Vicious by L.J. Shen is book One in the Sinners of Saint series. This is the story of Emilia LeBlanc and Barron ‘Vicious’ Spencer. Vicious parents are rich and he gets most everything but what he really needed...love and kindness. This has turned him in to someone not to nice and when Emilia parents take a job working for his parents he starts to turn his attention to Emilia to pick on. Emilia has feelings for Vicious but she knows that is a mistake. When she can she moves away with her sister but it isn't long before Vicious comes a calling.
If you like the hardcore harsh hero with alpha attitude with the strong innocent heroine than like me this is the book for you.

"I loved her when I hated her. And I loved her when I didn’t want anything to do with her. I was so crazy about her, the lines had blurred together. Feelings were mixed, emotions twisted together"

Synopsis
This follows Emilia who's family works for the ultra wealthy Spencer family and Baron Spenser, or Vicious. Vicious is obsessed with making Emilia miserable and eventually drivers her out of their small California town.
10 years later, the two meet again, and Emilia is forced to work for the man she hates but is also attracted to. Vicious needs Emilia's help to exact revenge. And they're both surprised how far they are willing to go for each other.

Overview
This is an enemies to lovers story told in dual timelines from the 2 points of view - Emilia and Vicious. Flashing between their high school years and the present day, you slowly learn what drove Emilia away from her home and family as well as Vicious's dark past.

This was such a binge-able read! I never wanted to put this down and would have finished it in one sitting if possible.

Content warnings: Chronic illness, child abuse, neglect, loss of a family member, possessiveness, bullying

What I Liked
"I used to think of you as a villain, but you’re not my villain. You’re your own villain."

1. This is the epitome of redeemable, bad boy romance. L.J. Shen blew me away with her ability to write a character you simultaneously love, hate, and sympathize for. Vicious is so flawed, rude, crass, and so damaged. But I'll be damned if I wasn't swooning for him by the end. Now do I want to be with someone like Vicious in real life - of course the f not! But it made for some amazing romantic tension.
2. The slow burn tension of this book was palpable. You will for sure need a cold shower after this one.
3. Romance gets a bad rep for being low brow, but this book was really layered. Yes it was sexy but it also hit on some really tough things - chronic illness, poverty, child abuse, neglect, loss, etc. The author did such a great job balancing it all.

What I Didn't Like
1. I felt like this wrapped up really quickly. I felt like we went from hate to love in a few quick pages - I just wish Vicious's grow had been a little more gradual.

If you like dark, intense bad-boy romance, definitely check this series out! However if possessive, dominant partners is not your thing, this is not your story.
I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!!

I had mixed feelings on this book. "Vicious" was an insanely unlikable character but had some redeeming qualities later on in the book. Emilia was strong at moments, but seemed too much like that female character that is so dumb when it comes to the opposite sex. Like she's completely blinded by the fact that Vicious is so terrible?? It was enjoyable, but I wanted to strangle them both throughout the book.

I very much enjoyed this book.

I read it in one day and yes I was hooked on the story.

I do recommend this book.

THIS REVIEW IS BILINGUAL POLISH AND ENGLISH
TA RECENZJA JEST NAPISANA W DWÓCH JĘZYKACH - POLSKIM I ANGIELSKIM

ENGLISH
I read some reviews before reading a book. As I was not sure about the male lead - Vicious. And reviews made me sure that I will fall for that guy in the end soooo deep and hard.
Vicious and Emilia know each other from high school. He was her NEMESIS there and still is. V made her life a living hell sometimes as he couldn't find the heart in himself I think as the most heartless ruthless and insensitive guy from his the four HotHoles group. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. And now he wants revenge and Emila.
The plot was not too brutal or dramatic, just enough for me to feel the turmoil of both mc. Each of them was scarred in the past and grew up into strong people that will fight for their own. I was particularly happy for Emilia as I felt a connection with her from page one. With V I had to wait some more but when the time comes you will probably understand where everything in him comes from especially with what had happened in the past. I think V is one of the most complicated characters I read about recently and the same goes for Emilia where I felt that inner strength in her... But waiting for it filled me with so many impatient thoughts that I was like walking on the ceiling...
But... Will he be able to convince Emila that the push and pull was love that made her life living nightmare and chased her away from her family and home?

POLSKI
Przeczytałam kilka recenzji przed przeczytaniem książki, ponieważ nie byłam pewna co do główego bohatera - Viciousa. A recenzje sprawiły, że upewłniam się, że na pewno wpadnę po uszy jeśli chodzi o gównego bohatera.
Vicious i Emilia znają się od dawna. W szkole średniej był jej NEMESIS i nadal zajmuje taką pozycję w ej życiu nawet po ziesieciu latach. V sprawił, że jej życie było piekłem, ponieważ nie mógł znaleźć w sobie serca. Uważam, że jest najbardziej bezdusznym i bezwzględnym facetem z jego czterech przyjaciół należących do grupy nazywanej HotHoles - młodzi, przystojni, bogaci. Nie zatrzyma się przed niczym, by dostać to, czego chce. A teraz chce zemsty i Emili.
Fabuła nie była zbyt brutalna ani dramatyczna, ale wystarczająco mocno, żebym poczuła dramaty obu głównych bohaterów. Każda z nich ma blizny z przeszłości, ale wyośli oboje na silnych ludzi, którzy będą walczyć o swoje. Byłam szczególnie szczęśliwa z powodu tego jak zmieniła się Emilia, ponieważ czułam związek z nią od pierwszej strony. Z V musiałem trochę poczekać na taki efekt, ale kiedy nadejdzie czas, prawdopodobnie każdy zrozumie, skąd wzięło się to wszystko - jaki był, co robił, zwłaszcza po tym, co wydarzyło się w przeszłości. Myślę, że V jest jedną z najbardziej skomplikowanych postaci, o których ostatnio czytałam, i to samo dotyczy Emilii, gdzie czułam w niej tę wewnętrzną siłę... A czekanie na to wypełniło mnie taką frustracją chwilmi, że prawie chodziłam po suficie ...
Ale ... Czy uda mu się przekonać Emilę, że ich wzajemne odpychanie i przyciaganie było miłością, która sprawiła, że ​​jej życie było koszmar i wypędziło ją z dala od rodziny i domu?

I couldn’t believe it was on Netgalley. Of course I jumped on it and started it right away. This 6 star story didn’t let me go until I was done.

Emilia has to start over in a new house, new town and new school. Her parents cater to the rich. Vicious is the same age as she. Upon landing eyes on her, he instantly hates her. He makes her life miserable. Now 10 years later they cross path. He’s the same jerk. Emilia is having a hard time making ends meet. Holding 2 jobs and taking care of her sick sister. Vicious makes her an offer she can’t refuse. There’s a blurry line between love and hate.

I just LOVED this unique and highly addicting story that sucked me in so deep in the heart of this amazing storyline. Amazing characters that made feel so much. It was entertaining and there was never a dull moment. The bantering between these 2 was quite funny at times. Vicious‘ s POV was kind of funny and sarcastic. He tried to be a jerk 99% of the time but deep down he was full of feelings. Bottomline is this is a must read.

Standalone told in a dual POV with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.

VICIOUS is my first read from this author AND what a read!!! This ennemies-to-lovers story gave me one hell of a book hangover and I could not put it down. Emilia and Baron’s love story is anything but a normal or ordinary one. You will love it or hate it, because there is nothing in between and at times it could be very unpleasant for some readers who do not take cold jerk hero lightly...:D Personally I was hooked from the very first page!

Thank to netgalley and the author/publisher for the Arc for my honest review.

If you’ve never read a book by LJ Shen, you’ve been missing out. Incredibly talented author. I’ve read my share of her books, and every new one I read by her is a new favorite. You won’t be disappointed

Vicious was my very first L.J. Shen first and I now know what everyone has been saying about her being Queen of writing the perfect a**holes. I knew in real life I would most likely hate Vicious, but good thing this isn't reality. He lives up to his name when it comes to the way he treats Emilia. He treats her like the help in all the worst ways. Emilia's family has worked for his family for years. I love enemies to lovers stories because there is so much build up and passion. I love the love/hate. I couldnt put this book down and I can not wait to read the rest of the series.

4.5 stars

This book came highly recommended from a number of trusted sources and I'm glad to report it lived up to the hype I've been seeing on my FB and GR feeds.

The lead male Vicious, is a jerk to the power of 10 and I did wonder at his lack of conscience, compassion and ability to love. The lead female, Emilia was just a damn nice girl and then woman. The story was strong, the sexual tension was strong and the steam, perfect. The timeline was well written, with now and ten years ago working very well, the focus mostly on now.

I'm off to find the other books I have by this author and move them up my list.

This book was nuts. Vicious is a terrible person. And Millie has some issues as well. When I started the book I didn't know what I was in for. Vicious is truly a terrible person. He treats everyone around him like garbage and then blames everything on his past. Millie is attracted to this and finds herself drawn to her abuser. Up until about 40% of the book I was constantly questioning dnfing it. Then I decided to treat it like Wuthering Heights. A classic story of unhealthy toxic obsession. When I began viewing it that way I quickly flew through the book. This books is very compelling and I then just decided to jump on the ride and live the crazy. My brain told me that Vic needed so much therapy and to learn how to not be a garbage human. My brain told me that Millie needed to question more her attraction and that standing up to this bully wasn't enough. But then my heart told me these two crazy people worked together. I don't know if they will long term. But for now they needed each other. The last 10% really disappointed me. It just turned into every other token romance novel where everything was lovey dovey. If Vic is going to be bad. Don't redeem him in the end. I don't even know how I want to rate this I go between a 3 and 4. Because the writing was good, the story was really compelling, the characters are definitely memorable but it just ended to sweetly for my taste.

Meet Vicious, the bad of the bad boys. Vicious by LJ Shen is the second installment in The Sinners of Saint Series. Vicious- Baron is an egotistical hard to like human being. He cares only for his friends Trent, Jamie and Dean. And nothing else. And there is Millie. She´s shy , works two jobs to make meets end and cares for her sick sister. Spencer Baron is the guy you don't want to be your enemy, he could become your worst nightmare. But for the people he cares for he's the best friend ever - in his hard to love way. Vicious is the perfect anti-hero. The alpha of all alphas. He's a charter that intrigued me. I have a love- hate relationship to him. I love redaing how he found his mistress, but I really really hate how he acts with the people around him. On the other hand he's not a people's person just like me, so I should get him. I love this book, I love the characters and I love the words. The writing is excellent and I wish I could give more than 5 Stars .

5 "I want you to kiss me back" Stars

Vicious. I don't even know if I have the words to describe Vicious. He's dark and broody and mean as fuck. If you take the time to look up "asshole" in the dictionary, you're going to see a picture of Vicious. I've never met a man--real or fiction--quite like Vicious.

And that gives him something special. That makes him a dark, twisted man that I want to wrap in my arms and hold. But not at first because at first I wanted to punch this guy is his face. I think I still do. At least a little bit.
My Grandmama once told me that love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances. The passion is the same. The pain is the same. The weird thing that bubbles in your chest? Same. I didn't believe her until I met Baron Spencer and he became my nightmare.

What makes Baron Spencer, aka Vicious, tick? What pushes him to do the things he does? Why doesn't he feel things beyond hate and pain? Why does he fight? Why can't he love? These are all questions I asked myself, but I knew deep down that he could feel, he could love, and he could be kind. It would just take the right person, the right circumstance.

"I want to fuck you and watch your face while I do. To see how you drown in me as I hurt you as much as it hurts me to have to see your goddamn face every day."/b>

A crazy first encounter leaves an impression on Vicious. Poor Millie doesn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell in this new school, this new life. She's the daughter of servants. She's the one who could possibly know all of Vicious's secrets. She stands nothing to lose, but everything to gain. At least that's how the girls look at her. The guys, well the guys know that Vicious has laid some weird claim on her. Not that he shows it beyond tormenting her, but she is his nonetheless.

She was a fantasy, and like all fantasies, she was meant to be savored, cherished, and treated with caution and respect.

After ten years, ten long years between high school and the time Vicious walks back into Millie's life, it is clear that the tension is still there. The hate and the pain. The love and the lust.
It's.
All.
Still.
There.
But at what cost? How can Millie possibly reconcile the Vicious she knows from before with the Vicious standing before her now? Has he changed? Can he possibly be a better man now?

"Apologize for not being mine when you should've been. Because Emilia, baby..." I tilted my head sideways. "It was always fucking us and you know it."

I get it though, how difficult it was to see that they belonged together when everything pulled them apart. Mostly Vicious kept them apart. His inability to care or love or even like someone kept him from Millie. It holds them apart now. Some things change, but is Vicious one of those things?

Her eyes burned for me. Only for me.

Stop whatever book you're reading and read this.

I recently discovered L. J. Shen and the writing is unbelievably good. Her characters aren't perfect, you hate them at times, but that's what makes it so good!

Yes, Vicious is rude and, too be quite frank, a dick to Emilia at the start. Nobody wants to be called "Help" but there's always a story behind it all.

This was my first read by LJ Shen and I was immediately hooked! Enemies to lovers became my favorite trope after experiencing this book and the series that followed.

Vicious was the King of the castle and Emelia the measly peasant who lived on his compound. The push and pull between these characters was both gratifying and frustrating. The way they lusted yet despised each other made for some incredibly angsty drama that I couldn’t get enough of!

Deep down, Baron ‘Vicious’ Spencer wasn’t nearly as dark and calculating as he made himself seem. He had a soft spot for one woman and would stop at nothing to have her.

I loved the charged chemistry and deep seeded issues that flowed between the main characters. Their relationship struggles were raw and honest. It made the HEA that much more satisfying!

I can not believe how good this book is! The emotions... The depth... The arc... Even the music (authors that include playlists are the $#!+)! I don't yet have words to write an adequate review (give me a few days) - but please - do yourself an immense favor and GO GET IT NOW! And read it immediately. Then come back and say thank you ;)

*** 5 "You were always mine!!!" stars***

"He was in my veins.
But I’d managed to crawl under his skin."

God, i loved this book!!!! And i loved cold-hearted, asshole Vicious!!!!
Yeah, i know that in "Defy" i thought the worst about him, and still i am (Bahahaha!!!) but i loved him....
I have a thing about assholes, what can i say???? In books, not in real life!!!!

“I used to think of you as a villain, but you’re not my villain. You’re your own villain.”

Vicious was exactly the opposite of Jaime....
He was very difficult, very rude, very selfish, he didn't care about anyone and anything, he was tough and he was giving shit to the rest of the world...
Nothing could penetrate his frosty heart.... Oh, no!!!! There was something that could penetrate it after all... Emilia aka the Help!!!!
But as an original jerk, he was acting like an asshole toward her and in the end, he just chase her away from her family and home, just because he was refusing to accept his true feelings...
And because he was obsessive and very jealous!!!!

"Emilia, my makeup is revenge. Yours is forgiveness. You’re better than me. I don’t deserve you. But I’m going to take you, anyway.

“I loved her when I hated her. And I loved her when I didn’t want anything to do with her. I was so crazy about her, the lines had blurred together. Feelings were mixed, emotions twisted together.”

Millie or Emilia was a nice, selfless Southern girl.... She was loving her family and she could do anything for her baby sister, Rosie...
The only person that could ruin her good mood was Vicious.... Love and hate became a blurred line for Millie toward Vicious... She was drown toward him, but his actions made her hating him and he eventually ruined her life in a way....

“Why are you doing this to me? I hissed out, searching his blank, stony face.
“Because I can.”

“He was toxic, poison, and he was going to kill everything beautiful in my life if I let him. He was the storm to my cherry blossoms.”

Now, ten years after, they meet again....
Millie would like to stay away from him, but Vicious is very persistant and he is making everything in his power to get her under his clutches....
He wants her to help him with his revenge and in the same time, he wants to ruin her....
She just want to protect her heart from him....
What will happen with those two???

"The push and pull was back. She could push all she wanted, but she was going to be pulled back to where she belonged. My arms."

"Apologize for not being mine when you should’ve been. Because Emilia, baby...” I tilted my head sideways. “It was always fucking us and you know it.”

Well, i really liked very much and this story by L.J. Shen and i can tell you that after five books, she is never letting me down....
I liked very much Vicious's character even though he was from the worst kind, and what i liked more is that he didn't change much and after Millie.... He didn't suddenly became the sweet and kind guy.... He sticked to his ways and that was more original!!!
I loved his crazy obsession toward Emilia and i loved how intense he was in his reactions...

"He was perfectly imperfect. Flawlessly flawed. Most importantly- he was Vicious."

“I just want you as you are. Broken. Misunderstood. Jerk. I want the real version, the dark version, the one who made me the saddest I’ve ever been in my life, but also the happiest.”

Emilia was sweet and kind and very artistic....
What i couldn't really understand about her was a) why she wasn't fight back then and b) why the hell she got into a relationship with Dean???
And now, the bigger question.... Why Dean decided to mess around with his best friend's obsession??? It was a common secret that Vicious was obsessive with her, he couldn't be so blind!!!

"We shared a history.
I had feelings for him.
Bad feelings, good feelings... in short, too many feeling."

“I wanted to dissolve into smoke, to crawl into him and never leave. It was crazy, but that was how much I craved this man.”

Well, i also have to add that i liked the dynamic between the four Hotholes....
Even the problems, they were very loyal to each other and that was awesome!!!
Yep, their young years seemed a little bit... unrealistic, but i really enjoyed them!!!!
And now, I can not wait for their kids stories!!! I'm sooo thrilled!!!

"Ask me what i want again."
"No."
"Ask."
"What do you want?"
"I want to fuck you and watch your face while I do. To see how you drown in me as I hurt you as much as it hurts me to have to see your goddamn face every day."{Before...}

“Ask me what I want,”
“What do you want?”
“I want you,” he said simply. “Just you. Nothing else. Only ever you...”{After...}

*********************************************
"I love you."
"I know," I said. Because I did. Because who else would ever put up with my bullshit if they didn't love me?
"It scares me," she added.
"Don't let it. I promise I'll protect you from anything. Even from myself."
*********************************************

P.S. A quick rereading of this beautiful story which captivated me for a second time...
Since the spinoff of this series is right around the corner!!!
If you haven't read this series yet, go grab the books!!!! Don't lose valuable time!!!

**ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

I am exhausted physically because I stayed up late reading and then woke up in the middle of the night because, I had to know what was going to happen. I am exhausted emotionally from the angst, cruelty and finally love that people can give to each other. The author did a great job with character development and the characters seemed to actually grow within the book themselves. This book brought out many emotions and feel a little raw inside. I love it when a book can move the reader so much. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An advanced copy of this book was provided for an honest review.

There aren't alot of authors around who are capable of writing the perfect Alpha-hole Antihero. The guy so hard to love but boy do we love him hard. He's mean, cruel and hurtful but so damaged that we can only hope there is a small part of him that can be redeemed. Ms. Shen is on the top of her game when it comes to writing about these heroes. She has a finger on the pulse of what people want and has an innate ability to write about antiheroes who stay true to themselves and the equally strong women who give as good as they get while delivering backhand shots that bring these men to their knees. I didn't think she could top Troy Brennan and Sparrow but she did and she knocked it out of the park with Vicious . 

Barron "Vicious" Spencer is every bit as dangerous and ruthless as his nickname. The perfect bully and tormentor equally strong and dominating. But inside the hard persona beats the heart of a man who knew he met his match. He just wasn't ready to admit it yet. Enter Emilia Leblanc. Emilia was the perfect woman for Vicious. She was strong, sassy, independent and gave no effs about his wealth, social power and his dominating personality. She knew who she was and would not get caught up in his public persona. Furthermore, she knew the real Vicious deep down and was the only one who could bring out his vulnerable side.

I loved that Shen seamlessly delves into their past history built on a house of lies, jealousy, lust, envy and resentment that only truth and love could topple in the present. Vicious was equally malicious and brutal and yet protective and caring so we were kept on the edge wondering what his true intentions were.

L.J. Shen has a gift with her words. Vicious was absolutely incredible and I for one am looking forward to everything she writes. Bravo!

5 "You Were Always Mine" Stars - Ratula Roy

“The cherry blossom represents the fragility and magnificence of life.”

Vicious and Emilia were the most unlikely of couples.

Vicious appeared to be the entitled rich boy who had everything and Emilia was the daughter of the "help." Yet secretly they were drawn to each other. Vicious had issues that no one else knew about at that time which made him strike out at others to draw attention away from himself. Instead of letting himself care for Emilia, it was easier to alienate her by distancing himself from her and calling her "Help."

Through a series of events, Vicious and Emilia are brought back together ten years later. He still treats her with disdain and disrespect and she still tries to act as if she doesn't care. They are older though and their feelings are closer to the surface. They definitely are having a difficult time not giving into their true feelings. There is more insight to why Vicious is closed off and you learn more about his overall motives. It helps the reader to better understand why Vicious acts the way he does and you gradually see him let Emilia see behind his mask. I absolutely love this story!

“I want you,” he said simply. “Just you. Nothing else. Only ever you,” he breathed out in pain, closing his eyes.”

"Be wise. Let your heart lead the way. And when you find someone who’s worth it—never let them go.”
― L.J. Shen, Vicious

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.