pelicanfreak's reviews
2228 reviews

***As a whole, I rate this series 5 stars. It was masterfully executed. Individual reviews are below...

*

Tough Sh 

A poor, relatable female lead with major attitude, dropped into an all-boys school … oh and her besties are high-ranking gang members. In typical Anne fashion, this gets juicy FAST and I was hooked by the third (or so) chapter.

Only Sheridan Anne can have me so engrossed in ridiculous high school drama. To be fair, these kids are dealing with very adult problems and it’s non-stop chaos.


Academy (high school) setting.
Rich kids.
Serious hazing.
Attempted SA and actual SA.
Mysteries.
Suspense.

Overall:
Loved it. 4 stars.



C0cky F 

Thankfully, this picks up exactly where Book 1 leaves off.

There is no delay to the most epic, delicious and wild drama—completely on par with book one, if not slightly faster and … in some ways, even bigger.

Toxic teen love.
Bad boys.
Rich kids.
Billionaires.
Action.
Set in private, all-girls’ school.
Extortion.
Danger.
Fraud.
Mention of SA.
Other man drama.
G4ng war.
T0rture.
V|0lence.
C4pt|vity.

Extra love for Cairo’s antics which were hilarious.
The plot really thickened with this installment, thanks to some very interesting revelations.

Overall:
Things really heated up in this installment, on multiple fronts, and quickly. Even more addictive than book 1, somehow.

4.5 stars.

And
Possibly slight sp0|ler so read beyond the dots with caution but 

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THE WAY YOU COULD SEE/HEAR the INSTANT Ocean sorta turned dark WAS SO MASTERFUL. This is why I love Sheridan Anne.



Barbie B

Vengeance.
If you enjoy vengeance and darkness and a character evolving right before your very eyes (or ears) … you’ll enjoy this.

While I dislike the concept of revenge in real life, as it doesn’t really solve anything, generally, WOW is it delicious in fiction sometimes and this was kind of beautiful in a dark and twisted way.

Thankfully this installment does pick up right where book 2 ended.

Interestingly, we got some of Colton’s POV in this installment, so it actually gets even more delicious.

Other tropes, tr|gg3rs, attributes, etc. (aside from the vengeance) you’ll find here:

Non-c0nsensual surveillance. 
‘Smex tape’ (ish) of a minor.
G3ng war.
Ass4ult.
Teen smex.
High school setting / rich kids.
Circle of friends.
Rival teenagers and some bullying.
Secrets and revelations.
Captivity.
Mentions of SA.
Extortion.
Massive amounts of family drama.
Hate crimes.
Unexpected pregnancy.

Overall:
Could not put it down. A couple of times continuity could’ve been better but these were super minor things. AND THE MOST EPIC SECRETS / BETRAYAL everrrr. Oh and a piece of that ending wasn’t expected, which literally never happens for me.

4 stars.

Ride or Die

Opens in Nic’s POV which, I believe is a first for this series and so incredibly dark, dangerous and dramatic. If I hadn’t read books 1-3, I’d still be all in just from that first chapter. That said, I do recommend reading this series in order. It’s epic and very worth it.

One thing that I can’t help but appreciate about this series is, with all the very adult,  literal life-altering chaos constantly flying around, Anne still manages to build in lots of ‘kids being kids’ and just having dumb, teenager fun throughout. Truly masterfully done. 


🐺 Teen pregnancy.
🕸️ SA.
🐺 Gangs everywhere, and their rivals.
🕸️ Full-on g4ng war.
🐺 Betrayal—the most epic betrayal.
🕸️ G3ng takeover.
🐺 Extortion.
🕸️ C4ptivity.
🐺 Billionaire teen hero.
🕸️ Danger (so much of it).
🐺 FMC faced with impossible decisions.


This was so twisty, in a ‘whose side is he/she on’ kinda way. You def have to pay attention but OH it is so deliciously worth it.

Overall:
5 stars for drawing me in and holding on to me so hard. Might have to re-indulge in this entire series regularly.



Black Widow

This novella was my introduction to the ‘Rejects Paradise’ world and it wasn’t long before I realized I was hooked and I’ll need to binge the rest of them. Despite not reading any of this world before this one, I didn’t feel lost or confused at all—Anne does a great job showing what’s going on and introducing the world and characters.

It’s very juicy with the heroine caught right between a couple of rival gangs—highly recommended if you like drama/action/suspense-y reads. It’s also got a bit of darkness.

🕷️ Blood / gore … in spicy situations.
🩸 Captivity.
🕷️ Second-chance romance.
🩸 Crime / gang life.
🕷️ Murd3r.
🩸 Escaped convict.
🕷️ Family drama.
🩸 Epic character growth.


Overall: 
A fast fun read that I loved every minute of.
4 stars.

*

🎧 Audio:
 Fantastic—very professional production with perfect sound quality. This book also packed an all-star cast of narrators.(The first 3 just had a single narrator, but she managed to make them sound full-cast! Books 4 & 5 had multiple and were perfect.) 5 stars. 🦩

Opens in Nic’s POV which, I believe is a first for this series and so incredibly dark, dangerous and dramatic. If I hadn’t read books 1-3, I’d still be all in just from that first chapter. That said, I do recommend reading this series in order. It’s epic and very worth it.

One thing that I can’t help but appreciate about this series is, with all the very adult,  literal life-altering chaos constantly flying around, Anne still manages to build in lots of ‘kids being kids’ and just having dumb, teenager fun throughout. Truly masterfully done. 


🐺 Teen pregnancy.
🕸️ SA.
🐺 Gangs everywhere, and their rivals.
🕸️ Full-on g4ng war.
🐺 Betrayal—the most epic betrayal.
🕸️ G3ng takeover.
🐺 Extortion.
🕸️ C4ptivity.
🐺 Billionaire teen hero.
🕸️ Danger (so much of it).
🐺 FMC faced with impossible decisions.


This was so twisty, in a ‘whose side is he/she on’ kinda way. You def have to pay attention but OH it is so deliciously worth it.

Overall:
5 stars for drawing me in and holding on to me so hard. Might have to re-indulge in this entire series regularly.

Vengeance.

If you enjoy vengeance and darkness and a character evolving right before your very eyes (or ears) … you’ll enjoy this.

While I dislike the concept of revenge in real life, as it doesn’t really solve anything, generally, WOW is it delicious in fiction sometimes and this was kind of beautiful in a dark and twisted way.

Thankfully this installment does pick up right where book 2 ended.

Interestingly, we got some of Colton’s POV in this installment, so it actually gets even more delicious.

Other tropes, tr|gg3rs, attributes, etc. (aside from the vengeance) you’ll find here:

Non-c0nsensual surveillance. 

‘Smex tape’ (ish) of a minor.

G3ng war.

Ass4ult.

Teen smex.

High school setting / rich kids.

Circle of friends.

Rival teenagers and some bullying.

Secrets and revelations.

Captivity.

Mentions of SA.

Extortion.

Massive amounts of family drama.

Hate crimes.

Unexpected pregnancy.

Overall:

Could not put it down. A couple of times continuity could’ve been better but these were super minor things. AND THE MOST EPIC SECRETS / BETRAYAL everrrr. Oh and a piece of that ending wasn’t expected, which literally never happens for me.

4 stars.

Thankfully, this picks up exactly where Book 1 leaves off.

There is no delay to the most epic, delicious and wild drama—completely on par with book one, if not slightly faster and … in some ways, even bigger.

Toxic teen love.

Bad boys.

Rich kids.

Billionaires.

Action.

Set in private, all-girls’ school.

Extortion.

Danger.

Fraud.

Mention of SA.

Other man drama.

G4ng war.

T0rture.

V|0lence.

C4pt|vity.

Extra love for Cairo’s antics which were hilarious.

The plot really thickened with this installment, thanks to some very interesting revelations.

Overall:

Things really heated up in this installment, on multiple fronts, and quickly. Even more addictive than book 1, somehow.

4.5 stars.

And

Possibly slight sp0|ler so read beyond the dots with caution but 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

THE WAY YOU COULD SEE/HEAR the INSTANT O sorta turned dark WAS SO MASTERFUL. This is why I love Sheridan Anne.

A poor, relatable female lead with major attitude, dropped into an all-boys school … oh and her besties are high-ranking gang members. In typical Anne fashion, this gets juicy FAST and I was hooked by the third (or so) chapter.

Only Sheridan Anne can have me so engrossed in ridiculous high school drama. To be fair, these kids are dealing with very adult problems and it’s non-stop chaos.

Academy (high school) setting.

Rich kids.

Serious hazing.

Attempted SA and actual SA.

Mysteries.

Suspense.

Overall:

Loved it. 4 stars.

Mildly interesting and very slow-paced. Reads / plot is very much like many other books I’ve read, so wouldn’t say ‘exciting’ by any means.

Some tropes / plot points / potential triggers, etc.

Set in NYC.

Corruption, deceit.

Heart-wrenching violence toward kid(s).

Gaslighting.

Talk of / possible portrayal of suicide.

Alternating timelines.

Overall:

It’s okay. Not bad by any means, just also not original and not particularly good.  3 stars.

🎧 Audio:

Absolutely awful, one of the worst I’ve heard. Sounds like AI-narration / virtual voice, etc. Did a human narrate this and sound this way on purpose? Or was one dishonestly credited? I don’t know but it’s awful. The ‘voice’ used for the FMC’s sister sounded like a cartoon robot chipmunk. It’s so bad. If you’re an Unger fan, I recommend eyeball reading this one, if at all possible. Awful production. 0 stars.

The deeper I read into this series, the more I fall in love with Hades—he is just the sweetest, most loyal thing!

This installment was also fun in the way it made me so mad—the lack of free will for a certain female … is all I’ll say here. IYKYK.

The author’s ability to rile up my emotions is impressive—I definitely need to explore their other works. This entire book is so infuriating, but in a delicious way—the magical r*pe, Jackson is the literal worst. Guida did an incredible job of showing what it’s like to be stripped of your free will and unable to vocalize it, the frustration, and everything else involved.

Academy setting.

Vampires, dragons, demons.

Frenemies.

Duel.

Curses.

Forced ‘pairing’.

Attacks on free will.

‘Other man’ drama.

Action / fight scenes.

Royalty.

Overall:

A fast, fun read that hit me in the feels in more ways than one. Loved it and can’t wait to read on!

4.5 stars.

🎧 Audio:

Bordeaux is FANTASTIC—I could hardly believe she did this all herself! While it had only one narrator, she pretty much made it sound like a full-cast production with all her different voices and accents. Overall sound quality is perfect—the entire book is absolutely flawless. 5 stars. 🦩

This started out intriguing, then took a very predictable turn. It remained interesting for a little while, despite the lack of originality, and at some point, it evolved into straight 🌽. Not bad by any means, but some of it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. I do prefer a plot.

I’m not sure the synopsis set the proper expectation, as it implies there’s a plot and the advertised ‘secret’ was pretty obvious from a few sentences in—at least to me. Perhaps, not to everyone?

I’m not unhappy about having tried a new-to-me author. This was a quick, dirtyish read with some dark themes and a pair of twisted leads. (I do enjoy twisted—who doesn’t?)

I’m not sure I can list out the tropes / tr!gg3rs / other attributes without massive censorship here—so do your own research if anything may be an issue for you. (For me, that right there is a major green flag—love me some tr1gg3r$.)

Overall:

Twisted.

Fun at times.

Quick, standalone.

Alternating, first-person POV.

*Those are all good qualities, IMO so a couple hours well spent.

3.5 stars.

🎧 Audio:

Absolutely stunning audio production with very talented narrators. Beautiful voices, delicious accents and flawless overall sound quality. 

5 stars. 🦩

After book 1 of course I had to read on, Smoke writes addictive worlds, leads, book boyfriends, etc. While these are high school kids (and I am so not anymore) I found it still mostly fun with lots of juicy drama that people of any age can wind up contending with.

Crime families.

Academy setting.

Touch her and die.

Drug / alcohol abuse.

Underage drinking/partying.

Fighting.

Rich kids.

T0rture.

Vengeance.

Betrayal.

Scheming.

SA / non-con.

Corruption.

Kidnapping / trafficking.

Plausible action scenes.

Self-rescuing heroine.

This read was overall, very slow-burn, and 100% predictable, but still fun. I love a good dark read, and I love when things get twisted—this is/does both. Definitely need more.

4 stars.

🎧Audio:

The audio is great, smooth overall production /quality and excellent narrators. 

“No one will believe you'. It's the line spoken by every man who has ever used a woman in this way.”

This was so infuriating, yet so, so good!

Written across alternating timelines, set deep in the past, this will transport you back in time. It might seem like a simpler time but the real issues this book touches on are anything but simple.

Mysteries.

Small town.

SA.

Lots of conservative views / attitudes.

Corruption.

Scandal.

Vengeance.

The most delicious self defense seen ever. (IYKYK)

Overall:

An addicting read—off to search out more by this author.

4.5 stars.

🎧Audio:

Fantastic audio production, complete with different voices and accents. Smooth sound quality overall. Well done!