This book was bittersweet because it ends an amazing series and it's spin off. Angry God is the story of Vaughn Spencer. He is angry (hence the name of the book). The mystery is why he's so angry. Lenora is a young woman who can't help her feelings for Vaughn even though she fights them. He's a bully. She's strong enough for both of them.

This is a bully romance. Vaughn is a nasty piece of work. The question in the story is why he is the way he is. The author develops Vaughn from teenager to young adult. It seems kind of impossible that the author can redeem him but she does. Lenora starts out as the kind of girl that is forgettable but ends up being so strong and resilient. This story is an emotional rollercoaster. The conclusion is rough, so I am glad the author added in a happily ever after for Vaughn and Lenora. This story also includes Vaughn's parents. Full disclosure, I absolutely love the character Vicious. This story brings him back at his full Vicious glory.

This is a contemporary bully romance. This book is related to other books in this series and the prior series. I would recommend reading both series because I think they are worth the investment of time. I will read more from this author in the future.

spicy and sweet! author never fails to disappoint with a romance full of angst, feels, and heartbreak

Hold onto your bookmarks, folks, because “Angry God” by L.J. Shen is a rollercoaster ride of emotions that’ll make you scream (in a good way, I promise!).

First off, let’s talk about our leading man, Vaughn. He’s the kind of guy who screams ‘danger’, but in a way that makes you want to scream ‘more, please!’ He’s possessive, morally ambiguous, and walks around with more red flags than a bullfighter. But let’s face it, we all love a bad boy, and Vaughn is not just any bad boy – he’s our bad boy.

Now, enter Lenny. She’s not just any damsel in distress; she’s a damsel who can throw distress right back into the face of danger. I mean, I was already sold on her because, hello, Lenny? That’s the name I’m saving for my future mini-me! But she’s more than a cool name. She’s the kind of heroine who’ll banter with a guy who’s all shades of wrong, turning their chemistry into something that’s so wrong it’s right.

L.J. Shen, the maestra of angst and romance, has done it again. It’s got everything – from childhood traumas that’ll make you want to reach out and hug these characters, to a love-hate tango.

The book dives into some deep, dark waters with themes that could make the faint-hearted faint. We’re talking knife play, blood play, and some heavy childhood stuff. So, if you’re into a story that pushes boundaries, then buckle up, because this is the book for you!

And the best part? It’s a standalone, but part of a series. So, if you’re like me and can’t get enough of Vaughn’s ‘morally grey’ antics, there’s more where that came from!

In a nutshell, “Angry God” is a wickedly delightful read. I recommend it to anyone who loves their romance with a side of ‘OMG, did that just happen?’ If you’re ready to fall for a guy who’s as frustrating as trying to untangle headphones, and a girl who’s as cool as the other side of the pillow, then this is your next read.

Another amazing read by LJ Shen that blew me away. It is an emotionally charged romance with captivating and unique characters. The male main character, Vaughn, is fascinating because under his cold exterior he has such a good heart. The female main character, Lenny, compliments him so well. I just can’t get enough of these two main characters. This is an absolute masterpiece. The tragedy, the scorching hot times, this is one of the best books I have ever read from this author. I still can’t get over the emotional rollercoaster that this book had me on.

I wasn’t really sure what I got myself into when I started reading, but a couple chapters in I was hooked. I thought both MC’s complimented each other very well, the story was really well written, and the pacing was right on. I suspected early on what had happened to Vaughn & I was glad to see his plan unfold by the end.

Not sure if I’ll read the other books in the All Saints series, but I will read L.J. Shen again!

★ ★ ★ ★.5 | 🌶🌶

18+ check TWs

Note: I try my hardest to not include spoilers in my reviews. However, spoilers and how you define a spoiler is subjective. Proceed with caution.

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

.
.
.
.
.

”I do need you, just not for my fucking piece. Happy?”

Man, I’ve never seen red flags look so green. Maybe I should call my therapist.

But, seriously, I’m not normally a bully romance kind of girl. But, I ate this book up. Like, I read it in 4 hours and I could not put it down.

Now, Vaughn screamed walking red flag. But, I kind of loved him. Like he was an asshole, but our asshole. You know? His possessiveness of Lenny literally made me scree out loud MULTIPLE times. Speaking of Lenny, I loved her too. The way she stood up to him and bantered with him was so good and gave them a ton of chemistry.

I started the series with this book— so out of order. There were a few times at the beginning that I was confused, but that was quickly cleared up. This was a true interconnected standalone. And I cannot wait to read the other books and learn the stories of the other characters.

Finally, this book is on the dark side and covers dark topics. So be sure to check your trigger warnings before picking this one up.

Thank you NetGalley & Bloom Books/Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read/review the rerelease of LJ Shen's Angry God (originally self-published in 2020).

Angry God is the third installment of the All Saints series. All Saints is a second generation series to LJ Shen's Sinners and Saints. This book is a true enemies-to-lovers, bully romance with triggers. Please check triggers before diving in.

LJ Shen does a really good job writing enemies-to-lovers/bully romances and MCs who are struggling adults due to events in their childhood. Angry God is no different; however, of all the Saints, Vaughn's trauma is hard to read - even if done in flashbacks.

I'm looking forward to the fourth installment in the series, Damaged Goods, which will feature Dean Coles son, Levi.

I was thoroughly surprised by how much I loved this book. If you love dark academia, rivals to enemies to lovers and a bit of bully romance you will love this one.

Vaughn comes from a wealthy family. His family loves and adores him. His mom is a famous artist where he gets his artistic skills from.

Lenora met Vaughn when they were younger. She moved away then comes back stateside. During Lenora's senior year of high school she attends the same school as Vaughn. They despise eachother. Lenora and Vaughn are competing for an art internship. Both have what it takes.

Vaughn was an interesting character. He had the artistic talent, was mysterious, a bit stubborn, and knew how to rile Lenora up.

Lenora was very different. After her mom passed away she became a shell of the person she used to be. Like Vaughn she lost her way and didn't know how to feel.

Some of the best dialogue was delivered by Vaughn. I felt all the pain he went through from his past trauma. I loved the push and pull of Vaughn and Lenora's relationship. It was wild, intense and unruly.

Vaughn and Lenora's love story was poetically beautiful. A one of a kind love that's broken, tragic, crushing, and makes you feel. I loved it! I loved the epilogue!

I love this book so much! I'm a big L.J. Shen fan and I was so excited to get this book as an ARC. Their romance has to be one of my favorites of this year. The character development and relationship between the character is chef's kiss. I cannot wait for the fourth book! If you guys were thinking about reading this book, DO IT.

I loved this book! The characters. Everything. I waited for his book since the first one and ahhh it was the best!

Vaughn & Lenora 🖤

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

"I wish I could get the girl. Because, Len, you are her. You are that girl. My safe place. My asymmetric happiness. My Edgar Allan Poe poem."

This one. Immediately a favorite. Why did it take me so long to read it?

I don't even know where to begin. Everything between these two was so raw and real. I felt all the feelings reading: the anger, the confusion, the love, the denial, the pain, the hurt, the acceptance...everything was so beautifully devastating about these two. But Vaughn.

Vaughn buddy, you have a piece of my heart.

📚 Dual POV
📚 Bully Romance
📚 Touch Her and Die
📚 Possessive MMC
📚 Enemies to Lovers

I love this series so much. This one was the hardest to read so far. But it also probably cut the deepest. I loved how tortured and dark Vaughn was. It made sense. He made sense. His twisted way of loving and hating Lenny. This was the perfect bully enemies to lovers romance.

There are some seriously dark themes and triggers. Knife play/blood play. Reference to childhood SA.

The revenge plot and the redemption were incredible. I will continue to devour these books and recommend them to everyone who likes dark romance.

Bully, dark...

I'm ambivalent about this book. Abuse does not give Vaughn the right to treat Lenora the way he does since they were kids, high school was bad enough, but then they are interns together in a gothic castle and it still continues. She does know his secret so it somehow entitles him to behavior in an abhorrent manner. I did get sucked in once they were interns in the castle, though.
Purchased.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞.”

L.J. Shen's dark romance Angry God centers on the relationship between intern Vaughn Spencer and artist Lenora Astalis. 

For me to genuinely enjoy dark bully romances I need for the two main characters to confront one another head-on rather than to have them play the weaker role. And L.J. did just that in this book.

I took what felt like a trip through two of my favorite alternate realities: Twilight and Harry Potter. If you've read the book, hopefully you'll understand what I mean

I only expected dark themes, like bullying, when I started this book, but I did not anticipate dark themes, like what happened to Vaughn. During certain exchanges between Vaughn and Lenora, I had my suspicions, but I was holding out hope that they weren't true.

Also, even after everything that Vaughn had been through, I still adored him and his occasional sexiness because he didn’t let nothing stop him. Lenora was another one of my favorites; I really liked how she fought back at Vaughn. To be honest, they were a power couple, and I liked how they pushed one another.

Even with the incredible characters and tropes, L.J. Wrote this in such a manner as to surprise you by giving you something you weren't expecting.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books, and to the author L.J. Shen, for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

I've had Angry God on my TBR for a few years, and finally got around to it. And.... I'm not sure how I feel about this book. There were parts about Lenny and Vaughan that I really liked, and there were parts about their relationship that just didn't sit well with me.

The book spans from when Lenny and Vaughn are 12 & 13, then seniors in high school, and then college students studying art. Parts of the book are well-paced, others felt rushed, and yet more felt like they came out of left field. The backstory surrounding Vaughan's abuse and how that shaped him was a highlight for me, but then Lenny's dad's reasons for doing what he did with the internship and ignoring his daughters just seemed like a weak attempt at plugging up a plot hole.

There was so much hype surrounding Angry God when it was first released, and I expected more. I've read bully romances that blew me away… and unfortunately, Angry God was not one of them.

With an endless TBR, there are very few books I choose to read multiple times. However, when I learned of Bloom's re-publication of Angry God with added bonus content, I knew it was time for a re-read, and I am so glad I did!

Revisiting the book after years, piecing together forgotten details and rediscovering the narrative intricacies gives me a whole new appreciation for the details that make this entire series so great!

I remembered Lenora (aka Lenny) shining as a memorable heroine who left a lasting impression, and her character captured my admiration even more so during this re-read!

Vaughn, ever his father’s son, is a complex character with a total hothole persona…but I wouldn't have him any other way!

We got a glimpse of the mysterious dynamic between Vaughn and Lenny in Broken Knight, and their emotionally charged, magnetic pull is felt from the start in this book.

While I have loved all of L.J. Shen’s books to date, I believe this series showcases some of her very best writing! So masterfully crafted. I highly recommend adding it to your TBR, whether it be as a first read or a re-read.

Now, I eagerly anticipate the release of Damaged Goods, the final installment in the All Saints High series, publishing in January!

Enemies to lovers
Bully romance
Slow burn
Angsty

Vaughn and Lenora journey to HEA is filled with secrets, angst, jealousy and a whole lot of drama.
Vaughn is a the popular bad boy. His words and actions can be cruel. He gets away with his bad behavior until Lenora. He is confused by his feelings concerning her, which makes him even more angry with her.
He meets Lenora when they are younger . She sees something she shouldn’t and Vaughn makes her pay.
Lenora is a great character. In the beginning she was timid. One encounter with Vaughn toughened her up. She fights back and gets her revenge on him for his bad treatment. It is quite the revenge! She does not make things easy for him.

Drama, angst, character growth and fire!

J’ai relu ce livre étant donné qu’il est réédité par Bloom avec une toute nouvelle couverture et je n’ai pas été déçue par cette relecture!

Vaughn est le digne fils de son père : il est arrogant, parfois tête à claque mais on découvre au fil des pages qu'il a un terrible secret et qui le rend un peu plus humain malgré ses actes.
Lenora est une jeune femme qui a une telle repartie et qui ne se laisse pas faire je l'adore!!

L'intrigue est certes basique mais j'ai adoré!! Elle se déroule dans une école d'art et on parle de sculpture donc forcément j’adore! Alors oui, certaines scènes nous poussent dans nos retranchements, idem pour la relation entre Vaughn et Lenora mais on les comprend et on ne peut que l'adorer! Revoir Vicious et Emilia et avoir leur point de vue cela fait du bien!

Bref, j'ai adoré cette relecture si vous n’avez pas lu ce livre ou cette série foncez mais en tout cas, je suis prête pour le tome sur Lev et Bailey!

Good and fun read! Most books either go too fast or to slow but Angry Gods went at just the right pace so I was able to savor every word. Thanks again to net galley for allowing me to read this:)

“An emotional standalone about first love, second chances, and overcoming breathtaking losses at a young age.”

Read if you like:
- Dark Romance
- Bully romance
- Touch her, you die vibes
- Possessive, Morally Grey MMC
- Dual POV
- Enemies to Lovers
- Dark academia

Angry God is a standalone in the All Saints High series. A truly dark and vulnerable romance, with an intense and anguish filled plot line. These characters are flawed, and the topics discussed are traumatic and sensitive. The writing was compelling, and each character's artistic expression was so meaningful and honest.

I can't express enough that this dark romance will not be for everyone. Triggers warnings are in abundance. But if you are drawn to the dark romance genre, this romance will push your boundaries, break your heart and without a doubt mark your memory. I couldn't put it down. 🖤

*Message me for specific Trigger Warnings*

Thank you Bloom Books and NetGalley for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.