Love is impossible. Hate is an open game.
Kimberly
He was once my best friend, now he’s my worst enemy.
Xander Knight is heartbreakingly beautiful.
Ridiculously popular.
Brutally cruel.
He’s a knight but won’t do any saving.
Xander
We started as a dream, now we’re a nightmare.
Kimberly Reed is pathetically fake.
Terribly innocent.
Secretly black.
She can hide but never from me.
Black Knight is … me.
Black Knight is part of Royal Elite Series but could be read on its own. For better understanding of the world, you might want to read the previous books first. This is a high school bully romance, mature new adult, and contains visceral mental health situations that some readers can find triggering.
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Rina Kent just speaks to my black heart! Black Knight is just phenomenal! Xander and Kimberly’s story was everything I hoped it would be and more!
Buckle up and enjoy the ride! Rina Kent gets raw and gritty with some huge issues in society, and she does it in such an amazing way. Reading Black Knight felt like Kent was just taking my heart and squeezing it over and over. Kimberly and Xander’s story is full of emotions, angst, twist, and left me feeling so many different things.
Rina Kent had me hooked from start to finish with this book, the only reason I stopped reading was because I had to go to work. Xander and Kimberly’s story left me speechless. Their journey was heartbreaking, and this beautiful messy ride. Forgiveness, healing, self growth, and love all rolled into one messy relationship.
Black Knight is beyond words amazing. Rina Kent delivers one hell of a story that will be with me for a long time. Kent was able to make me feel everything in my soul these characters were going through. This is a beautifully, broken couple who somehow comes out on the other side. This story is raw and gritty . Rina Kent gave us our anti-hero and a broken girl, with this intense book.
Black Knight is a must read! If you read no other book in the Royal Elite you should still read Black Knight. I just cannot explain how amazing it was. If you’ve read the other books in the series, buckle up because you haven’t seen anything yet. All the stars for Rina Kent and Black Knight!
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Wow wow wow, Rina you freaking did it again. This books is a reminder of why I fell in love with Rina Kent and her books – it’s AMAZING, MIND BLOWING and addicting.
Xander and Greens story wasn’t just amazing. Their love but also their hateness perfection!!! It was dark, hot, angsty with god knows how many plots that got me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Once I started I couldn’t stop reading.
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Xander is mysterious, dark, hot like most rina Hero’s but he’s different he has a beautiful broken side and not only for Kimberly but also for her little brother. It was the cutest thing to see! And The biggest plot like holy You will understand Xander completely once you get to know why he’s the way he’s. Like for real it’s worth every second!
“’ .”
About Kimberly her mom doesn’t deserve her, her father doesn’t deserve her (even if he did the right thing at the end still.) No one deserves her. That woman deserves all the love and hugs in the entire world One of the strongest Rina Kent heroines!
And I can type and type but I will never have enough words, this book was just epic. Every time I was reading I had to hold my breath and was like “wait tf did I read that right?!” And yup she actually did that
You have to read it yourself to understand what I mean.
Safaereads 100% recommends
Trigger warning, It contains self harm.
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book! I love a good dark & twisty, bully romance and This author did not disappoint! Xander & Kim broke my heart throughout this book. Their journey to happily ever after took a truly difficult path. These are two broken souls who have to fight for themselves and each other throughout Black Knight.
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If you are looking for an easy, lighthearted read ~ this book is not for you. But, if you want stomach churning scenes and palpable desire, grab a box of tissues and settle in for a few hours lost in another world.
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Rina has had me hooked on the Horsemen since the beginning and I’ve been dying for Xan and Kim’s story since she teased me with it for multiple books in the background.
This book will play on your emotions but Is beautifully written!! Bring on the next Horseman
4.5 Mind-Altering Stars!
I love that this Author is not afraid to touch on subjects that aren’t easy, she is not scared to portray the “Ugly Truth” and this book is a prime example of that. This is a story of growth & healing. Watching Kimberly & Xandor go through the difficult times, tear each other apart due to crazy twists and messed up Mums only to come up in the end stronger and dealing with their issues set this understandably disturbing story right with me in the end.
Rina don’t stop writing these deliciously dark books, please…
Black Knight is the story of Kimberly and Xander, which are characters familiar to you if you have read the previous three books. If you haven’t, then you’re missing a lot, so I’d suggest you catch up before reading on this one. But if you want you can still read it as a standalone, as the story may have mentions related to the past books but I don’t think it has spoilers.
Kimberly “Kim” or “Kimmy”, is the daughter of a famous artist and a diplomate. She is a wealthy girl with good grades who loves her brother to death. This may look like picture perfect, but it isn’t. We finally look into Kim’s life after only seeing what I’d call the “bright side” whenever she had scenes with Elsa in the previous books, and we see how Kim’s life is not perfect and difficult. I will not go into detail as what her issues are because you’ll need to read to find out, but I warn you there are several triggers some readers may not find easy to read. I liked how the author tackled these issues and showed that despite life may be hard on you, there is still a way to find the light and that the people who love us will never leave us, despite we hid some things from them.
For Kim, Xander was one of those people she loved dearly since she was a child and that abandoned her for something she did when she was younger. Xander has always known Kim and they were best friends until he decided to hate her. He was less alpha compared to Aiden from the previous books, and I liked this change because it would have been weird for the four horsemen to be all the same. Xander says it himself that he’s the one with the lower bully side, but he’s still a bully with Kim, even though there is a reason for his behavior, as it always is. Xander is really protective of Kim and her brother Kirian, and I liked that despite he hated her, he still kept on having a relationship with the little boy because they had formed a bond while he grew up.
Xander and Kim’s story touched me from the bottom of my heart because of the issues that discussed, like the fact that they are both people who try to appear what they are in front of their friends, not to lose them. The other main issue this book discusses also hit home… and I believe that RK captured it well.
I liked how the story was crafted because it wasn’t flat at all. On the other hand, it has a steady pace, which means every chapter has something that will make you want to read until you reach the last page. So far this author has been a safe bet for me, because I know that I will like her stories because of this “keeping you on your toes until the end” way of storytelling, which is the reason a reader is compelled to finish a book. It means RK knows how to keep a reader interested, and it’s not an easy feat.
Next up in the series is Ronan and Teal’s book. Ronan is another character that we’ve seen in the background and that I’m sure will surprise us when we’ll get his story.
HEART-WRENCHING LOVE STORY OF XAN & KIM
“Black Knight” is the first standalone and also the fourth book in the “Royal Elite Series” by Rina Kent. It was so gut-wrenching and emotional that I bawled my eyes out at a certain point in the book (no, unfortunately this is not a joke or exaggeration).
For those who have read the first three books (a.k.a. the AidenElsa trilogy), this book starts somewhere along the time where Aiden and Elsa found their happy ending, but the love story between Xander and Kim actually started way back when they were still kids.
Even before this book as I was reading through the series, it is pretty obvious that Xander loves Kim, but the reason why he bullies, pushes her away and his hatred toward her is really driving me nuts. The dynamics between Xan and Kim has always been clawing at my curiosity. What could make Xander hate Kim so much? Alas! The reason is to be revealed in this book, making “Black Knight” one of my most anticipated reads in May!
I wrecked my brains and came up with many theories, but none prepared me for the big reveal! When I got to know the real reason behind his actions, I was so gutted and feel so much sympathy towards Xander and what he has suffered in silence. Not to say that Kim did not suffer, but I can totally understand why Xander did what he did. Fortunately, the revelations did not stop there and one turned the boat around! PHEW!
“I wanted you for so long, Green. For so f*cking long.”
Xander is such a underrated hero. Yes, he may not be the perfect, psychotic hero like Aiden; or the level-headed, smart Cole; or even the goofy, well-liked Ronan, but Xander possesses an unyielding love for Kim. Even though that love drove him to indulging certain addictions, it is his imperfections and devotion to Kim that make him an awesome hero in my eyes.
“He’s been my knight, my anchor. My one and only.”
Kimberly is a mystery to me honestly. Even though she appeared as Elsa’s bestie in the first three books, apart from her love for her little brother and Korean dramas, there are so much about her that we don’t know yet and we only get to see them in her own book with Xander. Her back story is really heartbreaking and I cried so much when she did something drastic but yet at the same time, I can feel her desperation.
The other three horsemen also made quite a number of appearances in this book, but more often than not, Aiden’s dialogues are more towards funny than hot. Lol. There are also a lot of tidbits for the upcoming books in the series featuring Ronan/Teal and Cole/Silver.
Black Knight is a total page-turner for me and I read it just under 4 hours. An emotional read filled with unexpected twists and flawed hero/heroine that make the story all the more appealing and intriguing.
RATING (OUT OF 5):
• Overall: 4.5
• Storyline: 4.5
• Writing: 5
• Hero: 4.5
• Heroine: 4.5
• Steam: 5
• Angst: 3 (medium)
SAFETY:
• Hero: Xander Knight (aged 18), one of the four horsemen in Royal Elite High, he keeps a major secret and suffers in silence for years and I just can’t stop loving him for it!
• Heroine: Kimberly Reed (age 18), growing up with an uncaring mum drove Kim to a certain extreme and Xander’s unknown hatred of her doesn’t help, yet she puts up a strong front and fights her demons all by herself.
• Safe sex: Yes
• OM/OW drama: No
• Sexual acts with OM/OW: No
• Virgin: Both
• Possible Triggers: Anorexia, self-harm, alcohol addiction, violence.
• Push/Pull: Yes, Hero keeps Heroine at a distance before he revealed the truth to her.
• Ending: HEA
• POV: Dual POV
I received an ARC from author(s) for an honest review.
What a roller coaster! This story follows Kimberly and Xander who were once childhood best friends, now enemies — influenced by something so visceral that it affected them and others — and their very bumpy path to love. I was pleased to read this bully romance, atypical to usual subject matter in this genre. While new adult, it was very mature, exposing emotionally-charged difficulties people experience every day, caustic interactions, pain, vices, insecurities and the fears not necessarily discussed. While I liked the first three books, this book was relatable at the level of real-life experience such that you felt the characters’ vulnerability and pain while eventually rejoicing in their healing. I again was glad to meet the other characters from previous books with their personalities on display — Kirian, Aiden and Elsa (my fav), Cole, Silver, Ronan, Teal, and Knox. Used to the other books, I expected a stronger denouement after such a climatic read. Still a great story.
Holy fucking shit!
EPIC….
I can’t even….
I’ll come back when I can collect my thoughts.
So…. it’s been over a week and I’m still reeling from this book.
The twists in this story were startling and completely blew my mind. What started out as a simple love to hate story went so much deeper than I imagined. There are layers to this book and it’s definitely a case of what you first see is NOT what you get.
Xander and Kim are soooo hot. They clash, they battle and it’s actually (underneath all the layers) a very, very sweet story.
I want so much more from this series, I love it, hard.
OMG! I’m still trying to process this book. Rina Kent delivers yet another raw, emotional and breathtakingly beautiful book.
Kim is so vulnerable, she’s so relatable to every teenage girl. Her struggles are real and your heart will cry for her. It was very inspiring to read how strong she was through all her times!
Xander is bold and beautiful. He’s perfect for Kim, he holds himself back from her. This book is mysterious- there’s a secret that will make your jaw drop. I absolutely loved it!
Black Knight is emotional, fun and beautiful- it was heartbreaking to read some scenes- but watching it all come together is such a delight. 2020’s best!
My Overall Ratings:
Hero- 5
Heroine-5
Plot- 4
Angst- 5
Steam- 4
Chemistry between the main characters- 5
READ NOW: Black Knight: A Friends to Enemies to Lovers Romance (Royal Elite Book 4) BY: Rina Kent
Wow! This book… there’s a lot to unpack. This book is dark, edgy, guttural with gritty real issues. This book is emotionally tumultuous, powerful, moving, indelible, heart-wrenching, but deliciously addicting. This book is flawlessly and poignantly written—Xander and Kimberly’s bittersweet love story from the Royal Elite series, which is the fourth book in the series. Their story touched me in so many deep-seated ways that I was completely sucked into the vortex of the rich/powerful, and I feel like I just got off a crazy wild roller coaster ride from hell! It was amazing and my blood was pumping like crazy reading this story. I felt everything Xander and Kim were going through down in my soul. I was captivated from start to finish! Xander and Kimberly were first friends, neighbors, and Kim considered Xander her knight; but now he is a stranger, a bully, and her worst enemy. Xander is very handsome, brutally cruel, popular, mysterious, and considers Kim as fake, his worst nightmare, but one thing for sure—she can’t hide from him. There were several surprises that were one hell of a way to blow your mind—I was flabbergasted with the unexpected revelations that happened, but it was jaw-dropping good!! BLACK KNIGHT was so intriguing with its twists and turns—some you see coming, some you don’t. With all the things going on with Xander and Kim, I was holding my breathe because it was a tangled mess of lies and secrets. Then years later, an inconceivable piece of information turns up. Will Xander and Kim be able to get past all this abhorrent information that caused a lot of pain? Xander and Kim’s journey is full of deception, hurt, trust, and lies. From the very start, Rina Kent plunged her claws into me with this intriguing storyline. Rina Kent delivered a powerful, addictive, intriguing, emotional, and all-consuming story that left me obsessed and yearning for more. I highly RECOMMEND this book!
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Do you know when you anticipate something so much, a little part of you is scared if won’t live up to your expectations?
Somehow Black Knight exceed all of my expectations, and did it with ease.
From the get go I needed Kim and Xander’s story. I don’t know what it was but something about them just drew me in.
I swear I say this every book that Rina writes, but she has outdone her self with the writing on BK. I can honestly say this book has the most highlights in my entire kindle library. Her writing style is just phenomenal!
When reading about Kim and Xander in the previous Royal Elite books, it barely touches the surface with them.
The battles that Kim and Xander have to conquer together and individual, is heartbreaking.
The strength Kim has, I can’t explain how much I admire her as a heroine. What she over comes in BK and the way she battles her demons while continuing to stay so strong and be there for her Kir and Xander is just inspiring.
Xander’s persona runs so much deeper then what I originally expected. When finding out what Xander struggles with through out this book, you start to understand him in a much deeper sense.
Even through everything, they were somehow always continuously there for one another.
Their relationship was breathtaking and heartrendering. I loved them so much!
I had so many theories before reading this book, I was so sure that I knew what direction the book was going to go in. But the secrets that unfold in this story were truly mind blowing. Rina left me absolutely speechless.
I am so sad I finished this book in a day, but you can bet I will be rereading this multiple times.
Thank you Rina for writing this story so beautifully!
Black Knight is emotional raw, real, heartbreaking, unpredictable, phenomenal and just an absolutely masterpiece.
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What worked for me:
-from start to finish, the book was captivating
-it hurt so good to finally understand Xander’s and Kimberly’s journey
-the darkness was breathtakingly painful
-the steamy scenes were electric
4.5*
I recieved an ARC of this from the author and her team and I volunteered to leave an unbiased review.
This had me up until 4am. I couldn’t put it down.
I’ve been on quite a Rina Kent binge of late and when I’m obsessed with the boys and girls at RES, especially Kimberly and Xander. I’ve been desperate for their story and MAN OH MAN did Rina do me right.
I may have only been reading her stories for less than 5 months, but I can quickly put her on the list of authors I trust with any genre of romance, but especially bully romances.
There are triggers in this so look for warnings and be careful. Rina don’t pull no punches.
But I loved every word of this even if I had my heart in my throat a bunch of times.
Xander and Kim’s story takes you on an absolute emotional roller coaster. These two have so much pain in their past and present. From childhood friends to enemies to lovers their HEA is paved with secrets, lies, and a total twist to their story I didn’t see coming. A page turner with a perfect ending for these tormented souls.
I’d read cruel king ( from savage noble box set) but not read the other previous books in the royal elite series, however I was able to still follow this one easily as a standalone.
I loved this book, so cleverly written with a superb storyline, full of incredibly complex emotions, intrigue and damaged characters. It draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat, unable to put the book down, immersing you in the emotions of the characters.
I recommend checking the trigger warning before reading.
I’ve been trying to write this for four days, but I simply think that whatever I write is not good enough to do this book justice. So I gave up trying to translate everything I felt while reading, but I’ll do my best to get close to it.
I want to start by talking about the main couple. Usually, I would rather start it by talking separately about each of the characters, but I can’t do it now and I don’t even know why. I simply need to talk about Xander and Kim and how they are love, pain and the perfect match. They are not two perfect parts that together form a whole, but rather two broken parts that fit together as if they were made for each other. It’s beautiful and emotional to see their development, the support they give each other, the patience, the bravery, how they want to be what each other need. The selflessness they have between them is beautiful, it’s pretty amazing.
Now I want to talk about the one who stole my heart and my affection in this book: Kimberly Reed. I suffered with her. I felt all of her pain. There are very few characters who I have loved the way I loved her, in my entire life. I identified myself with the girl with green hair in a way that I really put myself in her shoes. Kim made me cry as I did few times in my life, and like I never did before with a book. I love her… it’s that simple. She is one of the strongest characters I have ever read. I’m delighted with her, and Kim is an inspiration for me. Thank you for this amazing character, Rina.
Xander Knight really annoyed me in the beginning of the book, but as I kept reading it, that anger disappeared only to be replaced by pure understanding and affection for the blue eyed boy that won my heart. He is a combination of the best traits a male character can have, from his complexity to his tenderness. You can love bad boys or prefer good guys, but no matter what, Xander will give you silly smiles and butterflies, for sure.
One of the things I liked the most about this book were the amount of time the other characters appear. Since I read the other books in the series, I want to know more about the horsemen and the other girls, and Black Knight gave us the opportunity to see more of their friendship and personalities. All I can say is that if I loved Ronan before, now I’m borderline obsessed. I won’t talk much about it because I want everyone to be surprised, but he is perfect, and I can’t think of anything else to describe him. I also loved seeing the friendship between Kim and Elsa, how they support each other and are always close in difficult times. I started to love their friendship in Deviant King, but after seeing more of it in a deeper and more sentimental level, I love my Frozen even more and admire their friendship a lot.
Beyond what we already know well, we see a new relationship in this book that really made me emotional: Kir and Kim. I don’t have any siblings, but after seeing these two I want to have one, because it’s the purest relationship I ever read. I was enchanted with their love, the safe heaven they give each other. I smiled without even realizing it when Kim talked about her brother, it was so natural, and I felt the same as I reread it (yes, I’m obsessed with this book and maybe have highlighted it all, just maybe.)
Lastly, I want to talk about the book itself. Rina Kent has yet again surprised me with how genius she is. I honestly don’t know what to expect anymore from this brilliant author. From the writing to the plot twists, Black Knight made it impossible to put it down until I was done reading it. It’s addicting. I created a thousand theories in my head to try understand the past of these two broken souls. I thought “Xander needs to have a really good reason for this” but when I finally found out, I had to reread in order to be sure I understood it right. I couldn’t believe it. I just wanted to hug him, while my head was screaming “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON????”. I wanted to find out everything and at the same time I didn’t want the book to end. My brain had a breakdown during this read, in a good and unexpected way. I won’t say much so I don’t give any spoilers, but you won’t be disappointed for trusting Rina Kent’s mind. Black Knight will devour your heart and souls, make you cry until all your tears run dry and in the end you’re still going to be like “What? I need more!” even after going through every possible emotion. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is now one of my favorite books and I’m also not exaggerating when I say I wanted to give it a thousand stars.
And Rina, here’s a message for you… thank you for this book. I’m not sharing my issues here but I have never felt so connected with a book and with a character as I felt with Kim. In a world that often ignores the existence of mental illness, when they affect people more and more, someone with an influential voice needs to talk about it in a way that touches people’s feelings and you did it. I was crying already just from the dedication because I needed to read that. I almost always need a reminder that my life matters, so I don’t break, and you reminded me of it in a very, very, beautiful way. This last part was written after some bad things I went through today and, after a lot of crying, I opened Black Knight and there was, already in the dedication, what I needed to read. Maybe I took advantage and I’m rereading the whole book right now, just maybe. When I finished writing this review earlier, I thought something was missing and now I found out what it was. I needed to talk about how you touched me, how you touched my life with this book. Thank you, Rina, for such an emotional book and thank you for putting a smile on my face with those powerful words. I was in need of that. Maybe you don’t know but you have a power and it’s your writing.
Get ready to have your heart rip out as this next installment to the Royal Elite series will wreack havoc to your emotions!
Xander Knight (hero) was
Kim/Kimberly’s bestfriend until something happened that broke their friendship apart. The once bestfriends turned enemies as they grew up and it hasn’t been a fun one for Kim as her former-bff has become her tormentor.
Full disclosure: the book deals with some sensitive subject matter (see author’s note). It was part of these characters that you will soon find yourself embracing. Kudos to the author for tackling such issue/s and making her characters rise above their demons.
I also have to say, I am surprised as I’m slowly putting things together that there’s more to the parents of the four horsemen than what I imagine them to be at first. I like that they play a huge part to the story/ies too and that they have something more and interesting to offer in each stories in the series.
This book is no doubt more emotional than the previous installment but no less than entertaining and fun to read especially since Ronan has been highlighted more in this book and we see snippets of some possibilities about his book (which will be the next installment to this).
Kim & Xander wrecked me even more than I thought was possible.
An incredibly emotional journey, touching on lots of sensitive subjects. Two hurting people. Two lives intertwined. Heartbreak. Despair.
But also love. Courage. Hopefulness. A light at the end of the tunnel.
This particular couple has been in the works for what seemed like forever. Their pull to one another was like gravity, something that they tried to resist, no matter how futile it was.
I always love the journey back to RES, because then we get to catch up with Elsa & Aiden, and get more insight to what could possibly be coming next for the Horsemen. Personally, as much as I enjoyed this one, I cannot wait to see how Ronan gets taken down.
Rina Kent did a great job on this story. Black Knight had a dark strong plot that was filled with many emotions. The story was written well. Xander and Kimberly were strong characters, they journey was a rollercoaster, they had many ups and downs, their journey was far from easy but no matter what happened, they were drawn to one another, their chemistry was off the charts.
This was a great story. I’m looking forward to reading more.
Thank you, Rina Kent. Great work 🙂