I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have let them win. Now the kings of the school are out for my blood,… and they’re not the only ones.The fire took everything.My parents. My best friend. My life.Now I have a second chance.I only have to endure one year at this prestigious academy for rich snobs.One year of being the charity case no one wanted.One year of taunts and insults and … case no one wanted.
One year of taunts and insults and bullying. Then I’m free.
But I didn’t count on Trey, Ayaz, and Quinn.
Arrogant, privileged, dangerous.
Drop-dead fucking gorgeous.
They want me gone.
They want me to suffer.
They’re determined to make my nightmares real.
Tough luck, bully boys – I won’t hide away.
I’m not afraid.
But maybe… I should be.
HP Lovecraft meets Cruel Intentions in book 1 of this dark paranormal reverse harem bully romance. Warning: Not for the faint of heart – this story of three broken bad boys and the girl who stood her ground contains dark themes, crazed cultists, books bound in human skin, high-school drama, swoon-worthy sex, and potential triggers.
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I absolutely loved this bully romance. It was very unique. The ending shocked me–and that’s hard to do–and I loved it. Immediately bought book 2. Incredibly great book.
This is my first read by Steffanie Holmes and my mind is completely blown. This has been chilling in my kindle for awhile and I am kicking myself for not picking up sooner – it pulled me in and I ended up finishing this in one day!
I adore Hazel – she is so strong willed, brave, and smart. I loved how she stood up to her bullies, even sacrificing herself to give her friends a little reprieve. Ayez, Trey, and Quinn are an infuriatingly interesting bunch. Their cruelty, teasing, horrible tricks and bullying had me seething but as Hazel stood up to them it (very) slowly started disappearing. There are so many secrets and ugly truths hidden and I feel as if this first book hasn’t even begun to uncover the biggest of them all – don’t even get me started on the cliffhanger.
Steffanie did a phenomenal job (in my opinion) at painting the picture of this dark and ominous plot with characters that had me intrigued and wanting to know more. As soon as I post this I am diving into the second book.
Shunned was most certainly a 5-star read for me. I was flipping page after page unable to put it down. Hazel, Quinn, Ayaz, and Trey were all so unique and well-developed characters. The three Kings and their court were such brutal tormentors, but Hazel was so strong they couldn’t break her. If you love dark, bully, enemy to lover romance series – I would highly recommend this series.
OMG. What an absolutely fabulous book this was. Hazel has been selected for a scholarship at a prestigious school right out of the blue. She is living alone in a dingy room, fighting to stay alive with street gangs etc. The scholarship is for room, board, food – basically everything. There she meets three hunks: Trey, Quinn, and Ayaz. What she finds out about this school will blow your mind. Amazing. Loved it from start to finish and highly recommended reading.
I Give this Book a 4.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 4.
Cliffhanger(?): Yes
Drama: 5/5
Suspense: 5/5
Heat: 3/5
Relationship Type: RH
Romance(?): not quite there yet lol
Dark(?): Dark-Dark Lite 2.5/5
I’ve been wanting to read this series for a while and now I’m able to get to it, this series is quite fascinating and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen! Jumping into the next book! 😀
I borrowed this book from Prime Reading. I had recently read some “BULLY” romance and thought I would give this one a try. To say this was different than any I’d read in the genre before is an understatement. This one is a real MindScrew. I was sure I knew what was going on about a half a dozen times, only to inevitably be proven wrong each time. Even at the end, I’m still not entirely sure what I’ve been reading, but I am sure that it’s addictive and I absolutely MUST read the rest of the series.
If you enjoy Dark Romance, Bully Romance and/or Paranormal Romance, I think you should go ahead and give this one a read.
An action-packed, thrilling tale from beginning to end that leaves you hanging at the end and wanting more. I can’t wait to start the second book.
This book started out like all the other Bully romances that I’ve read, and I was okay with that because it was what I was expecting. Then, it started to shift and get more and more suspenseful making it better and better. I got so goo that I wasn’t able to put it down because I just had to know what was going to happen… and the end did not disappoint. Completely did not see it coming and I am so ready to read Initiated.
I am speechless!
A story that is so emotionally mystery dramatic and unbelievable,
bullying Hate and that is the end of the book OMG
Read on and you won’t regret it!
Wow just wow.
This book was great.
I really liked Hazel. She’s feisty and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and others.
The guys are jerks but in the best way. Quinn is my favorite. I love that he’s goofy.
If you like Rh bully romance you’ll definitely enjoy this one. There’s also suspense and some intense scenes.
Overall, I really enjoyed Shunned.
Can’t wait for the next one! Already pre ordered 🙂
Shunned: a reverse harem bully romance (Kings of Miskatonic Prep Book 1) Kindle Edition
by Steffanie Holmes (Author)
I borrowed this book via the Kindle Unlimited program and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Hazel receives a scholarship she didn’t apply for that whisks her away from the disaster of her life. She had been barely scraping by, hustling to keep a roof over her head and stay off of Family Service’s radar until she turns 18 in a few months. Thrilled she packs and heads to school. But as with all things gained too easily, the school disappoints! Withing minutes of meeting the Headmistress, she has had demerits and is in trouble. She also meets Trey, the first of three Kings. Soon, she meets Quinn and Ayez.
On top of the bullying from the kings and their girlfriend Queens, her room is in the basement and animals in the walls keep her up all night. If that wasn’t enough, the Headmistress seems to have it in for her.
This is a Bully/Reverse Harem/Academy Romance that has overt and subtle Lovecraftian overtones and themes. I could feel the creeping fear of cosmic horror in several scenes that would make old HP happy. But the terror doesn’t take away from the mystery of the school and the enemies to lovers trope.
The characters are okay, mostly. The males are really fleshed out but there seems to be only two speeds for the females, except for Hazel, victim or bitch. I would really like to see something more from the girls.
I’d give it 5 stars if the females were better fleshed out.
4 stars out of 5.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Steffanie Holmes’ new series, Kings of Miskatonic Prep, but what I got was so much more!
I think we’ve all lived through the mean girls or the kings of high school at some point or another. Bullying is a hot topic these days, but it’s always existed. I’ve always said I’m sad for people that say high school were the best years of their life, because I couldn’t wait to do my time and move on. Trust me, I get it.
But when I read HP Lovecraft meets Cruel Intentions I KNEW I had to read it. Shunned DOES NOT disappoint!! Holmes has crafted a masterful world, with more than enough secrets to keep you guessing.
I don’t want to give away anything, but I can say Holmes needs to write faster because I HAVE to know what happens next!
Shunned: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Bully Romance
The plot was great, the characters were awesome, and I love the storyline. I don’t like bullies but oh well, I’ll get over it. Cuz the story was just that good!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Mysterious and intriguing, this book was also filled with horror, betrayal, friendship, and intense attraction. The author plays with your feelings as the story plays out making sure to keep the reader off balance throughout the entire story. Though it ends in a cliffhanger, it’s also a shocking revelation ans it will completely entice you to make a claim on the next book. Recommend
My first book by this author and a 3.5 stars from me.
For me this book is a bit slow.
There’s secrets, a whole lot of mystery that had me guessing has to what is actually goin on.
The end of the book left me wanting more but still a bit confused so i hope in book 2 all is revealed and it all comes together nicely.
Hazel is the charity case who has received a scholarship to the prestigious Derleth Academy. She quickly discovers her only allies are three other similarly poor scholarship students. The “kings” and “queens”, leaders of the rich and entitled students, despise her and heap tons of abuse on her with their merciless bullying. But Hazel is a fighter who isn’t going to just roll over and take it and somehow that seems to make a difference to Trey, Quinn, and Ayaz, three of the worst offenders. Suddenly they seem more concerned with protecting her. Can Hazel trust that they have her best interests in mind or is this just another dark game ?
I was hooked on this story almost from the first page. Right from the beginning there is a real sense of foreboding, a underlying feeling of darkness that never once abates. The story is dark and intense and I couldn’t put it down. The twisted secrets of this creepy school and it’s students are just about to be exposed and bam! The book ends on one hell of a shocking cliffhanger. Can’t wait for book two!
I am voluntarily reviewing an advance reader copy of this book.
Hazel lost everything to a fire, and is just trying to make ends meet and stay out of the system for the next few months until she turns 18, when she unexpectedly gets an offer of a full scholarship to a boarding school. Delerth Prep is not what she was expecting. It is run by the “Kings” and “Queens” who are resentful of having scholarship students there and make their lives miserable. Hazel is tough and doesn’t back down, and finds her own ways to get even. Trey, Ayaz, and Quinn are interesting, but boy are they mean. I am interested to see how the twist at the end will play out, and can’t wait to see how their relationship develops.
Wow, first off great cover. Now for the story, it is simply page turning. I was unsure of what to expect reading the book blurb but it interested me enough to give it a shot. I am SO glad I did. I did not want to put this baby down. This story is well written with great characters. Of course their is a few twists that enhance the story and keep you going. All around this was a really great read and there is a book two……I will be watching out for it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Shunned: a reverse harem bully romance (Kings of Miskatonic Prep Book 1) by Steffanie Holmes is a wonderful story that I have loved reading very much. This is book number one and a wonderful start to a brand new series that I loved reading. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about paranormal romances in their stories.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.