RIOT HOUSE IS LIVE!
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Blurb
They might be richer than gods, but they’re morally bankrupt.
As far as the boys who run America’s most exclusive international academy are concerned, I’m an unwelcome interloper, an inconvenience, and they’re determined to make my life a living hell.
When Wren Jacobi sets eyes on Wolf Hall Academy’s newest inductee, all he sees is an easy mark. A reserved little girl with a target painted on her back. He knows nothing of my troubled past, though. Nothing of my mother’s suspicious death, or the horrific treatment I’ve had to endure at the hands of my psychotic father.
And he has no idea of the lengths that I, unassuming little Elodie Stillwater, will go to in order to break the savage beast who dreams of breaking me first.
There’s a wolf stalking the forests that surround my new school.
Little does he know…
There are far scarier predators lurking out there in the dark.
Review
4.5 stars!
Damn, Callie Hart! What an intense ride. A (very) mature YA bully romance that is dramatic, emotional, sexy and romantic with a lot of heart. It totally captivated me, and I was completely drawn in by these incredibly complex characters and their wonderfully written story.
Elodie Stillwater is the 17-year-old daughter of an Army General stationed in Israel, and she has suddenly, and without warning, been shipped off from her home with her father to an exclusive private boarding school in the US. It’s definitely a shock, and while Elodie is sad to leave behind her friends and the life that she knows, she is thrilled to be away from her violent and controlling father, and she’s ready to face whatever Wolf Hall Academy brings her way.
Wren is the stuff of sweet, heavenly dreams, and twisted, terrifying nightmares.
Wren Jacobi and his two friends own Wolf Hall Academy. They are ‘those’ boys – the gorgeous, rich assholes that everybody wants to be in with. They live just off campus in a home dubbed ‘Riot House’ where they think up malicious plots to entertain themselves at the expense of others. And Wren has set his sights firmly on newcomer, Elodie.
Why am I so dead set on her?
Because she’s innocent, and I’m not.
Because she’s wholesome, and I’m not.
Because she’s untainted, and I’m not.
And most importantly of all, because she’ll be so pretty when I make her cry.
Elodie has a harsh introduction to her new world, but she’s been through a lot in her short life, and she is stronger than anybody gives her credit for. She’s brave, sarcastic, and a bit of a badass, and the more I got to know her, the more I absolutely loved her! And to Wren’s utter surprise, he becomes intrigued by his new target.
“I’m cursed with this bewildering fascination over you, and it’s really becoming… inconvenient, Stillwater.”
It’s a wonderful dynamic between the two of them. The attraction is there from the beginning, but of course the fact that they are attracted to each other just pisses them both off, which is highly entertaining. But as Wren pushes, and Elodie pushes back, things begin to change. There is this incredible honesty between the two of them, and they don’t hold back when it comes to telling it like it is, which I love!
“Tell me I’m wrong. You don’t imagine me. You’re not plagued by me day and night, the way I’m plagued by you. See, I have no problem with the truth. I made friends with it a long time ago. A lie only makes a fool of the liar. The truth always comes out. I am besieged by you, and it fucking sucks. You’re in my head when I wake up. You’re in my head when I wander around this wretched place, and you’re still there, tormenting the ever-loving shit out of my when I close my eyes at night.”
…
“Fine. You’re right. I’m rotten and eaten up on the inside because of you. Is that what you want to hear? I let something spoiled and bad into my head, and now I can’t rid myself of it, and it’s festering away, driving me madder and madder by the day. Congratu-fucking-lations. I’m going against every ounce of common sense I own every damn day, and I’m making decisions I know are fucking stupid, and I can’t do anything about it! How fucked up is that!”
They are so confused by all that they are feeling, and they just let that out there, not hiding anything from each other, but both of them prepared to explore what’s between them despite what everybody else in the school thinks, and all indications that they should keep their distance, and I loved watching the slow shift
“You are going to be mine, Elodie Stillwater. Of all my sins and misdeeds, making you fall in love with me will be the very worst of them.”
Bully romances aren’t my favourite – there’s only so much bad behaviour I can deal with before I hate both characters for being either an asshole or a doormat. But this is the kind of bully romance I can handle. The hero is initially an ass, yes, but he changes for the better. It’s not sudden, it’s not cheesy, it’s realistic and it’s a huge part of his development throughout the story, and once Wren realises that he has fallen for Elodie, there is no going back for him.
Behind every action, every thought, and every word lies the nagging question: what would Elodie think of me if she could see me now?
It’s a burden, this shift in attitude. It doesn’t come naturally; it requires constant work, and the new restrictions I’ve placed upon myself chafe like nothing else.
She didn’t ask me to change.
She hasn’t really asked anything of me, but this gnawing desire to make her happy, to make her proud of me, is ever constant. For her, I want to be better than my soiled, rotten soul has ever been before.
It’s intense and all consuming, and holy hell, it’s sexy. Are 17-year-olds really having sex like this? Just damn. But underneath it all is a strong emotion that is beautifully expressed as Elodie and Wren figure out their feelings… in their own unique way.
“In case you haven’t realized it yet, you are endgame for me, Elodie Stillwater. And everyone else in the entire world can go and eat a dick.”
The love story develops alongside a whole heap of drama happening at the school and in their personal lives. Both Elodie and Wren’s family situations are a mess, Wren’s friends in Riot House have their own issues going on, and there’s a secret about a past student that nobody seems to want to talk about. It builds to an exciting and suspenseful finish that had me madly flipping pages, and though I guessed some of what was going on, it was still a great ride.
I loved this book. The characters are complex and lovable, with great growth, and their dynamic is just fantastic! The dark and gritty is balanced really well with lighter moments, and Hart’s writing is spot-on, wrapping you up and sucking you right into the story. It’s a strong beginning for the Crooked Sinners series, with other characters just begging to have their stories told and I’m really excited to return to this world with more books in the future.
I loved it – 4.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Crooked Sinners
Riot House (#1) (Wren & Elodie)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
Riot Rules (#2) (Dash & Carrie)
Review
Buy: Amazon
About the Author
Callie Hart is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary and dark romance. Her Blood & Roses Series is currently being translated into multiple languages all over the world. Having spent the last seven years living in Australia, Callie now calls Los Angeles
home, where she enjoys hiking, spending time at the beach, daily hot yoga classes, and generally pretending to be a hipster.
Callie is often asked, ‘What is dark romance?’ Her reply is always the same: Dark romance is a story that makes you fall for the anti-hero. It is a story that will make you walk a tightrope, question your sanity, and have you checking your moral compass at the door. If you love a good story about a very bad boy, then dark romance is for you.’ Under her legal name, Frankie Rose, Callie writes young adult fiction that has been globally recognized, and has received numerous awards for her ‘Halo’ series.
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Is wren an elodie in book 2!?!
I would think so. The next book is Dash and Carrie’s, so I’m assuming we’re going to get lots of time with the side characters still, and that includes Wren and Elodie. I’m so excited!!!