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All Saints High #2
Broken Knight
Not all love stories are written the same way. Ours had torn chapters, missing paragraphs, and a bittersweet ending.
Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower.
Sweet.
Caring.
Charitable.
Quiet.
Fake.
Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants—namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language.
Who taught her how to laugh.
To live.
To love.
Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero.
Gorgeous.
Athletic.
Rugged.
Popular.
Liar.
This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna.
But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.
When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes.
Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy.
Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower.
Sweet.
Caring.
Charitable.
Quiet.
Fake.
Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants—namely, the boy from the treehouse who taught her how to curse in sign language.
Who taught her how to laugh.
To live.
To love.
Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero.
Gorgeous.
Athletic.
Rugged.
Popular.
Liar.
This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna.
But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.
When life throws a curveball at All Saints’ golden boy, he’s forced to realize not all knights are heroes.
Sometimes, the greatest love stories flourish in tragedy.
Audible Audio
First published August 17, 2019
12364 people are currently reading
56775 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Shen
81 books56.4k followersL.J. Shen is a New York Times, USA Today, WSJ, Washington Post and #1 Amazon Kindle Store bestselling author of contemporary romance books.
She writes angsty books, unredeemable anti-heroes who are in Bill Gates's tax bracket, and sassy heroines who bring them to their knees (for more reasons than one).
Keep up with L.J. on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb
Instagram➜ shorturl.at/cDJRZ
TikTok ➜ shorturl.at/frw59
Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4
Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com
She writes angsty books, unredeemable anti-heroes who are in Bill Gates's tax bracket, and sassy heroines who bring them to their knees (for more reasons than one).
Keep up with L.J. on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb
Instagram➜ shorturl.at/cDJRZ
TikTok ➜ shorturl.at/frw59
Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4
Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,550 reviews
September 1, 2019
6 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are great books and then there’s this book—THE BEST BOOK I’VE READ ALL YEAR!
Every now and then a book completely consumes you and leaves you speechless! Broken Knight is that book for me. The story. These characters. I will remember the experience Always!!
L.J. Shen ascends to new heights with this amazing work of art. Broken Knight moved me. It entertained me. I was completely captivated from cover to cover.
Here’s what I loved:
The writing is flawless. I felt as though I’d been pulled into the story and experienced everything in real life. These characters have fully imprinted on my heart. It’s truly special when an author can draw you in this way.
The characters are so special. So very special. Real, beautifully crafted, and brilliantly broken. I couldn’t love them more!
The emotional impact of this story is life altering. That’s not hyperbole. I was changed after reading these gorgeous words.
As always, L.J. Shen delivered a heart-stopping read that is unputdownable.
I give it my Highest Recommendation!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are great books and then there’s this book—THE BEST BOOK I’VE READ ALL YEAR!
Every now and then a book completely consumes you and leaves you speechless! Broken Knight is that book for me. The story. These characters. I will remember the experience Always!!
L.J. Shen ascends to new heights with this amazing work of art. Broken Knight moved me. It entertained me. I was completely captivated from cover to cover.
Here’s what I loved:
The writing is flawless. I felt as though I’d been pulled into the story and experienced everything in real life. These characters have fully imprinted on my heart. It’s truly special when an author can draw you in this way.
The characters are so special. So very special. Real, beautifully crafted, and brilliantly broken. I couldn’t love them more!
The emotional impact of this story is life altering. That’s not hyperbole. I was changed after reading these gorgeous words.
As always, L.J. Shen delivered a heart-stopping read that is unputdownable.
I give it my Highest Recommendation!
August 19, 2019
***AVAILABLE NOW - FULL REVIEW**
5+ RIDE OR DIE CROWNS
My words will not ever live up to the emotional journey that is Broken Knight. I sobbed for a good portion of it, my hands covering my mouth and heart in anguish, and yet, and the end of this story I felt a sense of hope, a sense that life moves on, pieces fall together, and more than anything that life needs to be lived, that forevers aren’t promised, and we must live and grasp every moment we can with the ones we love.
Knight fits his title perfectly. He is broken, shattered beyond repair for most of the story, spiraling into an abyss. He hides behind the perfect facade, punishing himself with his love for Luna. Like his heroine, it is hard to watch the self-destruction, hard to see this compassionate, caring soul crumble under the weight of perceived unrequited love and loss. Because he is hurting, readers will be able to look past all his mistakes and pain he causes because at the end of the day he is a teen dealing with intense emotions, not quite mature enough to deal or even know how to handle them. The one aspect of his life that always grounds him, always brings him back is Luna. She is his ride or die. His forever. The perfect match to his fractured heart.
Luna Rexroth is small and silent, but mighty. She is a force, and as the novel progresses she develops her own power, no longer being the weak one or the one who needs protection, but the one who protects and cares for others. Her development over the course of the novel is phenomenal, one of the best I’ve seen from Shen, because her evolution is about needing to be an equal in a relationship. Luna recognizes that the power dynamic between her and Knight isn’t right, she makes hard and mature decisions for them both which aren’t always received well, but are needed nonetheless. I am so in love with the person Luna becomes, the rock she is for her family, and the love she emanates for all those around her. She fills a vital role that is needed by all in this book.
This is not an easy story. From the opening pages, Shen started slowing slicing my heart until it was tiny slivers on the floor. At one point, I was weeping uncontrollably while reading this book, but it would be a travesty to say that this is all this book is about. It isn’t just sad or angsty. It is a story of hope and healing. It is about broken kids finding their way to each other during the tumultuous teen years when you are just trying to figure out who you are. It is a story that shows us that even in the darkest of moments, there is hope for a better day in the future if you surround yourself with those you love. It is a story that life goes on, even when we don’t want it to, and that we need to make the most of every moment because forever isn’t real. It all ends eventually, and so we must live every moment, every day cherishing those we love
Broken Knight is one of those books that my review will NEVER do it justice. It is one of those books that you just need to hand to someone and say read it now. You won’t regret it. Broken Knight is angst and heartbreak, but there is love and joy, and imploring that we need to have a life well-lived. We need to find our hearts in the body of another, and hold onto them tight, loving all the cracks and flaws just as they will love us back. There are moments of darkness, yes, but those moments of darkness are cast out by the moonlight. And although I cried, I felt at peace by the end of this book. Peace with where these characters are and how they are thriving. I couldn’t have loved these two and the whole Sinners of Saint families more if I tried.
Beta read
5+ RIDE OR DIE CROWNS
My words will not ever live up to the emotional journey that is Broken Knight. I sobbed for a good portion of it, my hands covering my mouth and heart in anguish, and yet, and the end of this story I felt a sense of hope, a sense that life moves on, pieces fall together, and more than anything that life needs to be lived, that forevers aren’t promised, and we must live and grasp every moment we can with the ones we love.
Knight fits his title perfectly. He is broken, shattered beyond repair for most of the story, spiraling into an abyss. He hides behind the perfect facade, punishing himself with his love for Luna. Like his heroine, it is hard to watch the self-destruction, hard to see this compassionate, caring soul crumble under the weight of perceived unrequited love and loss. Because he is hurting, readers will be able to look past all his mistakes and pain he causes because at the end of the day he is a teen dealing with intense emotions, not quite mature enough to deal or even know how to handle them. The one aspect of his life that always grounds him, always brings him back is Luna. She is his ride or die. His forever. The perfect match to his fractured heart.
Luna Rexroth is small and silent, but mighty. She is a force, and as the novel progresses she develops her own power, no longer being the weak one or the one who needs protection, but the one who protects and cares for others. Her development over the course of the novel is phenomenal, one of the best I’ve seen from Shen, because her evolution is about needing to be an equal in a relationship. Luna recognizes that the power dynamic between her and Knight isn’t right, she makes hard and mature decisions for them both which aren’t always received well, but are needed nonetheless. I am so in love with the person Luna becomes, the rock she is for her family, and the love she emanates for all those around her. She fills a vital role that is needed by all in this book.
This is not an easy story. From the opening pages, Shen started slowing slicing my heart until it was tiny slivers on the floor. At one point, I was weeping uncontrollably while reading this book, but it would be a travesty to say that this is all this book is about. It isn’t just sad or angsty. It is a story of hope and healing. It is about broken kids finding their way to each other during the tumultuous teen years when you are just trying to figure out who you are. It is a story that shows us that even in the darkest of moments, there is hope for a better day in the future if you surround yourself with those you love. It is a story that life goes on, even when we don’t want it to, and that we need to make the most of every moment because forever isn’t real. It all ends eventually, and so we must live every moment, every day cherishing those we love
Broken Knight is one of those books that my review will NEVER do it justice. It is one of those books that you just need to hand to someone and say read it now. You won’t regret it. Broken Knight is angst and heartbreak, but there is love and joy, and imploring that we need to have a life well-lived. We need to find our hearts in the body of another, and hold onto them tight, loving all the cracks and flaws just as they will love us back. There are moments of darkness, yes, but those moments of darkness are cast out by the moonlight. And although I cried, I felt at peace by the end of this book. Peace with where these characters are and how they are thriving. I couldn’t have loved these two and the whole Sinners of Saint families more if I tried.
Beta read
September 6, 2019
English/ spanish version
BEST L.J. SHEN'S BOOK !
BEST BOOK OF 2019!
A TOP READ OF ALL TIME!
My soul and my heart will not be the same after Broken Knight. There are unforgettable books and there is THIS BOOK. It will leave an indelible mark forever.
The story consumed me to the point that I cannot think, I cannot eat, I cannot focus on anything else, I'm so obsessed with the characters, I'm completely ruined forever. I honestly don't know how I am writing when I feel so drained emotionally and physically, when I am such a big emotional mess.
I desperately needed this story, I longed for it as I had not longed for anything in my life and let me tell you, I was not emotionally prepared. This book takes things to another level. The characters, the plot, their dialogues go beyond everything I've read before. It's all you want in a NA/YA romance, captivating, raw, intense, addictive and deeply emotional. But this story it is not just about romance, it is a inspiring story of friendship, forgiveness, hope, love and motivates us to love with all our strength and to live and enjoy life fully.
Knight and Luna are my favorite couple ever, they own my soul and have a very special place in my heart. THEY ARE EVERYTHING, their intense connection left me breathless, and even despite their path is plagued with suffering and tumbles, their hearts are in deep tune with each other, their love surpasses everything, helps them heal and achieve the best version of themselves. THEIR STORY IS ONE OF THE MOST EPICS AND INTENSE I HAVE EVER READ.
My love for the characters and the families in this series knows no limits, I love them as much as if they were my family, *** I sigh *** they support each other through everything, the good the bad and the ugly, through the happy and sad moments, MY HEART IS OVERWHELMINGLY FULL OF EVERY POSSIBLE HUMAN EMOTION.
The author has an incredible ability to evoke the most diverse emotions in the reader, but WITH THIS EPIC STORY L.J. SHEN OUTDID HERSELF AND REACHED A NEW LEVEL OF PERFECTION, if that is even possible, her beautiful prose made me addicted to every word, captivated by every line, in love with the story.
You are not ready for Broken Knight; this is not just another angsty story. Emotional or heartbreaking does not even begin to cover the majesty of this story.
Mrs. Shen created a brilliant, mind-blowing, heartbreakingly beautiful masterpiece, which left me with the book hangover of the century, crawled under my skin and took over my senses, broke my heart into a thousand pieces and then stick it again, it shattered it but healed it, hurt it but filled it with love and delight.
It is a unique experience that I want to repeat again and again. I still feel totally overwhelmed with the deep intensity, drama, angst, and joyment that this story brought to my heart, I'm totally worn out, and I don't think I can ever recover me. All the stars in the world are not enough for this story
L.J. SHEN SLAYED IT! A standing ovation for the author.
Versión en español
MEJOR LIBRO DE L.J. SHEN
LA MEJOR HISTORIA DEL 2019
LECTURA FAVORITA DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS
Mi alma y mi corazón no serán los mismos después de Broken Knight. Hay historias inolvidables y hay ESTE LIBRO. Dejará una huella imborrable para siempre.
La historia me consumió al punto que no puedo pensar, no puedo comer, no puedo concentrarme en nada más y estoy tan obsesionada con ella, estoy completamente arruinada para siempre. Honestamente no sé cómo estoy escribiendo cuando me siento tan drenada emocional y físicamente, cuando soy un lío emocional tan grande.
Desesperadamente necesitaba la historia de Knight y Luna, la anhelaba como no había anhelado nada en mi vida y déjenme decirles no estaba emocionalmente preparada. Este libro toma las cosas a otro nivel. Los personajes, la trama, sus diálogos van más allá de todo lo que he leído antes. Es todo lo que quieres en un romance, completamente adictivo y cautivador, pero no es solo el romance, es una historia de perdón, amistad, amor y esperanza y nos motiva a amar intensamente y a vivir y disfrutar la vida plenamente.
Knight y Luna son mi pareja favorita de todos los tiempos, ellos poseen mi alma y tienen un lugar especial en mi corazón. ELLOS SON TODO, su conexión tan intensa me dejó sin respiración, e incluso a pesar de que su camino está plagado de sufrimiento y tropiezos, sus almas están en profunda sintonía una de la otra, y su amor sobrepasa todo y los ayuda a sanar y a lograr la mejor versión de sí mismos. SU HISTORIA ES UNA DE LAS MÁS EPICAS E INTENSAS QUE HE LEIDO.
Mi amor por los personajes y las familias en esta serie no tiene límites, los amo tanto como si fueran mi familia, ***suspiro*** ellos se apoyan unos a otros a través de todo, lo bueno lo malo y lo feo, a través de los momentos felices y los tristes, mi corazón está abrumadoramente lleno de cada emoción humana posible.
La autora tiene una increíble habilidad para evocar las más diversas emociones en el lector, pero CON ESTA HISTORIA L.J. SE SUPERÓ A SÍ MISMA Y ALCANZÓ UN NUEVO NIVEL DE PERFECCIÓN, si es incluso posible, su prosa hermosa me hizo adicta a cada palabra, cautivada por cada línea, enamorada de la historia.
Tú no estás listo para Broken Knight, esta no es solo otra historia llena de angustia. Emocional ni siquiera empieza a cubrir la majestuosidad de esta historia.
L.J Shen creó una obra maestra brillante, esperanzadora, increíble, desgarradoramente hermosa, que me dejó con la resaca literaria del siglo, se arrastró bajo mi piel y se adueñó de mis sentidos, rompió corazón en mil pedazos y luego lo pegó de nuevo, lo destrozó pero lo sanó, lo hirió pero lo llenó de amor y paz y alegría.
Es una experiencia única que quiero repetir una y otra vez. Aun me siento totalmente abrumada con la profunda intensidad, la angustia y el disfrute que esta historia trajo a mi corazón, totalmente desgastada, y no creo poder recuperarme jamás. Ni todas las estrellas del mundo son suficientes para esta historia.
Una ovación de pie para el autor.
BEST L.J. SHEN'S BOOK !
BEST BOOK OF 2019!
A TOP READ OF ALL TIME!
My soul and my heart will not be the same after Broken Knight. There are unforgettable books and there is THIS BOOK. It will leave an indelible mark forever.
The story consumed me to the point that I cannot think, I cannot eat, I cannot focus on anything else, I'm so obsessed with the characters, I'm completely ruined forever. I honestly don't know how I am writing when I feel so drained emotionally and physically, when I am such a big emotional mess.
I desperately needed this story, I longed for it as I had not longed for anything in my life and let me tell you, I was not emotionally prepared. This book takes things to another level. The characters, the plot, their dialogues go beyond everything I've read before. It's all you want in a NA/YA romance, captivating, raw, intense, addictive and deeply emotional. But this story it is not just about romance, it is a inspiring story of friendship, forgiveness, hope, love and motivates us to love with all our strength and to live and enjoy life fully.
Knight and Luna are my favorite couple ever, they own my soul and have a very special place in my heart. THEY ARE EVERYTHING, their intense connection left me breathless, and even despite their path is plagued with suffering and tumbles, their hearts are in deep tune with each other, their love surpasses everything, helps them heal and achieve the best version of themselves. THEIR STORY IS ONE OF THE MOST EPICS AND INTENSE I HAVE EVER READ.
My love for the characters and the families in this series knows no limits, I love them as much as if they were my family, *** I sigh *** they support each other through everything, the good the bad and the ugly, through the happy and sad moments, MY HEART IS OVERWHELMINGLY FULL OF EVERY POSSIBLE HUMAN EMOTION.
The author has an incredible ability to evoke the most diverse emotions in the reader, but WITH THIS EPIC STORY L.J. SHEN OUTDID HERSELF AND REACHED A NEW LEVEL OF PERFECTION, if that is even possible, her beautiful prose made me addicted to every word, captivated by every line, in love with the story.
You are not ready for Broken Knight; this is not just another angsty story. Emotional or heartbreaking does not even begin to cover the majesty of this story.
Mrs. Shen created a brilliant, mind-blowing, heartbreakingly beautiful masterpiece, which left me with the book hangover of the century, crawled under my skin and took over my senses, broke my heart into a thousand pieces and then stick it again, it shattered it but healed it, hurt it but filled it with love and delight.
It is a unique experience that I want to repeat again and again. I still feel totally overwhelmed with the deep intensity, drama, angst, and joyment that this story brought to my heart, I'm totally worn out, and I don't think I can ever recover me. All the stars in the world are not enough for this story
L.J. SHEN SLAYED IT! A standing ovation for the author.
Versión en español
MEJOR LIBRO DE L.J. SHEN
LA MEJOR HISTORIA DEL 2019
LECTURA FAVORITA DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS
Mi alma y mi corazón no serán los mismos después de Broken Knight. Hay historias inolvidables y hay ESTE LIBRO. Dejará una huella imborrable para siempre.
La historia me consumió al punto que no puedo pensar, no puedo comer, no puedo concentrarme en nada más y estoy tan obsesionada con ella, estoy completamente arruinada para siempre. Honestamente no sé cómo estoy escribiendo cuando me siento tan drenada emocional y físicamente, cuando soy un lío emocional tan grande.
Desesperadamente necesitaba la historia de Knight y Luna, la anhelaba como no había anhelado nada en mi vida y déjenme decirles no estaba emocionalmente preparada. Este libro toma las cosas a otro nivel. Los personajes, la trama, sus diálogos van más allá de todo lo que he leído antes. Es todo lo que quieres en un romance, completamente adictivo y cautivador, pero no es solo el romance, es una historia de perdón, amistad, amor y esperanza y nos motiva a amar intensamente y a vivir y disfrutar la vida plenamente.
Knight y Luna son mi pareja favorita de todos los tiempos, ellos poseen mi alma y tienen un lugar especial en mi corazón. ELLOS SON TODO, su conexión tan intensa me dejó sin respiración, e incluso a pesar de que su camino está plagado de sufrimiento y tropiezos, sus almas están en profunda sintonía una de la otra, y su amor sobrepasa todo y los ayuda a sanar y a lograr la mejor versión de sí mismos. SU HISTORIA ES UNA DE LAS MÁS EPICAS E INTENSAS QUE HE LEIDO.
Mi amor por los personajes y las familias en esta serie no tiene límites, los amo tanto como si fueran mi familia, ***suspiro*** ellos se apoyan unos a otros a través de todo, lo bueno lo malo y lo feo, a través de los momentos felices y los tristes, mi corazón está abrumadoramente lleno de cada emoción humana posible.
La autora tiene una increíble habilidad para evocar las más diversas emociones en el lector, pero CON ESTA HISTORIA L.J. SE SUPERÓ A SÍ MISMA Y ALCANZÓ UN NUEVO NIVEL DE PERFECCIÓN, si es incluso posible, su prosa hermosa me hizo adicta a cada palabra, cautivada por cada línea, enamorada de la historia.
Tú no estás listo para Broken Knight, esta no es solo otra historia llena de angustia. Emocional ni siquiera empieza a cubrir la majestuosidad de esta historia.
L.J Shen creó una obra maestra brillante, esperanzadora, increíble, desgarradoramente hermosa, que me dejó con la resaca literaria del siglo, se arrastró bajo mi piel y se adueñó de mis sentidos, rompió corazón en mil pedazos y luego lo pegó de nuevo, lo destrozó pero lo sanó, lo hirió pero lo llenó de amor y paz y alegría.
Es una experiencia única que quiero repetir una y otra vez. Aun me siento totalmente abrumada con la profunda intensidad, la angustia y el disfrute que esta historia trajo a mi corazón, totalmente desgastada, y no creo poder recuperarme jamás. Ni todas las estrellas del mundo son suficientes para esta historia.
Una ovación de pie para el autor.
August 16, 2019
There are very few times in a person's life where they come across a book that pulls no punches and is so real, raw and gritty that it literally consumes you where you can't eat or sleep without thinking about it. Broken Knight is that book for me. I can honestly say that after reading it this book has irrevocably changed who I am as a person and how hard I will love and hold my loved ones around me. It is one of a kind and hands down L.J. Shen's greatest story.
We all know the pull between Luna Rexroth and Knight Cole but what Broken Knight does perfectly is provide the minute and colorful details that vividly capture the love story between these two damaged souls. This book allowed us to see Luna and Knight's fractured story and into the very heart and soul of this fated pair. Their story was absolutely magnificent. It was powerful, life-altering and honestly I am moved beyond reason.
After reading this story you will clearly see how Luna and Knight are so perfectly matched. We see how exceptionally intertwined and meshed they are. She is the ying to his yang and the eternal Moon to his thrashing Waves. The sheer pull they have on one another was monumental and beyond this earth. They circled one another in a dance of a lifetime and when they both gave in to the inevitable it was like the world stopped and combusted at once.
This author's writing is smart and savvy but more than anything her words have the power to make my heart skip a beat. I laughed, I sobbed and I raged and then I swooned a thousand deaths because this story was nothing short of breathtaking. It was sexy, heartfelt, angsty as all hell and filled to the brim with the spitfire Shen banter we all die for. It was the perfect package and something so grand and exceptional that it's hard to imagine ever reading a story as amazing as this again. But maybe that's the point. There is no other story like Broken Knight nor are there characters like Luna and Knight. They are as original and timeless as the woman who created them. My heart will never forget this story and how it made me feel. Bravo! 10 (million) stars! ~Ratula
We all know the pull between Luna Rexroth and Knight Cole but what Broken Knight does perfectly is provide the minute and colorful details that vividly capture the love story between these two damaged souls. This book allowed us to see Luna and Knight's fractured story and into the very heart and soul of this fated pair. Their story was absolutely magnificent. It was powerful, life-altering and honestly I am moved beyond reason.
After reading this story you will clearly see how Luna and Knight are so perfectly matched. We see how exceptionally intertwined and meshed they are. She is the ying to his yang and the eternal Moon to his thrashing Waves. The sheer pull they have on one another was monumental and beyond this earth. They circled one another in a dance of a lifetime and when they both gave in to the inevitable it was like the world stopped and combusted at once.
This author's writing is smart and savvy but more than anything her words have the power to make my heart skip a beat. I laughed, I sobbed and I raged and then I swooned a thousand deaths because this story was nothing short of breathtaking. It was sexy, heartfelt, angsty as all hell and filled to the brim with the spitfire Shen banter we all die for. It was the perfect package and something so grand and exceptional that it's hard to imagine ever reading a story as amazing as this again. But maybe that's the point. There is no other story like Broken Knight nor are there characters like Luna and Knight. They are as original and timeless as the woman who created them. My heart will never forget this story and how it made me feel. Bravo! 10 (million) stars! ~Ratula
May 17, 2020
I have known for while how disloyal this author is to her characters (see in Ruckus how she did Millie and Vicious dirty.Completely re writing history for Dean and Rosie). On the subject of Dean and Rosie, I disliked both of them and did not buy their love. But still, I do not appreciate having to be shown a whole soulmates story, where they loved each other the whole time! To then find out Rosie dies and only a year later Dean is basically in love with another Woman (Knight’s Biological mother). If you are gonna dedicate a whole book to them, and actually contradict a previous book to give them a love story, then at least make it worthwhile, to me it’s insulting. To be fed this idea that he and Rosie are the love of each others lives means to me you would in no way, shape or form be emotionally or mentally ready or healed to be in love a year after your soulmates death! Also, Shen seems to be writing about previously amazing characters, as shit parents such as Mel! Next we seem to have Vicious’ son emotionally stunted and withdrawn, which should not be the case as Millie and Vicious actually grew together and would be good parents, but whatever. I do not know what happened to this author, Sparrow, Vicious and Defy were all great stories, but since Ruckus and Bane it just seems to be drama, inconsistency, and horrific characters! I am sorry, but I am officially done with this author.
I have now read the book, but I have not changed my opinion or rating. A lot of people are commenting about Dean moving on and being in love with someone else. They claim he does not and that I am wrong. That is fine and they are completely entitled to their opinion (twitter rants about my review included). I think it is heavily implied he has feelings for someone else and is moving on:
‘My eyes halt on Dean and Dixie. They sit next to each other, and both look at me intently, ignoring one another. But there’s something there I can’t seem to take my eyes off of: the fact that his pinky finger is almost entwined with hers on the armrest between their seats.’
‘Last week, Edie told me she saw them having an ice cream together. A quiet outing. They didn’t speak to each other. They did not hold hands. They simply marveled in the slow, creeping thing called love.’
There was no need to mention Dean having a love interest. It definitely should not have been included in the same book in which Rosie died! Too much, too soon. Plus we barely know Dixie, so why would readers care about her or think she is a good match for Dean? It just felt like a throw away idea that was included.
Ok now I have read the book, I felt I should because so many people seemed to love it and felt I was completely wrong in my opinion. I have read it to see if I would change my mind or rate it higher. I have not and will not be. I did not like the book and had issues with it. I did not dislike all of it.
The things I enjoyed were seeings the old characters from the Sinner series. I loved seeing Trent and Edie with Luna! I also was touched by the scene when Luna talked to her father for the first time:
“I mean… are you?” His throat worked. “Talking?”
“To some people.” Guilt, guilt, guilt. Piles upon piles of messy, black, foggy guilt.
“Some?”
“You. Edie. Knight.”
“Since when?”
“Since… a few weeks ago.”
“Luna,” he whispered.
“Dad.”
“Say it again.”
“Dad.” I smiled. He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath.
“Again? Please.”
“Dad.” His shoulders shook. Not with sobs. With happiness. Happiness I’d put inside him. I was drunk on my newfound power.
But that was really about it if I am honest. I did not feel this amazing connection between Knight and Luna, we are shown that from childhood Knight has protected Luna, and their whole ‘ride or die’ thing. But it just never clicked for me. I did not find either of them particularly interesting. Knight was a wannabe hot hole like the other boys, but without the believable jaded edge or their parents darkness. He just seemed childish and was nasty to Luna a lot of the time. Not that Luna was innocent as she kept pushing him away. Luna, or Saint Luna as Daria dubbed her, is a martyr and good girl, but is she really? I found her quite selfish and completely dull. Did she have a personality? Beneath loving Knight, and helping out at shelters? If she did it escaped me, as did their chemistry.
The whole making an announcement to gather the girls at a party for the wannabe hot holes Hunter, Knight and Vaughn, to choose from was beyond messed up and so eye roll worthy:
“Ladies, line up toward the entertainment room. Make it neat. No cutting in line. Chop, chop. If you’re lovely, daring, and willing, you’re an applicant we want to see. Just be sure to remember—we won’t call you tomorrow morning, won’t follow you on social media, and won’t acknowledge your existence in the hallways. But we will carry you with us forever, like hepatitis B.” A herd of junior and senior girls scurried up the stairs of Vaughn’s mansion in pairs, whispering and giggling in each other’s ears. Vaughn threw parties every other weekend while his parents were in their Virginia castle, probably fucking the memory of their devil spawn out of each other’s minds. The girls lined up outside the entertainment room, spines rod-straight against the textured gray walls. The line started at the base of his spiral stairway, snaking all the up way to a heavy set of black doors. Vaughn, Hunter, and I strolled past them silently, lit joints clutched between our teeth. I wore white, destroyed Balmain biker jeans and a shabby I Fucked Your Girlfriend and Didn’t Even Enjoy It tee that had cost me a grand, paired with vintage Gucci sneakers and a beanie I was pretty sure was made out of real unicorn fur or some shit. Vaughn still wore his painting attire and looked just a little dirtier than a third world-based hooker looking for her next fix, and Hunter was wearing a full-blown suit, bless his Great Gatsby, weird-ass heart. Our names, moaned and whispered like a prayer among the buzzing girls, drowned in the angry tune pulsating against the walls.’ seriously?
Oh apparently smoking joints is so bad ass.
This little snippet:
‘Since the girls couldn’t explicitly proposition us without staining their precious reputations—I’d always hated the double standard of guys are players, girls are sluts—they pretended to talk to each other, sipping their drinks.’
You rock on Knight you feminist you! Ha! Also, if these girls literally herded themselves when you called them, I think they would be comfortable enough to make a move!
The whole, we are so jaded to even enjoy sex, so we check our phones and watch tv is old as well, it was old in Vicious let alone now:
‘Her fingers were buried in the holes of the pool table, her half-bare tits dragging along the green, fuzzy surface. Hunter smoked a cigarette, his eyes drifting to Spaced, a British comedy, on the huge, flat-screen TV in front of us while fucking her. And they say guys are not good at multitasking. Vaughn, who was obsessed with Spaced, stood against the wall, letting some chick I didn’t know suck his dick. Arabella stood next to me, waiting for some action, but I just propped my shoulder against the wall, angled in front of Vaughn, ignoring the girl on her knees between us. “Hope she’ll go out-of-state,” Vaughn said, verbose, one hand holding the ashy hair of the girl beneath him, the other scrolling through his phone.’
Knights drinking to numb pain, exactly like his dad did,predictable and a cliche, and just really did not add anything to his character for me:
‘My mind had started doing weird shit shortly after Mom’s parents, Grandma Charlene and Grandpa Paul, died in a car crash and left Mom an orphan. That was five years ago. I didn’t care about my losing them; it was Mom’s pain that killed me. That’s when I’d first started secretly drinking, and whaddaya know—I never really stopped.’
Luna pushing Knight away was understandable, but if she had given him a chance a lot of heartache could have been saved. This book was full of miscommunication and angst that was not needed. When one tried to go to the other something would come up and cause drama and push them apart again, usually a misunderstanding! Luna kept rejecting Knight, but then got upset about him apparently being with other girls? Really? But then again Knight being nasty after Luna lost her virginity to someone else was not ok either, he does not own her. Plus Luna thought he was with Poppy and a couple. She also was not to be expected to know that Knight saved himself for her. They both made silly mistakes and hurt each other, but it got boring and repetitive, as really there was no reason for them not to actually give it a shot from the beginning, if only they had both been honest!
I also felt Poppy and Josh were treated unfairly. Do not get me wrong neither of them were perfect. Poppy was clingy and really should of seen that Knight was not interested, especially when he cheated on her with Luna. She needed to get some self respect, but she was a nice girl who’s only crime was liking an asshole. Also Knight calling her sunshine, when he called Luna Moonshine, was just a scumbag thing to do to both girls. Josh should maybe have took Luna’s rejection and listened. But he was a good guy who did not just take her virginity and treat it as nothing, he let her know he cared about her, and ultimately encouraged Luna to go after Knight. Decent people, who should not have been brought into Luna’s and Knights mess, ultimately they both deserved better.
The whole pretentious, perfect thanksgiving was nauseating, especially as seeing as it was unlikely as it was Vicious and Millie hosting. She has never followed convention so I expected a bit more originality.
Also, some of the apparent ‘burns’ and comebacks were just shit.
“It’s La Jolla, not outer space. Proportions, Violet,” Vaughn deadpanned. “It’s Poppy.” “Same shit.” “Not really. You could make an effort and remember,” Poppy cried.
“You’re right,” Vaughn yawned. “I’ll remember next time.”
“You will?”
“Yeah. Heroin is made out of Poppy. Coincidently, you bore me to death.”
I found a lot of this book predictable. For example, Dixie obviously not being the heartless monster that was suspected. I also could see where the conversation was going when Knight was goading her about his father. Sure enough, it turned it she had been raped, so the readers could not possibly dislike her, and had to sympathise with her, as she was obviously going to be a fixture. Do not get me wrong, what happened to her was horrific, but it did not really add to the story, I felt it was a tool to coerce readers into liking Dixie. It was just tragedy piled on top of drama, because not only was she raped, but she was also a naive, religious girl, who was gang raped, so therefore did not know Knights father. She was then cruelly shunned and rejected due to it. It was also predictable that the first person Luna would properly speak to was Her Knight in shining armour! It was also obvious that when Luna saw what she thought was Poppy and Knight having sex, it would turn out he could not bring himself to do it! Saving himself for Luna!
I also found the gratuitous lesbian scene cringe worthy. So Luna is advised by Daria to completely act like she does not care about seeing Knight with Poppy at Daria’s New Year’s Eve party. Luna shows she is annoyed, so Daria’s resolution on the countdown is to snog Luna? Apparently Luna enjoyed it and thought it was a genius idea? Really, so not to appear bothered you made a scene? It would hardly cause jealousy because Daria is engaged and Luna’s Friend since childhood, so it’s obvious it did not mean anything? So it achieved what? Apart from being a Segway for Luna to say she kissed a girl and she liked it? It seemed reminiscent of scenes I have read before in a certain series by another author (ahem Miss Douglas). Kind of just thrown in for drama and events sake, while being cliche and juvenile.
It is also known I am definitely not a fan of Dean and Rosie, but the scene leading up to, and including her death were sad. But with Rosie’s demise, came a fresh new set of issues for me. Rosie is really sick, she knows she is dying, so asks Luna to basically help her with a project for when after she is gone. It is clear this is in part to reunite Knight and Luna which makes sense. What does not make sense is asking a 19 year old girl to play Cupid for your husband, her possible father in law, after your death. So this child is meant to play Cupid? It was so inappropriate, it was bad enough she was asking, but at least it would have made sense if she asked her sister Millie, but not a teenager! So Rosie’s brilliant idea as a prospect for the family is Dixie! I get she is Knights mother so that helps. But she is not Lev’s mum, and Rosie barely knows her to even consider her a good match for Dean? It was just so out there! I also understand Dean was in pain, but he was an ass when Lev was sobbing at his mothers hospital bed and he did not hug him. He needed to step up a bit. Also smoking joints with your son, and saying things like this: “I needed to suck and do my job as a parent months ago. From now on, I am going to suck like a whore in a brothel, kiddo.” are what put me off Dean, he still needs to grow up. Throwing a dildo/vibrator at Knight when he walked in on Dean going down on Rosie, was also something I could have done without. Knight being in hospital for overdosing on drinks and drugs, while his mother was in hospital dying, was just really the icing on top of the drama full cake! I am also a bit sick of Emilia being overlooked. I know Rosie was talking to Luna and making plans with her for after she died, but it’s only her speech we see at Rosie’s funeral. Emilia also speaks, but she is not even given enough thought for us to hear her words. I mean she was only her sister, the girl who tried to provide for her in New York, and loved her immensely, but what does it matter? Also, Rosie telling Luna about Dean hurting her by dating Emilia was made to sound like Rosie was betrayed. Rosie told Dean to date Emilia?
To round off the festivities, we have 18 year old Knight propose to 19 year old Luna (apparently Trent was ok with that, not likely!); Not long after his mother’s death, when they have not been a stable couple for long. So a great idea to get married obviously! Then we have her pregnant less than a year later, with an apparently planned child! Rush, rush, rush! Goodness knows why they planned a child when they are both super busy and young, but ya know, each to their own.
So I am sorry to the readers who think I am being harsh, but this book was not for me, I did not enjoy it or like Knight and Luna. I will read Vaughn’s book as he and Lenora have good dynamics, and I love to see more of Millie and Vicious.
I have now read the book, but I have not changed my opinion or rating. A lot of people are commenting about Dean moving on and being in love with someone else. They claim he does not and that I am wrong. That is fine and they are completely entitled to their opinion (twitter rants about my review included). I think it is heavily implied he has feelings for someone else and is moving on:
‘My eyes halt on Dean and Dixie. They sit next to each other, and both look at me intently, ignoring one another. But there’s something there I can’t seem to take my eyes off of: the fact that his pinky finger is almost entwined with hers on the armrest between their seats.’
‘Last week, Edie told me she saw them having an ice cream together. A quiet outing. They didn’t speak to each other. They did not hold hands. They simply marveled in the slow, creeping thing called love.’
There was no need to mention Dean having a love interest. It definitely should not have been included in the same book in which Rosie died! Too much, too soon. Plus we barely know Dixie, so why would readers care about her or think she is a good match for Dean? It just felt like a throw away idea that was included.
Ok now I have read the book, I felt I should because so many people seemed to love it and felt I was completely wrong in my opinion. I have read it to see if I would change my mind or rate it higher. I have not and will not be. I did not like the book and had issues with it. I did not dislike all of it.
The things I enjoyed were seeings the old characters from the Sinner series. I loved seeing Trent and Edie with Luna! I also was touched by the scene when Luna talked to her father for the first time:
“I mean… are you?” His throat worked. “Talking?”
“To some people.” Guilt, guilt, guilt. Piles upon piles of messy, black, foggy guilt.
“Some?”
“You. Edie. Knight.”
“Since when?”
“Since… a few weeks ago.”
“Luna,” he whispered.
“Dad.”
“Say it again.”
“Dad.” I smiled. He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath.
“Again? Please.”
“Dad.” His shoulders shook. Not with sobs. With happiness. Happiness I’d put inside him. I was drunk on my newfound power.
But that was really about it if I am honest. I did not feel this amazing connection between Knight and Luna, we are shown that from childhood Knight has protected Luna, and their whole ‘ride or die’ thing. But it just never clicked for me. I did not find either of them particularly interesting. Knight was a wannabe hot hole like the other boys, but without the believable jaded edge or their parents darkness. He just seemed childish and was nasty to Luna a lot of the time. Not that Luna was innocent as she kept pushing him away. Luna, or Saint Luna as Daria dubbed her, is a martyr and good girl, but is she really? I found her quite selfish and completely dull. Did she have a personality? Beneath loving Knight, and helping out at shelters? If she did it escaped me, as did their chemistry.
The whole making an announcement to gather the girls at a party for the wannabe hot holes Hunter, Knight and Vaughn, to choose from was beyond messed up and so eye roll worthy:
“Ladies, line up toward the entertainment room. Make it neat. No cutting in line. Chop, chop. If you’re lovely, daring, and willing, you’re an applicant we want to see. Just be sure to remember—we won’t call you tomorrow morning, won’t follow you on social media, and won’t acknowledge your existence in the hallways. But we will carry you with us forever, like hepatitis B.” A herd of junior and senior girls scurried up the stairs of Vaughn’s mansion in pairs, whispering and giggling in each other’s ears. Vaughn threw parties every other weekend while his parents were in their Virginia castle, probably fucking the memory of their devil spawn out of each other’s minds. The girls lined up outside the entertainment room, spines rod-straight against the textured gray walls. The line started at the base of his spiral stairway, snaking all the up way to a heavy set of black doors. Vaughn, Hunter, and I strolled past them silently, lit joints clutched between our teeth. I wore white, destroyed Balmain biker jeans and a shabby I Fucked Your Girlfriend and Didn’t Even Enjoy It tee that had cost me a grand, paired with vintage Gucci sneakers and a beanie I was pretty sure was made out of real unicorn fur or some shit. Vaughn still wore his painting attire and looked just a little dirtier than a third world-based hooker looking for her next fix, and Hunter was wearing a full-blown suit, bless his Great Gatsby, weird-ass heart. Our names, moaned and whispered like a prayer among the buzzing girls, drowned in the angry tune pulsating against the walls.’ seriously?
Oh apparently smoking joints is so bad ass.
This little snippet:
‘Since the girls couldn’t explicitly proposition us without staining their precious reputations—I’d always hated the double standard of guys are players, girls are sluts—they pretended to talk to each other, sipping their drinks.’
You rock on Knight you feminist you! Ha! Also, if these girls literally herded themselves when you called them, I think they would be comfortable enough to make a move!
The whole, we are so jaded to even enjoy sex, so we check our phones and watch tv is old as well, it was old in Vicious let alone now:
‘Her fingers were buried in the holes of the pool table, her half-bare tits dragging along the green, fuzzy surface. Hunter smoked a cigarette, his eyes drifting to Spaced, a British comedy, on the huge, flat-screen TV in front of us while fucking her. And they say guys are not good at multitasking. Vaughn, who was obsessed with Spaced, stood against the wall, letting some chick I didn’t know suck his dick. Arabella stood next to me, waiting for some action, but I just propped my shoulder against the wall, angled in front of Vaughn, ignoring the girl on her knees between us. “Hope she’ll go out-of-state,” Vaughn said, verbose, one hand holding the ashy hair of the girl beneath him, the other scrolling through his phone.’
Knights drinking to numb pain, exactly like his dad did,predictable and a cliche, and just really did not add anything to his character for me:
‘My mind had started doing weird shit shortly after Mom’s parents, Grandma Charlene and Grandpa Paul, died in a car crash and left Mom an orphan. That was five years ago. I didn’t care about my losing them; it was Mom’s pain that killed me. That’s when I’d first started secretly drinking, and whaddaya know—I never really stopped.’
Luna pushing Knight away was understandable, but if she had given him a chance a lot of heartache could have been saved. This book was full of miscommunication and angst that was not needed. When one tried to go to the other something would come up and cause drama and push them apart again, usually a misunderstanding! Luna kept rejecting Knight, but then got upset about him apparently being with other girls? Really? But then again Knight being nasty after Luna lost her virginity to someone else was not ok either, he does not own her. Plus Luna thought he was with Poppy and a couple. She also was not to be expected to know that Knight saved himself for her. They both made silly mistakes and hurt each other, but it got boring and repetitive, as really there was no reason for them not to actually give it a shot from the beginning, if only they had both been honest!
I also felt Poppy and Josh were treated unfairly. Do not get me wrong neither of them were perfect. Poppy was clingy and really should of seen that Knight was not interested, especially when he cheated on her with Luna. She needed to get some self respect, but she was a nice girl who’s only crime was liking an asshole. Also Knight calling her sunshine, when he called Luna Moonshine, was just a scumbag thing to do to both girls. Josh should maybe have took Luna’s rejection and listened. But he was a good guy who did not just take her virginity and treat it as nothing, he let her know he cared about her, and ultimately encouraged Luna to go after Knight. Decent people, who should not have been brought into Luna’s and Knights mess, ultimately they both deserved better.
The whole pretentious, perfect thanksgiving was nauseating, especially as seeing as it was unlikely as it was Vicious and Millie hosting. She has never followed convention so I expected a bit more originality.
Also, some of the apparent ‘burns’ and comebacks were just shit.
“It’s La Jolla, not outer space. Proportions, Violet,” Vaughn deadpanned. “It’s Poppy.” “Same shit.” “Not really. You could make an effort and remember,” Poppy cried.
“You’re right,” Vaughn yawned. “I’ll remember next time.”
“You will?”
“Yeah. Heroin is made out of Poppy. Coincidently, you bore me to death.”
I found a lot of this book predictable. For example, Dixie obviously not being the heartless monster that was suspected. I also could see where the conversation was going when Knight was goading her about his father. Sure enough, it turned it she had been raped, so the readers could not possibly dislike her, and had to sympathise with her, as she was obviously going to be a fixture. Do not get me wrong, what happened to her was horrific, but it did not really add to the story, I felt it was a tool to coerce readers into liking Dixie. It was just tragedy piled on top of drama, because not only was she raped, but she was also a naive, religious girl, who was gang raped, so therefore did not know Knights father. She was then cruelly shunned and rejected due to it. It was also predictable that the first person Luna would properly speak to was Her Knight in shining armour! It was also obvious that when Luna saw what she thought was Poppy and Knight having sex, it would turn out he could not bring himself to do it! Saving himself for Luna!
I also found the gratuitous lesbian scene cringe worthy. So Luna is advised by Daria to completely act like she does not care about seeing Knight with Poppy at Daria’s New Year’s Eve party. Luna shows she is annoyed, so Daria’s resolution on the countdown is to snog Luna? Apparently Luna enjoyed it and thought it was a genius idea? Really, so not to appear bothered you made a scene? It would hardly cause jealousy because Daria is engaged and Luna’s Friend since childhood, so it’s obvious it did not mean anything? So it achieved what? Apart from being a Segway for Luna to say she kissed a girl and she liked it? It seemed reminiscent of scenes I have read before in a certain series by another author (ahem Miss Douglas). Kind of just thrown in for drama and events sake, while being cliche and juvenile.
It is also known I am definitely not a fan of Dean and Rosie, but the scene leading up to, and including her death were sad. But with Rosie’s demise, came a fresh new set of issues for me. Rosie is really sick, she knows she is dying, so asks Luna to basically help her with a project for when after she is gone. It is clear this is in part to reunite Knight and Luna which makes sense. What does not make sense is asking a 19 year old girl to play Cupid for your husband, her possible father in law, after your death. So this child is meant to play Cupid? It was so inappropriate, it was bad enough she was asking, but at least it would have made sense if she asked her sister Millie, but not a teenager! So Rosie’s brilliant idea as a prospect for the family is Dixie! I get she is Knights mother so that helps. But she is not Lev’s mum, and Rosie barely knows her to even consider her a good match for Dean? It was just so out there! I also understand Dean was in pain, but he was an ass when Lev was sobbing at his mothers hospital bed and he did not hug him. He needed to step up a bit. Also smoking joints with your son, and saying things like this: “I needed to suck and do my job as a parent months ago. From now on, I am going to suck like a whore in a brothel, kiddo.” are what put me off Dean, he still needs to grow up. Throwing a dildo/vibrator at Knight when he walked in on Dean going down on Rosie, was also something I could have done without. Knight being in hospital for overdosing on drinks and drugs, while his mother was in hospital dying, was just really the icing on top of the drama full cake! I am also a bit sick of Emilia being overlooked. I know Rosie was talking to Luna and making plans with her for after she died, but it’s only her speech we see at Rosie’s funeral. Emilia also speaks, but she is not even given enough thought for us to hear her words. I mean she was only her sister, the girl who tried to provide for her in New York, and loved her immensely, but what does it matter? Also, Rosie telling Luna about Dean hurting her by dating Emilia was made to sound like Rosie was betrayed. Rosie told Dean to date Emilia?
To round off the festivities, we have 18 year old Knight propose to 19 year old Luna (apparently Trent was ok with that, not likely!); Not long after his mother’s death, when they have not been a stable couple for long. So a great idea to get married obviously! Then we have her pregnant less than a year later, with an apparently planned child! Rush, rush, rush! Goodness knows why they planned a child when they are both super busy and young, but ya know, each to their own.
So I am sorry to the readers who think I am being harsh, but this book was not for me, I did not enjoy it or like Knight and Luna. I will read Vaughn’s book as he and Lenora have good dynamics, and I love to see more of Millie and Vicious.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2020
Dear LJ Shen,
How is it that you make your words spring to life from the barren pages and hit my senses with the force of a gale every time?
How is it that you peel off the layers of the banal and reveal the terrible beauty of the core?
I wonder what spirit possesses you every time you pick up your pen, brimming over with confidence or maybe unsure of your own craft, to pour every ounce of what weighed on your mind fluidly into the empty pages waiting in anticipation.
No other book has required of me such prolonged contemplation.
There are books that I read purely as a way to escape reality. They are a release from my incessant mental chatter. They help to pass the time. Other books will not stand for merely serving as a distraction. They demand to be studied. They demand I go the extra mile and extend my reading well beyond my purview. Two pages into this formidable work and I realized this is not just a book to be read. It does not merely exist for my enjoyment. No. It is a work of art, and it demands to be treated as such.
A million stars to give it isn't enough … All of the stars in the entire world…
'Reviewer's block' ever heard of it? Neither did I until I finished BK
I’ve truly been at a loss for words. What am I supposed to say? How can I do this book justice?
There are books that you’re so afraid of reading, not because they’re bad, but because you know that they’re going to be so good, you’re afraid you won’t be able to adequately find words that will depict how this book made you feel.
I probably say this in every review I write about a LJ Shen book, but bloody hell, the author always manages to get me in this puddle of feels. No wait… more like ocean of heart-wrenching feels.
I can say without reservation that this is some of the most incredible writing I’ve ever come across and I’m absolutely baffled as to how LJ Shen pulled it off.
Broken Knight is the incredible story of Luna and Knight’s journey which spans from the time they meet as children to adulthood. Their path certainly wasn't easy. One of the many things I love about this book is level of intensity in their relationship.
Their story is not a fairy tale, but it is a tale that touches your heart, makes your pulse race, and takes you on a journey with characters that need each other so desperately that to have anything but a 'forever' for them would be inherently wrong.
This is a book that is not only about falling in love; but about forgiveness and healing too. You feel Lunight’s strong chemistry and their need for each other in your heart, in your blood and in your bones. LJ Shen always manages to give you a great and interesting insight into both characters’ lives and no one else manages to change POVs as well as she does.
You can see the souls of the characters… ALL OF THEM. You wonder how this is possible. Let me tell you why
The writing is epic. It is poetic. It is captivating.
Knight, his character absolutely slayed me and blew me away. He's also brave, profound, selfless and a survivor. There were moments when he was so vulnerable and it made me want to wrap him in my arms and hold him.
This book will linger in your mind, heart and soul forever. I will never forget Knight and Luna as their love story is unparalleled.
I was sucked completely into this vortex of the world of Broken Knight and fell in love with this story.
In the end, without spoiling the plot, I will simply say that this book is- every chapter, every sentence, every word – a work of ART. It is a masterpiece worthy of the highest praise.
How is it that you make your words spring to life from the barren pages and hit my senses with the force of a gale every time?
How is it that you peel off the layers of the banal and reveal the terrible beauty of the core?
I wonder what spirit possesses you every time you pick up your pen, brimming over with confidence or maybe unsure of your own craft, to pour every ounce of what weighed on your mind fluidly into the empty pages waiting in anticipation.
No other book has required of me such prolonged contemplation.
There are books that I read purely as a way to escape reality. They are a release from my incessant mental chatter. They help to pass the time. Other books will not stand for merely serving as a distraction. They demand to be studied. They demand I go the extra mile and extend my reading well beyond my purview. Two pages into this formidable work and I realized this is not just a book to be read. It does not merely exist for my enjoyment. No. It is a work of art, and it demands to be treated as such.
A million stars to give it isn't enough … All of the stars in the entire world…
'Reviewer's block' ever heard of it? Neither did I until I finished BK
I’ve truly been at a loss for words. What am I supposed to say? How can I do this book justice?
There are books that you’re so afraid of reading, not because they’re bad, but because you know that they’re going to be so good, you’re afraid you won’t be able to adequately find words that will depict how this book made you feel.
I probably say this in every review I write about a LJ Shen book, but bloody hell, the author always manages to get me in this puddle of feels. No wait… more like ocean of heart-wrenching feels.
I can say without reservation that this is some of the most incredible writing I’ve ever come across and I’m absolutely baffled as to how LJ Shen pulled it off.
Broken Knight is the incredible story of Luna and Knight’s journey which spans from the time they meet as children to adulthood. Their path certainly wasn't easy. One of the many things I love about this book is level of intensity in their relationship.
Their story is not a fairy tale, but it is a tale that touches your heart, makes your pulse race, and takes you on a journey with characters that need each other so desperately that to have anything but a 'forever' for them would be inherently wrong.
This is a book that is not only about falling in love; but about forgiveness and healing too. You feel Lunight’s strong chemistry and their need for each other in your heart, in your blood and in your bones. LJ Shen always manages to give you a great and interesting insight into both characters’ lives and no one else manages to change POVs as well as she does.
You can see the souls of the characters… ALL OF THEM. You wonder how this is possible. Let me tell you why
The writing is epic. It is poetic. It is captivating.
Knight, his character absolutely slayed me and blew me away. He's also brave, profound, selfless and a survivor. There were moments when he was so vulnerable and it made me want to wrap him in my arms and hold him.
This book will linger in your mind, heart and soul forever. I will never forget Knight and Luna as their love story is unparalleled.
I was sucked completely into this vortex of the world of Broken Knight and fell in love with this story.
In the end, without spoiling the plot, I will simply say that this book is- every chapter, every sentence, every word – a work of ART. It is a masterpiece worthy of the highest praise.
August 19, 2019
content warnings: drug/alcohol abuse, discussions of rape, dubious consent in sex scenes
Excited isn't a word I would use to describe my feelings towards Broken Knight prior to its release. I've got a hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, slightly love relationship with L.J. Shen's books, but there's no denying her appeal is in how real, authentic, and admirable her characters are. However - and forgive me for how blunt this will be - I didn't care about Knight or Luna in the other books enough to even anticipate this for any reason other than seeing the side characters. Not to mention, L.J. Shen makes every single one of her books the enemies to lovers or hate to love trope for no apparent reason. It's starting to appear like her novels are lacking creativity. Anyway.
Broken Knight follows Dean and Rosie Cole's son, Knight, and Trent Rexroth's daughter, Luna. They've been best friends since the day they were born, with Knight always being around the corner to protect her. However, Luna's first experience at college changes her personality, much to the dismay of Knight who's also dealing with a mother whose health is failing rapidly and an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Should we get the positives out of the way before I rant and you lose interest in this review? All of the side characters. That's it. I loved seeing Emilia and Vicious (though the latter was still absent from the plot and had about three lines). I liked seeing the Cole family and their unique dynamic. It was heartbreaking seeing how close they all were and how much Dean, Knight, and Lev relied on Rosie to thrive. I wasn't a fan of Dean and Rosie's book in the slightest, but only the complete unemotional wouldn't be heartbroken by the progression of their story in Broken Knight. Which I might touch on later. Though this certain plot point and the way it was presented was so touching and emotional I couldn't help reacting to it. The reason it was included, however, isn't a positive feeling.
I loved seeing Daria - one of my favourite female characters - but it was difficult to recognise her. At the end of Pretty Reckless, she's finally overcome her insecurities and wants to help other victims of abuse, but now she's presented as the vapid, airhead people who don't know her assume she is. Don't even get me started about the kiss shared between Daria and Luna where they made out with tongue for a prolonged amount of time but maintained it was a "friendly" kiss. It's almost cruel to bait your fans like this - especially since I know you've been asked by plenty to write more diversity into your series. When we all saw the pictures of lesbians kissing on Broken Knight's Pinterest board, we were hoping for the best. An actual lesbian couple in an L.J Shen book. What we got? The exact opposite.
I've read a few of Shen's novels in the past so I'm no stranger to her writing. Plenty of edgy, cringeworthy jokes with constant popular culture references and sexual innuendos from her male characters. However, there was something about Broken Knight that was inherently worse. Knight's inner monologue was cringe-inducing and difficult to read. We didn't need to hear in-detail about the porn he watches and how he discovered a clit during his first time participating in a sexual encounter. Don't even get me started on the quote about his blood being replaced with semen because he's a pureblood male. Furthermore, the entire plot felt rushed and wasn't developed in a cohesive way. It felt like Shen was constantly introducing new sections or characters, having Knight and Luna take one step forward and five steps back, and then rushing to the inevitable complication we were warned would happen from the start. It felt like the author wanted to show us certain characters within a quota before sprinting to the final complication that could mean Luna and Knight could finally be together. Which is fine, out of context, but when you acknowledge why the complication happens, it's infuriating.
What else could I possibly dislike about this, a romance novel? The romance. I fucking hated it. I hated Knight's actions. I hated the reasoning why they couldn't be together. I hated their stint as enemies. I hated their reasoning for breaking up multiple times. I hated their sex scenes. Knight and Luna are best friends who've kissed three times, but Luna friend zones him every time because she assumes he's a player. In fact, he's been withholding himself and waits for her, while doing nothing to indicate he's not actually sleeping with hundreds of women. Then, when Luna leaves and they begin ignoring each other, she meets someone else and sleeps with him. Apparently, she was supposed to acknowledge that Knight was waiting for her after no indication from him otherwise, and he gets mad and begins hating her. He starts dating another girl and purposefully kisses her in front of Luna to make her jealous. Then, Luna kisses someone else in front of him to make Knight jealous and he becomes infuriated both times, while he has a literal girlfriend. I know you're struggling with your mother's illness and an addiction to alcohol, but there's really no excuse for being this fucking stupid. Learn how to communicate. Sit down for five fucking minutes and tell her the truth and you could've saved me about seven hours of pure suffering from reading this book. Moreover, there was dubious consent within a sex scene where Knight refuses to wear a condom and forces himself on Luna afterward. Sure, he apologises and sure, this is a "dark alpha romance", but it's not fucking okay. I've seen people find symbolism behind this scene but it's not cute in the slightest.
The following is a massive spoiler, so read at your own risk:
Broken Knight is another disappointment for me from L.J. Shen, but I'm still (stupidly) holding out hope for Angry God. I'm desperately hoping for an improvement in the writing and plot lines since most of them intersect and don't make sense. It's safe to say I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a dedicated fan of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2020
Google, how do i set my Goodreads location to "weeping" ?
March 4, 2020
Knight and Luna have been best friends their entire lives. The type of relationship they have is more than just your average teen romance, and Broken Knight is more than just your average NA novel. It's the single most emotional and impactful story Leigh has ever written.
Whatever you were expecting from this book based on Pretty Reckless or the Sinners of Saints series, throw that out the window. I was taken off guard completely by this one. Even when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I never could have predicted the effect it would have on me. I didn't anticipate thinking about it for days on end or finding new beauty in it everytime I thought about it. I never knew it would shatter my heart into a million pieces and make me cry at the beauty of it.
I've come to expect incredible storytelling from this author, but this was more than that. I'm in awe of this woman's talent. This novel is painfully beautiful, perfectly paced, and fantastically written. The characters are realistic and flawed. There is so much intense emotion in this story that I physically felt it in my chest, and the feeling didn't go away when I closed the book. It left it's mark on me. Forgettable isn't a word anyone could use to describe this story. Even if you wind up hating it, I guarantee you won't forget it.
Broken Knight is a work of art. There is no doubt that it will be one of the most memorable books of the year. When we see the top reads of 2019 lists in December, I predict this book will be one of the most frequently mentioned in all of romance.
I want to point out one more thing before I conclude this review. This may be a standalone, but if you've read the previous books in the "hothole universe", you will get exponentially more out of it. It's what fueled me to read this book all night despite the fact that I knew I would suffer greatly the next day from lack of sleep. It's what made me care to the degree that I did about these characters and made me so deeply invested in the outcome of this story.
Don't get me wrong, you can still enjoy the book without reading any of the previous novels containing these characters, but I recommend reading them all to get the full effect. You could forgo Bane, but the others all add something to the story you won't feel or see otherwise IMO. I wanted to let you know that just in case you're someone like me that doesn't want to miss out on any part of the story.
Everyone deserves to experience this book to the fullest extent. I honestly can't imagine it any other way. All of this author's characters are amazing though, so you won't regret reading their stories. It will be so worth it. I promise you that.
Broken Knight is different from any other book Leigh has ever written. Like I said before, it's about more than just the romance between Knight Cole and Luna Rexroth. It's a book about the entire Cole clan. It's about love between friends, lovers, and family. It's about healing. It's about life and living it to the fullest. It's full of raw emotion, and it's a fucking masterpiece!
Fans of L. J. Shen and contemporary romance, this one's for you!
Whatever you were expecting from this book based on Pretty Reckless or the Sinners of Saints series, throw that out the window. I was taken off guard completely by this one. Even when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I never could have predicted the effect it would have on me. I didn't anticipate thinking about it for days on end or finding new beauty in it everytime I thought about it. I never knew it would shatter my heart into a million pieces and make me cry at the beauty of it.
I've come to expect incredible storytelling from this author, but this was more than that. I'm in awe of this woman's talent. This novel is painfully beautiful, perfectly paced, and fantastically written. The characters are realistic and flawed. There is so much intense emotion in this story that I physically felt it in my chest, and the feeling didn't go away when I closed the book. It left it's mark on me. Forgettable isn't a word anyone could use to describe this story. Even if you wind up hating it, I guarantee you won't forget it.
Broken Knight is a work of art. There is no doubt that it will be one of the most memorable books of the year. When we see the top reads of 2019 lists in December, I predict this book will be one of the most frequently mentioned in all of romance.
I want to point out one more thing before I conclude this review. This may be a standalone, but if you've read the previous books in the "hothole universe", you will get exponentially more out of it. It's what fueled me to read this book all night despite the fact that I knew I would suffer greatly the next day from lack of sleep. It's what made me care to the degree that I did about these characters and made me so deeply invested in the outcome of this story.
Don't get me wrong, you can still enjoy the book without reading any of the previous novels containing these characters, but I recommend reading them all to get the full effect. You could forgo Bane, but the others all add something to the story you won't feel or see otherwise IMO. I wanted to let you know that just in case you're someone like me that doesn't want to miss out on any part of the story.
Everyone deserves to experience this book to the fullest extent. I honestly can't imagine it any other way. All of this author's characters are amazing though, so you won't regret reading their stories. It will be so worth it. I promise you that.
Broken Knight is different from any other book Leigh has ever written. Like I said before, it's about more than just the romance between Knight Cole and Luna Rexroth. It's a book about the entire Cole clan. It's about love between friends, lovers, and family. It's about healing. It's about life and living it to the fullest. It's full of raw emotion, and it's a fucking masterpiece!
Fans of L. J. Shen and contemporary romance, this one's for you!
August 18, 2019
I saw this saying once that went something like, “grab a condom for your heart because I’m about to fuck your feelings!” LOL. I have no idea where I saw that or who it was from but that statement accurately describes L.J. Shen and this book. You need a strong as fuck condom for your heart (in fact, you may wanna double up) because L.J. Shen fucks your feelings hard, raw, and brutally. I mean, I am REELING. I am HEART BROKEN. I am MOVED. I am so emotionally MESSED UP over this book that I don’t know what to do with myself. I keep crying and crying and crying.
I wasn’t expecting to be so broken down by this. I feel bruised. No, not bruised, I feel like I’m bleeding, like my soul has been pulled out of my body, squeezed and crushed, and handed back to me. I can’t see myself moving past this.
Intense.
Overwhelming.
Real.
Gritty.
And so damn beautiful it’s BEYOND words.
YOU NEED TO READ THIS. IT. IS. EVERYTHING. Just know it’s angsty. It’s not fluffy, sweetness. It’s a grip you by the soul, force you to your knees, and make you UGLY CRY kind of bookish goodness. It’s BEYOND EMOTIONAL. A story of pure and unconditional love. So much more than romance. It’s family and human connection and supporting those you love.
And that’s what I love so much about these characters and this world. It’s DEEP, so layered, so intertwined, and developed. It feels so REAL. These characters LIVE inside you. Their lives, their feelings, are experienced as if they were your own. There is no moving past these characters. They brand you, and that is that. You are theirs and they are yours.
ANOTHER LEVEL. I’m telling you that this is one of the BEST READS OF 2019! Broken Knight will throw you into a MAJOR book hangover. It’s unforgettable. A book that will break you, heal you, haunt you, and emotionally move you! I will NEVER be over it. And I can’t wait for more from L.J. Shen!
PS: Broken Knight can technically be read as a standalone, however, I implore you to go and read the Sinners of Saint Series first and then dive into the All Saint High Series. This world of characters is a journey, it’s powerful and passionate and angsty and real and beautiful. Read them all and in order, IMO!
I wasn’t expecting to be so broken down by this. I feel bruised. No, not bruised, I feel like I’m bleeding, like my soul has been pulled out of my body, squeezed and crushed, and handed back to me. I can’t see myself moving past this.
Intense.
Overwhelming.
Real.
Gritty.
And so damn beautiful it’s BEYOND words.
YOU NEED TO READ THIS. IT. IS. EVERYTHING. Just know it’s angsty. It’s not fluffy, sweetness. It’s a grip you by the soul, force you to your knees, and make you UGLY CRY kind of bookish goodness. It’s BEYOND EMOTIONAL. A story of pure and unconditional love. So much more than romance. It’s family and human connection and supporting those you love.
And that’s what I love so much about these characters and this world. It’s DEEP, so layered, so intertwined, and developed. It feels so REAL. These characters LIVE inside you. Their lives, their feelings, are experienced as if they were your own. There is no moving past these characters. They brand you, and that is that. You are theirs and they are yours.
ANOTHER LEVEL. I’m telling you that this is one of the BEST READS OF 2019! Broken Knight will throw you into a MAJOR book hangover. It’s unforgettable. A book that will break you, heal you, haunt you, and emotionally move you! I will NEVER be over it. And I can’t wait for more from L.J. Shen!
PS: Broken Knight can technically be read as a standalone, however, I implore you to go and read the Sinners of Saint Series first and then dive into the All Saint High Series. This world of characters is a journey, it’s powerful and passionate and angsty and real and beautiful. Read them all and in order, IMO!
August 17, 2019
Ladies and gentlemen, may I please introduce you to the best book of the year! L.J. Shen has left me in utter devastation and wonder after the experience that was reading Broken Knight. I wish I could read it for the first time over and over again. This book is beyond worthy of all the buzz surrounding it and more.
Broken Knight is exactly the reason I love to lose myself in romance novels. It is exquisitely written, heart achingly real, overflowing with emotions, all entwined brilliantly into an unforgettable romance that sears itself onto your heart. Knight Cole and Luna Rexroth’s story is one of those few books that you will recall years down the line and still be in complete awe.
Stunning, unforgettable perfection. There aren’t enough stars for this book.
Broken Knight is exactly the reason I love to lose myself in romance novels. It is exquisitely written, heart achingly real, overflowing with emotions, all entwined brilliantly into an unforgettable romance that sears itself onto your heart. Knight Cole and Luna Rexroth’s story is one of those few books that you will recall years down the line and still be in complete awe.
Stunning, unforgettable perfection. There aren’t enough stars for this book.
August 17, 2019
I... what... LJ Shen just... OMG... I love this book so much, hands down the greatest book leigh has ever created!
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
I just wanna start by saying no matter how many words I put into this review it will never EVER be enough to perfectly describe just how incredible this book is. My words won’t be able to do it any justice but I’ll try my hardest to come close.
Knight and Luna are so much more than I could ever imagine. They’re both broken in similar yet different ways. They’re best friends with a connection so intense you could just melt. Once you meet them, you fall. Once you get to know them and read their story you fall so hard you don’t know if you’ll ever get back up. Their friendship is one every person should have at least once in their life. It’s beautiful and pure and absolutely mesmerising, I just omg. Luna and Knight are without a doubt my favourite characters. Trent has always been and will forever be my favourite hothole but his daughter, oh my god. I love her so much.
The storyline blew me away, seriously. I’m a lover of this author’s books but wow, this book was just so much more than the others.
Did I cry? I sure did.
Did I laugh? Hell Yeah.
Did I feel so many emotions I couldn’t deal? YES YES AND YES.
I was an absolute mess throughout the whole book.
LJ is truly a phenomenal writer. She outdoes herself on every new release especially this one. She has a way of making you feel every possible emotion possible and loving every second of it.
BK hooked me, consumed me and took over every single thought in my mind. It’s so much more than anyone could ever imagine. I will forever remember this moment, the first time reading this book it was an experience I’ll never forget.
Broken Knight is heartbreaking, angsty and packed full of emotions. It’s RAW and beautiful and one you’re going to want to read. It’s a story of love, forgiveness and friendships.
Hands down THE BEST BOOK OF 2019
ARC received in exchange for an honest review
I just wanna start by saying no matter how many words I put into this review it will never EVER be enough to perfectly describe just how incredible this book is. My words won’t be able to do it any justice but I’ll try my hardest to come close.
Knight and Luna are so much more than I could ever imagine. They’re both broken in similar yet different ways. They’re best friends with a connection so intense you could just melt. Once you meet them, you fall. Once you get to know them and read their story you fall so hard you don’t know if you’ll ever get back up. Their friendship is one every person should have at least once in their life. It’s beautiful and pure and absolutely mesmerising, I just omg. Luna and Knight are without a doubt my favourite characters. Trent has always been and will forever be my favourite hothole but his daughter, oh my god. I love her so much.
The storyline blew me away, seriously. I’m a lover of this author’s books but wow, this book was just so much more than the others.
Did I cry? I sure did.
Did I laugh? Hell Yeah.
Did I feel so many emotions I couldn’t deal? YES YES AND YES.
I was an absolute mess throughout the whole book.
LJ is truly a phenomenal writer. She outdoes herself on every new release especially this one. She has a way of making you feel every possible emotion possible and loving every second of it.
BK hooked me, consumed me and took over every single thought in my mind. It’s so much more than anyone could ever imagine. I will forever remember this moment, the first time reading this book it was an experience I’ll never forget.
Broken Knight is heartbreaking, angsty and packed full of emotions. It’s RAW and beautiful and one you’re going to want to read. It’s a story of love, forgiveness and friendships.
Hands down THE BEST BOOK OF 2019
October 12, 2020
Updated: 12 October , 2020
This picture reminds me of Knight and Luna
I love #Lunight so much it hurts 😢💝
♠♠♠5♠♠
GAME OF MIND
Yay I am alive but not kicking
And my mood is as bright and beautiful as Hurricane ☺
Well that was untill Epilogue 😁 💝
You thought I will be writing a review?
Not today Sherlock 😎
I am writing warnings today
Million bucks question
What kind of sane person inflict pain on herself? That too willingly?
------Well then I am not sane and It's been proved by reading this
*LITTLE BOOK OF DEVIL*
But It's not bad at all, on the contrary it's BRILLIANT if you are okay to endure some severe mental pain, angst and heart ache
I am not even exaggerating I felt like throwing up in the middle of reading the book
I couldn’t even cry at first, I just felt numb I was beyond devastated.
My Heart ached
for Luna
for Knight
for Dean and Rose
It's a torture to read for the people with weak heart and emotional BS like me...
It's a mind fuckery
Sue me 😑 for reading it.
Another humble piece of dark romance had been served 😖
Phew I didn't get a stomach bug
And I managed to survive
I am an extremely emotional person
If I say fictional characters affects me more than Human, will u believe me?
Because that is my case!
It was too much, This kinda of emotions last time I experienced when I read a certain Jay McLean book
But this one is lot more worse. Instead of breaking my heart this book shred my heart piece by piece 😑
This time L.J played me
I felt tortured
I Felt pure agony I didn't even understand it myself how a mere book can have this kinda effect on me!
.
You need to keep an open mind, keep the judgments, morals, ethics in your pocket, if you are going to read this book lets make this clear first
Taboo is not invited here
It is shady as hell that much I can say
Also you have to endure-
♣Heart break
♣Pure Mind F**k
♣ Complexities at It's best
♣"Said Revenge"
♣Master of miscommunication
I Have a guilty confession to make if I were Luna I would've done the exact same things she had done. Unfortunately I understood the mistakes she made, I felt her insecurity.
And Knight is the sweetest of all the sweethearts out there ( I know Mr.Knight it is too feminine compliment for Knight Senior 😂 but suck it up dude) He is the most purest douchebag I've ever met 💕
Especial mention -Though Rosie failed as a heroine for me but she was a win win as a mother
The sort of misery the book had Moonshine and Knight were just victims of the situation and fate and miscommunication of course. In their Defense both of them are teenagers.
Only consolation is that they didn’t waste time 💝 they fought 🌼🌼🌼🌼
Also I am immensely thankful for the healthy dose of laughter I was getting throughout the book otherwise I might have got a coronary 🙂 or a Panic Attack 🙃 by now
Ha ha Jokes on me!
I am not going to recommend this book
I am giving y'all "Benefit of Doubt "
PS-
Knight Jameson Cole
He has tattoos and piercings 😶
WHAT!!!!!!
Just sayinggggggg 💃💃💃
This picture reminds me of Knight and Luna
I love #Lunight so much it hurts 😢💝
"If you think you’ve found something good without anything bad in it,
it just means you haven’t examined it close enough.”-Rosie
♠♠♠5♠♠
GAME OF MIND
Yay I am alive but not kicking
And my mood is as bright and beautiful as Hurricane ☺
Well that was untill Epilogue 😁 💝
You thought I will be writing a review?
Not today Sherlock 😎
I am writing warnings today
Million bucks question
What kind of sane person inflict pain on herself? That too willingly?
------Well then I am not sane and It's been proved by reading this
*LITTLE BOOK OF DEVIL*
But It's not bad at all, on the contrary it's BRILLIANT if you are okay to endure some severe mental pain, angst and heart ache
I am not even exaggerating I felt like throwing up in the middle of reading the book
I couldn’t even cry at first, I just felt numb I was beyond devastated.
My Heart ached
for Luna
for Knight
for Dean and Rose
It's a torture to read for the people with weak heart and emotional BS like me...
It's a mind fuckery
Sue me 😑 for reading it.
Another humble piece of dark romance had been served 😖
Phew I didn't get a stomach bug
And I managed to survive
I am an extremely emotional person
If I say fictional characters affects me more than Human, will u believe me?
Because that is my case!
It was too much, This kinda of emotions last time I experienced when I read a certain Jay McLean book
But this one is lot more worse. Instead of breaking my heart this book shred my heart piece by piece 😑
This time L.J played me
I felt tortured
I Felt pure agony I didn't even understand it myself how a mere book can have this kinda effect on me!
.
You need to keep an open mind, keep the judgments, morals, ethics in your pocket, if you are going to read this book lets make this clear first
Taboo is not invited here
It is shady as hell that much I can say
Also you have to endure-
♣Heart break
♣Pure Mind F**k
♣ Complexities at It's best
♣"Said Revenge"
♣Master of miscommunication
I Have a guilty confession to make if I were Luna I would've done the exact same things she had done. Unfortunately I understood the mistakes she made, I felt her insecurity.
And Knight is the sweetest of all the sweethearts out there ( I know Mr.Knight it is too feminine compliment for Knight Senior 😂 but suck it up dude) He is the most purest douchebag I've ever met 💕
Especial mention -Though Rosie failed as a heroine for me but she was a win win as a mother
The sort of misery the book had Moonshine and Knight were just victims of the situation and fate and miscommunication of course. In their Defense both of them are teenagers.
Only consolation is that they didn’t waste time 💝 they fought 🌼🌼🌼🌼
"She drew me into a hug.
I sank into her arms.
I didn’t want to kiss her.
I wanted to zip open my skin
and
tuck her into me.
Hide her from the world
and
keep her mine."
Also I am immensely thankful for the healthy dose of laughter I was getting throughout the book otherwise I might have got a coronary 🙂 or a Panic Attack 🙃 by now
Ha ha Jokes on me!
I am not going to recommend this book
I am giving y'all "Benefit of Doubt "
PS-
Knight Jameson Cole
He has tattoos and piercings 😶
WHAT!!!!!!
Just sayinggggggg 💃💃💃
February 9, 2020
#TeamLunight!
Such an awesome book! They have known each other all of their lives. Best friends and neighbors. Everyone expected them to be together. Though something always keeps them apart. The story is heartwarming, tragic, and also hilarious. It has both characters breaking each other’s hearts, and mine broke too every time they hurt each other. Knight Cole and Luna Rexroth are definitely meant to be together.
Both of them have major abandonment issues and insecurities. Luna hasn’t spoken since her birth mother left her when she was less than two years old. She speaks in sign language when she speaks at all. Knight and Vaughn are her only friends. Vaughn, Knight and Hunter are the kings of All Saints High and are major players. While Luna is often off on her own because she doesn’t fit in with the rest of the student body since she is silent. Though if anyone picks on her, Knight is her protector, and has been since they were young children.
It is apparent that Knight and Luna have loved each other since they were young, and that their families and friends expect them to end up with each other. However they each have insecurities that won’t allow them to just come out and say how they feel. Luna is afraid she will never measure up to the girls Knight hooks up with and Knight has tried to kiss Luna a few times, only to have things go wrong or to be rebuffed and he is afraid to put himself out there again.
I’m not going to go too deeply into the story other than to say that it is awesome! I love the obstacles in the way of the relationship, the jealousy, the fact that they are each other’s “Ride or Die”. There are several side storylines that fit together nicely with the main story. The side storylines mainly have to do with their parents but they all tie in to Knight and Luna’s insecurities and abandonment issues.
The supporting characters include the Luna and Knights families as well as the other families in their neighborhood. The parents are the same couples that featured in the Sinners of Saints series. Luna Rexroth is the daughter of Trent Rexroth and a fling her had. Her name was Valencia and she took off when Luna was a baby. Trent met Edie, a 19 year old when Trent was 33, they married and raised Luna together and had a second child named Racer. Trent and Edie’s romance was in the book “Scandalous”.
Knights parents are Dean and Rosie Cole from the book “Ruckus”. Knight is adopted, then his parents had biological child, Levy. Vaughn is a moody character who acts like doesn’t care about anything except his Art, he is the only child of Baron “Vicious” Spencer and Emilia, who is the sister of Rosie Cole. Daria And Penn from the book “Pretty Reckless”, also make a few appearances in this book. Daria’s Parents Melody and Jamie had a forbidden (student/teacher) romance in the book, “Defy”.
The supporting characters are all completely fleshed out and well developed and L.J. Shen has alludes to or shows the beginnings of some romances that will occur in the upcoming books. The next book features Vaughn Spencer and he is quite the mysterious character so that book should be great. The best thing about this book is despite the rocky and sometimes heartbreaking road to romance between Knight and Luna as well as the deep and tormenting issues that they both face, there is still so much humor in this book that I was laughing and highlighting things the entire time. Knights inner commentary is especially hilarious. Both Knight and Luna are lovable characters.
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Such an awesome book! They have known each other all of their lives. Best friends and neighbors. Everyone expected them to be together. Though something always keeps them apart. The story is heartwarming, tragic, and also hilarious. It has both characters breaking each other’s hearts, and mine broke too every time they hurt each other. Knight Cole and Luna Rexroth are definitely meant to be together.
Both of them have major abandonment issues and insecurities. Luna hasn’t spoken since her birth mother left her when she was less than two years old. She speaks in sign language when she speaks at all. Knight and Vaughn are her only friends. Vaughn, Knight and Hunter are the kings of All Saints High and are major players. While Luna is often off on her own because she doesn’t fit in with the rest of the student body since she is silent. Though if anyone picks on her, Knight is her protector, and has been since they were young children.
“Since that day, I’d become what they call a selective mute. Meaning I could speak, but I chose not to. Which, of course, was real stupid, since I didn’t want to be different. I simply was. My not speaking wasn’t a choice as much as it was a phobia. I’d been diagnosed with severe social anxiety and attended therapy twice a week since babyhood. Usually, selective mutism means a person can speak in certain situations where they feel comfortable. Not me.”
It is apparent that Knight and Luna have loved each other since they were young, and that their families and friends expect them to end up with each other. However they each have insecurities that won’t allow them to just come out and say how they feel. Luna is afraid she will never measure up to the girls Knight hooks up with and Knight has tried to kiss Luna a few times, only to have things go wrong or to be rebuffed and he is afraid to put himself out there again.
“Kiss Numero Dos occurred when I was fourteen and had a pretty good grasp of the fact that my cock liked Luna just as much as the rest of me. By then I’d learned a bunch of tricks to avoid attacking her with it, especially since we slept together every night.”
I’m not going to go too deeply into the story other than to say that it is awesome! I love the obstacles in the way of the relationship, the jealousy, the fact that they are each other’s “Ride or Die”. There are several side storylines that fit together nicely with the main story. The side storylines mainly have to do with their parents but they all tie in to Knight and Luna’s insecurities and abandonment issues.
The supporting characters include the Luna and Knights families as well as the other families in their neighborhood. The parents are the same couples that featured in the Sinners of Saints series. Luna Rexroth is the daughter of Trent Rexroth and a fling her had. Her name was Valencia and she took off when Luna was a baby. Trent met Edie, a 19 year old when Trent was 33, they married and raised Luna together and had a second child named Racer. Trent and Edie’s romance was in the book “Scandalous”.
Knights parents are Dean and Rosie Cole from the book “Ruckus”. Knight is adopted, then his parents had biological child, Levy. Vaughn is a moody character who acts like doesn’t care about anything except his Art, he is the only child of Baron “Vicious” Spencer and Emilia, who is the sister of Rosie Cole. Daria And Penn from the book “Pretty Reckless”, also make a few appearances in this book. Daria’s Parents Melody and Jamie had a forbidden (student/teacher) romance in the book, “Defy”.
The supporting characters are all completely fleshed out and well developed and L.J. Shen has alludes to or shows the beginnings of some romances that will occur in the upcoming books. The next book features Vaughn Spencer and he is quite the mysterious character so that book should be great. The best thing about this book is despite the rocky and sometimes heartbreaking road to romance between Knight and Luna as well as the deep and tormenting issues that they both face, there is still so much humor in this book that I was laughing and highlighting things the entire time. Knights inner commentary is especially hilarious. Both Knight and Luna are lovable characters.
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September 8, 2019
5+ Ride or Die Stars
I don't know what to say about this book. I am at a loss for words at how this book, with all its pretty words, affected my life. My soul, really. So, here I am, laying it all out.
This book will forever go down as one of the very few books that I will NEVER forget. This book is right below Making Faces for me, which I read years ago and still cry about. It left beautiful scars that I will look back on and remember every emotion these characters brought out in me. There are several issues addressed in this book, and every single one of them was written with truth and grace. How this author can layer these characters to a point that you forget they are not real people is beyond me.
Ms. Shen didn't simply write a book. She poured her heart and soul out on these pages. And it shows. As I sit here writing my review for this heartbreakingly amazing book, I have tears streaming down my face. Tears that cry for everything this book is. The loyal friends, the utter devastation heartbreak brings and the cherished childhood memories that will never be forgotten while making new ones. Ride or Die.
To be honest, I didn't expect to love this book as much as I do or for it to affect me as much as it has. This book gave me allllll the feels! One of the best books I've read this year. All of her characters are phenomenal, but these two hold a special place in my heart.
I don't know what to say about this book. I am at a loss for words at how this book, with all its pretty words, affected my life. My soul, really. So, here I am, laying it all out.
This book will forever go down as one of the very few books that I will NEVER forget. This book is right below Making Faces for me, which I read years ago and still cry about. It left beautiful scars that I will look back on and remember every emotion these characters brought out in me. There are several issues addressed in this book, and every single one of them was written with truth and grace. How this author can layer these characters to a point that you forget they are not real people is beyond me.
Ms. Shen didn't simply write a book. She poured her heart and soul out on these pages. And it shows. As I sit here writing my review for this heartbreakingly amazing book, I have tears streaming down my face. Tears that cry for everything this book is. The loyal friends, the utter devastation heartbreak brings and the cherished childhood memories that will never be forgotten while making new ones. Ride or Die.
To be honest, I didn't expect to love this book as much as I do or for it to affect me as much as it has. This book gave me allllll the feels! One of the best books I've read this year. All of her characters are phenomenal, but these two hold a special place in my heart.
February 7, 2020
Ohhh this book ......
I always say, that if a book can make me feel...especially many different feelings... it is what I love the most. Now this book definitely made me feel, many many different feelings, but the one that stood out for me was heartbreak.
Now I really did enjoy Luna and Knight's part of this book. Even though the back and forth drove me batshit crazy, and the teenage angst was trying to drown me ...I am an angst-junkie, so I can take it :P
What I could not take was the sadness this book left me with. What I found even harder to take was how, at the end, the author tries to make a bit of light out of darkness...which, unfortunately for me, did not work, it only made me sadder.
Now I am trying to keep this review spoiler-free, but I am afraid, I have to give some things away, to explain myself...If you don't want to read any spoilers about this book...please skip my review ...or better yet skip all of them, and just jump in ;) It is the best way to read a book after all !!
Ruckus is one of my absolute favorite books by this author. I think (even despite me being heartbroken right now) it always will be. So even though the couple in this book (Luna and Knight) got their awesome HEA (which I insist I get when reading a book), my all-time favorite couple out of this series, lost theirs. Which in turn leaves me heartbroken...
Now I understand this had to happen...but I just didn't want to be a witness to it (I know naive right). It has been a day since I finished this book and I kept waking up in the middle of the night because I was still so upset. Silly I know, but that is how much of an impact it had on me. That is how much I love Dean and baby LeBlanc ..... A love for the ages...
What made it the hardest for me though, is that I could get where this story was going...it was always going to go there... But Dixie....NO WAY !!!! That part made me sick to my stomach and it made me scared for the future.
Now as far as Luna and Knight's story goes...I enjoyed it. I also love this author's writing style. So even though things happen in this book that broke my heart and that I have trouble with accepting. We just can't love them all the same and I just want to keep loving Ruckus...
I have read that some will never be able to read Ruckus again, but I think re-reading it, for me is the only way to get rid of this sad feeling I now have inside... I just keep flashing back to the part where baby LeBlanc said she was scared.... and I can't stop crying...
So you can understand how conflicted I am about rating this one... I can give it 5 stars for making it one of the most emotional books I have ever read.... Or 1 star for making me so completely miserable. I am going with half. I am giving it 3, because I do love this author and her books. But I will never ever re-read this one.
I have very high hopes for Vaughn's book ...
I always say, that if a book can make me feel...especially many different feelings... it is what I love the most. Now this book definitely made me feel, many many different feelings, but the one that stood out for me was heartbreak.
Now I really did enjoy Luna and Knight's part of this book. Even though the back and forth drove me batshit crazy, and the teenage angst was trying to drown me ...I am an angst-junkie, so I can take it :P
What I could not take was the sadness this book left me with. What I found even harder to take was how, at the end, the author tries to make a bit of light out of darkness...which, unfortunately for me, did not work, it only made me sadder.
Now I am trying to keep this review spoiler-free, but I am afraid, I have to give some things away, to explain myself...If you don't want to read any spoilers about this book...please skip my review ...or better yet skip all of them, and just jump in ;) It is the best way to read a book after all !!
Ruckus is one of my absolute favorite books by this author. I think (even despite me being heartbroken right now) it always will be. So even though the couple in this book (Luna and Knight) got their awesome HEA (which I insist I get when reading a book), my all-time favorite couple out of this series, lost theirs. Which in turn leaves me heartbroken...
Now I understand this had to happen...but I just didn't want to be a witness to it (I know naive right). It has been a day since I finished this book and I kept waking up in the middle of the night because I was still so upset. Silly I know, but that is how much of an impact it had on me. That is how much I love Dean and baby LeBlanc ..... A love for the ages...
What made it the hardest for me though, is that I could get where this story was going...it was always going to go there... But Dixie....NO WAY !!!! That part made me sick to my stomach and it made me scared for the future.
Now as far as Luna and Knight's story goes...I enjoyed it. I also love this author's writing style. So even though things happen in this book that broke my heart and that I have trouble with accepting. We just can't love them all the same and I just want to keep loving Ruckus...
I have read that some will never be able to read Ruckus again, but I think re-reading it, for me is the only way to get rid of this sad feeling I now have inside... I just keep flashing back to the part where baby LeBlanc said she was scared.... and I can't stop crying...
So you can understand how conflicted I am about rating this one... I can give it 5 stars for making it one of the most emotional books I have ever read.... Or 1 star for making me so completely miserable. I am going with half. I am giving it 3, because I do love this author and her books. But I will never ever re-read this one.
I have very high hopes for Vaughn's book ...
December 3, 2025
Much awaited, much anticipated and ultimately exceeding expectations, this book crossed way above the hype to deliver in spades.
This book once again proves why Shen is the undisputed queen of Angsty Romances with lovable A- double S-holes. Her uninhibited style of writing isn't shy of baring the fangs and her characters' ability to hurt is legendary. They're Alpha Holes for a reason. All her previous heroes have been Demi-Gods with entitled upbringing in Todos Santos. They moved like untouchable legends amidst mortals in the halls of All Saints High
Shen takes centerstage once again as she shines the spotlight on the next generation of our favorite families. I think this may be her first book that made me weep. The last thing you would expect is poignancy in HotHoles or TotHoles books but Leigh manages to surprise you with the unthinkable fete. I wept at the heartwrenching plot-twist that was expected, but still punches the gut with a ferocity that left a hole in my heart. Here Shen shows her true worth as a writer. She doesn't rely on unexpected miracles to save the day or change the constitution of the sharp tongued characters to make them deal with it.
She keeps them human, which makes us readers obliged.
Life in its raw and real self is laid bare, nobody escapes unscathed and everybody deals it in their own way. Except the readers who cry and wail at the unfairness of it all.
Cèst La Vie en Leigh! For that alone this book deserves special star and the writer- all the deserved accolades.
So how does she make love sprout and grow in such hostile and artificial environment?
“It started with an abandoned toddler in a soiled diaper, but the plot twist was a boy with busted knuckles and a heart of gold…”
Knight Cole is the latest hothole of next Gen in this long line of celebrated heavyweights. Carved out with abrasive attitude and brillo-pad personality, he shines with all the spotlight on him. Wearing a cloak of indifference and a crown of football captain Superstar he basks in the fake "sunshine"
Inside he's a broken boy with a vulnerable heart, hurting and screaming silently. Fighting against fate, he stumbles and falls many times, scraping his heart every time.
His opposite is a shy, optional mute girl who as been with him since they were four
Luna Rexroth is his neighbor, confidante, soul mate, friend, bouncing board and moral compass all rolled in one. She's EVERYTHING Daria Fellow hill was not. Embracing, courageous, generous and loyal to a fault, they are like fire and water.
Their story is volatile at best, going through more upheavals than an ocean bed after a tsunami.
There's forever action happening and mostly for the worse. Scathing retorts slash open chests, burning words char the hearts, flaming sentiments burn the bridges and vengeful spurned love breaks the ribcage to pulls out hearts and crush it in the fist
It's inflamed, it's hurting, it's debilitating. The entire story keeps you on tenterhooks and fast turning the pages. Heavily pregnant with extreme emotions, these people will make you FEEL in caps!!!
One peculiar thing I noticed was that Luna is named very significantly. She invokes powerful love and equally powerful resentment in Knight like the forever pulling and receding tides. But as moon shines in the night, Luna shines only for her Knight from New Moon to Full Moon.
“Moonshine,”
“You fill up the empty, dark space—like the moon owns the sky. It is quiet. It is bright. It doesn’t need to be a ball of flame to be noticed. It simply exists. It forever glows.”
I think this is the most turbulent of love stories in this entire series. And that's saying something after Vicious!! I loved Vicious walking in and out, Vaughan teased with his presence a lot and I'll be looking forward to his story next.
The whole book is breathtaking, I mean literally, you can't breathe, so thick and potent are the feelings and there are like a gazillion of them.
There's every conceivable colour in human spectrum present.
Angst, love, lust, heartbreak, loss, pride, abandonment, revenge, spite, bullying and there's also tenderness, Loyalty, gratitude, forgiveness and brotherhood.
It hurts and heals at the right places, makes you laugh and cry at the appropriate scenes and you feel complete after you finish it
A complete pot boiler that entertains. All you need is a popcorn and a Michael Jackson meme eating them
5 stars for #LuKnight spirit of Ride Or Die
Follow me on:
Email🌻 Bookbub 🌻 Twitter🌻 Instagram🌻 Blog🌻 Facebook🌻 Amazon 🌻 TikTok 🌻 StoryGraph 🌻 YouTube 🌻
This book once again proves why Shen is the undisputed queen of Angsty Romances with lovable A- double S-holes. Her uninhibited style of writing isn't shy of baring the fangs and her characters' ability to hurt is legendary. They're Alpha Holes for a reason. All her previous heroes have been Demi-Gods with entitled upbringing in Todos Santos. They moved like untouchable legends amidst mortals in the halls of All Saints High
Shen takes centerstage once again as she shines the spotlight on the next generation of our favorite families. I think this may be her first book that made me weep. The last thing you would expect is poignancy in HotHoles or TotHoles books but Leigh manages to surprise you with the unthinkable fete. I wept at the heartwrenching plot-twist that was expected, but still punches the gut with a ferocity that left a hole in my heart. Here Shen shows her true worth as a writer. She doesn't rely on unexpected miracles to save the day or change the constitution of the sharp tongued characters to make them deal with it.
She keeps them human, which makes us readers obliged.
Life in its raw and real self is laid bare, nobody escapes unscathed and everybody deals it in their own way. Except the readers who cry and wail at the unfairness of it all.
Cèst La Vie en Leigh! For that alone this book deserves special star and the writer- all the deserved accolades.
So how does she make love sprout and grow in such hostile and artificial environment?
“It started with an abandoned toddler in a soiled diaper, but the plot twist was a boy with busted knuckles and a heart of gold…”
Knight Cole is the latest hothole of next Gen in this long line of celebrated heavyweights. Carved out with abrasive attitude and brillo-pad personality, he shines with all the spotlight on him. Wearing a cloak of indifference and a crown of football captain Superstar he basks in the fake "sunshine"
Inside he's a broken boy with a vulnerable heart, hurting and screaming silently. Fighting against fate, he stumbles and falls many times, scraping his heart every time.
His opposite is a shy, optional mute girl who as been with him since they were four
Luna Rexroth is his neighbor, confidante, soul mate, friend, bouncing board and moral compass all rolled in one. She's EVERYTHING Daria Fellow hill was not. Embracing, courageous, generous and loyal to a fault, they are like fire and water.
Their story is volatile at best, going through more upheavals than an ocean bed after a tsunami.
There's forever action happening and mostly for the worse. Scathing retorts slash open chests, burning words char the hearts, flaming sentiments burn the bridges and vengeful spurned love breaks the ribcage to pulls out hearts and crush it in the fist
It's inflamed, it's hurting, it's debilitating. The entire story keeps you on tenterhooks and fast turning the pages. Heavily pregnant with extreme emotions, these people will make you FEEL in caps!!!
One peculiar thing I noticed was that Luna is named very significantly. She invokes powerful love and equally powerful resentment in Knight like the forever pulling and receding tides. But as moon shines in the night, Luna shines only for her Knight from New Moon to Full Moon.
“Moonshine,”
“You fill up the empty, dark space—like the moon owns the sky. It is quiet. It is bright. It doesn’t need to be a ball of flame to be noticed. It simply exists. It forever glows.”
I think this is the most turbulent of love stories in this entire series. And that's saying something after Vicious!! I loved Vicious walking in and out, Vaughan teased with his presence a lot and I'll be looking forward to his story next.
The whole book is breathtaking, I mean literally, you can't breathe, so thick and potent are the feelings and there are like a gazillion of them.
There's every conceivable colour in human spectrum present.
Angst, love, lust, heartbreak, loss, pride, abandonment, revenge, spite, bullying and there's also tenderness, Loyalty, gratitude, forgiveness and brotherhood.
It hurts and heals at the right places, makes you laugh and cry at the appropriate scenes and you feel complete after you finish it
A complete pot boiler that entertains. All you need is a popcorn and a Michael Jackson meme eating them
5 stars for #LuKnight spirit of Ride Or Die
Follow me on:
Email🌻 Bookbub 🌻 Twitter🌻 Instagram🌻 Blog🌻 Facebook🌻 Amazon 🌻 TikTok 🌻 StoryGraph 🌻 YouTube 🌻
February 10, 2020
LJ really just had to go there, huh?
I'm too angry and disappointed to write a full review. I honestly don't know if I ever will. I knew what to expect but still, this book fucking sucks.
I'm too angry and disappointed to write a full review. I honestly don't know if I ever will. I knew what to expect but still, this book fucking sucks.
August 20, 2019
Tree houses
On my God where do I start?? I started this book with the idea of reading a few pages then going to bed. Ok didn't happen. It's 10:48 am. I guess ill sleep later. I had and still have such weird feelings floating in my head. There is happiness,sadness, anguish, misery, and defeat. I'm reading along when this happens then the unthinkable. Why knight?? Luna oh my god. And the last chapter. Holy shit.
On my God where do I start?? I started this book with the idea of reading a few pages then going to bed. Ok didn't happen. It's 10:48 am. I guess ill sleep later. I had and still have such weird feelings floating in my head. There is happiness,sadness, anguish, misery, and defeat. I'm reading along when this happens then the unthinkable. Why knight?? Luna oh my god. And the last chapter. Holy shit.
August 19, 2019
It was a tumultuous journey, but I actually finished Broken Knight. I was really considering to stop reading this because my fucking heart was filled with so much rage. Am I surprised? Hell no, I mean it is a LJ Shen book after all. Don't get me wrong, I was consumed by everything in this book - maybe a bit too much at times. I cried so hard, from start till finish. From the expected parts to the unexpected parts.
I don't know how to rate this book. I enjoyed so many parts but overall, I was fucking pissed throughout it all. Broken Knight stressed me out onto a whole new fucking level. I don't know how I got through this without breaking something because omg the fucking drama was endless. DRAMA FOR THE SAKE OF DRAMA? Are you fucking kidding me? I wanted to slap Knight for getting mad over Luna giving her virginity to someone else. He felt betrayed and hurt? That's on him, he paraded so many girls in front of luna, how was she to know he was waiting for her. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST FUCKING COMMUNICATE. I hate these storylines when everything could have been solved from one simple conversation. Make it make sense, please. So much unnecessary drama is so off-putting in a book. Also, why is it when a girl has sex with someone else, the hero gets so fucking mad even though they are not in a relationship and goes on a rampage. But when it's the other way round, the girl just gets over it so quick in a book? Sometimes, it's not even addressed and I'm very fucking sure this was the case in Pretty Reckless. Honestly, what the fuck is that about? And why is it in every one of the authors books, every single one of her heros have slept or had copious amounts of women around them, kissing them in front of the h etc., and they don't even get that big of a heartfelt apology over it. It's always some stupid excuse. Boys will be boys, yeah? Just stop with this please.
Let's not forget Poppy. Most pathetic character I've EVER come across and that's saying something. She took him back after witnessing him kissing Luna because she 'loved' him. I felt sick. AND why the fuck did she get a nickname. SUNSHINE. What the fuck was about? Knight called her sunshine even when Luna wasn't around. I'm sorry but that's fucking rude and disloyal. He called Luna, Moonshine - that was their thing. Fucking Dixie thought that was Luna's name too. So why would the author take something so meaningful and just fucking ruin it like that. Can someone honestly explain this to me because I do not fucking get it. And now I'm fucking fuming all over again.
Oh yeah, they really got the girls to line up so they can choose who they want to sleep with and these girls really accepted this with giggles and hearts in their eyes. It's disgusting, is that suppose to be attractive? It's so casually demeaning. Are we suppose to dismiss this disgusting scene because i'm tired of this shit.
I think I could have really loved this book if it went in a different direction, hopefully Angry God will be better. AND I know the next one is going to be another enemies to lovers but I hope it's less problematic with no fucking cheating and less of the manwhore fucking ways. Because i'm tired of this bullfuckingshit.
I don't know how to rate this book. I enjoyed so many parts but overall, I was fucking pissed throughout it all. Broken Knight stressed me out onto a whole new fucking level. I don't know how I got through this without breaking something because omg the fucking drama was endless. DRAMA FOR THE SAKE OF DRAMA? Are you fucking kidding me? I wanted to slap Knight for getting mad over Luna giving her virginity to someone else. He felt betrayed and hurt? That's on him, he paraded so many girls in front of luna, how was she to know he was waiting for her. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST FUCKING COMMUNICATE. I hate these storylines when everything could have been solved from one simple conversation. Make it make sense, please. So much unnecessary drama is so off-putting in a book. Also, why is it when a girl has sex with someone else, the hero gets so fucking mad even though they are not in a relationship and goes on a rampage. But when it's the other way round, the girl just gets over it so quick in a book? Sometimes, it's not even addressed and I'm very fucking sure this was the case in Pretty Reckless. Honestly, what the fuck is that about? And why is it in every one of the authors books, every single one of her heros have slept or had copious amounts of women around them, kissing them in front of the h etc., and they don't even get that big of a heartfelt apology over it. It's always some stupid excuse. Boys will be boys, yeah? Just stop with this please.
Let's not forget Poppy. Most pathetic character I've EVER come across and that's saying something. She took him back after witnessing him kissing Luna because she 'loved' him. I felt sick. AND why the fuck did she get a nickname. SUNSHINE. What the fuck was about? Knight called her sunshine even when Luna wasn't around. I'm sorry but that's fucking rude and disloyal. He called Luna, Moonshine - that was their thing. Fucking Dixie thought that was Luna's name too. So why would the author take something so meaningful and just fucking ruin it like that. Can someone honestly explain this to me because I do not fucking get it. And now I'm fucking fuming all over again.
Oh yeah, they really got the girls to line up so they can choose who they want to sleep with and these girls really accepted this with giggles and hearts in their eyes. It's disgusting, is that suppose to be attractive? It's so casually demeaning. Are we suppose to dismiss this disgusting scene because i'm tired of this shit.
I think I could have really loved this book if it went in a different direction, hopefully Angry God will be better. AND I know the next one is going to be another enemies to lovers but I hope it's less problematic with no fucking cheating and less of the manwhore fucking ways. Because i'm tired of this bullfuckingshit.
October 20, 2021
“Ride or die,” he whispered. “Ride.” I closed my eyes, smiling. “Always ride.”
What can say, it’s been almost a week since I read it and I’m still thinking about it! Broken Knight is just full of so many wonderful moments, and it is those moments that make this book so special and memorable.
“There were two Knight Coles. One was mine. The other everyone else’s. And although he always spent recess with me, continuously protected me, forever treated me like a queen, I knew he was everyone’s king, and I only reigned in a small part of his life.”
I want to start by saying that LJ Shen is one of those authors that have exponentially grown on me. And I totally mean it. I think her writing just keeps getting better and better and I’ve definitely become a fan. Like a huge fan, no lie.
“I didn’t want to kiss her. I wanted to zip open my skin and tuck her into me. Hide her from the world and keep her mine.”
I think that in order to enjoy this book the most, you should 1) go blind (stay away from spoilers!) 2) have read Pretty Reckless 3) have read the Sinners of Saints books (at least Ruckus). This is definitely not a standalone, don’t even attempt to just jump in cause you’ll be very very lost. But because I think you should go in blind, I will be extra vague with this review and will just tell you what I loved.
“Always. Whenever. Forever,” he mouthed, his lips still on mine. I decided to complete his sentence, the way I’d imagined it in my head so many years ago. “I choose you.”
I loved this, a lot. This books was full of so many remarkable moments. And I felt so much while reading it. And that to me is what makes a book totally special. I think what I loved the most about Broken Knight was that Leigh kept it real. The teenagers acted like teenagers, with messes and mistakes and real life situations. Speaking of keeping it real, let’s talk about the big pink elephant in the room. I personally think it needed to happen. I think had that not happen, the author would’ve lost a lot of credibility with many. I commend her for having the balls to keep it realistic. That’s exactly what I admire. And that’s all I have to say about that.
“I’ve always loved you just a tiny bit more. My regal, rebel boy. My legendary hellraiser, my sad prince, my unlikely savior, my beautiful, broken Knight.”
Overall, I liked Pretty Reckless more but this was definitely a solid book. I love Knight a lot, way more than Luna. And while their love story was not quite what I expected, it was still very well executed. And all the Dean and Rosie was also amazing. I did wish there would’ve been some Trent and Edie (my BAEs) chapters. I loved the gang, especially Vaughn. I have a feeling his book will be epic, and I can’t wait to get my grabby hands on it. I absolutely recommend this series, NA with an edge. I’m all up for it!
“Anyway, to your request—your quite reasonable request, milady—I assure you, I love you. I’m in love with you. I’m crazy about you. Have been since age four. It was always you. Never someone else. Not even for a fleeting moment. Not even when I dreamed of moving on from you. Even when I hated you—or when I thought I did—I knew we’d be together. I knew. Our love always had a pulse. Sometimes it was faint. Sometimes it was beating so hard I couldn’t hear anything else. But it would never die. It can’t. I won’t let it.”
nope-not-on-your-chinny-chin-chin
August 31, 2019Refuse to read because
a) From what I've gathered she turns the couples from Sinner of Saints into shit parents to justify the guys from this series being massive assholes. I really, really don't believe that and I really don't want to.
and
b) Specifically in this one she completely and utterly ruins the HEA of Ruckus (Sinners of Saint #2).
a) From what I've gathered she turns the couples from Sinner of Saints into shit parents to justify the guys from this series being massive assholes. I really, really don't believe that and I really don't want to.
and
b) Specifically in this one she completely and utterly ruins the HEA of Ruckus (Sinners of Saint #2).
August 26, 2019
I love LJ SHEN and I was even in her closed Facebook group so I had so many expectations. All shattered.
I HATED ROSIE DYING AND DEAN MOVING ON SO QUICKLY. Maybe he hasn't moved on per se but it was so heavily implied that it was distasteful and there was acid in my mouth when I finished Broken Knight (my most anticipated August romance). I felt so bitter. Rosie dying wasn't essential at all! It was a weak plot device. No matter how beautiful and tear-jerking their POVs were, the end result and the effect it has on the book as well as the original series just wasn't worth it.
We could have gotten an epilogue of Rosie having 5 more years from a lungs transplant or have her fate left to the readers' imaginations. Or if she really HAD to die according to the author, make a 5 years later Epilogue, then I would understand Dean moving on from his soulmate, and Luna being pregnant (a poor decision at 20 and fiancée 19) would be easier to swallow. 1 year was so dumb.
Overall, so much potential with this story. If only the main couple wouldn't be overshadowed by an unnecessary plot device aka the hero’s own parents and spend more time together than apart trying to see who can hurt the other more. Also, if teenage girls weren't so stereotyped and made to sound like worthless sluts *lining up to blow and cowgirl the QB*. Loved Vicious and Scandalous because they were romantic and characters stay true to themselves. Hope she won't give Vic and Emilia some messed-up parenting storylines to justify this crazy psychotic teenage BOY (obviously he's god-like hot, talented, brooding and rich *roll eyes*). Vaughn is ok I guess, but he’s being overhyped by LJ Shen’s loyal soccer moms fans.
This author needs to stop writing about teenage characters cause she clearly doesn't understand them (Only Daria was semi-relatable emotionally). Knight and Luna's love story is less believable than Rosie being able to live another 5 years smh. Immature, selfish boy and hypocritical, whiny girl having a baby amidst grief with 0 real character developments. They have a lot of growing up to do. For lack of better words, this relationship was controlling & abusive from the start and everyone was cheering for it. In what universe is that beautiful and a masterpiece?
This book ruined the original series for me. She killed her own books. I can only re-read Bane without getting annoyed now.
1 star for some funny moments and 1 extra star for Rosie/Dean's beautifully written POVs (I did cry but I was too disappointed for it to be real sad or cathartic)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Pretty Reckless's Review. Not significantly better but I didn't realise how good we had it with this book compared to BK. *EEEEH*
I HATED ROSIE DYING AND DEAN MOVING ON SO QUICKLY. Maybe he hasn't moved on per se but it was so heavily implied that it was distasteful and there was acid in my mouth when I finished Broken Knight (my most anticipated August romance). I felt so bitter. Rosie dying wasn't essential at all! It was a weak plot device. No matter how beautiful and tear-jerking their POVs were, the end result and the effect it has on the book as well as the original series just wasn't worth it.
We could have gotten an epilogue of Rosie having 5 more years from a lungs transplant or have her fate left to the readers' imaginations. Or if she really HAD to die according to the author, make a 5 years later Epilogue, then I would understand Dean moving on from his soulmate, and Luna being pregnant (a poor decision at 20 and fiancée 19) would be easier to swallow. 1 year was so dumb.
Overall, so much potential with this story. If only the main couple wouldn't be overshadowed by an unnecessary plot device aka the hero’s own parents and spend more time together than apart trying to see who can hurt the other more. Also, if teenage girls weren't so stereotyped and made to sound like worthless sluts *lining up to blow and cowgirl the QB*. Loved Vicious and Scandalous because they were romantic and characters stay true to themselves. Hope she won't give Vic and Emilia some messed-up parenting storylines to justify this crazy psychotic teenage BOY (obviously he's god-like hot, talented, brooding and rich *roll eyes*). Vaughn is ok I guess, but he’s being overhyped by LJ Shen’s loyal soccer moms fans.
This author needs to stop writing about teenage characters cause she clearly doesn't understand them (Only Daria was semi-relatable emotionally). Knight and Luna's love story is less believable than Rosie being able to live another 5 years smh. Immature, selfish boy and hypocritical, whiny girl having a baby amidst grief with 0 real character developments. They have a lot of growing up to do. For lack of better words, this relationship was controlling & abusive from the start and everyone was cheering for it. In what universe is that beautiful and a masterpiece?
This book ruined the original series for me. She killed her own books. I can only re-read Bane without getting annoyed now.
1 star for some funny moments and 1 extra star for Rosie/Dean's beautifully written POVs (I did cry but I was too disappointed for it to be real sad or cathartic)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Pretty Reckless's Review. Not significantly better but I didn't realise how good we had it with this book compared to BK. *EEEEH*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2019
I wish to never ever have heard of the Sinners of Saint spin-off series which so far sucks major balls. And I LOVE(d) the original series!
L.J. Shen tells the Hotholes children stories by basically walking all over the parents and their stories.
She destroyed Mel’s character in Pretty Reckless and now sacrificed Rosie from Ruckus. What’s next? Vicious having an affair with Sue, the secretary?
Fuck this.
I’m out.
L.J. Shen tells the Hotholes children stories by basically walking all over the parents and their stories.
She destroyed Mel’s character in Pretty Reckless and now sacrificed Rosie from Ruckus. What’s next? Vicious having an affair with Sue, the secretary?
Fuck this.
I’m out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2019
2.5*
Some part of this book were really good but some others were equally bad. Friendship was good while romance part was not so good. At times things felt forced upon to move the story forward and at others it was moved forward by raw emotions flawlessly.
Some part of this book were really good but some others were equally bad. Friendship was good while romance part was not so good. At times things felt forced upon to move the story forward and at others it was moved forward by raw emotions flawlessly.
April 7, 2020
Oh boy, I am hardcore in the middle for this one. LJ Shen writes angst and steam like no one else, and yet I couldn't help but feel like I agree with some reviews that state they felt like she crapped all over the OG Hot holes from the Sinners of Saint series. Idk, I'll have to think on it some more. For now, 3 stars. Bitter that we didn't get a POV from Trent JUSTSAYIN.
August 16, 2019
Forget what Your momma EVER told You... Forget about EVERYTHING what father has tried to learn You all damn life BECAUSE when Broken Knight will knock at Your door... „EVERYTHING” will turn upside down.
Hands down Mrs. Shen, You just broke the system …AGAIN. Saying „I have no words to describe how much I love this book” would be so inadequate.…. seriously, my heart is empty and feeling very lonely… Maybe I’m almost 40 yrs old, and someone colud say that I'm full of bullsh*t because Todos Santos is only immaginary place and characters, but today I’m not ready to say goodbye for this story and for Knight.
The whole world already knew - Broken Knight is LJ's bookish baby, so IT can't be anything less that million stars masterpiece, right? But Broken Knight is so much more, L. J. Shen shamelessly created PURE PERFECTION with new rank, for every future book with category " Broken Knight" and the rest of the stories which want to be… Broken Knight. I won’t tell You too much about Kinght or even Luna, about plot, twists, ups and downs, take my advice and go blind into this book as much as only You can be … blind. When the right time shows up – grab Your book, start to read and savour every moment – this adventure will be really speciall from the beginning till seeing „the end” in front of Your eyes.
Broken Knight is ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I’VE EVER READ and ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS YOU WILL EVER READ. Please, forgive me all this capitals letters, all „…..” and „!!!!!!!” because once You’ll start this book You will understand how I was feeling writting my review… after hooking up with Broken Knight.
Brace Yourself and Buckle Up Ladies– Knight Cole is coming, at least try to be ready for this journey.... even if You're not !
Hands down Mrs. Shen, You just broke the system …AGAIN. Saying „I have no words to describe how much I love this book” would be so inadequate.…. seriously, my heart is empty and feeling very lonely… Maybe I’m almost 40 yrs old, and someone colud say that I'm full of bullsh*t because Todos Santos is only immaginary place and characters, but today I’m not ready to say goodbye for this story and for Knight.
The whole world already knew - Broken Knight is LJ's bookish baby, so IT can't be anything less that million stars masterpiece, right? But Broken Knight is so much more, L. J. Shen shamelessly created PURE PERFECTION with new rank, for every future book with category " Broken Knight" and the rest of the stories which want to be… Broken Knight. I won’t tell You too much about Kinght or even Luna, about plot, twists, ups and downs, take my advice and go blind into this book as much as only You can be … blind. When the right time shows up – grab Your book, start to read and savour every moment – this adventure will be really speciall from the beginning till seeing „the end” in front of Your eyes.
Broken Knight is ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I’VE EVER READ and ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS YOU WILL EVER READ. Please, forgive me all this capitals letters, all „…..” and „!!!!!!!” because once You’ll start this book You will understand how I was feeling writting my review… after hooking up with Broken Knight.
Brace Yourself and Buckle Up Ladies– Knight Cole is coming, at least try to be ready for this journey.... even if You're not !
August 18, 2019
I'm not the magical unicorn Author that wrote this masterpiece, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to flub this up in attempting to relay the kind of workout my heart endured from beginning to the triumphant end of this book...
"You fill up the empty, dark space-like the moon owns the sky. It is quiet. It is bright. It doesn't need to be a ball of flame to be noticed. It simply exists. It forever glows."
Every emotion that has a name, I probably felt it. The second generation is no less frustrating, addictive, endearing, lustful, and beautifully broken than the first, and fans of the elder generation...this book will take you on a ride that I don't think any of us were prepared for. It explored so many relationships between characters new and old, and Luna and Knight blazed an inferno right down the middle. My heart expanded tenfold, only to deflate, only to explode, and over and over it went for so many different reasons. It was a story that new readers will be able to appreciate, but fans of the Hotholes from the very beginning? A gift of utter and complete perfection for those of us that fell hard and now even harder. I cried for so many different reasons, and the sheer range of emotions I hit while reading only left me in awe of this series, this Author, and these characters. This one goes on the Top Reads of 2019 and I'm sure it will go on many others. I thank the Author once again for the honor to review.
"Our love always had a pulse. Sometimes it was faint. Sometimes it was beating so hard I couldn't hear anyone else. But it would never die. It can't. I won't let it."
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
"You fill up the empty, dark space-like the moon owns the sky. It is quiet. It is bright. It doesn't need to be a ball of flame to be noticed. It simply exists. It forever glows."
Every emotion that has a name, I probably felt it. The second generation is no less frustrating, addictive, endearing, lustful, and beautifully broken than the first, and fans of the elder generation...this book will take you on a ride that I don't think any of us were prepared for. It explored so many relationships between characters new and old, and Luna and Knight blazed an inferno right down the middle. My heart expanded tenfold, only to deflate, only to explode, and over and over it went for so many different reasons. It was a story that new readers will be able to appreciate, but fans of the Hotholes from the very beginning? A gift of utter and complete perfection for those of us that fell hard and now even harder. I cried for so many different reasons, and the sheer range of emotions I hit while reading only left me in awe of this series, this Author, and these characters. This one goes on the Top Reads of 2019 and I'm sure it will go on many others. I thank the Author once again for the honor to review.
"Our love always had a pulse. Sometimes it was faint. Sometimes it was beating so hard I couldn't hear anyone else. But it would never die. It can't. I won't let it."
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
September 1, 2019
3.5 Always. Whenever. Forever Stars
Love has a price. That’s what makes it significant, pungent, rich. It costs you anger, jealousy, heartbreak, time, money, health…
I have some mixed feelings about this book! I enjoyed Luna & Knight’s story, I liked it very much but not as much as Daria & Penn’s but still liked it and enjoyed it but there was something else that I hated so much. About what Ms. Shen did to Dean & Rosie! It was too soon… I don’t know why you did it, why you ruined one of your couples (from another series)! And Actually I really don’t care about Dixie and I don’t want her near Dean (after seeing him with Rosie, after seeing their awesome life with each other)! This story made me shed some tears and I hated it! Told in dual POV, 1st person, it’s the second installment in the "All Saints High" series with characters crossover but I think it’s safe to say you can read it as a standalone. It’s full angsty, an intense read, well-paced and not an easy read (at least not for me). Hope you enjoy it!
Love has a price. That’s what makes it significant, pungent, rich. It costs you anger, jealousy, heartbreak, time, money, health…
I have some mixed feelings about this book! I enjoyed Luna & Knight’s story, I liked it very much but not as much as Daria & Penn’s but still liked it and enjoyed it but there was something else that I hated so much. About what Ms. Shen did to Dean & Rosie! It was too soon… I don’t know why you did it, why you ruined one of your couples (from another series)! And Actually I really don’t care about Dixie and I don’t want her near Dean (after seeing him with Rosie, after seeing their awesome life with each other)! This story made me shed some tears and I hated it! Told in dual POV, 1st person, it’s the second installment in the "All Saints High" series with characters crossover but I think it’s safe to say you can read it as a standalone. It’s full angsty, an intense read, well-paced and not an easy read (at least not for me). Hope you enjoy it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 29, 2020To be able to function like a normal human being, and for the sake of my sanity, I pretend that this book doesn't exist. And I've been doing so well!
Today, GRdecided to torture me thought it was a good idea to recommend it to me. And it all came back.
As I'm typing this, I'm in the office bathroom hiding in a stall and having the mother of all breakdowns.
And it's not as pretty or dainty as Oprah makes it look like. Think Kim K x 10000.
And it's only monday morning.
SEND HELP.
Today, GR
As I'm typing this, I'm in the office bathroom hiding in a stall and having the mother of all breakdowns.
And it's not as pretty or dainty as Oprah makes it look like. Think Kim K x 10000.
And it's only monday morning.
SEND HELP.
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