⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Well well well…

Thank you, Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook. I am a big fan of Dreamscape media productions and I went into this book completely blind, trusting them completely.

The voice actors did a great job with this book. I loved Renee Thorn´s voice. She completely entranced me. Ryan Stone was able to portray all of Drew´s darkness splendidly so I apllouses to you two!

Speaking about the book itself I have to be honest and say that this wasn´t my favorite story. The connection between the character was zero for me and yes, it´s a dark romance but up to 45% was just dark… borderline rape.
In the second half of the book, I started to get into it and enjoyed it much more.
The plot picks up by the end and I was so pissed to discover it´s not standalone because my gosh that ending. Definitely will read book 2 just to know what the hell will happen.

You should listen/read it if you love dark romances, MMC with stalker tendencies and questionable behavior, and cliffhangers.

Okay… to be fair, I did this to myself. I read the trigger warnings and decided not to proceed. But then the audio was available and I figured, “why not.” Even though I knew better.

The triggers are too dark for me so I’m giving it a generous 3 stars even though I’m DNFing at 35% because I was warned. (Typically a dnf is a 1 star) this is a book I never should have picked up.

I think the narrators played into their rolls/attitudes perfectly though.

I’m not sure where to begin with this review… JL Beck isn’t new to me. However, I haven’t read her books in a while and most of the books of hers I read were her darker side to romance. This book was dark-ish, but it was more on the emotional side mixed in with some amazing suspense.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

🔥 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
🔥 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹/𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
🔥 𝗛𝗲'𝘀 𝗔 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼
🔥 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲
🔥 𝗗𝘂𝗯𝗖𝗼𝗻 & 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗖𝗼𝗻
🔥 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝘆𝘀
🔥 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝗰𝗸/𝗡𝗲𝗿𝗱 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹
🔥 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
🔥 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗢'𝘀
🔥 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆
🔥 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
🔥 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗲
🔥 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆

I love Maybell! I loved her from the very beginning. She’s sassy, quiet, shy and kind of socially awkward and smart and keeps herself pretty isolated especially when it comes to guys. But when she ends up defending a guy in the library from a bully at her school. Unfortunately, this draws the attention from the one guy she doesn’t want or expect attention from.

Drew, the guy she doesn’t want the attention from… Well, he’s had a hard life and it has shaped him in to the guy he is today… he’s an asshole, he’s possessive and when he wants something, he goes after it and gets it… but I’m not going to dive in to deep, I think it’s best to go in blind.
However, I will say Drew is definitely not boyfriend material, the way he tormented and treated Maybell was brutal. But I could see that there was more there and he couldn’t stay away from her and the push and pull, sassy and snarky comments and come backs just made the tension and chemistry even more intense.

I love how Maybell pushed back on Drew, she gave him a run for his money and it was entertaining to read. She’s one of a kind and as opposite as Drew and Maybell are I honestly think they are perfect for each other and their connection and chemistry is so real. My jaw has never hit the floor so hard, this is one hell of a cliffhanger. I love a good cliffhanger.. This one? I felt like someone gut and throat punched me!

If you enjoy high school bully romances with a touch of darkness and a shit load of emotions, I highly recommend picking up this book! I absolutely love this book!

5 STARS!

Hurt people hurt people!

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💚💜
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌍🌎
Character development: 😊😘🤓😟🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

The Hero: Andrew “Drew” Marshall - he comes from a wealthy family and is a football star, the quarterback of the football team at Oakmount university. He is bored, arrogant, obsessed and more than a bit psychotic. He is the guy all the other guys want to be, and all the girls want. He takes full advantage of that. He and his friends, Ares, Sebastian and Lee are in charge of The Hunt, which is a spectacle they put on once a year by the elite of the town. It is a game where the guys chase the girls through the woods and get to enjoy whichever prize they catch.

The heroine: Maybell “Bell” Jacobs (a.k.a. Wallflower) - she is a scholarship student, from a poor family. She is also a bit of an introvert, though she isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and others if she feels they need it. She is also socially awkward and tries to stay in the background where she isn’t noticed. Her mother is sick, and she is trying to get enough money for her mom to go to the doctor.

The Story: One thing I didn’t like was from the beginning, Drew was shown harassing a nerd who was supposed to deliver him an essay he paid for. I think the scene was to show what a bad guy Drew was, and it was the vehicle for Bell to first see Drew being a jerk and standing up to him. Though to me it just showed that he wasn’t smart enough to do his own college work. I like a Hero who is able to take care of his own business.

Anyway, Bell gets Drew’s interest when she stands up for the nerd in the library. Even more so, when she wants nothing to do with Drew. He tells her that there is no escaping him now that he wants her. Later, Bell’s best friend tells her that she got them an invitation to The Hunt, and that there is a $25,000.00 prize for the first person that makes it to the cabin. She can’t turn it down since she needs the money for her mother.

I didn’t really understand Drew and his friend's relationship to the mill and what exactly the mill was. Drew certainly had some daddy issues. I have to say, I really disliked the way Drew, Lee, Ares and Sebastian talked about women at the start of this book, though this is far from the only dark romance where men have a terrible opinion of women at the beginning of a book. I guess seeing a Hero, or Anti-Hero changing throughout the book is part of what I like. Drew’s dad treated him terribly and he ended up treating Bell in much the same way.

This audiobook was told in dual points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Renee Thorn and Ryan Stone. Ryan Stone has a nice deep voice that I like, though he does sound somewhat older than what the main characters are supposed to be, but I grew to like his voice more and more as the story went on and he sounded very sexy in the intimate scenes. Renee Thorn has a pretty deep voice for a female narrator. Her voice isn’t unpleasant, but I guess I just expected a more feminine voice for Bell. Though she did show emotion through her voice very well and she was able to do different voices for different characters.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Maybell hasn’t had it easy. Between being a student, tutoring to try to get money to help her sick mom, and a roommate who is pushing her to be more social and she’s all tapped out. She lands on Drew’s radar by accident and now that he’s glimpsed her fire, he’s determine to keep it for himself.

Drew’s family life is more than a little complicated. Maybell was meant to be a distraction. A fun toy to play with during the annual hunt but now that he’s had her he doesn’t want to let her go. But with his family obligations breathing down his neck he’ll have to figure out how to keep her and keep the two most important women in his life safe from his own tormentor.

I was so intrigued by this plot and this audio did not let me down. Drew and Maybell are both equally damaged which draws them to each other. Despite knowing how badly this will end they can’t resist. Drew is not a good guy but after seeing his family life his proclivities make a lot more sense.

The twists and turns in this one had me on the edge of my seat. I knew this one ended with a cliffy but I was not fully prepared for how off the rails we were going to go to get there. I am deeply invested in this couple and I cannot wait for the next audio to come out because I just know Drew is going to make this right and I cannot wait to see what he does to get Maybell to be his endgame.

Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media for the audiobook via netgalley for review.

**Check the content warnings - there are many**

This was an EPIC story, and that is saying something from me because I generally don't do cliffhanger books....but I need more!!! Such a fun listen.

Narrated by: Renee Thorn & Ryan Stone
The female lead voice didn't always feel like it matched the age of the character, but overall did a good job of portraying the fear, desire, and conflicted emotions.
Ryan Stone did an excellent job giving the psychotic vibes needed for this MMC.

Tropes:
* Virgin Heroine
* Quiet & shy FMC
* OTT obsessive & possessive MMC
* Walking red flag
* College secret society
* Opposites attract
* Secret society

Overall rating: 5/5
Spice-o-meter: Burgundy - NSFW; forget new undies, bring a mop
[Many scenes with the use of any of the following: multiple partners, BDSM, Taboo sex kinks (Dubcon, Primal play, knife play, etc)]

I AM IN UTTER SHOCK!!!!
THE INTENCE NEED I HAVE FOR BOOK TWO RIGHT NOW!
AHHHH, I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH!

Publisher's summary
On any day our paths would never cross. Then I was forced to go to the Ruthless Disciples. Every month they do something called the hunt. I didn't plan to ever attend an event, but I needed the money. I thought it was nothing more than an adult version of hide-and-seek.
I had no idea how wrong I was. Nor did I know I’d meet my worst nightmare that night: Andrew “Drew” Marshall, popular-as-hell football star and a Greek god among mere mortals. To anyone else, he would appear to be normal, a good guy. But that night I saw the cruel, dark monster hidden underneath. He was the epitome of evil, the leader of the Disciples, and I was his newest obsession.
This is a dark enemies-to-lovers romance with many triggers. It is a complete standalone that contains a happily ever after.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC of The Wallflower!

The Wallflower
By: J. L. Beck
Narrated by: Renee Thorn, Ryan Stone
Series: Oakmount Elite, Book 1
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 04-16-24

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.

The description of this book, at the time of the review, states: ‘It is a complete standalone that contains a happily ever after.’, Maybe it was previously intended to be a standalone, but this book clearly ends on a cliffhanger and has no HEA, at least not yet. If this were to be a standalone and not the start of a series, it would not be a very satisfying book to read. So if you’re looking for a standalone or a finished series, I would suggest waiting until more parts of the story come out.

Please be advised that this book covers many topics that may disturb or trigger someone. Spoilers will follow.

I went into this book knowing it is a dark romance, but the blurb of the book didn’t really encompass how problematic the characters and the storyline really are. To give it more context: I would say this is a bully romance, with a lot of misogyny, rich vs. poor, rape and dubious consent kink, victim blaming, domestic violence (not between the love interests, but within the family), terminal illness being used for power over others and sex for money is a topic as well.

So the premise of the book starts with ‘the hunt’ an event organized by some secret society that Drew, the MMC, chairs and that one person can win and get the prize money of 25K. Maybell's roommate pressures her to come to the event, telling her how much she could do with the prize money. Having met her earlier, Drew also issued an explicit invite for Maybell. It seems that no one has ever won the prize money and Maybell overhears chatter about it actually being a big sex party in the woods. Bell is appalled by this, also considering that she is a virgin. When she and her roommate arrive, they are told that this year new rules apply and that by entering, the hunters can do anything to them – their pray- that they want, so basically this is one big rape party. Why Maybell thinks it is a good idea to enter anyway? – No one knows.

Not only that Bell still enters the ‘competition’, but no one at this party or the university seems to have a problem with this setup. Not only that the participants are chased, but they have no say in whether they want to participate in sexual favours and with whom in front of other people in the woods, they are also partially assaulted and it is doubtful that safe sex is practised. All the characters also have a dubious understanding of consent, thinking that once ‘given’ by entering the competition you cannot withdraw your consent.

‘The Hunt’ and the Secret University Society reminded me a bit of the J.S. Wonda Kingston University books, just that they ended up being less problematic than this book (so maybe check out those books if you’re into bullying and secret society dark romance. Those books are not without their problems either though.)

I think dark romance can definitely work if the readers can understand some of the motivations of the ‘dark characters’ at some point. In this case, there is really no rime or reason for the actions of the main character Drew. He has some dark kinks, but that alone does not excuse his poor behaviour or make ‘the hunt’ any more logical. Drew simply does not seem to know how to treat women or people he cares about without trying to control them. It also didn’t really read like a dark romance after ‘the hunt’ was done. Drew suddenly seems to be in insta love, he needs Bell, craves her all the time and is willing to risk everything that he has for her. Even though Bell doesn’t know about it, he is also committed to her. Obviously, he is still problematic and how he thinks of Bell as a possession is toxic, but all of this has none of the ‘dark romance’ characteristics anymore.

Maybell does not really have a personality. She is a little fisty, but only at times and only compared to all the other girls on campus. In real life, she would not stand out for not doing what Drew tells her to all the time, but apparently, all the women on this campus are willing to do almost everything for Drew and also have rape fantasies.

The book has a lot of phrases in it that I find quite problematic. I especially have a problem with some of the things that Maybell thinks or says, because they are not meant to be as obviously toxic as some things that Drew says. A lot of these statements feel like internalized misogyny, especially concerning the consent topic. There are also some parts that I think the author intended for Drew to come across as sweet or endearing to the reader, but that are still toxic if you think about it. I think this messaging can be especially harmful to younger or inexperienced readers who might then think some of this is normal when it is not.

Because I found the whole premise of the love story between Dew and Bell so problematic, I was also not into the spicy scenes at all. I don’t know if it was purely that I didn’t get into it or that I actually also did not like how everything was described.

While I was listening, I wrote down quotes that I found especially problematic, illogical or otherwise comment-worthy:
- The author throws the reader right into the deep end: During the first chapter Drew and his buddies talk about women, referring to them as ‘the thing’ and one of them is asking Drew if they need to ‘Find you a girl’. They have a weird fascination with ‘clueless’ virgins
- Jackie, Bel’s roommate might be the worst best friend I have ever read about in a book. She tries to persuade Bell to attend the hunt, because: 'We hardly get to do anything together'. Yes, taking part in a hunt that basically equates to a rape party sounds like a great bonding time - no pun intended. They also arrive together and then never see each other again, what a great friendship.
So Jackie persuades Bell to attend this hunt and pushes Bell to go for it when she realises that Drew is into Bell. She also keeps telling her how jealous she and the other girls are that she caught Drew’s attention. But then towards the end of the book, she says: ‘I don't want you to get hurt. He's a one-time-and-done kind of guy, but you're not a one-time-and-done kind of girl.’ This is literally the opposite of everything Jackie has done or said previously.
When BeLl receives a check from Drew signed with his last name, Jackie makes fun of Bell insinuating it could be from Drew’s dad which Jackie finds repulsive and comments 'to each their own', but then at the end of the book she actually makes out with Drew’s dad and attends a party with him. WTF
- The girl-on-girl hate in this book is real: 'What kind of girl lets her boyfriend wait in the cold like this? If you bored of your crappy girlfriend, you know where to find me'
- Drew refers to Bel as ‘Little flower’ and 'my little wallflower' gross
- Drew: 'Nothing short of death will stop me from taking what's mine' really? You would die for raping this woman?
- During their first intercourse, which is rough and Bell bleeds because she is a virgin (full of cliches, I know), Drew thinks: 'Other men might be disgusted' So you feel superior to other men for liking 'virgin blood' and show concern about that, but not about the fact that you're coercing someone into sex? If you're so into blood maybe just find someone that wants to have sex on their period instead of basically raping virgins in the woods?
- During this encounter, Drew refuses to use a condom (sexy, I know). But don’t worry about it, because he will get her Plan B and a prescription for the pill. What a gentleman: You have no choice in this sexual encounter, I won't use a condom, but because I'm a nice guy I'll get you Plan B? Wtf Plan B has some severe side effects and causes cramps in 99% of its users, let alone that it does not protect from STD's and is not in fact as effective as using a condom in the first place.
This part of the book was a major red flag because it makes it seem like a woman's autonomy over her own body is negotiable and comparable in its importance to the male enjoying his sexual experience.
I am also not a big fan of books solely promoting ‘the pill’ as a contraceptive and being so blase about its prescription. I don’t know how it works in the US, but in my country, you have to actually visit a doctor and they have to do a check-up and ask you a series of questions because the pill is a hormonal medication and can also have severe side effects and make life-altering changes to your body. There are many other contraceptives that would probably suit her better, but obviously, Drew the Alpha male is a contraceptive expert, who does not only decide that she should take contraceptives, but he also chooses which one without her even seeing a doctor. Also, what happens after when she needs the prescription to be filled up? Will she be dependent on Drew for the contraceptive pills?
- In the rest of the book it is also made out to be something really special that Drew had sex with Bel without a condom because he would never do that with other women. After all, they might trick him into having a baby. Puke
- After this encounter in the woods, Bel blames herself because she had not stopped Drew and she could not even think of it as rape, because ‘she liked it’.
I’m sorry but that is not how consent works. You can withdraw your consent at any time and just because something feels good, does not mean that she wanted it or that she wanted it at that time or place. You can also physically orgasm without being mentally into it and vice versa.
- What Drew thinks about this: “It was dubious consent, but she could have said no.” But dubious consent literally means that an individual is not able to give meaningful consent, so her lack of a ‘no’ is not a ‘yes’ either. She did not say the word no, but she ran away from him and made other statements that would count as ‘no’ for most other people. It is also not like they agreed on a safe word or something similar to make clear where a boundary was crossed.
- Because Bel did not win the 25K during the hunt, Drew writes her a check for 10K as a consolation prize, but Bel has qualms about taking the money because she ‘hasn't earned it’. What a weird and novel concept. Would she take money if she won it in the lottery? That's also not earning it. I doubt Drew has earned any of the money that he gives her either. She's too good to take the money he wants to give her, but not too good to take part in a hunt/ rape party? Don't get me wrong, I probably wouldn't have taken Drew's money either, but solely because I would want to get as far away from him as possible and I would not want him to think that he has any power over me or that I owe him anything in exchange for the money. This theme of the heroin being so pure they have the highest principles and they can't accept money they haven't 'earned' even though they need money to survive is just a bit too much.
- After he 'punishes' her by stopping her orgasm, Mabel thinks: 'I am not good enough for him' and she thinks that is why he stopped.
- Drew says to Maybell: ‘I can like you for both of us’ after she says that she doesn’t like him
- Maybell thinks: 'Yes, he was rough with me, but he gave me pleasure' Being rough and giving pleasure do not cancel each other out, just like being nice and being mean. But being handled rough, should not be the only way to get pleasure, unless you want it to be this way.
- Some other delightful things Drew says to Maybell: ‘Your opinion doesn't matter to me’ or thinks about their relationship: ‘I don't know why she keeps fighting so hard against what we have (...) soon I won't allow her the luxury of doubting us’
- When Bell does not reply to Drew immediately while she is looking after her mother, he finds her and says 'You had to push me' – at this point of the story she owes him nothing, they don’t have any kind of relationship – why would she answer?
- At this point, Bell does not want Drew to be around, but then she tries to help him in any way she can, why?
- During a party Drew’s father basically pimps Drew out to one of his client’s daughters, Spencer. Drew first acts nice but during their second encounter, she gets more handsy and keeps kissing him even though Drew is not into it. Drew even explains to her that he is only there because he has to be and that his father told him to be nice to her, but that he is not into her. Spencer seems to be really into Drew and does not care if he is into this at all, but then gets upset when he doesn’t reciprocate. Spencer is kind of doing the same thing to Drew as Drew was doing to Maybel, but it might be even worse because Spencer seems delusional about her actions and even helps force a public engagement onto Drew. She also just starts to unbuckle his pants during a party?
- As a person who hates to read about cheating, I kind of appreciate Drew’s commitment to Bell and the fact that he is clearly not looking for other women. That being said, Drew does seem very delusional when it comes to Bell and even though he also has some nice thoughts about her, he only communicates the possessive/problematic ones. So, I am not sure how he actually manages to win Bell over. She just kind of reciprocates for no reason and just gives in, making it seem like dubious consent again. But when Spencer comes around she is clearly jealous. It would probably be good for both of them to take some time apart to understand their feelings better and maybe they will be able to communicate them after, but this back and forth will get old to read about pretty quickly.
- Drew is another male cliche that a) does not know what make-up looks like and b) shames women for wearing make-up, but of course, his Blel is different from the other girls. He thinks: ‘.. unlike Bell who doesn't seem to wear much makeup at all'
- Drew gets assaulted by his dad regularly and this is just accepted by everyone because they can’t do anything about it. Why? Surely Maybel is not the only person that has a phone with a camera or some other means to acquire proof? I don’t want to start victim blaming, but Drew is a quarterback and attends university, he full-on hates his father and has no delusions about his character. Why does he not even attempt to fight back or plot something against his father in any other way?
- One of the people Maybel tutors asks her: ‘Why are you doing this, you're at the top of the class?’ This made me roll my eyes too hard, obviously, you need to be good at a subject to be able to tutor in it. And clearly, the great time she is having with you dumbass is not the motivation, but the money you are literally paying her. This guy clearly still needs a lot of tutoring because even at university level he has not grasped the concept of tutoring.
- Drew thinks about Bell: 'She’s not special or important but she's mine'. This made me laugh because it might have been the truest and most romantic thing Drew has thought or said during this entire book. I am not sure how he arrives at the fact that she is not special, something that the readers have known all along since he's been telling us how different she is 'from all the other girls' all this time, but I am glad he has come to this conclusion.
- Bell also has a sudden realization that their back-and-forth is not sustainable and she doesn't want to continue this way. But why did she think this was sustainable and why does she suddenly think she is an agent of anything when it comes to this relationship? In actuality, nothing has changed. Drew has not given her a choice to step away from the start, what makes her think he will listen now?
- There is not one, ‘When I walk into a wall - not a wall, but a person’ cliche, but multiple
- Throughout the entire book Drew says that his father is using his mother’s illness against him, by withholding her medication if Drew does not do what he wants him to do. That (and the money) is the only reason he listens to his father. But then during one of the exchanges that get heated, he thinks: ‘He wouldn't dare to use her to get back at me’. Drew, you have been telling us about this the entire time, what delusion made you change your mind now?
- Did you forget about the secret club? – well I did. We don’t know much more apart from that it exists and it’s called the Mill; it had been so unimportant to the storyline so far that when Drew refers to his ‘commitments to the Mill’ I first thought the narrator said Mel as in Maybell
- One good thing: Maybell is finally a character realizes that realizes that she has a phone and she is actually able to use the camera to collect evidence – we don’t know what will become of this footage, but I hope it will at least be useful
- At the very end of the book Drew’s mysterious friend Sebastian defends Maybell because he thinks that Maybell is his sister. This comes after Drew actually thought that Maybell was his sister for a hot minute there…What does not make sense to me here, apart from all the sudden family ties, is if Sebastian is related to Maybell and wants to protect her, why choose now? I mean Drew has been messing with her all this time. Surely you would want to protect your sister from the hunt?

I listened to the audiobook of this book, which I would recommend to everyone who is not fully on board with this plot because it just takes up way less time if you listen at higher speeds. Unfortunately, I am not the biggest fan of the male narrator. The narrator was not whispering, but it felt to me a bit like he was trying to speak quietly while he was recording, which made it harder to hear what he was saying at a higher speed, which I normally listen to.

So even though I did not like most aspects of the book, I clearly had a lot to say about it. The book read a bit like a car crash, I didn’t enjoy listening to it, but I couldn’t put it down either. I would never take time to sit down and read further parts of this series, but I might listen to them if they are on my radar when they come out because I am just a curious audiobook listener and cannot 'look away from the car crash'.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and everyone involved for this Advance audiobook!

Check your trigger warnings!!!

And be weary of where you listen to this book 😅

There is so much tension and angst. The main male character is OBSESSED with the main female character! And will do anything to make sure that she is okay (as long as he is the only one who can ruin her 😉).

I loved this and recommend it to those who want a morally grey, dark, bully romance.

I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this book. The beginning had me ready to close it, and quick! I did not like Drew and how much of an entitled bully he is. The start of the book gave r*pe, honestly, and it was just awkward. I started getting comfortable with his character closer to the middle of the book, however he still didn't sit right with me. Maybell's character was alright, your typical nerdy girl, in school on a scholarship, trying to make ends meet and help her sick mom. The twists at the end were interesting, to say the least. The first twist was shocking, but then the second seemed uncalled for, with it being the exact same revelation as the first. The spice was definitely there though!
I did find myself getting annoyed with the repetition though- Drew's peppermint and teakwood scent mentioned three times already within the first half of the read, and the mention of Bell's "p**** strangling Drew's c***".
Overall, this book was an alright read, however I don't think I was invested enough to pick up the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this read in exchange for my honest review!

Bully/alphahole
DubCon/CNC
Primal Play
Bad Boy/Good Girl
Obsessive hero and touch her and die vibes

This book could not have been more perfect, but he is the perfect morally gray man!

You have Maybel (Bel) who is the epitome of good girl. Virgin girl who just wants to help her mom recover from her sickness. Then you have the morally gray jerk, Drew. He is the jock that has all the women throwing themselves at him, but he wants someone to chase and someone who is not so easy to catch.
Him and his friends annual “Hunt”, Bel goes to get the grand prize of 25K for her mother. Well of course Drew will do anything to make sure she doesn’t make it to the shed because he wants her!
The ending though, goodness I was so angry because how can a book end like that?!? I will be waiting patiently for the next book to come out! But I also want to know more about Sebastian, Drews friend.
“I want you to scream for me because of me. I want you gasping for breath. I want you crying, your eyes shimmering with tears. I want you running, doing everything you can to escape me, while knowing deep down inside you’ll never get away. I want all of it. So I'll give you one more chance to get away.”

This was really well written and well performed by the voice actors. It wasn’t really for me though. I like dark romance and usually enjoy the cat and mouse dynamic but there wasn’t enough going on in the book for my liking. At 40% I had no real idea where the plot was headed and while I’m down for plot twists, I like knowing the general direction.

4 stars, its good just not my cup of tea.

I loved this. The character development was fanominal. The MMC is so unhinged. And onmg that cliff hanger I will be anxiously awaiting the 2nd book!

The wallflower

- College romance
- Dark bully romance
- Secret society
- primal
- Run/chase me
- Good girl x bad boy

“You’re such a good girl when you wanna be.”

Drew is a college quarterback and son to a millionaire. Drew is sinister but knows how to hide his true nature from everyone. Maybell is the opposite. Shes a good girl and bookworm who doesn’t come from money. Her mother is sick and she helps care for her.

In this town, they hold an annual hunt. During the hunt for a large cash prize, anything goes 😈 The more she fights, the more he wants her.

I think the book was good but overall a little slow. A lot happened with the plot at the end

Audiobook:
This is a dual narration audiobook. I enjoyed the female narrator. The male narrator was new to me but I think they both did a good job bringing the characters to life.


⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

The Wallflower by J. L. Beck (AARC)
Rating: 4/5
Tropes: Billionaire, Enemies-to-Lovers, Instant Obsession, Rich/Poor, Jock/Bookworm.

Instant obsession, opposites attract, a virgin falls prey to the captain of the football team. The Hunt is on and Drew is all but ready to stalk his prey, Bel. This book has it all.

Bel, the typical nerd, is convinced by her best friend to attend The Hunt, where she stands to win 25K. But unlike everyone else, Bel needs this win. Her mother is sick and the medical bills are stacking up quicker than she can breathe. What she didn’t count on though was the instant obsession from the football team’s captain, Drew.

This audio was well paced and was a decent listen at 1.5x. Narrated by Renee Thorn and Ryan Stone, it breezed past and kept you entertained.

I highly recommend that if you are sensitive to certain triggers, that you have a look at the warnings before diving into this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I love dark romances but I’m quite picky about them.

This one starts with a meet-not-cute, great tension, lust, and hate at first sight and immediately drew me in.

Drew’s inner dialogue was very accurate, I love it when dark romances heroes are aware of their fucked-up-ness and he’s perfectly aware of his wants and needs. The fact that he uncovers Maybell’s own desires was great to witness.

And it was also a great show to read. Stalking, chase in the woods, dubious consent, threatening, blackmailing, etc you name it, this was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The chemistry between the characters was explosive for sure, and I loved to dive into their backstories as well. I’m just sad to learn just now that it’s the first book in the series and ends on a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to read the next book!

4.5/5 ⭐
3.5/5 🌶️
4.0/5 🎧

First off, HOW DARE YOU, JOSIE? That cliffhanger was brutal, especially since I didn't realize this wasn't a standalone... This of course is my bad, but that doesn't make it hurt any less! On a serious note though, this was so good. Josie writes some of my favorite bullies, noncon/dubcon, and college series and Oakmount has officially joined the ranks. The Wallflower was riveting from start to finish and I couldn't get enough.

I can't decide if the mystery or the spice was my favorite. Like, what on earth is going on here? Drew's father is something else and hiding so dang much... And then that betrayal and whatever the opposite of a betrayal is at the end? WHAT? Ugh, how long until The Wildflower audio releases? Can I wait that long? I'm not sure...

Then the spice. These two are hot hot hot hot hot right from the start. I love that The Hunt inspired some dubcon/cnc and honestly I just kept getting better. The sneaky public spice was top notch and I'm hoping that doesn't stop even after Drew and Belle start getting along.

The audio was really great. Renee Thorn and Ryan Stone both did phenomenal jobs and I can't wait to hear them narrate The Wildflower.

JL Beck has grabbed my attention. This is the first book I have listened to that was written by her as the only author. Why did I wait so long to pick up one? I didn't want to pause the audiobook! This story made me cringe and my heart pound as well as squeeze my heart tight with heartbreak. I was riveted and did not expect the outcome. This left off as a cliff-hanger and I cannot wait for the next audiobook. I absolutely have a hate/love relationship with the characters. It can't come soon enough!

Ryan Stone and Renee Thorn are excellent narrators! They are both new to me. I love their smooth voices. They performed with emotion that had it rolling like a movie in my head. PERFECTION.

I would like to thank NetGalley, J.L. Beck and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

JL Becks books are always entertaining and very addictive. This book gave me The Ritual by Shantel Tessier vibes. I do think any dark romance reader will enjoy this book. The narrators did an amazing job telling the story. Some part were predictable. But the twist at the end I did not see coming. I will immediately be starting the next book in the series.

This is not your sweet college romance of two young people crashing into love. This is a dark, twisty, and violent tale of lust, greed, and power. The characters are executed in a way that makes you feel so many mixed emotions. If you have triggers I strongly encourage you to look into trigger warnings prior to starting this book - it is full of them! There is very significant amount of spice in this book and not the lovey dovey kind that leaves you floating in clouds…..it is graphic, and often contains violent themes.

The female main character is likable and relatable in ways that make it difficult for you to know how you want things to end. The male main character is complex yet simple, dark yet protective, and most of all eager to gain power yet weak in so many ways. This novel surprised me while being somewhat predictable with certain aspects. The predictability does catch up in the end with some jaw dropping moments that leave you in disbelief, disgust, and full of so many questions.

Fans of J.T Geissinger, H.D. Carlton, and Penelope Douglas, you will likely enjoy the book which is the first of The Oakmount Elite series. The only thing that I found slightly off was the choice for narrators, I felt both the male and female narrators voices sounded very matured considering these are young adults. The narration was good and the emotion captured, so it definitely shouldn’t be a deterrent for those interested in the audiobook version.

I would like to thank NetGalley, J.L. Beck and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of this audiobook.