I am ready for the second book now! This one was quite the rollercoaster as it started off a little bit slower than I expected but within a few chapters, I was hooked. The progression of Aurora’s character throughout was very interesting to read about and the ending left me wanting so much more! I was also very intrigued by the double point of view with Cole and the dynamic between him and the rest of the hellhounds. I know that this is a book that I will be thinking about for quite some time. I feel like I haven’t had my fill of the characters just yet and I know that there is so much more to their stories than what was written in this book and I cannot wait to find out. I have so many unanswered questions, especially after that twist in the end, that I can only imagine will be made clear in the second book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amber Vant for the eArc copy of this book! If you’re a fan of NA, enemies to lovers/bully type romances (18+) then definitely check this one out when it releases on February 2nd, 2022. Just a side note, in this book there is mention of sexual abuse, suicide, alcohol, and fire so if these themes make you uncomfortable then I wouldn’t recommend this.

Especially the boys who made it known from the beginning I wasn’t wanted here that one summer I stayed with my father. I hadn’t belonged I knew that but now I was coming back.When I started reading I couldn't put it down. Amber Vant is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the author for a free advanced readers' copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I need to give my honest review, which is that I started reading this book and couldn't get past 7% of the way through. It was a very quick, easy read, and the plotline looked like it could possibly have been compelling, but the author's failure to use punctuation properly really irked me. There's a reason you're not supposed to write sentences with "ing" words that don't actually have a present tense verb in them, and books like this are the reason. It sounds juvenile, and gives the main character an irritating, teenage voice that I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with much more of.

The main character also fell directly into a very classic YA Mary Sue set of problems, which escalated possibly all too quickly. Her mother was abusive, drunk and used drugs. Interesting. Her father abandoned her? Interesting, but why? Why is she alone now? Why is she so street smart? I was intrigued to see how she dealt with being alone, but when she showed limited complexity of emotion when returning to her father's house, despite literally living without any food apparently, it felt simultaneously like a quick fix and a contrived plot point. What also got me was the clear way the writing style changed when potential love interests came onto the scene. I can't take seriously the trauma of someone living in that kind of situation if they will immediately flake out and swoon over a boy.

This is just my own opinion, and my own observances after having read many YA books, both good and bad. Perhaps I didn't give it a good enough go, but after that kind of poor use of punctuation I couldn't take it any more.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I found the first opening chapters a tad confusing, it jumped around a lot, but once I figured out what was going on it was an okay read for me, not terribly exciting. I felt like with as much hate as her brother and friends have towards Rory that it would take more time for them to turn around there attitudes, But it really was fast and easy which I felt didn't match with the overall theme to the book. It was too easy in my opinion.
This book was not for me, but we all different so please give it a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
This book was very difficult to read as the story seems disjointed and jumped around leaving the reader to feel like they missed something. There were also a lot of grammatical errors that made the reading experience very difficult.
The story itself was interesting, but more was needed in the execution.

I felt a little lost in the beginning of the book, but that changed as I continued to read. I enjoyed the characters, especially Rory, and the pace of the story. The story contains some twists to keep the reader guessing. I really enjoyed the cliffhanger ending.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

It is one the few times when I have to keep it sweet and short and admit that this book just wasn't for me.
The trope and the story was right up my alley but I am afraid that the writing style and the characters didn't pull me in and after giving it a few goes I decided not to push it.

However this is a very subjective opinion and as with every book our personal tastes determine a lot. This book has a decent writing and beginning plot, and I do beleive that fans of he trope should give it a go and see for themselves.

I really loved Rory. Her character definitely showed the struggles that most teenage girls have with their thoughts and the push and pull of boys. That being said, with her background, I would have anticipated her being a little more guarded. She brings up the conversation with her mother about protecting herself, but I feel that she only really did that when she reminded herself.

The story seemed to me like it was a work in progress. There were too many grammar errors that sometimes made it difficult to read, and I think that’s the biggest issue I had with the book.

— tw: alcohol use, fire, sexual abuse, sexually explicit scenes and suicide —

ok so this book includes - (step/half) brother’s best friend, enemies to lovers, bully romance & dual POV. it is also definitely a new adult book, 18+

i am a massive lover of a good ol’ bully romance, and i really liked the concept behind this but it wasn’t for me. i felt the story at times was a little hard to follow. i also know this is obviously an advanced copy and there may be an updated version now, however there was a fair few spelling mistakes & sometimes i didn’t understand the sentences. i had to read over them a few times to know what was happening.

this book had a lot of potential, but honestly i wasnt that invested in the characters - rory and cole - and even though the book ended on a cliffhanger, i probably wont be reading anymore of the series.

2.5 / 3 ⭐️

Shattered princess by Amber Vant

NetGalley provided a copy from this book in exchange for an honest review

Dear author, I tried really hard to enjoy your book. Believe me, I did. But in the end, I just felt underwhelmed by it. I expected so much more than what I read.

Everyone knows I'm a huge fan of broken assholes, who have a weak place for the heroine. And I certainly love bully romances, but this book just disappointed me.

Let's start with the story.

Rora (shortened from Aurora) is our heroine, who is back at her father's house (+-) 6 years after she was kicked out of there. She has to be patient with her bully younger brother, and his friends. And to take all they throw at her, till she turns 18.

I don't judge the lack of originality, cause god knows how much I love my stories similar.

During this period she finds a friend - Hailey, starts dating Xavier, and reignites old rivalry with Cole. The secret is that she and Cole have an incredible passion, and can't stay apart from each other. They are either fighting or kissing, nothing in-between.

And Cole is one of her bullies, from the group of her brother.

NEXT PART MIGHT INCLUDE SPOILERS, please read at your own risk!

Now I have a bit of criticism.

At the beginning of the book, I loved the writing - the descriptions and the dialogues, but as the book proceed (I think) they got worse. There were more and more grammar mistakes and a few lexical. So the books need a MAJOR EDIT (it's shocking to see in a book that's going to be published, mistakes like your and you're, and there, and their). I encountered and a few typos, which can be fixed fastly with an EDIT (for example the word beat was written as best). Also in a few sentences sounded like the author forgot in which tense she was writing so she mixed present and past.

Apart from that, I had really big problems reading at the beginning of the book, cause scenes were just jumping from one to the other, no flow, no explanations, not even separated as different chapters. We have mornings, and the next sentence is talking about the after-school activity. This really bugged me. I wouldn't have had a problem with it if the scenes were part of different chapters, but they were not. So this might also need to be reviewed.

I kind of felt the drama in the book was artificial, and not at all-natural. Like there was drama, only because there had to be drama, not because it was what naturally followed in the story. This came really strong at the dinner scene where Silas told Cole this was the last year of the ball. It came out of nowhere and at this time of the book was a bit unnecessary (It would have been better if it was pushed with a few chapters).

Another thing that made me cringe was the "Iceman" thing. Especially, when Cole was about to hit Xavier (I think), and she said something along the lines "Iceman, stop". Mentally I facepalmed. And the main thing was that they weren't even that close at the time, and she called him that in front of the whole school.

Let's go back a little and remember the scene with the car on the first day of school. Did I miss anything? Was I blind? Cause I read the scene twice and I still couldn't understand what was happening. And then at around 75% of the book, I learn that she dumped paint all over the vehicle. How did I miss that? How did she do it? Wasn't she supposed to be in class?

Then a few scenes later we are at this lake house party, and her brother trashes her car... Okay. The car disappears. But her father never asks her what happened with it. We then go to chapter 52 and learn that her dad drives her to school one morning, cause she can't do it herself. Again no one says anything about the car. What if she crashed, would he care more? SMH.

And the last scene I had a problem with was when Cole and Rory were finally going to fuck. Great! I waited too long for that. And bam, ruined. The whole sex thing flew out of the window when the unrealism stepped in. So he licks her nips and she comes from that? I don't say that this is impossible, but definitely not every woman can do it.

Now about the characters and the relationships:

Rory - I think she was naive in her own way. One would never guess she was assaulted as a child, cause the assault usually leaves marks (from inside or outside), and she hadn't shown any signs of what had happened. She was nice to her friends, and wasn't bowing in front of the enemies.

I felt Cole was a combination of other heroes I've read about - Damon Torrance (Killswitch, Penelope Douglas), and Saint Memphis (from KOQ). A broken hero who considers himself a monster, terrorizing the girl he likes (maybe in him can be found a bit of Carter from Untouchable, as well).

Again I felt the relationship between them in a way rushed, and unnatural. And the only one that felt natural (even if it was a bit unreal) was Aurora's and Hailey's.

In the end, the plot twist was not that surprising, but it left us wanting the second book (which comes out this August).

I have to say, that I didn't get into the book, but don't let that stop you from reading it, cause you may like it.

I hope I haven't hurt anyone (the author) with the review, cause I tried to give only constructive criticism.

2.5 ⭐️ I received an arc from net galley for an honest review. So first off what I enjoyed- I liked that Rory was strong willed and didn’t take crap from the guys. I also liked cole & rorys dynamic. The characters were great.

Unfortunately I just found the story line itself to be a tad confusing in the beginning & really drawn out. I was expecting bully romance and there is some bullying but it just seems on the childish side. Like the repetition of her being a terrible liar.. idk I could’ve overlooked the little things had the story been better structured.

I read another review where a girl compared this book to punk 57. And I def felt similar vibes but I wasn’t a big fan of punk 57 😩🥴

Eh idk. I hate when I feel disconnected from a book & this was just one of those time! If you liked punk 57.. I say give it a go & I hope you like it !

This is a nice friend to enemies to lovers book. For me our male characters were a bit too toxic for my own liking . There was a lock of whiplash emotions that really kept me from liking them which in turn made me feel our female lead was a doormat. She acting tough but it was never apparent outside of her head. I would have liked this more if it had bee. Shorter but with the length I felt it was all too drawn out. The cover is however amazing

2.5⭐️

Tropes;
Enemies to Lovers
Bully Romance
Set in High School (NA/18+)
Dual POV

This follows Rory who is forced to live with her rich and estranged father and half brother after her mum dies.

She had previously spent one summer with them but was not allowed to return because she had accidentally started a fire that destroyed part of her dad’s property.

Even as kids, her half brother Finn and his best friend Cole were not very nice to her and bullied her around. So when she returns, they both start where the left off and continue to make her life hell.

Cole and Rory definitely have good chemistry despite him being so mean towards her but they both have secrets they are keeping from each other.

I don’t want to go into the plot too much because I don’t want to spoil anything but I think one of the reasons I didn’t enjoy this as much is because it’s set in high school. I think I’ve slowly been enjoying these sorts of books less and less so this is mainly a me issue rather than an issue with the story.

This was an advanced readers copy so it’s not always the last draft, and I understand that, but there were too many grammar errors that were very obvious to me in my first read through of the book so I would like to think an editor would’ve picked up some of these mistakes.

The book ended on a cliff hanger but I don’t think I will read the next one. I think this genre is just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I actually loved this, I will say if you do not like bully romance I would skip this one. I will say the main character is very likable which usually for me the main character can make or break a book. Rory was great and wasnt annoying at all. I think if you liked Zodiac Academy or Paper Princess you will really enjoy tis book!

4/5⭐️

I was send an eARC of this book through Netgalley, so thank you so much to Amber Vant for it.

WOW. What a plot twist. I was mind blown and I cannot wait for book 2. I really enjoyed reading this book. I was intrigued from the start. I loved the plot, the characters and the romance.

Rory is an incredibly strong girl, who’s life has been full of struggles. And enter, Cole, her stepbrother’s best friend and the person who’s been responsible for the majority of her struggles. He is very closed off and mysterious. And yes, this is an enemies to lovers romance, which always makes it even better. The development of their relationship was really good. I enjoyed the back and forth bantering so so much. Also… I don’t know if it’s only me but sometimes I become even more intrigued about the side characters’ romance, which kind of was the case in this book. I really hope there’s gonna be book about them in the future.

Overall, the start of the book was a bit slow but after the whole introduction stuff it gets really interesting. I couldn’t put the book down and read the rest in one sitting. Definitely recommend reading it when it comes out. February 2nd!! Mark your calendars.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4439031973 (The link is to. my review and it is already published in my goodreads account, goodreads.com/rey_woods)

*A HUGE THANK YOU TO AMBER VANT FOR THE ARC*

I love enemies-to-lovers books. I always have and always will, I feel like there is so much more depth to the story and with the characters as to why they are the way the are. Usually there is a good reason for the hate and usually it takes time (or well, it should take time) for the characters to reach past their hate and realize their own faults and resolve them. Which is why I was excited for this book.

I actually REALLY REALLY like the main character Rory. She wasn't annoyingly stubborn or overly difficult with something to prove so she does things just to "give the finger" to the the bullies, no she really did try to stay away and keep to herself and stay OUT of "harms way" I liked that, it was more realistic. I liked her sassy attitude and ability stand her ground and be completely in the right for doing so. I didn't think she over reacted or did things that were just stupid, no I actually really liked her.

For anyone who are fans of Zodiac Academy, Vicious, Bully, Paper Princess, & Punk 57, will like this book. It has all the same villains and heroes, the same storyline and troupe.
And that's my biggest struggle. That's just it, it's the same. Often times I can understand the hate/bullying but with this one, I felt like for one main character his reasons and actions were unjustified.
I felt like with as much hate as her brother and friends demonstrated that it would be more difficult for them to warm up to Rory. But it really was fast and easy which I felt didn't match with the overall theme to the book. It was too easy in my opinion.

Overall for those who like bully romances, this will be right up your ally.

I want book 2 NOW!!! Really that wasn’t bad at all! I would describe this book as After meets Off-Campus but 10 times better and without a d*ck like Hardin (the name of the fathers’s company tho😭). I enjoyed this very much and would recommend it to romance readers!

I couldn’t put this book down. The character suck you in and you feel everything they do. This is a story about a girl, Rory, who has been through almost anything you can think of. She has always made it through because she is strong and never gives up. She has had so much loss in her life she doesn’t know who to trust anymore. She is thrust back into a life she once had for a fleeting moment. Eli her best friend back when, Cole who always pestered her, and her half-brother Finn who has a terrible attitude at first, Will Cole be the one to break down her walls and will Rory I return break down Cole’s? This book ends in a cliffhanger and you will have to read the second book of this series, which comes out in August of 2022, to see what happens next. I was given an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked Rory, and Cole is intriguing. The issue I have was the inconsistency in the story. It was so good at keeping you interested, but at time you had to figure out where the characters were because there was a scene change without knowing. Example they are talking in school, then it changes to a store during the same conversation. There are others, but it would give away plot points. The story could be amazing, but with the inconsistencies there was too much confusion and rereads to figure out what happened.

Ooooh i really liked this book. It is the first in a series and the first romance book i have read that ends in a cliffhanger. So now of course i cannot wait foe the next book!

This book very much gave me Corrupt by Penelope Douglas vibes. Totally different stories, but there are things in Corrupt that I loves that I found I loved in this book too.

Our main character Rory, has lived a tough life and has always been there for herself. I loved seeing her open up with other characters in the book, mainly Finn and Hailey. She is a very strong, independent female character who is true to herself no matter the situation she is thrown in and i really loves that about her.

Cole, our bad boy, is full of mystery. You start to figure him out towards the end, but I am unsure if he is even sure of himself. So i am excited to keep seeing his character growth in this series.

There a some unanswered questions in this book and it has me wanting more. I really do recommend reading this book!