Quinn O’Malley’s less than stellar life drags her even deeper, plummeting her into a dark abyss when her misfortune designates her Enemy Number One to the devil himself.
After an altercation and deal gone wrong, Quinn finds herself living on borrowed time, at the mercy of a notorious, ruthless, and unpredictable King of the Underground. She has nothing of worth to bargain with except her life.
Matteo “Rogue” Scavo’s entire life has constructed a well-earned reputation as volatile, calculating, merciless, and unpredictable. The second in command of the Underground, he doesn’t tolerate distractions, he won’t entertain foolishness or shenanigans, and he certainly doesn’t do soft. No one is exempt from Rogue’s wrath.
Sharing a scarred and broken past is the only thing these two have in common. Quinn’s docile, submissive, and kind nature versus Rogue’s harsh, deadly, and unforgiving character is a recipe for the ultimate showdown. The predicament of Quinn falling for a man who loathes weakness and Rogue softening for a woman’s sweetness has these two clinging to what they know and fighting against what they want. And everyone in their realm is dragged along for the ride.
Amelia Shea writes contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2015, and has followed her passion for series romance ever since. Her writing style includes a little sweet, a little sassy and lots of steam. She loves building stories with settings that become comfortable and familiar, and developing characters who feel real, and though they may be flawed, they learn and grow, and finally deserve a happy ending. When she is not writing, she is obsessed with reading (all genres although she does has a soft spot for romance), coffee (it's more of an addiction but she prefers obsession) and perfecting her "y'all" (just a northern girl living in the south).
Don’t you just hate it when you’ve built up a good head of irascible steam against a book and then the epilogue is so perfect it makes you feel like a horrible meanie? But I can get past that, so here goes.
This started so strong that it took me to the halfway point to realize it was falling apart in front of me. I was surprised and delighted by the initial absence of insta-love, insta-lust, insta-bonding, insta-possessiveness, or insta-obsession that one normally finds in these types of books. There were no insta-soaking-panties. The hero was not harboring a heart of gold.
Unfortunately it soon became evident that the heroine, Quinn, was not harboring a brain, and her brainlessness was the main plot driver of the book. How many times did she blindly walk into a setup? How many times did she do exactly what she was warned not to do—and walk into a setup? It became predictable and boring. Gullible, naive, soft-hearted and soft-headed heroines are just not my cup of tea.
At least Rogue was consistent, even if he was consistently an off-the-chain cursing, temperamental alpha-hole. The word “fuck” was used a total of 859 times, according to my kindle (and I fear that is an undercount), with 99.9% of those occurrences coming from Rogue’s mouth.
Rogue drove his hand through his hair and cupped his mouth. “If you don’t start making fucking sense, I’m gonna lose my fucking shit.” He spun around to Trey. “What the fuck is she talking about?”
It fit Rogue’s personality so well it actually only bothered me about half as much as it should have. What bothered me more was the author’s overuse of pet phrases. People in this book cupped their mouths dozens of times (see quote above). People in this book curled the corners of their mouths dozens of times more.
I also didn’t like the questions raised and left unanswered. What exactly happened to Quinn’s father and brothers? What was going on between Sal and Elodie? Why was Nash Rogue’s nemesis? What’s the story about Rogue’s background? How did he meet Trey? If other books in this series answer those questions, the author should have written this book skillfully enough to make me want to read the others to get the answers.
The really sweet epilogue caused me to round up to 3 stars, but that’s as far as I can go.
A constantly enraged lunatic somehow falls in love with a lobotomized spoon.
Spoon is apparently very good with computers and very bad with men. She also will get into any car with an open door and will leave her cell phone behind. Lunatic hates people, especially this guy Nash for some reason even though Nash seems very helpful and attractive. He is a walking red flag except he has a nice house with a live in chef.
Lunatic loves spoon because she hid in a warehouse for 17 hours. Spoon loves lunatic because he reminds her of her abusive father except instead of punching her while screaming at her he just rubs her neck while screaming at her.
By the end I didn’t care if lunatic and spoon got together I just wanted her to stop blindly following men into cars that were taking her to a second location. Bless your heart, spoon.
Second book in the series and it’s not for everyone but I enjoyed myself. Basically, the MMc has featured in earlier books as a hot headed, unpredictable a-hole who didn’t care about anyone except for 3 other people.
And when you meet your love when you’re about to kill everyone she was with, well it’s memorable. The FMC manages to give him the submission he needs, but still surprises the heck out of him.
There’s dubcon, on page violence, some Ridiculous plot points, and he’s as far from a cinny roll hero as you can get, the FMC’s miraculous skills with a computer cross the lines of believability but I still enjoyed myself. I’d recommend for fans of series though as it would be a little hard to jump in without at least some Of the history. I’ll definitely read the next.
A solid 3.5 stars. In the previous book, my complaint was that it didn't make sense why Dahlia would accept Trey's assholery and keep coming back for more. In THIS book, it totally makes sense why Quinn would be able to deal with Rogue's madness. This chick was definitely a little broken and had gone through some shit in her life. Two things to nitpick though. I will say Quinn had way too many TSTL moments and it made me dislike her a little. And I really wish a little background on Rogue had been provided---at least more than what we already knew from Trey's book.
So I was confused while reading this book, and then realized it was the 2nd book of a series. So, decided to put this one down and pick up the first book. My confusion wasn't due to the fact this is the 2nd book of the series. My confusion is due to the author not giving enough important details. Her writing has enough details to keep it interesting--however, not enough to give the reader an idea what really is going on. *Read my review for Breaking Trey for more details*
This author also makes the h stupid. And I can't get behind that. Quinn was raised in an abusive family, so I understand that can make for having bad taste in guys. But there's having bad taste, and then there's being an idiot. She's the latter. Her bf frames her for stealing from the Underground (what is the Underground? I have no idea). You also find out he steals her money for working on computers (she's a computer genius--what does she do with computers? I don't know) and he does it easily because he tells her he'll be in charge of her paycheck and finances and she's like, "Oh okay" THE WOMAN HAS NO IDEA HOW MUCH SHE'S PAID PER PAYCHECK!!!!
So she has to go in hiding because the Underground is after her. Of course Rogue, who's in charge of this part of the Underground is obsessed with her. Though he describes her has having whispy blond hair with eyes that are too close together. Flattering description. She trusts everyone she meets despite her history telling her she should trust no one. What's frustrating all these awful choices she makes could be written in a way where she's not coming across as the dumbest woman on the planet. However, all these choices are made because she is stupid. So yeah, no chemistry between the leads (granted by 37% they are barely ever in the same room), the H is very unlikeable (and not even in a dark romance way, he's just a jerk to EVERYONE). So DNF.
I was expecting this to be a bit different and for there to be more of a connection between Rogue and Quinn. Rogue was exactly the same, and I’m glad his personality never changed. However, I felt like the connection with him and Quinn lacked in building the relationship and chemistry between the two. He was not nice to her for a bit at the beginning, which isn’t surprising. Quinn was also a pushover with a tiny amount of backbone when it came to Rogue. Otherwise, she let them set her up too many times with no ounce of making a stand that she wouldn’t allow the men in her life to treat her that way. I would have loved better and way more interactions with Aaron, Jared, Lil, Keely, East MC, Dahlia, and Elle. I would also have loved to see more moments with Rogue and Quinn interacting at all. The book basically gets to the point where it eventually skips from one scene to another and skips a lot of in between time. He's either upset with her, commanding her, frustrated with her, snapping at her, sending her on her way home, coming to her rescue, setting her up, or starting a scene to go somewhere, but then we never see the full scene.
I am so impressed with Amelia Shea's writing!! This story was so enjoyable......with her words she causes the reader to see the characters and the scenes so clearly. Within minutes you are immersed into the entire storyline and are intrigued at where the storyline is going. There was so much of everything a reader could want... The book was packed with drama, suspense, twists and turns around every corner, steamy romance, loyalty, love and affection. You would think with the backstory and ruthlessness of Sal's boys that they would be hard to like...but I ended up having affection for all of them! I didn't like Rogue much at the beginning but, just like in real life there are many dimensions to people, and I came to understand him and loved how passionate and protective he was about Quinn. I was also delighted to read the epilogue! Thank you Amelia I love when authors take Their books that one special step further by giving us that treat. I highly recommend this book. It is a winner for sure!! 😇
This is book two in a great series Reign of the Underground. I have read the MC part of this connected story. This book features strong, handsome, and scary dangerous brother Rogue. Most everyone is frightened of his power and deadly ways. In a transaction gone wrong some low level runners try to steal money from the Underground. During the interrogation, Clay the awful and stealing boyfriend tries to pin the shortage of money on his naive girlfriend Quinn. Now I have to say that although Quinn has an above average intelligence level plus she is smart with computers, she allows people to treat her like dirt. It is a difficult read for that perspective. She was verbally and physically abused by her family (off page) . This is mentioned but scenes are not fully described. Somehow Quinn makes and keeps eye contact with Rogue and this begins some chain reactions. A happy ending plus a further out happy ending in the epilogue. Read On!
3.5 stars. Rogue’s character felt consistent with his portrayal in past books. Quinn, I couldn’t really connect with, as she went from used, abused and duped by every man in her life until the age of 26 and suddenly she finds a backbone (sometimes). Unfortunately her defiant streaks pops up at the most illogical times. Like when her life is in danger and she repeatedly shakes her security. It’s dumb and annoying and so is her giving treats to Rogue’s guard dogs so she can what? Have have friends around the house?
Anyway, not sure if this series is over and it’s on to Killcreek MC or what, seeing as epilogue was 11 years in the future…. Was hoping for more from the Underground series but the heroines have let it down. Also, the declarative sentences and corny inner thoughts almost ruin the heroes for me as well.
I really loved Quinn in this one, pretty much from the start. You could tell she was getting fucked over and it really took time for things to look up for her. Rogue was an ass for most of the book. The way that he treated Quinn drove me nuts. She was always on edge, not sure what was going on, was she safe, but with Quinn being the genuine person she was, she also managed to stun Rogue, Trey, Oz and even Sal many, many times. Each one was better than the last time. These tough guys weren't quite sure what to do with her, but with her actions and words, she quickly won them over, to the point where they were the ones protecting her.
Loved the ending, loved how Quinn found a way to make things right and also loved seeing how happy everyone was in the future.
Oh my…what to say about Rogue. I loved how he turned searching for HER into a game. While Trey wanted Rogue to let her go and Oz wanted him to cut his losses…What does Rogue do??? Doubles down! Rogue sets up and impossible cat and mouse game for Quinn and even with her limited resources, she lasts far longer than he would have expected. This instalment in the Underground series brings us Killcreek and more Killcreek while Rogue learns a lot about human interactions. I loved how his growly rough demeanour stopped scaring Quinn and instead began to excite her. That was when I knew these two were perfect for each other. Enjoy!
Re-read in 2025 in prep for Conquering Oz was just as awesome as the first time through!
Quinn has had a hard and traumatic history, treated badly by all the men in her life and this latest betrayal has her in the firing line of the notorious underground boss Rogue.
Rogue, powerful, bad tempered and hot headed is incensed when a delivery is short. Quinn is the target of his wrath, but he can’t get her out of his head.
Initial outrage and venom slowly turn to protective and exasperation as Quinn doesn’t follow Rogues rules.
Amelia has given us another fantastic story, danger, trauma, angst plot twists, involvement with Killcreek Drifters MC and plenty of unanswered questions. Impatiently waiting for Oz.
I have been waiting for this for a while. and boy oh boy it sure didn't disappoint me. I loved seeing Rogue off kilter, especially where Quinn was concerned. He is loud,always seemingly angry he knows the difference between truth and lies, so when Quin is caught with two other Runners and money disappears although she is blamed Rogue knows she's not to blame. Quinn likes to. be a good girl and do the right thing,that doesn't fly with Rgue especially when Quinn is his.
This story will keep you well and truly on your toes,I absolutely loved it.Roll on Ozs story!!!
You're so going to love Rogue at times, lol. I just totally adored Quinn, but bless her heart, definitely naive about life, but then again she's a warrior in her own way, and a smart cookie when it comes to computers. Rogue has his moments of showing a little softness, but only with Quinn and family. I have always loved Sal and it was great hearing from him again.
Amelia did a wonderful job with this story and so looking forward to Oz's book next. Read Breaking Trey first, really great story also.
Oh how I love the Underground! These men are the ones we should hate but LOVE. Rogue is a quintessential bad “boy” that got tamed by a woman who is just like Sloane! I live it. Quinn rocked his world. This is be best side of Rogue. He is loud and abrasive yet with her….he just fell head over heels! He is the protector at all cost and will go to war and win against anyone…but sweet Quinn took his heart. I love this and I love Amelia Shea. What a brilliant mind and author. Forever a fan!
This book is amazing.! I have been impatiently awaiting this book it seems like forever. I like Rogue he's the a-hole you can't help but love. Quinn is a beautiful soul. I love how Rogue and her relationship progresses in the book. Don't wanna say much else and ruin all the book but omfg Amelia you knocked it out the park again.!!! Now all of you go and get the book and read it NOW lol.!!!!!!
Rogue is a jerk, plain and simple. Anyone who’s ever met him would say that. He runs the Underground, with his brothers, with an iron fist. No woman ever got close to Rogue…until Quinn. She had a tough background and was in with a bad crew. But when her crew tries to steal from the Underground, Quinn has to throw herself at Rogues mercy and hope he can let her redeem herself. This is a great book and I can’t wait for the story of Oz!
I was waiting patiently for this book and it did not disappoint. I knew before going in that Rogue was going to be an asshole because well he's Rogue but Quinn was a delight to read and to watch him fall was just perfect. As usual with Amelia Shea books I couldn't out it down. The writing was fantastic and the storyline gave you the right amount of anx, laughter and suspense. Great read I can't say that enough.
Amelia has done it again. I truly loved everything about this story. It kept me so Engrossed that I could not put it down. So...there went dinner but it was worth it. Quinn was so a lot like Rogue..they each had a mind of there own but totally opposite. Poor Rogue he did not know what hit him when he fell in love. This book I will read again and again like all of Amelia Sheas books.
The long awaited and most anticipated book from this author did not disappoint, Rogues book is epic,everything you would expect from the grumpy a*hole and the woman to win his heart. This book is just brilliant,a great range of emotions,an entertaining story and magnificent characters make this book so wonderful Amelia knocked it out the park with this one,I highly recommend this book,series and author ❤️🖤
Quinn is too dumb to live. Over and over she just recklessly puts herself in danger with people that will kill her. We’re told she’s very smart, but we never even see her computer or book smarts on the page.
Rogue is the same as we’ve seen him the whole series. A hot head asshole. But it’s not till the freaking epilogue we see him be nice - to his daughter.
Maybe I’m in a mood to be picky but this didn’t hit for me.
Rogue has intrigued me in the other books but in a "he needs someone to teach him a lesson" kind of way. But I trusted Amelia because I love her books. Amelia had me yelling for him to have his happily ever after. I laughed out loud so many times with the dogs and Quinn's asking if she can explain. I adore Quinn. Perfect woman for Rogue and he is perfect for her. Phenomenal must-read!
Out of everyone in the Underground Rogues story was the one I was looking forward to most. It did not disappoint. At times it was a bit hard to read how cruel Rogue was toward Quinn, but amazing to see him slowly soften toward her throughout the book. I think Amelia did an amazing job at describing both characters conflicting feelings of falling for one another. I can not wait for Oz's book!!
Loved loved loved Rogue, but I'm damaged and he's always been a favorite even when he's a douchrocket. The dogs did it for me!! I love how he protects her and gets pissed at anyone who is rough with her. And your epilogues always get me in the feels!
I liked both of the series but this was my unexpected favorite of the two. I loved seeing the development of the characters and I absolutely loved the extended epilogue. I hope she writes a book about Oz. Amelia’s writing keeps improving as she goes along.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Loved how Rogue and Quinn's relationship transitioned. The dogs made me laugh. Quinn needs a damn hug, poor girl. Amelia did a fantastic job on these two. I wasn't sure if I could ever like never mind love Rogue but I did in the end. Looking forward to Oz.
Rogue’s woman couldn’t have been more perfect than Quinn. Expect Sloane and Vada vibes in a woman you love from the first letter. Driving Rogue nits is the second most favourite thing in this book. Can barely wait for the girl who’ll bring the infamous Oz to his knees, someone who could use some Gordon Ramsey lessons according to the epilogue.
OMG! It took me a minute to get into the book, I had no doubt that it was gonna be exhilarating! This author knows how to put pen to paper! She makes you feel a part of the story, wanting to be right up front for all the action! With this village, there's always action! I'm loving it!😍😍
Loved this book! Even though Rogue is a huge ass I can't help but love him. There are even times I had to laugh at things he said. I loved Quinn and Rogue's relationship together. He's over the top possessive and protective with Quinn but also gentle and caring.