RIOT HOUSE is a 137,000-word standalone book in the Crooked Sinners Series and does not end on a cliffhanger. Future books in the series will feature other characters. This book contains dark content that may be considered a trigger for some readers, and as such is recommended for readers 17+
They might be richer than gods, but they’re morally bankrupt.
As far as the boys who run America’s most … run America’s most exclusive international academy are concerned, I’m an unwelcome interloper, an inconvenience, and they’re determined to make my life a living hell.
When Wren Jacobi sets eyes on Wolf Hall Academy’s newest inductee, all he sees is an easy mark. A reserved little girl with a target painted on her back. He knows nothing of my troubled past, though. Nothing of my mother’s suspicious death, or the horrific treatment I’ve had to endure at the hands of my psychotic father. And he has no idea of the lengths that I, unassuming little Elodie Stillwater, will go to in order to break the savage beast who dreams of breaking me first.
There’s a wolf stalking the forests that surround my new school.
Little does he know…
There are far scarier predators lurking out there in the dark.
more
Riot House” is the first book of the “Crooked Sinners” series by the best-selling author Callie Hart. Told in dual perspectives , get ready to enter Wolf Hall Academy!!
The first time I read about this book was in the “Bully Me” anthology. I have totally been losing my mind to get my hands on this one!! One glimpse of Wren and I was addicted. Wren is the enigma of his school. He is the silent predator you never see until he attacks. And now he has his eyes set on the new girl at the school. He was hell bent on breaking her. But this one might not be that easy and by the end it would be him that would end up being broken.
Elodie was the new girl in school. One look at her shy persona and you would never guess the horrors she had to endure. With her mother’s tragic death and her horrible treatment at the hands of her own father. She might just be the girl who would survive the hell these boys would put her Through. Because they have no idea what she has been through and now it was their turn to be played and ultimately broken.
Wren and Elodie were perfect. No matter how rough they both started at the beginning , I knew that they would definitely fit within each other their broken pieces. The book was marvelously written and had me at the edge of my seat for the whole time. I just can’t wait to know who we’ll be seeing in the next book!!! This series is so amazing and perfect and I am definitely addicted!
A definite recommendation to all the dark Romance lovers out there who would love themes like High School bully Romance and suspense!!
: /5
: /3
Riot House is a slightly dark, slightly tame bully romance, enemies to lovers that takes place in a boarding school. There was a bit of mystery that kept me intrigued, but felt the chapters were a bit drawn out which had me lose a bit of interest towards the middle. But the ending was explosive and I’m eager to read the upcoming stories in the series.
Riot House is an mysterious, suspenseful story that will have you turning the pages to find out what happens. This story included young adult, enemies to lovers, and bully romance tropes all in one tale. With broken characters, sizzling chemistry, twists and turns and an intense plot, this novel will have you hooked from beginning to end. It was at times dark and angsty and as the story unfolds you could feel the building chemistry between Elodie and Wren inspite of his initial hostility towards her. I loved their relationship and that she was the perfect contrast to him and I enjoyed seeing them fall for each other. The story was a bit slow at the start but picked up coming down to the end and the ending is one you won’t see coming. It was an entertaining read and I would recommend it to lovers of the enemies to lovers trope.
FIVE RIOT STARS for Elodie and Wren !!!
This is the first book I’ve read by Callie Hart and I loved it.
“Riot House” is a new adult bully romance with enemies to lovers trope whose interesting and tense plot will nail you to the book to the very end.
Elodie is a female character whose life wasn’t easy because she lived with a military father who ran her life which made her strong and nothing could surprise her anymore.
Her life changes after her father send her to a boarding school.
Wren is a male character who thinks he has no heart, but that’s certainly not true because his feelings prove just the opposite.
At first, his behavior towards Elodie is awful because she is just a target for him to torture until he becomes tired of her, but later that changes and she becomes an important part of his life as much as he is hers.
Elodie and Wren’s relationship is a pure fire filled with chemistry that grows more and more with each page of the book.
If you’re looking for a NA bully romance book and you also love Callie’s writing style, then you should read this book!!!
Highly recommended!!!
P.S. I can’t wait to read “Riot Rules” !!!
Riot House is the first book in the Crooked Sinners series by Callie Hart and introduces us to Elodie Stillwater, the new girl transfer to the the school, and Wren Jacobi, 1/3 of the Riot House boys, a trio whose family money and influences allows the boys to do whatever they want. Through flashback, we see that Wren has formed an interest (almost an obsession) with Elodie, and wants to break her. Too much power and money gives Wren the free time and resources to bully and stalk Elodie.
I appreciated the way Callie Hart crafts the character of Elodie here, who is quiet but deadly, intelligent and perceptive, but still kind and empathetic. Her mother passed away when she was young, and she has spent her life under the thumb of her father. While her father is stationed in Israel, he sends Elodie to school in the US, which gives her freedom and space from him. Wren’s family comes from money, and he also has a contentious relationship with his father. He has a ridiculous amount of money at his disposal, and he and his friends have no qualms about living a hedonistic lifestyle and terrorizing people at Wolf Hall (and beyond). Wren is intelligent, intense, and persistent, and though he is mean to Elodie in the beginning, underneath he is also thoughtful and romantic.
Underlying all this romantic tension between Wren and Elodie is a puzzle about a missing girl from their dorms, the hint of a forbidden teacher/student relationship, and a group of side characters who are as fascinating as they are mysterious. Callie Hart did a great job of building this corrupted world and these complex characters whose secrets and moral ambiguity will lead to a lot of entertaining adventures.
A stunning cover for a good book. Let’s be real, how BEAUTIFUL is Wren?!
I liked Riot House, maybe not as much as I thought or hoped I would, but I enjoyed it all the same.
I wasn’t expecting the plot twist we got with Elodie and my heart really did go out to her. I’d say she handled Wren rather well, all things considered.
I liked Wren. The chemistry, the tender side he had for Elodie and his friendship with Pax and Dash. I did think he was a little soft at times but maybe I just had an asshole theme in my head when I shouldn’t have had. But I do loves me some mean boys
I’d definitely say read it and give it a go. It seems to be a mixed bag for everyone. I might’ve struggled a little with the writing style of this one but I loved the plot and liked the character’s so I’ll definitely be giving the second book in the series a go!
*Reviewed by Ali at Fallen For Books.
Wow! I feel like that is the only word to do this book any justice at all. The writing is so superb, that it just draws you in and hangs onto you. You can feel the emotions and atmosphere pouring out through the pages as you go. You feel what the characters feel, you see what they see. The chemistry between Elodie and Wren is so thick, it’s like you are literally breathing it in. This is a book you definitely don’t want to miss and once you start you aren’t going to want to put it down!
Riot House by Callie Hart is book #1 in the Crooked Sinners series and I absolutely love this book.
Wolf Hall Academy is a boarding school for the elite, with many military and other rich kids with absentee parents often being sent there.
Elodie has just had her life uprooted from sunny Tel Aviv to cold New Hampshire. Wolf Hall’s newest transfer is sad to be away from her friends but oh so happy to be an ocean away from her military father who is not only strict and controlling, but has darker tendencies aswell. But Elodie has always been a strong, smart, confident girl who won’t bow down to anyone, including Wolf Hall Academy’s resident bad boy Wren and his Riot House boys.
Wren is the school’s kingm Lucifer himself in disguise. He’s handsome, dark and calculating and no one dares to mess with him, not even the teachers. He has had his sights set on Elodie even before she turned up at Wolf Hall. Ever since he saw her file on the principal’s desk, he has been intrigued, fascinated and glad that he now has someone new to concentrate on, a new toy to ruin and break, something he is looking forward to enjoying every step of the way.
But things change when his stunts don’t go according to plan, when she doesn’t fall or give an inch to any of his tactics. Although he finds her frustrating, Wren finds that she constantly tests and challenges him at every turn, and he finds that his carefully constructed walls are starting to crumble when he is around her.
Not only do Wren and Elodie have pasts that they’d rather remain hidden, Wolf Hall Academy is full of secrets that are bound to come out sooner or later.
This book is a high school bully, enemies-to-lovers story with angst and romance. I thought it was a fantastic read and can’t wait for more in the series.
As complete virgin reader to Author Callie Hart, I was both very excited and nervous to sink my teeth into this book. From the blurb alone, I was unsure what type of adventure it was going to lead me on, but I was pleasantly surprised and addicted.
Welcome one and all to Wolf Hall Academy, the knock off version of Hogwarts, just take away the magic, throw in a dash of crazy rich kids and a bunch of steamy goodness and your good to go. Riot House is a mystery suspense romance that revolves around new girl Elodie Stillwater and resident bad boy Wren Jacobi. This book is recommended for mature readers and does have dark triggers, it is also a standalone and a perfect way to dip your toes into Callie Harts world.
Wren Jacobi is one of three guys of Riot House, filthy rich with nothing but time of their hands, and at Wolf Hall Academy they are kings. When new girl Elodie is sent to the Academy by her father, she is surprised by what she finds. Nothing is what it seems in this school, teachers swear, students do what they want and one of the resident bad boys seems to have taken a shine to her. To bad she wants nothing to do with him.
Wren is cold as ice and not just his personality, the Riot House guys seem to thrive on causing others pain, they live on it. They are friends and brothers, this comes into play in the book more and it’s an intriguing depth to the story I was expecting. Elodie changes all of that though. They have a relationship of give and take, there are moments when I was screaming at Wren, then others when I couldn’t love him more. Elodie and Wren are cut from the same cloth and though it takes time for them to realize what they have, their connection is so strong that it changes them forever. While Wren determined to make Elodie his, she is busy fighting the attraction she feels for him and the strong feelings he brings out in her. When Wren learns of what Elodie’s father has done, well lets just say, I have NEVER loved a character more.
The story line is indeed darker than I would normally read, but its quick paced and easy to keep up with. Hart has a way of weaving the mystery and romance together in way that you will never see the next twist coming. The suspense is awesome, you can’t wait to read the next page and see what is going to happen. Riot House is an enigma, wrapped in a mystery shrouded in shadow, or at least that’s what I felt while reading it. The mystery of the journal, the steamy scenes, the connection of two emotionally damaged souls, nothing beats this dark read. I give Riot House 4.5 stars and a personal “Yahoo!!”.
This is the first book I’ve read of Callies, I never knew I needed this book until I saw the cover and the blurb had me intrigued..
I was hooked from the very first page, I tried so hard not to devour this book but still ended up reading it in one night. The book hanger was real and so worth it..
Will have to put a warning up as this book has some TRIGGERS in it, but it was so worth the read..
I seriously fell in love with the main characters Elodie and Wren who are beautifully written, this book is defiantly a slow burn but once it goes off you better hold on because your in for a hell of a ride!
Elodie and Wren have chemistry that’s off the charts and I love their banter and how they have the push and pull affect with each other..
Riot House is an intense book that has you on edge of your seat nearly all the way through. This book is jammed packed full of lies, deceit, betrayal and obsession.. seriously can not recommend this book enough!
Riot house is dark bully, opposites attract, taboo masterpiece.
Eloide Stillwater has been sent to attend Wolf Hall, a boarding school filled with rich and privileged children. As a military brat, she doesn’t necessarily fit that mold. What she doesn’t know, is that before even arriving on the premises, Wren Jacobi has already set his sights on her.
Now Wren is your parents worse nightmare. His self destruct button is on a hair trigger. Wren along with his fellow Riot House Boys (if the name doesn’t sum them up nothing else does) they like to play with their food and they don’t play well with others period.
Eloide is the polar opposite. She has experienced her own set of horrors and knows whats it’s like living under the controlling fist of her father. Yet, she doesn’t let that be the sum of who she is as a person. She is caring, understanding and succeeds at making only the opposite moves that Wren expected her to make. I loved how Eloide was able to breathe life into Wren and how he accepted the changes, wholeheartedly.
There are an array of plot twist, underlying suspicion, along with an unsolved disappearance of a student mixed in. Majority of these characters are hard, manipulative and so damn intriguing.
Now I knew after reading the Raleigh High series that Callie Hart was a fantastic author. But, after reading Riot House, I’ve changed my mind. Callie Hart is a brilliant fucking writer.
Oh man, do I love Riot House by Callie Hart. Wren and Elodie were such a fun couple to read, and I loved every minute of this book. The descriptions and background of the characters made the story so much more enjoyable, and I loved that Elodie was a strong female character.
Bully romances are my absolute favorite romance genre, and Riot House is a must-read if you love bully love stories. I seriously cannot wait for book two and read more about the Riot House boys.
This cover had me adding this book to my tbr so fast even before I read the synopsis. This was an amazing read with twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat. This is a must read and have you on one hell of a ride.
Oh wow this was not what I expected at all. But I loved every minute of it
This school is not what you would expect it to be. This is the place that military kids and high profile workers leave their kids. Elodie’s father, Colonel Stilwater left his daughter after taking her away from her life in Tel Aviv, so this is the last place she would want to be. Being under her father’s rules she has learned how to be strong and resilient, so these kids don’t know what they are in for. She can definitely fight her own battles.
Wren is the stuff of sweet, heavenly dreams, and twisted, terrifying nightmares.
Wren is part of the Riot House Boys and they all live off campus in their own little fortress. Wren is hot and sexy and they typical bad boy. Wren is drawn to her, he can’t explain it. He no longer sees her as a target but as something so much more and wants to ruin her in a totally different way.
Elodie feels the same way even though she knows she must stay away from him. Their connection is so passionate and there is no denying that they belong together.
I haven’t read a Callie Hart book since Sloan and Zeth… Oh my word, this story was so not what I expected and so much more. I don’t normally read bully romances but this was just so much more. And the other characters in this story was just as good and will have you wanting so much more. So much angst, suspense, some romance but also some darkness to this story. I can’t wait for the next story in this series
Wow! I was surprised and intrigued with this take on the “typical” high school romance. I really loved Callie’s take. Wren is just this side of F’d up, but I am here for it! I loved his obsession and possession of Elodie and I was sooooo into their passionate relationship. The sex scenes were incredible Andy he story was interesting; different, and awesome!! Looking forward to the next book in this series!
Riot House (Crooked Sinners Book 1)
Callie Hart
“There are far scarier predators lurking out there in the dark.”
First let me just say that this book cover design is amazing.
God he looks so dreamy and sexy.
Okay now that I’m done lusting let dive into to this.
The Author done a great job with the disclaimer that to me was a A+
Loved the fact that this was a standalone
No cliffhanger.
Callie Hart explained the MC well in the introduction.
Loved the chemistry between the MC
This book has ever thing love,suspense
Overall just great characters abilities
To keep you engaged throughout the story.
I like how the story starts out one way then builds to something fantastic.
This is my first introduction to the Author
And I’m pleased to say I can’t wait to read more from the series.
I voluntarily read.This is my review.
3.5*
When the story got going, it REALLY got going. And as much as they were not the most wholesome of people, I really do hope that the other Riot House boys get their stories. I really didn’t see the twists in this story coming, which is something I remember from the other books of hers I’ve read. The writing was good when the story did start going and I wanted to know everything about the characters.
I LOVED the latter half of this book and the entire premise was enough for me to request this ARC in the first place. I’ll definitely check out other books in this series if they come and other books from this author.
**I volunteered to leave this unbiased review. All opinions are my own**
Another really amazing and addicting book by this author. The first book in this new series. Since the very first page I had been hooked and absolutely could not put down at all. Really loved Wren and Melodie so, so much. Can not wait for more by this author.
Wow this book! Callie has done it again! She once again blows me away with this amazing read! I loved Wren & Elodie (I wasn’t a huge fan of the name at the beginning but I grew to love it throughout) right from the beginning. There was so much more to them than meets the eye.
I can’t say it enough but I loved Wren. Yes he was a badass, but a badass with a heart of gold. He’s definitely my favourite male character that Callie has written. Elodie was just as big of a badass as Wren. They are perfect for each other. Elodie had been through a crazy amount of dark in her short life that no person should have to go through & Wren had a similar while not quite as dark upbringing. They fit each other in ways others wouldn’t understand.
This story was dark, suspenseful, sexy as hell, & honestly had me guessing right up to the end. It was honestly the perfect read. It’s a nice long book too if you enjoy that kind of thing. Which what book lover doesn’t?! Honestly read it. If you’ve read Callie before you won’t be disappointed you might have just found your new favourite book of hers. & if you haven’t read her before then I know you’ll discover a new author that you can’t wait to read the rest of her books!
I’m looking forward to reading the next Riot House boy when it comes out. I received an arc of this book in return for an honest review.
That was wild! I’m not going to spoil a thing, but when I thought I knew which side was up and which was down, things got flipped… This one feels like your getting dragged along through rocks and stone and briar bushes as Wren figures out what exactly it is he wants from his little game with Elodie. Then when you think you may have incurred enough damage, nope… You’ll find there is still a new game to be had and the fun isn’t over quite yet. This train is going off the rails, hold on tight!