4.5 stars!
I am going to be so sad to see the Rosewood High series go, with Fury being the penultimate book, but in no way is the series dwindling, if anything, it’s getting hotter and way more intense. Fury is the sixth book in the series and is a stepbrother forbidden romance between Ruby and Ashton. Although it’s not necessary, it is highly recommended that you read the prequel Faze before reading Fury, as it gives a background to what happened with Ashton and Ruby months before the events of Fury.
Ashton Fury’s world is crumbling around him. After the sudden loss of his mother, he is forced to move from Seattle and in with his estranged father and his new wife, who has a daughter, Ruby, who he has only met once before, when the hatred and sparks flew, but he was determined to destroy her perfect world. After leaving a wrecked Ruby behind and sure he’ll never return, three months later, he is suddenly back, and for good. He is full of regret and resentment, mainly aimed at himself and his father, but Ruby bares the brunt of it, as he decides he needs to up his plan. But what he doesn’t account for is how Ruby will fight back. She infiltrates his mask and becomes important to him as he processes his mother’s death, no matter how hard he pushes her away, she is there, and giving it right back. Will they admit their hatred has turned into real feelings, or are they destined to be enemies forever?
Now the thing about stepbrother romances is I really like them, but only if they literally have never met each other until the start of the story. If they have grown up together, or in any part of their childhood/life been treated like real siblings, then it makes me feel a bit icky, but Ruby and Ashton had never met until they were 17 and the attraction between them was instant. They were strangers who had a spark, even if initially the spark was drawn from a mutual hatred of each other.
Ruby had the perfect life, she was popular, gorgeous, had great friends and was the school cheerleader. She was the all-American girl, which is why she drew so much hate from Ashton because she represented everything he didn’t have, and he blamed her for that. His mission was clear from the start, to destroy her, but I loved how she stood up to him and didn’t go down without a fight. Yes, there were times when I wish she’d been a bit stronger, but their chemistry was undeniable, and Ashton knew exactly how to push her buttons. But her empathy for him, even after all he put her through was what showed me what a great girl she was. She was his rock during such a difficult period of time, and she helped save him from a self-destructive path. I liked how she knew how lucky she was to have it all, which didn’t make her seem stuck up or annoying, just grateful.
Ashton had his moments when I genuinely disliked him, because how could he blame Ruby for anything gone wrong in his life. But because she was the easy target, he focussed all his feelings on to her, and used the hatred to mask his real feelings, love. The more we learnt about his past and also his close relationship with his mother, the more I felt for him and understood. It was emotional seeing him grieve and come to terms with his loss, but he did it in his own way and own time, which is completely normal, even if he did lash out unnecessarily. He was a broken boy, who was effectively left alone in the world, without a real relationship with his father, but with the help of Ruby turned into a man who knew this was his second chance at a future. The chip on his shoulder was large, but she helped him heal. I really liked how she made him work for it in the end though, and in turn that made him realise that his feelings were something way more than lust.
As a couple they were so explosive, and I liked how some of the plot took place outside of Rosewood and we got to see more of where Ash grew up in Seattle. The introduction of the Kingston boys was so well woven into the plot, and I really hope that will be a new series from Tracy this year, they seem like such a dark and twisted group. But of course, we see our favourites from previous books, especially Chelsea who is one of my faves, I love how had Ruby’s back throughout, such a protective momma bear!
The Rosewood High series keeps getting better and better, I can’t wait to see what direction Tracy takes us in for the final book, Harley’s, which was hinted at slightly towards the end of Fury. Ashton and Ruby’s book is an emotional story, about loss and learning to accept that your side of the story may have holes, full of heart-breaking moments and so much steam, it’s a must read!!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*