This book felt inconsistent and disjointed. Some parts were very confusing.

The relationship between the main characters felt very rushed.

Overall, I wasn’t impressed.

Thank you NetGalley and Vyk Peters for granting me an ARC on King of Clubs! This is book 2 in the Kings series. This book was perfect; spice, banter, found family, grumpy-sunshine, and of course a HEA!! I can’t wait to read book 3; King of Jokers😍

Marlee makes a break from her abusive relationship, but it leaves her with scars and panic attacks. Sebastian, a club owner, had to play man of the house after his father left. Both are damaged. Story has some emotional components, but I found the narrative to be more on the surface, except for the spice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the advanced reader's copy of King of Clubs by Vyk Peters.

King of Clubs follows Sebastian, a nightclub owner who thrives on order and keeps his circle small—until he meets Marlee and is instantly intrigued. Marlee, a survivor of domestic violence, is on a journey of healing and reclaiming her independence.

After reading King of Hearts (Book One of the Kings Series), I was excited to dive into King of Clubs. While it wasn’t my favorite of the series, it still kept me engaged. My main concern was the pacing of Marlee and Sebastian’s relationship—it felt rushed, with little build-up before they were fully involved. That said, the book does explore themes of domestic violence and control, so readers should be mindful if these topics are triggering.

Overall, King of Clubs offers a compelling story, but I would have preferred a slower, more developed romance.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, when i received this I didn’t know it was a series so i am now turning back around to start reading it.

But I absolutely loved this book !!! The character development the Australia setting!! I love me a foreign MMC 🤭🤭 Sebastian and Marlee were meant to be together . Marlee is strong and brave like any other stubborn FMC I wanted to yell at her cause girllllll give em Sebastian ! Sebastian took his time with Marlee and let her open up at her own pace and i loved that. Be prepared to fall in love and fan yourself cause that man is HOT!!

Thank you NetGalley and Vyk Peters for the ARC!

I really loved the first book in this series. It was a fun sports romance with a good storyline and good chemistry between the characters. Unfortunately, this one fell very flat for me and caused me to DNF at 70%. The start was so strong, very entertaining and fast-paced, but I feel like we hit the 40ish% mark and it all slowed down.

Once we got over the ex-boyfriend story for a bit and they were dating, it just dragged. There wasn’t enough happening to keep me entertained and I felt like there was a lull in the development that lost my interest.

The bar-owner character trait also just doesn’t hold enough substance to be interesting, in comparison to the sport-story in book 1. And both of them having toxic exes/people in their lives? It was too much.

Marlee and Seb also lacked so much chemistry to me - they got together too quickly and there was no development in their relationship besides her opening up about her trauma. They also didn’t have really clear and identifying traits about them.

I am so sad, and maybe this is a soft DNF and I’ll come back to finish it, but at the moment this is just too slow and I’m scared of ending up in a slump.

Let me tell you I had to stop and fan myself a couple of times 🥵 damn Sebastian and Marlee are HOT

I'm absolutely in love with them. Sebastian strolled into my heart and rode the elevator to my no.1 book bf (next to my other husbands ofc)

Marlee's story is an inspiration. She's strong, brave, and protects who she loves. Yes there were times I was pleading with her to communicate more, but I knew she was doing her absolute best.

I love Sebastian for his thoughtfulness and his fierce protective nature. He was so gentle and patient with Marlee (outside of the bedroom and his office 😏😉 iykyk)

And wow did this book made me angry at people who don't exist! I have a solid 3 characters now on my h!tlist, just saying 🔪💀

Marlee will forever be my sunflower and pinicle of sassy sarcasm 🌻💜

Ps. I'm OBSESSED with Cooper🫠😍

King of Clubs by Vyk Peters
King Series #2

Grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go ~ Couldn’t put it down

What I liked:
* Marlee Harting: psychologist, lost her parents, fell for the wrong man, managed to escape, survivor, strong, capable, good friend, meets and falls for Sebastian
* Sebastian Micallef: owner of club Nexus, father walked out when young, loves his mother and sister, responsible, protective, goal-oriented, good friend, rather taken with Marlee
* That both main characters are mature, communicate openly and honestly, and grow as they open up to one another ~ They are perfect for and with each other in and out of the bedroom
* Arna: Marlee’s best friend and there for her when she left Lucas, in a loving relationship with Andy and their story was book one “King of Hearts”
* That this book stands alone without having read book one
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* That I became immersed in the story and cared about the outcome
* The women friends, their friendship, and how they are there for one another
* Eva: Sebastian’s younger sister, numbers smart, would like to find out if she will end up with Cooper
* Cooper: Sebastian’s best friend, wealthy, parents distant, whiskey maker, intriguing
* Reading a new-to-me author that I feel has a brilliant future
* Too many things to itemize

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Marlee’s abusive ex, her stalker, and the creepy doorman
* Thinking about abuse…how the abuser justifies and enjoys what they do and the pain of the person on the receiving end

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op ~ This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Marlee and Sebastian were everything! Marlee dealt with a tough situation and did something brave and scary by leaving an abusive relationship.

I loved getting to go on this healing journey with Marlee. Having her find the strength to move on and forward in her life without fear was beautiful. She was dealt some tough cards in her previous relationship and those left her with deep scars both physically and mentally.

Seb is everything beautiful and perfect and magical in a strong emotionally intelligent man! He knew from the moment he seen Marlee there was something special in her and he had a deep urge to protect her. He was never scared of her baggage or her past he just wanted to understand it and help.

I absolutely loved Arna! She is the best type of friend and I need to read King of Hearts to get her and Andy’s story!

The first chapter was so captivating I cried. Trigger warnings are a must read, especially if you have personal experiences or sensitivities related to family violence.
Marlee emerges from a dark past and finds herself entangled with the irresistibly charming Sebastian—a man so perfect, he probably butters and spreads his Vegemite at the ideal ratio every time.
Vyk Peters brings serious themes to life, with the characters facing real challenges while balancing the story with plenty of cheeky banter to keep things light. The chemistry between Marlee and Sebastian is superb.

This book hooked me right from the start with its slow-burn tension.
The romance was fun, steamy, and realistic, and the characters felt like real people.
I was totally engaged throughout the entire novel.
The book was full of vivid descriptions and vivid imagery to the point where I felt like I had slipped into the pages.

Oh, OK! This book brought the plot with the spice! This romance book is the second book in the series and you can easily jump in to this book even if you have it read the series( it’s what I did 🤣). I really enjoyed both characters in this story. The mental health representation in this book was great. You don’t see it too often so when I find a book that shows positive mental health representation and what a person needs to get through anxiety or any other type of mental health issue I am thrilled. Now I loved how both main characters met and then that’s when some of the spice came in and it’s hard for me to decide how many 🌶️ to give this book because the first third of the book there wasn’t that much space but then once the spice started, it started getting spicy throughout the book show because this book still has plot. I’m gonna do three 🌶️. So all in all four ⭐️ and three 🌶️. If you need a good romance book that has plot and spice definitely pick this one up.

Holy crap! Ms. Vyk, this book was freaking fantastic! I read this one before reading the first and now I have to go back! I can’t believe that I haven’t read this until now! Marlee clearly has a lot to work through from her past but that doesn’t stop her from being a ray of sunshine! Sebastian is a sexy club owner who prefers to keep to himself. These two had great chemistry and I did not want to put this one down! Well done!!

it was a good read but almost got me in a slump
some parts took me a long time to read them
doesnt mean its not a good read
just not fitted for me

Thank you to NetGalley and Vyk Peters for providing me with an eARC of King of Clubs in return for my honest opinion!

I read King of Hearts last year, and was absolutely stoked to find out we were getting Marlee's story in King of Clubs. Marlee's situation was heavy hinted at in KoH, but we get a much deeper insight into the toxic and abusive relationship with Lucas that she escapes at the beginning of KoC. Full credit must go to Peter's on how much care she has taken with writing on such a heavy and triggering topic, I feel that she has given us a true insight into the strength and courage it takes to leave and recover from domestic abuse. It was inspiring to see Marlee's strength and growth throughout the book.

In terms of the relationship between Seb and Marlee, again this was beautifully done. They had clear chemistry from the start, and the spice was certainly spicy! The dynamic between these two is great, they were both learning how to become vulnerable with one another. Seb was beautiful with Marlee, the typical "looks scary" but is protective and thoughtful to his gal. I found myself crying happy tears for Marlee, she deserved to find happiness and to see what a healthy and happy relationship could be.

The ending was really intense, I did not see the plot twist coming at all! I feel that in KoC there has been set ups for at least another 3 couples in future books, so I cannot wait to see where this series goes next!

Absolutely loved this book! Vyk has become one of my favorite authors!!! I loved king of hearts and Marlee’s story was amazing. I was going through every emotion while reading king of clubs. I literally could not put it down it was so good.

There aren't many books that leave me at a loss for words. (To those new to my reviews that's a good thing) It was angsty and emotions definitely played a big role. I did find it cute and tugging at my heart a few times. I enjoyed this story, the characters and can't wait to find out more.

ARC Review of King of Clubs by Vyk Peters
* * * * *
A spectacular read that has me wanting to grab the first book and read the whole thing again! Steamy chemistry and sweet moments.

Today was the day.
Marlee has recently - and abruptly - left her abusive and toxic relationship. She's now focused on restarting her life, and trying to get back out there with the help of her best friend and therapy!
One fateful poker night, she is finally introduced to the handsome and quiet brooding Sebastian.
Instant chemistry.
Now neither of them can get each other out of their heads.
When Marlee's nasty past starts to come back into her life, and her safety is in question, Sebastian is all too happy to step in and save the day. What he didn't prepare for was...when was he going to let her go?

Fantastic read! Adding the first book onto my TBR and going to reread the whole series again! Chemistry was excellent. Characters were great. We are given a twist that has you given a double dose of crazy unstable just to keep things interesting on top of the hot steaminess between our MCs.

I believe the plot of the book was great. The relationship was amazing between Sebastian and Marlee. Marlee's character was super easy to relate to, and she was portrayed perfectly. I love me a bad boy, so Sebastian was right up my alley. The only negative thing I can say is that I could not get into the writing style of the author. I feel certain chapters were too descriptive where it would often lose me.

After reading King of Hearts I was ready for the next book in the series soon as it dropped. I was so happy to get an advanced copy of King of Clubs. I really liked Marlee in King of Hearts and I was so glad when it was announced the next book would be hers. I had a feeling it would be based on a sensitive subject due to how King of Hearts ended. This book is based on a domestic abuse survivor so if this is a trigger for you this is a warning. I really loved seeing Marlee become stronger throughout the book and become more of her old self with the added strength and growth. I enjoyed seeing her dynamic with Sebastian where she would let herself become vulnerable with him showing how much she trusted him. There are a few twists and turns in the 2nd half of the book which definitely kept you guessing and the detective in me got this one wrong.

I really liked that Arna & Andy were still included in the book a decent amount, I loved Marlee & Arna’s friendship and wish I had that myself.