I don’t play by the rules.
Never have, never will.
The second our eyes met from across the club,
I could feel a shift in the air—an overwhelming pull drawing me in.
One mind-blowing night is all it was, or so I thought.
Repeating my senior year may not have been the plan,
But finding out my one-night stand is my new teacher—
That’s something I never saw coming.
His gaze bores into … teacher—
That’s something I never saw coming.
His gaze bores into me with the same intensity.
That body, those hands, I remember every touch.
I should stay away, but I don’t want to.
This time, all bets are off.
I’ll let him think he’s in control,
Until I bring him to his knees.
Passion and fire,
Forbidden and wrong.
Like I said, I don’t play by the rules.
more
A great read!
Asher and Tessa had a one night stand, that they both kept thinking about, only to realize that weeks later they will see each other again. He is her high school teacher.
They both try to ignore each other and the chemistry that is there. However, the sparks continue to fly even from innocent classroom banter. When they both realize they need to have the other in their life it all changes.
Can they both overcome their past issues and get to really know each other?
I absolutely loved Asher’s character, he is my new BB!!
Although a student-teacher romance, it does not come across as taboo. It is really an enjoyable read.
I loved Tessa and Asher. I love forbidden relationships. I haven’t read the other stories yet, but I fell in love with these characters. I love how Asher was all alpha. Tessa was trying so hard to fight her trauma. I absolutely loved this quote “This girl is a storm—a tornado ready to wreak havoc on anything in the path—and I’m addicted to her chaos.”
3.5 Stars!
As soon as I reached the end of The Saint back in April I couldn’t wait for the next Haven Grace Prep book to be released! The Rebel has been one of my anticipated reads and I’ve been so excited to jump back into this series! I loved how this story pulled me in from the get go. I enjoyed it!
I’ve been so curious about Tessa and I’m glad we got her story! Tessa and Asher’s journey wasn’t easy and definitely blushworthy! I liked how these these two were brought together, the heat between them, and how I went through many emotions with their story. I just struggled at times to fully connect with these two.
Ms.Clayton has created a great read! I’m looking forward to the fourth Haven Grace Prep book!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Wildfire Marketing Solutions / the author*
The Rebel is the third book of Heaven Grace Prep Series. It doesn’t read as a standalone. I cannot tell how much I wait this book!!! And trust me, you don’t want to miss it! This is EPIC!!
We can read the story in present time, from Asher & Tessa’s POV.
Tessa is sassy, strong woman while Asher is always following the rules. But one night is change everything!
The teacher and the student and a lot of rules! But I wonder if they are ready to cross borders?
I’m laugh and crying a lot while I read! Somethimes I don’t know what to do I just want more and I get it!
Tessa’s hot one night stand was to stay in her memory as one night, until she walked into meet her new teacher…
Asher’s taken a job he doesn’t really want as a teacher when an injury forces him off the field and into the classroom. The last person he expected to see in his classroom is his hot one night stand…
Can these two maintain a forbidden relationship, even knowing what they both have to lose if they’re found out?
This series really took a turn with Tessa and Asher’s story. Before it was what’s fairly typical in high school bully romances but with this one it’s turned into something a bit more adult and edgy. Student teacher relationships are always forbidden, always delicious because of the taboo nature, but what I liked about this story is that it’s not just delicious, there are real themes at play, subjects not always present in forbidden relationships, and that’s where Tessa and Asher’s story shines. This is by far my favorite of the Haven Grace world.
This author just keeps surprising me at every turn! I loved this story and characters from beginning to end!
The Rebel is a brand-new standalone novel in the Haven Grace Prep series that brings us the story of Tessa Callahan. Tessa is a fiery wild child with an attraction to anything taboo. So when she has a one night stand it seems like it was just a little adventure to tide her over. Little did she know she was about to embark on a forbidden attraction that was just too good to walk away from. Asher Hawthorne needed an escape from the only life he knew when he believes his career has ended and has to find a new start. One night out was more than he had bargained for but it was just the beginning of a new life, a new world he never knew he would want or have.
This book has it all. If you haven’t read Kelsey Clayton you owe your self this indulgence to escape from the everyday. This book has all the feels that will leave you wanting more and more in each chapter and the author delivers. Tessa has to hit rock bottom as a character but turns into a beautiful butterfly and an amazing person going on her journey that every person should have the kind of support and love Tessa has to help her along the way. This is a must summer read and if you haven’t read the other two stand alone books in the Haven Grace Prep series you will find yourself downloading them right away!
Lord oh Lord…Asher!
I love he is such a strong guy, but also has that sweet side. He can be all alpha and still give Tessa the comfort that she needs.
Tessa…man talk about a strong-willed gal. She has an opinion on ALL things and she wants what she wants and she wants it now!
Asher will test her limits, but at the same time make her a much better person. Both of their strong wills will lead to some fights and heartache. In the end will it work out? You will have to read the story.
PS…I think Colby stole the show!
#Shwastey #CherryBomb #Spyro
In just 3 books, Kelsey Clayton has cemented her spot as an auto-buy author for me. The Rebel is the third book in the Haven Grace Prep series and although it can totally be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the first two books so you can truly appreciate Tessa Callahan for the bright light that she is and understand all she has been through. I knew from the moment we were first introduced to the trouble making spitfire she would be my favorite and this book was one of my most anticipated reads. The Rebel is hands down my favorite of the series.
“Tessa Callahan is like a forest fire—reckless, unpredictable, and nearly impossible to manage.”
Tessa Callahan stole my heart with how fiercely protective she is, especially of her twin Delaney, her trouble making ways that always make me laugh, and her take no sh*t, give zero sh*ts attitude. As heroine as strong and confident as Tessa is something you don’t see much of and it was so refreshing. I have a total girl crush on her and i’m not at all ashamed to admit it. What we didn’t get to see in the previous books was the broken girl with a heart of gold that hides underneath the facade. Her character is full of depth and Clayton did an excellent job at portraying her vulnerability without taking away from her strengths.
Asher is a former star NFL quarterback with a chip on his shoulder because an injury left him unable play. His dream and career was slowly slipping through his fingers and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. His publicist recommended doing something positive in the public eye and that’s how he found himself teaching English and coaching football at Haven Grace Prep. He definitely wasn’t prepared to see the one night stand that he couldn’t stop thinking about sitting in his class though. Asher is insanely gorgeous and all alpha. I love his dominant traits and his jealous streaks. I admired his attempts at doing the right thing, but when you’re up against Tessa Callahan, all bets are off. There was no way she wasn’t getting what she wanted.
“This girl is a storm—a tornado ready to wreak havoc on anything in her path—and I’m addicted to her chaos.”
The Rebel is everything I wanted and then some. The angst, the push and pull, the hilarious back and forth and the emotional turmoil had me devouring this story. The chemistry was explosive, the plot engaging, and the secondary characters were just as entertaining and amazing as Tessa and Asher. I couldn’t get enough. A forbidden, student/teacher romance that is going down as one of my top 5 reads for 2020, hands down.
DONE IN ONE SITTING AS SO ADDICTIVE
Wow Tessa is awesome – I may have a small girl
crush on her.
That first night for Tessa and Asher is so . Unknown to them they are teacher/student. But the chemistry between them is off the charts.. I enjoyed the dynamic between them. The bonds with each others friends. The sneaking around.
So lovely for all the characters to be there.
Asher is a total alpha, he’s been burned before and a little slow to let Tessa in fully. Love his loyalty, his devotion to Tessa. The way he won’t give up.
Tessa just rocks – she’s strong, independent, knows what she wants and goes for it.. and she wanted Asher. She has things to overcome from her past. Asher stands by her, and she does all she can for him.
Just OUTSTANDING..
Tessa Callahan has always been one to push boundaries, she is daring, determined, and not about to let anyone tell her what to do. With her sister leaving for college, and her having to stay behind to re-attend her senior year she is more than a little upset, but their isn’t much she can do about it now. Her friends take her out for a few drinks and to lift her spirits, but all she is in the mood for is finding someone to help her forget all that she has endured in the last year. Then she spots him, a sexy stranger across the bar, so she decides to go over and say hello. And it doesn’t take long to figure out that she picked the perfect partner for her little escape… that is until the next day rolls around and she learns who he really is!
The Rebel is a story of new beginnings, healing, conquering demons, and finding love. Tessa has had a rough go of things and it is really starting to take a toll on her, she has become dependent on alcohol to help her escape her nightmares, that is until Asher came along. My heart broke for her and I felt every ounce of her pain. Seeing Asher come in and be a savior for her was inspiring, he was just what she needed. I absolutely loved this one, the words were powerful and filled with emotion and the characters were so easy to love. I cannot wait to see where this series takes us next, and who will be gracing the pages of the next installment. If you like angst filled heart-string tugging tales then I have no doubt that you will love this one, it’s brimming with that and more! It’s words are bound to touch your heart! Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this tittle from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Spoken In: Dual Perspectives – Asher/Tessa
Rating: 5 Stars
The Rebel is the third full length standalone novel in Kelsey Clayton’s Haven Grace Prep series. I would recommend reding the previous books in this series before jumping into this one.
I was definitely the most excited for Tessa Callahan’s story and to find out that it was a student/teacher forbidden romance, hell those are one of my kryptonite’s so its safe to say that this one is by far my absolute favourite in this series I devoured it!
Tessa and Asher were FIRE! I can’t get over how damn perfect they were for each other. A one night stand that turns into so much more than what they imagined and I was living for It.
This book is an emotional rollercoaster it will have you laughing one moment and crying the next. So much angst, heartache and so many twists but it also had humor and so much sexiness.
This is by far becoming one of my favourite series and I can’t wait for Lennons story next – I NEED to know who her man is going to be!
ARC kindly provided for an honest review.
What a story this was!! This was my favorite one by Kelsey so far. Its forbidden, steamy, and everything in between that you want in a awesome book. The characters in this book we’re amazing and so easy to follow along with their development. I’m so happy a found this author and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
So, umm, WOW!
This is the first Kelsey Clayton book I’ve read, and the first in the Haven Grace Prep series. Needless to say, I’ll be busy binge reading the first two and bouncing in my seat waiting for the next one.
Tessa and Asher are an amazing couple. She’s an 18 year old who has lived through too much in her lifetime. Between family betrayals, trauma, and just trying to move on, Tessa is one hard core chick.
Asher is grappling with losing his dream job in the NFL. One bad sack, and a random twist of fate in his recovery, leads him to teaching English at a high end prep school so the school can hire him as their football coach.
The story opens with Tessa trapped in the middle of a horrible nightmare. The events in her dream take place in the prior two books of the series, but enough details are given that a reader can work their way through Tessa’s book as a stand alone.
Tessa is trying to push through and brush off a large amount of trauma while she gears up to repeat her senior year of high school. Her twin Delaney is off to college in a few days and it will be the first time the twins will be separated. To help distract Tess from Delaney’s impending departure and the beginning of school, the girls head out to a local bar.
Asher is at a bar in his new town trying to distract himself from the start of his new life as a teacher and high school football coach when he notices the brunette across from him. They have a torrid one night stand and go their own ways.
When the first day of school rolls around, imagine their surprise when Tess finds Asher as her first period teacher.
Ms. Clayton writes a witty, smart, enticing relationship between the supposedly spoiled bratty senior and the new teacher. Despite their age difference, the two of them just click. They are each other’s safe spot.
The plot swirls with Tessa trying and failing to deal with the lingering mental health issues driven by her past experiences. Asher wants Tessa in his life, but only mostly platonically until the school year ends. As Tessa gets more and more wound up in her head, her relationship with Asher explodes into something neither expects.
I admit it. I binge read this book. As in, still up at 1am wondering how the story could possibly be over.
While the plot is deep, twisty, and dark, the characters in the Haven Grace world are wonderful fully developed individuals in that world. I’m horribly attached to Colby and I’m a bit disappointed he isn’t Lennon’s “one”
Oakley, Kellan, Knox, and the rest of the football guys offer an alternate viewpoint of Tessa’s original senior year and her current year.
This is a book that will keep turning pages. The story and plot race along and you lose yourself to it.
I can NOT wait till Lennon’s story.
This book deserves ALL the stars!!!! Every. Single. One!! Kelsey Clayton once again wows me with this emotional rollercoaster of a story!
First we have Tessa Callahan. I swear this girl was made for me. She is my spirit animal. She’s strong, sassy, a true survivor. The things she’s endured and survived will break your heart. And don’t get me started on her personality…she can make straight girls question their sexuality. I love how Kelsey brings us a female lead that fights for her man from the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading an alpha man fight for his woman but it’s refreshing to read where the girl fights and takes what she wants!
Now on to Asher. That man will dislocate your jaw from dropping to the floor. He is all man!! Possessive, protective, loving, and sexy as mess! I connected with him because like him, his dad was his rock. To get him where he is. I felt that deep because that’s my dad to me. Down to the part where he was my coach in sports too. Asher is so possessive of Tessa you just can’t help but swoon. And swoon. I. Did!!! My heart melted so much.
I also loved seeing the couples from the previous two books! I love all their banter together and how close they are. It’s admirable seeing how far they would go for those they love.
This book hit me hard in some spots because I’ve felt what Tessa felt. I struggled with what she struggled with for awhile. Kelsey Clayton really pulls you in to this amazing story and makes you feel everything her characters feel. It’s crazy just how much emotion she can pull from your soul.
I can easily say The Rebel is gonna stick with me for awhile! Absolute perfection once again!!!
This was the first time I’ve read something from this author and it really is my kind of book. It has the dark read side, the forbidden side, the romance side, the strong female, the Alpha male, the funny best friend, the hot scenes, and an amazing story. I’m really happy I found a new author I like and I’m so happy that there are other books that are interconnected with this one.
OMG…this is an exceptional well-crafted book. It had me captivated from the beginning. I laughed, I yelled, I cried and I would do it all again. Asher Hawthorne and Tessa Callahan were great characters. They meet at a club and are instantly attracted to one another. They end up at Asher’s hotel room having sex all night long. The next morning they address the night just as it was…a one night stand. However, it was an exceptional one night stand for both of them. Asher is twenty-eight and a former NFL player with an injury that may not allow him to ever play football again. Asher’s PR person encourages him to take a job as a teacher at a high school and coach the football team. Tessa is eighteen years old. She is having to repeat her senior year of high school because she skipped so much school the previous year. She is a tornado…ruining everything in its path. A few months pass and the first day of school arrives and Tessa walks in English class and locks eyes with the last person she thought she would ever see again…Asher. Kudos to Kelsey Clayton! This book is original and a roller coaster ride you won’t soon forget! I highly recommend.
The Rebel is book three in the Haven Grace Prep Series. Each book follows a new couple. This book just happens to be Tessa’s and Asher’s book. This book can be read as a stand-alone but I would recommend reading this series from the beginning.
The moment that I met Tessa in book one I was absolutely taken away with her spit fire attitude and give Zero (Insert F Word) and got zero chill in me vibe that was happening. As the books went on, we discovered little snippets of Tessa that made you want to know more.
When I found out that she was getting a book, I was absolutely so keen for it. From the moment that I started this book I could not put it down. It had woken something inside of me. It was like venturing inside the rabbit hole but not being able to make your way back up. It gripped me by my bloody core and pulled all the punches. I felt everything that these characters went through especially Tessa, she was the one that went through the most.
I was so glad to be back into this world of characters, because I dearly missed them. I swear this author just keeps getting better and better with the books that she releases. One thing with this book is that it’s an epic roller coaster ride of emotions, and it’s definitely a book that is going to stick with me for quite some time.
Tessa is the definition of a strong heroine, she is everything that I love reading in books. I am all about that female empowerment and feminist. Tessa oozes that.
“Tessa Callahan is like a forest fire—reckless, unpredictable, and nearly impossible to manage.”
Tessa is like a storm, a tornado that is ready to wreck havoc on anything in her path. This girl always has this strong and sassy attitude but in the book, this author pulls back this character to her very core. We see sides to her that we didn’t know existed. Deep down, Tessa has demons that are living inside her and are threatening to come out and cause her to explode. Tessa is suffering from not only her childhood but from the trauma she was faced with in the previous book. She was this shield of person who was just barely surviving, trapped in her own mind, living through nightmares and was desperately seeking love and acceptance. Tessa’s character journey was one of the bests that I have seen written, as much as we see all the highs, I loved watching the unfolding of the lows and how Tessa has overcome those demons with the help from her family/friends but more importantly herself. Tessa is a strong, determined and incredible women but more importantly she is a SURVIVOR.
“Always remember you’re stronger than your demons.”
The hero in this story was everything that I expected but didn’t expect at the same time. From the moment I met this Hero, being Asher. I knew that he was created and made for Tessa in a way that made them soulmates but also a person that she needed. Asher is just straight up fire, he is very different to Grayson and Knox in the aspect of him being the nicest. Asher is the type of character that when he loves, he loves with his whole entire being. Asher has been through a lot career wise and personally. Although that’s for you to find out exactly what. He was slow to open up besides everything but when he did boy was I ready for it. It was like he just said screw it and went for it. Man, do I love a guy that takes charge like that. One thing I didn’t expect with Asher was his dirty mouth. I was living for it and couldn’t get enough of it.
The chemistry that these two have is explosive, it was a build up of epic proportions and I was just waiting for it to go up in flames. When it did, I was ready for it. The emotional connection that these two had was something I loved above everything. As much as characters can have the physical what’s a relationship with the emotional. I loved the push and pull that was happening between these characters, the quest to break all the rules. Although their banter was something that made me laugh on several occasions. These two connected on another level and it just bled through the pages. You would have to be crazy not to see how much these characters meant to one another.
It wouldn’t be a book without its twist and turns, each of them completely unexpected but the twist towards the end was an emotional punch in the guts. It will squeeze your heart out until it’s dripping blood onto the floor. I was completely floored and surprised by all that was happening that I had to stop and breathe and think it’s all part of the journey.
I am not going to go into what happens in this book as I feel like this a book that you should venture into not knowing what to expect. I just had to express my thoughts on how much I loved the characters and their development. There is so much to this book, that I just know you all are going to love.
This book is definitely more on the emotional side of things. This author tackled some serious subjects in a way that was written perfectly. This is a book that will leave an everlasting impact on your heart. Tessa and Asher will forever be in mine.
All you forbidden/taboo/ student/teacher lovers out there, this book is going to be for you. This a book you need in your life and in your hands.
After the way we left the “Haven Grace Prep” world at the end of The Saint I was so ready for Tessa’s story! This forbidden romance between a student and her teacher was so much more than I could have hoped for. A sexy, steamy and captivating read.
Tessa was left behind to complete her senior year in high school while her twin sister and her now ex-boyfriend head off to college without her. A night out leads to a one night stand with an older man, who unbeknownst to her, just so happens to be her new English teacher.
Asher is a former NFL quarterback. After an injury left him sidelined he took up a position as a teacher/coach. Tessa was the last person he expected to see walk into his classroom!
It seems like Kelsey Clayton can do no wrong in this series, this was another smashing read. I think this is a series that would be best read in order, so you get the full back story before diving in.
5 REBEL STARS!! This book moved to my TOP 10 for 2020. I absolutely loved Tessa and Asher……their story was forbidden, sexy, beautifully written to keep you turning pages. The feels were jumping off the pages with flirty banter to heart breaking moments. I am loving this series, but this book is my favorite so far.