Ruthless Knight (Royal Hearts Academy, #2)

Ruthless Knight drew me in like a moth to flame and completely slayed me. Poignant, tumultuous, intense, real and unforgettable Cole and Sawyer’s journey was soul gripping perfection that left an indelible mark on my heart.

I honestly can’t recall ever having two characters completely ensnare me and hold me captive like Cole and Sawyer did. They both clenched my heartstrings tightly in their fists and I didn’t want them to ever let them me go. I could definitely see a bit of myself in Sawyer as her struggles were all too familiar. I foolishly thought I was ready to see Cole’s layers revealed but there was no preparing for how he sent my emotions into a whirlwind. I shed so many tears while reading their story but these two slowly put back together all the broken pieces of my heart and made me sigh, laugh, swoon and hope until the very last page.

If I thought Jace Covington stole a bit of my heart that was nothing compared to how Cole and Sawyer claimed the rest of it as their own. Ruthless Knight was a mindblowing, heartgripping, soul touching and unforgettable love story that I can’t recommend enough.

Ruthless Knight Arc Review
*Not for the faint of heart.*

The story of Cole and Sawyer is raw and gets into some touchy subjects. It’s not your usual romance story its got angst, lots of drama, and you will feel like your on an emotional roller coaster not sure of what can possibly happen next.
I loved the characters especially the main two Cole and Sawyer. They are a couple that seems like a time bomb waiting to explode but are also good for each other in many ways. This story shows that loving someone can be a battle when they are fighting there own demons. They each fight for each other even when Cole can be a douche. Sawyer never gives up on him and that says a lot about this gal. Cole is a bad boy and he makes that known but deep down there is so much more to him then what everyone sees. Sawyer may be a good church girl at heart but there is much more to her also even a naughty side that he ends up bringing to the surface.
This was a one day read for me because I just couldn’t put it down once I started reading. It was very captivating and such a deep story. Ashley Jade just has a way of telling amazing stories and making me fall for these sexy assholes.

Overall Grade: ++

Let me preface this review with this simple thought: nothing that I write below will do this book justice. Nothing. It is an experience, and it’s one that you should run to NOW. My words simply cannot capture the power of the human experience in this story. That being said, let’s begin.

Designating a piece of writing as “good” or “great” or the “best book of the year thus far” is subjective. Each of us knows the reasons for defining a story as any one of those descriptors. For me, a book should have one, if not all, of these three qualities for me to deign it as such:

The ability to connect me emotionally to the book. In other words, if your book gives me huge butterflies, makes me cry, causes me to run screaming through my house, etc., I know in my soul the book is special.
Some type of style. I teach writing, so one’s ability to put words on the page is an important skill. Some people are reporters. Line after line, we are fed story, but the prose is lacking. And some people weave gold. Each sentence of the book exists for a special purpose: to grab the reader and take them on a journey.
It’s a mirror. This trait is key. It’s necessary for me. A story should connect me through a shared experience, meaning that, as I’m reading it, do I find myself in it. Does it reflect my own experiences, thinking, or feelings back at me? I need this because I yearn for a connection with the characters, their story, and the author’s representation of it.
When you come to Ashley Jade’s Ruthless Knight, all of these traits or qualities that I’ve listed above find purchase in her story. They are there, and they launch you into a tale older than time, yet still relevant today.

With her Royal Hearts Academy series, Jade has cemented herself as a YA/Bully Romance author (by the way, using these titles reduces this book immediately in a way that makes me a little grumpy) beyond most. I’ve read my share of late. Not to critique other writers, there is always something missing from them. A soul. A sense of humanity. Maybe it’s the other tomes I’ve read, but they lean heavily to a $exual awakening of sorts for the bully and the bullied. In Ruthless Knight, the writer is treated to real life, to two individuals whose self-loathing causes one to erect a facade to mask their pain and the other to hide the depths of their pain behind smiles. Each, the hero and heroine, of this story are simply trying to survive, and it’s their journey of survival that both entices and engages the reader. When you read Cole and Sawyer’s story, some part of you thinks I shouldn’t connect with these two. They are high school students. That isn’t where I exist in life. Yet, Jade’s ability to connect Cole and Sawyer’s story to a united human condition showcases her talent. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve read a romance where I’ve found myself in both the hero and the heroine, a little of each to affix me to its telling. It’s this skill that hits on all the attributes of great writing for me. Whether I was reading Cole’s narrative or Sawyer’s, I was entrenched emotionally in their pain and in their pleasure. I found a mutual experience with both of them, and Jade’s ability to drive us through her story with the flow of her prose engages you more deeply into it. This book is long, yet it only felt like a few hours of reading it. Even now, I wish for more because I didn’t want to leave Cole and Sawyer’s world.

Beyond Cole and Sawyer’s story is the revelation of the characters of Oakley and Bianca. There are many in Jade’s Facebook reader group who have attached themselves to the Oakley train since Cruel Prince, the first book of this series of standalones. To be honest, in that book, he wasn’t my “cup of tea.” I held an empathy for him at that book’s end, but beyond a pang of sadness for his situation, he seemed pretty ancillary to Jace and Dylan’s story. In Ruthless Knight, Oakley is an emotional juggernaut. There is something special about him here that, should Jade decide to write a book for him, I would GLADLY read his story. He surprised me and gained a top spot in the Royal Hearts Academy series.

Additionally, Bianca, the younger sister of Jace and Cole, evolves beyond the bratty mean-spirited persona. There is more to this character, and it’s a great set-up for Wicked Princess, the next book in the series. I love the evolution of her character. We see some growth from Bianca that seems surprising one moment and necessary the next.

Jace and Dylan are also both here, but like Cole and Sawyer in their story, they hold moments of importance but are really secondary. The interesting part of that is you don’t mourn them here. You don’t stretch for more of their story; instead, your focus in Ruthless Knight is the beautiful humanity of Cole and Sawyer’s romance.

Ruthless Knight isn’t for the faint of heart. There are laughs and sass in it because that is a trait of Cole and Sawyer’s enemies-to-lovers relationship. Yet, the power, the gravity, of Ruthless Knight is the emotional, oftentimes painful, connection between these two. For me, I preferred them in their moments of conflict. This is where Jade shines. She has an uncanny ability to invest her readers so deeply in the pain of a story that it feels like a gold medal moment when you finish reading her books. And this is one of the feelings you feel at the end of Ruthless Knight. You become a survivor of sorts, and there is pride in it; it feels like a worthy accomplishment and collective moment with her other readers. Honestly, it took me 72 hours to write this review, partly because I hated leaving the emotions of this book behind. For me, this is Ashley Jade’s best book to date. If anyone asked me one book of Jade’s to read, this would be my choice because it’s an example of writing that connects your soul so deeply that you protect its place in it, even when it might be a little painful to do so. At its core, Ruthless Knight is a transcendent tale of love overcoming the deepest pain and filling in the holes it leaves behind to make us complete.

What an amazing, emotional, and realistic journey. It was written in such a way that you could feel the characters’ emotions and pain. Watching them navigate their struggles and learn to lean on someone else was such a beautiful but heartbreaking experience.

I am still at a loss for words when I think about the journey these two took to be with each other. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary in order for them to grow and mature.

Sawyer is use to having people bully her and make fun of her. She has thick skin, amazing, witty, comebacks, and a genuine personality.

Cole is lost and broken. He hides behind his playboy/quarterback persona in the hopes that no one looks below the surface.

When these two come together, it isn’t suppose to be real, but them opening up to each other was inevitable. Sawyer has a way of letting people feel comfortable enough to open up to her without judgement. Add in their already simmering hate/love chemistry from the first book, and you know something epic was bound to happen.

I also loved getting know more about the secondary characters. Their lives are so intertwined with each other, and I cannot wait to see how Bianca’s story plays out. That girl has a lot growing up to do, and I’m excited to see how Ashley writes her character.

-An Arc was generously provided in exchange for an honest review.-

There is one thing I can count on with each book I read by this author…Broken characters who embed themselves in your heart. This book had exactly that.

Absolutely loved how sensitive subjects were touched in this book. It truly shows how much these types of conditions exist in all walks of life.

This is absolutely beautiful:
For every girl who’s never felt good enough. And every knight with cracked armor.
May we all find the love we deserve one day… within ourselves.

Totally enjoyed Cole and Sawyer’s story.

Look forward to Bianca’s story!!!

4.5 Stars!!!

One of the best books I’ve read!
I may not be in the age bracket of these characters but believe me I felt every single thing they went through. All their emotions and anguish pierced my heart.
Beautifully written story.
Ms. Jade just keeps delivering brilliance with each book she writes.
This book was so precise,so compelling and so intense.
I absolutely loved the banter of the whole group.
But especially between Cole and Sawyer.
One minute I’m literally laughing out loud.
I the next I’m like omg no that did not just happen.
And the next moment tears are streaming down my face.
This author wrote this story with so much heart and soul I felt her beautiful words come to life.
That’s the mark of not only an exception writer but an author who delivers a book to her readers that feels like I am not reading her words but living them along with her characters.
I loved both Cole and Sawyer.
Cole the handsome QB who seems to have it all.
But looks can be deceiving because what he shows the world is a tiny sliver of himself.
The author slowly and methodically starts to reveal the more complex intricate young man he is.
Sawyer my beautiful church loving girl is awesome!
I absolutely loved her.
No matter how she was made fun of because of her beliefs she never backed down nor hide her it.
That girl has the biggest caring heart ever.
But it’s bruised and hurt which no one around her notices.
But she remains strong spirited and sassy.
Their story is filled with anger and anguish and so much intensity it felt like my heart was going to explode.
But interwoven perfectly is lighthearted funny situations,the power of friendships and some smoldering sexiness.
There is nothing I didn’t love about this book.
Except that I can’t give it more than 5 stars.

5+ ‘Emotionally charged, incredibly raw’ Stars!!

How does Ashley do this to me every time I read a book? I am speechless.

The amount of emotion and heartbreak that seeps from this book is painful. It’s one of those books that hurt to read but you couldn’t put it down. Ruthless Knight touched pieces of soul that I keep buried.

I had so many different emotions while reading this story. Ashley had me laughing out loud, crying the next moment, throwing my kindle across my bed, and then smiling all within a few chapters. I have emotional whiplash after finishing Ruthless Knight.

Cole and Sawyer have got to be my FAVORITE couple Ashley has written. I love Jace and Dylan but Sawyer and Cole are everything to me. There relationship isn’t easy, it’s painful and at times so difficult they can’t see through the dark tunnel. Their lives are not easy, they aren’t the carefree teenagers they seem to put off. They are hurting on the inside, each in their own separate ways.

I will forever be a fan of Ashley’s writing because she adds something to her books that not a lot of authors do. Reality. For that reason alone, I will be a forever reader.

“Because no matter how ruthless and damaged he is.. a world without Cole.. isn’t a world I want to live in.”

This book moved me more than any book I have ever read. I am Sawyer. While reading I felt like Ashley Jade curled up into my head and took some of my negative and painful thoughts I have struggled with and placed them on the pages. Many of Sawyers issues have been my issues. I felt the author leaving all of her heart on those pages.
Sawyer is loyal, sassy, funny and wicked smart. She is also battling with self-worth and maintaining her pace with school, volunteering and being there for everyone in her life. She gives of herself 150% even to her own detriment. Cole is cocky and often times a douche bag but under it all is just a boy that has so much unresolved feels about his family and where he fits in. I am a sucker for good character banter and dang it they had it in spades. I love that Sawyer could go head to head with Cole. Yes she is a good girl but she has some claws on her.
I also have to give a nod to Bianca. I love all the glimpses of this firecracker. I love how Ashely is developing her character and enjoyed every single scene that she was involved in. I also cannot forget Dylan. Dylan and Sawyer are BFF goals! I LOVE Dylan and her fierce protectiveness of Sawyer.
Sawyer and Cole for all the ways that they should not work they are exactly what the other needs. The chemistry between the two was palpable. The scenes when it was just the two of them are some of the hottest and touching scenes I have read. My god the author had my heart in my throat several times. I adore books that take me on a journey thru every emotion imaginable with their characters and dang it Ruthless Knight put me through it! Brava Ashely Jade!

I fell hard for this series from the beginning of Cruel Prince. This world just sucked me in and hasn’t let go. These kids are not perfect, far from it. They all have their issues, but don’t we all. There was just something about them that spoke to me, and I am still consumed with it now.

“They all worship me because they think I”m better than them. But I’m not. I’m just better at being fake.”

Cole was one that I knew was either going to break me or make me fall hard, in this one he did a little of both. He’s so heart broken, and why wouldn’t he be? He’s had so much go on in his short amount of time here on Earth. I think he was always destined to need someone that could heal him in a way no one else could.

He stares at me for the better part of a minute before he speaks. “There is no one in the world like you, Sawyer.”

Sawyer was more than I expected. She surprised me in so many ways, and I’m floored at some of it. She’s has so much anger, but then again she’s broken. There is a lot about her that she doesn’t show to anyone, and this added a lot of depth to her character.

These two are so much more than I planned on. I don’t know how Ashley does it, but she just shocked me with this one. I can not wait for the next book in this series. I am just in awe of her, and her words.

Per-fucking-fection. 10 stars !

Finishing this book was like that feeling after you’ve just rode the biggest roller coaster of your life. Because this whole story WAS an emotional rollercoaster. One minute you’re laughing because something one of the characters did then you’re pissed off and want to murder someone then you’re crying and asking why the fuck the author would put you through this whole ordeal, then all of a sudden it get hot as fuck and you forgot why you were so sad to begin with. And then it happens again multiple times!!!

Ashley Jade wrote such a beautifully emotional story that encompasses every spectrum of the human emotion. She wrote a story that covered such strong topics with such emotion that you couldn’t help but feel with the characters. Even if you’ve never gone through the things these characters have been through you feel it all you mourn, experience anger, betrayal, joy, even the sexual tension is felt.

The characters are beautifully written and show such seamless growth and development. You connect with them in ways you didn’t know we’re possible. I can go on and on about this book I fell in love with it. I highly recommend you read Cruel Prince first but trust me it will be worth it. Now go get this book because you won’t regret it.