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Sacred Creed Academy #1
Brutal Redemption
Today the devil returned.
I thought I’d escaped Hayden forever.
Moving across the country worked—for a few years.
Until I’m forced to return home.
And even worse, attend Sacred Creed Academy with the beast himself.
My brother’s former best friend.
My first crush.
My first kiss.
And the boy who tried to kill me.
Brutal Redemption is a dark high school bully romance. It contains sensitive topics that some may find triggering and is intended for mature readers. Brutal Redemption is Book One in the Sacred Creed Academy series and a STAND-ALONE.
I thought I’d escaped Hayden forever.
Moving across the country worked—for a few years.
Until I’m forced to return home.
And even worse, attend Sacred Creed Academy with the beast himself.
My brother’s former best friend.
My first crush.
My first kiss.
And the boy who tried to kill me.
Brutal Redemption is a dark high school bully romance. It contains sensitive topics that some may find triggering and is intended for mature readers. Brutal Redemption is Book One in the Sacred Creed Academy series and a STAND-ALONE.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2021
353 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
January 11, 2022
Somewhere in this mess is a decent story line.
I was really with this book until around 20-25%
The set up was a winner for me: the h ran away across the country to get away from a boy who literally tried to kill her when she was 13. She’s gone for 5 years, but is forced to return her senior year in high school. Where this book takes a turn from standard bully stories is that her ex bully isn’t looking to pick up where he left off. He wants to make the h his. 😍 He’s protective and possessive. He manipulates and bulldozes his way back into her life. She’s scared and really confused. It’s hinted that she doesn’t truly understand what actually happened that night she thought he tried to kill her. She’s vulnerable and the perfect traumatized damsel in distress, and the boy she thinks is her personal nightmare wants to save her. 😍🖤😍🖤
This is a solid premise. I’m on board. Give it to me. 👍🏻👍🏻
And from there, unfortunately, this story went off the rails. All logic is thrown out the window. We’re drowned in OTT ridiculous narrative after ridiculous narrative. Silly nonsensical fights, then a complete 180… then another plot twist. Oooh! And here’s a dangling plot point. And ANOTHER ONE!
And while the author is concentrating on crazy town nonsense. She forgot to concentrate on important moments that would have built the MCs relationship. Their first time? We just get a few mechanical sentences. I’m not even sure the h climaxed. 👀😐😵💫😬
If she had just reduced the fights by half and let them really chew on their issues and finding their way, this book would have been much improved.
The narrative, particularly in the H’s pov, was over flowery. Kids don’t think in poetic flowery language. Particularly dudes. 😑
Also… I never could figure out WHYYYY the H was so obsessed. They were 13 when the incident happened, and it’s never established that they were into each other then. And the explanation we received FINALLY for what actually happened was not at all what I was expecting and really didn’t redeem the H. Like AT ALL. It was effing bizarre. This whole time I was expecting to find out he was mostly innocent. That isn’t the case. Which is weird because the way he acts, it seems like he’s probably innocent.
Bottom Line? Gawd the disappointment I felt about the mess that was made of this promising story was big. It could have been so good, but this narrative really got away from the author. If that had been it, I would have given it 3-stars, but unfortunately that silly ending did it in. It was too convenient and lacking in emotion for the tragic situation we were presented with. The H wasn’t redeemed. #wompwomp 😕
⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW/OM drama
- no dubcon
- the h is not a virgin - she has had sex one time - it wasn’t a good experience
- The H’s sexual history is very ambiguous - there are some comments made that make you think he hasn’t had sex in a while, but nothing definitive that I saw - maybe he was a virgin?? 🤷🏼♀️ who knows - he’s a sex god either way. 🤡
- no condoms - no discussion - never mentioned - birth control isn’t even thought about. Apparently these super smart kids, one of which wants to be a scientist, do not know how bodies work. Totally makes sense. 🙄
I was really with this book until around 20-25%
The set up was a winner for me: the h ran away across the country to get away from a boy who literally tried to kill her when she was 13. She’s gone for 5 years, but is forced to return her senior year in high school. Where this book takes a turn from standard bully stories is that her ex bully isn’t looking to pick up where he left off. He wants to make the h his. 😍 He’s protective and possessive. He manipulates and bulldozes his way back into her life. She’s scared and really confused. It’s hinted that she doesn’t truly understand what actually happened that night she thought he tried to kill her. She’s vulnerable and the perfect traumatized damsel in distress, and the boy she thinks is her personal nightmare wants to save her. 😍🖤😍🖤
This is a solid premise. I’m on board. Give it to me. 👍🏻👍🏻
And from there, unfortunately, this story went off the rails. All logic is thrown out the window. We’re drowned in OTT ridiculous narrative after ridiculous narrative. Silly nonsensical fights, then a complete 180… then another plot twist. Oooh! And here’s a dangling plot point. And ANOTHER ONE!
And while the author is concentrating on crazy town nonsense. She forgot to concentrate on important moments that would have built the MCs relationship. Their first time? We just get a few mechanical sentences. I’m not even sure the h climaxed. 👀😐😵💫😬
If she had just reduced the fights by half and let them really chew on their issues and finding their way, this book would have been much improved.
The narrative, particularly in the H’s pov, was over flowery. Kids don’t think in poetic flowery language. Particularly dudes. 😑
Also… I never could figure out WHYYYY the H was so obsessed. They were 13 when the incident happened, and it’s never established that they were into each other then. And the explanation we received FINALLY for what actually happened was not at all what I was expecting and really didn’t redeem the H. Like AT ALL. It was effing bizarre. This whole time I was expecting to find out he was mostly innocent. That isn’t the case. Which is weird because the way he acts, it seems like he’s probably innocent.
Bottom Line? Gawd the disappointment I felt about the mess that was made of this promising story was big. It could have been so good, but this narrative really got away from the author. If that had been it, I would have given it 3-stars, but unfortunately that silly ending did it in. It was too convenient and lacking in emotion for the tragic situation we were presented with. The H wasn’t redeemed. #wompwomp 😕
⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW/OM drama
- no dubcon
- the h is not a virgin - she has had sex one time - it wasn’t a good experience
- The H’s sexual history is very ambiguous - there are some comments made that make you think he hasn’t had sex in a while, but nothing definitive that I saw - maybe he was a virgin?? 🤷🏼♀️ who knows - he’s a sex god either way. 🤡
- no condoms - no discussion - never mentioned - birth control isn’t even thought about. Apparently these super smart kids, one of which wants to be a scientist, do not know how bodies work. Totally makes sense. 🙄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2022
He’s like that baby with his fav teething ring or rattle.
The one he never leaves home without; that he clutches in a death grip, asleep or awake.
Soothing his gums, nibbling and drooling and biting and shaking his fist in the air with it.
And the Sword of Damocles hangs over the heads of anyone who so much as glances at it.
((MINE))
However, instead of gently hiding the rattle under his blankie when someone makes a grab for it, he rears his arm back with an affronted war cry and inadvertently backhands the thing against the slats of his cot.
Sigh.
That’s Hayden with his Adaline.
The one he never leaves home without; that he clutches in a death grip, asleep or awake.
Soothing his gums, nibbling and drooling and biting and shaking his fist in the air with it.
And the Sword of Damocles hangs over the heads of anyone who so much as glances at it.
((MINE))
However, instead of gently hiding the rattle under his blankie when someone makes a grab for it, he rears his arm back with an affronted war cry and inadvertently backhands the thing against the slats of his cot.
Sigh.
That’s Hayden with his Adaline.
January 26, 2022
Weak, timid, scared, nerdy doormat H. No chemistry. Auto DNF for me.
December 6, 2021
No logic at all
January 10, 2022
I don’t even know what to say. 🙈
I think somewhere in here there was some thing that could have been decent but it was too predictable and just too much in general. Too much drama. Too much fighting. A freaking soap opera! Everything needed to be taken down a few notches. Some subtlety would have gone a long way here. Everything was pretty rushed too and there were some dramatic moments that I wished were longer so that I could really be in the moment and connect with those emotions. It was just all so fast.
I think somewhere in here there was some thing that could have been decent but it was too predictable and just too much in general. Too much drama. Too much fighting. A freaking soap opera! Everything needed to be taken down a few notches. Some subtlety would have gone a long way here. Everything was pretty rushed too and there were some dramatic moments that I wished were longer so that I could really be in the moment and connect with those emotions. It was just all so fast.
Read
January 9, 2022Uhm. What?
Given that Hayden tried to kill Addy, I was expecting him to grovel better than that. And I was expecting Addy to have more fight in her. But really, Hayden is an ass that keeps on pushing/pulling Addy. And Addy is the one who's got to chase him down a few times 🙄. This book had a lot of potential but the way the story turned out didn't work for me.
Also, am I the only one frustrated with the ending of certain characters? How dare they have an easy way out, I wish they suffered more.
Given that Hayden tried to kill Addy, I was expecting him to grovel better than that. And I was expecting Addy to have more fight in her. But really, Hayden is an ass that keeps on pushing/pulling Addy. And Addy is the one who's got to chase him down a few times 🙄. This book had a lot of potential but the way the story turned out didn't work for me.
Also, am I the only one frustrated with the ending of certain characters? How dare they have an easy way out, I wish they suffered more.
January 11, 2023
3.75 ~ This was a good story, I just didn’t love the way it was executed. At times it felt all over the place and not enough detail about the group and the MC’s. Other times it felt like it had got itself together and we were getting some page time with this group.
I loved Hayden, he was a broken dude that was harbouring a secret and trying to protect Addy by making her hate him. He was a little OTT and it was a little overly dramatic.
Addy was a doormat to begin with but gradually we saw her become stronger and with Hayden’s bullying she found her way, so in a weird way he helped her to become strong. I know it’s effed up but it’s a book people and it did it for me okay. She was also the only character I felt I got to know properly. She was damaged beyond repair, until Hayden tries his best to break her and shape her inti something new and stronger.
Gage I adored, he was sweet and sincere and I genuinely got a Whit/Crew (Monica Murphy’s Lancaster Prep boys) vibe between them. Niko was another good character that I wanted more from, as was Blair.
And that’s where my problem with this book lay. The character development was lacking. There were all these really good characters than we never truly get to know about. What makes them tick? Or do the horrible things they do? To be fair, I’ll probably read the rest of the books because I liked what I read and the people I was reading about but I hope I get more from them as we go on. Because what could have been a 4 or even 5 star read was let down by the fact I never felt I got to know anyone quite that much except for Addy.
I loved Hayden, he was a broken dude that was harbouring a secret and trying to protect Addy by making her hate him. He was a little OTT and it was a little overly dramatic.
Addy was a doormat to begin with but gradually we saw her become stronger and with Hayden’s bullying she found her way, so in a weird way he helped her to become strong. I know it’s effed up but it’s a book people and it did it for me okay. She was also the only character I felt I got to know properly. She was damaged beyond repair, until Hayden tries his best to break her and shape her inti something new and stronger.
Gage I adored, he was sweet and sincere and I genuinely got a Whit/Crew (Monica Murphy’s Lancaster Prep boys) vibe between them. Niko was another good character that I wanted more from, as was Blair.
And that’s where my problem with this book lay. The character development was lacking. There were all these really good characters than we never truly get to know about. What makes them tick? Or do the horrible things they do? To be fair, I’ll probably read the rest of the books because I liked what I read and the people I was reading about but I hope I get more from them as we go on. Because what could have been a 4 or even 5 star read was let down by the fact I never felt I got to know anyone quite that much except for Addy.
December 7, 2021
Dark quick read!
I came across this book and I liked it. I honestly was disturbed by alot of the characters in this book. My heart truly goes out to Addy. She’s had it rough. I did feel like she gave in a little quickly but i think i feel that way because i didn’t get to see or really feel the connection from when they were young, but when it was explained it made since.I felt that she was truly alone and she should seek therapy for the trauma she endured. It might be surprising but I hated her mom more than anyone else in the story!!! Hayden was a tortured soul. My heart actually broke a little for him and the position he was in. Especially considering the age. He did come off as a entitled jerk most of the time but in the end I couldn’t hate him. I sympathized with him and hope that he grows. Hopefully i didn’t give away too much.
I came across this book and I liked it. I honestly was disturbed by alot of the characters in this book. My heart truly goes out to Addy. She’s had it rough. I did feel like she gave in a little quickly but i think i feel that way because i didn’t get to see or really feel the connection from when they were young, but when it was explained it made since.I felt that she was truly alone and she should seek therapy for the trauma she endured. It might be surprising but I hated her mom more than anyone else in the story!!! Hayden was a tortured soul. My heart actually broke a little for him and the position he was in. Especially considering the age. He did come off as a entitled jerk most of the time but in the end I couldn’t hate him. I sympathized with him and hope that he grows. Hopefully i didn’t give away too much.
May 2, 2022
Puede ser que los primeros 10 capítulos dio una impresión equivocada de lo que era. El comienzo fue bastante flojo y es que daba un poco mucho de vergüenza pero el libro es entretenido. Que puedo decir de Hayden: loquito psicopata pero ME GUSTABA todo un inestable alfa. Aunque en los primeros caps te pintan que la odia a ella y bla bla nada que ver es un lloron por su mujer. Por otro lado Addy me gustó y bueno no dio para mucho mas pero si me dio pena todo lo que tuvo que sufrir😭. La trama es media rara porque fue como un rejunte de clichés y frases malas. La manera en la que se resolvió todo no solo fue rápido sino que exagerado,la forma en la que en el libro todos tienen acciones sin consecuencias (irreal!!)
En fin una lectura corta pasable que entretiene y no para mucho más
En fin una lectura corta pasable que entretiene y no para mucho más
May 6, 2022
WTF?????
May 26, 2022
It took me several months just to finish reading it 🥴. Most probably the reason for my rating/tags.
January 23, 2022
This story started out strong with potential. Adeleine and Drew are twins and best friends with Hayden. At 13, Hayden attempts to drown Addy while swimming with Drew and she forgets much of the circumstances. Now at 18, she is forced to return home to an angry twin and a bully Hayden who is not only bullying her sickly brother but taunting her. Her mom seems to hate her and her dad is a drunk.
The story unfolds and we find out the the mystery surrounding her drowning. At first, writing was engaging and a page turner. But around the halfway point, the plot began to suffer. The MC's motives were confusing and wavered for no reason. Out of the blue the H turns into a simping idiot. Once they hooked up, their chemistry fell apart. The steam level was a 3/5. The ending was ridiculously OTT dramatic and the epilogue was unsatisfactory. Basically the story took a nosedive after about 40% of the way. It had potential. Hope Gage's story is better.
The story unfolds and we find out the the mystery surrounding her drowning. At first, writing was engaging and a page turner. But around the halfway point, the plot began to suffer. The MC's motives were confusing and wavered for no reason. Out of the blue the H turns into a simping idiot. Once they hooked up, their chemistry fell apart. The steam level was a 3/5. The ending was ridiculously OTT dramatic and the epilogue was unsatisfactory. Basically the story took a nosedive after about 40% of the way. It had potential. Hope Gage's story is better.
March 9, 2025
Well, the book wasn’t horribly bad per se but it still had many, many flaws. Seriously, this is one of those times when I don’t know where to start. I don’t know why I didn’t drop it at 30 or 40%, but I think it was because I wanted to see where it was all going. I had pretty good idea about it, but still.
This review will contain few spoilers so if you go ahead, it’s at your own risk.
1. The idea of the story had a potential, but it was so poorly delivered and badly executed. There were so many loopholes I just was getting bored and kind of infuriated.
2. The spicy scenes were so poorly explained and unfinished, it made me irk. It wasn’t funny reading them. The author left the whole act unfinished. I mean, imagine me explaining the following. “He pushed into her in one go and started f*cking her. He kissed her collarbone and then her lips. She felt delirious and then everything ended.” When reading those kinds of scenes, it was similar to what I wrote and was thinking “seriously, the author isn’t capable of giving a little bit more of emotion and sensuality to the orgasm that the MFC supposedly had”. It was terribly written.
3. Why Addie’s dad was an alcoholic? I have a good idea why, but at any moment the author decided to shade some light on it. He was just in drunken state all the time and discussed with his wife and that was all.
4. Her mother’s character also was delivered very poorly. She hated her for no reason because her pretty boy Drew was sick and he needed a new heart. So, her displeasure with her daughter was simply because her other child was sick. I don’t know… I think this character needed a bit of a more background and some solid motive to dislike her own daughter.
5. The comings and goings between Hayden and Addie were a constant nightmare. At the beginning there was some supposedly enemies to lovers trope, but very fast Hayden started to want to be with Addie at all times. In one chapter Addie was so sure and trustful of Hayden and in the next she didn’t want to see him. This bipolar behavior on the two of them made me actually dislike the characters.
6. The story was rushed. The author probably tried to give it some depth, but when she started twisting a bit the story then she dropped it jumping to another thing. She was incapable of following the same line the whole time.
7. I missed more interactions with the side characters. 90% of the book was only about Hayden and Addie, their permanent miscommunication and Drew trying to kill his sister in the background.
8. The author was constantly using the word “fuckin’“ and irritated me so much. I think if we decide on writing books at least we need some extended vocabulary and the use of synonyms. There wasn’t another word that was so present in the book like this one.
Needles to say, I won’t read the next books in the series not I’ll come back to this author in the future. By the way, the KU version of the book had few grammatical mistakes that gouged out my eyes.
Do I recommend this book? After finishing it quickly (thanks it was quite short) I don’t recommend it. The author tried to write an enemies to lovers, high school, dark romance that wasn’t so dark nor it was executed fine.
This review will contain few spoilers so if you go ahead, it’s at your own risk.
1. The idea of the story had a potential, but it was so poorly delivered and badly executed. There were so many loopholes I just was getting bored and kind of infuriated.
2. The spicy scenes were so poorly explained and unfinished, it made me irk. It wasn’t funny reading them. The author left the whole act unfinished. I mean, imagine me explaining the following. “He pushed into her in one go and started f*cking her. He kissed her collarbone and then her lips. She felt delirious and then everything ended.” When reading those kinds of scenes, it was similar to what I wrote and was thinking “seriously, the author isn’t capable of giving a little bit more of emotion and sensuality to the orgasm that the MFC supposedly had”. It was terribly written.
3. Why Addie’s dad was an alcoholic? I have a good idea why, but at any moment the author decided to shade some light on it. He was just in drunken state all the time and discussed with his wife and that was all.
4. Her mother’s character also was delivered very poorly. She hated her for no reason because her pretty boy Drew was sick and he needed a new heart. So, her displeasure with her daughter was simply because her other child was sick. I don’t know… I think this character needed a bit of a more background and some solid motive to dislike her own daughter.
5. The comings and goings between Hayden and Addie were a constant nightmare. At the beginning there was some supposedly enemies to lovers trope, but very fast Hayden started to want to be with Addie at all times. In one chapter Addie was so sure and trustful of Hayden and in the next she didn’t want to see him. This bipolar behavior on the two of them made me actually dislike the characters.
6. The story was rushed. The author probably tried to give it some depth, but when she started twisting a bit the story then she dropped it jumping to another thing. She was incapable of following the same line the whole time.
7. I missed more interactions with the side characters. 90% of the book was only about Hayden and Addie, their permanent miscommunication and Drew trying to kill his sister in the background.
8. The author was constantly using the word “fuckin’“ and irritated me so much. I think if we decide on writing books at least we need some extended vocabulary and the use of synonyms. There wasn’t another word that was so present in the book like this one.
Needles to say, I won’t read the next books in the series not I’ll come back to this author in the future. By the way, the KU version of the book had few grammatical mistakes that gouged out my eyes.
Do I recommend this book? After finishing it quickly (thanks it was quite short) I don’t recommend it. The author tried to write an enemies to lovers, high school, dark romance that wasn’t so dark nor it was executed fine.
did-not-finish
August 26, 2022I'm struggling with this one. I already have questionable taste in reading material (I love me a good bully romance), but this one is poorly developed...
The premise was really intriguing but it just was not done well.
There was no chemistry at all between the hero and the heroine. Also no consistency with their characters either.
Early in the story he says he doesn't want her forgiveness and then later in the story she tells him "you want me to forgive you, but you can't forgive yourself." And I'm thinking, actually no, he never said anything about wanting your forgiveness. This seems like a serious lack of consistency on the author's part. But these kinds of inconsistencies kind of define their whole relationship... oh ya, the hero also at one point very early in the story is fantasizing about seeing the fear in her eyes, but then later on he suddenly is adament he doesn't want to see fear in her eyes?? it makes no sense. You can't get a grasp on the characters at all because they just aren't developed. They aren't going through any kind of character arc, they just aren't being developed well. Same with the heroine. She goes from being terrified of him because he tried to kill her, to being in love with him. It would have been interesting if we had actually seen some kind of journey for her to get to that point, but we don't. Absoluetely nothing happened in the story for this to make sense.
It's also really obvious early on who the real villian is.
I'm not sure if I'm gonna make it to the end...
The premise was really intriguing but it just was not done well.
There was no chemistry at all between the hero and the heroine. Also no consistency with their characters either.
Early in the story he says he doesn't want her forgiveness and then later in the story she tells him "you want me to forgive you, but you can't forgive yourself." And I'm thinking, actually no, he never said anything about wanting your forgiveness. This seems like a serious lack of consistency on the author's part. But these kinds of inconsistencies kind of define their whole relationship... oh ya, the hero also at one point very early in the story is fantasizing about seeing the fear in her eyes, but then later on he suddenly is adament he doesn't want to see fear in her eyes?? it makes no sense. You can't get a grasp on the characters at all because they just aren't developed. They aren't going through any kind of character arc, they just aren't being developed well. Same with the heroine. She goes from being terrified of him because he tried to kill her, to being in love with him. It would have been interesting if we had actually seen some kind of journey for her to get to that point, but we don't. Absoluetely nothing happened in the story for this to make sense.
It's also really obvious early on who the real villian is.
I'm not sure if I'm gonna make it to the end...
February 27, 2022
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. I was entertained, but in a bad way, if that even makes sense. I have read bad books before, that was just unreadable, this was not one of those books. It was corny and over dramatic, but in a good bad way. I guess the best way to explain is like watching a Thai drama, you know it’s going to be unrealistic and cheesy, but you press play anyway because sometimes that’s exactly what you’re looking for.
There were no in-depth descriptions of the main characters, the most I recall being provided by the author was the guy had hazel eyes and the girl had brown hair. If I don’t even know what the main characters look like by page 50, then I’m not really expecting much for the remainder. The lack of something as simple as character foundation within the first 50 pages signals to me that the book will be just passing entertainment that will be forgotten as soon as it ends.
It was cheesy, corny and over dramatic… but I was entertained and I regret nothing.
At the end of the day, I read books to be entertained and I was, so yeah, if bored I’ll check out this author again.
There were no in-depth descriptions of the main characters, the most I recall being provided by the author was the guy had hazel eyes and the girl had brown hair. If I don’t even know what the main characters look like by page 50, then I’m not really expecting much for the remainder. The lack of something as simple as character foundation within the first 50 pages signals to me that the book will be just passing entertainment that will be forgotten as soon as it ends.
It was cheesy, corny and over dramatic… but I was entertained and I regret nothing.
At the end of the day, I read books to be entertained and I was, so yeah, if bored I’ll check out this author again.
September 7, 2022
Brutal Redemption by A.J. Logan is a dark bully romance. I downloaded this book awhile back and not sure why I sat on it for so long. The description really had my interest, sounded like a book I would totally be interested in. When i finally opened the book up and started reading, it sucked me right in. Addy is a broken girl who moved away from home after a traumatic event when her crush and her first kiss tried to kill her. So she got her parents to let her move across country to go to a private boarding school and she vowed to never return. Only someone had different plans and Addy was forced to go back home and face her past and finally learn some truth. Hayden was Addy's twin brother's best friend, and the one who tried to kill her. He has been obsessed with Addy for years and now that she was back, he wasn't going to let her go. There were so many twists and shocking revelations in this book, it felt like a rollercoaster right up until the end, but I loved every twist and turn. I was so sucked into this book and I couldn't put it down and I was so glad to see Hayden get his redemption. I can't wait to read more of A.J. Logan's books.
August 10, 2025
I'm about 4 years late to this series but I'm happy to be here. Brutal Redemption was dark and twisty which is just the kind of book I love.
Addy by all rights shouldn't have given Hayden the time of day. I get that it was hard for her to avoid him after she got unjustly kicked out of her school in New York and sent back home but I would not have blamed her if she filed a police report every time he got within 5 feet of her.
That made the redemption that much better for me. A.J. Logan packed a LOT of plot into the last 25% of this book using the first 50-75% on re-building what was lost between Hayden/Addy.
The climax and ending was so bittersweet because of what it cost Addy but it made sense to the overall story and allowed me not to get annoyed when Hayden became a cotton ball simp for Addy instead of retaining his edge. I like my villains to stay a bit villanous but it felt right that Hayden changed given everything he and Addy had gone through.
Looking forward to checking out the other books in this series and additional books written by A.J.
Addy by all rights shouldn't have given Hayden the time of day. I get that it was hard for her to avoid him after she got unjustly kicked out of her school in New York and sent back home but I would not have blamed her if she filed a police report every time he got within 5 feet of her.
That made the redemption that much better for me. A.J. Logan packed a LOT of plot into the last 25% of this book using the first 50-75% on re-building what was lost between Hayden/Addy.
The climax and ending was so bittersweet because of what it cost Addy but it made sense to the overall story and allowed me not to get annoyed when Hayden became a cotton ball simp for Addy instead of retaining his edge. I like my villains to stay a bit villanous but it felt right that Hayden changed given everything he and Addy had gone through.
Looking forward to checking out the other books in this series and additional books written by A.J.
December 9, 2021
Awesome
This book was an incredible dark read. The characters were messed ( to say the least) from an event that look place when they were younger.
Hayden is an alpha obsessed male wanting to protect and have Addy while at the same time being the character she is terrified of due to his past actions. And her fear of him is well warranted.
Addy is a broken fearful girl from what happened in the past. She experienced a horrifying event when she was young and had no support from anyone to help deal with it. She ran and the people who should have been her safe place and support let her.
Events lead her back to her home town, to a place where again she has to cope with what happened to her in the past alone. Until things change.
Events come to light and the story has a great twist. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was an incredible dark read. The characters were messed ( to say the least) from an event that look place when they were younger.
Hayden is an alpha obsessed male wanting to protect and have Addy while at the same time being the character she is terrified of due to his past actions. And her fear of him is well warranted.
Addy is a broken fearful girl from what happened in the past. She experienced a horrifying event when she was young and had no support from anyone to help deal with it. She ran and the people who should have been her safe place and support let her.
Events lead her back to her home town, to a place where again she has to cope with what happened to her in the past alone. Until things change.
Events come to light and the story has a great twist. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 29, 2022
This Had Me Going
First you should know that I read every day. I have for over the last three years. The other thing you should know about me is that my favorite genre is High School Bully romances. I may not be the demographic for these books, but I love them still.
I haven't been in a reading funk, because I have dozens of books that are really good. It's that this book by AJ is great. It is different from most books that share this trope in many ways.
Hayden and Addy's story isn't sweet, of course not, this is a dark romance, too. This story isn't driven by the spicy scenes. It is driven by the plot and storyline. The side characters are also as important to driving the story as are the main couple. I began reading it in the early morning hours, 3:00 am, but I had to get some sleep.
Here's why I like this book so much. First, my intro to this trope is BB Reid's Fear Me and Pen Douglas's Bully. What these three books have in common is that the female character becomes stronger as the story moves forward and the truths are revealed. The other thing is that the male character is humbled and forced to face his own demons. Lastly, there are twists and turns that surprise you throughout the story. The villain isn't always who you think it is, and and the people who protect you most are the ones you least expect.
Yes, this story got my juices going Enjoy.
First you should know that I read every day. I have for over the last three years. The other thing you should know about me is that my favorite genre is High School Bully romances. I may not be the demographic for these books, but I love them still.
I haven't been in a reading funk, because I have dozens of books that are really good. It's that this book by AJ is great. It is different from most books that share this trope in many ways.
Hayden and Addy's story isn't sweet, of course not, this is a dark romance, too. This story isn't driven by the spicy scenes. It is driven by the plot and storyline. The side characters are also as important to driving the story as are the main couple. I began reading it in the early morning hours, 3:00 am, but I had to get some sleep.
Here's why I like this book so much. First, my intro to this trope is BB Reid's Fear Me and Pen Douglas's Bully. What these three books have in common is that the female character becomes stronger as the story moves forward and the truths are revealed. The other thing is that the male character is humbled and forced to face his own demons. Lastly, there are twists and turns that surprise you throughout the story. The villain isn't always who you think it is, and and the people who protect you most are the ones you least expect.
Yes, this story got my juices going Enjoy.
November 9, 2024
That ending, it was totally f*ked up. I knew very early on that there was way more to the story than Addy knew, and suspected her brother was at play. My suspicions really peaked when there was only 1 very small interaction between Addy and Drew by 50%, and it was him insulting her. At first I hated Hayden for how he was towards Drew. I actually felt sorry for Drew, but it wasn’t long before my opinion changed.
The only thing I couldn’t figure out is why the hell didn’t Hayden just tell her the truth.
This wasn’t a bad story, the beginning took me awhile to get into, but holy heck after around 70%, and especially the ending, the betrayals were jaw dropping. I felt for poor Addy, that girl was put through so much pain and suffered a lot of betrayal and loss. I’m not sure if I’ll read Gage’s story right away, but I am interested because he was such a good guy and friend to Addy.
The only thing I couldn’t figure out is why the hell didn’t Hayden just tell her the truth.
This wasn’t a bad story, the beginning took me awhile to get into, but holy heck after around 70%, and especially the ending, the betrayals were jaw dropping. I felt for poor Addy, that girl was put through so much pain and suffered a lot of betrayal and loss. I’m not sure if I’ll read Gage’s story right away, but I am interested because he was such a good guy and friend to Addy.
January 23, 2022
Needs more
This went from I'm so scared this guy I loved tried to kill me and I can't breathe in the same room as him to omg I love him. We are missing all the inbetween those two polar opposites there. There's lots of sex in this book. There's the main mystery (which is very obvious). And that's about it. I didn't understand how we got from so scared and hating him to in his bed and in love with him. I didn't get what happened for the main mystery to be how it was. Yeah, we are provided with a motive, but it just seems weird and unbelievable. So yeah, this one was not for me.
This went from I'm so scared this guy I loved tried to kill me and I can't breathe in the same room as him to omg I love him. We are missing all the inbetween those two polar opposites there. There's lots of sex in this book. There's the main mystery (which is very obvious). And that's about it. I didn't understand how we got from so scared and hating him to in his bed and in love with him. I didn't get what happened for the main mystery to be how it was. Yeah, we are provided with a motive, but it just seems weird and unbelievable. So yeah, this one was not for me.
February 23, 2022
Completely not what I expected but way better!!!
Okay without giving everything away I am absolutely in love with sweet poison. Hayden was what I thought he would be but also not what i though. Addy oh my at the beginning she comes off shaky, weak and broken. Make no mistake she is anything but that she just needed a moment. She is fierce and feisty and doesn't back down and love the little bit of snark while being vulnerable at the same time. Surprisingly I understand little Hayden and why he did what he did and total mind cluster who the real villain of the story is. Ending was not your normal ending there is an HEA but still heartbreak. Phenomenal
Okay without giving everything away I am absolutely in love with sweet poison. Hayden was what I thought he would be but also not what i though. Addy oh my at the beginning she comes off shaky, weak and broken. Make no mistake she is anything but that she just needed a moment. She is fierce and feisty and doesn't back down and love the little bit of snark while being vulnerable at the same time. Surprisingly I understand little Hayden and why he did what he did and total mind cluster who the real villain of the story is. Ending was not your normal ending there is an HEA but still heartbreak. Phenomenal
August 25, 2022
I had a feeling from the start that her brother was the one. Why else would the love interest be after him at the start of the book. The main character’s mom was horrible!!! I kept wanting the main character to tell her off. The mom to have some sort of reaction. There was no reason for her to treat her daughter that way. Her friends at her new school I didn’t trust at first. There were plenty of times that I wanted to hit the love interest. I’m still curious about him. Did he date in all those years since he was so in love with her? We know that she had that one night with someone while she was away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2022
Risky move starting book off so dark
Started off rough. I almost DNF(did not finish). However, she gave a clue away and I wanted to see if I was right. Then realized everything wasn't as it seemed.
Risky move making this seem like straight abuse at the beginning from a complete psychopath. Dude is crazy but it ends up redeemable.
One thing for sure and certain, you will 'feel' things while reading this. What more can a reader ask for? Entertaining and not a dull moment!
Started off rough. I almost DNF(did not finish). However, she gave a clue away and I wanted to see if I was right. Then realized everything wasn't as it seemed.
Risky move making this seem like straight abuse at the beginning from a complete psychopath. Dude is crazy but it ends up redeemable.
One thing for sure and certain, you will 'feel' things while reading this. What more can a reader ask for? Entertaining and not a dull moment!
October 6, 2022
😔Este libro no me ha llegado, la trama no me ha gustado, los personajes estaban bien pero me faltaba algo más y sinceramente me he terminado el libro saltando muchas cosas solo para saber como acababa.
Por la sinopsis pensé que me iba a gustar mucho, pero lo único que me ha gustado de verdad han sido las ultimas páginas, creo que si la historia estuviera contada de otra manera me hubiera encantado el libro porque la trama es muy interesante.
Le pongo dos estrellas por las últimas páginas sino le pondría una.
Por la sinopsis pensé que me iba a gustar mucho, pero lo único que me ha gustado de verdad han sido las ultimas páginas, creo que si la historia estuviera contada de otra manera me hubiera encantado el libro porque la trama es muy interesante.
Le pongo dos estrellas por las últimas páginas sino le pondría una.
December 29, 2021
It sure was, brutal redemption!!!
I liked this book, Hayden was a brute but once you find out why I softened towards him. He is who he is and I liked that about him, poor Addy she's been through the ringer with Hayden and her "brother" Drew( and I use this title lightly) but she does eventually grow into her own. This is a good book but I wish for more on these two. Addy and Hayden are it, they are ying to yangs.
I liked this book, Hayden was a brute but once you find out why I softened towards him. He is who he is and I liked that about him, poor Addy she's been through the ringer with Hayden and her "brother" Drew( and I use this title lightly) but she does eventually grow into her own. This is a good book but I wish for more on these two. Addy and Hayden are it, they are ying to yangs.
December 30, 2021
I'm not sure where to begin, and I don't want to give anything away to new readers, but wow! I laughed, cringed, and sobbed uncontrollably, but I loved every second of it. I couldn't put the book down from beginning to end because the tension was so intense, and now I want to read more stories like this. Cruel, passionate love, yet in the most unexpected places. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow
I couldn’t stop until I finished it.
I couldn’t stop until I finished it.
January 14, 2022
It’s a good read
I enjoyed the story but I constantly had remind myself that people react differently to trauma, some people are strong then the others. Only one think I couldn’t understand, why Hayden didn’t spoke to her about what happened in the past, because it would be the first thing I would want to talk about. But on the other hand if he did, there would be no story I guess…
I enjoyed the story but I constantly had remind myself that people react differently to trauma, some people are strong then the others. Only one think I couldn’t understand, why Hayden didn’t spoke to her about what happened in the past, because it would be the first thing I would want to talk about. But on the other hand if he did, there would be no story I guess…
March 11, 2022
Shocking!
This was an awesome story but I must say the twist was shocking!! You just don’t see it coming! And there are several!! Hayden is extremely irritating during some of the story- immature and cruel but when you find out why, it makes more sense. Addi is pitiful, but the HEA soothes her pain and makes up for it. I’m so glad I took a chance on this book! I’ll definitely read more from this author.
This was an awesome story but I must say the twist was shocking!! You just don’t see it coming! And there are several!! Hayden is extremely irritating during some of the story- immature and cruel but when you find out why, it makes more sense. Addi is pitiful, but the HEA soothes her pain and makes up for it. I’m so glad I took a chance on this book! I’ll definitely read more from this author.
May 7, 2022
Different but good
The storyline was different than others I have read. Ir was good but could have been better. I feel somethings were missing that was important to the story. The ending chapters prior to the last one was rushed which made it less believable. However I still enjoyed the story and would recommend since it the storyline was different than ones I had read before.
The storyline was different than others I have read. Ir was good but could have been better. I feel somethings were missing that was important to the story. The ending chapters prior to the last one was rushed which made it less believable. However I still enjoyed the story and would recommend since it the storyline was different than ones I had read before.
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