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Love Hate
What kind of idiot falls in love with his bully?
I’d endured nothing but fear, shame and torture at the hands of the meanest man I’d ever met. So, I chose to run away to a Catholic college to escape everything and everyone that had ever hurt me. But I had no idea that I was running straight into the arms of the enemy.
Or that it was the one place I’d find true solace.
If you love MM bully romance, enemies to lovers and bi-awakenings, don’t miss Love Hate by Dakota Rebel.
Buy this emotional roller coaster of romance today.
I’d endured nothing but fear, shame and torture at the hands of the meanest man I’d ever met. So, I chose to run away to a Catholic college to escape everything and everyone that had ever hurt me. But I had no idea that I was running straight into the arms of the enemy.
Or that it was the one place I’d find true solace.
If you love MM bully romance, enemies to lovers and bi-awakenings, don’t miss Love Hate by Dakota Rebel.
Buy this emotional roller coaster of romance today.
379 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2023
93 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Dakota Rebel
178 books252 followersI believe that love is love and it happens in a flash.
Whether it starts with action and adventure and adrenaline...or with just a glance across a crowded room. Happily ever after is never far away.
Head over to my website to get your hands on two totally free romance books, see what other cool stuff I’ve written, and fall down the rabbit hole of any (and every) social media site I hang out on.
www.dakotarebel.net
Whether it starts with action and adventure and adrenaline...or with just a glance across a crowded room. Happily ever after is never far away.
Head over to my website to get your hands on two totally free romance books, see what other cool stuff I’ve written, and fall down the rabbit hole of any (and every) social media site I hang out on.
www.dakotarebel.net
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 1, 2024
3.5⭐
At first I thought this book was written by a much younger, new author, because the storytelling and the writing was almost juvenile at times. The story has a prominent religious note and deals with a topic of becoming a priest - or not - so if you're not at least somewhat familiar with how Catholics work, I'm afraid you won't really like the story.
I personally just happen to know someone who went through the exact same thing as the MMC who was about to become a priest, so I'm very familiar with everything and therefore decided to finish it, otherwise I'm not sure I would have.
🔵 Bully straight jock / gay nerd
🟣 Not religious / religious
🟡 Pain kink
🟢 Bi-awakening
🌶️ Spice pretty good; both vers
❗ Some homophobia and physical violence
The story is about Trevor Hix, the popular straight high school quarterback and a big bully to Andy, the not-openly-gay high school's nerd.
Andy comes from a very religious family and is raised in the thought of becoming a priest one day. His parents know he's gay and they don't like it, so they don't really have a good relationship at home, but they still financially support him.
Trevor and Andy find themselves in the same Catholic college where Andy is determined to finish his studies and enter the priesthood. Trevor still dislikes Andy, because he thinks Andy stole his girlfriend and put out rumours about his dick in high school, but when Andy starts tutoring Trevor, these guys get to know each other more and realise everything was a big misunderstanding.
Before they end the hostility between them, Trevor still torments Andy by physically grabbing him and hurting him a bit and it turns out Andy likes it.
Andy has a pain kink, he likes it rough and everything that Trevor ever did to him was actually enjoyable.
When Trevor realises that, they start hooking up. In time, Trevor gets his bi-awakening and has absolutely no problem with Andy being a man and his love interest, the problem is Andy, who's still determined to become a priest.
🌶️ The smut was pretty good, the sex scenes and the intimacy well described, I especially loved the first time they slept together - just slept - after years of being hostile and their discovery of sex in general was well done, it was good, I liked it.
"It was incredible and I had no idea what I'd been missing all those years and in that moment, I actually felt regret for not realizing sooner what Andy and I could have been together."
Andy in the end decides not to become a priest. The Monsignor of the college and the congregation welcomes it, because it was clear Andy wants to be somewhere else, he saw it from a mile away that Andy's calling is not what he thought it was. He was more trying to please his parents than anything else. Andy and Trevor stay together and move in together. In the epilogue they end up getting engaged.
In general this is a cute, heartwarming story and I really liked both MMCs.
The bully tension was done well, but ended way too soon. Their love journey was sweet and full of new, exciting beginnings and I simply loved Trevor. He turned out to be the most amazing guy and is one of those characters that are just memorable.
What didn't work for me was the storytelling or the writing itself. Andy's reflection about his family, faith and a religious path should've gone a bit deeper, his pain kink a bit more described (although what was there was quite satisfying) and considering he was from a very religious family and activelly practiced faith, he sure did say "Jesus fuck" a lot, I guarantee you people who are in his position don't do that.
What Andy was going through was quite realistic, it's the family's expectation and indoctrination that usually does the trick, so when someone has a change of heart, they usually don't go down their own path, simply because the backlash would be enormous.
The congregation itself in my knowledge has a bigger understanding of these things, guys actually do enter priesthood to have more freedom than they would've at home (if they're unlucky in love or gay), they want to run away from the environment that expects things they can't give - like getting married or have kids.
I actually know someone who did that and these men have a few years to figure out if they really want to be a priest or a monk, but let me tell you, the guys that enter and are gay - everyone in that congregation knows they're gay, it's not uncommon and most don't have a problem with it.
Noone particularly meddles with their free time so plenty of these men actually do meet up with people (men or women). I probably shouldn't be saying this. 🫣😄
I know of a man who's walked away from it at 45 years old and is living with another man, everyone knows it and he's still active in that church. You'll find men living together, "single" their whole lives - and everyone knows they're together together, yet people will say they're "bachelors and celibate" and are still very active at church. They're gay. It's known. We're talking about Catholics here and the things I know because people who've been there told me. I know it's not the same everywhere in the world, but this is Europe and still, not every country is the same. Some of these congregations are quite understanding, more than the families of these men would ever be. Surprisingly so.
Ooops! 😄😄
The book does mention Callum, a guy who was actually a priest here at St. Caherine's and left to be with a man, so I'll read his book next, even though I don't particularly like this author's storytelling or writing, but I'll do it, it's a short novel.
At first I thought this book was written by a much younger, new author, because the storytelling and the writing was almost juvenile at times. The story has a prominent religious note and deals with a topic of becoming a priest - or not - so if you're not at least somewhat familiar with how Catholics work, I'm afraid you won't really like the story.
I personally just happen to know someone who went through the exact same thing as the MMC who was about to become a priest, so I'm very familiar with everything and therefore decided to finish it, otherwise I'm not sure I would have.
🔵 Bully straight jock / gay nerd
🟣 Not religious / religious
🟡 Pain kink
🟢 Bi-awakening
🌶️ Spice pretty good; both vers
❗ Some homophobia and physical violence
The story is about Trevor Hix, the popular straight high school quarterback and a big bully to Andy, the not-openly-gay high school's nerd.
Andy comes from a very religious family and is raised in the thought of becoming a priest one day. His parents know he's gay and they don't like it, so they don't really have a good relationship at home, but they still financially support him.
Trevor and Andy find themselves in the same Catholic college where Andy is determined to finish his studies and enter the priesthood. Trevor still dislikes Andy, because he thinks Andy stole his girlfriend and put out rumours about his dick in high school, but when Andy starts tutoring Trevor, these guys get to know each other more and realise everything was a big misunderstanding.
Before they end the hostility between them, Trevor still torments Andy by physically grabbing him and hurting him a bit and it turns out Andy likes it.
Andy has a pain kink, he likes it rough and everything that Trevor ever did to him was actually enjoyable.
When Trevor realises that, they start hooking up. In time, Trevor gets his bi-awakening and has absolutely no problem with Andy being a man and his love interest, the problem is Andy, who's still determined to become a priest.
🌶️ The smut was pretty good, the sex scenes and the intimacy well described, I especially loved the first time they slept together - just slept - after years of being hostile and their discovery of sex in general was well done, it was good, I liked it.
"It was incredible and I had no idea what I'd been missing all those years and in that moment, I actually felt regret for not realizing sooner what Andy and I could have been together."
Andy in the end decides not to become a priest. The Monsignor of the college and the congregation welcomes it, because it was clear Andy wants to be somewhere else, he saw it from a mile away that Andy's calling is not what he thought it was. He was more trying to please his parents than anything else. Andy and Trevor stay together and move in together. In the epilogue they end up getting engaged.
In general this is a cute, heartwarming story and I really liked both MMCs.
The bully tension was done well, but ended way too soon. Their love journey was sweet and full of new, exciting beginnings and I simply loved Trevor. He turned out to be the most amazing guy and is one of those characters that are just memorable.
What didn't work for me was the storytelling or the writing itself. Andy's reflection about his family, faith and a religious path should've gone a bit deeper, his pain kink a bit more described (although what was there was quite satisfying) and considering he was from a very religious family and activelly practiced faith, he sure did say "Jesus fuck" a lot, I guarantee you people who are in his position don't do that.
What Andy was going through was quite realistic, it's the family's expectation and indoctrination that usually does the trick, so when someone has a change of heart, they usually don't go down their own path, simply because the backlash would be enormous.
The congregation itself in my knowledge has a bigger understanding of these things, guys actually do enter priesthood to have more freedom than they would've at home (if they're unlucky in love or gay), they want to run away from the environment that expects things they can't give - like getting married or have kids.
I actually know someone who did that and these men have a few years to figure out if they really want to be a priest or a monk, but let me tell you, the guys that enter and are gay - everyone in that congregation knows they're gay, it's not uncommon and most don't have a problem with it.
Noone particularly meddles with their free time so plenty of these men actually do meet up with people (men or women). I probably shouldn't be saying this. 🫣😄
I know of a man who's walked away from it at 45 years old and is living with another man, everyone knows it and he's still active in that church. You'll find men living together, "single" their whole lives - and everyone knows they're together together, yet people will say they're "bachelors and celibate" and are still very active at church. They're gay. It's known. We're talking about Catholics here and the things I know because people who've been there told me. I know it's not the same everywhere in the world, but this is Europe and still, not every country is the same. Some of these congregations are quite understanding, more than the families of these men would ever be. Surprisingly so.
Ooops! 😄😄
The book does mention Callum, a guy who was actually a priest here at St. Caherine's and left to be with a man, so I'll read his book next, even though I don't particularly like this author's storytelling or writing, but I'll do it, it's a short novel.
January 31, 2025
Reread #2
4⭐️
2.5🌶️
Still An Amazing Read If Your In A Reading Slump
Reread
4⭐️
3🌶️
Y’all I Was Really Feeling Like Rereading This Again And I Really Enjoyed It The Second Time Around, Still 4 Stars But I Really Liked It A lot. Trevor And Andy Were Just A Really Sweet Couple And I Really Loved Their Love Story And I Also Loved That This Book Was REALLY Fast Paced And I Definitely Recommend Reading This Book If Your In A Book Slump And You Need An MM Book That’s Really Fast Paced Because This One Was A Really Good Hate To Love MM Romance And I Definitely See Myself Rereading This In The Future.🫶💕
4⭐️
2.75🌶️
Y’all, I Think It’s Safe To Say That I’m Fully Out Of My Book Slump Thanks To This Amazing Book. This Book Was SO Fast Paced And I Read This In A Day And This Took 7 Hours For Me To Read Like That’s So Amazing. I Also Loved Trevor And Andy SM! And FUCK Mark! 😂 So If You Want An MM Enemies To Lovers Bully Romance That Will Get You Out Of A Reading Slump, Pick Those One Up It’s Was SO Good.💕💕💕💕
4⭐️
2.5🌶️
Still An Amazing Read If Your In A Reading Slump
Reread
4⭐️
3🌶️
Y’all I Was Really Feeling Like Rereading This Again And I Really Enjoyed It The Second Time Around, Still 4 Stars But I Really Liked It A lot. Trevor And Andy Were Just A Really Sweet Couple And I Really Loved Their Love Story And I Also Loved That This Book Was REALLY Fast Paced And I Definitely Recommend Reading This Book If Your In A Book Slump And You Need An MM Book That’s Really Fast Paced Because This One Was A Really Good Hate To Love MM Romance And I Definitely See Myself Rereading This In The Future.🫶💕
4⭐️
2.75🌶️
Y’all, I Think It’s Safe To Say That I’m Fully Out Of My Book Slump Thanks To This Amazing Book. This Book Was SO Fast Paced And I Read This In A Day And This Took 7 Hours For Me To Read Like That’s So Amazing. I Also Loved Trevor And Andy SM! And FUCK Mark! 😂 So If You Want An MM Enemies To Lovers Bully Romance That Will Get You Out Of A Reading Slump, Pick Those One Up It’s Was SO Good.💕💕💕💕
October 28, 2024
So.. it's a bully romance, but he was a bully for less than 20% of the book. Then fell in love right after and couldn't imagine hurting him ever again, even if he wanted it 🙄🙄
1.5 ⭐️
1.5 ⭐️
November 25, 2024
Dude bound for priesthood ends up at the same college as his high school bully, even through he tried to avoid going to the same college, then they are forced together and sparks fly.
Overall reco: It was okay? I went looking for a book that I wanted to almost rip my heart out but not totally. Like an MMC that was hurt and abused and had pain and the blurp and sample I read felt like this was going to hit the spot. It didn't. I finished it, because it was so fast. but the whole thing felt rather superficial and flat. My chest never clenched for these characters, not even in their worst moments.
Plot: 2/5
Spice: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Did I like the book? Kinda. Do I have rants? fucking yes.
I'm going to spoiler tag these, since most of my rants have to do with shit that's hinted at or 'comes out' halfway into the book.
Don't spiral -
Book layout and formatting - This book is listed at 372 pages, my kindle says more but that's because there is a preview for another book at the end. Even so, this book had lots of extra space. There was a full line break between each paragraph, which effectively doubled the size of the book. I read roughly 40-50 pages an hour I read 85 pages an hour for this book. So this book isn't really 300+ pages. The pacing felt like it was a shorter book, and that makes sense with how fast I read it.
Jesus christ. Sorry - The religiousness of this book was.. weird. I'm not catholic, and now no longer religious in any form. I am not super familiar with the priesthood part of shit, just some basics. That said, the religion parts of the book felt fucking weird. Like the college and people AT the college seemed much more cool with 'gay' than I have experienced. Like, Mark was an outlier and honestly, from growing up in NJ and having friends and family that went to catholic HS and colleges.. Mark's behavior was much more normal. ESPECIALLY for groups that were going to mass that much. What I'm saying is.. this college and the people attending it and the families of the people attending it, seemed much more progressive than my East Coast liberal as fuck towns.
Superficial as fuck - It never really felt like this book went into anything too deep. We got a lot of like superficial stuff and it would like HINT at it and then just never go further into it. Andy's Parents and then there is the year off And then.. its like every character is superficial as fuck, the only one we seem to get any depth too is Mark! Oh and back to the 'dark shit'
But the spice must be spicing?! No. For an MMC into pain play we didn't get much. The spice felt about fleshed out as the characters. No depth, hollow, there but nothing amazing. Like I'm giving it a 3 because there are a little bit of things but it's NOTHING like how its sort of hinted at being.
God, as I'm writing this I want to drop it below a 2 but I actually think it was better written than the items I normally give 1 star too.
Overall reco: It was okay? I went looking for a book that I wanted to almost rip my heart out but not totally. Like an MMC that was hurt and abused and had pain and the blurp and sample I read felt like this was going to hit the spot. It didn't. I finished it, because it was so fast. but the whole thing felt rather superficial and flat. My chest never clenched for these characters, not even in their worst moments.
And when the time came that I had to let him go, I would. Because the only thing in the world I wanted more than to be with him, was for him to be happy.
Plot: 2/5
Spice: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Did I like the book? Kinda. Do I have rants? fucking yes.
I'm going to spoiler tag these, since most of my rants have to do with shit that's hinted at or 'comes out' halfway into the book.
Don't spiral -
Book layout and formatting - This book is listed at 372 pages, my kindle says more but that's because there is a preview for another book at the end. Even so, this book had lots of extra space. There was a full line break between each paragraph, which effectively doubled the size of the book. I read roughly 40-50 pages an hour I read 85 pages an hour for this book. So this book isn't really 300+ pages. The pacing felt like it was a shorter book, and that makes sense with how fast I read it.
Jesus christ. Sorry - The religiousness of this book was.. weird. I'm not catholic, and now no longer religious in any form. I am not super familiar with the priesthood part of shit, just some basics. That said, the religion parts of the book felt fucking weird. Like the college and people AT the college seemed much more cool with 'gay' than I have experienced. Like, Mark was an outlier and honestly, from growing up in NJ and having friends and family that went to catholic HS and colleges.. Mark's behavior was much more normal. ESPECIALLY for groups that were going to mass that much. What I'm saying is.. this college and the people attending it and the families of the people attending it, seemed much more progressive than my East Coast liberal as fuck towns.
Superficial as fuck - It never really felt like this book went into anything too deep. We got a lot of like superficial stuff and it would like HINT at it and then just never go further into it. Andy's Parents and then there is the year off And then.. its like every character is superficial as fuck, the only one we seem to get any depth too is Mark! Oh and back to the 'dark shit'
But the spice must be spicing?! No. For an MMC into pain play we didn't get much. The spice felt about fleshed out as the characters. No depth, hollow, there but nothing amazing. Like I'm giving it a 3 because there are a little bit of things but it's NOTHING like how its sort of hinted at being.
God, as I'm writing this I want to drop it below a 2 but I actually think it was better written than the items I normally give 1 star too.
November 25, 2024
i absolutely devoured this book in less than a day! i love trevor an andy so much. the tension from the beginning that bloomed into the most precious love story! the writing was immaculate, keeping you engaged at all times, and the sexy times were hot 🥵
September 26, 2024
After seeing a bunch of teasers on several shared author & MM book pages, I knew I needed to jump into this story. It had sounded incredible from the beginning.
I am SO glad I gave it the chance it deserved! We're given so much story about Andy before we're given enough about Trevor to truly understand what had been going on between them for the past several years. The shifting dynamic between these two men is incredible to see. Once Trevor's eyes have been opened enough for him to see the truth in their shared past, the romantic plotline of the book easily falls into place.
Definitely a few worrisome bumps in the road for our MCs, but a fantastic story that brings two intertwined lives together.
I am SO glad I gave it the chance it deserved! We're given so much story about Andy before we're given enough about Trevor to truly understand what had been going on between them for the past several years. The shifting dynamic between these two men is incredible to see. Once Trevor's eyes have been opened enough for him to see the truth in their shared past, the romantic plotline of the book easily falls into place.
Definitely a few worrisome bumps in the road for our MCs, but a fantastic story that brings two intertwined lives together.
November 4, 2023
An amazing but very intense read as we see two young men in college, one had a beef against the other so he relentlessly bullied him in high school. Andy has certain proclivities that some may not understand, they even get him beaten up at one point. Trevor, Andy's bully, has the wrong end of the stick and that causes pain but eventually brings exhilaration. This, for me, was one of those books you just cannot put down, (except for falling a sleep on it unfortunatley). I'm really into this author, just loving the works being offered, so glad I found her when I stumbled across her Vampire Kinds trilogy.
February 21, 2025
Love Hate
Andy + Trevor
What happens when a boy who wants to be a priest and a boy who wants to be a footballer finally break through their bully facade and know each other and themselves for who they really are? Jesus f*ck.
Andy is trying to figure himself out, oscillating between his masochistic tendencies and devotion to the church. He intended to choose the church if it weren’t for the influence of Trevor, his high school bully, whom he ends up falling in love with. The misunderstanding trope is in full flame in the first act, then the second focuses on Andy and Trevor’s obstacles to understanding how they feel about each other, with the final act basically tying off all the plot threads. This wasn’t the most “complicated” romance read, in fact there is a lot that is not “answered” when Trevor’s wondering about the origin of Andy’s preferences. That and the pacing makes the book seem either half filled (seems very fast paced) or more of a personal story sharing without too many details.
One of the biggest things I liked about this story was Monsignor O’Shea and the strength and lack of judgement he offered to Andy as he was figuring himself out. Knowing the church’s stance on homosexuality (~ now updated to not be politically cancelled), and the protagonist desire to become a priest, I expected to get some shame/etc from this figure. But in fact, Monsignor was a bastion for both boys, especially when the group is dealing with a kind-of hate crime. This particular plot point was not delved into much, mostly acting like a friction plot point for the Andy and Trevor, which could be frustrating for those that might have any history with hate related crimes. But overall I thought it was nice to see “God” portrayed in a positive light and with such a benevolent church representative. I usually avoid religious touching romance reads specifically because I dont want to deal with all the heavy beef that comes with high religion x high sexuality, however this was not heavy at all when dealing with the religious thought-correlations or Andy’s unwavering loyalty to a religious following.
Andy + Trevor
What happens when a boy who wants to be a priest and a boy who wants to be a footballer finally break through their bully facade and know each other and themselves for who they really are? Jesus f*ck.
Andy is trying to figure himself out, oscillating between his masochistic tendencies and devotion to the church. He intended to choose the church if it weren’t for the influence of Trevor, his high school bully, whom he ends up falling in love with. The misunderstanding trope is in full flame in the first act, then the second focuses on Andy and Trevor’s obstacles to understanding how they feel about each other, with the final act basically tying off all the plot threads. This wasn’t the most “complicated” romance read, in fact there is a lot that is not “answered” when Trevor’s wondering about the origin of Andy’s preferences. That and the pacing makes the book seem either half filled (seems very fast paced) or more of a personal story sharing without too many details.
One of the biggest things I liked about this story was Monsignor O’Shea and the strength and lack of judgement he offered to Andy as he was figuring himself out. Knowing the church’s stance on homosexuality (~ now updated to not be politically cancelled), and the protagonist desire to become a priest, I expected to get some shame/etc from this figure. But in fact, Monsignor was a bastion for both boys, especially when the group is dealing with a kind-of hate crime. This particular plot point was not delved into much, mostly acting like a friction plot point for the Andy and Trevor, which could be frustrating for those that might have any history with hate related crimes. But overall I thought it was nice to see “God” portrayed in a positive light and with such a benevolent church representative. I usually avoid religious touching romance reads specifically because I dont want to deal with all the heavy beef that comes with high religion x high sexuality, however this was not heavy at all when dealing with the religious thought-correlations or Andy’s unwavering loyalty to a religious following.
February 27, 2025
3.5 stars, plot was good , spice was okay maybe 2/5. Bully theme, enemies to lovers but not for long. Like light enemies one actual conversation it seemed and the enemy part was pretty much over. There was a lot of internal battle about Andy joining the priesthood. That seemed to be the main theme of the book.
September 7, 2025
MM
🌶️🌶️
College
Bi awakening
Andy was bullied by Trevor all through high school. Now they are at the same college and Andy has been tasked to tutor Trevor. Old rumors and assumptions are cleared up.
This was a quick, cute read. There was a bunch of angst at the beginning. Andy has a masochistic kink, but I think it is misplaced. Attention seeking wherever he can find it.
🌶️🌶️
College
Bi awakening
Andy was bullied by Trevor all through high school. Now they are at the same college and Andy has been tasked to tutor Trevor. Old rumors and assumptions are cleared up.
This was a quick, cute read. There was a bunch of angst at the beginning. Andy has a masochistic kink, but I think it is misplaced. Attention seeking wherever he can find it.
January 6, 2024
My single complaint…the pain as pleasure did not feel “fleshed out” enough. I had a hard time buying that Andy really enjoyed it and Trevor not really liking it bothered me too.
I loved every other aspect of their relationship.
I would have liked more bullying too.
The writing was well done.
I loved every other aspect of their relationship.
I would have liked more bullying too.
The writing was well done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2023
Great spicy ride
Happy I found the author who is local to me as well! Love the writing and story line along with all the spice
Happy I found the author who is local to me as well! Love the writing and story line along with all the spice
June 16, 2024
Something was off, just not too sure exactly what.
July 6, 2024
so good
I probably wasn’t supposed to cry but I did. God, it’s been a while since I read a book that has everything I want in it. This one doesn’t disagree.
I probably wasn’t supposed to cry but I did. God, it’s been a while since I read a book that has everything I want in it. This one doesn’t disagree.
July 9, 2024
3.75 stars. Overall enjoyed this book - I just think the writing was a little weak in some places. Namely with the whole Mark situation, it just felt a bit strange to me.
Read
September 9, 2024DNF
October 7, 2024
So wholesome. Loved these boys. Not much complication. Nice read.
Read
November 4, 2024dnf @ 50%. idk how its possible to read 160 pages of a book and have absolutely nothing happen at all..
December 25, 2024
2.5 ⭐️
it is what it is
it is what it is
January 22, 2025
This was so cute. I’m happy there was no big break up or misunderstanding.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews