I came to Rush House with one goal—destroy the Sacred Sons.
But I underestimated him.
Christian West. The dark prince of the Burning Crown, an elite secret society that doesn’t just rule this campus—they own it. Arrogant, ruthless, and impossibly cruel, he sees right through me the second I offer myself up as a bargain. A sister’s sacrifice in exchange for a brother’s life.
He should’ve turned me away. Instead, he keeps me. Cages me. Twists my lies into a noose I can’t escape.
Christian doesn’t want my body—he wants my soul. My submission. He wants to break me, ruin me, remake me into something that belongs to him.
But I didn’t come here to be his plaything. I came here to dig up his darkest secrets.
Too bad he’s already won this game. Because Christian doesn’t just want to own me. He wants to love me… in the sickest, most twisted way possible.
Evelyn has been telling stories in her head for as long as she can remember. She lives on the west coast with her family, and a menagerie of pets. She loves lattes, all things Disney, gaming, and writing dark, wildly sexy stories that give readers all the feels.
Evelyn Austin has once again delivered the ultimate fantasy: dangerously obsessed men and the fierce women who bring them to their knees. Sometimes literally, sometimes emotionally, always dramatically. Enter Eve, whose brother leads the infamous Shadow and Ash society, currently two insults and one dramatic monologue away from an all out war with their rivals, the Burning Crown. Naturally, Eve decides the best way to prevent mass destruction (and gather some intel) is to offer herself to the enemy like she’s in a spicy Shakespeare reboot.
Christian, the dark, deranged, and disturbingly attractive leader of the Burning Crown, accepts her offer. Not because of strategy or politics, but from the moment he sees her, he’s already mentally monogramming her initials with his last name. Christian isn’t just obsessed. He’s unhinged, feral, and ready to burn the world down if Eve so much as looks at another man. And unlike his equally unstable Sacred Sons brothers (looking at you, Roman and Lucas), Christian’s not even pretending to be normal about it.
Eve? She’s not having it. Christian’s wealth doesn’t impress her, and she’s immune to his charm (for about 0.2 seconds). But his intense stare, his smirking dominance, the constant threat of chaos? Yeah, that gets her a little flustered. She’s fun, stubborn, and allergic to staying quiet. Which, of course, only makes Christian want her more.
This book? Absolute madness, but in the best way. The plot twists had me gripping my Kindle like it owed me money, and I was so hooked I forgot what sunlight was. And the hook for the next book? Let’s just say I made sounds only dogs could hear.
This series owns me. It's the perfect cocktail of dark academia, obsession, secret societies, and emotionally unavailable men who suddenly develop a one woman soft spot. The Sacred Sons aren’t just sacred, they’re my Roman Empire. I can’t wait for the final brother to crash and burn in love.
Yes, I have a deep love for these characters and this series. My only complaint is that the ending had an unresolved issue. I just wanted that closure.
Tell Me Why : A Dark College Romance (Legacy of Lies Book 7) by Evelyn Austin
4.5⭐️ 4🌶️
I’ve been with author Evelyn Austin since the very beginning of the ExU/ Scared Sons series! And once again I just love everything about this group of unhinged rich college bad boys and the females they prey upon. And the spice is always so hot 🥵 and leaves you wanting more!
This Dark College Romance book follows “Scared Son” MMC Christian who becomes crazy obsessed with MFC “Eve “ who is the sister of a rival Secret Society “ Shadow and Ash” Eve’s brother Sin retaliates against the Scared Sons and almost unalives Christian twin brother.
Eve decides to try to keep the peace and offers herself to them as “payment “ in exchange for the safety of her brother.
She soon starts to regret that when Christian starts to humiliate and claim her as his own.
Their relationship is just plain toxic and dangerous. But somewhere in between all of the drama and obsession , black-hearted Christian starts falling for Eve “the enemy” she also falls for his mess up ways and it turns into a toxic and messy love story.
And ends with a twisted HEA and a surprise “bundle” 🍼(which I’m not a fan of ) 🤨
Overall I just love this series so much!! And I can’t wait to read the final book in this series !!
Thank Evelyn for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion. And I’m truly grateful to be a part of your arc team ! 🖤
I didn't expect Eve to be so feisty and fight Christian at every turn. The secrets that are revealed to Eve throughout the story by the Burning Crown via Christian were mind blowing! The more you read the more invested you will become with the hope that Eve and Christian see what is right in front of them and hope that Eve's family survives it. The cliffhanger was epic!
“Tell Me Why” is the seventh installment in the “Legacy of Lies Series.” This is a dark academia college romance and is a standalone in the series. After Roman Rush stepped down as the King of the Sacred Sons, it falls to Lucas West to become the King. The Sacred Sons of The Burning Crown are Lucas, Christian, Jackson and Ash. Christian West is Lucas’s twin brother, King of the Sacred Sons. “He and the other Sacred Sons rule this campus through their secret society, the Burning Crown. They’re venerated here. Exulted. Untouchable.”
Eve’s brother Sin is the leader of the Shadow & Ash Society. Hence, she keeps her true identity a secret. When she enrolled at Exeter University West, Eve used my mother’s maiden name. The last thing she needed was everyone finding out her true identity. When she finds out that the Sacred Sons are going to make a move against her brother for when they killed a Burning Crown member, and in the chaos, nearly killed one of the Sacred Sons, too - Lucas West. Christian’s twin. Her brother, Sin Savano, is the only family that she has left.
“How could I possibly stop the Burning Crown from doing anything?” I whisper loudly. “They’re ******* invincible. They have money, power, influence…Everything I don’t have.”
The only thing she can do to protect her brother, is offer herself to the Sacred Sons and hope this is enough. When she introduces herself as Eve Savano, she has there full attention. There is no love lost between the Sacred Sons and Shadow and Ash. She agrees to do anything they want, as long as they leave her brother alone.
Christian has thought about Eve every day since our encounter in the psych building three months ago. He can’t explain it, but Eve Savano intrigues me, and he hasn’t been intrigued by a woman for a very, very long time. “She looks like a fox that’s been cornered by a hound, and that look of fear on her face makes me smile.”
“Of all the guys, I’ve noticed he watches me the closest. Those crazy blue eyes track my every movement, eating me up, and then spitting me out. And I already know how cruel he can be, just for the fun of it.”
She has to survive three months and they get free rein. Nothing is off limits. If she walks away and her brother is killed, Eve will never forgive herself. A week ticks by, then two. Every day is a new humiliation. The first day, it was the naked sandwich buffet, which was mortifying. Day two wasn’t much better. Christian had her cook dinner, naked, while people gathered in the kitchen to watch. Her next assignment was cleaning the bathrooms—not nude, thankfully.
Eve intrigues and infuriates Christian - he cannot shake how he feels about Eve. She is stubborn, she is sexy, she is smart and he wants her! She challenges him, both mentally and physically - he realises that he cannot let her go! Do they stand a chance, a future together, considering what has happened? You will fall in love with Christian and Eve, hoping they stand a chance of a future together.
This whole series has been exhilarating from the first book until the last! Evelyn holds you in the palm of her hand - expecting the worst but hoping for the best! The story will captivate you - it is full of drama, sexual tension, passion, danger and a few other twist and turns that you do not expect …. I will not ruin the story for you except to say, it will keep you totally engrossed and not able to put the book down! And yes, once again, the book ends on a cliffhanger….
A thoroughly enjoyable read from page to page, one chapter to the next - at times you are metaphorical “on the edge of your chair” wondering what will happen next. Overall, I would highly recommend this book and you will not be disappointed 😊
I hate when FMCs are weak because they’re horny for a guy and that’s exactly what this was. Anytime she was pissed about something he did she had sex with him because he made her horny and then she’d soften up to him. And let me tell you - he did some horrible shit so definitely should have groveled. He consistently embarrassed and degraded her in front of everyone at the house.
So many issues with this book - 1. Made her lay on the table and put sandwiches on her naked body and then all the guys grabbed the sandwiches so touched her when she’s vulnerable and doesn’t know anyone - he didn’t care at all. Never regretted it. 2. Consistently made her be naked or wear almost no clothes in front of everyone at the house. Never cared if she didn’t want to. Forced her. 3. Made her have sex with him in front of everyone at a party - she was so ashamed and embarrassed after but then pretty much didn’t care after a day - why? Because she likes him because he makes her horny… 4. Drugged her multiple times 5. Tried to force her to be initiated - which if you’ve read previous books includes sex so was going to rape her while she was unconscious. 6. WHAT WAS THE ENDING??? No wrap up at all! WTF. Her brother is still getting tortured and no resolution with Christians brother Lucas trying to kill her multiple times (and almost succeeding). This probably comes to a close in the next book but I don’t know how I made it this far into this series so won’t be reading the next.
There are no good characters in this book or in this series at all - basically the guys are rich so they can do whatever they want and the girls all just want to have sex with the guys. Why? Because they’re hot and rich… no other redeeming qualities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
📖 Tell Me Why by Evelyn Austin 🗓️ Release Date: May 9, 2025
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5
💛 Dark College Romance 💛 Bų ||y 💛 Enemies-to-Lovers 💛 Obsessed MMC 💛 Secret Society 💛 Chasing 💛 Free on KU
So glad to be back at ExU! Evelyn Austin does such a great job with her obsessed MMCs and the FMCs who bring them down to their knees.
Eve’s brother is the leader of Shadow and Ash society, which is in the brink of war with the Burning Crown. In an effort to avoid war, (and to spy on the enemy) Eve offers herself to The Burning Crown as payment for the crimes Shadow and Ash committed against Burning Crown.
Christian accepts Eve as payment but quickly realizes that he wants Eve for himself.
Eve was a fun FMC. She was not impressed with Christian’s obscene wealth, but did get flustered by his presence.
Christian was obsessed with Eve before he even realized it. He was a lot more receptive to coming to terms with his obsession (unlike Roman and Lucas 🤣).
I love this entire series and can’t wait for the last of the Sacred Sons to meet his match.
TLDR: Dark college romance with an obsessed MMC and competing secret society dynamics.
Tell Me Why is the seventh book in the Legacy of Lies series. This is a dark bully, secret society romance. This book does contain content that may be sensitive to some so please check the trigger warnings before reading. It is highly recommended to read this series in order to ensure you fully enjoy and understand the storyline as well as knowing the MMCs as they are a part of every book. This book focuses on Christian West, one of the Sacred Sons of the Burning Crown. Christian is on a mission to get revenge for his cousin. Christian finds the perfect opportunity when he discovers Eve, the sister of his enemy, in one of his classes. Before he can make his move, Eve makes a deal with the Sacred Sons to save her brother. Will Eve survive her time with the Sacred Sons? Will Christian be able to follow through with his revenge plan? Strap in and hold on as this rollercoaster is going to take you on a wild ride. There’s ups, downs, lies, truths, sass, danger, surprises, a tidal wave of emotions and spice!!! Fantastic addition to the series and I can’t wait to see what comes next!!!
What an amazing Masterpiece, with yet another cliffhanger. I need the next book NOW. Christian is insane, he is completely out of his mind, but he is head over heels for Eve. And Eve is stubborn, never knowing when to sit down and be quiet, she is constantly toeing the line. Lucas goes off the deep end and the twists and turn keep you engaged straight through to the end. I was so addicted to this book, my whole day passed before I got anything done. I couldn't think about anything but what was coming next and how they were going to handle it. I loved seeing the previous characters from the other books in this series, and I loved the writing style. I can't wait to have the whole series finished so I can binge it from beginning to end. Ms.Austin keep doing your thing because this series lives rent free in my head and my heart. It is the perfect mix of Sane and Dark, these characters go to some extremes but they do it with a burning passion that is amazing.
Christian was one of those side characters that I was intrigued from the first book of the series. These men strive off control. They are deeply obsessed with their women (often fighting it, but it always wins out in the end). And Christian didn't disappoint!! I loved watching his control unrival the more Eve stood up to him, challenging him.
I really liked Eve's character! She could see the two societies going at war with one another, and she gave herself up in hopes of protecting her brother, Sin.
You get to see previous characters, as well as some new ones, too.
Lucas?! I still don't know what to say about that (iykyk).
The twists and turns, the spice, characters being badass, the secrets, the plotting, the revenge, the spice 😉
I just knew this book was going too be another masterpiece and it sure didn't fail at all !. I honestly loved both of the main characters, the FMC was so head strong, stood her ground but my god I loved this she wasn't standing for any off it. the MMC was something else, he was crazy for the FMC and you can really tell, reading their relationship grow through out this book was perfect ! I loved loved that there was twist and turn that left you hanging on it wasn't a boring read thats for sure...now that ending oh hell !! to have the next one please because wtf 😂🤦♀️. would totally recommend this book actually this whole series it's been amazing and I really don't want it to end !!
As always, Evelyn Austin delivers. I tore through the first five books like there was a prize at the end, then had to sit around pretending to be patient while waiting for books six and seven to release. I’m a secret society girly through and through, so this series has had me in a chokehold from the start.
I was so excited to see Tell Me Why focus on Christian—he’s always been one of my low-key favorite characters. Getting to see the story through his eyes added so much depth, and Evelyn did a great job balancing the tension, the romance, and all the society drama I live for.
Now I’m just over here anxiously waiting for book 8 to drop like it’s the next season of my favorite show. No pressure, Evelyn—but also… please hurry?
This might be my favorite Legacy of Lies book so far! I really enjoyed both Christian and Eve so much! They both had a lot of depth to their character, making them feel complex and interesting to read about. I was surprised by how many sweet moments they seemed to have together and as much as I enjoy the other couples, they might be my favorite. Eve really challenges Christian and I cannot wait to see how things go for them while we explore other characters in future books!
When I cannot think another rush member could be more obsessive than the last I'm proved wrong , I know there's more to Christian and eves story which I need there's some unanswered questions I feel will pop of in the next story and as per usual a crazy cliffhanger at the end however this one isn't has in your face as normal there's some secret mystery to this one which is very interesting. To another amazing drama , secret filled incredible, jaw dropping read from this series .
Christian West. Sacred Son of the Burning Crown, a secret society that runs their university. He’s moody, and grumpy, and not a very nice guy. Eve offers herself to the group in exchange for them not killing her brother, Sin, who happens to be the leader of a rival society. Christian is ruthless and humiliates her every chance he gets, but he wants her. And what he wants, he gets. I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
I love this series and will be sad to see it end. But I did love Christian and Eve's story. She's trying to put a stop to both secret societies from killing each other. But when she goes in and catches Christian's eye then all bets are off. Things don't go as planned and things happen. Now to read the last book in the series.
Another fantastic book by Evelyn Austin! This book had drama, lots of feels, and a roller-coaster of the unexpected! So, hang on! The back and forth/ push and pull between Christian and Eve made this book. I can't wait for more!
Wow, so, this series continues with Christian and Eve. She delivers herself to Rush house to get information. Things don’t always go as planned. Like the last book, this had a lot of twists turns you won’t see coming. Just hold on for this wild ride. It’s well worth the trip!
And the story goes deeper and darker! More and more things are being found out and can't get enough on any of the characters of the burning crown! I do need to know how will evolve the last development on the boon so hurry writting please! I do need next part now!
one more booked to go out of 8. !! I have thoroughly enjoyed these books. total page turner's and good story lines.I've read 7 books since last Thursday. last books out 15th november so not long to wait thankfully!!
What a whirlwind! The story of Christian and Eve! I devoured this story in three days! I did not want to put it down! Another cliffhanger ending but eager to read the next book! Great read!
Absolutely brilliant exactly the type of book I was looking for 😭😭😭😭 so stunningly put together. Christian’s and Eve relationship absolutely blossomed.
What a book, what a series! I’m loving how all these guys have a connection and the things they go through - the enemies they make, the friends they make and the love they find!