Addictive, hilarious and so SO hot!

Well I read that in 24 hours! I can not fault this book at all. The characters, the sexiness, the banter… it was all perfect!

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Premise:

As a child, Rook’s parents were killed by wealthy businessman, Cameron Fletcher. And he has vowed to get revenge.

Rook is a motorbike riding middleman for the crime world. One night, he confronts a man who owes a lot of money. But the man bolts, leaving behind his defenceless girlfriend, Regan.

Despite their first encounter, Rook becomes obsessed with her, until he finds out that her last name is Fletcher. And finally it seems his revenge plan has fallen into place!

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Tropes / Themes : Biker and Enforcer MMC; Revenge plot; Cat and mouse game; Mutual stalking; Items that should not be sex toys; Jealousy and possessive; Found family.

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Where to start…

ROOK! I dare you not to fall in love with him! Firstly… he is hot! Secondly… his mouth… both the things it does and the things he says. He was absolute perfection 🫶 and you could genuinely feel him falling in love with Regan on the page. The normality and comfort he got from her, was just beautiful. This is what made this a 5 star dark romance for me. The love felt so genuine, not just obsession masquerading as love (because let’s face facts, so many dark romances are).

And their relationship in general. Firstly I love some mutual stalking! If I could highlight every bit of dialogue between Regan and Rook, I would! They had me cackling at points. They were so deranged in their conversations sometimes and I loved it! And I love how Rook helped Regan discover her darker and more powerful side!

And the spice! This was a hot book, but had a good balance of build up and plot as well. Boundaries were definitely explored… let’s just say they found a creative use for a wrench 😅 and trust me, it was way hotter than I expected! Plus they truly utilised the bike, which is what is needed from a biker romance!

And finally the wider family! I adored so many of them. Evie and Hero especially had me laughing out loud! I can’t wait to see their own books, and see Kate Crew expand this world. I kind of hope for the Hero and Harper book first, as you just know they will be wild!

All in all, if you loved books like Lights Out and Butcher & Blackbird, I think you’ll like this!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for sending me this Arc to review.
This book was such an enjoyable read, the character development and back history was really thorough and believable. I loved how the stalking theme was turned on the morally grey MMC. I also enjoyed seeing the FMC find her strength and confidence. She wasn’t a complete walkover and made the MMC earn his forgiveness when needed.
I enjoy a book with a strong revenge trope and a found family story.
Reading this book I could feel myself wanting to know more about the other characters and how their stories develop so I hope that they get their chance at their own books.

I struggled with this story - it was so dialogue heavy, that I found it hard to get a good feel of the characters and to be able to follow the story. It bogged down what could otherwise have been a good story. I really appreciate the opportunity to read this book - my thanks to the publisher!

3.75/5 rounded up to a four.
Similar vibes to Lights Out. But there were quite a few eye roll moments for me.
Along with grammatical errors and a weird sense of time within the story (suddenly jumping days at a time without really being clear about it) made this not quite a four star for me.
But for a 'gentle' dark romance it was alright.

There was no need to make it as long as it was. Had me genuinely interested at first but then it became so repetitive and tired it lost me.

The mmc’s backstory was so interesting but he drew out the suspense so much to the point it didn’t have that impact anymore.

The fmc, as much as I found her relatable, her actions seemed childish and immature.

ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and Headline Eternal for the ARC! ♥︎

Unfortunately this really wasn’t for me.

The writing was very dialogue heavy and the style didn’t feel developed. The character development also felt all over the place.

From the very first page of Rook & Rebel, I was utterly captivated. Rebel’s fierce defiance and unwavering strength made her a standout heroine, while Rook’s blend of ruthless intensity and deeply protective devotion was impossible to resist. Their dynamic sparked with tension and chemistry, and I found myself completely swept up in their story.

The camaraderie among the other bikers added such charm and warmth—those extended friendships, full of witty banter and brotherly affection [alongside the mix of the friendships between the girls], often had me laughing out loud. The sense of loyalty and found family pulsing through the group brought an extra layer of heart to the narrative. I enjoyed how you could see a set up happening for future reads too and I am already excited for those.

Beneath all the heat and humor was a compelling thread of mystery and suspense, woven seamlessly into the plot. The unfolding secrets tied to Rook’s past, and the way they were revealed to Rebel, was handled with such originality—it truly set this story apart from others in the genre.

In short, Rook & Rebel was an addictive, steamy, and wildly entertaining ride. I devoured it in one sitting and loved every moment. 🖤

4.25 stars - arc review. I loved this one it was funny and dark perfectly balanced out. We follow Rook and Regan who come from very different backgrounds however their lives overlap. Rook is your typical tattooed biker MMC on a revenge mission which I love. I did find the revenge plot a bit random with Rooks ‘strategy’ however the stalker interactions were hilarious. I loved the side characters and found they all merged together really well. The ending did feel a bit rushed and random but still had a great time. Excited to see who the next book is about I have my suspicions there's two couples l'd love to see but l'm hoping for Aiden and Evie first because something about protective brothers best friend/ kind of bodyguard sounds amazing to me.