I wasn’t able to finish this book. Because of this, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or on Goodreads/Amazon. I also didn’t mark it DNF.

A decent story, they writing was competent; I had trouble suspending belief though. Not a favorite, but I didn't hate it.

Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott sounded like the kind of book I was sure to love. A girl in hiding after her assassin parents disappear until a hit man attacks her and she has to go on the run? How exciting! But then,,, her boyfriend Oliver went with her? How can he even do that? And as I got further into the story and my questions started getting answered, things felt less and less plausible. If you can suspend enough disbelief, there is a lot of action and likeable characters in Pretty Fierce. It just didn't do as much for me as I had hoped.

I swapped my kindle back in 2018 and am unable to recover this title. I appriciate the opportunity that was given for review but sadly can't complete it for this title. Based on the other books by this author I am giving 3 Stars. Many thanks.

Oh, it was so great to read this book! I really enjoy Kieran Scott's writing, and this book sounded like a pretty intense kind of thriller mystery, and it totally was! Such a joy to read! I enjoyed this story of a kid who's the daughter of assassins and dealing with people trying to find her parents, trying to use her against her parents. It was so freaking great!

I really enjoyed the way that this story was told, we had piece after piece of the scene when Kaia lost her parents 18 months ago, in between scenes of the present. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, so I had to keep reading, and reading quickly!

Really enjoyed her and Oliver's relationship. And it's tested in this book, because she lied about her parents. And that he didn't tell her about his home life. Oh, and that she didn't want him to come along, because yeah, the situation was dangerous and he wasn't really prepared for it. They were a really great couple!

Oh, that ending! I mean, we had an idea that something was not as it was presented, that at least one of her parents was alive. But man, that ending was just incredible! Loved the reveals, loved the action, and yeah, I'm glad that the bad guy was taken down, because boy was he awful and dangerous!

Loved this book, it was a really fantastic read!

A decent YA story filled with thrills, twists and turns. Overall, a good book for the beach or airport. Not sure I would read this author again.

I liked this, didn't love it. I felt like it took a long time for anything to get going. I felt like the idea and characters had potential but sonething didn't quite gel for me as a reader.

I honestly don't remember much of this book and I kind of DNF'd it.

Got a physical copy of the book for an author signing and ended up DNFing the book.

I had a hard time with this one and did not finish reading it.

Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott is a huge disappointment for me. I was really looking forward to this book, and it just didn't live up to my expectation. The characters weren't that great and the story had so much promise. The good things is that the book was a super fast read.

I had high hopes for this book, but I was just a bit underwhelmed. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.

I haven’t read anything by Kieran Scott before now, although I have heard a lot of praise for writing over the years. I was pretty excited when I started reading Pretty Fierce, because spy thrillers are definitely my thing. I haven’t read one that I haven’t absolutely loved, so when I couldn’t sleep one night I started reading, hoping to fall in love with this one like I have with so many others in the same genre.

Unfortunately, while the book was mostly a good read, and it kept me entertained for the most part, I couldn’t get invested in the story or the characters the way that I wanted to. From the very start of the book, I couldn’t connect with the main characters, Kaia or Oliver. Kaia was a distant character, and I felt absolutely no connection to her while reading this book. Oliver, on the other hand, was more like a completely cookie-cutter character that I just couldn’t really get interested in. Together, their relationship felt like it really lacked chemistry, and as though it was staged or forced throughout the entirety of the novel. I love character driven novels, but for me, this one was more plot driven with characters that didn’t leave much of a lasting impact on me.

The story in Pretty Fierce, on the other hand, was definitely interesting. The main character, Kaia, is used to being on the run, since her parents are professional assassins. Because of this, she knows how to spot danger and how to stay away from it – going to extreme lengths to survive and keep herself out of it. However, after one of her parents’ jobs go wrong, she finds herself living without parents with another couple in hiding. When something goes wrong one day, and Kaia is attacked by a hit man, she hits the road and tries to get to the bottom of why she is being attacked. Her boyfriend, Oliver, who caught her fighting and demands to know everything, is along for the ride, causing Kaia to spill all of her secrets to him. While she tries to keep him safe, even attempting to abandon him so that they won’t be after him as well as her, Oliver seems to have his own secret.

While they are on the road, trying to figure out their next moves, Kaia and Oliver have killers trying to get to them everywhere they turn. When an interesting message on a cell phone turns up some information that Kaia almost can’t believe, things change for her – and it seems like maybe everything she thought she knew might not be what she believed.

Like I said, the story was pretty good – it definitely had its ups and downs, but all in all, it was enjoyable, incredibly fast-paced (almost too fast-paced at times), and it had its thrills. I think this book could have been a lot better had the characters been believable and better rounded. Kaia is the daughter of an assassin with secrets that she guards close to her heart, but honestly, that’s about the only thing about her that’s interesting. The remainder of her personality is somewhat dull and uninteresting. Oliver was okay, but nothing memorable here, either. The plot is what I remembered most about the book.

First off, this e-ARC had a lot of weird formatting, which made reading it a challenge at times. Nonetheless, Pretty Fierce started out strong for me. Main character Kaia has been living in hiding since the disappearance of her assassin parents. When she's suddenly attacked, she goes on the run with her confused boyfriend, Oliver, in tow.

The story was told in alternating first person, and my favorite part of this book was the relationship between Kaia and Oliver. His life is suddenly turned upside-down when his formerly normal girlfriend is suddenly a badass on the run. I liked the way that she assumed the stronger, more dominant role, and I thought his backstory was interesting.

The main problem I had with the book was that, once I learned who was chasing Kaia and why, it just all started seeming completely flimsy and wildly improbable. I wished that the story had been more about an ordinary girl who suddenly finds herself on the run -- like Roger Thornhill in Hitchcock's North by Northwest, a movie I was reminded of when reading Alex, Approximately -- but then I guess maybe that would have created a new improbability -- that Kaia wouldn't have had the skills to survive.

tl;tr: If you can snag a physical copy and get past some improbable stuff, this book did have a lot of action and suspense and an appealing couple.

pretty fierce by kieran scott was a great quick read.

i loved that this wasn’t a typical helpless girl/heroic boy YA novel. our protagonist, kaia, literally does not NEED anyone’s help it would seem – until she does, but that is not til waaaaay late in the book! i loved pretty much everything about kaia and her supporting cast.

the plot was fast paced, fairly believable, and pretty well developed. i thought there were a few details that seemed a little rushed or came as a surprise, but it wasn’t enough to bother me or deter me from reading the rest of the book!

while i love, love, love a good YA love story, i really appreciated that this was a rough-and-tumble adventure with a kick-ass heroine.

i would absolutely read more books with kaia as the heroine and think this could definitely be book 1 in a series.

4/5 stars from this girl!

A non-stop, rollercoaster ride of a read! Pretty Fierce was a lot of fun, if not 100% realistic and believable at all times :) Still, Kaia and Oliver were easy to root for, and needing to see them through to the last page--they'd get an HEA, surely?--kept me reading this one until late in the night. Who was after them? Why? What had happened to Kaia's parents, and was her relationship with Oliver just too good to be true?

Thank goodness this was a standalone, because if I had had to finish this one not knowing stuff, it wouldn't have been pretty ;)

This was my first book from Ms. Scott, but probably not my last!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Pretty Fierce by Kieran Scott is described as an action movie in written form, so naturally I was intrigued. I have not read anything Scott (or her pen name Kate Brian) has written before and I was unsure what I was going to get. What I got surprised me in good ways. Super action packed, with the requisite good boy, hiding a secret, love interest and lots and lots of twists.

The plot of Pretty Fierce was pure adrenaline. When you have a girl raised by world class assassins who disappear, bad guys on her tail and a dreamy small town boy you have on heck of a plot. I enjoyed the writing of Kieran Scott. She was able to convey a lot of imagery with her words and she created a very real world, that while completely fictional made complete sense in the scope of the story. The pacing was wicked fast with a few flashbacks to help fill out our knowledge of the characters. There were high emotions in the story and it helped amp up the danger quotient. Now to the characters; I loved some and hated others with nary an in-between. First the loves, Kaia was a spunky spitfire who just wanted to be normal but has every capability to be a bad ass. Oliver is the boyfriend hiding his own secrets while trying to get close to Kaia; Oliver was a delight. Now the bad, every adult!! Seriously they were all so consumed with their lives and their perceptions (other than the two who seemed great but were snuffed out pretty quickly) that they were flat out obnoxious. I know it’s fictional but seriously when you are a trained killer you don’t do Take Your Daughter to Work Day.

I was almost finished with Pretty Fierce and thought that there was no way the story could end with the (Kindle estimated) 17 minutes left to read. I am both happy and sad I was wrong. It was a showdown to the finish that never slowed or even paused, but I really like the characters and would have been okay with a giant cliffhanger ending for a book two. The only thing that drove me nuts was that the ebook version had some formatting issues that made it difficult to read until I got used to it. This may have been my first Kieran Scott book, but it will not be my last.

Pretty Fierce, by new to me author Kieran Scott, is a standalone thrill ride from beginning to end. The story has plenty of action, suspense, and twists to keep you entertained. The story's protagonist is Kaia Thompson, who has the backbone, courage, and training necessary to back up her moxie. (18) months ago, Kaia's world turned upside down when her parents disappeared while on a job in Mexico.

Kaia's parents, who are assassins recruited and trained by the CIA, disappeared and were presumed to be dead after a mission goes sideways. Kaia and her parents moved around constantly and stayed out of the public eye as much as possible for fear of their past catching up with them. Yet, when things go wrong, and someone catches them off guard, Kaia has no choice but to move on without her parents.

This leads Kaia to Charleston where pseudo parents Bess & Henry look after Kaia. Flash forward to the present where Kaia has found herself being a normal HS student who just happens to love skate boarding and even has her very own supportive and loving boyfriend in Oliver Lange. That is until she is knocked unconscious by a man looking for Kaia's mother. Kaia's attack is interrupted by Oliver who just happens to walk in while Kaia is being attacked and saves her life.

Kaia and Oliver's journey across country trying to stay one step ahead of those attempting to capture or kill Kaia takes up a large part of this story, but it isn’t something that can be taken out. Kaia’s attack launches a whole lot of questions. Is Kaia’s mother Elena Thompson still alive? Did she intentionally leave Kaia behind to her own devices? If so, where is her father while all of this is happening? The better question being if they are both alive, then why did they leave Kaia alone for over a year?

Oliver has his own skill set folks, so don't ignore his part in this story. You'll be sorry! I actually liked Oliver because he is genuine is his carrying for his foster brother, as well as his desire not to stand by and let bad things happen to Kaia even while she tries to push him away to save him from harm. He could give two figs about his foster parents, once of which is abusive, while the other is pretty awful. There is a bit of romance that slips through now and again, but it isn't one that overwhelms the story.

Pretty Fierce is told in flashbacks to Kaia's past, and alternates with her attempt to get to the bottom of why there are so many people chasing after her in the present. Unfortunately, because of the numerous run on words & sentences narrated by Oliver, I didn't get to enjoy this book as much I would have liked. I don't know why this copy was sent out to those who requested it with so many glaring errors. When you read Kaia's narrative, there are zero mistakes, or run on sentences, and words. Really strange. Perhaps I will try a finished copy one of these days, and just read Oliver’s POV.

I am going to start this review with a little bit of a side note, a little challenge that a reader who purchases a finished copy should not have, but something that may have colored my review just a tad. I am really disappointed to say that the advanced reader copy sent out was terribly formatted. Entire sentences were run together with no spacing between the words. Again, this isn't something (I hope) anyone who buys a finished copy will deal with but trying to read these smashed together words and sentences made for quite a few challenges. I honestly never bring up problems with advanced copies; I completely understand that when you are gifted one of these books there will be some challenges, misspellings, some small formatting issues, etc. The issues in this copy however were severe and as I mentioned above may be coloring my review because I found it so challenging to read, to stay in the moment, to grasp everything that was going on.

Okay, with that said lets get to the actual story. Pretty Fierce is a YA Suspense full of action and adventure and a completely sweet romance that is perfect for the younger age range of YA readers. I love the concept behind this story, a young teenage girl who has lived a more than unusual life with parents who are hired assassins. You feel completely torn up for her when both her parents are 'killed' and she herself ends up on the run and thrown into a 'normal' teenage life...that is until her past starts to catch up to her and tries to kill her too. I loved all the action and adventure, all the twists and turns even when things got way out of hand and down right unbelievable at times. There were a number of things that you have to take with a grain of salt, but that's pretty much the truth of any suspense book I have ever read...Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher land in these situations that make me scratch my head all the time so two teenagers on the run from multiple threats, anything can and does happen.

While I like Kaia just fine I was totally over the moon with Oliver. He's this broken boy striving to make his world better. He is literally fighting for his life on a regular basis and just trying to make it until he can escape the dark place he has landed in all while trying to protect the people he loves. I could have used more of his story, more depth and detail....heck I could use an entire second book that goes into what happens after this one ends, what happens to Oliver. We know that Kaia in the end is going to be okay and there are hints that Oliver will be too, but there is a lot of story left to be told when it comes to this hero and his future.

I liked that this story had a kick ass Heroine but that the Hero could and did stand next to her when she needed him most. Neither of these two main characters would ever let themselves be taken by surprise but together they made an awesome team, even when you wanted to shake Oliver for his moments of self-doubt and Kaia for her many moments of being self-absorbed. I loved their reactions to everything going on around them the most. I loved that even though this crazy insanity is occurring, people are coming at the two of them from every angle and they don't know if they will live another day they don't come across as two super secret agents who know everything. They are two teens who have ultimately had unusual and at times dangerous upbringings. Their lives up to this point have nurtured them into two people who have skills that will help them survive but they are still teens who have no idea what's really happening. They are two teens who are scared and on the run, but they have each other and they for the most part work together to stay alive and to solve the mystery of who is after Kaia.

I really wish the ending hadn't come as quickly as it did. There was a lot of build up and action in the first 60% percent of the book and then the last 30% came at you fast and furious. Before you know it is is over and honestly I still have a lot of questions, like I mentioned above with Oliver. Now, I could be totally wrong and there could end up being a second (or more) book, but I didn't get that vibe and that was a complete bummer. Olivier and Kaia could easily find themselves in one sticky situation after another, we could get more detail on Kaia's parents, more about what they decide to do in the future, let's go back to more about what happens to Oliver...hint, hint.

There is a lot of good about this story, I think it will totally appeal to the younger YA crowd and that's a great thing as a lot of YA these days is skimming into areas that as a parent you may not want your younger teens falling into yet. There is romance, there is death, there is abuse, there is fear but none of it is so in your face or over the top that it would be too much for a young teen who is really just now starting to notice 1. the opposite sex and 2. the reality that the world can be a harsh and hurtful place. It's also going to be an enjoyable action read for older teens who maybe need a break from all the deep dark books that are out there these days, (books I love, do not get me wrong, haha) when they need something to sit back and relax with, get through quickly, enjoy, and be able to walk away satisfied with their read. If you or a reader in your house or school room like suspense/mystery this could be a great choice for you. If you are fans of Ally Carter and her Gallagher Girls or Embassy Row series, give this one a go. I won't say it is quite as dynamic but it has all the components and makes for a quick enjoyable read. So if you are a fan of fast paced, plot (even when it is completely unrealistic...but then again like I said before, just think Bourne and Reacher....) driven, sweet romances, snatch up a copy and... ~ Happy Reading ~

I really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately, this is a case where being dumped straight into the action didn't work. Normally I want to jump right in but for this story to catch me, I needed to care more about the characters to have a sense of fear.