Briar Gildermann is used to being the Queen of Gildermann College, but after her boyfriend releases a sex tape? Suddenly she’s a pawn in a game she has no idea how to play.Gildermann College is where elite sons and daughters go to further their dynastic families’ vast fortunes. Among her peers, Briar’s humiliation knows no bounds when Flynn, Lennox, and Blake, each wearing their own crowns, find … Blake, each wearing their own crowns, find a wicked pleasure in destroying her reputation.
They’ll stop at nothing until she’s torn to shreds.
But the only question Briar has, is…
WHY?
Find out in THE SEX TAPE, a standalone bully, Why Choose romance.
All characters are over 18
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Wow!!!! Briar has no idea what that tape being released was really about and how it’s going to change her life more than she could ever imagine.
A deep, dark read that had me hooked. One twisted school where money talks and the rich get away with…. That one you’ll have to read yourself.
Flynn, Lennox, and Blake are besties with Briar ex who released the tape. Now you know they are involved but just how deep does it go?
These are the kind of stories I just love. It’s got the dark, the twists with an ending I definitely didn’t see coming.
I received a free copy of this book via and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the second time I have read a book written by this duo and still amazed by the amount of creativity and depth these two yield. Bulling to the extreme, hidden agendas with a mafia like flair. Although darker than some others I read from Helen Scott, this was an amazing ride and can’t wait to read more from these two.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Received Book from BookSprout for Honest Review.
I Give this Book a 3.5ish out of 5 Star Rating, Listing as 3.
HEA(?): Yes.
Stamped HEA(?): I’m Considering it, and will Tag it as such.
Heat: 3.5/5
Dark(?): hmm.. 1.5ish?/5
Romance: 3ish/5
Suspense: 3/5
Drama: 3.5/5
Reverse Harem: MMFMM
Well this book definitely felt rushed from the very beginning, and I read this book pretty dang quick that it actually surprised me.
Overall a good read, I wasn’t to happy about how much went unanswered and it was obvious that the book just NEEDED to be wrapped up and stamped with a HEA.
The characters just didn’t seem important anymore the closer I got to the end (that been includes Briar), it was a bit muddled in my opinion and won’t deny their POV’s were half arsed. The only one in the end that seemed to matter was Flynn.
I particularly didn’t find this dark so that’s why (MY) rating for it was low, but others might think it’s darker for them. I’d say this is Dark Lite, again that is my interpretation.
This Bully genre seemed to just be tossed in the trash and also needed to be quickly resolved.
The Plot for this book needed to be extremely in-depth, but this is one of those books that idea was great and could be a winner but the writing didn’t live up to expectation. Cause something so big like this Plot shouldn’t have been crammed into something so small as one book, it should’ve been a series.
Do I Recommend?: Well if your new to Reverse harem and/or Bully Romances, I have to admit that this particular book won’t really make you eager for more.
Will I Read more from this Author? I’ll check out more books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“He’d humiliated me, destroyed my reputation forever, and why? I couldn’t ask him. Because he was in a coma.”
3.5 Don’t Make Me Choose Stars
I am not a huge reverse harem/why choose fan. While I have found a small few that ended up being altogether great reads, others seem to either be absolutely ridiculous, too drawn out (for the purpose of selling more books), or completely plotless (other than the group together). I am going to be honest here, I completely missed the part of the blurb that indicated this was one of those books and I am thankful for that… I know I would have likely skipped right over it and missed out on a really intense read. Of course it had its issues so I can’t give it the full 5 stars BUT these authors were able to create a very unique storyline that took me on a ride far outside the “norms” for this genre.
“I was a queen. It was time I remembered that.”
Told in multiple POV (our heroine mainly along with the four guys), this standalone is the story of how five people come together against one common enemy and find a relationship in the process. Along with it being reverse harem (so if multiple guys sharing one girl isn’t your thing you may want to skip it), its also a bully romance as well. It does contain some cruel bullying, physical violence, and other sensitive subjects that might bother some readers. I will say that its not nearly as dark as it could have been and worth any bit of uncomfortableness you might feel at times reading. It does end with a sort of open-ended HEA, and I hope to see these guys in the future because there is plenty of life left in their storyline.
“I’d been at the top of my year, the girl everyone aspired to be. Who everyone was jealous of… How the mighty fell.”
We meet Briar Gildermann on her first day back to the Academy (the college her great grandfather founded), where the elite send their heirs to prepare them for their futures. She used to be queen bee here, but after a sex tape released by her boyfriend Mathieu without her consent she is the victim of constant bullying and taunting. With Mat in a coma after a car accident and a rumor going around naming her the one responsible, Briar is unable to find out why he truly did it and she knows his 3 best friends hate her too much to talk. She only has one person she can truly depend on, her driver/bodyguard Winston but she will soon learn that everything is not at all like it seems.
“It’s better to be notorious than a victim.”
Blake, Flynn, and Lennox are all responsible for the sex tape that ruined Briar’s life. They hold the answers Briar desperately wants, but will she be able to handle the truths they can give her? This goes far beyond college bullcrap or revenge and the ones that hold the power don’t intend to stop until they have reached their goal.
“Two words. My life had just changed with two words, only I didn’t realize to what extent just yet, but I soon would.”
But what if there was another way, one that they could all work together to achieve? And what happens when feelings and desires are revealed, giving Briar four incredibly hot guys to choose from? Can she choose just one, or can they live HEA together as one unit?
“And I want more from her. I don’t just want what we’ve had so far. Briar is…” His teeth clenched. “We’ve done enough to break her, and today, I swear I felt like she was going to break me.”
The ending is a HEA, with an open ending that leaves room for more if the authors decide to continue their story in the future. Otherwise, the ending does provide a sort of closure but also allows you to decide where they go from there.
“I let her slam her fists into my chest because I deserved them. I let her scream at me until she was sobbing because I deserved it. And when she was spent, when her fists unfurled so she could slap me with the flat of her hands because she’d hurt her knuckles, I curved my arms around her back and did as I’d wanted to do all along.”
What didn’t I like?
1. Just a little warning, although this is considered in the romance genre this book didn’t seem to find the balance between the suspense/mystery part of the plot and developing the relationship between Briar and the guys. It felt like they put so much effort and space into explaining things that weren’t necessary (ex. going into extreme detail when discussing technology and hacking) and failed to create geniune connections between Briar and some of the guys. It would have served the book a HUGE justice had the authors gave us more of an emotional connection or buildup instead of it just happening. They spent so much time developing everything else that the romance aspect lacked.
2. Another space waster and point of aggravation for me was the need to remind the reader about the sex tape, or her climax being recorded, her ruined reputation, how the faculty/admin viewed her, or how the school viewed women who had sex out of wedlock. These are all important points to include, but not to the extent they were included in this book. After every situation that centered around one of the above, we would then be reminded of why (like we could forget).
3. I didn’t dislike Briar as a character–what I did dislike was how the authors made her constantly question or not understand being turned on by the wrong person or at the wrong time. We, as readers, totally get that she shouldn’t want the guys that ruined her or be turned on in the middle or after a tramatic event…..but when a heroine is constantly almost making excuses it takes away from the overall taboo/forbidden-ness of it. I want my heroine to OWN it.
4. And finally, there is a 2 year gap before the last chapter so understandably a lot has happened. However, some ot the most important things in regards to their “romance” and their goal happen during this 2 year point that we don’t get to see. One MAJOR decision is made during this time (even though it says it happens OVER 2 years ago and hints to occurring prior to other events we got to witness in the previous chapter)…..this decision (as well as others connected to it) were far too important to the story to be put off-screen (so to speak). I feel had so much space not been wasted on unnecessary details there would have been space to include these events.
Even though I had my share of “issues” with this book I have to say they got a lot of things right as well. They created guys that were all different from each other yet they all shared one common thing—its impossible to pick (so I couldn’t blame Briar one bit). Although my favs were Blake and Flynn, they all brought something to the mix that made it hard to even consider her cutting them loose. The authors were also able to develop a story that 100% could have stood on its own without the romance side of things, it was a true page turner because at every turn something else was revealed leaving you craving more. They didn’t depend on erotica and group sex to carry the story being told, in fact there was less sex in this book than I have ever seen in a reverse harem standalone. For all the ways they didn’t quite hit the mark, they equally exceeded it in other ways.
“Instead, I came face to face with a queen in the making. One who didn’t know her own worth, even if she allowed others to settle on a valuation.”
If you are into reverse harem or bully romance, read this. If you love a good page turning suspense, give this a try. Its not a masterpiece, but it is worthy of the download!
“Behind those pretty eyes, there was a darkness that lived in all of us. We’d embraced ours a long time ago, had to before it could swallow us whole. Briar, somehow, managed hers. She had morals, morals that enabled her to hide the monster away when pleasant company was around, then release it when necessary.”
I think bully RH romance novel are a hit or miss. The premise of this one is more far-fetched and hard to believe than most. I’m mean, come on. If there was a secret organization that wanted to take out a potential Presidential candidate out of the running due to moral corruption, why would they use there resources to ruin the reputation of the niece in college? They wouldn’t; they would go after the target directly. So it makes this background plot so ridiculous. It makes it hard to get into the book because the whole time, I’m thinking “why are they doing this on the first place?” If I ignore why they blackmailed the poor girl, I can kinda like the book but I don’t think I can.
This book is original, unpredictable, complex, steamy, and definitely entertaining. It made me want to hurry up and read it to see how it ends, but slow down so I could savor it. 4 Stars!
I must confess. I had a love/ hate feeling with this story. My heart broke for Briar. So must grief, anxiety, confusion heaped upon her for no other reason than for who she is. Caught in the crosshairs of greed and power. Loved how strong she was and how she pulled herself up and stood strong. I eventually liked the men in this story too, hard not to when they finally found their spine.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Hot new release!
This was so good! I couldn’t put it down at all! After staring at the beautiful cover I started reading. Briar, rich girl queen. Bullied over and over for something she knew nothing about. Let me tell you that there are so many shocking, twisted, revealing, steamy , unexpected moments within these pages. Absolutely 100% recommend picking it up if you enjoy this type of book. I love how this ended! Briar and her guys! Yes!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is not for the faint hearted, this book have teens who are the ones likely to rule the world, or have the power to influence those who run. When they set their sights on Briar Gildermann , one of the founding family in the academy, her life becomes hell. With a sex tape out there, and her e boyfriend in a coma, his friends are not letting up. With harassment and stalking galore, will Briar find help from an unexpected source.
This book may be a trigger for some.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
You think you know what this book is about when you read the blurb, but this book is full of cold, calculating people who are not what they seem. The Sex Tape definitely plays with your mind until the end.