Vile Boys

Knot Their Toy #1

by A.J. Merlin

Winter Grove University is the dream school for anyone who wants to get somewhere in life, no matter if you’re an alpha, beta, or even an omega.

It’s almost impossible to get in. So when I beat the odds, I know it’ll be life changing.

I just don’t expect death on campus during orientation, or a warning to stay in my lane if I want to get through the next four years successfully.

Not that I’m worried, or anything.

That is, until the three most influential boys of Winter Grove decide to dedicate the semester to making my life a living hell for reasons that probably aren’t my fault.

Foster, Dorian, and August know how to hold a grudge. And they’re not willing to let me forget any slight I may have committed against them. Now, with three boys making my life hell and bodies piling up around campus, I have to wonder if maybe I should stop worrying about my grades and instead focus on the two alphas and a beta who can’t seem to leave me alone or the killer who might be closer than we thought.

Genres: Omegaverse, Why Choose, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, College, Dark Romance, Dark

284 pages, ebook

First published September 18, 2022

About the author

AJ Merlin would rather write epic love stories than live them. I mean, who wants to limit themselves to only falling in love once? She is obsessed with dark fantasy, true crime, and also dogs. From serial killers to voyeurs all the way down to the devil himself, AJ's specialty is in writing irredeemable heroes who somehow still manage to captivate their heroines (and her readers).

Reviews

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

⤅ I think this might be the only omegaverse RH bully romance I've actually enjoyed.

Genuinely, I'm astonished. I kept waiting throughout this book (and its sequel) for something to happen that would make me DNF, and it just never came. Serious kudos to the author. There are definitely weak points, but at the end of the day I enjoyed it a lot.

18-year-old omega Mercy Noble has just enrolled at the prestigious Winter Grove University on a scholarship, getting away from her distant mother. She's just minding her own business when she accidentally gags on the scent of Dorian, a wealthy alpha - catching his attention in the process. Yes, I admit it: this part of the plot is pretty contrived. He thinks she gagged because she hates his smell, when actually she was just taken aback by how good it is. Anyway, he starts lightly mocking her because of this, and I kept reading because their interactions are genuinely funny.

Mercy doesn't think any more about Dorian, but when she's being harassed by a different alpha a few days later, she name-drops him... and now she has his attention again, in a seriously bad way. He and his packmates - alpha August and beta Foster - want to see her apologise. Preferably on her knees. She holds out, but they aren't going to let her get away with it. Cue some relatively mild bullying, which was well within my comfort zone and isn't really bad at all.

Finally Mercy agrees to a deal with Dorian; she'll play a card game with him, and if she wins they'll leave her alone. If he wins, she'll belong to his pack for the rest of term. Guess who wins...

The characterisation is honestly impressive. Dorian, August and Foster all have clearly distinct personalities, and interact in a realistic way. I also like that while they're lovers, the M/M isn't too front and centre - Mercy feels genuinely important to them, which I need if I'm going to read about M/M in an RH. Foster I think is particularly well done. He's a beta, but his dynamic with Mercy isn't weakened because of that. And Mercy is very well-rounded! I like how much of the book is spent focusing on things like her archery hobby, or how she actually spends time studying subjects like Astronomy.

The prose is good too, otherwise I definitely couldn't have got through the book. Smooth and flows well, if a little light on descriptiveness at times. I wish the alpha/omega tendencies of the characters had been drawn out a little more (at times you could forget this is meant to be omegaverse) but you have the requisite heat scene, so I can't complain too much.

The plot is probably the weakest part of the book. There's a random serial killer subplot (lol, what?!) which is very poorly integrated, but luckily most of the book focuses on relationship development. Things progressed at a believable pace - I'm pleased to report that this is no fast-burn.

Also, I almost forgot to mention - Mercy is deaf! Her deafness is worked into the plot organically, in a way where it's clearly part of her character but not the defining characteristic. It all felt very natural and I appreciated the disability representation, which we don't often see in books like this.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a new adult bully omegaverse—this is it!

It’s not my fave omegaverse and has a lot of editing errors but OMFG THE SPICE WAS TOP TIER. Like holy hotness!!

This book is super easy to fly through and just utterly bingeable! If you need a distraction from life, you got it.

Also—I’ve never been too into pet play in books before, but this one was veryyyyy well done! So A+ there.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

God sometimes it's really hard being blond!!
So I went into this completely blind, one look at the cover and I wanted to read it, 1clicked it, dived in and I come across our heroine having a sniffing fetish well not really but that's what went through my mind because I had no idea wtf I was reading.🤦‍♀️ 🤔 then it all makes sense 🤣 And that is WHY it is vital blonds aka ME should read the blurb 🤣 Luckily for me, I ended up liking this..

[lovelyj22]

The first chapter was good caught my attention and couldn’t wait to get more into it.

First we have a Twilight reference and that 🥴 (sorry not sorry to any Twilight fans) should have been my first hint this would be more on the juvenile side.

Then this omega gags on one of the mmc scent as he is passing her in class. Actually gags 😬 which I didn’t understand because she said he smelled good 😂🤦🏽‍♀️ then for some stupid ass reason she LIES about her name (remember we are in a classroom) when he ask her. And yes you guessed it the professor says her real name FFS.
Of course this alpha is the "bad alpha" of our main pack 🙄 of course they are the most popular guys on campus.

Let’s move on shall we…. It’s a Friday night her roommate is going out to party but she’s staying in. Which sets the stage for her going to the cafeteria for some food.
A creepy alpha comes up scents her and wants her, says he’s interested blah blah blah.
What does she do? Name drops our most popular pack in town. She says oh no they want me. And homeboy GASPS
Her roommate is all like how could you do that? They won’t like that OMG

And this folks is why they are mad at her 🙄
I don’t know what happens after because I couldn’t do it anymore and that was only chapter 5 maybe 6

[Lolina ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

No because AJM knows how to write a good RH romance 😌.

I was getting such strong book 1 'Zodiac Academy' vibes from this (with the preppy, bully nature of their relationship)- but make it omegaverse and RH 💀.

It had its moments, but it was such an entertaining read 🌚- and I'm interested to see where it goes 👀.

-=-

(the cover is another topic for another day)

[CeCe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried and tried.
The “bullying” aspect felt manufactured. A lot of filler words just to make the word count. It was confusing at first with all the people being introduced.
I loved that the heroine was hearing impaired and was this strong individual, but the execution was weak.
It all comes down to the writing and the execution of the story.
A lot of ARC reviews. That should have been the first sign.

[Tabatha Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

This missed the mark for me personally. There was nothing remotely appealing about any of the heroes, the bullying was extremely lame and the heroine was a doormat. She put up token resistance but folded too easily.

There’s no cheating or any OW/OM drama really. The reason for the bullying was pathetic. I am loathe to read the second book but I want some closure so I probably will.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what kind of crack AJ Merlin puts into her books but I am addicted. She could sell me the most psychopathic male lead and I would eat that shit up.

“So we made an initial deal. You win, you walk away and I leave you alone. You lose, you’re ours,” Dorian reminds me, with too much emphasis on the last word. “You remember that?”

“No shit. It’s been literally–” He reaches up to grab my chin, his thumb on my lower lip.

“Don’t talk back,” he advises. “Not when I’m trying to explain something to you.” His thumb is heavy on my lip, and it’s worse when he moves to stroke along my skin.

I don’t reply, but it’s mostly because I don’t know what to say or whether or not I should bite him.

“You said yes. And then, when you were about to lose, I offered you a different deal. Kind of a double or nothing. And I think you should’ve considered something, Mercy.” He leans in close, until I can feel his breath on my lips. “I never would’ve done that if you had any chance of winning. I didn’t do it sooner, because you could’ve beaten me. But then you second-guessed yourself. I saw it in your face. You knew where that ace was, but then you decided that maybe it was the other card you were going to pull next.”

It’s…terrifying that he can read me so well when he doesn’t know me. My breath hitches in my throat, and he pulls away, granting me some personal space.

“If you’d thought about it, you wouldn’t have taken my deal,” he adds. “But you did. Instead of taking the easy way out on an offer that really was the sweetest thing for you and would’ve guaranteed you’d only have to deal with us for six weeks, you were over-confident. So you said yes, again. To this, to me, to them. To us. And we includes this.” He brandishes the collar, lifting it high enough for me to see it clearly. “There is no not wearing it. Not anymore. You don’t have a choice. Cry or beg or bite me–yes, little omega, I know you’re thinking about it–but it’s going around that pretty throat. And since you wouldn’t put it on yourself, I’m going to have to be the one to do it for you.”

🧎‍♀️I am sat.

I'm the type of person who doesn't really do well with bully romances. I hold grudges. I'm quick to cut people off in my day to day life so they just don't really work for me unless I can tell that the "bully" is just a misinterpretation on one parties side and not malicious.

AJ Merlin has become the gold standard for toeing that line for me. Her male leads are mean and vindictive and can be cruel but it never crosses a boundary for me. There's always a line of consent that is carefully there that I truly appreciate. Ugh, just chefs kiss. I freaking love it.

[Yoyes Lopez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only managed to read like half of it. The guys are terrible, they're not really worth it

[Lammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good 😊. It did feel more like just a reverse harem to me than an omega verse book though. The designations were somehow muted in this book compared to other omega verse books I have read.

The ending seemed off to me though. Dorian was supposedly gone for hours before the big showdown at the end. If … was gonna kill him and had him for hours what were they waiting for 🤷

[Jenifer Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by this author that I didn't love, and quite honestly, I didn't like any of the men in the Harem. Their reasons for hating/bullying her was ridiculous and quite honestly juvenile. I just didn't like it.

However the three stars all go to Mercy. I loved that she wasn't your usual Omega, and I'm all for having an h with hearing aids. Representation matters, and I loved how she never backed down from her men either. My heart broke from always hearing her mother's nasty words repeated over and over in her mind, and I just wanted to bundle her up in my arms.

There's some mystery and intrigue going on too, and a bunch of unaliving, but even though i adored Mercy, I'm not sure I'll continue the series.

**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions **

[Whimsey (is in a major book slump.) · Rating 1 out of 5]

 
DNF @ 71%

Absolute garbage. It’s been a long time since I’ve hated a book this much.

There is absolutely nothing likable about any of the characters. The reasons for the bullying are absurd. The MC has the brain capacity of an amoeba. And the make-out session that the MC was engaging in at the point when I stopped reading makes NO SENSE and comes out of left field like… what??????

I feel like someone would need to have an extreme humiliation kink to actually enjoy reading about the relationships in this book.

[THE PETITE LIBR☆RY · Rating 2 out of 5]

bully romance just isn’t for me :/

call me crazy but I prefer the MMC to actually like the FMC and not humiliate her, traumatize her, degrade her, diminish her mental health, and/or almost get her arrested just for laughs

[S D W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Torn

Likes: Interesting

Disliked: Almost everything. Not trying to be critical, but from a personal perspective, I could not connect with the characters. They felt one dimensional and incomplete. And the boys were vile - why give them the time of day? Last, grammatical mistakes were distracting.

Will not read book two.

[Christine Woo · Rating 2 out of 5]

WARNING: YEP, MAJOR spoilers ahead. You have been warned. You may continue.



That. Gif. Is. The MOST. Accurate. Description. For. My. Feels.

I HATED this book with a fury.



BUT Why??

My biggest reason? The effin' MC. That's why. SHE WAS AN IDIOT! A Biggot. The absolute worst!



Am I being a little overdramatic....maybe? Just a little. I've actually read worse. However, I was really really miffed by this book and this FMC.

She would do things or say things that just didn't make sense, especially based on her characteristics. For example, one of the most noticeable instances was when the MFC continuously would say how smart she is and how she is so much better than most people on campus. Yes, she was attending a university that was filled with rich students, but there are rich people who would like to work hard for their own gain. That, would have been realistic.

Yet, this FMC believed everyone there was just milking their parents and that they were just lazy little stupid people. They were all rude or obnoxious or ditzy. For example, her first friend she makes on campus. It is one of the few people who is actually nice to her despite her being a bit anxious or nervous, she seems like a genuine enough person. The FMC just keeps judging her, though. Trying to find other friends that are "better" than the one that she had already made. It was annoying.



Okay, but back to what I had been saying before about her not suiting her character and thinking that she was SOOOOO smart. For someone who was so smart, she fell for some pretty stupid manipulations and really didn't use her head much.

For example:

When the FMC is practically begging Foster (one of the MMCs) if he could hear out her apology. First off, if I were smart (which I may not be up to the FMCs standards since she's the smartest person EVER) then I wouldn't ask if I can apologize. I would just freaking apologize. Asking would be just begging the person to say no. Or worse. They could just ignore you.

But wait! There's more....

So not only does the FMC ask Foster for permission to apologize, but she is genuinely SHOCKED when he very directly and clearly says No.

Here's a recap:

"Do you want to hear my apology and explanation, or not?" ....

"Not," he replies easily. (Note: because he already turned her apologies down, and she isn't even apologizing to the person that she owes the apology to).

"Then like I...said..." (Note #2: It is almost laughable how she really thought that he actually might have said yes. Like she just assumed that he would want to accept her apology. Pretentious much?)



Wait for it....there's even more!

She then says..."What did you say?" (Note #3: Why IN THE WORLD WOULD he have to say yes to accepting her apology. A smart person would have just given the apology to the person themselves. Not to his friend, and she's not even really sorry. She's just trying to brush things under the rug so she doesn't get backlash from the 3 dudes).

Okay, so she continues to try to force him to accept her apology (*eyeroll*). Now just want to quickly mention before I go on. Something I've always thought is this.... Anyone who is smart, truly intelligent, doesn't need to say it. Whether it's a character or a real life person. This can be for anything, really. If someone has to constantly say how rich they are, I usually assume that there is a huge chance that they are not really rich. That is because a really really rich person doesn't need to say that they're rich. You'll know. In fact, they most likely will try to downplay it because they know what happens when people do know that they're rich.

The same goes for intelligence. A really smart person doesn't need to say how smart they are because people will instantly catch on. I wish the author chose to show how smart the FMC was instead of her announcing it all the time, and then I am let down by how stupid she really was.

So, the FMC is trying to convince Foster to accept her apology on his friend's behalf and all the while Foster is leading her to the one place she was trying to avoid. THE DUDE'S DORM. It was pretty obvious what he was doing, but for such a "SMART" gal she falls for his scheme to get her in front of the guy she was too afraid to apologize to. See what I mean by disappointment?



Okay, last moment of heckling the FMC and her "Intelligence".

The last scene that I was able to handle. She is trying to bet the MMCs for her "Freedom" and she decides that they should play the memory card game because its the best game that she's good at. She clearly thinks (based on her internal dialogue) that she's the only best player of this game.

Tables get turned and the MMC starts to win. He then gives her an opportunity to back out. Telling her that he will win, so its best if she cuts her losses now. Now, just a little note here. He has kept his word this ENTIRE book and has been pretty straightforwards. The FMC is completely in denial.

She says internally..."He's bluffing. He absolutely has to be bluffing." Uhhhh, girl he has more cards matched than you and he's pretty honest. Not once has he been wrong about his capabilities. She already lost a bet once with him. She thought he was bluffing then too. He wasn't.

So what was the outcome?

He. Beats. Her.

Shocker.



By then, I was over the book. I called it quits because the further I went, the worse it became. The FMC was all over the place and even after she lost, she refused to accept that the MMC had won fair and square. That she gave him the power.

I think things would have been fine if we had a different perspective of the FMC. If instead of her trying so hard to be BA and all so powerful independent female who is above everyone else, that we start off getting to know her as someone weaker. Not completely helpless or clueless, but someone who knows she has weaknesses. This would let us see how she adapts, and we can have lower expectations that grow with each of her successes.

I mean the premise itself was good. So was the storyline. The execution...was what became lacking. Sorry not Sorry. Still, I hope you read it for yourself and see what your take is. There were plenty of readers that LOVED this book. I just so happened not to.

Happy Reading!

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yup. This worked for me. Enemies to lovers, reverse harem, poly, abo, dark academia vibes… bullying isn’t normally something I like to read, but I liked it here, and yeah… this settled my mood quite nicely. 🥰

[MarielleXO · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read. i’m new to Omegaverse.

on to book 2

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get enough info from this book. We meet the guys but don't get enough backstory from them so the connection isn't really there for me. This is why I like multiple POVs. I want to know more about Mercy's upbringing besides knowing that her mom is toxic and her dad is gone. I want to know if Amelia is going to make another appearance...one of my favorite parts of the book was when Dorian scent-marked Mercy's hand to remove Amelia's scent.

Also- I feel like the campus deaths were put on the back burner. Four deaths at this college and everyone is still going to class like nothing's happened? Don't they cancel classes when things like this happen?

It's also interesting that this doesn't read like a typical ABO world. There wasn't any instalove when smelling each other for the first time. Mercy smells the guys and isn't automatically in love with them. All designations go to college together and it isn't a big deal. Also- being in heat doesn't seem like such a big deal in this book (maybe cause she was on suppressants iono) but that is different from all other OV I've read where having a heat is such a big deal. Usually, the omega isn't walking around and talking casually when in heat LOL.

Since the whole mystery deaths thing is done, I wonder what will happen in book two. Maybe family drama? I do want some nice moments between Mercy and the guys; I'm kinda over them being jerks to her.

[Lynnzie (lynnziebooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hear me out, I had fun. Was this the best book I ever read? No. We’re there some errors/inconsistencies? Sure. But did I have a good time? Absolutely.

Let’s be honest, mercy was a cringe human at times but there were also times where I was grinning saying “I adore these idiots.” This is an omegaverse why choose romance. I would say it’s a lighter omegaverse as some of the aspects of it are very different than normal ones. The designations are usually severe in their day to day life and personalities as far as perfuming and instalove with scenting and not commingling in school because it’s overwhelming whereas all designations attend this university. It’s not bad, just different.

If you’re looking for a decent time and can get past some of the reasons others disliked this book, I say go for it. I’m not nit picky when it comes to grammar or typos or anything like that. If I can have a good time and like the characters well enough then it’s a decent book for me.

[Michael K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dubious consent. Bullying went incredibly far. The foreshadowing was over the top obvious and for a deaf heroine who's had to be smarter and work harder her whole life--she walked into this book's action real stupid. The title is well earned, the boys did not reek of personality, I don't think they were effective characters at all. So no, I don't care for it as a single novel or a duet. I feel like a lot of plot time was wasted, so I kinda' felt duped by the climatic killer moment.

Average without those issues I found irritating. Also: ruts and heats only lasting a day was real weird. Not a successful deviation from the most common omega-verse trope.

[XxnightxowlxX74 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitten…

Mercy works her butt off to get a scholarship to Winter Grove University. She plans on keeping her head down and doing her homework.
Things don’t go as planned and she finds herself the center of attention by Dorian, Foster and August.
Mercy uses Dorians name to get a pushy alpha to back off not realizing that there will be consequences.
This was a really good read! There is a lot going on with dead bodies showing up, angry alphas set on punishing you and a heat in the mix it’s a recipe for a steamy, dangerous and mind boggling story.

[Natalie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read a bully one in a while. Took a while to get past the initial sting. Mercy felt like the instigator. The guys felt more like playful crushes that didn't know any better. Pretty much dark fluff with kink and m/m thrown in. I did like the card game. Another awful pushy mother, so will be interesting to see how the guys handle her. Looking forward to the next one.

[Alecia (The Staircase Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let it be known, I’m extremely new to the Omegaverse trope/world. And before I received this advanced copy I decided to do some researching on the topic. I can safely say I’m glad I researched the trope or else I would have been so freaking confused. But with that being said, my research made the intrigue I felt for this trope, grow immensely. So let’s get started on this review for Vile Boys by AJ Merlin.

Vile Boys is the first book in the Knot Their Toy Series written by AJ Merlin. This novel also happens to be a reverse harem with MF, MFM, and MM vibes. If this isn’t your vibe, you may not be a fan of this novel. This dark new adult/college romance is told from Mercy Noble’s point of view and it has been a long time since I read a romance novel with only one character's perspective and I found I miss this method so damn much. I felt I really got to know Mercy as an individual and I loved it.

Here’s a breakdown of what Vile Boys is all about.

Mercy Noble has always had a dream of going to Winter Grove University, and when she receives her acceptance letter along with a scholarship, she feels her dreams have finally come true. She’s one step closer to becoming a Zoologist and one step closer to her dreams. But sometimes fate has a way of interrupting a perfect scenario. When an alpha won’t take no for an answer, Mercy unknowingly makes the wrong move and drops the name of the most notorious pack on campus. It’s just a name drop, there’s no way Dorian Wakefield, August Frost, and Foster O’ Dell. With her omega status, she better hope they don’t find out… and that’s where I’ll end this portion of my review.

One thing I loved about Mercy’s character is her rare independence. This woman knows what she wants, she has a plan executed flawlessly, and nothing or nobody is going to stand in her way to success. I loved her mind and I loved her sheer stubbornness. I also loved the vulnerability she kept hidden. She was a whirlwind of emotions, that’s for sure. This girl had a will to survive, and she showed that will throughout this story. I also loved the fact that Mercy wears hearing aids. I love the fact that AJ Merlin made this a main point in this novel. She showed the struggles Mercy faces on a day to day basis. Those moments really tugged at my heartstrings.

Now onto the sexy portion of this review…. I have to say, researching the Omegaverse gave me an insight into the alpha, beta, and Omega relationships… but all the research in the world didn’t come close to preparing me for what was in between these pages. Everything from the bonds, to the knotting…. Oh… My… Goodness. I was not prepared for all that was mentioned in this novel. And to put it out there, I may have found a new trope I love!! Of course only time will tell. Mercy, Dorian, August, and Foster flamed the pages with their sexy as sin scenes. I remember one time while reading, specifically about the knotting, I actually looked over my shoulder and around the room to make sure I was alone. LMAO, I’m thirty-four years old and I felt myself actually blushing… I’m telling you, AJ Merlin definitely knows her way around writing hot as sin moments.

The reasoning behind why I rated this novel a 4 star is strictly due to a few moments I wanted to feel more chemistry between Mercy and Dorian. I wanted to feel that intense bond that I had researched and read about. From what I hear, a bond between an Alpha and an Omega is supposed to be special and unbreakable. So I expected the bond between Dorian and Mercy, along with Mercy and August to grow… Basically to sum up this paragraph, I wanted more chemistry and a stronger connection between the pack and Mercy. I wanted a stronger level of protection from both Dorian and August. I wanted that impending moment with all the alpha male vibes! Maybe in the next novel the connection will grow even stronger. We shall see.

Overall, I enjoyed the heck out of Vile Boys by AJ Merlin! I’m even more intrigued with the Omegaverse trope and I can’t wait for the second book in the Knot Their Toy series to release. I’m hoping for an even stronger bond between the four and, of course, more of the dark vibes that came with this novel. I can’t wait!

________________



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[Sydni Donahue]

Vile boys .2 star DNF 19%
Yo how is it possible I’m DNFING Two in a row. I honestly just can’t ahah. The main character is so annoying like so pick me and I can’t do it. And I can’t get past it and this feels very wattpad but in like a not good wattpad way. Yeah I just can’t. And the way she’s trying so hard to be different and start something like she’s and idiot man AHAHHA. This is one of the worst fmc’s I’ve ever read and I JUST NEEDED A GOOD OMEGAVERSE FIX OKAY

Maybe one day I’ll come back cause curiosity is my thing but I don’t think I can

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 1st book in a new series, and what an amazing start this story it. Foster, Dorian, and August, as three of the most influential boys on campus, and they know how to hold a grudge, and they are determined to make Mercy’s life miserable. Mercy is one of the few people to attend Winter Grove on a scholarship, and she just want to keep her head down and get through the next few years. Mercy also has a hearing impairment whish she wears aids for, and she always faces any challenges in her path head on, and when three boys are bullying her, she stays true to herself, and she knows how to push their buttons. This is a well written story which has humor, witty banter, emotions, bullying, suspense, intrigue, tension, and is an addictive page turner. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

[Shedevilreads Bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vile Boys by AJ Merlin is a dark omegaverse academy romance that I listened to on audio narrated by Allyson Voller. This is the first book in Knot Their Toy duet.

I love AJ's books! I was pulled in from the very beginning and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Mercy, Dorian, August, and Foster.

I originally read the book and was so excited when I saw it was coming to audio and I was not disappointed. Allyson did a great job on the narration. I look forward to listening to more of her work in the future.

I would recommend this book if you like omegaverse romances, MM romances, poly romances, dark romances, or bully romances.


The Flock Team

[Ebc_readsmut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! 🤩

There’s actually a plot mixed in with the slow build of the MMCs teasing and getting the FMC. I’m a sucker for bully romance so I am here for this. I would say this is light bullying compared to some others I’ve read. I like that there’s no other woman drama.

I’m a fan of the guys, their attitudes & different personalities. And I like Mercy. She has a dry humor and a feistiness to her. Though I wish she’d wear some cute clothes sometime! lol maybe in the next book we’ll see another side of her.

The whole pet thing? SIGN ME UP!

On to book 2!

[Keira · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one I know better read this, no need for you guys to know what I’m rating 5 stars these days

[Amanda Crossland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm

I thought this book was ok. The bullying was really bad, public humiliation, all of that side of it left a bad taste in my mouth. The fmc, has a back bone with the strength of the strongest metal until she got the attention of the kings of the school. Once she was under their thumb with blackmail and of all sorts of public punishments including preventing her from doing well to keep her scholarship, that backbone had shipped and sailed out of the country. Near the end, she all at but flipped a coin. It angered me to know she just let it all go and decide their chemistry was more important than common sense. It just didn’t feel natural enough with what they put her through. Making the men grovel even if it was only a chapter long. I feel like her relationship with her mother needed a bit more drama, like having the fmc answer her moms call while she was in their room. With heading how she spoke to her daughter, maybe have them growl a bit in a way to show defensive support, allowing the fmc to see that the guys do care about her.

There was a few chapters where dead bodies were showing up and I suspected the killer long long before she put it together. I felt the murder aspect deserved more space in this book, it almost felt like an after thought when I was reading about them. I’m confused as to how the police picked the fmc to question when she wasn’t connected to the first murders at all.

There is so much potential in this story, I just feel like it fell flat a little. I liked how the fmc was sassy, even if she was a bit stupid about knowing when to pick her battles.

Im a huge fan of Alpha, Omega and Beta stories, if their relationship progressed a little more naturally, with more natural dialog, I think this book would do really well. As it is, it’s just not my cup of tea. I feel like there wasn’t much of a conclusion for me to feel satisfied with what I read with all the awful crap the fmc went through, it needed a good positive balance.

[Millie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm confused, I was sure the book would end in a cliffhanger but no? The main plot got closure so I don't know what to expect in the second book. Something to do with the parents I guess. Foster staying at the dorms during break is a huge telling.

The whole story rests on Mercy throwing the name of a pack to get rid of an asshole. That's it. They decide to make her life miserable because apparently their name is like Voldemort, you can't pronounce it without consequences.

The pin was so in our face it was frustrating to have to wait until the end to see Mercy finally gets it.
Why Dorian was so calm? That was weird.

I felt sad for Mercy. No friends. No family. The pack treats her like shit until the very end. But she also tries her best to stay miserable so I can't connect to her at all.