Welcome to their kingdom…I never thought I’d step foot in Royal Manor again. But four years later, here I am…back to finish my senior year at Royal Hearts Academy.And forced to face Jace Covington. My first friend. First crush. First kiss. The one I left behind.Only—he isn’t the same boy I gave my heart to.This new Jace is as cruel as he is gorgeous.And he’s determined to make my life a … Jace is as cruel as he is gorgeous.
And he’s determined to make my life a living hell.
Along with the rest of his glorified family and crew of tyrants.
They expect me to worship the ground they walk on like everyone else, but I’d rather eat dirt.
If Jace Covington wants me gone…he’ll have to try harder.
Because I’ve never been the kind of girl to play by the rules.
WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone.
This series is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language and sexual content.
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I need a breather after finishing Cruel Prince. This was such an exciting and entertaining book. This is why it’s called a bully romance. Cruel Prince doesn’t hold back on anything. It’s a tour de force in angst and emotional turmoil. I couldn’t get enough.
I enjoyed being in the company of Dylan, Oakley, Sawyer and the Covington siblings. This was such a fabulous and addictive roller coaster of emotions and incredible characters.
Jace and his siblings are rulers of Royal Hearts Academy and lets it be known to everyone who attend the school including Dylan who returns after four years. Jace and his gang doesn’t make it easy for her but Dylan is strong and doesn’t crawl away in a hole. She fights back and gains a kickass friend named Sawyer.
This amazing core of characters captured my attention immediately. I enjoyed every one of them. Jace and Dylan’s story is a best friends to lovers/enemies to lovers and it’s flawless executed.
Cruel Prince is book 1 of the Royal Hearts Academy series and I’m freaking hooked. A fabulous introduction and beginning to the series.
I’m so excited for what’s to come. I need more of the Covington siblings and hopefully an Oakley book too.
4 Blue Stars
Cruel Prince was a labour of love and you could feel that oozing from the pages.
The first half I was like what the heck is going on here. But what happened from there on out was unbelievable.
The emotions, the struggles, the heart aches were felt deep withing my bones.
“He’s right. But the heart doesn’t choose who we love by their worth. Because love isn’t a choice. It’s an illogical, all-consuming consequence that results from someone stealing a vital piece of you.”
This quote is everything. And oh so true.
The things we do for love and because of it far surpass any sense of logic we possess.
Ashley Jade has taken the bully genre by the horns and made it her own.
I cannot wait to find out more about this complex set of characters.
Ashley Jade did a great job on Cruel Prince, the plot was very well written, it was filled with so many feelings, it’ll take you on a rollercoaster. Their were a lot of strong characters. Jace and Dylan had many ups and downs, both have been through a lot both were fighters. Jace had a lot of demons, so he came off hard but deep down he was the opposite. Dylan was good for him, they were good for one another, they were strong together. The attraction and chemistry was off the charts. So much happened in this story. It’s hard to say too much without giving anything away so the best I can recommend is to read this, it’s a great story. I’m looking forward to reading more. This was a great story.
Thank you, Ashley Jade. Great work 🙂
Cruel Prince by Ashley Jade is the highly anticipated beginning of her new young adult/new adult series, Royal Hearts Academy! All books in the series are interconnected BUT can be read as standalones. I am a huge fan of the author but I was nervous since this was her FIRST time trying her hand in this trope… she killed it ya’ll! Everyone that follows my reviews knows I’m loving my bully romances BUT lately, they haven’t really been living up to the “bully” name, Cruel Prince was a BULLY romance! I was pleasantly surprised with how angsty it was but it just made it that much better! Ashley Jade knocked this one outta the park!
“The Mariana Trench isn’t deep enough for what I feel for you.”
With her father unable to care for her Dylan Taylor is sent to live with her Aunt Crystal back in Royal Manor where she was from originally but was uprooted from four years prior.
It’s been four long years and Dylan can’t wait to see her childhood best friend but her first day at Royal Hearts Academy doesn’t go quite the way she expected…
Dylan has no idea why her childhood best friend and the only boy she’s ever loved is treating her as if she never meant anything at all to him.
Four years and one single lie destroyed their friendship.
Jace is convinced that Dylan just doesn’t even care and as he continues to believe the lie that ruined them, he makes it his mission to run her right back out of Royal Manor.
You guys… OMGGGG what a freakin introduction to the Royal Hearts Academy world!! If you are an angst lover like me, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! First love, tragedy, angst, revenge, and second chances, Cruel Prince has it all PLUS enough twists that you’ll never know what’s coming next!
Jace Covington may be a bully but he is a terrific big brother. Even though he doesn’t think so… Since his Dad checked out after his Mom’s death Jace has pretty much raised his younger siblings. Family is everything to him. But Jace is damaged. He is so riddled with guilt and pain that he takes his anger out on everyone, including Dylan. Even though Jace is most definitely a jerk, I honestly just wanted to hug him and take care of him for a change.
“I guess my broken pieces missed yours as much as I missed you.”
The only thing that I just HATED was how he could believe his BEST FRIEND would do something like that! He KNEW her! BUT I guess it just goes to show how grief can misconstrue your mind, especially when the person isn’t there to contradict the story.
“We were best friends, but our demons were kindred spirits.”
Dylan my heart hurt for her. Whenever bad things happened in her life, she’s always been able to run to her best friend and he would dry her tears and make it all better, or at least hold her until she felt better. Now the only boy she’s ever loved can’t even stand the sight of her. She’s crushed BUT Dylan is no pushover! She may feel bad after everything Jace has gone through but she refuses to be his punching bag! Jace can torment her all he wants but she won’t back down, she’ll give just as good as she gets.
“I’m destroying the kingdom. And just like a game of chess. You have to take down the queen before conquering the king. Or in this case, the prince.”
The love that these two shares… absolutely beautiful. Jace and Dylan were just so intense together there was no denying that the love they once shared would find a way to break through all the lies and misunderstandings of the past four years. If there is one thing that you’ll get from Jace and Dylan’s story is that family is the most important part of your life. But family isn’t always blood. Family is the ones who are there for you in your darkest hours when you need them the most. I loved that we get to see a bit of their past and their present and it was all written clearly enough that it wasn’t confusing when this or that was taking place.
“We were best friends before we were enemies, therefore my love for him will always be stronger than my animosity.”
The secondary characters, that actually didn’t feel like secondary characters at all really, have their own stories to tell and I can NOT wait to hear them. Oakley and his funny, stupid comments that he uses to deflect from the pain, not to mention the constant need to stay blazed up. I see the author already has Cole & Bianca’s story planned but I haven’t seen Oakley’s story yet… Ashley Jade, I NEED Oakley’s story girl! Like seriously need his story like I need my last breath! Sawyer is a BOMB ass friend! Like seriously, can she be friends with me?! Cole and Bianca… GAHHH I NEED MORE!
“Go ahead, try to run from me again, baby. I fucking dare you.”
I see that Cole’s book is next and I am really, REALLY hoping his love interest is Sawyer! But after seeing a little note posted in the author’s Facebook group about readers maybe not liking Sawyer for a little bit, I’m scared ya’ll! LOL, I love Sawyer and I am soo excited for Ruthless Knight!
Cruel Prince is emotional, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s intense but the love between Jace and Dylan is absolutely beautiful! Grab your Kleenex and your copy of Cruel Prince now!
“Butterflies appear when angels are near.”
I voluntarily reviewed an advance complimentary copy of this book.
Love love loved this book! It was so good, so different from what I was imagining, so emotional. Absolute must read
A. Jade has freaking BLOWN. MY. MIND!!! She writes with so much angst and emotion, you don’t know what hit you until you’re over the top emotional and in the midst of the chaos and craziness that A. Jade has written. She has hit one of my favorite troupes – bully romance- and made me fall in love with it all over again!!
These characters. The plot and situations. I mean seriously – she NEVER DISAPPOINTS! If you’ve never read her – start TODAY!! If you have, it has everything you expect from her and SO MUCH MORE!!! You’ll love ever word, every part – including the flashbacks, questionable choices and everything that has to do with Royal Hearts Academy!!
Jace and Dylan are freaking . They are a couple that you need to read to experience this story! Hands down – can’t spoil this book so just go experience it yourself and see what a master Ashely Jade is!!!
Ashley Jade is one of the very few authors that can make me despise a character so much I want to scream, and then totally transform them into characters I absolutely love and want to read more books about!! In fact there were two jerks I wanted to strangle and they totally redeemed themselves, luckily! And don’t get me started on mean girl Britney, who is Dylan’s arch nemesis. I so admired how Dylan wouldn’t slink into a corner and feel sorry for herself. She stood up for herself and the sarcasm was right on point!! And Sawyer, that girl is EXACTLY like I was in high school, the chubby loner that is smart as heck and funny too!! She’s the kind of best friend EVERYONE should have, loyal, wise and when someone hurts her girl she gets stabby! I really loved this book and I very highly recommend it to you! I so didn’t want it to end, but thankfully all the Covington boys get their own book. Cole has grown on me so I look forward to reading more about him. I also love the nod to another author I follow. So please don’t hesitate to buy this book. It has everything you need in a fantastic story that you will wish never ended. She definitely nailed it and I am VERY thankful I was fortunate enough to read it!! Sawyer said something that I believe with all my heart,”My nanna used to tell me butterflies appear when angels are near.” Yup, that part made me cry. And then the mind-blowing, toe curling sex was so hot!! Like I said, it has everything. Enjoy!!
This is a 5 plus star read!!! This is the ABSOLUTE best story so far. A. Jade has outdone herself this time.
When your told someone is an a$$, you should probably believe them. Jace is an absolute a$$…..but he has such an amazing heart.
Dylan is so broken…but she loves with everything she has.
This book hooked me from page one. I couldn’t wait to see the whole story, all the twists and turns. It broke me, I literally balled my eyes out.
I highly recommend this book….have tissues!
Ashley Jade…a truly amazing author. This is a very good read, it has all kinds of emotions. I live that Dan was a very strong woman and didn’t take Jace’s crap lying down. She stood her ground and went thru the emotional rollercoaster like a champ. Jace was a very young man and had a very hard hand dealt to him. He made mistakes and did what he thought best for someone so young. It was intense at times, and devastating and cruel. Loved every second of it.
“Some people run and hide at the first sign of a scandal. Not me. I prefer to confront the jerks responsible for spreading rumors head-on. See what they’re really made of underneath all their hair extensions, push-up bras, and makeup.”
I love a brilliantly told Bully Romance, and what I love even more is a girl who fights back in said bully romance. A character who will confront the monsters.
Ashley Jade is a fantastic storyteller and her talent is evident in Cruel Prince, the first in her new standalone (interconnected but standalones) series, Royal Hearts Academy.
She knows how to fill our heads with so many questions, with characters who piss us right the fuck off and yet we feel for these fictional people.
Ashley slowly layers a past that weaves many lives together, that tests friendships and fuels the angst driven plot throughout the entire story.
As children, Dylan and Jace are the best of friends, each with hidden thoughts and feelings until one day it’s put out in the open and loyalties are tested. Plenty of questionable side characters, some who you may think are turning a new leaf and then just burn the fucking forest to the ground instead.
After an abrupt departure, Dylan finds herself back after four years and starting her senior year of highschool. All this girl wants is her best friend back, but Jace is cold, and cruel and basically Grade A Asshole (so, of course, I love him). As I said initially, I love a good heroine who fights back, and Dylan confronts Jace, several times. Jace, however is having none of it- perpetuating the miscommunication, misconceptions and FUCKING ANGSTY DRAMA (I fucking love drama, seriously). There is plenty of sexual tension and some hot af moments. Again, more side characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and question why your best friends aren’t as cool.
After a slow build up, Ashley starts peeling back the layers to reveal the shitshow that connects everyone. It’s heartbreaking and it’s affects each character differently. If you cannot understand the motives behind intense love and loyalty in young adults then you’re probably never going to love Jace- but that’s okay, more for the rest of us.
I seriously loved this story, I love this new world Ashley has built and the characters that have left such lasting impressions (#teamsawyer) that have me talking about them with non readers. I can NOT fucking wait for the next book in RHA, what struggles will befall those whose story Ashley tells next. The monsters they have to face to get to an HEA. She puts her characters through hell, and I absolutely thrive on it.
Dylan and Jace’s story was full of ups and downs and true love. Ashley does a wonderful job at making the characters come to life. I honestly couldn’t stop readying. At first the things Jace does to Dylan makes you want to strangle him but once we find out why he does them it makes perfect sense even if it’s totally wrong for him to do it. You feel where his rage and pain comes from. But you feel Dylan’s pain also and in the ends I couldn’t be more happy with the way things turned out. I cannot wait to read Cole’s story next.
***Cruel Prince is the first book in the Royal Hearts Academy series, each book being a STANDALONE featuring a different sibling.
Guys… I am OBSESSED. Fans of high school bully romances will straight up DEVOUR Jace and Dylan’s story. Full of angst, drama, secrets and lies, Cruel Prince is crazily addictive and IMPOSSIBLE to put down. Trust me when I say Jace Covington is definitely the type of guy you’ll want to throat punch (and still want to jump his bones) numerous times in the story, but damn did I end up falling for him. As for Dylan, she was such a kickass heroine! She’s strong, caring, and resilient. I would totally be friends with her and her best friend, Sawyer.
Cruel Prince was absolutely BRILLIANT. I am now left salivating for Ruthless Knight (Cole’s book). I know that boy will be the death of me in the best possible way.
Cruel Prince by A. Jade is my first book by this author and I absolutely loved it. I am not sure what it is about bully romances but I love them. Can’t get enough of them and this was one of my top favorite. Jace Covington swore no one would ever hurt him or his family ever again. He ruled those around them with no remorse. He was cocky, arrogant and could be very cruel. And now all his cruelty is directed to the one person he hates more than anybody.
Dylan and Jace were once the best of friends and always there for each other. But all of that changed in one night. Now she is back and has no idea why Jace hates her so much. He takes every opportunity to humiliate and degrade her and yet, she still sees the boy she once knew. Dylan may have strong feelings for Jace, but she also stood up for herself. She was feisty, strong and very determined. I loved that about her.
Cruel Prince by A. Jade was an emotionally charged angst-filled story. The characters will consume you. I devoured this story and am very excited to see what is next in the series!
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
Damn it… All these amazing books releases are literally kicking me in the ass. When I read an amazing book., I sit for hours, even days trying to gather my thoughts and put into words how amazing the book is, and with Cruel Prince, this was definitely the case! To say I was excited about this book would be an understatement so when it finally turned up on my kindle, I literally screamed in excitement and dove in, and the wait was worth it. Cruel Prince is book one in the Royal Heart Academy series and this book starts the series off with a bang!
Ashley Jade delivered one hell of a start to a series and I cannot imagine it getting any better, but no doubt I will be proven wrong. She blew my mind!
Dylan was awesome, I loved everything about her. It broke my heart reading everything she went through and is going through, she was troubled, but she was fierce and she had me loving straight away. She was standoffish yet outspoken and to me she was strong and when put in the position she will fight for herself and she did for the most part. But heart hurt for this girl.
Jace… Jace, Jace, Jace… I was not ready for this guy, and I don’t think any else was or will be. He was angry, he bled anger, he had some deep-seated anger that eats at him and everyone else. He is the bad boy you will love to hate and hate to love… He is the type of character that had me hell-bent out of shape. I wanted to slap him more than once through this book, but then I couldn’t help but be smitten with him. GAHHHH… I am a sucker for a bad boy, alpha, asshole type!
Jace and Dylan together? Well, they started out as best friends at a young age, both had lost someone very close to them at a young age, but after Dylan opens up to Jace about how she feels, Jace takes a step back and although he feels the same way she does. He refuses to admit it and rejects her and naturally she is hurt and it does drive a wedge between the two of them.
After some family business for Dylan goes down, she moves out of town and in with her aunt, fast forward four years and she is back in town and starts at Royal Hearts Academy, which is a school for the rich, the elite, and now Jace is older, he’s the hot popular bad boy in school and he wants nothing more than to send her right back to her aunts, he doesn’t want her there and he makes it known and being the popular guy in school, all the other students follow which means she is left as the outside that people continue to torture and these students are ruthless..
But you can tell that there is more to Jace, that this anger and this hate he has for Dylan is coming from a deeper place and that it really isn’t hate at all…The push and pull between these two is intense, to say the least. It was almost driving me crazy.
This book was amazing. I have really been into the YA books lately, especially the bully romance and this book ticks all the right boxes for me. It was actually quite an emotional read. It held it all. Emotion, darkness, lust, love, passion, hatred, fear, fuck load of angst.
LIKE SO MUCH FUCKING ANGST!
This book had my mind on overdrive and had me second-guessing myself, second seeing how I feel about some of these characters. The author is known for her intense, all-consuming, insane and emotionally in-depth plots and this is exactly the same. It kept me on my toes and I was addicted to each and every word. It was extremely well written and the author didn’t shy away from much and I absolutely loved every second of this book!
Highly recommend this book to anyone that love angst-filled, bully romance.
THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!
5 Stars!
Definitely not your old school book about bullies. So much angst and hotness along with humor woven in makes this a perfect read!
Not all high school bully romances are alike. While some bully romances are filled with angst and hate that is interesting to read, it can sometimes feel like the “bully” is being cruel for the sake of being true to the plot. So, when I started reading Cruel Prince, I had no idea how much my heart would break for the bully in the story.
Jace Covington and Dylan Taylor’s lives have collectively been a nightmare, both together and apart. Jace is barely holding his life together, let alone his dysfunctional family, after a personal tragedy rocks their crumbling world. Oh my heart broke for the Covington siblings. The return of his childhood friend Dylan, four years after she abruptly left, brings back Jace’s pain and in return he hurts her in the only way he knows how. Of course, there is no excuse for bullying and I think Jace’s slowly self destructing life shows how his bitterness and hate is only destroying him instead of healing him.
Dylan is a tough girl who really has no one left in her family she can count, but she still is happy to return home to Royal Manor so she can see her best friend Jace again. Dylan’s naivety is her biggest mistake when it comes to Jace. There is so many misunderstandings when it comes to these two but while reading this story, I could see that Dylan wasn’t a doormat to Jace’s cruelty, she just missed who Jace use to be before his anger and pain took over.
This story is not just about Jace and Dylan’s love/hate but their friends and family definitely dominate this story. I really loved Sawyer, Dylan’s new best friend at Royal Hearts Academy. These two have each other’s back no matter what and it’s a beautiful thing to read.
Cruel Prince grabbed my heart from the first chapter and squeezed it tight until I finished reading the last page. I’m now excitedly waiting for the next book in this series, Ruthless Knight, Cole’s story (Jace’s little brother).
A Must Read!!!!
These punks might be teenagers but believe me, this story is NOT for kids. It’s as raw, gritty, adult and twisty as it can be. This was my first Ashley Jade book and I am 100% invested in this world of rich assholes.
So, I have a HUGE thing against rich brats which is why it was a little difficult for me to get into the rhythm of the story but that lasted for about 20% after which I was all in. I read it in one sitting staying up till almost 3am to finish it. I couldn’t stop myself because I needed to know everything and I needed the info asap.
I think I liked the story bit more than the characters. There was pain, angst but there was also friendship and love. I actually really like that no one character was flawed or perfect. All of them have a lot of learning and growing up to do and it’s so amazing to be able to see them do it.
Ashley Jade has a unique voice and I am really really into it. I can’t wait for the next book because I KNOW it’ll be a memorable ride because Cole FREAKING Covington .
* Each book in this series is a standalone *
5 stars for – Cruel Prince – book one in The Royal Hearts Academy series by Ashley Jade. This is a “high school bully” romance trope that deals with so many intense and heartbreaking emotions in ways you will never see coming.
Dylan Taylor was forced to move away from Royal Manor four years ago when her father got a new job. She ended up losing her best friend in the process of moving and never really recovering from it. She’s now getting ready to start her senior year of high school but is unexpectedly back in Royal Manor to do it thanks to her dad. Too bad the boy she fell in love with is gone and a cruel and gorgeous jerk took his place.
Jace Covington is the oldest of the Covington siblings and he makes it his mission to protect his siblings. Four years ago he made a vow to hurt the people who tormented his brother Liam. Now that Dylan has shown back up in town he will do whatever he can to make her pay for what she did regardless of their past.
This book was sexy, shocking and emotional. Many questions arose about others in the book so you know we are in for one heck of a series that I can’t wait to read! I highly recommend read Cruel Prince ASAP!
This book was everything and so much more!! Hooked from the first sentence, couldn’t put it down. There is angst, betrayal, loyalty, and tragedy. Dylan is uprooted from the life she’s ever known. 4 years later she is back. Can everything be the way it once was?!?! Side note Swayer is amazing!! Lover her! Definitely recommend this book! It’s different but a good different!