Watch Natalie get revenge in her new dark and glamorous life on the Upper East Side in the conclusion to USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde’s billionaire romance Cruel Trilogy.Darkness swept in.Smothering everything in its inky black.I have turned into their worst nightmares.And I will not rest until they pay.For everything.
“Penn Kensington had been my first. Seven years later, still, no one compared to him.”
Oh, how I missed this world! Linde is back with the final book in the Cruel Trilogy and it was everything more — more drama, more secrets, falling of the prince and princesses of the Upper East Side and more heartache.
Thanks to Katherine Van Pelt and Lewis Warren, Natalie is no longer the naive sweet girl she was at the beginning of the series. Now, Natalie is out for blood, owning the Upper East Side like was born in this world and bringing the two people down who ruined the one she had always dreamed of and achieved and held close to her heart.
Penn, on the other hand, just wants Natalie and he will do anything to have beside him, even if it means teaching the ins and outs and the ways to fit into his world.
Both Penn and Natalie grow so much in this book and so do the side characters. The vulnerabilities and insecurities, all of it were coming out in the open for everyone to see.
“I was crew. I was a Kensington. I was just me.”
Cruel Legacy is neither back or white; it sits smack dab in the gray area which had me questioning my morals when I supported a decision. Natalie made a few decisions, which surprisingly, I understood why she made. Were they always the best? No. But understandable nonetheless and I was cheering for her. (What is wrong with me?!)
Penn was more go with the flow in the beginning before he understood what was happening and finally made a decision.
One thing I wasn’t on board for — Penn always going out of his way to justify and defend the Crew. I mean, I get that they were his friends and that they’ve been through a lot together but I felt there was certain desperation. I guess, this is what it is when the morals are staggeringly low and you get away with everything and Linde depicted this aspect beautifully throughout the Trilogy.
The climax, the emotions, Cruel Legacy, for that matter the entire trilogy, if full of revenge, romance, drama, angst and of course, the twists and turns. It’s truly the Upper East Side.
4 Stars!
It’s time to binge the Cruel trilogy and Cruel Legacy is a fantastic conclusion!
A good series, but with a less than stellar conclusion.
3.5 stars for this conclusion that was a little disappointing for me after the buildup and pace of the previous books. I really was enjoying this series, with the many characters you love to hate, but found this book to be a bit slow at times. I was so looking forward to Natalie exacting her revenge on those who had wronged her so maliciously, and while she did, there were aspects and reactions to how it happened that left me feeling flat. As I don’t wish to give any spoilers, I’ll just leave it at that.
This wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t as good a conclusion as I had expected. Of course, for anyone who’s read the previous books in this series, you should definitely continue.
This book is edgy, and suspenseful and sexy, all the things a good dark romance book should be. I really enjoyed it!
It has been awhile since I have read this book. (Sorry K.A. Linde! We have been moving.) But I have to start off by telling you that I LOVED this entire series!! Cruel Legacy should be named Cruel Reality. That is what happened to Natalie.
If you read this series, then you know that K.A. Linde did what she usually does. She left us with a cliffhanger!! Ugg…. I hate that!! But in this case, the ending was so worth it. She ended putting my heart back together again!
Natalie is out to change herself and get revenge on those who have wronged her. She goes to Penn Kensington (who stole her heart, btw) for help. Little did she know that while changing herself, she would end up finding herself getting HEA.
First, let’s talk about the covers for the Cruel series. BRILLANT!! I loved them so much. They completely matched to story between Natalie & Penn as it went on. And may I mention how HOT they are as well. Well done K.A. Linde!!
Then there is the storyline in general. It was well put together and unlike anything that I have read before. I love stories that keep my mind moving and keep me on the edge. As a blogger, we tend to get stories that are the same with a little bit of a twist. That was not the case with K.A. Linde’s Cruel series! This might be her best series (for me) since her Broken series. And side note, Brady Maxwell is MINE!! No sharing!
You could tell that K.A. Linde put her heart and soul into this series. I love that.
Thank you, K.A. Linde, for this amazing series. You continue to up your game. Congratulations on this release!
~ Review by Heidi Pharo
Epic conclusion to the series, Natalie wants revenge against the Upper East Siders, Penn is there to help her, all the plotting and manipulation is there, her past actions will take a toll, this story has everything a great plot, teamy and with all the angst you need. I loved the series so much, the audiobook is phenomenal, the narrators Stephen Dexter and Virginia Rose did a terrific job portraying the characters, the emotions where there, the characters mind and feelings could be heard from their voice. A must read and I recommend the audiobooks over reading it, they were phenomenal.
5 Fab Stars!!
Cruel Legacy was everything I hoped for and MORE! KA Linde delivers an epic ending to the Cruel series! Still giving us that Gossip Girl meets Cruel Intentions feel, with her own original twist! I adore Penn and Nat so much. I’ve been rooting for the since the beginning of the series! If you love angst, passion, feisty characters, with lots of sexy, then this series is for you! Pick it up! You won’t regret it! I can’t wait to see what Linde relievers next!
O. M. G. She saved the best for last!!! This journey with Natalie has been awesome but this ending was AMAZING! I cheered Natalie on through this whole book. There were a lot of ‘OMG’ moments thrown in with a lot of ‘You Go Girl’! Seriously awesome trilogy and this was the icing on top!
Oh, what a tangled web that we weave. Things you thought . . . forget them! Things you think you know . . . you don’t!
K.A., continues to maneuver us through the drama that is the NY City’s Upper East Side elite. You know the snobs with their asses in the air as much as their noses. And then things start to happen . . . Natalie and Penn begin a dangerous game, and you know there are always winners and losers when once starts to play. I loved the growth with Natalie. And Penn awe the sexiness that man portrayed exudes power.
With the conclusion remember . . .
Revenge is a dish best served cold. The innocence you think you see . . . it’s not there. The games you’re playing . . . you won’t win. The people you trample . . . will rise.
I had never read K.A. before this series and now I understand why readers are consumed with her. She gives us heartbreak, angst, love, compassion, confusion, forgiveness and storylines that will keep us locked on the edge of our seats.
This series was a five-star read for me and K.A. is a new MUST-read author.
I admittedly struggled with book two of the Cruel series. I didn’t understand why the characters made the choices they did, especially Natalie, and while I’m all for nasty people getting the ‘come up its’ they deserve, I wanted the focus to be more about the characters’ growth and the way they earned redemption, not just about all the ways revenge can be acquired.
Needless to say, I was extremely hesitant to begin Cruel Legacy; I didn’t know the Natalie readers would reunite with in the final book in the trilogy because, once again, her life in New York imploded because of the duplicitous nature of the Crew of Upper East Siders.
It’s clear at the start of book 3 that Natalie wants revenge; she wants the Crew, mainly Katherine and Lewis, to pay for the games they play with people’s lives. She wants them to understand that their actions have consequences, even if they never feel them because of the status and power they wield.
As the story progresses, Natalie is no longer the small-town girl who wanted to make it in New York; she loses her innocence and she takes a lesson or ten out of the Upper East Siders’ cruel handbook and makes them face the repercussions of their lies and manipulation. Natalie’s determined to not let them win – to beat them at their own game, but in doing so, she loses who she is at her core, forgets the person she wanted to be, and almost sacrifices everything she loves because she refuses to allow the Crew to stay up on their pedestals; they need to fall and she wants to be the one to knock them down, but the question is, is it worth it based on what becomes of her and how those closest to her don’t quite see the woman they remember?
The two main story lines in Cruel Legacy deal with Natalie getting her revenge and she and Penn re-establishing their connection/relationship, and while these things are occurring concurrently, Natalie is not the same person in the two situations, which means when these two plot lines intersect, it remains to be seen which one Natalie will have to sacrifice in order to reach the conclusion that she desperately wants.
I have to say that I am glad I stuck with the trilogy until the end because I wanted to see how everything played out and if the resolution was something that both readers and Natalie and Penn could live with given the dynamics of Natalie’s relationship with Penn and the other Crew members at the start of Cruel Legacy. But while I understand why Natalie did the things she did, I truly don’t understand why Penn reacted the way he did when everything was revealed toward the end of the story; it seemed a bit hypocritical and it made me bitter toward him, and while conversations occur and explanations are given, it was difficult to get past some of the things said and done throughout the course of the story.
Despite my issues with the actions and attitudes of the characters, the Cruel series definitely checks off all of the components of an angsty romance story, and readers who read and loved K.A. Linde’s Avoiding series will definitely enjoy this one.
3.5 Poison Apples
What an ending! This book was really good, for Natalie she got the revenge she thought she needed and it made me fall even more in love with penn. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed but it everything was perfectly tied up in the epilogue. Overall it was a great ending to one of my favorite series. Looking forward to lark’s story!
3.5 stars for – Cruel Legacy – book three in the Cruel series by K.A. Linde. This is technically the fourth book featuring these characters and they need to be read in order of release. This one picks up right after Natalie vows to make those who wronged her pay for all they’ve done. In true Upper East side fashion she does it in designer couture and rocking a pair of Louboutin heels. Natalie learned from the best how to play the game and they won’t know what hit them when she gets through with them.
While I liked books one and two this one was not my favorite of the bunch and seemed to leave me wanting more for Nat and Pen as a couple. I’m guessing there will be more books for this series in the future therefore any questions pertaining to the Crew weren’t addressed at all.
Yes, I would recommend the series but with the disclaimer that all your questions won’t be answered in the end.
I think this is a more 3.5 stars than 4 but I didn’t want to do 3 so 4 it is.
I love KA Linde and her books. I think she’s a fantastic writer and weaves a good story. When I read the novella and the first two books I really got caught up in this Cruel Intentions x Gossip Girl world (but with actual adults). I had a lot of anticipations for this last book and I think that’s why I docked it half a star. I think that I had too many expectations that I don’t think the story quite lived up to. However, that is not to say that the story wasn’t good.
Natalie and Penn are so good together and watching how their relationship molds to their new normal is awesome. There are moments when I was frustrated and some moments where I think the story lagged but I was rewarded by a great plot point. The ending felt a bit rushed to me but also exactly where the story needed to go. I think I just wanted a little more from it. The epilogue was great and I’m glad to see what happens to our favorite characters.
Read this series. It has great angst and hot scenes. So good!
I was so excited to read the conclusion of this series. Natalie was humiliated by the crew multiple times. She wants revenge, but at what cost? Who will get hurt? Will she get her revenge and not loose herself in the process?
This series has been absolutely amazing. After the drama, heartbreak, and backstabbing from the last book, I didn’t know how this would end. Our girl, Natalie, is back with a vengeance and looking for revenge against those who wronged her. If she seemed out of her league in the first two books, she’s absolutely up for the challenge in this one. My favorite thing in his series is watching Natalie grow. She’s been hurt but that hurt made her stronger and more determined.
I’ve said it since the first book, this series has been the perfect hybrid of Gossip Girl and Dangerous Liasons.
And Penn. Oh,holy hotness. The romance was off the charts. I loved the ending and couldn’t have asked for better!
Amazing conclusion to an amazing trilogy! Much like the first two books, this one is chock-full of twists and turns, secrets and angst, and all the feels. It’s intense and gripping and real and raw and I couldn’t put it down.
Penn and Natalie’s journey wasn’t always easy or pretty, and both have changed and grown so much since the first book. I adore this couple and was rooting for them from the very first page.
This series was unique and well-thought-out and, despite my reservations about the how the book would end, I was very pleased. This is a must read trilogy and a top read of the year for me.
(3.75-4 STARS)
Another great series by Ms. Linde put to rest. LEGACY was a bit slow going at the start but once it picked up pace, I didn’t want to out it down. Natalie and Penn have not had it easy and in this installment it’s no different. Natalie has been on a journey to fit in and she gets way more than she bargained for. Watching her get her revenge was both satisfying and heartbreaking as the repercussions blindsided her…and the reader. The epilogue was perfect. Just enough to quench my curiosity about the future. I am very much looking forward to Lark’s story next!
“Penn Kensington had ruined me for all other men. And this one kiss proved that all over again.”
The Upper East Side intrigues are back! Cruel Legacy closes the trilogy and shows the conclusion of Natalie’s story, the simple and centered girl who finds herself shrouded in a tangle of games, power and ruin. After the events of the previous book, which ends with the exposition of the truth about the book written by Natalie, and with the shock of the revelation of Lewis’s plans, we can say that Natalie’s situation is not the best. Once again humiliated by the same people of the past, her career takes a hard blow difficult to digest, her reputation is in tatters and to make matters worse, the fear of Lewis acts makes her feel powerless again. But different from the previous year, where she preferred to hide, this time revenge is her goal. The weak girl turns into a determined person willing to hurt those who have harmed her.
With Penn being her only hope, Natalie will beg him to return to the world from which he was trying to distance himself. All to teach her the game of the Upper East Side, to show how to behave in a cool and calculated way, without exposing any emotion and with that to be able to navigate between this privileged life, and thus to be able to fit. And at the right time, destroy her enemies.
And so Natalie begins to learn the tricks, the nuances and even the manipulations that she used to hate. And with her growing success in this world of appearances, Katherine’s anger will be aroused. And she will be Natalie’s first and foremost target. Followed by the overthrow of Lewis, who will show his true face.
But like every good story, the thirst for power is able to blind even the most sensible of people. And our protagonist will not be immune to this destiny. The person who hated this world will be seduced by it, and will become worse than her enemies.
And this will only serve to show that although the group of friends has a conflicting relationship between them, in the face of an external threat, they will come together to help each other. And if Penn with his ethical and moral discourse said to abhor this life, it will be proved that to ensure the perfect image of his society, he will protect his group. Whatever the cost.
I did not expect the end of the plot. Although the previous books show Natalie’s wonder at this world, I never imagined that the conclusion would be like this. None of them have a punishment. The bet of the first book was not the only amoral thing they ever did. Not the most serious. And yet they came out unharmed. With Natalie portrayed as a villain in trying to destroy them.
The book is very well written, the nuances and twists in the character characters are brilliant. My initial opinion of Penn has not changed. I still find him ambiguous and a fraud in relation to what he preaches.
In the end, the lamb was a wolf in disguise all along. One who learned the didactic of the group that so desperately wanted to belong. And in the end, it became worse than them, because she gave up on herself to belong to an illusion.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest Review *
KA never fails to give us that drop your jaw moment where you don’t know if you want to keep going. It’s one of the things I both love and dislike about her. I’ve been reading her since she first wrote the Avoiding series, way before it was even published, and I know I will never leave her!
She may not always give us the ending we want, but she sure as hell knows how to tell a story!
In this book, the last of the Cruel series, KA gives it all to us!! AND the ending WE WANTED!!! Surprise! HAHA!
Revenge is a bittersweet pill….I’m going to miss this crew!!
Or, will I?
After reading the past three books in this series, I had in mind what I wanted to see Natalie do in the conclusion to the series. KA Linde does not disappoint. This final book has everything – deceit, revenge, drama, and love. It is one that you will continue thinking about weeks after reading the last page.