Vic and Emilia’s story is one of enemies to lovers. Sparks flew between them when they were young but Emilia ends up dating his best friend. When they see each other years later that chemistry is still there, will Emilia put up with Vic’s nasty ways or will she leave him again. Fast-paced read with lots of twists and plenty of emotion. The characters have a lot of depth and the story has a great flow. I liked it.

I was intrigued by the synopsis. I had not previously read anything in this series. The story is told in flash back. Vicious and Emilia have a history and honestly, Vicious is a jerk most of the time.

As adults, there may have been improvement in Vicious behavior but the sparks between these two have not died.

This is a rough and gritty read. Vicious lives up to his name and he is down right cruel before he allows his heart to open up.

It will be interesting to see where this series lead. Lots of secondary characters that I would love to explore more.

Vicious is an enemies to lovers story and you can fully feel both sides. I wasn't completely sure how I felt about the book at first. I really didn't like how Vicious treated Emilia in the beginning and it really takes a lot for me to be annoyed by a main character. The more I read though, the more the story consumed me and I didn't want to leave this little world.

These two may have started out as enemies but once the figured out which side of love and hate they were on they were explosive. When the story ended I wasn't sure how I felt, but one thing was for sure, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Definitely stick with the story, you won't regret it!

This was not a book for me. I went in with high hopes because I heard it was so amazing, but I don’t know what they were smoking because nothing that I read was amazing. Oh the writing style was fine which is the only reason it’s getting 2 stars, it was all subject matter. The “hero” is a complete dick. Like, if he was real I would castrate him kind of dick. The cardinal rule to romance novels is broken in this too. Our “hero” is with other women after our “heroine”. He’s verbally abusive, and abuse is never sexy. I know we all love a good bad boy, but nope, not this. Vicious was a perfect title, because it was completely vicious to ever have written this story.

I don’t usually read “bully” books but thought I would give this a try. It was a tough read, The H is really mean to the h for at least half the book. Iknow he had issues but I guess this just isn’t my cup of tea.

Sometimes there is a thin line between asshole and alpha-male. It was clear to see in which one Vicious feel in and it wasn't the later. He was disrespectful towards Emilia or should I call her the Help as he did? He forced her to leave her family behind excluding her sick sister because he didn't like that she slept with his friend. He is not the kind of person I would call a hero or even an anti-hero. He was not redeemable in my eyes. Emilia is the worst kind of heroine because she is a doormat and doesn't even try to resist her bully. She should have kicked him to the curb and moved on with her life and a man who cared for her. Continuing on the things that I loved (not) about this book is how Emilia slept with Vicious friend, he kissed her sister and fucked so many other women. He also kissed another woman after he got together with Emilia. The book was not for me and I should have checked some reviews out before picking it up, but I was lured in by the author's name.

And let's not forget this lovely piece of dialogue

"Georgia....I’d asked her here so I could fuck her and the aching memory of Emilia from my system."
“And about Georgia…” he continued. “You and I aren’t exclusive. We established that long before I touched you.”
To which she answers
"You did. And now I’m telling you that I don’t do non-exclusive relationships."

I have to say, this book won me over.

I really wasn't into it towards the beginning and I didn't really enjoy the perspectives from when the characters were 17. However, I really enjoyed the storyline and character arcs that took place in the "present day".

I enjoyed reading from Vicious' point of view more than Emilia's most of the time and I think he was a very interesting character. His background story brought a lot of understanding to his character without excusing his actions. I loved Emilia the most when he was describing her standing up to him and that didn't always shine through as much through her point of view. I still liked her character and motivations even though sometimes she was a bit frustrating.

I enjoyed the writing style and breezed through this book and it was a very addicting read, I couldn't put this down.

I was kind of dreading this book based on how Vicious was in Defy, but this blew me away. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

I read about 1/4-1/3 of the ebook before switching over to the audiobook. Both are great, but I think I preferred listening versus reading it. The narrators were fantastic, and added an extra layer to the storytelling! I pretty much finished this in two evenings because I didn’t want to put it down.

I liked Emilia (Millie), although I still felt like I didn’t know her character a lot by the end of this book; we got to know Vicious a lot more than her. And as much as I was scared to read his book, I found myself loving it. Yes, he was the definition of an anti-hero. Yes, he embodied the HotHole (hot a-hole) persona. But we really got to know him in the past and the present. My heart went out to him, and I finally understood his character.

We got to see a little of the other HotHoles in this book, but admittedly their parts were very minor. Each one was in a different major city, so their interactions were limited in the present. I saw the titles of the other books in the series, but I’m not sure who each book will be focused on. All I know is that I can’t wait to keep going with this series! Leigh writes some incredible books with amazingly complex guys.

I was so happy to be approve to read this book from Netgalley. I have heard about this author alot. Sorry to say I was disappointed by this one and didn't finish it. I did read the book halfway.

What I liked about the book is the characters were there and the sexual tension. You feel so bad for Vicious because all he wants is love. Emilia just wants him to stop being so rude.

What I disliked that nothing big or new happened thru this book. It was so so repetitive that I will skim hoping there will be a kiss or something. They had the tension but that was it. I really tried to keep reading but I saw myself wasting my time.

I really enjoyed this book and that makes it a sorta first for me. Lately and thanks to Netgalley, I have gotten quite a few "romance" books because I wanted to broaden my horizons and get out of my comfort zone. I don't do romance books, I don't like those that are all soppy and cry-baby, I just prefer some good old fantasy! But this book really surprised me because from the synopsis I thought it would be one of those books that I really didn't like but guess what? I really DID like it. I read it in one sitting because I was so engrossed with the characters, I thought they were both very plausible people and I love how they both had faults, neither was perfect. I appreciate books that have back stories, that revisit a character's past and I really like it when characters are HUMAN. Most of the time in Romances the characters are too good to be true and that just doesn't do it for me. I gave this a 4 star read because it is still romance and I am still a picky person but I really really enjoyed it and I can't wait to read the next ones in the series.
This book follows Emilia LeBlanc and Baron aka Vicious Spencer and their hate-love relationship. It goes back and forwards from 10 years ago to the present day and it is about how Vicious ran Emilia out of Todos Santos. They meet again in New York 10 years later and in the space of her serving him a drink in a bar where she works he has already got her wrapped around his little finger.
I don't like books that claim to be romance but are actually just about sex all the time and this one wasn't so I really appreciated that because for me the feelings and the context is more interesting.

I stayed up all night reading because I couldn't put Vicious down. When Emilia and her family move from Virginia to California, her parents become the domestic help for the very wealthy Spencer family. She has an encounter with Baron Spencer who is the same age as her. He is cruel to her beyond anything she has ever experienced. Vicious has real problems and is quite literally vicious to everyone. Emilia is forced to leave town at the end of high school, leaving her family and what friends she's made at the prestigious school they attend behind. Fast forwardten years. Emilia is struggling to make ends meet working dead end jobs when she encounters Vicious. It's like a time warp because he is just as mean and nasty to her, as he was ten years ago. Circumstances bring them together in a work environment and it is hell for Emilia. This is a fascinating book that I absolutely loved.
A Definite Must Read!

Vicious by L.J. Shen is complicated tale of love between a bully and his target. I shouldn't like the main character and his antics but I could not put this story down. That is a testament to Shen's storytelling. Although this story begins with the characters' high school days, this is not a story for younger romance readers. This romance is not very healthy but the drama is very entertaining. I have discovered my love of anti-heroes. Thanks L. J. Shen and NetGalley for the galley of this title.

If you’re looking for angst this is definitely the book for you. A little confusing in parts, but a good story that will keep you on your toes.

3.5 stars!

This is the first book I've read by this author, and OMG WOW.
LOve love loved it
The chemistry was off the charts, the character development was perfect, and pacing was fast enough to keep me turning the pages, and the hero was just the right amount of bastard that I love.
Looking forward to reading more from this author!

I have heard about this book a lot. I was anxious to read it. So many times I wanted to put this book down, but it sucked me in. I wanted to hate Vicious but eventually, like Emilia he got to me. It took most of the book. He was rude, crass, and just like his name, vicious. He had a total disregard for anyone outside his circle of friends. He smoked weed, drank and sexed anyone he wanted. He gave no excuses. He abusive childhood was hidden from everyone, even his closes friends. When he met Emilia, it was not the right time. He didn't understand his emotions and didn't know how to handle them. He treated her like trash. He bullied her and made her life a living hell. He wanted her but didn't want to claim her. He also didn't want anyone else to have her. Emilia was the complete opposite of Vicious. She was sweet with a side of sass. When she was younger she didn't took what Vicious handed out. When they meet up 10 years later, in a way, she takes what she wants. When he betrays her yet again, she makes him work for it. The story just grabbed me because I had to know how the revenge played out. I was pleased. I love when we get to see the "bad guy" go down.

This was the book that brought me down the L.J. Shen rabbit-hole: a compelling storyline; a suffering heroine with a heart of gold, who has to grow and claw her way to the very end; an insufferable hero of questionable morality that you love to hate, but inexplicably root for his redemption and happy ending. I read this book thinking, "I don't know about this", but still I wanted to know more. So, I kept on turning the pages, queasy, but engrossed and fascinated.. Vic and Emilia's story is an emotional roller coaster: you scream, you shout, you question why should should even enjoy this; but at the end, you want to go again, on to the next LJ. Shen book to experience all the craziness again.

Thank you to NetGalley for proving an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jeez! Incredible. So well written. It’s a hard hard story but I loved it.

Love isn’t always sweethearts and flowers, sometimes it’s moody, desperate and ugly. And this nails that kind of love.

Absolutely fantastic

Millie and Vicious. The first 50% of the book was him constantly insulting her and she didn’t take it and actually fought back. Which made her look strong, but she wasn’t really.

Still it was very hard for me to see that these two had chemistry. Sexual maybe, but just because they had history it didn’t add up. She had a crush on him, he had a weird hate-crush on her.

I think this is my 2nd book by this author. I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

4 <b> Help </b> Stars
<spoiler>
This book makes you sooo damn mad.. you had Vicious you swear you do . you hate him more and more with every time he says “help” Vicious is an asshole the complete anti hero and yet the person you are sad for.
This book was my introduction to LJ Shen and the hotholes and I must say both were such a great welcome and I am very glad I took the plunge. I hated so much of this book where Millie was a doormat and Vicious was a hothole but then I was entraced with their story and there is so much character development and unraveling… I wish vicious was a little less of a hothole truly or the unraveling took a bit longer.
“This is not a relationship. It’s two people fucking the obsession out of each other.”

Vicious was a negative charged story about the elitist versus the help. Every comment Baron made was disrespectful towards women. Baron was a self-indulgent a-hole who thought himself superior because he had money, good looks, and it was fun to be mean. He referenced himself as one of the Four HotHoles in high school. A school of self righteous spoiled over-privileged sinners according to Emilia.

Overall:
Thank goodness for his wealth and good looks otherwise I might be insulted by his uncouth comments towards women. I’m being sarcastic. The main male character is a piece of work. There are too many examples of humiliating ways he disrespects women, yet the female character seems to be attracted to him despite the downgraded comments he makes about her.

FYI Todos Santos is not located in California it’s on the Pacific coast of Mexico Baja. I don’t know where she got her information, but it’s a twenty hour drive from San Diego to Todos Santos by car not the two and half hours she shared in the book.

The four guys were pigs. This sexually driven story was pathetic. These guys had little to no consideration for human decency. They used women for sex then discarded them. I’m confused since I remember Emilia stating how these guys all were mean to her the same way Baron was, yet she dated one of them.

I didn’t find Baron appealing with his crude crass tongue. He was rude not seductive and far too eager and greedy for sex. He had a one track mind with nothing else to offer except his body. No thanks.

The best part of this book was the title and cover page. Everything else was a mess. I just couldn’t connect with these characters and the writing style left something to be desired.

I read to relax and escape the stressful reality of life. This book caused more stress and had me wound so tight I was ready to pop with all the hateful commentary.

The best remedy is to just go along with it, with humor. I had to laugh at the absurdity of this situation and remind myself these characters are not real people, so who cares that a stupid naive girl falls in love with the bully. She’s an idiot.

LJ Shen ventured where few authors ventured before to the unconventional, unrealistic, and unbelievable storyline of a naive poor girl falling in love with a bully who was mean, crude, crass, and hateful. Nothing about his behavior was redeemable. Nothing about his backstory or past justified his a-hole behavior. Yet LJ Shen persisted to write about a guy who said all the wrong things and could still own the girl despite his irrefutable behavior.