New Release & ARC Review: Cruel Money (Cruel Trilogy, #1) by K.A. Line

 

CRUEL MONEY
(Cruel Trilogy, #1)

by K.A. Linde

 

Released – 22 January 2019

 

Buy it today!
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Blurb

Lose yourself to the dark and glamorous underbelly of the Upper East Side in USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s new billionaire romance Cruel Trilogy.

She was supposed to be a one night stand.

A way to sate my sexual appetite.

I let her glimpse the man I am. The face that I hide behind my carefully cultivated life.

But she ripped open that divide–and there’s no going back.

Now, she’s here. In my city.

I don’t care that I’m Manhattan royalty and she’s the help.

Only that she’s living in my summer home. With me.

And I want more.

Find Cruel Money on GOODREADS

 

 


Review

4.5 stars!

What’s worse than running into the one-night stand that ruined you six years ago? Sharing a house with him for two months!

Cruel Money is a deliciously twisted and emotionally captivating start to the Cruel Trilogy. I immediately became invested in the characters, was mesmerized by the story, and couldn’t put it down.

Natalie and Penn shared a passionate night together in One Cruel Night and then Penn vanished and they haven’t seen each other since. It was a mind-blowing experience and one from which Natalie hasn’t quite recovered. She thought that she left the past behind her but when she and Penn are thrown back together, all of the feelings she’s pushed aside resurface. It’s a shock and totally awkward when they run into each other again but the obvious connection they had before is still there and it’s impossible to deny.

The last three weeks had been some kind of slow torture of wanting him so desperately and knowing I shouldn’t. “Penn…”
“Natalie…”
“We shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s…a bad idea,” I whispered.
“It’s not.”
“We end in flame.”
“Burn with me.”

And burn they do!! They are smoking hot together and even though they try to keep it casual, there was no chance they weren’t going to fall again. As they progress into more the feels really bubble over and I loved the angst, drama, and emotions that come with being with Penn.

I couldn’t get enough. There would never be enough. It was like falling, falling, falling with no end in sight. Just spiraling through this abyss and never coming up for air. No hope of landing. At least, not successfully. Because it wasn’t really a landing if all you did was crash and burn.

Natalie and Penn are well-developed characters that have more layers than we could have imagined. Natalie has a big heart and is full of goodness but she is more than the sweet girl she shows the world. She is strong and I love that she doesn’t let people walk all over her.

On the outside Penn seems just like his privileged friends but I can see a more sensitive side hidden just below the surface and Natalie had a way of pulling it out. I loved watching them open up to each other and the connection they share.

With Penn comes “the crew” and Natalie is pulled into the Upper East Side surrounded by the ultra wealthy. They like to play games and the lies and secrets are wicked, the scandals are twisted. One in particular is a train wreck waiting to happen. When everything goes down it is a heartbreaking disaster. Gah! I knew there was a cliffhanger and I knew it would hurt, I just didn’t know it would hurt this much. Now, I am left questioning everything and am desperate for the next book!!

*Note: Though One Cruel Night is a fantastic prequel to the Cruel Trilogy that wonderfully sets the stage for Cruel Money, it does not need to be read first to enjoy Cruel Money. However, be it before or after, do yourself a favor and read it too because it gives you more of everything the series promises, and I loved it all!

*ARC generously provided by the author and Inkslinger PR in exchange for an honest review*

 

 


Cruel Trilogy

    

    

One Cruel Night: A Cruel Trilogy Prequel (#0.5)
Review
Buy:Amazon  |  Paperback

Cruel Money: Cruel Trilogy, Book One (#1)
Review
Buy: Amazon  |  Paperback  |  Audiobook

Cruel Fortune: Cruel Trilogy, Book Two (#2)
Review
Buy: Amazon  |  Paperback  |  Audiobook

Cruel Legacy: Cruel Trilogy, Book Three (#3)
Review
Buy: Amazon  |  Paperback  |  Audiobook

Cruel Truth: A Second-Chance Office Romance (#4) – previously titled The Lying Season
Buy: Amazon  |  Paperback  |  Audiobook

Cruel Desire: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (#5) – previously titled The Hating Season
Buy: Amazon  |  Paperback  |  Audiobook

Cruel Marriage: An Arranged Marriage Romance (#6) – previously titled The Breaking Season
Buy: Amazon  |  Paperback  |  Audiobook

Cruel King (#7)
TBR – 28 March 2023
Pre-order: Amazon

 

 

 


About the Author

K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifteen novels including the Avoiding series and the Record series. She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia, was the head campaign worker for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as the head coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, geeking out over Star Wars, binge-watching Supernatural, and dancing in her spare time.

She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband and two super adorable puppies.

 

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