Whew - this one was bonkers! Broke my heart some of the things he put her through, basically all under the pretense of a misunderstanding. Hated what he did, but it was a wild ride to read!

ARC provided by NetGalley. This book has a pretty abusive undertone and I was not comfortable with it at all. I am not sure what Philpitt was trying to portray in this book but it was not something that I would recommend to a friend.

Ruthless Letters is a steamy romance about two former high school classmates who can't seem to forget one another years later. The book's description contains adequate trigger warnings which should be heeded. It is a bully romance with a HEA. In addition to the untangling of Elena and Ryker's relationship, there's a story arc that appears to connect this story to the forthcoming titles in the series to keep the reader hooked on this fast-paced series.

Great book and characters I love a well written dark romance and this had everything I loved.Thanks netgalley for this book.

This bookwas read thanks to NetGalley


This a bully romance, and OH BOY, it didn't dissapointed, this book is for those who love dark and twisty romance, it has everything and more. It has dual POV so you get to know the character so well.

It's a book that keeps you hooked until the very end.



TW: Bully, violence, SA, murder, degradation

WOW! Talk about a story that kept me completely glued to the pages and turning them quickly to see how it all turns out! I was absolutely riveted to my seat, with my heart beating uncontrollably, my palms sweating and my toes curling. This was one insanely intense and very thrilling bully romance (second chance at love) story. It had my emotions all over the place – I laughed, I yelled, and I got so animated that I nearly threw my kindle at the wall! What a freaking crazy emotional rollercoaster ride that was!

Ryker is ruthless and has been bullying Elena from day one of high school. He’s set on keeping her isolated and alone making her do everything he asks of her – becoming his doll. Certain events happen getting Ryker thrown in jail but upon his release he sets out to utterly destroy Elena once again. Let me tell you, the intensity of their connection could be felt on every page. These two were absolutely made for each other even if bullying is what brought them together. Their chemistry is unparalleled, highly combustible, completely explosive and just utter FIRE! These two had me curling my toes, biting my nails and swooning over their love/hate relationship. It was deliciously perfect.

This is a phenomenal cat and mouse (love/hate) story that has so many twists and turns throughout that it kept me guessing on what the aftermath would be in the end. I was breathless throughout, needing all the answers right away, and now I can’t wait for the next book in the series after the way things ended.

I loved every second of this story. Please give me more!

Oh my gosh! I have never read a bully romance like this before! It was so brutal but in a way that had me hooked and I couldn’t stop reading as I needed to find out what happened next. I needed to see how Elena would cope with the things that Ryker was doing.

I loved Elena’s character development and could understand why she just wanted to know why he was doing it to her! There were some big plot twists in this book that I wasn’t expecting at all that made my jaw drop but I was also expecting there to be more of a reason behind his extreme behaviour. The sexual tension though was fab!!

Ryker’s friends were fully loyal to him which was interesting to see but wish we’d got to see more of the reasoning behind this. I felt like the plot line with Alex seems a little bit out of place in this book but can’t wait to see where the author takes it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for gifting me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review!

This is the book one in the Captive Writings series.

Ryker spent the whole time at high school bullying Elena, until one night he appears at her door, covered in blood, wanting a taste of her and with a letter saying goodbye.

Four years later, Elena receives another letter. Ryker is now out of jail and has come to take everything from her.

OMFG!! Another series I've become obsessed with. I'm now counting down the days until book two gets released.

The twists and turns this story takes had me hooked from the beginning.
Ryker is very manipulative and has stalker vibes. He does things to Elena to push her completely over the edge. Elena's character development is fantastic.
This book is so smutty and kinky 😏 🔥🔥
Definitely a MUST READ BOOK!

It's a dual POV story with time jumps and the rest of the books follows the other characters introduced in this one.

This is a dark bully romance and there are T/W's including degradation, violence, SA/murder, praise kink and more.
The books in the series get darker as they progress.

Nothing is as it seems!! This bully romance was everything I had been missing in my last couple of reads! Ryker is horrible and I mean horrible to Elena and she still managed to be strong and come out on top after everything she was put through. Ryker is relentless, possessive and controlling and I am here for it. I love me an unapologetic bad boy! This was one wild and crazy ride that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time because I never knew what was coming up but I knew something was coming. I love that kind of suspense gives you this pull in the pit of your stomach with anticipation. I can’t wait for Tristan & Natalie!!! It’s going to be another epic read!

Ruthless letters by M.L. Philpitt.
Captive writing 1.
Elena, 
In order to protect you, I needed to lose you—to give you up. For years I’ve been tormented knowing another man is touching you, earning moans from you that should be mine, and knowing you love him for it. In order for this to work though, I must wait my turn.
But now I’m back, Dolly, and I’m coming for you. Remember the games we played in high school? We’re all grown up now, so this round will be on an entirely new level, and I hope you’re ready. I’ll steal your happiness, and then when you’re alone with nothing and no one, I’ll steal you. After all, it’s fair, don’t you think?
You think I’m the monster, when all I’ve ever done is defend you from the true villain. And this time is no different.

Ready? Set… Go. 

Ruthlessly yours, 
Ryker
This was a good read with good characters. I did like Elena character. I'm looking forward to the next book. 4*.

This is book one in the Captive Writings series with Elena and Ryker. The dark bully romance that had me hooked from beginning to end was so much more than just a bully romance. He has been bullying her since high school and is obsessed with her. He really did put Elena was put through a lot and she kept going and her feeling never changed throughout the story. Ryker left Elena 4 years ago with a letter and a kiss. Now it is 4 years later and Elena is in a happy relationship with Brent. She is about to finish up college and that is until Ryker is released from prison and is determined to take back what's his. Elena has always been his "Dolly" now it's time that she remembers it too. Elena has grown a backbone in the time Ryker has been gone and it's time she learns why Ryker acts the way he does. Secrets and lies have led them to this and the truth is going to finally come out when Elena starts demanding answers from Ryker and everyone else in her life.

I'm a huge sucker for books that include writing letters to each other. So when the synopsis of this book said that that our main male writes our main female letters I was hooked. Granted, there are only 2 (technically 3) letters in the entire book, but still hit everything I love.

It follows Elena (aka Dolly) who is in college following her dreams to become a lawyer like her mom, after dealing with a vicious bully, Ryker, in high school. Ryker was arrested for assault but before he left he wrote her a letter, telling her to move on and that he isn't the hero in the story. Now that she's an adult and living her life, she doesn't expect another letter from Ryker, especially since he's supposed to be in prison. Now he's back and ready to claim what is his - HER.

This story is VERY dark. I commonly read bully romance but some of the things that he does as "bullying" were so extreme and toxic. The MC is obsessive and down-right brutal for majority of the book. The bullying that starts in high school continues through until adulthood, which is something I have found isn't very common in most bully romances. You either get bullying in high school or adulthood but normally not both.

For the spice, there was a lot of sexual tension it's full of kinks and included tons of degrading for the FMC. Kinks do include dubcon, anal, degradation, and more. Please read the author note if you are unsure. The book is a standalone, but the story continues with other characters we meet in book 1 to fulfill an overall plot. Each book gets progressively darker.

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story had me going through a lot of ups and downs and what-the-hells. It’s the first bully romance I’ve read and I’m still not sure how I feel about the trope, but the story was intriguing and the spice was right on!

Ryker is dark, a depth of emotions, and the perfect villain to hero. And maybe it was just that Elena didn’t have enough life experience, but at times, she was just a bit too easily forgiving. I think I would’ve liked to see a stronger side of her and also see Ryker work for some of that forgiveness just a little bit. Regardless, I could still feel their deep connection through the pages.

Ryker’s friends were very loyal to him, but I couldn’t help but think we were missing part of the story there. I wanted to know more about why they were all so close and loyal, what did they go through in the past that influenced their close friendship? What was it that made them do anything for Ryker and go to the lengths that they did in the name of loyalty?

I thought there was a lot of build-up to the point of the story and to the answers that Elena was looking for, and the way the clues where given out bit by bit became almost a little drawn out. So I was expecting a bit more of an explosive climax (…heh 😏). But the mystery behind it all kept me engaged and wanting more.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and the ending has me really excited to see what happens next in this series!!

Primero que nada muchas gracias netgalley y victory editing por el ARC a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Por estos libros amo netgalley , te da la oportunidad de conocer autores que no conocías y abrirte a nuevos géneros o tropes.
Nunca había leído un bully romance o dark - grey romance porque no los sentía bien escritos. Ruthless letters lo sentí un buen punto de inicio en este trope.

Elena y Ryker se conocen desde la secundaria. Y desde el segundo en que se miran la atracción en inegable. Pero el pasado se involucra llegando así que Ryker se convierta en el n° 1 para hacer posible que Elena viva un infierno ....pero eso no es lo peor o lo mejor en esto....sino que Elena disfruta de la atención que Ryker le está dando. Hasta que una noche todo cambia y Ryker se aleja todo con tal de protegerla....será él el villano que todos creen ?

Los años pasan y Ryker vuelve a la vida de Elena , el bullying de la escuela queda atrás y ahora solo busca venganza. Y dejar a Elena completamente sola y destruida.
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Me gustó mucho el magnetismo que hay entre Elena y Ryker - tanto en la época del bullying y la venganza - También el como está ordenado los capítulos - Hay unos cuantos que se centran en el pasado y como se va conectando con el presente - No lo sentí tan dark como pensé que sería lo cual como dije es un buen inicio para alguien que quiere leer esta clase de tropes.

Por otro lado el backstory es lo que me tuvo pegada al libro ...tipo que hizo Elena para merecer el infierno que la hacía pasar Ryker , porque Ryker se fue y como esto se relaciona con Elena.

En fin si buscan algo spicy con buena trama sin duda este libro es para ustedes y por lo que tengo entendido conforme cada libro vaya pasando se va volviendo más dark
TW⚠️ :

-Bullyng
-Acosador
-Mencion de consumo de sustancias
-Mencion de asesinato
-Consentimiento dudoso
-Manipulacion
-Humillacion
Etc.


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"I want to be your hero, your villain, even your sidekick. I want to be everything good and bad in your life, because that’s what you are for me."

"he consumes me. My sanity, my heart… and my soul."

I’m so looking forward to reading more by this author. Ruthless Letters was a fantastic start to this series.

This bully romance had me on the the edge of my seat, not believing my eyes. It was brutal, heartbreaking, steamy, and all kinds of twisted. I couldn’t put this book down.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher (Victory edition) and author (M.L. Philpitt).
I'm surprised at how much it has entertained me.
However, it's just not my fav subject, and the underlying reason hasn't been enough for me to justify all the main character's bad deeds. I think there were some things that didn't make sense, or weren't enough of an answer for me.
I did quite like that Elena thought just like me, her question of “why do you base your whole life around this?” Ii pretty much summed up what I was wondering as I read. I'm also a bit confused as to why guys always have to end up being ridiculously rich for no reason.

In spite of everything, Elena seems to me to be a good character, her questions are very valid and her feelings as well.
I think that people who like this bully theme may like it much more than me, because it was quite good and with potential. Spicy adds points.

I'd love to keep reading this author'books

Okay, I don't really know where to start with this one, but I really did enjoy it! I love a good enemies to lovers dark romance, and although this one wasn't particularly on the dark side, by the end of it your set up nicely for the rest of series and i can see how its going to get much much darker.

There were so many tropes in this that I love! Yes its a dark bully romance which i always have mixed feelings about but, the enemies to lovers? Fab. Second chance? Perfect. College Romance? Yes. Alpha male turned protective alpha male? GIMMIE! I'll admit this book picked up more for me towards the second half and I was definelty expecting a more explosive reasoning behind the malicious behaviour, although it does go deeper towards the end. That being said, i did really enjoy this book, it had a really interesting introduction to what I expect is going to be a really intense plot for the rest of the series.

The romance in this was *chefs kiss*. The tension at the beginning with the hate but also lust? Again, im here for it, I think it always adds to the chemistry and tension between characters, if its done well, and i think it was here. Also a sucker for an Alpha male if you hadn't already guessed and then when he becomes protective too, cherry on top. We didn't quite get grovelling but we got super close and this is one of my FAVOURITE things in books. I liked the fact that everything was explained well when it was finally revealed and the reasons behind all the actions made so much more sense that yes you find yourself empathising with the morally grey character in the book, i cant help it okay, its just too good! Loved the flashbacks that we got throughout as well and this really adds to understanding the characters. Miscommunication is a big red flag for me in romances and i love/hate it but this one had such an impact i couldn't help but kind of love it.

Adored the fact that we didn't get the cliche 'break-up then make up before the end of the book' Again, i EAT this up when we do get it and we know i secretly love it but I live for the occasional book that does it differently and has them stay together and happy through the end of the book.

This book does cover some mature themes so 18+ recommended, please always check trigger warnings, there are a few!

I'm super excited to crack on with the rest of this series when its out, Tristans book is already going to be wild ride I know it and then Hawke....

When I requested this book, I had no idea what I was in for and in the beginning, I thought I could handle it, but it turns out this one is just not for me. I've read bully romances before, however this one takes it to the extreme in my opinion, it was rough. This is not to say the book is bad because there's definitely some interesting plot and mystery in here. If I had to say anything, it would just be to double and triple check your triggers and be prepared for a very wild ride.

Is Ryker a bully, a villain, or a hero?
Ruthless Letters is a bully romance with a heavy lean towards the bullying. It’s not as dark as some bully romances I’ve read but there are still some very harmful results from it. Honestly, the bullying aspect was written exceptionally well, so well, in fact, I wanted to throttle Ryker many, many times. I realized there was more to his story and reasons for why he behaved as he did but he totally enjoyed the whole process as well.

There were times when I felt devastated for Elena, absolutely amazed how she could keep going. It was at these times I also wanted to do something drastic to Ryker. 😆 I knew there had to be some big reveal as to why he had put Elena through everything, especially at college and then we find out the first half of the reason is not what I thought it would be, yet sort of was! I know clear as mud! 🤦🏻‍♀️ You just have to read it because it is worthwhile reading.

There is also an element of suspense throughout and not just involving the bullying, it is actually the huge reason behind a lot of things and although, yes, dreadful to think about—very exciting too, to wonder how things will develop.

Is Ryker a bully, a villain, or a hero? You’ll need to read this story to find out just like I can’t wait to read the next story, Obsessive Messages, with Tristan and Natalie!

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this book with an open mind and honestly I don't know if the story was any good because I couldn't make it past the bad writing in the first several chapters.
The voice and style in this book just stink.
DNF