“Mother. Of. All. Angst. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is rip-your-hair-out frustrating and full of depth and emotion.” – Lana, DG Romance.From #1 Amazon Bestseller L.J. Shen comes a new, emotional standalone about first love, second chances, and overcoming breathtaking losses at a young age.Vaughn Spencer. They call him an angry god. To me, he is nothing but a heartless prince. His …
To me, he is nothing but a heartless prince.
His parents rule this town, its police, every citizen and boutique on Main Street.
All I own is a nice, juicy grudge against him for that time he almost killed me.
Between hooking up with a different girl every weekend, breaking hearts, noses and rules, Vaughn also finds the time to bully little ole’ me.
I fight back, tooth and nail, never expecting him to chase me across the ocean after we graduate high school.
But here he is, living with me in a dark, looming castle on the outskirts of London.
A fellow intern. A prodigal sculptor. A bloody genius.
They say this place is haunted, and it is.
Carlisle Castle hides two of our most awful secrets.
Vaughn thinks he can kill the ghosts of his past, but what he doesn’t know? It’s my heart he’s slaying.
Angry God is a stand-alone, DARK High School Romance. It deals with sensitive subjects some may find triggering.
★★★★★
“Buckle up and enjoy the ride, because you’re not coming out the same way you went in. A top 2020 read hands down.” Helena Hunting, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
★★★★★
“Heartbreakingly beautiful, awe-inspiring, and gut-wrenching, Angry God is a unique masterpiece that will leave you gasping for air and crying for more. LJ Shen is in a league of her own and this book and series will forever leave a mark on your soul.” Rachel Brookes, Bestselling author
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Jam packed full of angst, sexual tension, in the setting of HS, a bully romance for the ages.
This book. THIS BOOK. I don’t think I could have prepared myself for this rollercoaster ride of emotions even if I tried. Every time I think LJ Shen has written my favourite book by her, tops it with the next one. Angry God has all the angst, the emotion and incredible writing that I’ve come to expect and love from LJ. This story pushes boundaries, it broke my damn heart, it made me fall in love with Vicious all over again. The heroine is badass, strong and the perfect pairing for this broken, damaged hero. It’s been months since I read Angry God and I still think about these characters and that is the mark of a memorable, beautifully written story.
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WRITE THIS REVIEW?
I’m gonna keep it short because my head and heart are a mess of feels and all I want to do is finish writing this review so I can dive right back in. Here we go…
Vaughn Spencer was everything I wanted and more. He is his father’s son and yet he’s so much more. He’s dark, tortured, and even savage. I couldn’t love him more!
Lenora was truly his other half. The girl didn’t back down. Her strength, talent, and heart were a perfect contrast and match to Vaughn’s. We love Lenora!
We also got glimpses of Emilia and Daddy Vicious and holy forking shirt it was THE. MOTHER. EFFIN. BEST!
This book was everything. EVERY SINGLE THING. It’s the best in the series. Yes, the best one. Hands down. Period.
My bookish heart is sad that the Todos Santos world is done, but also so happy about what we’ve gotten from it. Pretty, broken sinners, vicious saints, and reckless demi-gods all of them a little ruckus, a lot scandalous, and ready to defy life, love, and each other.
All the damn stars.
Stories are written to evoke emotions. Stories are written to take you into a world with unforgettable characters and words that leave a mark. Have you ever read a story that leaves you breathless? Have you ever read a story that scars a part of your heart? A story that gives you an indescribable feeling. A story that lights a fire in your soul. A story that makes you kinda crazy. That story is Angry God. A beautiful story. A heart tilting story. An incredible literary masterpiece with heart plunging characters and words that melt deeply inside me. Angry God enchanted my heart.
My heart is open. My heart is splintered. L.J. Shen opened the flood gates of my heart and ruined every single part of it. Angry God is literary magic. Every word, every scene and every character casts a spell on me. A spell with the power to move my heart. A spell that shakes every fibre of my being. A spell that rocks my world. Sensational. Unique. Seducing. Angry God unravelled my soul. Angry God took me on a whirlwind spin into a dark, rich and phenomenal story. What have you done, LJ. Shen? You made me a prisoner to your beautiful world of Todos Santos featuring a flawed, broken and heartless alpha and his leading lady. Heart Curling. Soul Bending. Astounding. Angry God is an out of the box romance with an effortless story that takes you on an emotional spin. Angsty. Heartbreaking. Soul crushing. A delicious read with a bewitching story bordering on crazy, volatile, dangerous, tragic, broken and passionate love. An enemies to lovers story with a fresh and slightly insane twist. I am enamoured. I am forever enchanted. L.J. Shen is the queen of angst and her world of asshole alphas, strong and sassy heroines and layered, heart tingling stories is her kingdom. I bow down to her magnificence.
L.J. Shen truly never writes a bad character. Each and every character she has ever written, I fell head over heels in love with them. Vaughn…Heartless King. Powerful. Dangerous. Vaughn dominated my heart. I waited for his story. It was truly worth it. Broken. Flawed. Vaughn caused a huge earth shattering destruction in my heart. I wasn’t ready for him. I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught. What an attack. My poor heart. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Only Vaughn deserves a heroine who can be his queen. Enter Lenora, a strong, sassy, crazy, and talented heroine who dazzled me. Man, I loved Lenora. She was different and full of conviction. Vaughn and Lenora caused fireworks, butterflies and earthquakes deep in my heart. Absolutely scorching and decadent.
Read Angry God. IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!
4.5 Artsy Stars!
You CANNOT read a book by this author without experiencing a wide range of emotions.
Vaughn’s story was dark.
His journey was wrought with pain and a torment that was soul deep. His indifference towards outsiders has NOTHING on the love he has for those closest to him even though he covers it with a frosty demeanor.
Lenora, a form of darkness all her own, is the missing piece to Vaughn’s puzzle. How can dark + dark = light?
You’re going to have to read this powerful story to find out!
„Angry God” is nothing we thought that we know. This book is sweet and bitter story about the youngest Spencer. This book is like a wind. You can read it, feel it, but it will be still untouchable for you.
The events in „Angry God” have perfect connection and reader is in more shock, from page to page. No opinion will tell you about the destruction which „Angry God” provides. In this story everything change like seasons on the Earth and we can be inside all of it, but only watching. Secrets, revenge, hate, love, family, truth and the most important sensitivity. All of these made this book so perfect, so beautiful and so heartbreaking.
Chapeau bas L.J. Shen – I wrote those words in my review of „Broken Knight”. In those days, I thought there was nothing to break through the Knight’s and Luna’s story. But I was so fucking wrong.
„Angry God” is everything. This book is a story about broken boy and a strong girl whos help him to find himself. You must read this and I guarantee that you will love this book so much than I love „Angry God”.
A Dark romance that will hold you captive through out the whole story. Our bad boy Vaugh, will take you on a roller coaster of emotions from loathe to love. Lenora the strong willed girl is definitely the hero in my book strong, holding her ground when it begins to fall from underneath. Their push and pull banter is what make this book addictive and hooking you from the very beginning.
Karina Hale has given us a story line that will evoke strong emotions. What Vaugh and Len have to battle through will make you love them even more, both healing the other making them stronger than the ever were alone. A power filled story with powerful feelings, get ready, Vaugh is barreling through your heart and soul.
Rating:
Angry, dark, mysterious, and totally hot God meets good girl gone bad!
I’ve been waiting for Vaughn’s story since the first book in the All Saints High series came out. Vicious was one of the most compelling characters in the Sinners of Saints series and the story of his romance with Vaughn’s Mother Emilia was a great hate to love, bully romance before the current trend of bully romance books started to blow up recently.
Vaughn has been very mysterious in the first two books, they portray him much the same as in the early parts of this book. He is one of the hottest guys in the school, and all the girls want him. They are more attracted because he really doesn’t care about anyone or anything except his art. He hangs out with his friends Hunter and Knight and he chooses different girls to give him oral at parties or even in school, not caring if other people are around. Vaughn isn’t willing to return the favor to the girls but they keep getting in line for him.
This book goes into his background to when Vaughn meets a girl named Lenora (a.k.a Lenny) on a family vacation when he is young. Vaughn and Lenny meet once more after that at a prestigious art summer program, then she moves to Todos Santos for her senior year of high school at All Saints High. I like the way this book is told in both Vaughn and Lenora’s point of view because Vaughn’s inner commentary is pretty funny, actually both of theirs are.
Vaughn has some issues with something Lenny saw during that summer art program. Lenny says at one point that she doesn’t get why Vaughn made such a big deal about it because it really wasn’t anything to be embarrassed over. Vaughn and Lenny seem to have a connection or fascination with each other because of the shared secret, or maybe because of some electricity or attraction between them that night after he chased her down.
Though neither Vaughn nor Lenny wants to admit it that they feel anything for each other. Every time Vaughn catches himself staring at Lenny, thinking about her, or telling other guys to stay away from her he justifies to himself that it isn’t because he feels anything at all about her. His inner commentary gets funnier the more he gets to know Lenny as their friendship has ups and downs.
“He came to her room every night.
Not that I was keeping tabs or anything.
I was just in the neighborhood when it happened.
And by in “the neighborhood,” I mean in her hallway, lurking.
And by “in her hallway, lurking,” I mean clearly I needed professional help, an intervention, and a fucking life. I found myself standing behind a Louise Bourgeois statue for hours daily, waiting like some kind of a rabid Belieber.”
Vaughn and Lenny seemed to have one of those kind of love stories that was fated or meant to be. It was like sine the time they met as children they always belonged to each other and nobody else. I like that kind of story. I really enjoyed their struggle in this book, the mystery and the journey throughout the story
Angry God is live and free with Kindle Unlimited! This book is a dark, standalone bully romance. Recommended for readers 18+. If you love a good bully romance, look no further!
Are you ready for the pain and passion that is Vaughn Spencer? You might think so, but trust me, you’re not. He has more layers than anyone could imagine, and every one is carefully, painstakingly revealed as his story unfolds. LJ Shen is a masterful storyteller. Her words weave their way through a reader and stay with you long after the book is done. This book is one of her best.
The depth of this story is boundless. The emotion and angst of the characters is immense. Good girl Lenny and cold, angry god Vaughn are tied together by circumstances that could break them both…it almost broke me. I thought Broken Knight was the ultimate tear-filled read, and then Angry God came along. Vaughn is a fighter, a survivor, and a blackhearted hero of sorts. His story tore MY black heart to shreds.
For those of us who hoped Lenny was the heroine of this tale, we were right. She’s everything Vaughn doesn’t know he needs…everything. Strong-willed, compassionate, and smart, she grows into her own as the story progresses. I love her fierce spirit so much.
This was a 5 star read from start to finish. It’s the perfect, bittersweet finale for the Hotholes and Totholes.
I can’t even right now! I was intrigued by Vaughn in “Broken Knight” but I am blown away by him now, after reading “Angry God”! Awesome story line, amazing characters, terrific chemistry of relationships. I love Pretty Reckless and Broken Knight…but Angry God is on another level. Really Fantastic Read!!!! If you haven’t read it yet…you are missing out.
Angry God is the much anticipated 2020 release by L J Shen. I absolutely adore the brutal savagery of Shen’a characters that make them so utterly addictive.
Vaughan is moody, sullen and has one mission in life, to ensure that no one ever likes Lenora Astalis. After all, she is the girl that knows his biggest, deepest and most darkest secret, and the girl that wouldn’t disappear from his mind.
Lenora is the girl who grew a backbone, finally choosing to fight against Vaughan’s brutal bullying, whilst not being able to deny how much she loved having just a fraction of his attention.
Together they are fiery and wild, their love animalistic and it makes them do things and push one another to the point that neither anticipates. If Lenora is a game, then Vaughan will be the only one to play her, and he very much demands to have the upper hand.
When he accepts an internship that Lenora has pinned her hopes and dreams on, it feels like an all out war, but there’s a fine line between love and hate.
This book is incredible, and so well-written. It deals with the harsh reality of abuse, and i found it empowering. None of Shen’s characters are perfect, but they draw you in and have you questioning your morality. I love how deeply passionate and possessive the love between Vaughan and Lenora was, and I just couldn’t get enough of these two wonderful characters.
This is a book where there’s too much to say, but nothing would give it the full justice it deserves. Completely amazing and ideal for those who love bully romances, and those which are darker and hotter.
4.5 Stars
I need you to take every thing you think this book is going to be and throw it out the window. It is so much more than a bully romance. It is so heart breaking and can be hard to read at times. It is super emotional. Strength, power, love, hate, passion, possession, devastation, vengeance, heartache, love love love love love. All these emotions and so many more are showcased in this story. Vaughn and Lenora are the best kind of enemies to lovers. We have two broken people who share a raw passion for their art and ultimately for each other. They are a couple who are destined for one another. The quote below describes them perfectly. All I can say is that I love Vaughn and Lenora with all my heart. Vaughn is angry and he as every right to be. Lenny is a fighter and won’t back down from Vaughn. I did not want to put Vaughn and Lenora down. I read this in one sitting. This is an emotionally draining book that can make you go into a book slump for sure but this couple is worth it. The ending is so beautiful and wonderful and so perfect. Leigh writes some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful stories. I am forever in love with this couple!
“Our love was so much more than love. It stripped us of pride and anger and hate and insecurities. We were bare and beautiful and pure when we were together.”
P.S. I am forever in Love with the cover. He is so gorgeous.
Angry God is yet another wonderful addition to the All Saints High series. I can’t say it was my favorite of the series but learning the ins and outs of Vaughn Spencer was definitely worth the read. I recommend reading it – can’t go wrong with LJ Shen!
This book was everything I hoped for and OMG… so much more! There’s loads I want to say about this book, but I don’t want to spoil it for those of you who haven’t read it yet, so here goes and hopefully I do it justice!
Vaugh Spencer is…… an incredibly interesting and absolutely fascinating character. I seriously could not get enough of him. He is fire and ice (a burning sun on the inside, with an icy and coldhearted exterior), and he is so very angry – the ultimate Angry God. He’s had vengeance on his mind since the age of 13 and has been meticulously planning every aspect and detail of his revenge so very, very carefully.
Lenora Astalis is the ultimate “Good Girl”. She follows all the rules, gets good grades at school and never gets into trouble, until she has to return to Todos Santos to complete her final year of high school. Lenny becomes your ultimate bad ass doesn’t-give-a-damn heroine. She the only girl at All Saints High who doesn’t throw herself at Vaughn and actually finds him repulsive. When the two of them get together, sparks fly everywhere and the chemistry between them, explosive!
I seriously had no idea what to expect from this final book in this series, having jumped into it blindly. This story is deliciously dark, with so many unexpected twists and turns, you get sucked into the vortex of the storyline and there’s no going back. I love that Baron “Vicious” Spencer and Emilia LeBlanc-Spencer feature in this book too. It highlighted the closeness of the Spencer family and reiterated why I LOVE Vicious so much. He fights and protects what is his and God help the person who messes with his family.
This book is one of my ultimate favourites of this Series (with Vicious being my favourite ). I am always drawn to dark broody characters and Vaughn Spencer is certainly one of them. Thank you LJ Shen for this amazing book and fantastic series! Go give it a read and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!
Vaughn Spencer was more than I expected. I expected a mini Vicious and yes, he had all the brooding qualities as Daddy Spencer but he was definitely his own person. His traumatic past wasn’t what I expected and it broke my heart. Vaughn met his match with Lenore. Everything Vaughn threw at her, she wasn’t afraid to throw back at him and it made for a great, dysfunctional kind of love story. I loved it!
Holy freaking cannelloni man, speechless over here!! Angry God was everything I expected from the amazing pen of L.J Shen. when I first read Vicious, LJ established in my mind a way of writing, it was dark, intense, and very bold with a lot of surprising scenarios, now after many years and many books Angry God is the perfect example of how L.J captivated me for the first time. With her way of taking us in a roller coaster of emotions and a journey that will not be peaceful but always gratifying.
Angry God is the story of Vaughn a character that at first we didn’t understand, his life was very secretive, nobody really knew what he was hiding or why he was the way he was.. quiet, angry and very determine to make the life of others a living hell until he finally got what he wanted. as the story continues we start to understand why Vaughn has been the way he is and slowly we start to finally see his true self.
I’m so glad I went completely blind and I didn’t read any reviews or comments about this magnificent book, I enjoy the story so much, every single second, the pain, the tears, the laugher, the wonderful chemistry of the main characters but mainly the story was one big mountain of emotions that kept coming from everywhere and every scenario Vaughn and Leonora were going through.
Leonora was a great heroine, she really was perfect for Vaughn, she wasn’t naive or airheaded she always knew what she wanted and whom she wanted in life. she has the power to destroy the people who really love her but also has the power to save them and make them feel more alive.
“You came before art. Before life. Definitely before hate.”
Two characters that were perfectly blended in this story, their past and memories made them closer and even allies of moving forward in this terribly dark world they have been living in. making them perfect together and finally, to be able to survive everything that life has been throwing at them.
The chemistry between Vaughn and Leonora was amazing, no matter how much both tried to pretend there was nothing in there, you could feel them no matter what.
Many great things to say about this book, the secondary characters were also amazing, they gave so much depth to the story and the heroes, we also get to see many of the previous characters we love so much and that really put the story in another new level.
Angry God for me is the return of LJ’s roots, it is very tasteful, very raw and very realistic, it is why I started reading her books, and it is the reason why I will always continue looking for her work.
I can’t wait for the next book by LJ I’m a huge fan of her work and I love immersing myself in these wonderful worlds.
Good
I was looking forward to this book Vaughan has had me intrigued for a long time so I was dying to know what made this guy tick. There was a darkness about him and he has this throughout this book. You might think that having great parents, money and everything you want is the best thing ever but to Vaughan it wasnt. It helped Ye but the darkness had taken over and it was hard to see passed it. Vaughan was known for the life he let everyone see no one knew him really even his best friends did know everything and he planned to keep it that way.
Lenora was a great character I really liked her. She was strong sassy and gave has good as she got. Life has been easy for her but she carried on as good as she could. She did get pushed hard at times throughout this book and she even put other people ahead of herself at times and this just made me luv her more.
I did enjoy the love and hate back and forth thing Vaughan and Lenora they pushed each other hard at times and parts were cruel. But the sexual tension between them was so hot they were meant to be and you could see that. But Vaughan fought it has much as he could and he had reason to well that’s what he thought. They both had to deal with a lot in this book and on there own for most of it. When things got bad they didn’t tell people they just dealt with it. My heart broke for both of them.
I would recommend this book but there were some hard parts
throughout this book so beware of triggers. I’ve read everyone of this authors book and I luv her work her writing is brilliant and story telling is so good. I did enjoy this book but there was something missing for me I can’t put my finger on it what it was. I’m looking forward to see what this author will do next she alway creates great books.
“Before everything, there was you.”he whispered into my hair. “You came before art. Before life. Definitely before hate.”
The beginning of this story was a bit bumpy for me. I was not instantly hooked. It was too reminiscent in some aspects of Leigh’s previous book VICIOUS (which is Vaughn’s mom and dads book, FYI). You see, in BOTH of these books (VICIOUS and ANGRY GOD), the reasoning behind the anti-heroes anger and hate is for very similar reasons in BOTH stories. And the results of that anger, shame, and fear lead to the same result: the anti-hero hates the heroine and bullies her. This book becomes the typical high school romance. Boy (Vaughn) hates girl (Lenora “Len”) because of a certain event (won’t say WHAT because of spoilers), but she also pulls out these feelings within him that he doesn’t want to feel, so in turn he bullies her. Torments her. Makes her life as unbearable as possible. Girl (Len) pretends to not care and doesn’t give boy (Vaughn) the time of day or attention. This in turn upsets boy, so he ups his game. And so and so on. But then all of a sudden the story takes a turn and I became intrigued. Invested in it. The story line gets away from high school. The characters get removed from THAT atmosphere and their story blossoms and becomes something more than just another high school bully romance. It no longer mirrored VICIOUS. It became its O W N story. A story that I ended up loving.
This final installment in the ALL SAINTS HIGH series ended up being overall my favorite in the series. The only reason it lost a 1/2 star was because like I said above, the beginning too similar to VICIOUS.
If you’ve read and loved VICIOUS, then you will definitely want to read this book. I listened to the audio and read the ebook at the same time and I will say, the narrators were amazing! I would highly recommend taking a listen!
“I’ve always loved you in your own fucked-up, destructive way.”I closed my eyes, relishing the word as it rolled off his tongue. So fantastically rare, and forever mine.
4.5 stars
This book and the utter talent behind it is definitely worth much more than five stars. Just a few chapters in, I knew I would finish this book changed in some way. The characters in this book and the rest of the series reminded me so much of my favorite movies as a teenager. There were the mean girls that I wanted to rip apart with every fiber of my being and the rich boys who thought they owned the world. Vaughn’s character was every cliche you’d expect but raw and completely original in another. For the most part he cared for no one but hidden deep within his many layers was a heart that wasn’t as black as he desperately wanted it to be. You will read this book and think you’ve got Vaughn completely pegged but you won’t know him 100% until you reach the last page.
I couldn’t believe all the realizations that hit me in dizzying speeds. From the beginning, I hated Vaughn and every other character, except for Knight, with a passion. I honestly didn’t think anything could change that. It was the foundation of an incredible journey I was about to experience.
Then we really get to know Lenora. She was the goth chic who was a prime target for all the overzealous rich kids. She had one hell of a spine and an iron will that had me admiring her. Vaughn and Lenora revolved around the same circles during early periods in their lives. There is a secret that lies in the shadows from the very first chapter and I found myself almost playing a game of Clue as I tried to figure out what in the world that secret was. Vaughn and Lenny circled each other in utter hate or that’s what they were determined to feel. I mean God forbid they have warm feelings towards each other.
With each chapter, I would feel like I’d fallen in a black hole with pressure continually building in my chest. Mrs. Shen has a way of weaving a story that is completely different from any other author I’ve read or heard about. She causes me to approach unfamiliar territory when reacting to what she has written. Her talent is truly unique and at times breathtaking because she makes feel emotions that don’t come to me easily.
At only 45% of the book, I had already experienced moments where I didn’t feel like I had enough oxygen. I started seeing a new side of Vaughn that set my renewed interest on fire.
There were moments I wanted to fight for Lenny and pour red hot revenge over her enemies. But I loved how even though her and Vaughn fought each other with everything they had, subconsciously they each moved, desired, and thought along the exact same lines. The utter rage in their passion easily stole my breath. Vaughn’s internal dialogue during intimate moments seriously cracked me up while simultaneously making the temperature around me rapidly increase.
There are so many complex issues going on but Mrs. Shen writes it in a way that it’s easily followed and truly felt with every fiber of my being. The whole journey winds down to a truly beautiful ending. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that the love story of Vaughn Spencer and Lenora Astalis will remain in my memory and heart for many years to come.