappointed! While you're at it, you should add both Tate and Jaymin's backlogs to it as well. Just saying. 

[Giota (the reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars, as much as I absolutely LOVED this series, the end book left me a bit disappointed mainly because of pacing and how everything was resolved so fast. Like… there were land mines left and right and they were dealt with and checked off a notebook as if on a schedule. I’d rather some of those plot lines were resolved slowly in the previous books instead of accumulating all in the last one and then CHECK ✅, next please!
The relationships that had me most invested were the one with Rhett because he is a SWEETHEART and deserves all the happiness in the world. And of course Jace, who was the epicentre of Billie’s world and the one that needed mending. I needed them to find closure from their hurtful past together and be able to move forward and DAMNIT if Jace didn’t put in the work to make her see how truly sorry he was for his hateful behaviour and how much he changed to be worthy of her 🥺.

[Lammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong Finish

Good finish to this series. While I didn’t like it as much as the last two books it tied up all all the pieces together in a satisfying finish.

I would have enjoyed the last epilogue more if there would have been some baby Bellerose. I didn’t buy it that Billie wouldn’t have cared about having children given she was so previously distraught by the loss of her unborn baby.

[Nat]

dnf @ 17%

Too much going on, not as good as the previous books and according to the reviews it's only getting worse

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh the end of an era.
🫶🏼

[Erin Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

i’m being generous and giving 3 stars just bc i liked the characters and smut but otherwise this was the most anticlimactic tate james series for me 😭 3 days felt like 3 weeks ngl

[hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This was…a book. I’m not really sure what my expectations for this book and conclusion of this series consisted of, but this was a disaster. Things started going downhill for me in the second book, but I thought I could push through and I’d be better for it. I was wrong, and all that I’m left feeling is disappointment.

This series threw in so many random tropes. I thought it was just gonna be a simple RH rockstar romance meets mafia and that’d be it. No, there was so much random shit thrown in that by the time we would get to another “bombshell” I just wasn’t even surprised anymore. If anything I was more surprised when things didn’t go wrong for an entire five pages.

In the first book I really liked Billie. She was a hot mess but she was likeable, by the end I literally could not stand her. This is a genuine question, how is she not pregnant? Miss ma’am is getting railed by four dudes constantly, and there’s no talk of protection on either end. Like, make it make sense because half of this book was just them having sex. At least we moved past fucking in a field next to our dead friend, but still. I also hated how by the end we’re just supposed to love Jace. For two and half books he was a petulant asshole, but now everything is just forgiven? No.

I don’t usually enjoy mafia romances anyway because I feel like you just have to completely turn off your brain with how excessive and ridiculous they are, but this was something else. I wanted to read the Madison Kate series, but I’m not sure if I will after this.

Also, this would’ve been like a solid 1.5-2 stars, but I love Rhett so much so I gave it a little boost.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hot and explosive end to an amazing series! I have adored this series since page 1, book 1 and that continued through this book as well. This part of the story has Billie and her guys figuring things out as a group and making moves to stop those harming them. I delighted in watching these characters grow and evolve further. All of them have their own personal revelations both with history and present circumstances. The unique family that they create is absolutely endearing and spicy. The individual and group steam scenes are scorching hot. I am thrilled with how this series came to an end.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I desperately wanted to give this book four, or maybe even five stars but, there were a few errors I couldn't ignore.

A good idea for authors is to remember that sometimes adding "ing, s, d, ed" to the end of some words would fully complete the narrative... Forgetting or missing them distracts Us from the story and ruins the natural flow... We stop, and dwell on that small error because it completely changes what SHOULD have been said... And our brains have to stop and backtrack to make sense of what the author was likely TRYING to say...
Does that make sense?

Anyway, if you have been following along with my reviews, by now you would likely know that I found MULTIPLE connections to my real life in this series.
I wasn't going to go into it all but, hey, why the hell not?

First, let's start easy.

Angelo.
- my ex bf, aka my first love when I was 16.

Thorn, calls Angelo..Angel...
-Angel is MY name.

Jace's sisters name is Teresa...
- My middle name is Teresa (not the only one but the main one lol)

Miscarriage....
- I wasn't going to mention it but, this series triggered me HARD when speaking about Thorn's miscarriage... I miscarried twin boys.. It was a multitude of years ago but, I never got to "deal" with that trauma, and boy was I triggered reading the experience from the authors pov.

March 12th. A key date in the series. You will see... I'm not ruining that for you, lol.
- My birthday!

Officer Simpson!
- Are you freaking kidding me!?!? If you know me, you know EXACTLY why that name is connected to me, and if you follow me on ANY other social media, then you know...hi janelle!! And fiona! Lol
I was silly and messaged one of the authors, so, SHE knows the connection lol.

There are more things but, this is good enough for now, don't you think?!

It was these connections that sucked me in to read the whole series in a matter of days!

I loved!!!!!! This series.

Overall, 5/5. I totally recommend it to my friends.

I also loved that it didn't come off as an ATYPICAL mafia romance. I hate those.

There was enough going on to not dwell on too much of one thing.

Are there things I personally would have changed? Yes... Especially the ending because, in my opinion, I think the writers should have given Thorn a baby. To show that life moves on, and you CAN have a child after a tragedy and be happy... That was a hard lesson for my own trauma... After my severe loss, I went on to have a beautiful girl, who is 18 now and so sweet... I would have loved to see that for Thorn and her guys...and how they handled being fathers, after having dicks as dads lol... But maybe the authors will read this (not going to hold my breath...you, just in case) and will write something like that in the future? We shall see...

Also, yes, I am well aware that Thorn's name was Billie Bellerose but, Rhett...mostly my favorite character, he called her Thorn from the beginning and it stuck with me!

Grr.. I'm going to miss these.guys.

I wish August 31st would get here.so I can get the next Witsec book dammit! Lol... Ok, off to try and find something new to occupy my time til then....

See ya all laters!

[Cassandra Doon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: Beautiful Thorns
Read By: Ebook and Audio
Author: Jaymin Eve and Tate James
Narrator: Brooke Daniels and Lucas Webley
Genre: Reverse Harem, Crime
Main Characters: Billie, Jace, Greyson, Rhett, Angel
Recommend: Yes
Spice: 🌶️️ 🌶️️ 🌶️️ 🌶️️
Age recommendation: 18-30+ Years
My feelings:

“The toxicity of our relationship would be disturbing, if part of me didn’t absolutely live for that shit. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t lose us. Not when we were almost back to the happy again.”

Swear it felt like it took forever for the audio for this book to come out.
But thankfully it finally did. I wanted to finish this series off for ages.

“When Angelo released my head, I gasped for air, coughing while grinning like a loon. He bent down and kissed me hard, his tongue sweeping through my mouth and not flinching once at the fact that I’d just swallowed four different dude’s cum.”

Beautiful Thorns started with a bang, we hit the ground running with lots of action. I felt like we were finally coming to the end for all the drama.

“If it means never seeing you with blood dripping down your face again, Prickles, I would happily walk away from any and every fight.” He cupped my face in his huge hands, his dark eyes locked on mine. “You are the most precious thing in my life, Billie. I’m quickly coming to realize there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.”

Once you get past half way though, and most the drama is wrapped up or on the way for a wrap up, we find ourself in the smut section…. The section I long for in a book:)

“On the motherfucking stage. I shook my head, desperately freaking out that I would throw up or do something embarrassing like fart the moment I went on stage. My stomach wasn’t feeling the most stable, in all truth, so this wasn’t even a weird intrusive thought.”

Jaymin and Tate really deliver a heavy and healthy dose of smut for us to devour. There was zero complete from me.

“Before I could pussy out, I twisted the doorhandle and pushed the door open. Instead of revealing a storage closet, it revealed a newly constructed set of stairs leading down. I flicked on the lights, then stood aside for them to enter. “Why do I feel like Alice heading down the rabbit hole?” Rhett teased, brushing a kiss over my lips as he passed. I took up the rear, watching for their reactions as they reached the bottom. There was another door they needed to pass through, then it opened up into a huge space.”

Highly recommend.

“Will you…” Oh shit, was I brave enough to really ask for what I wanted? Yes. Yes, I was. “Guys. Will you… try triple penetration with me?”

This is book 4 of a 4 book series. You need to read 1-3 before this one otherwise you will have no idea what is going on. And ends with a HEA.

“Motherfucker. “Love, there is very little in this world I can refuse you, but when it comes to your safety… I’m an unmovable boulder.”

[♡Gabi♡ [life & work is chaotic hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great and final ending in the Boys of Bellerose series. Can’t believe it’s over already, but had such a fun time reading and falling in love with all of Billie’s men.🫦🤭

Billie was such a badass who had to overcome so much pain, loss, and devastation in her life. Her running into the the band while on the run changed the trajectory of her life for the better and we got to see her form connections and fall in love with each of the guys individually. The love and relationship she had with each of them was so unique, hilarious, HOT AF, and so romantic to read about. We love seeing 4 men so down bad for their woman bc as they should be!!😤 Also the rockstar x mafia aspect of the series was everything.

All the plot twists and questions that remained were answered and we got to see Billie and her boys get their HEA.

🖤🎸🫡🔥

4.5 stars

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh… man I hate writing a meh review for a book whose author I adore, but I gotta be honest: this didn’t hit the way other Tate series did. I was overall satisfied but underwhelmed.

I want it on record that no matter who writes it, lyrics/singing in books always give me the ick; it triggers my fear of someone singing to me in public. (Pls see also flash mobs)

Idk, I love the boys, but I’m not used to such a soft FMC from Tate and it became tired over 4 books.

I wanted more from Angelo and Billie, I wanted Rhett to come swooping in at the end, I wanted more of Gray’s backstory (would’ve been cool if he needed to be brought back over the edge), and Jace… I think the back-and-forth should have eased up earlier. This book felt like a lot of loose ends that never got properly tied, which is unlike Tate!

I loved the group dynamics, and obvi the spice was *heart eyes*, but you know I’m here for plot!!

I still recommend hehe

[Kei ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Boys of Bellerose series is for you if you love;
✔️ Rockstar fantasies
✔️ Mafia violence
✔️ Tattoos and piercings.
✔️ Why choose.

Beautiful Thorns concludes the Boys of Bellerose series. While this was a fitting end, book four felt rushed, unplanned and chaotic. I'm currently still processing how a series could go from such a high, to such a low in the space of a few chapters.
**Full review pending**

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

CWs: abuse, cult, kidnapping, murder, death, blood, injury, gun violence, torture, explosions, attempted murder

I liked how this one ended. I liked the way the relationship worked out, and I enjoyed seeing them get to that happily ever after moment.
I did find that this one just moved slower than the previous ones had. I felt like things were brushed over a little bit, and there was also so much going on. I still enjoyed reading it, but it seemed to drag on a little bit.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fear we may have lost the plot part way through on this one but don’t worry, we found it again near the end. As always Tate James writes a damn good entertaining book though so it gets an easy 4 stars