Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book almost immediately. The narrative style was not a great fit for me and I found the opening chapters to be jarring. The book insisted upon itself.

This book includes:
- dark romance
- an "evil" stepmother
- concealed tragic background

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Steffanie Holmes, and Bacchanalia House for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

yeah... i had to DNF this one. it started off pretty good, but the stepbrother instantly SA-ing the BLIND stepsister that he quite literally just met made me put it down. i don't want to yuck anyone's yum, but that made me extremely uncomfortable.

Thank you NetGalley and Steffanie Holmes for allowing me to listen to audiobook in return for my honest review. I rated it 3.75⭐️. Great premise and I would happily read the second book.

I already own the Kindle book of this, purchased from Amazon but hadn't read yet, so I was thrilled to receive the ARC audiobook! It moved right up my TBR and I had SUCH A GOOD TIME I cannot wait for sequels. I love an elite prep school setting of dark academia and salacious spice - this delivered and I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Joining the bandwagon of DNF due to not realizing the stepbrother trope. Perhaps it should be made clearer in the description.

The writing was okay. The beginning of the book was a bit all over the place. I can't comment on the end, sadly.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this book. Narrators were good. I'm usually a fan of these tropes, but I did not connect with the plot.

The beginning of this book is very rushed.
I don't think anyone would just bang a stranger while moving into a new house.
Her back story shouldn't be this big of a secret.
These are kids in high school... Sometimes the smut is too much for their age.
Everyone is Immature, reckless & super selfish.
I don't understand why but I'm buying book 2...
I just really need to know what she does to the little dumb asses.

I’ll do anything to get in. I’ll even become theirs.
Victor. Torsten. Cassius – the jock, the artist, the stepbrother.
The Poison Ivy Club.
Ruthless.
Connected.
Violent.
Untouchable.
They rule Stonehurst Prep with an iron fist.
If you want Harvard, Princeton, or Yale, they’ll get you in.
Guaranteed.
But they’ll take their pound of flesh first.
A deal’s a deal – you give them whatever they want, and they’ll make your dreams come true.
And they want me.
In their beds.
On their arms.
Part of their gang.
I’ll do anything to get into an Ivy League school.
I’ll lie. I’ll cheat.
I’ll get on my knees.
I’ll kill.
But those three dark princes will never have my heart.

Thanks to NetGalley & Bacchanalia House for this book!

Poison Ivy
By: Steffanie Holmes
Narrated by: Angelica Rocca, Myles Washington, Nelson Hobbs, Aaron Shedlock
Series: Stonehurst Prep Elite, Book 1
Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins
Publisher: Bacchanalia House

I loved it, I loved the book and I've loved the audio, personally I will not going to complain about it because it was just perfect really, the narrators were amazing I did loved how they brought the story to live and to feel

What a wild ride and boy do I have a lot to say. This book was like if the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers was R rated set in California and the girl is a sexy capable blind woman who isn't afraid to toss men around who annoy her and doesn't have to pick one man. Needless to say I am here for it.

The beginning hit me in the face in the best way possible. Holmes doesn't waste anytime introducing us to the characters, the back story and the sex. Except, this might just be me, but in the very beginning jujitsu Mina, oh I mean Fergie's dad says something like, "She's not used to being around humans." And this line flung me off on a wild head cannon that Fergie was a vampire or some other supernatural creature. I was convinced! I have to tell you, she is actually just a human and her dad was being funny...ha ha ha

Other than Fergie being Mina with new guys and new tricks, I still loved her. She is very real. For those readers who are tired of the main female character being completely helpless and never having any idea what is going on, this is the book for you. She is strong, opinionated and doesn't take anything from anyone. The sex scenes are incredible and I will be thinking about one in particular for a very long time. Defiantly not boring.

I found the langue a little awkward but I have been out of high school for a long while now, maybe that's how kids talk now. If I have any reason to be in a high school and I hear someone say, "sound the fucktrumpts" I will be laughing hysterically. The author did reference her own writing three times, which started off cute, and by the last time was just annoying.

The audio-book version did not do Torsten's accent at all. In the book it is described as vaguely European maybe Swedish but the way he was voiced was just American.
Thank you Netgalley for gifting me a copy of the audio-book.

I didn’t realise at the time that this was bully/stepbrother romance - both tropes that I don’t particularly enjoy so I won’t be finishing. It seems like it would be a great read for those who do enjoy the genre though!! The writing isn’t bad and if the author has other books inside my preferred genres, I’ll definitely check those out

Uhm, excuse me? Where has Steffanie Holmes been all my life? This book was *chef's kiss* and I can't wait to read the third one in the series. The narrator did such an excellent job, that I instantly found the second book and listened to it as well.

Your life is perfect you are the best you can be it should be a cinch to get into the Ivy league college of your choice, until you get caught. Trying to start a new life Fergie's' Father changes her name and identity to ensure that she has a clean record. But going to a new school and trying to make new friends doesn't really change who you are inside. At Stonehurst Prep there is only one Club that you need to be a part of if you want to get everything you desire, The Poison Ivy Club. They rule Stonehurst Prep. Cassius, Torsten and Victor hold all Fergie's hopes and dreams in their hands, but can she trust them with the truth?

This Story was so detailed that I was captivated from Chapter one. Fergie's connection with each of the boys were enticing. I found myself enjoying everything alone side of her. The storyline and character development was entertaining in itself. This book was a pleasure to read and I am excited to grab the next book in this series. I highly recommend it to all Dark Romance lovers. 5 Stars of hot and Spicy.

Audiobook Review

Loved loved loved.
This was a fantastic read. It had me in a whirlwind of emotions.

It was dark, gritty, and very intense.
My jaw was on the floor throughout. There was so much tension and angst, and the toxicity was through the roof.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me at 21% of the audio book. Loved the character diversity with a blind FMC however not into the step brother vibe. Although the characters are not actually related this just isn’t the trope for me. I also think that the spice to plot ratio was off in this. I understand with a dark romance there is going to be a lot of smut but the plot wasn’t strong enough for me to continue.

OMG! I almost threw my phone across the room when the narrator said that it was the end of the book! Holy cliffhanger!! This book is intense, uber spicey and really well narrated. The narration really brings the characters, events and emotions to life. I love a well-done dual narration and this one is well done. The book is a combo of mafia meets high school in a bully romance reverse harem. The characters are all so very unique and the personalities crafted in a manner to make the characters come to life in the story. The good news is that the second book in the series is available in audio, so I highly recommend for your sanity and the safety of your listening device, in my case my phone, that you have the second book cued up and ready to go so you don't scream profanities at the world when the book stops at a very climatic spot. I have to say as cliffhangers go, this author nailed it! Kudos! I have never wanted to read the next book in the series so much. The plot of this book is intense and makes you want to continue to listen well past bedtime as you don't want to miss what comes next. Make no mistake, this book may be set in a high school setting, but it is not for kids. This book is all adult level spice and violence all the time! I absolutely can't wait to see what comes next in the story because I think our female main character is about to go scorched earth on our three bully lovers! I don't typically give this type of book more than 4 stars as they can be great reads, but I wouldn't necessarily categorize them as outstanding books, but this one deserves 5 stars for a well-crafted plot that keeps you listening well past time to put the book down and go to bed, but also for drawing a visceral reaction to the cliffhanger! Good stuff!!

I really tried with this one. I don’t need a book to be a masterpiece or perfect but I do need to be entertained. This wasn’t too bad for the first half, but I did have to take breaks because the characters annoyed me. I think because they were like 18 but the storyline and events made them seem older so it was a bit confusing/off-putting when I was reminded they were still in high school. It could be that I just didn’t connect to them, but during the second half even the storyline annoyed me. It felt like the story didn’t know where it was going or why and some of it felt more like it was added for shock value instead of story value. I had the audiobook and finally had to stop at 89% I just couldn’t make myself finish it.

Rating: 3.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

In this scandalous novel the heroine, Fergie, takes us on this wild journey as she navigates her new life at Stonehurst Prep. She portrays herself as this confident ‘I do what I want’ badass but deep down she faces insecurities that many of us can relate to. As the novel progresses she finds herself being entangled in the lives of Cassius, Torsten, and Victor, a wicked trio of insatiable men who are all vying for Fergie’s attention in their own unique way. Steffanie Holmes does a lovely job of describing scenes with such vivid details that readers can immerse themselves into this dangerous and alluring world. There are many twists and turns that will have you second guessing yourself and your morals. The cliff hanger left me wanting but in the best way possible. I can’t wait to find out the rest of Fergie and the Stonehurst Prep Elite’s story in the next installment.

These books are absolutely ADDICTIVE.
I finished this book in one day and immediately dove right into Poison Flower and added Steffanies entire backlist to my TBR.

This books blends thriller, dark academia, dark romance, blindness red, spectrum rep, and reverse harem perfectly. The entire book I was holding my breath waiting for what was going to happen next and after the ending I COULD NOT stop.

I'm an addict and I'm okay with that.

I’d like to thank NetGalley for providing me an audio version of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.
Well y’all, I have this book a chance and I just couldn’t force myself to continue after about 25%. I honestly feel like I dont really care for the bully kind of spicy romance category this book falls into. The characters were dull and basic. The storyline was just cringy and not interesting. I ended up dnfing this book. Just not my thing.

Oh my… what a whirlwind of a book!! So much happening, so much chaos… and all the good kinds of chaos! There were so many emotions- anger, frustration, lust, betrayal. A lot of oh my gosh there were moments and jaw dropping scenes… that made me want to scream and yell, and then ones that made my heart race. I couldn’t get enough. I was hooked from the start!

3 guys and their queen… 3 completely different guys with 3 very different personalities, who are all head heals for Fergie and shared amongst the 3 of them. Cass— the evil step brother who won’t let anything destroy him. Vic- the sweetheart of the 3 and Torsten, I think he’s my favorite!!She’s caught in the wrath of the poison ivy club but is now searching for revenge. the ending of the book.. the cliffhanger omg. I need book 2 like yesterday!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook!