Welcome to their kingdom.
They call me a heartless bitch.
An evil manipulator.
A wicked princess who enjoys hurting people.
They tell me terrible things happened.
Things that changed my life forever.
Only problem is...
I can't remember any of it.
REVIEW: 3.5 STARS
"Sometimes you have to lie to protect the people you love."
I am enjoying my first romp through an Ashley Jade series. I have heard she's unconventional and she doesn't always stay the course, and I am seeing this - but I am also enjoying it. I will say this, no matter how much someone wants to claim this is a standalone, I can assure you it's NOT. It just isn't. There are a lot of spoilers for the first two books in it and it takes away the journey to get to know Bianca as we do once you've traversed two books already. It's a necessary evil, but you might as well go along for the ride.
Straight up honesty: this will be one of the hardest reviews to write. I remember closing the book and placing it down, saying what in the....? It didn’t really make sense - the route taken, the actions portrayed - I was stuck between being lost and being confused. Same thing, right? Exactly. The only problem was, I couldn't discuss any of it because it was the entire context of the book. But after ranting/talking to Ashley about it, joining her spoiler group and being able to see other questions/comments, it made a lot more sense. A. Lot. I'm happy to say that many of my thoughts and perceptions were actually true to her vision, and that makes me relieved knowing that I was catching what she was throwing. She can articulate well - but holy cow, did she go about it in a different way. I am not mad at the turn of events, but I do feel like I'm in a holding pattern.
It’s a little young, it’s high school drama with some real world problems - but the schmooze is pretty spectacular. Not gonna lie. Jade has thrown a proverbial wrench into this family (his)story and I for one was taken aback. I was here, looking forward to the bitch known as Bianca and her eventual downfall. She has some serious claws, and she knows when to draw them out. I like her, because I know at some point she is going to be brought down. Whether it's by force or by heart, she was going down. Well, yeah - that thought 'didn't age well' at all. This was definitely a different turn of events.
Was it rushed? Some parts may have felt that way. Did I question some of the transitions and the solutions to some of the problems? Oh, most definitely. The thing is, I know this isn't my vision to morph and push onto her characters and stories, so I know that I have to trust in her vision to get the story across for me. I cannot stress enough that I didn't put the book down at all. I was anxious to see Bianca get hers. I was there to see her actually break down and see connections made. I'm still waiting, but with a lot more excitement.
As we all know from finishing Ruthless Knight, there was something that happened at the end that caused this whole twisted turn of events - Bianca has no memory of anything. I remember Bianca having some dalliances with some guys, so this whole POV in this book was an eye opener into her flashbacks as they were revisited. The Bianca we knew was there, but she wasn't. Her love interest....well, that could have gone one of two ways, and that was a huge eye-opener for me.
Did I want more? Yes, most definitely. Some things just didn't line up, so I know there is more to this story, which was evidenced by the ending and the addition of Broken Knight to her Goodreads shelf and a PREORDER up on Amazon. I know that's the rest of MY story that I am looking for. That will be the culmination of 2.5 books being slowly poured into my mind and the necessary The End that I'm looking for. And boy am I ready!!!
I’ll be honest. I sat on the fence with this one for a bit. I waffled on how to write my review .... but when I sat and thought about it for a few days, which I don’t normally do because I’m a straight shooter when it comes to my ratings and reviews, I was able to really think about the message and the meaning that AJ was trying to deliver and she really did get that across to me. I am excited for more. I'm going to be following the breadcrumbs she dropped from the very beginning until that OMG ending.
Do I see her vision and where she’s ultimately going with this? Yes, most definitely...and I can honestly say that I enjoy getting twists and turns in a book. I don't like the same old story being hashed out. So the fact that we saw a completely, massively different side to Bianca in this one was a head-turning, eye-raising WTF moment - but that didn't stop me from continuing on. I am obviously thoroughly invested in the Covington Clan and need to see their HEA's through. I am awaiting Broken Knight because I know that will have all my answers.
"And just like that, the nagging feeling in my gut is back with a vengeance. Who the hell is Bianca Covington?"
~BEE
I’ll be honest. I sat on the fence with this one for a bit. I waffled on how to write my review .... but when I sat and thought about it for a few days, which I don’t normally do because I’m a straight shooter when it comes to my ratings and reviews, I was able to really think about the message and the meaning that AJ was trying to deliver and she really did get that across to me. I am excited for more. I'm going to be following the breadcrumbs she dropped from the very beginning until that OMG ending.
Do I see her vision and where she’s ultimately going with this? Yes, most definitely...and I can honestly say that I enjoy getting twists and turns in a book. I don't like the same old story being hashed out. So the fact that we saw a completely, massively different side to Bianca in this one was a head-turning, eye-raising WTF moment - but that didn't stop me from continuing on. I am obviously thoroughly invested in the Covington Clan and need to see their HEA's through. I am awaiting Broken Knight because I know that will have all my answers.
The family lies and personal secrets are so convoluted the deeper we get into this series. I’ll tell you this much, October 22nd can’t get here soon enough.
"And just like that, the nagging feeling in my gut is back with a vengeance. Who the hell is Bianca Covington?"
~BEE
My review: http://bit.ly/2NArj4p
Chapter Reveal: http://bit.ly/2MNgcF2
My review: http://bit.ly/2uIM8mE
Excerpt Reveal: http://bit.ly/2NFRPbX
~MEET ASHLEY JADE~
Ashley Jade loves to tackle different genres and tropes within romance. Her first loves are New Adult Romance and Romantic Suspense, but she also writes everything in between including: contemporary romance, erotica, and dark romance. Her characters are flawed and complex, and chances are you will hate them before you fall head over heels in love with them.
She’s a die-hard lover of oxford commas, em dashes, music, coffee, and anything thought provoking…except for math.
Books make her heart beat faster and writing makes her soul come alive. She’s always read books growing up and scribbled stories in her journal, and after having a strange dream one night; she decided to just go for it and publish her first series.
It was the best decision she ever made.
If she’s not paying off student loan debt, working, or writing a novel—you can usually find her listening to music, hanging out with her readers online, and pondering the meaning of life.
Check out her amazon page and Facebook page for future novels. She recently became hip and joined Twitter, so you can find her there, too. She loves connecting with her readers—they make her world go round’.
~CONNECT WITH ASHLEY~
