After surviving foster care and a high school that breeds gang members and drug dealers I’ve finally found my path to freedom: emancipation and a full ride scholarship at the ultra-exclusive Hannaford Prep.All I have to do is survive.After attracting the wrong sort of attention from the richest boy in the country, pissing off the hottest guy in school and being humiliated in front of my favorite … front of my favorite rock idol I am now the target of the most popular, and cruelest, group in the freshman class.
They want my blood.
They can have it.
I’m stronger than any spoilt rich kid.
But can I survive the game the Juniors have started with me as the goal? Now every boy at Hannaford wants to have me.
All except the three I want.
Ash, Harley, and Blaise don’t care about the game, all they care about is destroying me.
more
10/10. SO FRICKING GOOD!
This is my third time reading this series. This version is the complete collection, bonus scenes included and it follows Lips’ 4 year long journey through Hannaford Prep. Between the suspense, the plot twists, the character development, and the characters (I honestly wish I could be in this series… just yano.. maybe without having to deal with the violence, constant death threats and the psycho Jackal. P.s I’m claiming Avery, Lips and Illi.. just saying) it left me never ever wanting to leave the Bay.
There were so many times where I thought my heart was going to climb out of my throat and every single one of them was worth it. The guys are *chef’s kiss* absolutely perfect. They’re 3 broody alpha assholes but each of them have the most perfect soft side where Lips and Avery are concerned. The family dynamic that evolves throughout this storyline is beautiful and the way they look out for each other is perfection. My only complaint is that I sometimes wish Lips would have just gone full wolf and been a little bit more proactive rather than reactive, however at the core of it she is a teenage girl just trying to make it in a truly insane world. I can’t fault her when her main goal is to make it out of the Bay alive.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys reading action packed RH books. If you love strong female leads, that are still evolving and learning to embrace their “softer” sides then I dare you to take the plunge and fall in love with Lips. If you want 3 guys who will get their hands just as dirty, and at times more than the FMC, who are willing to sacrifice everything and anything for the sake of protecting the people they love, then Blaise, Harley and Ash are the guys for you.
Grab this book ASAP.
I have to say this is one of a kind book that I’ve read so far. It’s got a mafia feel to it, a high school bully theme, and a strong leading female character that even when knocked down, get back up swinging.
****This series isn’t for the faint of heart, does have some triggers such as assault, rape, murder, and verbal abuse. ****
A unique take on the Bully Romance drama. This girl can take care of herself and then some. A lot of twists on the traditional roles here. I really liked the female empowerment of this.
Very enjoyable.
I’ve heard so much about this series and I am enjoying it. It’s an oldie so I can’t say much more than what already has been said in all the reviews.
Audio is the way I went and it was very enjoyable.
I love how our FMC doesn’t immediately give it up. Sometimes, some stories need to be a slow burn. IDK I like my smut but I like my plot more and this is going the perfect pace for me.
4.5 Stars This series has been on my radar for a while and decided to dive in on a whim. This was about 300 pages of pure anxiety. But my gosh is Eclipse strong. (No I will not call her by her nickname, not quite yet) Everyone in this book is reprehensible and since this is turning into a Mariana Zapata-eques slow burn situation I’m hoping there’s some redemption on the cards. But purely for Eclipse and her journey through the viper den that is Hannaford Prep, I’m sucked in. Take me on a journey, Ms. Bree. Gimmie what you got.
Holy heck, this series. I devoured it. I’ll definitely reread. It’s a RIDE.
Welcome to the wicked mind of J Bree and her diabolical story telling- hang on tight, it’s gonna get crazy, bloody, and super steamy.
J Bree is a consummate world builder- and the Hannaford world is one as sharp as it is welcoming, full of colorful characters with traumatic pasts, grey moral codes, and ever changing agendas. Lips, her men, and all of the fantastic secondary characters are captivating and magnetic. From the early bully push-pull all the way to the epic, heart stopping devotion that ensues, I could feel the chemistry down in my marrow. And what a heroine- there is no one like Lips- powerful, in control, totally alpha- the consummate survivor and the gritty warrior.
Action is no-stop, twists and turns abound, darkness and danger permeate every page- a total page turner and a wild, addictive ride. But what I loved most was the LOVE- and not just the romance, but the familial love. The love and loyalty this make-shift crew has for each other – a love that supersedes the game, a love that overpowers and controls the game. There is now greater power- the friendships, the connections, the devotion this crew of misfits has for each other. I want to live in this world forever!
LIPS KICKS @SS!!
I loved this book but I only gave it 4 stars because there are editing errors. This book had me hooked I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one day but I need more. This Author is new to me but I’ll be checking out more of her books. I can’t believe all the bullshit the crew at Hannaford put Lips through. I don’t know how she put up with it all and not retaliate. I mean more than she does. As tough as she is I know she has to keep her head down so she doesn’t get kicked out but damn she puts up with alot. She extremely smart, she beautiful and being raised the way she was I think made her a much stronger girl. Those stuck up rich snobs have nothing on her reach into the underworld. This author drew me in and had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. It frustrated the hell out of me that Lips started having feelings for any of these guys. Between Ash, Harley, and Blaise I thought at least one of them would have come around. I mean they didn’t hesitate when they found out that she’d been hurt. I was trying to guess what was gonna happen next throughout the book but nothing is as it seems. I wanted to scream in frustration. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. I laughed whenever Lips throat punched that guy . I wanted to cry when Lips has to help Avery in the bathroom. And don’t even get me started on that psycho Joey. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
1 like
Best series I have ever read…seriously
This is hands down the best book series I have ever read, and I have read hundreds of books. This series checks every single box for me. I read all sorts of genres but my absolute favorite is Romance and in the last few years I have become a fan of RH though it’s hard to find it done well. I can really only think of five authors that have created works that I felt really nailed this genre. J. Bree is leading the way in my opinion.
What are these checked boxes you may ask? Here we go:
1) Strong FMC. Lips (fmc) is fierce but retains her soul. I have never read a fmc as well put together as her. She is the warrior in this series. While she has been through so much she retains her heart and soul and most impressively, her self-esteem. She is relatable, human, loyal, brave, strong. I want to meet this person so bad, heck…I want to be this person. If you prefer a strong female h who can handle her own, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a character who does it more realistically. This first book has quite a bit of the “bullying” but unlike other books with that plot line, it never feels miserable to the reader and that my friends is all due to our bad@$$ fmc Lips! She is so cool and collected. It’s not that the bullying doesn’t bother her, its that she has experienced and overcome so many worse obstacles that honestly the bullying comes off as more of a nuisance than anything. It never rocks her confidence or self-esteem and therefore as an invested reader, it never rocked mine. Thank you J. Bree for showing us such a mature character going through this tough situation.
2) Slow build for the relationships. I’ve come to realize about myself that I prefer a slow build with lots of heat and steam and plenty of character and relationship building as opposed to a fast burn/rush to the smexy times. Don’t get me wrong, I want sexy times and I want them to be super hot when they happen and J. Bree handled this aspect beautifully. Book one doesn’t technically have smexy times but the heat and steam is there in spades and frankly the characters are so darn fascinating that you don’t even miss it. You can tell when we get to that stuff it will be worth the wait and having read all four books I can promise you the sexy times will rock your world, all the more so because we took the time to really get to know these characters. This was the best build I have ever read. Hands down.
3) The H’s (male characters), too often authors are making two big mistakes when writing the male characters, the first being that they have too many of them. This is just my opinion but my perfect number of guys for an RH is three (four tops), that’s primarily because I don’t want there to be favoritism and I want to know every guy is getting plenty of time with the fmc and when it gets to be too many guys that just doesn’t make sense to me, and the second issue is when some of the male characters aren’t well fleshed out as truly different characters with different personalities, in which case they start to blur and you don’t know why they are there. J. Bree nailed the H’s. Harley, Blaise and Ash were so different and their relationship pace with Lips was on different timelines and had very different obstacles to be overcome but at the same time these three guys were a tight group of chosen “brothers” and you can totally see how Lips fits with them and it’s not implausible that they would choose to share this relationship.
4) This is totally a personal preference but there is no M/M in this series. I’ve noticed that cropping up in more and more RH books lately and I get why but that doesn’t particularly do it for me. I want the relationships to be completely focused on the fmc and that’s how it is in this series.
I’ve read this entire series and am going on record as saying book 2 is my favorite (the redemption is sooo sweet) so I’m going to finish off this review of book one and pick up the review on book two.
Anyone who hasn’t started this series is so lucky because this phenomenal series is complete (actually I hope its not complete, and J. Bree decides to take us into the college and early adult years, because I will never be done with these characters), but it’s complete for now. You have a full four book series to read so you won’t experience any of the heartache and stress from waiting months for “the next book” to release. Start this series now, prepare to experience a game changer in the romance and RH realm.
Lips is such a fierce heroine & I can’t wait to see how she grows and continues to overcome obstacles in the next books. She’s “secretly” a really important player in criminal underworld of Mounts Bay, but doesn’t like what she had to do to get there, to survive – to become the Wolf of Mounts Bay. So she’s throwing everything she has into getting the best academic education and finding her own way out. When she catches the eye of the Beaumonts & their family, she’s in for a grueling challege overcoming everything they throw her way while trying to get her to just drop out. Along the way, she sticks to her moral compass, standing up for herself and others and unintentionally befriends the one person who could change her Hannaford Prep experience.
Lips is simply amazing! She is my new favorite female lead of all time. Yes, she’s young, but damn, she’s resilient. I wasn’t prepared for this series to be a slow burn, but I’m not hating it.
Why did I wait so long to read this?! This was a great book! Lips is a feisty fmc that doesn’t take crap from anyone! The Beaumont’s and company are freaking crazy trying everything possible to get Lips to leave, but guess what happens when you underestimate the biggest bada$$ in the school? Yeah she keeps on taking it and proving herself. Thank gods for complete series, I’m on to the next!
Honestly, I m not really sure how I feel about this. I was hooked and couldn’t put it down, and I’m going to be downloading book 2 right away, but at the same time. I don’t really like the guys much. They seem kind of weak, and while they didn’t necessarily do all the bullying, leaving that to Avery, they just watched. But I really love Lips and her fierce, resilient attitude. She is awesome and I can’t wait to see her kick more a$$.
5 Stars!
I absolutely loved this book, and I’m eager to read the next instalment. I am in love with Lips (the FMC), and I’m so excited after the cliffhanger it left, to see how things will change in book two.
This is a bully book, but I personally wouldn’t say that’s the core of things.
Lips (Eclipse) is the main character and she grew up in the Mounts Bay, an area that’s looked down upon by the elites at the new boarding school that she gets a scholarship to attend. Now, Lips isn’t the kind of girl to take the bullying without retaliating, and she’s also one of the smartest people there. This only makes her character even more lovable.
Avery is the queen bee, but not necessarily because people like her. She’s smart, bitchy, but also so loyal. She’s the one who instigates a lot of the bullying towards Lips, and although I started the book off by hating her… by the end she’s begun redeeming herself. Her character is the one I’m most looking forward to exploring in the subsequent books.
Then we have what I’m guessing is going to be Lips’ harem. Ash (Avery’s brother), Blaise and Harley (Ash’s & Avery’s cousin). They come across as self-entitled, rich boys but there’s a hidden depth to all of them. I’m currently placing Harley as my favourite… but I can’t wait to see if that changes.
The plot in this book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. You know that feeling where your body starts amping up with adrenaline, where every twist and every hurdle has you so invested you’re rooting for the characters with more than just your mind? That’s how this book had me feeling. Over and over, until it ended.
J Bree is an author with serious talent and world-building skills. The characters have depth, intrigue and overall, they’re likeable. I highly recommend this book, and this author.
I loved this book. Lips is hands down my new favorite character. She is strong, takes no ones BS, and is resilient to a fault. She takes severything thrown at her in stride and makes calm and calculated moves. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was that they were high school kids. The manipulation and politics seemed a little much so I just pretended that the were in college for most of the book since that seemed to fit better. This is definitely a slow burn bully romance since the only romance in this book was one kiss. I can’t wait for book two and can’t wait to see what Avery and Lips do since they are like a dream team when it comes to getting anything done or handled.
Wow! This book was really really interesting! I’ve never heard of this author before and randomly picked this book and I’m not disappointed whatsoever! I couldn’t put it down! HannaFord Prep is high society bull crap and the people seem to be so far stuck up their asses it’s unreal. Bring in the foster girl who has major secret connections. They mystery behind Lips and all the crap she’s been through was very intriguing. I’m diving into book 2 right now!
One of my favorite RH series! It’s a slow burn contemporary RH set in high school. There’s gangs, bullies, and suspense! Seeing Lips fall for each of her guys and the relationships she develops with each is amazing to watch. She is a strong badass who doesn’t need men to protect her. If anything, shes always protecting them. So good!
Laura Jackson kept talking about the Hannaford Prep Series and how much I should read it because it would blow my mind because it was soooo good. So one day I agreed and dove in.
Lips is the Wolf of Mounts Bay, which sounds weird, but she’s actually a very lethal girl with a knife. She’s a member of The Twelve, which is a well-known criminal organization in Mounts Bay. They run everything there, including the police. Lips grew up in the foster care system after her mother died of an overdose. She had to fight everyday to survive and made her way into Hannaford Prep by earning an amazing scholarship. Her plan was to earn a scholarship to a good university, get a good job, a house and dare she hope…a family. First, she will have to survive her time at Hannaford Prep.
Ash, Avery, Blaise, and Harley are at the top of the rich kid food chain at Hannaford Prep. Anything these kids say goes, except when it comes to Ash and Avery’s older brother, Joey. He is the Devil himself and has his evil eyes set on Lips. All of these rich @$$holes decided that Lips needs to be gone so they all make it their mission to make her life hell so she will leave. They made a game out of her which would make her first year at Hannaford a pain in the arse.
This high school bully romance is nothing like I expected it to be. It sure did keep me on my toes and always wanting to know what would happen next.
This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I can honestly say that I’ve never read a bully story quite like this one. If you’re looking for a ROMANCE bully story this first book isn’t it. I’m not sure how the second book will be but this one had no romance, it was full of everything else. If an attempted rape scene bothers you then this might not be the book for you. However, I did enjoy Eclipse (Lips) character a lot. She had bullies, enemies, threats, physical and mental abuse thrown at her and I love that she never let them see her cry and she even took out a few of her attackers. I’m on the fence about Ash, Harley, Blaise, Avery and Matteo. Ash, Harley and Blaise used Lips when it was convenient for them. I wanted Lips to throat punch the boys along with Avery. Matteo is still a bit of a mystery but I’m waiting for his character to make an appearance. I feel it’s only a matter of time. The ending was surprising, however, I don’t trust Avery at all and I wouldn’t be surprised if she done what she did for her own motive. I’m willing to give the next book in this series a try to see how things play out. This story was a good but I was expecting romance somewhere in this story.
“I’m the Wolf of Mounts Bay, and I can survive anything.”
Angsty. Thrilling. Blood-Pumping. Intoxicating.
Wow. Just Drop Out is my first read by J Bree and I am blown away. The world she has crafted is addicting. These characters, their lives, the PLOT. It’s all so on point and I’m addicted.
These characters have completely captured me. They are so unique and so interesting. Each one with their own perfections and flaws.
It is a definite slow-burn but I am here for it. The story flows so well and I can’t wait to dive into book two.
“If you’re willing to do that for your enemy, then what you do for your friends must be really special.”