Born
into a life of privilege and secrets, Nora Blakely has everything any
nineteen-year-old girl could desire. She’s an accomplished pianist, a Texas
beauty queen, and on her way to Princeton after high school. She’s perfect…
Leaving
behind her million-dollar mansion and Jimmy Choos, she becomes a girl hell-bent
on pushing the limits with alcohol, drugs, and meaningless sex.
Then
she meets her soulmate. But he doesn’t want her.
When
it comes to girls, twenty-five-year-old Leo Tate has one rule: never fall in
love. His gym and his brother are all he cares about...until he meets Nora. He
resists the pull of their attraction, hung up on their six year age difference.
As
they struggle to stay away from each other, secrets will be revealed, tempers
will flare, and hearts will be broken.
Welcome
to Briarcrest Academy…where sometimes, the best things in life are Very Bad
Things.
Mag's 5 Star Review:
Nora
Blakely has secrets. Secrets that threaten to destroy her. Trying to push them
deep down and far away, Nora becomes the definition of perfection: student
council president, a member on the debate club and yearbook staff, national
spelling bee champion, first in her class, pianist, and beauty pageant winner.
Nora did everything she thought she should do to prove herself to her mother,
father, and everyone else keeping a watchful eye. Nora wasn’t happy and
couldn’t remember a time when she was happy. Lies and secrets tore her down
everyday, until one day she snapped. Lost her composure. This turn of events
brought her face to face with her soul mate Leo, who was holding a gun to her
face while she was trying to vandalize his car. Ironic huh? Leo fights his
fillings and focusing on the reasons why he and Nora couldn’t work. Leo helps
Nora find her way through all the lies and secrets out into the light.
I
really liked this book. Nora was strong, confident, sexy, and witty. She made
me laugh out loud multiple times, and made this book extremely hard to put
down! Leo Tate is wonderfully stubborn. He made me so irritated during this
book, but I also understood where he was coming from. There is a lot that he
was trying to deal with emotionally as well. What happens to Nora in this book
is heartbreaking, but what she over comes is what gives this book its special
quality. This book is about hope and survival. It’s about learning to move on
from the past and find out what makes you happy. The only negative thing I
could say would be I wish the next one was out sooner!! I want some more Nora
and Leo!!
A Prequel Novella
Girls
say I’m a walking, talking sex god. Guys call me Hollywood because my life is
golden.
It’s
not.
But,
ESPN did rank me as a four-star recruit, calling me one of the best defensive
players since Briarcrest Academy opened its esteemed doors. So yeah, with
football and a stellar GPA, my future seemed good.
Then
Dovey Beckham shows up in her short skirts and ballet shoes. Driving me insane.
Making me want to beg for her attention.
But
that wouldn’t happen, because Cuba Hudson didn’t beg for
anything.
She
walked around BA like she owned the place, and most days she looked right
through me…the one girl I couldn’t have.
So,
of course, I made it my mission to claim her, to put her notch on my bedpost.
Because
no girl can resist the Heartbreaker of BA.
Welcome
to Briarcrest Academy, where wicked love begins…and ends.
WARNING:
This dark and twisty new adult romance contains sexual situations and graphic
language.
Mag's 4 Star Review:
***Who Picked This? received an ARC of this book in exchange for an
honest review***
Cuba
is BA’s ‘hot guy’ with the looks and the football skills to get him any girl he
wants. And he wants them for one thing and one thing only. That is until he
gets literally blind-sided by a beautiful Russian ballerina. Dovey has ballet
and that’s all she need to make her happy, well that’s what she thinks until
she meets Cuba. Very Wicked Beginnings is simply that. The beginning of Dovey
and Cuba’s journey and is a huge insight into the background of their
relationship. I really enjoyed reading this prequel before starting Very Wicked
Things. It helps answer some questions when reading Very Wicked Things.
Born on the poor side of town...
Ballerina
Dovey Beckham is a scholarship student at Briarcrest Academy, determined to
prove she’s more than just a girl with the wrong pedigree. She does whatever it
takes to succeed in her endgame, even if it means surrendering her body…but
never her heart.
Until
the day she meets him, and he rips apart all her well-laid plans. Suddenly, the
girl everyone thought unbreakable might just shatter.
Born into wealth and privilege...
Cuba
“Hollywood” Hudson is rich, spoiled, and a star football player. With his fast
cars and superficial girlfriends, he lives the high-life, hiding his secrets
from the world.
Until
the day he meets her, and she offers him something he’s never tasted... love.
But
once in a lifetime kind of love doesn’t come easy. When trust crumbles and
doubts creep in, both will have to decide to either love or let go... forever.
Welcome to Briarcrest Academy, where sometimes, only the wicked survive.
***Who Picked This? received an ARC of this book in exchange for an
honest review***
Mag's 5 Star Review:
In
Very Wicked Beginnings, we were introduced to Dovey and Cuba, but weren’t
granted the privilege to really get to know them. In Very Wicked Things, we
learn so much more about these emotionally scared individuals. Dovey Beckham
grew up fighting for everything she had; fighting to keep warm, fighting to
find food, and most importantly fighting to dance.
“I will die here.” Truth. “I want out. I want something better than what
I have.” She gazed at me with a pined expression, knowing my circumstances.
“Don’t want your pity,” I said, thrusting my chest out. Pity is for losers and
weaklings, “I want somebody to believe in me.”
Dovey
is an impeccably strong, courageous, and loving character, who would do
anything for the people she loves. Dovey is the type of character I fall hard
for. She wiggled her way deep into my heart and will stay there for a long
time.
Cuba
aka Hollywood, hasn’t had an easy life. Even though he has money and the power
it brings, he still has secrets that eat at him on a daily basis. Looking from
the outside, Cuba looks to be in control and laid back, but deep inside of him
its dark and harden by years of guilt. When Dovey miraculously enters his life,
he finds himself being brought out of the darkness into her light.
“You’re a light I need. Like a thousand suns.”
But
like all things good, there are instances that can take those good things away
and Cuba finds these out first hand. Cuba is a hilarious character and is
strong in his own way, but I felt for him and his struggles greatly in this
book.
“I wanted to be his bird of hope. I wanted to be the reason he chose to
carry on.”
This
story is completely and utterly beautiful; two people from very different
backgrounds, finding common ground and learning to survive through a series of
battles. I laughed a lot, my heart cracked in half, I wanted to throw my kindle
and I cried, but I would do it all again in a heart beat. I would strongly
encourage everyone to read this series. Once again, Ilsa has made me fall in
love with her characters.
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