Riot Rules, the second book in the Crooked Sinners series by Callie Hart, is live!
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Blurb
CARRIE
You think you know me, but you’re wrong.
You look at me and see Carrie, the girl with the wild hair and the wild clothes.
Reliable Carrie. Friendly. Quirky. Perhaps a little strange.
What do you really know about me, though?
The details of my past are up for debate.
I’ve been careful to hide my sins, and even more careful to follow the rules.
I do as I’m told. I keep to myself. I don’t mess around with boys, and I’m always ready to run.
At least that’s what I tell myself, anyway.
Since I met him, I’ve broken every single rule in the book.
He’s impossible. Arrogant. Terrifying.
If I’m not careful, Wolf Hall’s golden boy will do more than make me break the rules. He’ll wind up breaking me.
DASH
First, they hate me, then they hate themselves for wanting me. That’s how it always goes.
I’m the smart one. The charming one. The guy with the accent that makes girls go weak at the knees. As a resident of Riot House, I’m destined to rule Wolf Hall. Doesn’t matter where you come from. How much money you have. What your future holds. Cross the path of a Riot House Boy and you’re guaranteed to pay the price.
The girl isn’t special. She’s just another cog, turning in the wheel. So why, then, am I protecting her? And why am I keeping her a secret?
Call me a monster.
Call me a fiend.
Call me reprehensible.
Call me Lord Dashiell Lovett IV.
*Riot Rules is book two in the Crooked Sinners Series. It is a complete 135,000 word story that can be read as a standalone, or in conjunction with the other books in the series.
Review
5 stars!
Another amazing read from Callie Hart! The second book in the Crooked Sinners series, this is a mature YA romance that is raw, dramatic and emotional, with moments of darkness and a bit of a forbidden feel. I am so in love with these strong yet vulnerable characters, and the love story completely captured my heart. This book brought all the feels, and I freaking loved it!
As I said, this is the second book of the series, but it can be read as a standalone. The first book of the series, Riot House, showed us that something went down Dash and Carrie, this book explores their relationship in great detail. And if you thought you knew – you have no idea! Set way before the start of the first book, we get to see Dash and Carrie meet and fall in mad, intense, first love, through the events of Riot House, and shortly after. It’s an all-encompassing story that is so much more than I expected, and I was captivated from start to finish.
Lord Dashiell Lovett IV (aka ‘Dash’) is one of the three spoiled rich boys who live in ‘Riot House’, on the grounds of an exclusive boarding school. He and his two best friends, Wren (hero of book #1) and Pax, rule the school as “The Dark Lord, the Sun God and The Anarchist” – wealthy, gorgeous, arrogant and spoiled they get whatever and whoever they want, and they entertain themselves by playing silly games at the expense of the rest of the students of Wolf Hall, never allowing themselves to get close to anybody outside of their trio. But there is so much more to this bad boy than meets the eye.
People make assumptions about me. They assume I’m a good boy. They assume, because of my heritage and my upbringing, that I’m a gentleman, and they couldn’t be more wrong. I, ladies and gentlemen, am a fuck up. I like to scheme. I like to fuck. I like to set things on fire just to watch them burn.
Carrie is a student at Wolf Hall (and eventually becomes good friends with Elodie, heroine of Riot House). Smart, sensible, bold and brave, she is hiding a huge secret, and the reveal of her backstory is tragic and dramatic – and delightfully ties in to another of Carrie’s much-loved series, which I thought was a fantastic twist!
Dash and Carrie have attended Wolf Hall together for years, but haven’t really crossed paths before. And from the moment Dash lays eyes on her for real, he is smitten. Carrie is already crushing on Dash, so when he starts paying attention to her, she’s partly thrilled, but also partly wary, knowing that she would be in the firing line of his twisted best friends if he pays her any attention. Her fears are warranted, and Dash knows it, and he also knows that his vicious upbringing has left its mark on him. So, we get this delicious push and pull as the two of them flirt and banter, and fight their attraction, and the chemistry is sensational!
“Of course I fucking want you. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my entire life. I wanna corrupt you so fucking bad, it hurts.”
The attraction between Dash and Carrie is just fantastic. It’s palpable, it’s dripping with feels, and I adored each and every moment with them together.
“Whatever you give light to will grow, Dash. Feed something and it’ll flourish. Care enough and the fragile thing in your hands will strengthen. I have faith that you’ll give me what you can until there’s more of it to give. That’s all.”
Jesus fucking Christ. I’m in way over my head here, and I have not been good enough in this life to have earned a second of this girl’s attention, but I’m going to take it, because an opportunity like this doesn’t come around twice.
Their love story develops easily and naturally, and when they allow it to happen, it’s so, so beautiful. Sweet, meaningful and blisteringly passionate, they become everyone to each other, and they provide each other with peace and calm when they are both living with such personal torment.
“I’m so in love with you, Carina Mendoza. I feel like I might die.”
But for many reasons, they have to keep their relationship a secret, adding to the devastating secrets that they are already hiding. And when all is revealed, it will change everything for our two young lovers, bringing devastation, and a whole lot of heartache.
“Whatever fucking madness happens next…you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
It’s at this point of the story that we get to the timeline of the first book of the series, and watching those events play out from a different perspective was really intriguing. Again, you don’t have to have those details before starting this book, but the whole mystery/suspense storyline is only briefly touched on in this one – which means it’s not repetitive for fans of the series, but newbies will still know what’s going on. I loved watching the two storylines come together, and seeing Dash and Carrie figure themselves out and claim the future that they want.
“I never wanted to make you cry. I wanted to love you, and I still do.”
I was really happy with the ending, but I would have loved just a little bit more. After all Dash and Carrie went through, I wanted to see more of the happy, but it still put a smile on my face, and left my heart feeling full.
I loved this book so much. I loved Dash and Carrie as characters, I loved exploring who they are and their individual journeys as they grew and developed. There’s lots of time spent with their friends, and I particularly liked getting to see more of Pax, who I’m hoping will be the hero of the next book. These boys are the kinds of characters you should hate, yet I cannot get enough of them and their stories. It’s a uniquely dark and complex storyline, and it’s so addictive – this book is a behemoth, and is Callie’s longest, but I couldn’t put it down, and I wasn’t ready for it to be over.
Such a fantastic read, this one gave me all the feels, and a beautiful, beautiful love story.
5 stars!
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Crooked Sinners
Riot House (#1) (Wren & Elodie)
Review
Buy: Amazon | Paperback
Riot Rules (#2) (Dash & Carrie)
Review
Buy: Amazon
About the Author
Callie Hart is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary and dark romance. Her Blood & Roses Series is currently being translated into multiple languages all over the world. Having spent the last seven years living in Australia, Callie now calls Los Angeles
home, where she enjoys hiking, spending time at the beach, daily hot yoga classes, and generally pretending to be a hipster.
Callie is often asked, ‘What is dark romance?’ Her reply is always the same: Dark romance is a story that makes you fall for the anti-hero. It is a story that will make you walk a tightrope, question your sanity, and have you checking your moral compass at the door. If you love a good story about a very bad boy, then dark romance is for you.’ Under her legal name, Frankie Rose, Callie writes young adult fiction that has been globally recognized, and has received numerous awards for her ‘Halo’ series.
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