Thank you to Lexi Davis & Hayling Bookstorm Ltd. for sending me a copy to read and review. This is my honest & unbiased review.
*Images and the synopsis are provided with permission from Hayling Bookstorm Ltd. & Lexi Davis.
Synopsis:
Laurel just wanted to survive college, keep her father fed, and fly under the radar. Delivering pizzas was supposed to be the safe kind of side hustle, until the night she witnessed a murder at Ashford House, the most elite and secretive fraternity on campus. Now she’s a prisoner of The Order, a blood-bound society that controls everything from politics to police. They rule with ritual, obedience, and violence, and they’ve decided Laurel doesn’t get to leave.
At the center of it all is Carrson Ashford, heir to the powerful Ashford legacy. Cold. Commanding. Infuriatingly magnetic. Under the rules of The Order, he “bonds” her, marking Laurel as his. Body. Mind. Soul. But Laurel isn’t here to be claimed. Not without a fight.
To save her father and her future, Laurel must navigate a twisted realm of initiation rites, brutal secrets, and a bond that may destroy them both. In this world, there’s one rule: obey or die. But love doesn’t follow rules. And neither does Laurel.
Content Warnings:
Graphic physical violence & injury
Death (on-page)
Blood & gore
Su1ci1de (off-page)
Su1c1dal ideation
Child abuse (emotional & physical)
Psychological manipulation & coercion
Public sex & voyeurism
Explicit sexual content with complex power dynamics
Loss of virginity via prostitution (off-page)
Rape/SA (referenced in flashbacks)
Cult-like ideology & toxic loyalty tests
PTSD symptoms, nightmares, & emotional dissociation
Toxic masculinity, neglectful parenting, & elite social hierarchies
Underage drinking & drug use
Themes of betrayal, control, obsession, & moral ambiguity
Tropes:
Morally Grey MMC/Characters
College Secrets
Forced Proximity
One Bed
Enemies to Lovers
Genres/Sub-Genres:
Southern Gothic
Dark Academia
Twisted Romance
Spice Level:
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Review:
Ooh boy! Did this story start with a bang!
Guys! When I tell you that I’m not a dark romance girlie, I truly am not. It’s very much out of my comfort zone. I find it very hard to read and get into. But I think I have found my perfect combo of sub-genres. Give me more Southern Gothic Dark Academia vibes, and I’m hooked! As I was reading, I could really see myself as Laurel. No, I have never found myself in a situation like hers, but she takes no shit. She doesn’t let anyone tell her what to do, and she fights back. She is empathetic, maybe to her detriment at times, and she can see these people for who they really are…scared kids who don’t know any different than what they were taught. I loved that Laurel showed Carrson that there’s always another way and that he doesn’t have to live the way he’s living now.
Now to Carrson. I really wanted to hate him, and I did for a while there. But soon I started to realize that he’s just a scared kid who is afraid to question authority and the world he was born into…The Order. Oof, The Order. This society was giving me Skull & Crossbones. The whole time I was reading, I was picturing this movie I watched years ago that starred Joshua Jackson. In it, he was trying to join this secret rowing, skull & crossbones team. The movie is dark and moody the whole time, and reading about The Order gave me the same vibes.
Finally, that cliffhanger was DIABOLICAL!!! I need more of this story, Lexi!
Check out my latest ARC review!
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