He was practically a god to them, and I was nothing.
They saw me as the scarred, broken girl who had run from tragedy.
And he thinks he can break me. Torment me. Claim me.
He says he’ll steal my heart, whether I like it or not.
But my heart can only be given. And he’ll have to earn every piece of it.
Fire is a funny thing. It can destroy, but those few things that survive it come out stronger. … stronger. They’re hardened. Unbreakable.
I survived. I carried on, even when it felt like there was nothing to live for.
Then we moved back to Silver Falls. Just when I finally started to piece my life back together, he happened.
He’s all dark lines and rigid muscle. Heart breakingly gorgeous with a dirty reputation. He’s the star runningback of Parker High’s football team, and his family has enough money to buy the entire town.
Cassian Stone.
The boy I used to chase fireflies with. The boy who came home with scuffed knuckles and broken lips because he got in fights for me.
The fire hardened my backbone. It taught me not to bow to any one or anything. To be resilient. For Cassian, all the fire did was harden the walls around his heart. It made him cold and savage.
He wants my heart for a prize, but all I want is to free his from its cage.
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I loved Tristan and Kennedys story so I knew I would love this book as well.
Cassian is pretty damaged. But so is Charli, and it seems like one single event that changed both of their lives has shaped the last 10 years. All Cassian can see is hate and pain. And that pain he wants to inflict on Charli. Charli who has been in her own form of hell for years.
But the chemistry they have together isn’t something you can just ignore. They might tear everything down around them while they figure out what their future might bring. I totally fell in love with this story right from the beginning. This series is addicting. And I can’t wait for Gage’s story it sounds like it’s gonna be a doozy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was intense, and I think I fell more in love with Cassian than I did with Tristan from book one. Cassian was a cold-hearted shell of his former self, he was cruel, unkind, and seemed like he had no feelings except hatred. The day that an old friend who he hated more than anything came back into town all he could see is a way to make her pay for his pain and he tried, but every time his hatred would turn into something different and that made him hate Charli even more. Charli has suffered for the last ten years of her life with a crappy dad, constantly moving, and scars of her past she would love to forget, but one thing she is is a fighter and even though Cassian isn’t the friend she left behind she will not let him break her. You could feel the tension bleeding off the page and you just knew that once they figured their issues out, they could be explosive together, but first they had to navigate plenty of obstacles to get there. Cassian was a bully to Charli, but at the same time he was still as protective of her as he was when they were little and Charli may have looked like she was shy and weak but she had a backbone of steel and I think that made Cassian love her even more deep under his need for revenge. A great bully romance with a hea, but I’m dying to read the other Greek’s stories especially Gage’s.
I loved the darkness of the first book in this series, but reading cassian’s story hooked me further into the Greeks playground of drama. This book shone some light on the arsehole nature he brought out in book one. The reasons for his attitude and aria around his friends and family. Charli having suffered so much already just wanted to get back her childhood friend but ended up getting more than she bargained for. It was great to read the growth between the couple even though most of the times they were pushing at each other. Great book can’t wait to read more.
I am a huge fan of Penelope Bloom but this book didn’t do it for me. I love dark and twisted stories but I am very hard on second chance stories and for me, this one is in that category. Savage Love is just not the story for me. I did finish it because I do enjoy Penelope as an author.
Charli and Cassian’s story was great. Lots of history between these two which was described beautifully. Their rekindled connection was instant. Love second chance romances!!!
Cassian and Charli were friends until a terrible fire causes each of them to lose a parent. They are torn apart for years. They now are adults and meeting up for the first time. The attraction is strong with them and they decide to see where it will go. A steamy, good read.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am leaving a review.
Love, love, love this series. This is the second book for Charli and Cassian. It was amazing. Penelope did a fantastic job with this series and kinda makes me wish I was Charli. Absolutely great book.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.
Absolutely fantastic! This book is well written, well developed, engaging, will take you on a wild ride, and keep you on the edge of your seat with the action, drama, suspense, revenge, twists and turns, and more. The characters are well written and their connection is undeniable. I look forward to the next book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is Book 2 of Ash and Innocence Series.
This is the story of Cassian & Charli. Cassian is a senior in high school. He has heard Charli is back in town. Charli has just moved back to Silver Falls, Maine, after ten years. School has already started, and she is leery about being the new kid in high school. Cassian and Charli were childhood friends. Cassian is looking for revenge for something Charli did when she was young, but only in his mind was it her fault. They were only seven years old. This book is all about Cassian getting revenge on Charli. She is very strong willed, though. This is a battle of the wills. She hopes she can change him. His personality is mostly anger and control. When he sees Charli, it’s all about possessiveness, too. Even though they end up being together in the end, he is fine to her, but his personality is somewhat the same with others. This is great read, to say the least. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.
I was looking forward to Cassian’s story and I wasn’t disappointed. He was so angry and I understood why but I felt bad for Charli. I loved Charli she was strong at such a young age. I could feel the angst bleeding from the pages. I really enjoyed this book and loved these characters. A great read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book blurb is really a great description of the story. Cassian is a bully who directs his misplaced anger and pain towards his best friend from childhood when she moves back home after years away. Charli’s life has pretty much been hell since she left and she is looking forward to seeing Cassian again, but the boy she remembers is gone, buried under so much anger and pain that even her love might not be enough to save him
This is a very emotional story and I was invested from page one. Charli is a great heroine and I loved her. Cassian is more of an antihero. I cared about him but his temper and penchant for violence was pretty scary – and dangerous. It makes me wonder what he will be like down the road. Despite that, I loved this story and I am glad that Charli and Cassian got their happy ending. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reader copy of this book.
High School Bully “romance”
Savage Love is the second book in the Ash and Innocence series. Be warned that this is a high school bully story which I was not prepared for, as the book description sounded like it was something else. I do not usually read this genre because I do not like them but I thought I would try to read this book as I have loved a lot of Penelope Bloom’s books. Well I was able to make it through the book but I cannot say that I really enjoyed it, but again that is because I do not like the genre.
The book is well written and it holds your attention. I thought Charli, the h, is a young woman who has been dealt a hard hand in life already. Cassian, the “H”, I did not like as he blamed her for something that she had not control over, plus WTH as they were 7 years old when it all happened. How can you blame a 7 year old for something when you don’t even know the whole story??? So for him I wanted to knock him up one side and down the other. In the end I thought this was an okay book but it was not really for me.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
Well written characters, will pull at your heart and make you live and hate the characters. Cassian. Has become a cold feart person in highschool since his dad died when he was young, charli lost her mom in a fire when she was young and then also lost her friend cassian too. Now shes back in town going to school and comes face to face with a cold hearted bully by the name cassian. Will he get his revenge or finale find hope?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Savage Love is the second book in the Ash and Innocence series. Charli is back in her hometown for the first time in ten years, and she’s excited to see her old best friend, Cassian. But now Cassian is cold, ruthless, and savage, and Charli has captured his undivided attention. Can she find that boy inside of him she used to love, or will Cassian destroy everything good in her life?
I will be the first to admit that bully romances are not my cup of tea, especially ones set in high school. But! Ms. Bloom did a fantastic job weaving this story, slowing drawing me in until I couldn’t put the book down and next thing I knew, I was up way past my bedtime to finish the book! So good! Charli and Cassian had so much chemistry, tension, history, angst, and passion that I just couldn’t turn away. Charli has lived through some pretty hard things, but it gave her grit, determination, and a strong backbone, which she needed when dealing with Cassian’s antics. Cassian is full butt head in this romance, but he’s also a protective and possessive knight in black armor that you never knew you needed. I ended up loving their romance, even with all of the crazy high school drama that goes on around them. They both have some issues that they need to overcome, but they’re able to slowly lean on one another. I love that Ms. Bloom took a character that I hated from the first book and turned him into something that I could respect and forgive and even love! So good! I am loving this series so far and am so excited to see what will come next!
their history is heartbreaking but the way they were together as children was so warming to read. really enjoyed reading this story and all the different things he did for her as actions speak louder than words. id love to read about the other boys and their story too! the relationship between the guys is definitely an interesting dynamic
This is the second book in this series of interconnected standalones. Like the last book, this one is also a bully romance. Charli & her father have moved back to the town where she spent her early years. Charli looks forward to seeing her old best friend, Cassian, who she last saw 10 years ago when they were both seven. Only this teenaged Cassian isn’t the friend she remembered-he’s got major anger problems. I loved the strength of Charli, who has had to endure much from schoolmates and her father, and refuses to take any of Cassian’s crap. Their relationship had lots of push & pull to it-you know Cassian has a secret to be revealed, and when he does, there’s lots of healing to be done. Great to catch up with the Greeks, and look forward to more books in this series.
I received a copy of this book. My honest opinion is voluntarily provided.
Charli and Cassian were friends growing up and they haven’t had contact in years. Now that Charli is back Cassian isn’t the same person she remembered years before. This is an intense bully romance filled with lots of drama, revenge, steam and unexpected twists and turns. Great characters and a well written, entertaining story make this a must read.
After reading Ruthless Love I thought Cassian was a dick never capable of anything more than being an asshole and this book started as such. Marli didn’t let him destroy her, she was fiers and stubborn and a hard nut to crack. But their connection from when they were kids still is there somewhere and somehow Charli was able to discover that side of Cassian again. But not without bumps in the road.
I really loved this book from the beginning till the end. It had great world building and the characters “wow” , it had everything from steam to tears. And I can’t wait to read Gage’s book because of what I read in the epilogue I presume he comes next.
This book was a real page-turner and tear-jerker, I finished in one day because I just couldn’t put it away.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The childhood friends meet again after long break. Their history makes it all difficult and full of hate. I like how relentless heroine is even knowing shes gonna get hurt. I would have liked to read a little bit more of heroes point of view why there was change of mind and change of heart. Overall story is captivating and I do regret that I did not read the first book of this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Love comes in all forms
Savage love is the second story in this series and I have to admit I haven’t read the first one yet, but it’s definitely on my to read list. I did want to try read it before Savage Love but I had too much else going on to get to it. That out the way, I really enjoyed this story of Cassian and Charli Enemies to lover and bully tropes are not usually my jam, but Penelope did a great job bringing across the emotions of C and C and it wasn’t as dark as I’ve read beforeThe story development and characters made the chapters fly by and that ending leaves me wanting more as I now need to know what’s happened with one of the other “Greeks”
A must read story and I received an advanced copy via Booksprout and willingly leave my honest review