What do you think?
Rate this book
Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer #2
Payback Princess
Finding out you’re the daughter of a famous serial killer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
My father—the Seattle Slayer—is charismatic, intelligent, and charming.
He’s also trying to teach me to kill people, so … his good qualities don’t seem to matter much.
He’s kidnapped my boyfriend, a guy that I used to hate but grew to love.
Parrish, I’m coming for you. I’ll do anything—anything—to keep you safe.
Starting a new life as the most hated girl in Whitehall Prep was not in my gameplan.
But when I asked my dad what the point of all this was, you know what he said?
“It’s payback, Princess.”
The upper crust families in Medina have wrongs to answer for, wrongs that will be paid in blood—by me.
Justin Prior is back in town, and he's brimming with secrets.
The question is: how far will I go to uncover them?
Parrish is bruised and bleeding; Chasm burns with violent heat; Maxx is a thundercloud waiting in the wings. Lumen lies. Danyella knows. Kimber fights back.
Welcome to Medina, b*tches. Love-hate is in the air, and it isn't just me that feels it. This town is cursed in blood and diamonds.
I’ll win this thing, Dad.
Do your worst.
My father—the Seattle Slayer—is charismatic, intelligent, and charming.
He’s also trying to teach me to kill people, so … his good qualities don’t seem to matter much.
He’s kidnapped my boyfriend, a guy that I used to hate but grew to love.
Parrish, I’m coming for you. I’ll do anything—anything—to keep you safe.
Starting a new life as the most hated girl in Whitehall Prep was not in my gameplan.
But when I asked my dad what the point of all this was, you know what he said?
“It’s payback, Princess.”
The upper crust families in Medina have wrongs to answer for, wrongs that will be paid in blood—by me.
Justin Prior is back in town, and he's brimming with secrets.
The question is: how far will I go to uncover them?
Parrish is bruised and bleeding; Chasm burns with violent heat; Maxx is a thundercloud waiting in the wings. Lumen lies. Danyella knows. Kimber fights back.
Welcome to Medina, b*tches. Love-hate is in the air, and it isn't just me that feels it. This town is cursed in blood and diamonds.
I’ll win this thing, Dad.
Do your worst.
696 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 20, 2021
687 people are currently reading
1593 people want to read
About the author
C.M. Stunich
160 books14.4k followersC.M. Stunich is a self-admitted bibliophile with a love for exotic teas and a whole host of characters who live full time inside the strange, swirling vortex of her thoughts. Some folks might call this crazy, but Caitlin Morgan doesn't mind - especially considering she has to write biographies in the third person. Oh, and half the host of characters in her head are searing hot bad boys with dirty mouths and skillful hands (among other things). If being crazy means hanging out with them everyday, C.M. has decided to have herself committed.
She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.
Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.
Stalk me, please!
www.cmstunich.com
www.facebook.com/cmstunichauthor
www.twitter.com/CMStunich
I'm also on Goodreads, Spotify, Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest.
She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.
Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.
Stalk me, please!
www.cmstunich.com
www.facebook.com/cmstunichauthor
www.twitter.com/CMStunich
I'm also on Goodreads, Spotify, Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews
September 23, 2021
2.5/5
*spoilers*
tw: multiple explicit sex scenes involving minors, an explicit sex scene involving a minor and an adult (yes, they’re only 3 years about but she just turned 16 last book and he’s 19, therefore an adult, so i’m throwing it in here because it might make people uncomfortable still and since it was also brought up as an issue in the book (which??? make it make sense??), an adult invested in the sex life of a minor
- idk how to feel about this series. there’s so much that i don’t like about it but i can’t seem to stop reading it?
- we don’t have much of the dynamic between dakota and tess in this book, which makes me sad because it was what i appreciated about the first book
- also i’m sorry but even though i do like how they all actually communicate with each other, i’m not really invested in any of the romances. dakota and chasm had some cute moments but other than that idc. she’s known all of them for three months, but (and this is even brought up in book) she doesn’t even really know anything about them? maxx especially? and i’m supposed to believe she’s soooo in love with them (especially parrish, which she brings up every other sentence and it’s like ok, we get it, the book wouldn’t be 700 pages long if all that was cut out like it needed to be along with all the other repetition that goes on) that they’ll be together forever??? i normally don’t mind the ‘find soulmate at 16/17’ bit but when it’s developed properly… and none of these romances are developed well imo.
- and that whole thing with maxine not caring about maxx’s relationship with dakota and how he had feelings for her when they were in a relationship doesn’t make sense. not even a little bit. it’s unrealistic and WAY too easy.
- i think that’s a big issue with this book compared to the first one. a lot of the conflicts are too easy? there are stakes—parrish’s life is on the line, dakota’s relationships are on the line—but somehow it doesn’t actually feel that way because not a lot happens via the serial killer. most of what happens is romantic… at the behest of the serial killer.
- which by the way, wtf?????? WHY is this GROWN MAN, HER LITERAL FATHER, SO INVESTED IN HER SEX LIFE??? WHY IS HE MAKING HER HAVE SEX??? AND THEN HAVING ANOTHER GROWN MAN (idc that he’s asexual, that’s still fucking gross) WATCH TO MAKE SURE SHES DOING WHAT SHES TOLD???
- and if that’s the only way she can push dakota, maxx, and chasm together then maybe, idk, they probably shouldn’t be together?? the answer we got from justin isn’t even a proper answer and that just makes it super weird. it wouldn’t have been difficult to get them to have sex without the adult making them.
- and it’s weird how self aware the book is. like something happens, it’s brought up how weird it is, but then it’s just kind of brushed under the rug? i can’t tell if stunich is making fun of herself or trying to be clever but at this point i’m just asking that she seek help.
ps. what is this obsession with period sex? we get it. people have sex while on their period. you don’t have to add all the details in.
pps. idk why but dakota had such ‘pick me’ girl vibes in this book lmao
*spoilers*
tw: multiple explicit sex scenes involving minors, an explicit sex scene involving a minor and an adult (yes, they’re only 3 years about but she just turned 16 last book and he’s 19, therefore an adult, so i’m throwing it in here because it might make people uncomfortable still and since it was also brought up as an issue in the book (which??? make it make sense??), an adult invested in the sex life of a minor
- idk how to feel about this series. there’s so much that i don’t like about it but i can’t seem to stop reading it?
- we don’t have much of the dynamic between dakota and tess in this book, which makes me sad because it was what i appreciated about the first book
- also i’m sorry but even though i do like how they all actually communicate with each other, i’m not really invested in any of the romances. dakota and chasm had some cute moments but other than that idc. she’s known all of them for three months, but (and this is even brought up in book) she doesn’t even really know anything about them? maxx especially? and i’m supposed to believe she’s soooo in love with them (especially parrish, which she brings up every other sentence and it’s like ok, we get it, the book wouldn’t be 700 pages long if all that was cut out like it needed to be along with all the other repetition that goes on) that they’ll be together forever??? i normally don’t mind the ‘find soulmate at 16/17’ bit but when it’s developed properly… and none of these romances are developed well imo.
- and that whole thing with maxine not caring about maxx’s relationship with dakota and how he had feelings for her when they were in a relationship doesn’t make sense. not even a little bit. it’s unrealistic and WAY too easy.
- i think that’s a big issue with this book compared to the first one. a lot of the conflicts are too easy? there are stakes—parrish’s life is on the line, dakota’s relationships are on the line—but somehow it doesn’t actually feel that way because not a lot happens via the serial killer. most of what happens is romantic… at the behest of the serial killer.
- which by the way, wtf?????? WHY is this GROWN MAN, HER LITERAL FATHER, SO INVESTED IN HER SEX LIFE??? WHY IS HE MAKING HER HAVE SEX??? AND THEN HAVING ANOTHER GROWN MAN (idc that he’s asexual, that’s still fucking gross) WATCH TO MAKE SURE SHES DOING WHAT SHES TOLD???
- and if that’s the only way she can push dakota, maxx, and chasm together then maybe, idk, they probably shouldn’t be together?? the answer we got from justin isn’t even a proper answer and that just makes it super weird. it wouldn’t have been difficult to get them to have sex without the adult making them.
- and it’s weird how self aware the book is. like something happens, it’s brought up how weird it is, but then it’s just kind of brushed under the rug? i can’t tell if stunich is making fun of herself or trying to be clever but at this point i’m just asking that she seek help.
ps. what is this obsession with period sex? we get it. people have sex while on their period. you don’t have to add all the details in.
pps. idk why but dakota had such ‘pick me’ girl vibes in this book lmao
October 22, 2021
Better than the first book, but a bit repetitive if you have read other books from Stunich.
May 5, 2024
4.6 stars.
October 8, 2021
I’m really invest in these books but I hate how long they are, Dakota’s inner monologue are so repetitive and boring, they make the book drag a lot, this is something a good editing could solve.
I’m also kind of annoyed that they only found Parrish in 70% of the book, wth??
But overall it was a good book, I love how real the whole relationship thing felt, sometimes in rh books the boys accept so easily to share the girl that is unreal, especially in contemporary novels.
I can’t wait for the next book!!
I’m also kind of annoyed that they only found Parrish in 70% of the book, wth??
But overall it was a good book, I love how real the whole relationship thing felt, sometimes in rh books the boys accept so easily to share the girl that is unreal, especially in contemporary novels.
I can’t wait for the next book!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2023
Not sure I can go thru the rest of this series
I loved this author's two other bully high school rh romances. But this one just isn't doing it for me.
This might in part be because Parrish is absent for most of this book, just when his and Dakotas relationship finally started and his disappearance negated all the build up in the previous book.
Another issue is I just don't like Dakota. I find her character annoying and bland. The whole point of having her father as the main villian is for them to use their smarts against each other. And while Dakota isn't dumb, her character is incredibly ineffectual.
I was just bored.
I loved this author's two other bully high school rh romances. But this one just isn't doing it for me.
This might in part be because Parrish is absent for most of this book, just when his and Dakotas relationship finally started and his disappearance negated all the build up in the previous book.
Another issue is I just don't like Dakota. I find her character annoying and bland. The whole point of having her father as the main villian is for them to use their smarts against each other. And while Dakota isn't dumb, her character is incredibly ineffectual.
I was just bored.
May 23, 2022
Not even going to lie here folks, I devoured the heck out of Payback Princess. It kind of sucks now because I have to wait for the next book to be published. Which I think is sometime this week? Weekend? Not sure.
We are still following the same gang of people from the previous book. The only newcomer is her father, the serial killer, Justin. Now he's a huge weirdo who kept rubbing me the wrong way. I mean, what kind of father makes his own child sleep with people? Then again, how does she fall for this via text? ALSO, why does he watch via camera to know that the deed has been done?
Seriously, I could go on and on about how messed up this whole situation was.
Besides that, we finally find Parrish and save the poor guy. Unfortunately, she is still under her psycho's thumb because he now has her sister and possibly Maxx. Not sure what the next book will bring me, but I hope that they find some way to get rid of her Father. It's weird, this guy actually makes me like Tess.
In the end, I guess I'll just twiddle my thumbs until book 3.
We are still following the same gang of people from the previous book. The only newcomer is her father, the serial killer, Justin. Now he's a huge weirdo who kept rubbing me the wrong way. I mean, what kind of father makes his own child sleep with people? Then again, how does she fall for this via text? ALSO, why does he watch via camera to know that the deed has been done?
Seriously, I could go on and on about how messed up this whole situation was.
Besides that, we finally find Parrish and save the poor guy. Unfortunately, she is still under her psycho's thumb because he now has her sister and possibly Maxx. Not sure what the next book will bring me, but I hope that they find some way to get rid of her Father. It's weird, this guy actually makes me like Tess.
In the end, I guess I'll just twiddle my thumbs until book 3.
September 30, 2021
I struggled with this one. Usually I can read a book this size in two days. But about 51% through I had to put this down. I was just so frustrated with Dakota and her lame ass analytical bullshit. I defended some of the harsher reviews of the first book where women said teens having sex was gross. One chick even suggested it was harmful and compared high school romances to pedophilia!! Umm NO. Twilight had hotter sex scenes than the vanilla of this series. NOT that I'm complaining, just sayin...
So yeah, again I have no issue with a 16 year old getting laid because I was getting laid at 16 okay. But the uncomfortable circumstances that lead up to the actual sex was just a bit much for me. It wasn't dark it was just WTF. So yeah, put this book down for a few days. Read Queen of Anarchy by Eva Ashwood (fucking hot) and Hating and Dating Your Boss with Style by Alina Jacobs (funny rom com) then came back.
I'm not sure if I just needed that break or what but OMFG shit popped off. I absolutely LOVE Justin. Serial killers are the best. He's charismatic, charming, intelligent, and sure a bit crazy.. a lot of bit crazy but dude I was vibing with him.
Chas is my favorite of the guys. Love his chemistry with Dakota. Tess is less evil in this but still fucking annoying as hell. Kimber... that bitch. All I can say is before I thought this book was too long, then towards the end I was wishing there was more.
So suspenseful and exciting. I think that I prefer the overall serial killer storyline MORE than the romance aspect. Not sure if I will read anymore high school romances after this. Wait that's a lie, Six Tryst Venom by Penelope Douglas is a high school romance and it's epic. Actually all her shit is BUT I digress. This is a GOOD SERIES and I'm excited for the final book. I'm team #seattleslayer
So yeah, again I have no issue with a 16 year old getting laid because I was getting laid at 16 okay. But the uncomfortable circumstances that lead up to the actual sex was just a bit much for me. It wasn't dark it was just WTF. So yeah, put this book down for a few days. Read Queen of Anarchy by Eva Ashwood (fucking hot) and Hating and Dating Your Boss with Style by Alina Jacobs (funny rom com) then came back.
I'm not sure if I just needed that break or what but OMFG shit popped off. I absolutely LOVE Justin. Serial killers are the best. He's charismatic, charming, intelligent, and sure a bit crazy.. a lot of bit crazy but dude I was vibing with him.
Chas is my favorite of the guys. Love his chemistry with Dakota. Tess is less evil in this but still fucking annoying as hell. Kimber... that bitch. All I can say is before I thought this book was too long, then towards the end I was wishing there was more.
So suspenseful and exciting. I think that I prefer the overall serial killer storyline MORE than the romance aspect. Not sure if I will read anymore high school romances after this. Wait that's a lie, Six Tryst Venom by Penelope Douglas is a high school romance and it's epic. Actually all her shit is BUT I digress. This is a GOOD SERIES and I'm excited for the final book. I'm team #seattleslayer
December 1, 2024
This book takes the excitement to a whole new level, surpassing even the first installment in the series. From start to finish, there was not a single dull moment! I was completely engrossed and savoring every second. The narrative is definitely spicier this time around, adding an extra layer of intensity that I absolutely loved. I'm a huge fan of C.M. Stunich. Her writing always captivates me, making it clear why I’m so invested in this series. The cliffhanger ending is expertly crafted, leaving me hanging on the edge of my seat every single time. I can hardly contain my anticipation; I need the next book in my hands immediately!
💫Rating💫
🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌶Spice🌶
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
💫Rating💫
🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌶Spice🌶
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
October 1, 2021
"Tell me you're still mine."
* * * * *
Alright, I'll fully admit, saying a book about the daughter of a deranged, manipulative, charismatic as hell serial killer, one who is bent on ruining his daughter's life as he forces her to play his awful, twisted games, is one of my happy heart reads probably doesn't make a lot of sense at first glance, but just stick with me for a hot second because I swear I have a point.
Stolen Crush, book one of the Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer series, was so good. We met Dakota, fell into the story of the life she was ripped away from after discovering she was stolen as a baby, and got twisted all up into a love/hate relationship with her new stepbrother, his best friend and the traumatized mother and family she was thrust into the arms of.
But Payback Princess, book two of the series, man this is where CM flexed her wings and really laid it all on us. She showed us exactly what she envisioned this series to be and brought her signature blend of bully, angst, first time love and peeled back the layers on characters I'm keeping forever. Parrish, Maxx and especially Chasm are just....listen, this is where I say these are happy heart books. Because these characters are so perfect I couldn't help but swoon and want to snuggle them, even as I wanted to smack them on the back of the head or kick them in the junk.
If you're a fan of Burberry Prep, The Secret Girl, and grew up loving The Face on the Milk Carton, you definitely don't want to miss this series!
* * * * *
Alright, I'll fully admit, saying a book about the daughter of a deranged, manipulative, charismatic as hell serial killer, one who is bent on ruining his daughter's life as he forces her to play his awful, twisted games, is one of my happy heart reads probably doesn't make a lot of sense at first glance, but just stick with me for a hot second because I swear I have a point.
Stolen Crush, book one of the Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer series, was so good. We met Dakota, fell into the story of the life she was ripped away from after discovering she was stolen as a baby, and got twisted all up into a love/hate relationship with her new stepbrother, his best friend and the traumatized mother and family she was thrust into the arms of.
But Payback Princess, book two of the series, man this is where CM flexed her wings and really laid it all on us. She showed us exactly what she envisioned this series to be and brought her signature blend of bully, angst, first time love and peeled back the layers on characters I'm keeping forever. Parrish, Maxx and especially Chasm are just....listen, this is where I say these are happy heart books. Because these characters are so perfect I couldn't help but swoon and want to snuggle them, even as I wanted to smack them on the back of the head or kick them in the junk.
If you're a fan of Burberry Prep, The Secret Girl, and grew up loving The Face on the Milk Carton, you definitely don't want to miss this series!
January 6, 2022
I feel like this could have been a really awesome book if it had been fleshed out just a little bit more.
Parrish is not there for 90% of it. But now that he's gone, I'm not attached to him at all. I don't feel connected to the other two guys either. She didn't even start a relationship with them. Her dad MADE her form a relationship with them. That seems like a supershitty foundation to me. I literally don't like ANY of the guys in this RH. They all seem shallow and superficial to me.
The premise of this book starts out great, a girl gets kidnapped from daycare and raised by a family that isn't hers. She's renamed Dakota. She's found now and back home with her bio mom. But here's where it gets fuzzy.... She thinks she was kidnapped one night and put back into bed before morning. Now her stepbrother/lover is missing and has been for 2 weeks. That's 2 people that had gone missing 3 times in the span of 1.5 books. It's feeling a bit repetitive.
Then, the plot thickens. Kidnapped girl's bio dad is dating kidnapped stepbrother/lover's bio mom. However, this information went nowhere, so I suspect it'll be in play for book 3. Also, Max the sister needs to be addressed. I'll keep reading because I must know what happens. But I feel like this could have been a really awesome story if it had been fleshed out more.
Parrish is not there for 90% of it. But now that he's gone, I'm not attached to him at all. I don't feel connected to the other two guys either. She didn't even start a relationship with them. Her dad MADE her form a relationship with them. That seems like a super
The premise of this book starts out great, a girl gets kidnapped from daycare and raised by a family that isn't hers. She's renamed Dakota. She's found now and back home with her bio mom. But here's where it gets fuzzy.... She thinks she was kidnapped one night and put back into bed before morning. Now her stepbrother/lover is missing and has been for 2 weeks. That's 2 people that had gone missing 3 times in the span of 1.5 books. It's feeling a bit repetitive.
Then, the plot thickens. Kidnapped girl's bio dad is dating kidnapped stepbrother/lover's bio mom. However, this information went nowhere, so I suspect it'll be in play for book 3. Also, Max the sister needs to be addressed. I'll keep reading because I must know what happens. But I feel like this could have been a really awesome story if it had been fleshed out more.
February 21, 2024
Book: Daughter of. Serial Killer
Read By: Ebook
Author: C.M. Stunich
Genre: Reverse harem, Dark Romance, High School
Recommend: Yes
< b>Age recommendation: 16-30+ Years
My feelings:
It may seem strange to label a book about the daughter of a deranged serial killer as one of my all-time favorites. After all, she is trapped in a dangerous game orchestrated by her own twisted father, while he attempts to ruin her life at every turn. But if you bear with me for a moment, I will explain why this series has captivated me so deeply.
To save myself and everyone I love, I’ll have to get comfortable with the idea of blood on my hands. Because love, as we all know so well, is a double-edged motherfucking sword.
Stolen Crush, the first installment in the Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer series, was nothing short of incredible. We were drawn into Dakota's world as she grappled with the truth of her origins and navigated her complicated relationships with her new stepbrother, his best friend, and their troubled family. Then comes Payback Princess, the sequel that truly showcases CM's talent and vision for this series.
There’s a certain magic to books that can’t be found anywhere else; it’s the only way to accurately see into someone else’s head. Essentially, books are empathy keys. Read enough and you’ll start to figure out that you aren’t always the main character in every story.
She weaves together themes of bullying, angst, first love, and multifaceted characters that will linger in your mind long after finishing the book. Parrish, Maxx, and Chasm are each flawed yet perfectly crafted individuals that I couldn't help but fall for, despite wanting to shake some sense into them at times.
“Do you have friends from like, Prescott High or something?” Chasm asks, and Maxx snorts.
Read By: Ebook
Author: C.M. Stunich
Genre: Reverse harem, Dark Romance, High School
Recommend: Yes
< b>Age recommendation: 16-30+ Years
My feelings:
It may seem strange to label a book about the daughter of a deranged serial killer as one of my all-time favorites. After all, she is trapped in a dangerous game orchestrated by her own twisted father, while he attempts to ruin her life at every turn. But if you bear with me for a moment, I will explain why this series has captivated me so deeply.
To save myself and everyone I love, I’ll have to get comfortable with the idea of blood on my hands. Because love, as we all know so well, is a double-edged motherfucking sword.
Stolen Crush, the first installment in the Lost Daughter of a Serial Killer series, was nothing short of incredible. We were drawn into Dakota's world as she grappled with the truth of her origins and navigated her complicated relationships with her new stepbrother, his best friend, and their troubled family. Then comes Payback Princess, the sequel that truly showcases CM's talent and vision for this series.
There’s a certain magic to books that can’t be found anywhere else; it’s the only way to accurately see into someone else’s head. Essentially, books are empathy keys. Read enough and you’ll start to figure out that you aren’t always the main character in every story.
She weaves together themes of bullying, angst, first love, and multifaceted characters that will linger in your mind long after finishing the book. Parrish, Maxx, and Chasm are each flawed yet perfectly crafted individuals that I couldn't help but fall for, despite wanting to shake some sense into them at times.
“Do you have friends from like, Prescott High or something?” Chasm asks, and Maxx snorts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2021
Better than Book 1 - couldn’t put it down!
Oh boy.
So the first book had to give a lot of back story and sort of world building before the pacing picked up. The final ~30% was what really grabbed me.
This book started and didn’t stop. There’s a lot more heat in this book. Kota actually starts to build her harem. And there’s little clues and pieces of info we learn about both her parents along the way.
We finally get to see some of the purported ‘evil’ in the students at Whitehall Prep. And it’s no joke.
I really enjoy the way Dakota and Chasm and Maxx and Parrish all talk to each other. It’s believable without feeling needlessly overly-communicative. They’re honest with each other in a way that teenagers usually aren’t. And in a way that characters in romance books aren’t because it’s the lies of omission that tend to move the plot along. That does not happen here. In this book, the plot moves because of actual conflict, not people thinking they know better than our MFC and not giving her info (and then getting mad at her when she goes off half-cocked, because she hasn't been properly informed of the risks.... sorry, I digress). It’s very nice to read this approach.
I really like how Kota’s relationships grew with everyone in this book, both the guys and her families.
I am very much looking forward to book 3.
Oh boy.
So the first book had to give a lot of back story and sort of world building before the pacing picked up. The final ~30% was what really grabbed me.
This book started and didn’t stop. There’s a lot more heat in this book. Kota actually starts to build her harem. And there’s little clues and pieces of info we learn about both her parents along the way.
We finally get to see some of the purported ‘evil’ in the students at Whitehall Prep. And it’s no joke.
I really enjoy the way Dakota and Chasm and Maxx and Parrish all talk to each other. It’s believable without feeling needlessly overly-communicative. They’re honest with each other in a way that teenagers usually aren’t. And in a way that characters in romance books aren’t because it’s the lies of omission that tend to move the plot along. That does not happen here. In this book, the plot moves because of actual conflict, not people thinking they know better than our MFC and not giving her info (and then getting mad at her when she goes off half-cocked, because she hasn't been properly informed of the risks.... sorry, I digress). It’s very nice to read this approach.
I really like how Kota’s relationships grew with everyone in this book, both the guys and her families.
I am very much looking forward to book 3.
May 27, 2024
8 / 10 ⭐️
New Adult / Dark Romance / Reverse Harem / Thriller
La historia va avanzando y la trama se complica.
Dakota se ve obligada a hacer un montón de cosas para salvar la vida de Parrish, y cuando creen que lo han superado todo empeora.
No sé si había comentado, pero esta serie se encuentra dentro del universo de HAVOC. Y aunque no tiene ese nivel de violencia la cosa va avanzando a toda máquina.
Los chicos son increíbles, me he enamorado de los tres.
La verdad es que este nivel de madurez a los 16 años me parece algo forzado, sobretodo para la protagonista que ha tenido una vida normal hasta ahora. Los demás, creciendo en este mundo tan cruel y siendo algo más mayores... se entiende.
Igualmente la trama es muy interesante, aunque agobia en ciertas ocasiones de la impotencia. Ya que si tu padre es un asesino en serie con un grupo de acólitos, con un plan malvado de venganza, y tu eres su peón... va a ser difícil salir de eso.
New Adult / Dark Romance / Reverse Harem / Thriller
La historia va avanzando y la trama se complica.
Dakota se ve obligada a hacer un montón de cosas para salvar la vida de Parrish, y cuando creen que lo han superado todo empeora.
No sé si había comentado, pero esta serie se encuentra dentro del universo de HAVOC. Y aunque no tiene ese nivel de violencia la cosa va avanzando a toda máquina.
Los chicos son increíbles, me he enamorado de los tres.
La verdad es que este nivel de madurez a los 16 años me parece algo forzado, sobretodo para la protagonista que ha tenido una vida normal hasta ahora. Los demás, creciendo en este mundo tan cruel y siendo algo más mayores... se entiende.
Igualmente la trama es muy interesante, aunque agobia en ciertas ocasiones de la impotencia. Ya que si tu padre es un asesino en serie con un grupo de acólitos, con un plan malvado de venganza, y tu eres su peón... va a ser difícil salir de eso.
June 8, 2022
Dakota really annoyed me in the first book. Luckily, she had mellowed out with her brattiness and I related to her lots more. I really liked this book but missed Parrish the entire time!
January 10, 2022
Read it
I’m not going to lie. Off the bat, I was a little apprehensive starting this series when I realized one of the future members of the harem was DATING the fmc’s sister.
Don’t get me wrong. This series is enthralling and I loved everything about it, but the Maxx and Maxine situation…. THAT was something I just couldn’t get past and I even considered dropping the series because of it. Because let’s be real, the idea of dating or being with someone a family member has been with. Is off putting? Not my jazz? It’s just not something I’m into or okay with, not only in my books but also real life. But…something happened as I read.
I got sucked in and couldn’t put the book down.
I’m not shocked really, because honestly CM is one of my favorite authors for a reason. But I would have usually dropped any other book with this kind of trope in it, immediately, but this time I didn’t and I’m glad about it.
I hope CM doesn’t mind me saying this but spoiler: the situation is handled beautifully.
I won’t spoil everything of course, but if you are also like me and bothered about the fmc getting with her sister’s ex. This should hopefully reassure you; The like that Max has for the fmc (Dakota’s) sister is incomparable to what he feels for the fmc. It just doesn’t compare, he was attracted to the fmc from the moment he met her.
Maxx has never kissed or done anything sexual with the fmc’s sister. Which for me was a big deal because it was one of the things that made me want to drop. I couldn’t stomach the idea of him doing stuff with the sister and then getting with Dakota after. The fact that this doesn’t happen was more than reassuring. It was the primary thing that made the situation/ relationship palatable.
Another thing is, that Maxx and Dakota don’t get together until after the sister and him break up. There’s more stuff that I found reassuring but I don’t want to spoil it all. Just know that this book is absolutely worth the read and that you won’t be able to put it down:
If this doesn’t convince you. Maybe this will?
Virgin Male lead’s (plural) and murder mystery!!! You heard me. I’ve complained in my reviews before that I very much don’t like the virgin fmc X manwhore trope, it’s overdone and I don’t enjoy the fetishization that comes with a woman’s virginity.
Well while the fmc in this book is a virgin too, so are all the men, so it’s not at all fetishized creepily and handled very well. It was refreshing!!! Not only that but the guys and Dakota were all very well written.
I loved almost everything about this book and highly recommend.
I’m not going to lie. Off the bat, I was a little apprehensive starting this series when I realized one of the future members of the harem was DATING the fmc’s sister.
Don’t get me wrong. This series is enthralling and I loved everything about it, but the Maxx and Maxine situation…. THAT was something I just couldn’t get past and I even considered dropping the series because of it. Because let’s be real, the idea of dating or being with someone a family member has been with. Is off putting? Not my jazz? It’s just not something I’m into or okay with, not only in my books but also real life. But…something happened as I read.
I got sucked in and couldn’t put the book down.
I’m not shocked really, because honestly CM is one of my favorite authors for a reason. But I would have usually dropped any other book with this kind of trope in it, immediately, but this time I didn’t and I’m glad about it.
I hope CM doesn’t mind me saying this but spoiler: the situation is handled beautifully.
I won’t spoil everything of course, but if you are also like me and bothered about the fmc getting with her sister’s ex. This should hopefully reassure you; The like that Max has for the fmc (Dakota’s) sister is incomparable to what he feels for the fmc. It just doesn’t compare, he was attracted to the fmc from the moment he met her.
Maxx has never kissed or done anything sexual with the fmc’s sister. Which for me was a big deal because it was one of the things that made me want to drop. I couldn’t stomach the idea of him doing stuff with the sister and then getting with Dakota after. The fact that this doesn’t happen was more than reassuring. It was the primary thing that made the situation/ relationship palatable.
Another thing is, that Maxx and Dakota don’t get together until after the sister and him break up. There’s more stuff that I found reassuring but I don’t want to spoil it all. Just know that this book is absolutely worth the read and that you won’t be able to put it down:
If this doesn’t convince you. Maybe this will?
Virgin Male lead’s (plural) and murder mystery!!! You heard me. I’ve complained in my reviews before that I very much don’t like the virgin fmc X manwhore trope, it’s overdone and I don’t enjoy the fetishization that comes with a woman’s virginity.
Well while the fmc in this book is a virgin too, so are all the men, so it’s not at all fetishized creepily and handled very well. It was refreshing!!! Not only that but the guys and Dakota were all very well written.
I loved almost everything about this book and highly recommend.
September 26, 2021
Stop everything you’re doing and read this NOW
OMG! HAVOC who? This is by far, my most favorite series by this author and it’s not even done yet!
This book takes off right where Book 1 ended. Crazy serial killer, dear old dad is taunting Dakota. Parrish is literally in the hands of a crazy man.
Her tasks get more and more evolved. Now she must “give in” to her feelings for not only Chas, but for X. Is it really a hardship if she’s harbored feelings for them this whole time? She is distraught over Maxine, she never ever wanted to hurt her. After all, blood or not- Maxine is and will always be her sister.
When Dakota starts picking up the bread crumbs her dad is leaving, she feels it down to her bones that Parrish isn’t that much further away. Only now, her emotions now include feelings for 3 guys instead of just Parrish. Can they all go back to normal when, not if, they get him back.
*************
I LOVED this book so much! I was trying to make it last as long as possible, but i also needed to know what was happening next! School bullying. Maxine. Parrish. Chasm. Max. Kimber. Tess - I needed it all!!! Lol. The entire storyline just draws you in.
I know their is still so much more to the story than what we have been given! I’m dying to find out. I feel like Justin will just be putting poor Dakota thru even more very soon and I am here for it. I kno Dakota will come out swinging. Can’t wait to see how this all takes place.
*Overall 5/5
*Heat? 4/5
*Fast/Med Burn
*First person POV (just Dakota)
*Triggers??? Unless you’ve been kidnapped or jumped at school. None
*HEA? She finally has Parrish back, but it’s definitely not a happy ending
Can’t wait for December!!!!
OMG! HAVOC who? This is by far, my most favorite series by this author and it’s not even done yet!
This book takes off right where Book 1 ended. Crazy serial killer, dear old dad is taunting Dakota. Parrish is literally in the hands of a crazy man.
Her tasks get more and more evolved. Now she must “give in” to her feelings for not only Chas, but for X. Is it really a hardship if she’s harbored feelings for them this whole time? She is distraught over Maxine, she never ever wanted to hurt her. After all, blood or not- Maxine is and will always be her sister.
When Dakota starts picking up the bread crumbs her dad is leaving, she feels it down to her bones that Parrish isn’t that much further away. Only now, her emotions now include feelings for 3 guys instead of just Parrish. Can they all go back to normal when, not if, they get him back.
*************
I LOVED this book so much! I was trying to make it last as long as possible, but i also needed to know what was happening next! School bullying. Maxine. Parrish. Chasm. Max. Kimber. Tess - I needed it all!!! Lol. The entire storyline just draws you in.
I know their is still so much more to the story than what we have been given! I’m dying to find out. I feel like Justin will just be putting poor Dakota thru even more very soon and I am here for it. I kno Dakota will come out swinging. Can’t wait to see how this all takes place.
*Overall 5/5
*Heat? 4/5
*Fast/Med Burn
*First person POV (just Dakota)
*Triggers??? Unless you’ve been kidnapped or jumped at school. None
*HEA? She finally has Parrish back, but it’s definitely not a happy ending
Can’t wait for December!!!!
Read
May 27, 2023ok, so before I start my review, I’d like to make very clear that C.M is one of my favorite authors.
I hadn’t finished payback princess, but in this book I started to get really annoyed by the fact that all her female protagonists has the same personality, like they are like different versions of the same character
all of them are:
- poor
- virgin
- love k-pop
- really want to speak japanese or korean
- are really cringe
- like pink
- like strawberry milkshake
- dress really badly (like dakota goes to a party with a pajama in book 1 and she literally says “if they don’t accept my by the way I dress, and don’t want them to be my friends” like girl, your going to a fucking PARTY, it’s not about the clothes you have, you just are out of the dress code, and only in a book the boys would think you’re the hottest)
- have shitty parents
besides that, in all of her books you will find:
- male protagonists that have something related to the oriental couture
- most of the male protagonists are virgin
- rich kids that make things out of this world (like more than 12 girls with knifes at school, or all girls gathering to cut the protagonists hair)
- a lot of female rivalry (the protagonist always declare herself as a feminist and say that women should stick together, but C.M puts female rivalry in all her books! it’s annoying as hell!)
- and C.M make the female protagonists look weak by putting them on elite environments, making them financially depend on their love interest (like the boys literally always feel pity of the protagonist)
Dude, I really love C.M, but she NEEDS to start creating different personalities for her protagonists
The plots are SO good, but a lot of times seems irealistic as hell
I hadn’t finished payback princess, but in this book I started to get really annoyed by the fact that all her female protagonists has the same personality, like they are like different versions of the same character
all of them are:
- poor
- virgin
- love k-pop
- really want to speak japanese or korean
- are really cringe
- like pink
- like strawberry milkshake
- dress really badly (like dakota goes to a party with a pajama in book 1 and she literally says “if they don’t accept my by the way I dress, and don’t want them to be my friends” like girl, your going to a fucking PARTY, it’s not about the clothes you have, you just are out of the dress code, and only in a book the boys would think you’re the hottest)
- have shitty parents
besides that, in all of her books you will find:
- male protagonists that have something related to the oriental couture
- most of the male protagonists are virgin
- rich kids that make things out of this world (like more than 12 girls with knifes at school, or all girls gathering to cut the protagonists hair)
- a lot of female rivalry (the protagonist always declare herself as a feminist and say that women should stick together, but C.M puts female rivalry in all her books! it’s annoying as hell!)
- and C.M make the female protagonists look weak by putting them on elite environments, making them financially depend on their love interest (like the boys literally always feel pity of the protagonist)
Dude, I really love C.M, but she NEEDS to start creating different personalities for her protagonists
The plots are SO good, but a lot of times seems irealistic as hell
April 16, 2023
blushing.
I just want to get to the end already. The suspense just keeps ratcheting up and with the way it drags on and on and on I just want to finish it.
There are a lot of little twists and turns and I just wish there’d be some headway. A ton of dumb info, a lot of repetitive phrases. I don’t know how many times I need to hear that when she blushes her chest does too. Literally. Every. Single. Time. She. Blushes. Cool bro , we freaking get it, she can’t blush without the tops of her boobs blushing too. Cool. Please for the love of everything move the heck on. Or her period. Cool. CM, majority of your readers are female, I personally don’t need a play by play of a period or the products used. I mean cool mention it once, but why do we have to focus on it?
I get this is a book but it’s so unrealistic how much power these kids have. Yes they’re rich, but live streaming an assault, obviously the girls in it weren’t hiding who they were, it’s so obvious, there’s no way to avoid what happens.
Quite frankly I wish that she felt something for Lumen. That would’ve completely elevated and made this book unlike all the other RH trope books out there.
I need the series over.
I just want to get to the end already. The suspense just keeps ratcheting up and with the way it drags on and on and on I just want to finish it.
There are a lot of little twists and turns and I just wish there’d be some headway. A ton of dumb info, a lot of repetitive phrases. I don’t know how many times I need to hear that when she blushes her chest does too. Literally. Every. Single. Time. She. Blushes. Cool bro , we freaking get it, she can’t blush without the tops of her boobs blushing too. Cool. Please for the love of everything move the heck on. Or her period. Cool. CM, majority of your readers are female, I personally don’t need a play by play of a period or the products used. I mean cool mention it once, but why do we have to focus on it?
I get this is a book but it’s so unrealistic how much power these kids have. Yes they’re rich, but live streaming an assault, obviously the girls in it weren’t hiding who they were, it’s so obvious, there’s no way to avoid what happens.
Quite frankly I wish that she felt something for Lumen. That would’ve completely elevated and made this book unlike all the other RH trope books out there.
I need the series over.
February 13, 2022
The one thing that pissed me off was the fact that this girl claims she watches k-dramas BUT CLEARLY KNOWS NOTHING. How does she not know what 'saranghae' means?! I'm sorry but if you watch k-dramas at all you should know what that word means. WTF...she thought it meant good night?! No, sorry but no...IT MEANS I LOVE YOU. Like are you dense. Unrealistic, this word is pretty much in every k-drama under the sun, she must be stupid if she doesn't know what that word means. Also, she doesn't know what kimchi is? Like what? Why did the author even say she watched k-dramas at all? If she didn't, this wouldn't be as big of an issue for me. But what the actual heck.
This was way better than the first one. I love Chasm. Looking forward to seeing the harem interact more with each other since they know they are in a harem now. The next book comes out in a couple of days, can't wait.
This was way better than the first one. I love Chasm. Looking forward to seeing the harem interact more with each other since they know they are in a harem now. The next book comes out in a couple of days, can't wait.
January 7, 2022
sigh
Repetitive. Plot holes.
A 16 year old that's in love with three boys that don't deserve her.
Too dang long, to be honest. So drawn out for no reason, too. I feel like I would be paying more attention if we actually got to the plot.
I have a feeling Saffron was in on everything in the beginning, and how much Tess actually knows about her ex. Or maybe Laverne. I don't know. Can't trust anyone in this book, it seems.
Repetitive. Plot holes.
A 16 year old that's in love with three boys that don't deserve her.
Too dang long, to be honest. So drawn out for no reason, too. I feel like I would be paying more attention if we actually got to the plot.
I have a feeling Saffron was in on everything in the beginning, and how much Tess actually knows about her ex. Or maybe Laverne. I don't know. Can't trust anyone in this book, it seems.
April 27, 2023
DNF
Normally a huge fan of C.M. However I did not enjoy this series. I found the story to be too slow, there is a lot of filler dialogue between the main characters and a lot of dead ends without all that many clues and breakthroughs in the main plot.
I very rarely don’t finish a series once I start but this is one of them.
Normally a huge fan of C.M. However I did not enjoy this series. I found the story to be too slow, there is a lot of filler dialogue between the main characters and a lot of dead ends without all that many clues and breakthroughs in the main plot.
I very rarely don’t finish a series once I start but this is one of them.
June 13, 2024
Meh, This book is LOOONNNGG. Too much internal dialogue (for what I prefer) that isn’t relevant to the story. I feel like things are happening but not a lot is happening if that makes sense. But naturally I need to figure out if she kills him so here goes book #3. 🫣
March 28, 2022
I'm going to share my thoughts on this book and then I'm also going to share a pet peeve at the end of it.
I absolutely loved this book. I absolutely did. At the end of the review you'll find out why I only gave a four stars out of five.
First off I love the dynamic between all the main characters. I am enjoying the mystery behind the romance. Which is really odd because I do not like mystery books.
I can appreciate all the references to Agatha christie. She was an amazing author. Not really my genre but I do appreciate a good author when I'm presented with one and she was amazing all through high school. Well syllabus you know what I mean.
I still say that my favorite couple when you take the female main character versus the three male characters would have to still go in order of chasm, Maxx THEN Parrish... But I love all of them they bring something to the table each one of them on their own.
I would no doubt suggest this series to my friends, which I have been doing.
I also like the amount of steam that each of the characters have between each other.
I have to be honest and say that I cannot stand the mother. She seems very immature and overly controlling and obsessive and psychotic. Someone seriously needs to put her on some massive amounts of medication. Like she is off the charts crazy.
Justin, the father, is that shit crazy in his own rights too. I wish that I could figure out what the hell his endgame is. And now that I have said end the game, that being the next book let's get into my pet peeve shall we?
I picked up the series because I assumed, based on what Goodreads says, that the series was complete.
The last book supposedly having been written and released in february.
However, it turns out that this is now the second pushback date.
Meaning I actually went on fantastic fiction to find out when this book was supposed to come out. I also went to the author's website.
Now I understand that life happens and things happen people get sick or pandemics happen or war happens I'm not stupid.
However, this book was originally supposed to be released in December according to the author's website. Then it was pushed to february. And I just found out that it has been pushed yet again, to may.
If Goodreads had been updated, I would not have started the series until it was completed. It is a massive pet peeve when series are supposedly completed but they're not. Am I making any sense? Or are you guys all going to come at me with pitchforks again?
Like I said, nothing against the actual author, or the people that publish her books, I'm just saying that this is a pet peeve when a series says it's complete but it's actually not. Or maybe it is complete but they haven't released the book and that gets annoying. And I'm not the only person on the planet that says that they're annoyed about something like this.
****
And with that lovely comment about pitchforks, if you're not on my friends list you cannot comment anymore on my reviews. I had a few people coming at me for a review that I did on another book and when I say coming at me, I was cyber bullied for a week. And the only reason it stopped is because I blocked those people and then I turned off my reviews. To be for friends only. If you'd like to add me and have mature conversations about my reviews and about my opinions then hey great but go into it with the mindset of agreeing to disagree. Because there's nothing that you say that's going to change how I feel about a book series or a book or content or whatever. Just like I wouldn't try to change your opinions.
****
So to recap yes I would recommend this series, once it is fully completed, to my friends yes I would definitely recommend it to them.
It managed to get me hooked on mystery. Which again is not my genre. I just really wish that it was completed so that way I could see what happens next. And you can see what happens next.
I'm going to be frustrated as hell until may. I'm sitting here saying grrr over and over again because I really really want to know what happens next.
Also to add, this is one of my favorite authors, and I'm going to read her other series but I'm going to make sure they're completed first.
Have a great day and again like I said feel free to add me and have mature conversations about reviews. Support each other. Girl power and all that stuff. Hi red. Yes I totally stole what you said to me the other day girl power. Anyway that girl power can extend to the guys too feel free to add me bye.
I absolutely loved this book. I absolutely did. At the end of the review you'll find out why I only gave a four stars out of five.
First off I love the dynamic between all the main characters. I am enjoying the mystery behind the romance. Which is really odd because I do not like mystery books.
I can appreciate all the references to Agatha christie. She was an amazing author. Not really my genre but I do appreciate a good author when I'm presented with one and she was amazing all through high school. Well syllabus you know what I mean.
I still say that my favorite couple when you take the female main character versus the three male characters would have to still go in order of chasm, Maxx THEN Parrish... But I love all of them they bring something to the table each one of them on their own.
I would no doubt suggest this series to my friends, which I have been doing.
I also like the amount of steam that each of the characters have between each other.
I have to be honest and say that I cannot stand the mother. She seems very immature and overly controlling and obsessive and psychotic. Someone seriously needs to put her on some massive amounts of medication. Like she is off the charts crazy.
Justin, the father, is that shit crazy in his own rights too. I wish that I could figure out what the hell his endgame is. And now that I have said end the game, that being the next book let's get into my pet peeve shall we?
I picked up the series because I assumed, based on what Goodreads says, that the series was complete.
The last book supposedly having been written and released in february.
However, it turns out that this is now the second pushback date.
Meaning I actually went on fantastic fiction to find out when this book was supposed to come out. I also went to the author's website.
Now I understand that life happens and things happen people get sick or pandemics happen or war happens I'm not stupid.
However, this book was originally supposed to be released in December according to the author's website. Then it was pushed to february. And I just found out that it has been pushed yet again, to may.
If Goodreads had been updated, I would not have started the series until it was completed. It is a massive pet peeve when series are supposedly completed but they're not. Am I making any sense? Or are you guys all going to come at me with pitchforks again?
Like I said, nothing against the actual author, or the people that publish her books, I'm just saying that this is a pet peeve when a series says it's complete but it's actually not. Or maybe it is complete but they haven't released the book and that gets annoying. And I'm not the only person on the planet that says that they're annoyed about something like this.
****
And with that lovely comment about pitchforks, if you're not on my friends list you cannot comment anymore on my reviews. I had a few people coming at me for a review that I did on another book and when I say coming at me, I was cyber bullied for a week. And the only reason it stopped is because I blocked those people and then I turned off my reviews. To be for friends only. If you'd like to add me and have mature conversations about my reviews and about my opinions then hey great but go into it with the mindset of agreeing to disagree. Because there's nothing that you say that's going to change how I feel about a book series or a book or content or whatever. Just like I wouldn't try to change your opinions.
****
So to recap yes I would recommend this series, once it is fully completed, to my friends yes I would definitely recommend it to them.
It managed to get me hooked on mystery. Which again is not my genre. I just really wish that it was completed so that way I could see what happens next. And you can see what happens next.
I'm going to be frustrated as hell until may. I'm sitting here saying grrr over and over again because I really really want to know what happens next.
Also to add, this is one of my favorite authors, and I'm going to read her other series but I'm going to make sure they're completed first.
Have a great day and again like I said feel free to add me and have mature conversations about reviews. Support each other. Girl power and all that stuff. Hi red. Yes I totally stole what you said to me the other day girl power. Anyway that girl power can extend to the guys too feel free to add me bye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2021
Justin Pryor. Bio-dad. App Designer. Seattle Slayer. He's brilliant, charismatic, and certifiable. He was one of their own; run out of town in disgrace. Now he's back for revenge and plans to use his daughter to get it. He will train her to be his weapon using the people she loves as leverage. Pushing her past her boundaries, isolating her from friends, alienating her from family, he hopes to make her unapologetic and merciless. Just like he is. Her bio mom and dad seem intent on who they want her to be but Dakota is more than her DNA. This town is cursed in blood and diamonds. The prep school is full of teenage terrors. Her own father is a sadistic monster. Still, Dakota no longer regrets being "found" She may have lost her old life, been forced to do some awful things, and still be facing a lunatic, but it brought her to Parrish, Chasm, and X. There can only be one winner; it must be her.
This was a really long book and I'm not sure I took a full breath during the better part of it. I felt anxiety from nearly beginning to end. I've never read a book that kept me in sustained suspense for so long. I felt even the wins were losses. It was emotionally exhausting. And I was unable to put it down. I am partial to intelligent Heroines. Sure it's great if they are a physical force of nature but I prefer brilliance. An analytical mind, the ability to think, reason, and calculate, to adapt, think outside the norm, and outmaneuver a worthy opponent makes the best character for me. So, I like Dakota. Do I wish she could have gotten ahead of her father at any point? YES. Do I have faith she will? Again, YES. Justin has been executing a strategically accomplished plan and she has been reacting. He has executed against her on multiple fronts dividing her focus and keeping her off-balance. Soon, however, the playing field narrows. School is over. Depending on how the final scene plays out Tess's attention may be totally diverted. Dakota and her wisely chosen pawns will hopefully master the mastermind.
This is CM writing at her best. It's intelligent, suspenseful, sexy, mysterious, angsty drama. The characters have chemistry but their relationship goes beyond lust. They talk, they manage to laugh despite everything, they have a bond that deepens by the day. They are a team. A team that wants sexy times. And as much as I love their sexy times, I love their "like" even more. They enjoy being together. The guys have a beautiful bromance. They are stronger together. I look forward to Endgame. I want to see Kota and the Boys get the win.
This was a really long book and I'm not sure I took a full breath during the better part of it. I felt anxiety from nearly beginning to end. I've never read a book that kept me in sustained suspense for so long. I felt even the wins were losses. It was emotionally exhausting. And I was unable to put it down. I am partial to intelligent Heroines. Sure it's great if they are a physical force of nature but I prefer brilliance. An analytical mind, the ability to think, reason, and calculate, to adapt, think outside the norm, and outmaneuver a worthy opponent makes the best character for me. So, I like Dakota. Do I wish she could have gotten ahead of her father at any point? YES. Do I have faith she will? Again, YES. Justin has been executing a strategically accomplished plan and she has been reacting. He has executed against her on multiple fronts dividing her focus and keeping her off-balance. Soon, however, the playing field narrows. School is over. Depending on how the final scene plays out Tess's attention may be totally diverted. Dakota and her wisely chosen pawns will hopefully master the mastermind.
This is CM writing at her best. It's intelligent, suspenseful, sexy, mysterious, angsty drama. The characters have chemistry but their relationship goes beyond lust. They talk, they manage to laugh despite everything, they have a bond that deepens by the day. They are a team. A team that wants sexy times. And as much as I love their sexy times, I love their "like" even more. They enjoy being together. The guys have a beautiful bromance. They are stronger together. I look forward to Endgame. I want to see Kota and the Boys get the win.
October 16, 2021
tw and possible spoilers⬇️
Damn. Where. Do. I. Even. Start? Hmmm…..
I’ll start by saying this book was crazy! Like actually crazy, with all the shit that went down. I’m still shook.
Anyways, this one takes place right after Parrish gets kidnapped by Dakota’s dad, and of course her Maxx and Chasm are going crazy trying to find him. I will say that I did skim certain parts because it did get a little repetitive. I still really enjoyed this one though.
Now, what I find weird is this book is considered new adult but the characters ages don’t fit in that category. The content is definitely new adult but I just find it odd to write about minors having sex, when you could have easily made them 18 instead. That would have made more sense to me, but hey I’m just the reader. 🤷🏼♀️ I know people may be uncomfortable with that part of it. Especially with her dad forcing her to have sex with a guy she likes but isn’t comfortable with doing that. Hell, it had me a bit uncomfortable. Sooo, yeah those are some things to know if you don’t want to read that stuff.
Anywayyyssss, for the most part this book was pretty damn interesting with all the drama and mysteries. I really like all the characters, I just think they should be older in this series. Like I said I just find that part of it a little strange. But, I noticed that this author usually writes her books like that.
Even with those things I did enjoy this story a lot, and I really want the next one to be out already!
Overall I’d give this one 4.5 stars.
Damn. Where. Do. I. Even. Start? Hmmm…..
I’ll start by saying this book was crazy! Like actually crazy, with all the shit that went down. I’m still shook.
Anyways, this one takes place right after Parrish gets kidnapped by Dakota’s dad, and of course her Maxx and Chasm are going crazy trying to find him. I will say that I did skim certain parts because it did get a little repetitive. I still really enjoyed this one though.
Now, what I find weird is this book is considered new adult but the characters ages don’t fit in that category. The content is definitely new adult but I just find it odd to write about minors having sex, when you could have easily made them 18 instead. That would have made more sense to me, but hey I’m just the reader. 🤷🏼♀️ I know people may be uncomfortable with that part of it. Especially with her dad forcing her to have sex with a guy she likes but isn’t comfortable with doing that. Hell, it had me a bit uncomfortable. Sooo, yeah those are some things to know if you don’t want to read that stuff.
Anywayyyssss, for the most part this book was pretty damn interesting with all the drama and mysteries. I really like all the characters, I just think they should be older in this series. Like I said I just find that part of it a little strange. But, I noticed that this author usually writes her books like that.
Even with those things I did enjoy this story a lot, and I really want the next one to be out already!
Overall I’d give this one 4.5 stars.
September 22, 2021
I absolutely love this trilogy so far!! The characters are fantastic, the whole premise is unique, dark and so tantalizing. I love the taboo of the hidden step-brother romance, and the fear and mystery that comes with all of Kota's sleuthing. Seriously amazing read and I definitely can't wait for more! I look forward to seeing how they solve all their problems and come out the other side, because this serial killer is one seriously clever and devious mind.
September 26, 2021
Simply stunning
I'm kind of speechless - that never happens. C.M. has done it again and this time - I'm stunned. How much more can Dakota and her guys take. Just when they think they can breath another goes missing, literally everyone at their school has lost their minds and they are being manipulated by a serial killer. Can they make it through another year of high-school? Will they ever get a step ahead of Dakota's dear old dad? Who is friend? Who is foe? Why are all the guys parents so shady? This is going to end badly for some of them.
I'm kind of speechless - that never happens. C.M. has done it again and this time - I'm stunned. How much more can Dakota and her guys take. Just when they think they can breath another goes missing, literally everyone at their school has lost their minds and they are being manipulated by a serial killer. Can they make it through another year of high-school? Will they ever get a step ahead of Dakota's dear old dad? Who is friend? Who is foe? Why are all the guys parents so shady? This is going to end badly for some of them.
January 16, 2022
While I enjoyed the first book in this series...boy, did everything ramp up in book two! The mission to find Parrish is becoming dire and Dakota, Chasm and Max must work together to bring their friend home. I loved the angsty drama and over the top behavior by Tess and Justin. Amazing suspense and twists. Can’t wait for more.
November 25, 2021
Summary: my father made me sleep with a few guys. It's believable because he's a psychotic killer. Also, I enjoyed sleeping with them all cause they were hot and broken, now I can have them all and fix them with group sexiness and acceptance (but only where I am so special that they, in return, will only have sexiness with me, of course). Moral: mysogyny can be turned into feminism by reverse application of sexist ideas. Prediction for book 3: mc has existential crisis because current state of feminist freedom was triggered by the patriarchy. She suffers with a prolonged ebon mood. She wonders does this make her a feminist, a mysogynist or a pragmatist? She decides that being a feminist requires her to add a female to her harem, but if the female slept with the males of the harem then that would absolutely be mysogyny! The End.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2021
Hmmmmm… I’m not sure how I feel about the book tbh. It was good, but… 🤷🏻♀️
Intrigued to see where the third book takes us
Intrigued to see where the third book takes us
Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews