Vicious Love

Wicked Empire #1

by Jordan Grant

— Everett —

I loved her when she was just a splattering of freckles and big brown eyes.

When she brought an extra sugar cookie just for me in the first grade.

When our class goldfish died and she held me in front of everyone until I stopped crying.

I loved her even more when she had another man’s baby.

But I hate her for what she did, a chess move in a game of unforgivable sin. I hate myself even more for what I’m going to do to her. I wanted her gone, but I was the one who left. Now, I’ve returned, and I have no intention of leaving again.

This is my campus, and it’s time to pay for your sins, little mouse, because I am a vicious king.


— Molly —

I loved him the first day I met him on the playground, when he was all gangly elbows and knees.

When we buried our toes in the sandbox and pretended we didn’t have legs.

On our first day of middle school when he smiled at me across the quad.

He was my white knight, my protector, the one who always made sure I was okay.

But that boy’s dead and gone, and I killed him.

I can’t undo what happened.

I never meant to hurt him. I never meant to hurt anyone.

I was the nudge that toppled the dominos.

Hold my hand, E, and let’s find our way out of the shadows. Before we are both lost to the dark.


Note from the author: Vicious Love is a dark enemies-to-lovers, college romance. It features mature themes including an incendiary heat level, bullying, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and, like my other novels, struggles with mental illness.

It is a standalone novel but part of the larger Wicked Empire universe, which follows characters introduced in my Voclain Academy series after they leave high school and enter adulthood. Reading the Voclain Academy series is not required to enjoy this book.

For a list of all content warnings, please check the author's note at the beginning of the book prior to reading.

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Romance, New Adult, College, Contemporary, Dark Romance

Unknown Binding

First published September 27, 22

About the author

Jordan Grant is a lost soul, who changed majors three times in college before deciding on English. Because she has about as much patience as her beautiful, wonderful (did she mention ah-mazing!) younglings, she graduated a year early and then went to law school because...

Well, she mentioned she’s a lost soul, right?

A special place in her heart is devoted to edgy alpha males and bad boys with naughty mouths. She loves to get lost in the blur between love and hate and is especially fond of prince charmings with dents in their crowns and strife in their souls.

She is an avid fan of all things sweet including red wine and cupcakes (red velvet, please!). When she’s not daydreaming about the characters in her head, she enjoys (attempting to) garden, petting furry animals, and wrangling her family into day-trip adventures.

Reviews

[Laura (lady_h_reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love dark romance, especially bully and enemies-to-lovers romances. Part of their appeal is the redemption arc the bully goes through to earn back the love and trust of the girl. It is a romance, so we know, going in, that they will get their HEA. Eventually. The question is: how?

While this was an entertaining read, and I loved the darkness creeping inside the MMC, Everett’s, mind, I wanted to cuff the FMC, Molly, upside the head. She needs a freaking backbone! If the events in this story had been the only time Everett had bullied her, then I would have had no issue with how their story ended. However, he’s been her bully twice! Two times he has switched from her best friend to an enemy who wants to make her hurt. And she just forgives him both times. There was no redemption arc at all. She just automatically forgives him for his behavior because she discovers she has a kink for it. It was a sexual awakening for her, but she glosses over the actual abuse he put her through and never addresses it. Everett does not deserve her forgiveness. There should have been more of an effort made on his part to atone.

With that being said, I still really enjoyed the book. Both characters were well-written. The way Jordan wrote Everett’s mental collapse was excellent. She gave us the visual and auditory signals he was experiencing as his world unraveled. We shared his departure from reality alongside him. Molly was written as good and pure and sweet, despite everything she has been through – a counterpoint to the darkness in Everett. She blames herself for the events that have driven Everett against her. We see cracks develop in her self-view as the book progresses.

This is a standalone within the wider Wicked Empire universe. I had not read the earlier Voclain Academy series, so all characters were new to me. The way the story was written, in alternating timelines, you get background information from when Everett and Molly knew each other before. I did not feel I missed essential elements, having only read this book.

[Josmely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly and Everett were best friends since childhood. Tragedy broke them apart in high school but there were able to move past that and become best friends again. But now tragedy has separated them again. This book is on the dark side so pls read the trigger warnings before reading.

Molly is everything he ever wanted and vice versa. Because of what hes going through he doesn't really treat her right throughout the book. There were some scenes that had me thinking he took a little bit too far and and she will never forgive him. But Molly understood everything that he was going through and because she's such a caring person and loved him so much she was able to forgive him withouta second thought. She also enjoyed the things he was doing.

I Loved how  at the end with Mollys moms help he was able to to start going to therapy and get help, he knew that he needed to take care of his mental health if he wanted a good/healthy life with Molly. They were honestly made for each other. They didn't let everything that happened  tear them down.

This book is gonna put you through every emotion possible. You're gonna get your heart broken in the best way. I would recommend this to anybody!

[GKP2460 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicious Love is my first read by this author and it's such a beautiful, heartbreaking story, it's dark and gritty so pay attention to trigger warnings. Molly and Everett share a lifetime of sadness and tragedy. They also share a lifetime of love and healing. This book just completely devastated me, tore my heart apart and put it all back together beautifully by the end. Now I'll go read Voclain Academy series, where it all began.

[Valentina]

I could not read this book due to the writing style. Way too expository and not enough dialogue. I felt I was reading a documentary.

[DS Book Promotions · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Im actually still hungover from this book but i have to say this book was Friggin A-Maze-Ing
It was Dark. It was Raw. It was emotional. It was all consuming!
This book grabs hold from the start and you can't turn away.... my gawd Everett is in so much pain, he is damaged beyond control and can't see straight. You caný help but feel for him BUT at the same time i wanted to shake him.
Molly, my gawd this poor girl, talk about being given challenges in her life. She is one of the strongest characters i think ive read.
BRILLIANT READ!! This deserves so much more than 5 stars, if you love Dark Romance you will want to read this one.

[Yoneidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly and Everett have known each other since childhood, and, except for Molly's time in high school after Darcy's death where Everett and the others made her life miserable, they have secretly developed feelings for each other. But after their fantastic date, Everett comes home to discover something that rips his soul apart, that changes him and makes the beast inside him come to the surface and his favorite target is Molly.
My 💔for Everett, although other times I wanted to slap him.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book, and was excited to give it a read. While I think the story has great potential, I thought it needed a bit more work on pacing. There were a few big questions throughout the book that we were waiting on answers for. The one regarding her accident did not seem fully resolved. The reason for this might be because it was touched on in other books written by the author. But as someone who has only read this book, it left me with many questions. The second big reveal and/ or twist appeared to happen a little out of no where and too soon in the story. While I liked the twist, I felt like more ground work would have been nice and I wish it happened a little later in the book. Instead it happened too soon, and it felt like the rest of the book after the reveal dragged a bit without purpose. All that said, I did like the book and don’t regret reading. I just don’t know if it’s a book that I will feel the need to read again in the future.

[Read By Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pretty excited for this book when I first heard she was writing it because I was curious about Molly and Everett. When I got to the book I was a bit worried I wouldn’t like it or I would struggle to read it. That was not the case though.

I read through this book pretty fast and found myself incredibly intrigued by the story. I loved the emotional aspect of the book and just seeing how all of the characters dealt with the situation that happened.

I grew to love Molly and Everett even more and was glad I finally got to read about what happened in the car crash when Molly was 13.

This was a good book and I have definitely seen improvement with the author’s writing and storytelling ability. Can’t wait for the next standalone!

[Caitlind · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could give this more stars but there are a few things that nag at me with this book. Some of the timelines/ages and the events don't add up. Also for me the FMC is lacking something, given her age and the fact she is a mother there should be more maturity there that I feel is lacking. This could be due to me my self being becoming a mother at a very young age. The MMC Also was lacking some maturity I feel. The story was alright though and I am planning on trying out book 2 in the series. The low rating was maining due to the ages/events and timlines not adding up, and me feeling the Characters were just okay.

[Pisces · Rating 1 out of 5]

Are you serious?
Do people really like this crap?

Don’t mind me if this is your palate but there should be a trigger blaring ⛔️ for people like me-
D.O.O.R M.A.T
H.E.R.O.I.N.E

OMG first let me laugh the frustrations off my chest…
ha
ha
ha
ha
ha
ha..
don’t mind this bitch laughing at the expense of a doormat pls. Cos like they say fool are meant to be laughed at.

Spoilers 🚦
Continue at your own risk, gonna be point blank, no building up climax cos I seriously don’t have no more patience left for this book.

Meet Edgar the cat and molly the mouse *I forgot the hero’s name so we will go with Edgar for now.
molly the mouse is, of course, a mama of Adie, Darcy being the baby’s daddy *side note* Who is already six feet deep when the story begins.

So, the story revolves around Edgar whose mother is killed and molly who, though, saw signs of Edgar’s father straying away, keeps her mouth shut just to quote - unquote
“save him from the heartache” cos she is sweet like that.

He one day comes home from this date, kissing the girl of his dream, feeling like a king only to loose everything at the end of the night.

The guy is devastated to say the least as he gets the front row seat of this horror. So, when he goes in search for his father, to share some of his sorrow away.
Guess what!?
He finds him fucking his way into molly’s aunt.

Molly who you ask?
oh molly, just another girl with a first class tendencies of a doormat. Someone could lend this bitch a spine and she still wouldn’t be able to stand on her own.

Moving on..
Edgar is angry
and sad
and pathetic.
@-@ vows revenge
And disappears for … 3 months or so

A blind person can see what’s coming from miles away.

And yes!! Yes !! And yess to all !!

And if you are wondering, yes of course, he is angry at her for not telling him that she saw the sign of his father’s affair and torments her first

Leading us to this quote

“I'm sorry for all of it, for everything."
His expression remains a beautiful, blank slate, his pupils bleeding black into his irises.
"If you're so sorry," he says, his tone matter-of-fact, bored even, "then why don't you do us both a favor and jump”

….. three second silence…
for people who still continued

u>* side note * I cried my ass off for the amount of time I sacrificed, hoping she would grow some balls and make him work for it. But here I am, drowning in my own tears.

“You just found a way to make yourself useful. Now open that pretty mouth wide or this is going to hurt."
Deep down, buried in my belly, coils of heat unfurl, rolling up and against my ribs, stealing my breath away.”

“On your knees," he says ”
“Now, beg.”
“Please," I say.
People are starting to whisper. My heart is pounding. My breath is stolen. The butterflies in my belly are going wild as wetness soaks the space between my legs.
"Please what?" he asks
"Please, sir," I say loudly, clearly. "Let me leave.”

Eye .fucking. roll. Puhhh leezzz✋
You think that’s is the worst she came up with ?
You thought wrong

Don’t mind me singing the same old song here but :

He torment. Degrades. Mauls her
yadi yadi yada. been here seen that!

But when he gets to see the truth with his pea size brain , too big for him anyway

That his mother was dying, hallucinating third level and that she had cancer, probably wouldn’t have been able to survive nonetheless.
And yes you guessed it right ….the affair had no role in killing her as they were already planning for a divorce.
but just in moment, came her treatment, and so they had no choice but to postpone everything and save it for later.

Edgar is so shocked that he didn’t let his dad reason his way out of his affair before beating him to a pulp and he ruined whatever little relationship he ever had with molly and his father, that he runs away, bangs his head on a sidewalk, and faints.
imagine that

Clue post wake up:
molly’s mother give him a heart to heart talk and clears his eyes off that permanently settling dust .

He soaks his heart in and apologies
Lo and behold
His Father turns out to be a saint and actually accepts him back.

And then he runs off to his personal pet pig and

"I am sorry for all of it, and I understand if you don't accept my apology, but I need you to know that I need you.
I need you every minute of every day. I need your ridiculous optimism and the way you say my name, like you're worshiping me.
I need your laugh and how you always see the good in people. I need the way you blush when you say fuck or cock or even ass…

yep that’s how he apologise and I am not even perturbed
I many not have enough brain cells to uncomplicated his apology but I also understand when he need to work hard for the things he put her through. So colour me blind when I didn’t see this shit coming to slap me in the face ..

“I need you too," I say, the words cut to pieces by my tears”

“What?"
"Kiss me," I tell him.
His brow furrows. "What?"
"Kiss me!”

“Don't," I order. "I don't need or want your apologies. I wanted everything you gave me and more. Don't you dare put what we have in a box where it doesn't fit.”

-Excerpt From Vicious Love

And that’s is at 80•/• so you can imagine how everything is for nothing and we were prepared from the very beginning to this come to this very place with little to no reprieve of seeing him grovel.
Bitch, people come with this kind of story in their sleep just so they can kick Edgar’ass pink to purple. Wtf

But like they say *Fools are meant to be laughed at. Neither who will keep us from crying?
-probably me

So laugh your heart out for I am done with this shit
Ciao

[Inked Orca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everett and Molly were best friends for years, but tragedy tore them apart.

When Everett’s world turned upside down in one day, the darkness lurking beneath found a way out. All he could think of was revenge. He wanted them to pay for what they did and Molly, who knew but never told him anything, was his first target. To him, they killed his mother, and he will never stop until they suffer for what they’ve done.



Vicious Love is a dark collage romance that has bullying, death and a lot more triggering themes. It’s part of the Wicked Empire Series, but still enjoyed as a standalone novel.

[image error]

This book had me confused. Everett’s revenge made no sense in relation to Molly, but I guess to him she betrayed him the deepest, simply because he liked her more than anyone. That’s why he felt her betrayal the most. I get why he wanted them to suffer, but his plan had no chance of succeeding. 



I didn’t like how a lot of the dialogue sounded like a broken record. She kept asking the same question, and he kept repeating the same answer.

The way it’s written is captivating. This is the first book I’ve ever read by Jordan Grant and I can’t believe I haven’t read her books before. 



Everett and Molly fit together. She was the only one who saw his darkness and accepted it right away. He felt at peace when she was near. Their relationship showed how one fit the other perfectly. 

The few things that annoyed me in this book actually added to its enjoyment. The other characters mentioned in this book sound interesting and I would love to read more about them.

[TheBookworm_B · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨First book of the year and what a great way to start! ✨ 🥳

📖 Vicious Love (Wicked Empire #1)
by Jordan Grant

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

*** PLS read TW’s first to see if you’re comfortable before diving in! Also I want to note this book is a standalone, so no need to read the entire Volcain Academy series, tho I highly suggest if you're interested in getting more backstory on the main and supporting characters. ***

Molly’s story has been one that I’ve looked forward to since the very beginning of the Volcain Academy series. I truly felt drawn to her character and what she endured at such a young age, with the resilience and selflessness she still carried despite It all.

I couldn’t have asked for a better story that was meant for her 🥺 This book was truly everything & more! From the tragedies, to heartbreak, to the joys and pure happiness. You truly FEEL it all. Especially the twists! My goodness, that changed my entire perspective of how the story was going and just showed the brilliancy in the writing.

THANK YOU SO MUCH Jordan Grant for the work you delivered for Molly & Everett. They’ve both endured so much, and I’m glad you provided them with the HEA they deserved given all that life has brought them. I am so happy I messaged you about Molly all those years ago asking if her character would be getting a book of her own. I’ve been patiently waiting for her story, and I can fully say now it was well worth the wait. I am so proud to be a part of this story as a reader, and as Molly's #1 fan.

Overall, great start to 2023! PLSS go check this out if you haven’t, it’s definitely a 10/10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND from me.

HAPPY READING YALL! 📖

Feel free to check out my other socials ☺️ Link in bio!

[Brontesbookcorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

***𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬***
𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭
“𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🖤bully romance
🖤friends to enemies to lovers
⚠️cousins by marriage
⚠️ suicide
⚠️mention of VERY young teen pregnancy

Childhood best friends torn apart by trauma and loss brought back together again and secretly in love with one another. They finally show their feelings for one another, only to be torn apart by another traumatizing loss and event. It’s Everett’s mission to ruin Molly, his new cousin by marriage, whom he blames for his loss.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Molly and E, even though he was a mega pain in the a$$ at times with blaming Molly for his loss. I felt really bad for him until he went off the rails then it was a mix of feeling bad, but also being annoyed with him because Molly is so sweet and has already dealt with so much sh*t. The spice is gooooood! His mental health battles after this great loss really add a ton of depth to their story. I enjoyed the book and recommend it if you’re into something that’s SLIGHTLY darker and a college, bully romance with a mix of ritzy New Yorker vibes. Think Gossip Girl NY vibes.

Great for
-someone just dipping their toes in the “dark romance” genre.
-someone who loves a bully romance
-

[GinaCW_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Once upon a time, this girl was the light in my darkness...she was a lighthouse when I was lost at sea."

If you love a dark, bully read with lots of angst and dirty talk, this book is a must read.

The main characters, Everette and Molly, have been friends for years. Over the course of their short lives, both are plagued by traumatic events. They have loved one another, cared for one another and tortured one another.

Most recently, Everette's trauma causes him to become someone that normally lurks deep down inside himself. His journey through this is heartbreaking as well as anxiety inducing for the reader as well as for him and Molly.

As a reaction to Everette's trauma, Molly becomes his target. This finds her learning things about herself she never dreamed possible... she's a good girl, from a good family... Their journey together is one of hate, anger, healing and love.

"Our love isn't linear or neat. It doesn't fit in a Valentine's Day card or go on a matchmaking website, but it is ours, and I adore every minute of it."

This book has just enough angst, just enough spice, just enough redemption, and just enough HEA to make you fall in love with it. I highly recommend.

Bonus: Looks like we'll see book 2 in early 2023!

[Aislinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO GOOD! I don’t read much dark romance, but this was a great foray into that genre, if you will.

Vicious Love is a story with many layers. There are heavy themes, some of which are: death, cancer, PTSD, and bullying. I felt that the author handled these topics quite maturely. The death and the bullying were quite difficult to stomach, but again I think this is because I don’t read much dark romance. Nonetheless, I didn’t let that impact my rating.

The MC of the book, Everett, ends up going through a traumatic event in his life very suddenly. He ends up taking his anger out on his family and close friend Molly, though out of everyone it is Molly he sets out to ruin. Molly, our MFC, is Everetts childhood best friend. I was very surprised that her perspective is that of understanding. She understands that Everett is in pain and that she needs to hurt for him to get better. I’m not sure that I would give him this much grace if I were in her shoes, but I appreciated this perspective.

Overall this is an excellent book to read if you want to dabble in dark romance. I’m so happy that I got an arc of this book, as Grant is definitely an author I want to read more of!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is going to rock you to the core with the emotional rollercoaster it is going to take you. Jordan Grant never disappoints when it comes to dark and wickedly good dark romances. This is no exception but be prepared and read the trigger warnings because they are full force in this book but they are essential in order to fully grasp the characters and their emotions/decisions.

Molly & Everett have been friends since childhood but tragedy, misunderstanding, secrets, and lies have torn them apart and now all Everett wants to do is make her miserable. He wants her to suffer like he has and he will not stop until she is breaking at his feet. Molly wants desperately to make Everett listen to her and see what the actual truth is but they are both so mentally and emotionally damaged it's hard to know if they will ever make it there.

This is a wild ride and you will definitely enjoy the darkness, the lust, desire, and passion that is exhibited by our main characters. We also get a glimpse of our secondary characters who will all get their own books hopefully in this amazing series: Wicked Empire. Happy Reading!!!

[Amber Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. I wasn’t sure I could love a story more than Ian and Harlow’s, but I think Molly and Everett may have them beat. Jordan Grant has pieced together a beautiful story of heartbreak, healing, growth, and love…with a good measure of spice thrown in😉. Molly and Everett are relatable characters who go through real world challenges, facing day to day obstacles that many readers can relate to. Mental health is addressed and isn’t shown as a negative concept, with the typical stigmas that are associated with such disorders. These characters show that we come back stronger from our hurts through our healing. That we aren’t meant to strong all the time and that we don’t have to be perfect to find happiness. I also love that Molly is a strong female character who takes responsibility for her life and her happiness, who doesn’t HAVE to have a man to function in this world. A true, heartfelt coming of age story that will pull at your heartstrings and leave you rooting for our hero and heroine until the very end!

[Rebecca Unsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicious Love is an bully romance and is pretty dark so check trigger warnings first.
This story features Everett and Molly. If you have read the Voclain Academy series you will recognise these characters. Molly and Everett have been best friends since childhood until a trauma broke them apart. Everett struggles with the trauma and takes everything out on Molly, she actually starts to enjoy it.
Vicious Love is a standalone that is set in the Wicked Empire universe. I loved the Voclain Academy series, and was really looking forward to reading Molly and Everetts story, and it didn't disappoint. I loved how despite everything that happened between them Molly stood by Everett, they were made for each other from the beginning. I loved the way this story was written as it goes between past and present so you get all the story from when they were younger. Fantastic can't wait for the books about the other characters.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Devons book corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I could ever want in a book and then some. Everett and Molly have known each other from a young age. Molly ends up dating Darcy though, and everything is perfect, until it isn't. Now, Molly must deal with the repercussions of something she didn't actually do, along with another major surprise. Later on, Molly and Everett are back to hanging out (their families are good friends), until one horrible night changes that. Everett refuses to listen and ends up leaving, but later decides that Molly must pay for what he thinks she has done. Can Everett ever learn the truth and move forward, or will it be too late for all involved? This book was so good. I binged it in half a day because I had to see how everything would play out. There is so much angst and emotion in this book, and when we get to the spice, man does it deliver. This is my first book by Jordan, but I will definitely be looking for more. She can tell one hell of a story and captivate her audience. Nicely done.

[_booknerd.4ever_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I was hooked from the very beginning! I loved the plot despite the heavy trigger topics. It was well-written and well-developed. The transformation of Everett from the sweet young man into “the villain” was amazing. While I loved Molly, she really made me mad and irritated. She needed a backbone. I thought her forgiveness was too quick concerning their past. I also hated they lost all that time because Everett jumped to conclusions. I really love the dark romance stories and this one didn’t disappoint. I was glad we finally see what really happened and then watched Everett’s transformation back into the man he should have been all along. I can’t watch to go back and read the other books so I can get more background on the other characters. This can be read as a stand-alone. I didn’t feel as if I missed anything. Amazing read! I can’t wait for the next book!! I will be adding this to my kindle library!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book.

[M Mendes Bookstagram · Rating 5 out of 5]

O.M.G…so dirty, hot, and intense!! Please heed all trigger warnings. I enjoyed Vicious Love tremendously and can’t wait to read Brutal Hearts. Lucky for me it is going to be available any day now. I believe the last Jordan mentioned in her email is that the hardcover is available but Amazon is holding back the ebook but it could be released any day now. If this is your first time reading any of Jordan’s books then you might want to read the Voclain Academy. It is all about Ian and Harlow but it also gives insight into Molly and Everett. Harlow and Molly became fast friends in Beautifully Wicked, Book 1, of the Voclain Academy and Ian and Everett are childhood friends. Molly has definitely come a long way from the girl she was in Beautifully Wicked to the girls she is now in Vicious Love. Jordan also has a free short story about Molly and Everett that you can download. The link is at the end of Vicious Love. I highly recommend Vicous Love, Wicked Empire Standalone series, Voclain Academy (if you haven’t read it already), and Jordan Grant as an author. Happy Reading!!

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was nice to read Molly and Everetts' story and get some insight into their relationship growing up. This book was probably one of the heaviest, emotions wise, and left me with a feeling of sadness that kind of lingered. There's a lot of anger, hurt, lack of communication, and internal struggles with the characters. At one point, nobody wins. Eventually Molly and Everett work things out and their relationship is very sweet. I will say though, regarding the mention of teen pregnancy, Molly was like 12 or 14 when she had her kid. And given how the dad died, it just seemed like too much/overexaggeraged for kids I wouldn't consider teenagers. So, that left me a little more uncomfortable than expected because I guess I didn't realize just how young she had to have been. Anyway, if you like the characters and this world, give it a read. You get to see some beloved characters briefly, too.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tayler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC copy. I’m leaving this review honestly and willingly.

Molly is everything Everett has wanted since kindergarten. But life has never worked out the way it should to make their love life paths collide. Until the final year before college. Everett makes his move and seems to finally have snagged Molly as his own… until trauma enters the chat and everything turns upside down. Who he thought Molly was? Is no longer the case. He will make her pay. Revenge is the best medicine.


This book was super easy to read. I enjoyed the weird push and pull of Molly and Everett. It’s definitely on the darker side, so ensure you read any trigger warnings.

The only thing I didn’t like is the weird gaps in some of the story telling or the quick to get over moments, that’s kind of cliche in the romance novel world though.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in a new series, and my word, what a heartwrenching tale this is! Everett and Molly met in kindergarten, and are fated to be soulmates, but a series of traumatic events change their destiny. This is a beautifully written enemies / lovers’ college romance, which is dark, raw, gritty, intense, and intriguing, with bullying, heartbreak, challenges, healing, trauma, vengeance, twists, realistic characters, and love, which leads to a riveting and addictive page turner. This author has done an outstanding job in weaving this storyline.
Be aware of trigger warning due to the sensitive content!
I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

[Danielle McMillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everett and Molly beat the odds!

Jordan writes some of the most well developed characters I have ever read. These 2 kick off a new series that is a branch of Voclain Academy. And boy do they sizzle!! Tip: if you read this and love it, you’ll want to read all 4 books in VA if you haven’t yet. Everett- I really wasn’t sure how he was going to redeem himself but Molly is so soft and forgiving, he only had to help himself to earn redemption. And Molly, trying to understand her darker desires but remaining a soft feminine nurturer. This story is full of heartache, loss, grief, angst, dark desires and love. So well written and developed. Please check the TW at the beginning of the book but I highly recommend this one!!

[ELC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicious Love by Jordan Grant

Ok I will start by saying if you are looking for a dark emotionally raw story look no further. This book is just that. It is consuming for sure and it will linger in your mind after you are done reading it. Everett oh my dear goodness be prepared to feel his pain it is so palpable and raw. Then there is Molly which I mean can we say badass lady. Because that is exactly what she is. I mean all she has dealt with all of her challenges and yet get strength it is just wow. I’m not going to give you much away but I will say. What are you waiting for grab this book and read it. It is such an amazingly written dark romance you won’t want to miss. Highly recommend.

[Centurymoon Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start by saying I never read any of the Wicked Empire series books. This was read without any history, I went in totally blind. With that being said I found this book to almost be off putting, I feel like Everett is a alpha male with no boundaries and feels entitled due to having money and that he feels no remorse for the things he does. I also, feel like Molly allows him to get away with doing the things she does because she doesn't know how to tell anyone no or stand up for herself in anyway. She has been coddled for what seems to be her whole life. Yes she had hardships. Yes she went through things, but you don't see any growth in her character in this book at all.
I feel like their entire relationship is borderline.
I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

[Laura Carter-Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molly and Everett were torn apart by tragedy when they were in high school. They were able to overcome the obstacle before them and soon became best friends again. In a twist they never expected, they are torn apart by a new tragedy.

Everett has been in love with Molly since they were kids. She is everything he could have ever dreamed of and more. Molly loves Everett completely. She is able to forgive him for his cruel actions, knowing that he was worth every moment of pain that they went through.

When life throws a curve at them, will Everett have the courage he needs to step up and get the help he needs to live a full, worthy, and most importantly, healthy life with the woman he loves? Will Molly have the strength to watch him become the man she always knew he could be?

[PennyWise 24 · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Our first kiss was a harbinger of death.

What does that mean for us, little mouse, when our lips are painted red with blood?”

Oof. “Vicious Love” has a lot to unpack in a novel and A LOT in the way of trigger warnings. So if anything if you are sensitive to anything I would definitely start there first before reading this. It was an extremely tough read. Not just in subject content but in the format of the story. I found myself getting lost in the incoherent ramblings of the main character. Or I guess what was supposed to be internal ramblings. There were alot of issues I felt that went unresolved and the story line was hard to follow.

DISCLOSURE: I received an Advanced Reader Copy for free from Hidden Gems. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this new to me author!!
This book had some heartbreak in it! The things both
main characters had to go through are rough. Molly
and Everett have known each other since they were
5. I loved how we saw in the past as well as present
day.
They became friends and both started to have
feelings for the other but no one acted on them.
Molly had some rough teenage years and her and
Everett had grown apart. They started to get close
again and had a fantastic date. After the date some
really tough stuff happened that tore them apart.
Everette is now back after being gone for some
months and he wants to make everyone pay
including Molly. This is a friends to enemies to lovers
book with heartbreak, bullying, redemption and love.
The traumatic events that have happened
throughout both their lives really breaks your heart
but they need to lean on each other to make it
through.