“Pretty Young Things is an absolute tour de force. Seven points of view. A twenty-year span of time. Secrets and deception and revenge and redeption. Ace took a classic tale and transformed it into a modern day love story of epic proportions. I give it all the stars in the sky, even Cassiopeia.”-BB Easton, Bestselling AuthorGreed. Jealousy. Lust. It all started with a bloody palm and a promise. … started with a bloody palm and a promise. Words beneath the moonlight that I thought would keep us together. Forever.
Deceit. Betrayal. Vengeance.
I didn’t see it coming. I didn’t think you had it in you. But what was supposed to bury me—break me—simply remade me as something new. Something hellbent on ruining you, my love.
This book is a complete stand-alone based on the classic The Count of Monte Christo
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{I received this as an ARC in exchange for an Honest review}
Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW!! This book was absolutely out of this world. I am going to say that I have never read “The Count of Monte Cristo” which is what this book is based on. So I really went in to this book blind and it blew my mind!!! It was incredible! I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire book. I was entranced with this story. The suspense is honestly killer. My stomach was in knots just waiting to see what would happen next. Every page is a new twist and I loved every suspenseful minute of the crazy ride. God it was good. Dante and Mercy are soulmates through and through. The hurt they both go through absolutely killed me. I was dying for them throughout the whole book to just get back together! I LOVE them!!! Danger and Diego make the perfect villains. God I hated them. Now Rousse I hated to love him. He is a bad guy but still I just wanted to hug him. Ace wrote an Incredible book with a set of truly complex and amazing characters! I loved this and I need you all to read it!!!!! It is AMAZING!!!!!
This book was everything; love and hate, betrayal and revenge, sexy heat and stone cold tension. I loved this story that had me racing to read as fast as I could to see why would happen. There were characters I fell in love with and characters I wanted killed off in the first few pages. Ace Gray wove a stunning tale that has become one of my favorites. I can’t wait to read more from this very talented author.
Wow I wasn’t sure what to expect from this new to me author, but this wasn’t it!
From how the book started you will not expect the outcome.
Revenge is a dish best served cold and this has it in spades.
This book is a timely reminder that not everyone you think has your back.
Be careful who you trust.
Will definitely be reading more from this author.
Ace Gray has written a masterful contemporary rehashing of a loved classic. She’s upped the ante on our feelings by writing a story-line with added imagination and beautiful betrayal that you can’t seem to look away from. Right from the very first pages she paints a picture of friendship and brotherhood that is beyond blood. Enter THE girl. Ugh! This poor girl! Life is fun and sweet for all…until it’s not. We have all felt pangs of jealousy or greed or lust, making it understandable to identify with some of the underlying drive of the antagonists’ motives. It’s not just that camaraderie of common human nature though. Ace has a special skill writing characters with layers and depth that you just can’t help feeling sorry for them at some level. And DAMN does the hero give me funny feelings in my tummy. Pretty Young Things has it all. Just read the blurb! Greed, jealousy, lust, deceit, betrayal, AND vengeance? All woven together in a gritty sophisticated plot? Yes please! 5 stars, absolutely!
This was the first book I’d read by Ace Gray and I absolutely adored it. The tone, the well thought out plot and the raw passion and brutality just gripped me.
The book is about four young men who are blood brothers, the family they’ve never known. There is Danger who like is name is trouble, Diego, Rousse and Dante.
Dante appears to have all the luck in his life, he has the beautiful girl who he is madly in love with, he is good at surfing, racing and a whizz with technology. But little does he know that his talent and luck will run out and become his ruin.
The book is about jealousy and what lengths people will go to in order to see themselves come out on top. It’s a story about betrayal and the overwhelming need to seek revenge and justice. It is also the story of redemption, forgiveness and unending love.
This book had a bit of everything and I was hooked from the start to the finish. It was brutal how three friends turned against one, and it was hard to read the pain and suffering of Mercy ‘the woman left behind’.
The story is fast paced, thrilling and it makes you question your own morality in terms of what punishment is enough for the characters crimes. I adored the characters and even the side characters of Bert and Max added to the suspense and tension.
I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller or romance. It was incredibly well written and i can guarantee it will reel you in.
I’ve never read a book with 7 different POV’s, I
have to say it was easy to get into it even with
all the different characters. I think it was done
beautifully and flawlessly. The author did an
amazing job. Dante was wronged by the people
he loved the most. It was definitely a journey
for him,especially having to be someone else
in order to get his revenge. The love he has for
Mercy was so much that it made his supposed
“Blood Brothers” jealous to the point of
ultimate betrayal.
4.5 Stars
Review by Amy W.
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
Pretty Young Things is my first book by Ace Gray. I had heard praise for her books before but had never picked one up until now. What was I thinking! This book is amazing.
This is a retelling of the classic The Count of Monte Cristo so I won’t go into the plot and storyline, I’m sure most everyone already knows. What I will say is that these characters, all of them, touched my emotions and intrigued me in some way.
This story is full of greed, jealousy, betrayal, vengeance, but also hope love and redemption. I highly recommend to readers that love a new twist on a classic.
This was intense! What a ride! It starts off as any childhood tale of friendship and hopes and dreams. Innocent fun. Blood brothers who vow to always be family, together. Fast forward a few years and one of them seems to have a life that is just easier, luckier than the rest. Jealousy fester and infects them one by one until that bond is broken beyond repair. Betrayed. Broken. Locked away for something he believes he did not do, Dante tries to push away the only girl he has ever loves. As his memories start to come back he realises that it was all a lie and he lives and breathes vengeance. But, like jealousy, it festers and corrupts, destroying you more than the objects you hate. Heartbreaking and beyond intense this is a five star roller-coaster ride that is not to be missed.
Very well written, it jumps between all of the characters and reads like a movie! It’s insane! Incredible!
When Dante Rogue was 14 years old he took a blood oath with Danger, Diego and Rousse and the four became blood brothers and they promised to put their friendship first above all things.
As time goes on Dante finds himself in love with Mercy Graves and things between he and his brothers begin to change. But when he is betrayed by those he believed in what will happen and will he seek revenge when he learns the truth?
This was such a good book with some twists and turns to keep you wondering what was going to happen next.
Dante was definitely the most together of all the brothers and it seemed to me like the others were very jealous of him and I was mad for sure at what was going on behind his back! I was shocked at how everything played out and what happened to him and where he ended up. I was grateful that Dante met Priest and how he was there for him when he needed someone and how he guided him and helped him figure everything out.
I thought Mackenzie Relle was a great character and I kind of hoped more would happen between her and Dante when she was able to get everything figured out! She was a great friend to Dante and truly had his back!!
So, I wasn’t too sure about Mercy after things had happened. I could understand to a certain degree why she began to get closer to Diego but at the same time he was such a loose cannon that I was so mad at her for settling and getting herself into a bad situation. I had more insight then Dante so I was kind of freaking out what was going to happen.
Things started to get super intense with the introduction of “Row” and waited to see how things were going to play out and I was not disappointed!! Things were so intense and I was shocked at what all happened!
The end was good and I was glad about the peace that Rousse and Dante were able to make after everything! – By Rebecca
~They say hatred can only bloom from where love grows….~
PRETTY YOUNG THINGS is an evocative simmering cocktail of greed, lust, jealousy, betrayal and an all-consuming desire for revenge in this explosively plotted thriller about disloyalty and broken friendships.
This book left me starved for oxygen, I don’t think I took a breath until my emotions took over. I may have had several anxiety attacks throughout the story, but then Ms. Gray smoothed my nerves with her magical words.
Four boys in a time of innocence, sworn by a blood oath to always be brothers; a family made by choice to always defend and support each other. As time matures into adolescence and adulthood, one brother shines brighter than the others. His success outrivals the others at everything they do. He even scores the girl that is so beautiful “she shames the stars”. All his prosperous circumstances becomes the catalyst for treachery, a betrayal so colossal it motivates a day of reckoning. Is forgiveness in the stars?
~When love and vengeance battled, there can only be one winner.~
This story is a must read for 2019. Well written and fiercely compelling!!
4.5* Cassiopeian Stars
Unputdownable. Emotional. Riveting.
A wonderfully intricate web of love, lies, betrayal and revenge with equally complex characters, and yet written so effortlessly in true Ace Gray style. Although retelling a classic is a tricky endeavor, I had no doubt that Ace would deliver the perfect spin and quicken my pulse with all the twists and turns. My emotions were amplified, and I loved the several POVs as it allowed me to connect and understand all those layers of each character.
As I am not one to delve into plot or character details in my reviews, the only thing I could say is Bravo Ace! A standing ovation for this gem!
I’m so lost for words, this book had all the sins wrapped into the amazingly written book. I might have a case of whiplash from the drama, lust and everything else. I couldn’t put this book down because once you start, you won’t be able to put it down.
I’m at a loss of words on how to write this review. Ace Gray is a magician with words. She sucks you in the story while stabbing you in the back. It’s not only twisted but a shockingly epic storyline.
Danté and his three friends will give you chills. Murder plots, back stabbing and psychos in disguise.
It’s one of authors best novel. But prepared to be gutted before you even know what’s happening…
This was my first Ace Gray book but I had heard great things about her so I took a chance and read this book! I’m not going to lie I wanted to stop at the beginning. Not because it was bad, but because she had 5 characters and told from each of their POV. I was totally confused on who was telling the story. But I stuck with it and I am glad I did! It got really good about 55% in and I was hooked!! I couldn’t put it down. I was able to follow along with each character the further I went. The whole story wrapped up perfectly. The only thing I wish was that she told about Diego and Danger at the end. We heard from Rousse and it would have been nice to get an update on the other two. But still a great storyline.
This one gets all my feels…the good, the bad and the really, really ugly! Pretty young things gone so bad. Jealousy is an evil thing among brothers. What a story of the ultimate betrayal between blood brothers and for treacherous reasons. Kudos to the author for giving us such superb characters that you love to hate and love to love. I could go on and on about Dante and, folks, he’s too good to miss out on. New book boyfriend? Oh, hell yeah! His mantra of be hard, be ruthless, be vengeful taught to him by the awesome Priest. Got to talk about the babe of all babes, Mercy. So beautiful inside and out! Love her even the broken bits. A shout out to Ace for the Gandy candy appearance 😉 (love to my gal, Donna Alam, for introducing me to Gandy candy.) And that brings me to lawyer extraordinary Max. Between her legal skills, her Gandy dreams and her crushing on Dante, she a marvelous character. Not gonna talk about the boys other than they started off great. Fantastic writing in this story about love, loss, betrayal, revenge and the ultimate payback. An emotional ride for sure. Loved the blood and guts! Simply fantastic. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
“They say hatred can only bloom from where love grows”
Pretty Young Things by Ace Gray isn’t just read. It’s experienced, it’s felt; its written words carved into your heart and burned on your soul. This book shattered every preconceived notion of what I thought this story would be. As a modern retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo, like me you may think you know this book, but my friend you don’t.
Four boys, four blood brothers, become men on the cliff and beaches of the Pacific Coast. Strong and relentless as the waves they surf, nothing could ever cause their brotherhood to falter. Or so they thought, until where love grew, envy festers and morphs to hate. Can absolution be found after the death of love by betrayal’s bitter poison? Read Pretty Young Things and find out!
This book absolutely slayed my expectations. I enjoyed the parallels to the classic tale and loved the modern nuances and redirections. Author Ace Gray writes beautifully with a poetic feel to her words and an ability to invoke strong emotion. The plot progression and character change throughout the book was well thought out and expertly executed. I truly loved Pretty Young Things, and am feeling the book hangover. Join me, and read the epic classic’s retelling in Pretty Young Things by Ace Gray today!
What happens when the people you love most betray you so deeply and so thoroughly that the fallout categorically alters your life, redefining it in inexcusable ways – ways that you would never choose nor be expected to come back from regardless of how far the need for vengeance can possibly take you.
But that’s Dante’s charge…no, that’s not even the right word to describe what he sets out to do because in order to take back his life…in order to right all of the wrongs that have been done to him by those closest to his heart, he must reinvent himself and force himself to journey down a dark and twisted path – one that he could have never imagined would be the way he would choose to live or be forced to live due to someone else’s decisions.
There’s always a risk when a writer tackles a retelling of a classic work of literature, and in Ace Gray’s case, she chose one that spans several decades, deals with an extreme level of jealousy that forces reprehensible acts to be committed and has a hero hellbent on revenge, willing to do whatever it takes to make those pay for not only destroying his life but also stealing away the love of his life without any consequence to the lies and misdeeds that were done to do so.
Pretty Young Things is Ace Gray’s take on The Count of Monte Cristo, and like the much loved tale, Gray crafts this modern version with the same kind of intense emotions as well as the same span of time that illustrates the past that Dante and his band of brothers shared and the envious reasons for the betrayal along with the present situation that he must traverse in order to right the wrongs against him and live the life that he was supposed to since the beginning.
Gray’s story contains a complex and multifaceted plot; there are several story threads to understand and mesh together and because there are multiple perspectives used to tell the various parts of the tale, readers need to be able to sift through all of the content and the varying views of the story line in order to glean the required ideas and maybe even garner their own views based on readers’ individual connections to characters’ differing experiences.
Ace Gray always writes an engaging story, and while I felt a little overwhelmed with all of the content that I needed to juggle in order to clearly see all sides of the text, I felt like she did justice to the original because she made me feel EVERYTHING that Dante and Mercy felt as they worked to overcome the obstacles constructed by those who wanted this loving couple to fall simply because others desired to covet what/who was always supposed to be Dante’s.
4.5 Poison Apples
This is an amazing retelling of one of my favorite books ever! Ace has brought it to the table and kicked it’s arse by her retelling of this story. I am always leery when I read a retelling of a story I love but this one knocked it out the box and I was so enraptured by this story I could not put my kindle down. I kept reading late into the night but I had to know what would happen to Dante and Mercy.
Dante has been wrongfully accused of a crime and imprisoned and while he is imprisoned he is making his plans for revenge so when he gets out he will have his justice and get back everything that was taken from him. And boy oh boy I loved watching things unfold like they did and they were slow and deliberate with no warning of what was to come.
This is a must read that has an edge to it that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next. I loved it and I know you will to! Kudos Ace I can’t wait to read more from you.
Welp. This book ruined me.
Pretty Young Things is a modern adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Spoiler for you kids: I’ve never read The Count of Monte Cristo, but I vaguely remember watching the movie where Jesus was looking all angsty in a dungeon.
My faulty memory didn’t stop me from devouring this story. It was a tale of love and revenge and friendship lost. Without going into much detail, our plot is simple. Hero gets betrayed by his three best friends over greed and jealousy. He then devotes his life to revenge.
Plus romance fits in there (of course) as well as some deliciously well written sexy times.
Pretty Young Things was compelling. I was enthralled. Ace Gray gave these characters such depth. Sometimes I hate having so many points-of-view, but it felt almost necessary here. It was the best way to get into each character’s head and really connect with the story.
As Queen J will tell you (and I’ve definitely told you before), I like my characters to grovel; I have a hard time doling out forgiveness for my fictional characters. This is where Pretty Young Things was my kryptonite: revenge. Some may say it was over-the-top. I am not part of those some. I thought the revenge fit the story line and appeased my sense of right/wrong
Bottom line: I could not have loved this book more.
Oh my. Who doesn’t love it when there’s modern retelling of our beloved classics? In Pretty Young Things, Ace Gray retells the timeless tale of The Count of Monte Cristo with epic modern twists and gripping, suspense filled writing. My heart bled for Dante and Mercy so often reading this soul destroying piece of literary art. Ace Gray, I think I might hate you for the pain but damn I loved this story more!
The depth and symbolism woven effortlessly throughout PYT had me savouring and analysing every syllable. Gray executed a modern story of love, heartbreak, greed, betrayal and revenge with gritty, glittering perfection. How far would you go to get revenge on the people that cut you deepest and destroyed your very soul?
And the part that made me actually snot cry most? Super nerdy but Ace Gray ended the novel with the same sentence that Alexander Dumas ended The Count of Monte Cristo. One of my all time favourite literary quotes. “All human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and Hope’. “