I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

Two people who were pull apart.. One seeking revenge and other trying to hide from everything.
Hunter King spent 3 years in prison for the crime he didn't commit. Who sent him there? One person he trusted most, sent him there, Lulu, love of his life. Once he was out of prison, he only had one goal in his mind, find Lulu and give her what she deserves.
Lulu never wanted to send Hunter to prison but she had no other choice in order to save him and herself and precious baby she was caring. She was gone for 3 years and had a baby away from where everything started and end. When she finds out her mother is gravely ill, she decided to risk everything and come back. She had to make sure her stepfather doesn't know about her whereabouts and she made intricate plan to see her mother until she was kidnapped.
Hunter wanted to take revenge on Lulu but having her near him didn't satisfy his need. Now he wants to find out why she put him there. Its becoming more than simple revenge.
It is dark romance between Lulu and Hunter. Story moves quickly and they are trying to find their way back to each other. There is more story into Lulu's life than just being a socialite.
Thanks to Netgalley and Swerve publishing for ARC in exchange for honest review.

"He certainly didn't deserve my hate. But hating him would hurt a hell of a lot less than loving him."

Confession, I started in the middle. I read books 2 & 3 first and loved them so much I then went back and purchased book 1, Shattered King. It was so damn good it made me want to keep going and read the others again. Yes, there were a few details I already knew were coming, but the story and suspense weren't affected by my reading order.

Due to the many secrets involved in this amazing story, it would be a disservice for me to ruin the fun of being surprised. The anxious anticipation is addictive and I wouldn't want to deprive you of the edge of your seat excitement you're sure to experience. But I can tell you that the chemistry between the lovers to enemies to lovers is intense. Their pain and passion aren't even slightly diminished in the years they were separated.

He hates her for putting him behind bars, but that doesn't mean he didn't dream about her every night for the three years he was incarcerated. She's been hiding for years, determined to keep the existence of her son a secret. Her child is the most important person in her life and she'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe. She knows that her lie means that the man she loves will hate her and once he's released he will most likely hunt her down for answers. She knows she can't reveal the truth. She must live with her lies or risk all of their lives.

Are you as intrigued yet? Just amp that up ten times and that's how hot these two are together. It doesn't matter if they are fighting or fucking, they are explosive together.

Shhhheeeesssh...I mean is there anything that Ms. Gray can write that I won't just love?!

Dark, edgy, violence. This isn't for the faint of heart and not for the ones who are looking for fluff....

This one is gritty and raw and will leave you like...whoa.....

Hunter King spent three years in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Betrayed by the woman he loved, revenge was the one thing that kept him sane. Now, a free man he works alongside his brother and best friends at their PI business. They are successful and have alliances from their dark past and with the police force which maximizes their success and return. Until Lulu comes back into his life and Hunter spins out of control. Lulu did what she had to do to keep Hunter safe, then she ran. There was no way she would let her stepfather continue to torture or control her a moment longer. Not when her baby needed her. To protect the men in her life, she walked away from her home, her mother, and the only man she ever loved. Now, with her mom dying she needs to go back and say goodbye. Which is the moment her every fear comes true. Forced to face her past, Lulu will fight with everything she has to survive one more time. Shattered King is a thrilling second chance romance, with so much action, sexual tension, and surprises that readers will be glued to it to the last page.

Sometimes this is why I hesitate with ARCs. I hate to say I didn't enjoy an ARC but sometimes that's all you can do. The H was a jerk. I get it he was sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit (he probably committed others tbh) and the woman he loved contributed to sending him away. He was still a major a## when he got out and not a very likable guy.

The h did things that made no sense over the short or long term. I think I should have felt sympathetic toward her but found my sentiment to primarily be annoyance and disbelief.

First of all, don’t let my rating fool you, because I enjoyed this book. Quite a bit. And while there were a few things that happened that ultimately brought my rating down, I’m hooked on this series and have discovered a new to me author that I’m eager for more books from.

My prince certainly didn’t want to kiss me awake, rescuing me from three years of nightmares—no, he wanted to smother me in my sleep.

I love an angsty second chance romance, and Shattered King was one hell of a start to what looks to be a sexy and exciting series. I was immediately sucked into the story and spent the first half of the book glued to the pages.

A man sentenced to three years in prison for a crime he didn’t come in.
The woman that he loved beyond reason that he believes is responsible.

And a vendetta that continues to boil his blood to make those responsible for what happened to him pay.
Now out of prison, Hunter is working with his brother but his goal hasn’t changed. First on his list, the woman that betrayed him. Short after, her stepfather. He needs answers and he’s not above kidnapping Lulu, and holding her prisoner until she tells him exactly why she lied to him. But not all is as it seems. Lulu is holding some devastating secrets. Secrets that can change everything, but risk everything, including their lives.

I was riveted for the first half of the story. The animosity between Lulu and Hunter was palpable. She never stopped loving him, and he wants to stop wanting her. The years apart and the secrets and lies did nothing to diminish the chemistry between them. Admittedly, as much as I loved Hunter’s intensity, I also disliked how easy Lulu gave into him. At the same time, her love for him has never gone away and while the man today may hate her, she’s still devastatingly in love with him, so I also got it. As much as I wanted to judge her for her weaknesses, I understood why she did what she did.

As for Hunter? The man hit every single one of my alpha buttons. The man was pure sex on a stick.

You’re mine, Lulu. You’re not just inked on my skin, you’re under it, you’re twisted so deep inside me there’s no escaping it. I need to know you get that. Do you, baby?”

The second half is where the story began to fizzle a bit for me. While the sex was hot, it began to feel a bit more like filler. The story began to drag a bit and my interest began to wane. And while there is a lot that happens in the second half, I felt like most of it wasn’t really necessary to drive the plot forward.

The author did a great job introducing all of the secondary characters and setting up the next book. I’m already itching to get my grabby little hands on that spicy little number. I can tell you that I’m totally hooked on this series and can’t wait for more. This book may not have been a 5 star read for me, but it was a very solid 3.5 one. If angsty second chance romance is your catnip, I can’t recommend this one enough.

I love Sherilee Gray and have read most, if not all of her books.
Shattered King was a bit of a disappointment for me. I knew in advance it was going to be a bit on the dark and edgy side, but what I wasnt prepared for was the violence toward the heroine on behalf of the male main character. He was angry, that I understand, but he was brutal with it. Not just in his actions, but in his language toward her. There was also a lot of miscommunication that I felt like was added maybe just for drama's sake?
A lot of the story was good, dont get me wrong. But most of the book just fell flat for me. I will certainly continue to read this author as she is one of my favorites and I look forward to the next installment in this series.

This was my first book by Sherilee Gray and I was pleasantly surprised.

Lulu and Hunter were once everything. Then all of a sudden Lulu turns and Hunter finds himself in prison. Now three years later, Lulu is on the run and Hunter wants answers.

~ I couldn't do it. Not now. Maybe not ever. Another reason I couldn't stay.

Argh Martyrs and runners are never my favorite story line. Ever

Once Lulu got over being a marytr I started to get into the story. But Hunter I adored from the beginning.

"You break." He smoothed his thumb over my lower lip and kissed me just below my eye. "I'll put you back together. I promise you that."

After reading this I now can't wait for Neco and Ruby's story.

Shattered King
Sherrilee Gray
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excellent book!!! I totally loved this one ❤️ Right from the beginning, all the way till the ending. I couldn't put it down. My first Sherrilee Gray book and it definitely won't be my last.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honesty review.

3.25stars
Shattered King is a little bit darker book with a lot of violence. THe book has an interesting plot and was well written but I didn't particularly like its characters. So Hunter he was ok what has happened to him is normal to be mad, feel rage and everything but his mind is clear and is for me thinking straight. Lulu, on the other hand, is too f… in the head she doesn't know what she really ones changes her mind in an instant from time to time hat some backbone. So in this story, she is the weak link for not liking this story too much. The story is too a little bit predictable form y taste.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

LOVED this book! I love a good second chance romance and this one hit all the right spots for me. Suspense, drama, angst, steam and a sexy alpha male - this was perfect!

I thought this was going to be darker than it was. This is what I'd consider to be darkish. There were definitely dark elements, but the romance itself wasn't. Despite reading other variations of this plot before, the first half of the book was really good. Hunter was a sexy bad boy who was hellbent on getting revenge on the people who put him in jail. He wasn't nice but wasn't a complete jerk either.

Halfway through things changed based on the direction of the plot. The problem was Lulu became very conflicted about what she should do. Her internal monologue was aggravating. I understood her frustration, but she wasn't taking the time to really think things through either. She was always on the verge of making bad choices.

Parts of this were fairly predictable, but I couldn't stop turning the pages anyway. Hunter was awesome! A true bad boy with a heart of gold. It's been a while since I've read a book with one of those. The chemistry was off the charts with Hunter and Lulu. There were many sexy times. This is definitely worth reading!

I didn’t expect to enjoy this one nearly as much as I did. Oh my! Hunter and Lulu have some explosive chemistry. He believes she set him up to go to prison and he wants revenge. When he is release he sets out to do just that but he learns that everything is not as it seems. There is a bad guy and some hot Alpha males in this one.

What I liked is that Hunter didn’t play around once he discovered the truth. He went into crazy Alpha protective mode. The story stumbles a bit and the author relies heavily on sex to move it along and fill in the gaps. I enjoyed that but after a while I kept thinking, “Let’s get the bad guy already and wrap this up.”

I look forward to the next in the series.

*ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2062030609?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
Posted on amazon

COPY RECEIVED COURTESY OF NETGALLEY FOR REVIEW
3.5 stars
If you love Alpha, dirty talking, protective men, this book is for you. Hunter starts out as a someone you will not like. He crossed the line quite a few times with Lulu. Once he got his act together he was all in. I feel that Lulu let him off the hook too easy. The story is not rushed and the author takes time for us to get to know the characters and their backgrounds. The story is full of secrets, lies and betrayals. The angst and drama is continuous. Hunter and Lulu were past lovers and after a 3 year separation they find themselves in a intense situation. They share a common enemy and Hunter wants to use Lulu to find him. However, Lulu just wants to visit her dying mother and keep running. What happens next a story for of action, drama and heat. The attraction between the two is intense. I grew to appreciate Hunter and thought Lulu was a strong character most of the times. She did what she had to do to keep her family safe. You may not agree with the way she did things or the secrets she kept, but she thought she was doing the right thing, I even liked the supporting characters. I look forward to reading their stories.

This book has triggers of abuse, both physical and sexual. Be aware.

I liked the second half a lot more than the first. I really didn't like the way Hunter treated Lulu and how she just took it all. Or the fact that he's brothers knew. But, I'm a sucker for second chance romances. I'm interested in seeing where this series is headed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This started out really well having all my attention from the beginning but
the middle of the book was a little unbalanced with the rest of the story for me.

There were some really hot scenes between Hunter and Lulu and I freaking loved them.The sexual chemistry and steamy sex scenes are the best parts on this story.
I found Hunter also a stong hero,he is so alpha and he reminds me KA heroes.
It is not the easiest to read, and had abusive and rape triggers so be aware of that.
The author is new to me but I'm going to try more books by her!

Dark, but uninviting and missing focus. Character motivations are weak and unreliable.

Shattered King is a sexy, suspenseful second chance romance. Hunter King spent 3 long years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. And the worst part is that he was put there by the one person he never thought would betray him - the love of his life, Lulu (Lucinda), who took off after she sent him to prison. But now that he's out, he's determined to get some answers from her, even if he has to kidnap her to get those answers.

In the beginning of Shattered King, Hunter was full of vengeful anger toward Lulu, and he treated her like she was a common whore. He literally kidnapped her, held her hostage and screwed her as if she was a prostitute with no dignity. I can't say I liked him too much at that point. Yes, he was angry at her perceived betrayal, but really? Kidnapping, holding her hostage and using her obvious attraction for him against her, all with no care for her physical and emotional state?!?! Nope, just nope!

But, as time went on and Hunter realized that Lulu had no choice back when she put him away, he was all in and his true alpha tendencies took over and that's when he redeemed himself. I never fell in love with him the way Lulu obviously did, but I could finally see the attraction. He was a sexy, protective, dirty talking, dirty doing man whom she loved, so of course she couldn't resist falling back in love with him. Well, she never fell out of love with him, so I'd guess she just finally gave into those feelings. Can't exactly blame her for that, but sometimes I wanted her to be stronger and resist him so it'd maybe slap some sense into him in the beginning.

I do have one minor little quibble and it's that as sexy as they are together, sometimes I felt as if the sex scenes were a little too plentiful. I wanted a little more dialogue and emotional times, and a little less sex. Sometimes, ok, MOST of the time, they used sex as communication, and it got a little old after awhile. Other than that, though, I like Shattered King. Both Lulu and Hunter are interesting, vibrant characters and their chemistry is smokin hot. The pacing is good and the action is enough to help propel the story along when it started to lag a little.

I really like the world Sherilee Gray has created with Hunter, his brother Van and their associates and am looking forward to more. The excerpt of Neco (Hunter's friend and associate) and Ruby's story sounds like it's going to be even better than Hunter and Lulu's story, can't wait to read it!

I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book

This was the first book that I have read by Sherilee Gray and I loved it. I loved that Gray did a great job talking about a subject that is very important... giving the topic the respect it deserves... all without making the book dark or over the top.This book made me cry big time but it also made me believe that their is a silver lining to every story and that sometimes you have to fight for those that you love...even though everyone may not agree with your actions!

Overall a great book!