Defy is a smutty, insta-love, insta-lust short novella. It is a prequel to Vicious (Sinners of Saint #1) and can be read as a complete standalone with a HEA.Now an international bestseller. My name is Melody Greene, and I have a confession to make.I slept with my student, a senior in high school.Multiple times.I had multiple orgasms.In multiple positions.I slept with my student and I enjoyed it.I … slept with my student and I enjoyed it.
I slept with my student and I’d do it all over again if I could turn back time.
My name is Melody Greene, and I got kicked out of my position as a teacher and did my walk of shame a la Cersei Lannister from the principal’s office, minutes after said principal threatened to call the cops on me.
My name is Melody Greene, and I did something bad because it made me feel good.
Here is why it was totally worth it.
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Amazing.. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!!
“Because that was the problem with society. It cared too much about who you fell in love with but never about the why.”
First of all I have to say, that I’m usually not into novellas because they feel rushed to me and usually I miss certain things. But Defy is a fast paced but perfectly wrapped up story on 114 pages.
The teacher/student romance is not something I am fond of. But from time to time I give it a try. Defy didn’t let me down. I only wish I had read it before I’ve read Vicious.
Jaime and Melody are so easily to fall for and their attraction hits right a nerve. I guess Jaime’s character surprised me the most though. I didn’t expect him to be this boy who fell for his teacher and grow and man up so quickly.
LJ. Shen created a hot as hell taboo story I just couldn’t stop reading. I’m in love with her writing style and the Hot Holes. Can’t wait to get my hand on the next book!
“Because I think about you before I think about myself. Always remember that, Little Ballerina. Always.”
Love this book full of excitement and very witty and has a alpha man the is very over proctictive over his woman. And full over energy and love and excitement.
(Can be read as a standalone.)
Hot. HOT. SSSOOO HHHOOOTTT!!!
After reading about Vicious, I knew I had to get my hands on Defy.
This is a forbidden romance between a senior in high school and a young irresistible teacher. Melody is sexy, sassy, and bold. Jamie is confident and smart. I instantly fell in love with their relationship.
I also loved how this book went into the relationship between the Four Hotholes. Even though they argue and fight all the time, they support each other like brothers.
Although this book is a novella, the story felt complete. These books can read as a standalone, but I recommend reading Vicious before reading Defy.
Never Defy your own heart,
“Because that was the problem with society. It cared too much about who you fell in love with but never about the why. The why matters. The who is irrelevant”
And with that quote Mel says it all.
This is Mel and Jamie’s story.
And it’s perfect for them.
It seems to be written in the POV of Jamie more than anything. We get Mel’s POV but not as much as I would have liked – Do NOT get me wrong it in no way detracted from the story, just a personal preference.
I love the Sinners of Saints series, and I have to keep in mind that this was a .0 release (Not intended to answer all our questions). In other words it was not a full length novel. It ran around 140 pages I believe. It answered a lot of questions but also left me with quite a few more – which I will wait happily to read in the next book.
Audio Review from April 2019
This story is a beautiful telling of how love can sometimes just conquer all.
I really enjoyed their story
Defy is a forbidden romance between 26 year old literature teacher Melody and her 18 year old student Jamie. Jamie offers her to have a fling until the end of the school and Melanie even though thinking it’s not right, agrees.
To be honest the story had potential and I liked Jamie, he was like the typical 18 year old guy who was determined to get what he wanted and here it was the hot teacher. I didn’t like Melody, she acted more like a teenager eager for sex; she kept thinking their relationship is forbidden and she should say no, yet at the same time she wasn’t thinking about having Jamie’s c*ck.
Towards the end of the story, I started to enjoy it and the plot started to be interesting. Sadly the whole plot didn’t meet my expectations.
I loved the characters and the love drama plot, but why was this a novella! I wish it was a book!
Ever since reading “Vicious”, I have been looking forward to reading the story of Jaime and Melody. I was curious if Jamie managed to get what he wanted from his english teacher, and also I was very curious how it will all end.
From the very beginning I knew that I liked Melody, she was so done with everyone and everything, and I found that amusing. I liked that she was easy to sympathize with, and I admired her strength. Even after she loosed everything she worked so hard to get, she did not give up. She lost her dream career as a dancer, and had to work as a teacher to a bunch of spoiled and privileged rich kids, but she still got up in the morning and faced everything the universe threw at her.
As I was reading “Vicious” I liked Jamie because he was the most down to earth of the four HotHoles, and he was so easily to like: with that attitude and that smirk on his face, and I wanted to know more about him.
I love that we got to see the two sides of Jaime, that were in stark contrast to one another: one when he was with Melody, and the other one when he was surrounded by his friends.
I liked watching the two of them falling in love, how they got from a secret and some will say taboo affair, to a strong and loving relationship. And one of the things that I admired at both of them, was how they fought for one another, no matter what people said.
If you enjoyed “Vicious”, I think you’re gonna enjoy this book too. Defy was everything that I hoped.
Defy is a novella in the Sinners of Saints series by LJ Shen. It serves as the first book in the series and gives a lot of background information for the rest of the series even though it is a shorter book.
Defy follows the growing relationship between Jamie Followhill and Melody Greene. In this book Melody Greene is Jamie’s English teacher. After Melody runs into Jamie’s car, Jamie begins to pursue/seduce her. Throughout the book they try to keep their relationship hidden. This book was wonderful! The characters were beautifully written and were easy to picture. The story was captivating, and it was a great prequel to the Sinners of Saints series. I highly recommend this story!
Favorite Quote:
“Because that was the problem with society. It cared too much about who you fell in love with but never about the why. The why matters. The who is irrelevant.
Melody and Jaime ..this is one of the most seductive and alluring teacher/ student relationships that I have had the privilege of reading!
Melody Greene has just lost her opportunity of living her dream as a ballet dancer. An injury has sidelined her and she now must fall back on her teaching degree….the one she hoped she would never use.
She has the opportunity to begin her career an elite private school where most of the students drive better cars than she does. They are from the wealthiest families on the west coast. Melody finds herself at the head of the class teaching literature to students have no interest in her knowledge. She is now front and center to Jaime one of the most powerful young men in the school and he has had his eye on her since the beginning. Due to unforeseen circumstances Melody finds herself in a strange situation that somehow has her owing Jaime a favor. When he playfully seductively suggests that they fulfill his secret fantasy …she is caught off guard but erotically intrigued.
A secret sexual affair with her 18 year old student what could possibly go wrong. They have instituted guidelines, rules and an end date. Melody can only hope that the worst that happens is someone discovers their elicit affair
Will Melody and Jaime Defy the Odds stacked against them when they are discovered ! Loved this one!!!
~~Michele McMullen ~~ (l
Jaimie and Mel fit so perfectly together. I’ve never read a teacher-student romance before because I always felt like they were a little weird but I read this and holy shit. I even tried reading other ts romances after this because it was so good, but nothing can compare to Jaimie and Mel. I also stay away from books where the guys have long hair but Leigh has made me like that too. I swear Leigh can write about anything I hate and I’ll immediately change my mind about it.
Please do yourself a favour and read this book RIGHT NOW
After reading (and loving) Pretty Reckless, I learned that the parents have their own series. At first it was weird having steamy scenes with Daria’s parents. But the entire novella was off-the-charts hot! The forbidden element only made it more so. And Jaime has the stalker skills to rival anyone. I need more of these complex characters because I know there are many secrets left to discover. The story was short, but it packed a lot of heat and romance and drama.
DEFY is a prequel to the Sinners of Saint series, but I read it as book two because I didn’t know about it until after listening to Vicious and then needing more of that went on a search.
Jaime and Melody’s story was different from Millie and Vic’s. Fast paced and taboo….how many teachers bumping student stories end with HAE? Yea, not many. This one took us on a journey of watching a stalker hothole student and a young teacher go from FWB to lovers. It’s hot and you really root for this relationship especially after Jaime opens up to Mel.
Tracey Marks did a great job as narrator. Really brought the Melody to life.
This was another good one in the series and I’m off to RUCKUS now, because I can’t stop. Some one stop me, wait no, don’t…this is too good.
I went a bit backwards and read All Saints High series first but I had to rewind and come back to the parents. What an intro into their world! Defy was all about the forbidden teacher/student romance. Jaime has it all and wanted his teacher too. Melody is a teacher who is struggling to fit into the world of the rich and powerful. I am so intrigued by these “hotholes” and how they run the show in their town. On to the next book in this series and hope it’s as dark and wonderful as this one!
WOAH!!!! This book dialed up the steam from Vicious and I am here for it I loved getting Jaime and Mel’s story, I know this was a novella but I totally would have read even more about them. This series is seriously so addicting and I cannot wait to read about the next “hothole”.
This sweet novella is a quick and easy read that starts out the Sinners of Saint series. It digs into the background of Defy, a fight created by one of the Hotholes of All Saints High, how Jaime and Melody came to be, and introduces the other characters in the series.
Melody Greene became a teacher at ASH after suffering an injury that ruined her chances as a ballerina at 18. Jaime Followhill is the troublemaking son of ASH’s principal and has a thing for Ms. Greene. Everything works according to plan, and his forbidden relationship with her begins.
I read the All Saints High series before I started this series (oops) so it was interesting to go back in time and learn about how Melody and Jaime started out. I love Jaime’s character. He is a privileged rich kid who risks his family’s money for love. I thought the way that Jaime pursued/stalked Melody was funny, cute and hot. He truly cares about her. Melody’s character was real and relatable with her insecurities. She knows what she is doing is wrong, but she accepts her actions and has no regrets. She quickly falls for her student.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novella but I am a little bummed that this is not full length because I could definitely read more of their story! I love a good forbidden, teacher/student romance, and this definitely fits the bill.
I have read LJ’s books numerous times, falling under the spells the Hot Holes over and over again. I love each for my own reasons, but one thing does stay the same….LJ is the queen of angsty and emotionally charged tales. I love Jamie and Mel’s story, the taboo taste of Mel being the teacher and Jamie being the student determined to get what he wants – and what he wants is Mel. No matter how many times I read this story – I still find myself laughing, holding my breath, and fanning myself while reading. Their love story is one that starts as “forbidden”, ends with a happily ever after, and I still continue to fall in love with it repeatedly.
I’ve been missing out on the sexiness of LJ Shen’s work for far too long! I’ll admit I was hesitant, as I always am with taboo things (to an extent), but once I began reading I simply couldn’t stop! I loved Jaime and his sweetheart ways; his quiet nature. Mel? I enjoyed watching her find herself throughout the book, and see her steadily find her dreams and aspirations; accepting them as they would be with time and changes. This book was heartfelt, sexy, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I’ll also admit that I love all the Hotholes and cannot wait to read Vicious! Woot!
Defy is a great student-teacher romance with feeling. What starts as a fling turns into more. I found this a lovely introduction to the other characters and I can’t wait to get into Vicious’ book!