New adult – Page 8 – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Authors: Tate James & Jaymin Eve

Format: eBook

Pages: 278

Categories: Bully Romance, New Adult

Book Blurb:

They think they own me now. They think they’ve won, and that I’ll be their good little soldier.

Four dangerous, damaged, messed up boys. There used to be five, but one of them died, and I’m starting to suspect he was murdered.

I didn’t ask for this. No one would ask to be played, manipulated, seduced and betrayed. But that’s what happened, anyway.

It wasn’t enough for them to break me. Sebastian Beckett has decided that he can’t let me go, but I refuse to forgive and forget his betrayal so easily. His fixation is bordering on obsession, but when we begin to suspect a spy within Delta, there’s no time to deal with his feelings.

Someone is selling us out, and it’s having a dire impact.

It’s life and death hiding behind corporate greed.

Let the battle begin.

MY REVIEW

The first book of the Dark Legacy series started off good and was exciting. This is a bully romance series and it is dark with lots of sexual themes. Book one had a cliffhanger ending that made me want to read this next installment.

This book was okay until a certain scene and then I decided it was not for me but I did finish it. I have a big problem with Beck, Riley’s lover/boyfriend. And yes, I’m in the minority here 🤷🏻‍♀️, Riley can so do better 😅. I understand he’s under the control of Delta, but he messed up, again. The characters are ALL broken people, I get that too, but after they betray her in book one, he wants her on their side so they publicly reject her. Just, no.

Riley is in a state of shock and feels betrayed after what takes place in the first book. The Delta guys are slightly remorseful but still arrogant. Beck is super possessive as usual but Riley had a right to be mad after what they forced her to do. I felt like some revenge on her part would have been perfect but nope. Nada. I wanted her to teach them a lesson. And these Delta guys that had her back supposedly, still threaten her (even after their betrayal), and publicly reject her. They leave her isolated at school and she is attacked, horribly. Honestly, it pissed me off so much and I blame Beck, since he’s their leader and he’s the guy she’s in love with it. Riley is right: they are not okay and they all need therapy.

I was also tired of Riley’s conflicting feelings about Beck (because I’ve cut him off in my mind 😂). She wants him, she hates him, he betrays her, he breaks her and then he’s sorry about that. Eventually the desire wins out and they continue to hook up. Apparently it’s easy to forgive guys who force you to murder someone. These Delta guys struggled too, I admit, they messed up and they know it. I just wanted a little more severe punishment for them, not just broken trust issues to deal with.

And this story is just unbelievable. I don’t believe these guys who are in high school (well Beck isn’t but he’s always hanging around there) have power to rule the world. They are rich and drive expensive cars. They talk the talk but nothing about them convinces me they are the most powerful high school boys in the world. Beck keeps mentioning that this is all a game for power, but I didn’t see much of the plot moving towards any power play until the ending which was a bunch of twists. The one new aspect in the story was the introduction of a Huntley (their nemesis) at the school, but it was predictable that she was there to cause trouble.

The ending is another twist, another cliffhanger, but one that made me cringe so bad and I don’t want to dive into that mess. 😂

So, if you like dark romance with lots of twists and turns that shock you, definitely read this series. It’s a quick read, it has the hot possessive rich guys, steamy (and even rough) sex, lots of bullying and angst. It’s not for someone who is easily triggered by traumatic events though, so fair warning there. I wish Riley was given a chance to kick someone’s butt in this book (Beck’s 😂) but that’s not going to happen.

Get it here: Amazon

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Click here for the review I wrote on the first book in this series: Broken Wings

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Katie Delahanty

Format: E-book

Pages: 428

Categories: Romance, Celebrity, New Adult

Book Blurb:

My name is Olivia Bloom and I. Am. Free.I left for LA with everything I owned piled into my old Volkswagen and dreams of becoming a costume designer. Little did I know I’d wind up designing for a lingerie company—yeah, not sure how I landed this gig—and taken under the wing of two young Hollywood insiders. The fashion shows and parties were great, but life really got exciting when the seriously hottest lead singer of my favorite band started to fall for me.　How does someone like me, an ordinary girl from Pittsburgh, wind up in the arms of the world’s sexiest rock star—surrounded by celebrities, fashion, and music—and not be eaten alive? Berkeley is everything I’ve ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, but the paparazzi, the tabloids, the rumors, it’s all getting a bit too crazy. My life has become every girl’s dream come true, if only I don’t blink and lose it all…　

MY REVIEW

This was a fun romance story and a very quick read. I’m a sucker for the celebrity romance trope and this had everything I was looking for: romance and humor.

Olivia Bloom is a young woman from Pittsburgh who tries to make a living in L.A. and finds it challenging. Luck would have it she runs into the lead singer of her favorite band, Berkeley and the Brightside. It’s a fluke first meeting but then her new friends who are Hollywood insiders, turn her into project “It girl”. They teach her the rules of surviving life in L.A and see if they can turn a nobody into a somebody. This leads her to another chance meeting with Berkeley and soon things take off, in her career and love life.

I adored Olivia’s friends, especially Parker, who reminded me of some of my own friends. He kept making me laugh throughout the book. The author captured the feeding frenzy of the celebrity lifestyle really well from dealing with tabloids and faking it until you make it in Hollywood.

The romance is sweet and tender as Olivia and Berkeley get to know each other and try to make it work in the crazy world of fame. With rumors flying everywhere, Olivia has to figure out if Berkeley’s attentions are real or fake, like everyone else in Hollywood. I enjoyed Olivia’s adventures in Hollywood. I wanted a light-hearted story with a happily ever after and I was not disappointed.