Series Review: Hellfire Club by Becker Gray

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Wicked Idol (from Goodreads):

The new girl doesn’t belong here.
So why can’t I stop thinking about her?

The daughter of the headmaster wants to ruin my school year before it’s even begun. Iris Briggs gets under my skin. With her demure skirts and braided hair, she flits around the periphery until she runs right into me, hot coffee soaking me as she looks up with wide, innocent eyes.

We start off scalding.
In the library, we reach lava levels.
And then in the city? She burns me to the ground.

I’m Keaton Constantine. My duty is to my family. At least, it was until I started unbraiding the good girl and realizing there’s more to life than duty.

Series: Hellfire Club or Pembroke Prep | Midnight Dynasty Series
Author: Becker Gray
# of Books: 5 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Heat Rating: Hot
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: November 2020 – December 2021
Source & Format: Kobo Plus–eBook

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

My intention with this series was just to read Wicked Idol (#1), since it featured a Constantine I had met earlier when reading various books in the Midnight Dynasty Universe, then return to read the rest of the series later. But I absolutely fell in love with this cast of characters and binged the rest of the series shortly after I finished the first book and never looked back.

The Concept – Midnight Dynasty:

The Midnight Dynasty Universe is a collection of books (series and standalones) written by different authors but feature the characters from a collective world. They’re intended to be read in any order because each series focuses on two lead characters at a time, but there are some shared chronological events and character interactions throughout the universe that overlap in the different series.

This series only briefly crosses into the Constantine vs Morelli battle in the first book, Wicked Idol. From then on, I’d say this series stands on its own though references to the power families are made throughout the series.

The Concept / The World:

This is one of the Young Adult/New Adult hybrid series where 18 year olds get in some heated (sexual) situations. I’d label it as New Adult based on the content even though it takes place at a high school aged boarding school.

The Plot:

This series reminded me of Gossip Girl (more so the TV series) where you follow the drama of the social elite, only its set entirely in a boarding school. The family drama you expect from wealthy families is there but so is the die-hard friendships that form between the youth of that echelon…and their enemies. You’ve got rich boys who can catch any girl but there is just that one girl that they truly want and so ensues a swoon-worthy hate-to-love-you romance.

Most of these books are labeled as the “high school bully trope” and I’d agree for the most part that it fits. It’s basically that idea that if someone pulls your pigtails they like you. I’ve read a lot more intense high school bully romances where the “heroes” do terrible things to there heroines but I’d say that intensity isn’t here. More like disagreements and misunderstandings than actual torture.

The Characters:

I honestly fell in love with this entire crew by the end of Wicked Idol (#1) and truthfully, they played a very small part in that book. But the little tidbits we got about the relationships and pasts intrigued me enough that I had to keep going. The comradery of true friendship was great to read about.

I liked that each character had layers to them and that they evolved as the story progressed. I thought between the romantic pairs that there was a great balance in allowing both characters to grow as the relationship grew. It never felt one-sided which I appreciated.

The Romance:

Normally, I’m not a fan of the alpha male and most of our male characters lean that way. However, I am a sucker for a boy who completely loves a girl, even if he doesn’t know (or show) it yet. Watching those guards fall down had my heart melting!

I also loved that the pairs were all great matches for each other and it was really reflected in their stories. The romances were very well developed and all worked well for me.

Midnight Dynasty’s Reading Order:

I had found a suggested reading order on Redit but have made some recommendations based on my own readings. Here is the suggested order based on that post and my own readings: