4 Demure Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level:🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Now I TOTALLY judged this book by the cover and thought I was getting dark... I mean thinking on the lines of The Hallow Boys crossed with the L.O.R.D.S. given it has very similar aspects they share...

AND while it was dark and spicy and bully... It was not WHAT THE COVER implies...

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Skyla has spent her entire life in England with her aunt after her mother passed away, but now that she’s 18 and about to start university, she’s summoned back to the States to attend an invite-only university in Salem. The catch? Her father is a legacy of the university and is forcing her into an arranged marriage with one of her fellow students (who happens to be the Heir to the Brethern - a secret society her father is a part of). The day she meets her fiancé, Asher, she literally walks in on him banging another woman in her bed. Off to a great start, right? Asher is a dick to her from the very beginning, but somehow Skyla has "magical vagina syndrome" and every single man in her orbit is suddenly obsessed with her. This quickly escalates into her having a relationship with her fiancé's uncle (Ronan), her fiancé’s best friend (Liam), and her fiancé’s secret society acquaintance (Vincent) all deciding that they want her. And apparently, they don’t mind sharing...

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
Skyla is an odd mix of personalities. In the beginning, she’s demure, conservative, and shy, which given she’s been raised to be a proper meek lady and untouched makes sense as she has been literally sheltered her entire life by a father who sees her as nothing more than a bargaining chip. But then suddenly one guy gives her an orgasm (not through PENETRATION though since she needs to stay an intact 1850s virgin with a Hymen for the plot) and she's hooking up with someone 12 years older than her, someone who watched her get bullied and did nothing and someone that gives her scary vibes, but his tattoo's are sexy - so WHY NOT... She flip-flopped between being this girl who would stand up for herself to being a shy little damsel in distress and it frustrated me a little.

Asher is the absolute worst, acting out constantly because he has no control over his own life, so he takes that frustration out on Skyla. Over time you do start to see glimpses of the boy underneath who was forced to grow up way too quickly and be a man for his terrifying father. It takes a while to warm up to him but he does manage it... somewhat... until he fucks it up again.

Ronan goes full puppy over Skyla SUPER quickly... knowing she is forbidden fruit must have added to her appeal... But even though he is sweet to her, he still has this lethality about him. He is a fully inducted member of the Brethren and is in charge of wrangling a bunch of delinquent legacies while they prove themselves to society so can turn on the "Daddy" when he needs to.

Liam hides a lot behind his charm. He’s got this bubbly, carefree, flirt-with-anything-that-moves personality, but underneath, he is calculating and more serious than he appears. He has a reputation as a man-whore, and Skyla literally walks in on him being sucked off by two people at a party. But the moment he decides Skyla is his, he commits and the flirt-with-everything vibe all but disappears because Skyla is his now!

Then we have Vincent... The broody, scary and silent type who can kill with his bare hands and not feel a thing while doing it. He is not thrilled about sharing Skyla and if he had his way, the other men would already be dead - but since she is happy with them and he wants her happy... he deals with their annoying presence.

Now as I mentioned, I expected a little more dark given the cover. Yes, there is murder, non-con, bullying and a dangerous society, but it was only really touching the service and could have been a little more depraved. The book focuses mainly on Skyla and her relationship with the men and how her innocence changes. The PLOT is VERY VERY slow because its mostly just her flirting with the boys and then getting steamy...

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Enemies to Lovers, Fiancé’s Best Friend, Fiancé’s Uncle, Fiancé’s Rival?
▶ Forbidden Romance
▶ Age Gap
▶ Bully Romance
▶ Reverse Harem (MFMMM)
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ TeacherXStudent
▶ Virgin FMC
▶ Secret Society
▶ Arranged Marriage

𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨 and 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨::
▷ Walks in on him...
▷ Voyeurism
▷ Brands Her
▷ Nicknames
▷ Forehead Kisses
▷ Washes Her Hair
▷ Cages Her With His Arms
▷ "You Taste Like..."
▷ Undressing/Dressing Help

Overall the writing is undeniably captivating. It draws you in, and despite my gripes, I flew through this book. It will leave you on a massive cliffhanger though!