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 Devious Hate (from Goodreads):
It all started with one little lie.
Maybe she thought she was doing the right thing. That the worst was behind her and no one had gotten hurt, but oh how naive the black haired beauty was.
It’s been two years and fate has finally brought Willow X back to me, though. Back to Blackthorn Academy.
She may not realize the mistake she’s made yet, but now she’s entered the lion’s den and I plan to show no mercy.
I’m Parker Rothschild and I plan to make her pay. I will be the nightmare she can’t escape. I’ll show her just how wrong she was, and make her regret ever breathing the lie she told. By the time I’m done with her, she’ll be begging at my feet for forgiveness and pleading to confess her sins.
**Each book in this dark academia series is a complete standalone, containing triggering material that some might find offensive.**
Author: J L Beck and C Hallman
Series: Blackthorn Elite
# of Books: 4 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, High School Bully
Heat Rating: Hot (Kink: mild #3 only)
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: January 2019 – April 2020
Source & Format: Public Library–Audiobook (#1-2); Kindle Unlimited–eBook (#3-4)
Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:
I read J L Beck’s Indebted years ago and I instantly classified it as a guilty pleasure read. It wasn’t the great novel I’ve ever read, but I found the characters intriguing, the romance sizzled and it was so easy to binge read it. So when I found this series on my library’s audiobook site, I thought I would give it a try. I’m hit or miss with the “high-school-bully” trope but the plot sounded good for Devious Hate (#1) so I was hoping for the best.
The Plot:
Lots of angst and I would say most of it was justifiable (or I could see why they would in their minds). However, I didn’t love some of the bullying tactics the characters stoop to in this series. It’s one of the things I struggle with the bully trope the most. Degrading someone isn’t my idea of love.
I did enjoy some of the mystery of why there is conflict between the leads. I liked trying to figure out what happened; and while I had some of the twists figured out, I wasn’t always right which was nice.
The Characters:
These are quicker reads and I think they focus a little more on the sexier times than giving these characters more layers. So I would say the character development is lacking. But I think everyone does their job well in these stories. You want nasty bad boys and that’s what you get.
The Romance:
One of the things I liked about this particular series compared to others I’ve read in the genre is that these characters (most of the time) share a past with their romantic partner. Meaning they have this established relationship from before and it isn’t this sudden hate for someone new to school. As a result, I could see the chemistry and tension between these characters as they struggled to navigate their romance and their family loyalty. However, that didn’t always translate into a deeper romance which I wanted and sometimes I didn’t get why they even liked each other at all. I think it would have helped to have had some more flashbacks in those cases.
My Audiobook Experience (#1-2):
I had every intention of reading the entire series as an audiobook one but my library pulled the final 2 books of the series before I could get to them. So I didn’t switch midseries by choice as I was enjoying the audiobooks.
Series Rating: 2.5/5
Devious Hate (Hating You) 3.5/5 | Ruthless Rivals (Breaking You) 3/5 | Sinister Obsession (Hurting You) 2/5 | Vicious Regret (Regretting You) 2/5
For experienced readers in the high school bully genre, this is probably a series you want to add to your TBR if you enjoy dark, smutty reads. But those looking to get into the series might want to look elsewhere for a more well-rounded experience.
Read if You Like: high school bully romance, dark romance
Avoid if You: dislike dark romance
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