EmiliaThey say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares.He is a brilliant lawyer.A skilled criminal.A beautiful liar.A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t … lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.
Vicious
She is a starving artist.
Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom.
Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down.
She paid the price.
Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate.
That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t.
So she hates me. Big fucking deal.
She better get used to me.
Vicious a complete standalone and a part of the Sinners of Saint series
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I love anything written by LJ Shen but if you haven’t read this series you are truly missing something.
For a good majority of this book, my feelings for Vicious vacillated between disdain and disgust for his actions towards Emilia, both in high school and to an extent his behavior as an adult. His attitude and demeanor is spoiled, entitled bad boy going through ‘roid rage, and his nickname definitely fits. I’m not excusing his behavior, but there is a good reason why he is the way he is.
Emilia is the quirky artist who unfortunately finds herself in Vicious’ path of hatred and destruction almost from day 1, when she and her family move to Todos Santos. She’s the type of person who would rather focus on seeing the good in people, even while knowing about the not-so-nice aspects of a person.
There is so much push and pull with these two you feel like the rope in a game of tug of war. Vicious is an a**hole of epic proportions, but at least he owns it. But we do see little glimpses of him being nice…ish (like what he did for Emilia’s parents). Ultimately the name of the game for Vicious is revenge, and for a very good reason. But will it cost him the one person who truly sees him?
Shen can flawlessly write an asshole bad boy that will have you swooning for them by the end. She takes these toxic characters and totally unhealthy relationships and gives them depth and layers so that you can’t help but root for them. While the hotholes might seem to be pulling all the strings the leading ladies really hold their own too. Emilia isn’t afraid to go toe to toe with Vicious and I love it. If you are searching for the perfect books to take your mind off of everything going on I HIGHLY RECOMMEND picking up this series. I must warn you though that you’ll get sucked into all the drama, love, and oh so much steam!
An intense , emotional , roller-coaster of a read.
I was held captive, from the first chapter to the last.
Real life ; we don’t get do overs.
There are few, if any second or third chances (and definitely no fourth) .
Stories , like Vicious – This is why I read!
Turn the air on, ladies, this one’s hot. The steamy level is 5 out to 5. Another alpha male every woman wished existed.
Sexy, mysterious, funny and sweet. I didn’t want to put it down. I love the struggle of the main characters, their completely different lifestyles contrasting and making the relationship impossible. The growth and strength in the end that it took to overcome the differences was incredible. Definitely recommend!
At first, I really hated the male protagonist. I was NOT sure how this author could turn my feelings around to actually wanting them together. And the author DID do it. I was thoroughly engaged with the characters, romance, and story. This author can definitely write redeemable jerks!
Vicious is LJ Shen’s darkest, most sinister character I’ve read in all her books! Redolent of malice and bad intentions, Vicious delights in tormenting Emilia, starting from when she moved into town. Her parents moved from Virginia into the servant’s quarters in his family mansion, to serve as cook and gardener for the Spencer family. She started attending All Saint’s high where Vicious and his pack of misfits called the HotHoles (short for Hot Assholes) attend. And the action starts!
From the get go, Vicious has been tormenting Emilia. I knew, from the start that he was fascinated by her but needed to save face. When Dean started dating her, what he suffered was torture from seeing the girl he wanted with another man. Initially I thought he was wicked, but as the book progressed, I realized this was a man tormented by demons. He had so much turmoil inside that as a defense, what he presented to the world was the façade of a cold, unfeeling person with a black soul. He succeeded in separating Emilia from Dean to the detriment of his chances with the woman who filled his dreams.
Ten years later, Emilia is living in New York, supporting her younger sister Rosie, and living a hand to mouth existence. When Vicious finds her, again, he can’t resist offering a job with a salary she can’t resist, enlisting her help in his fight against his stepmother. From here on out, we are riveted by their on and off again relation, their turbulent feelings for each other, the rejection of their feelings for each other, and the inevitable explosive end. Their feelings teeter between hate and love, their fascination with each other is relentless, and they disregard the advice from those closest to them. Emilia has a loving family that gives her the love and support she needs. Vicious didn’t have love in his life since his mother died when he was nine years old. His only support was from his friends, the HotHoles who are now partners in their own company, FHH.
There are secrets in Vicious’ past that are revealed slowly throughout the book and give sense to his personality. It takes love and the hopelessness of not having that love that finally redeems this monster and turns him human. It’s also what makes this book remarkably addictive and fascinating. I found it long and heavy to read because of all the feelings it brings and the sadness in my heart at the life of loneliness, abuse and heartbreak that turned a beautiful boy into an unfeeling monster. It was fascinating, multilayered, heartbreaking and maddening. And I would read it all over again if the rest of the HotHoles weren’t waiting to be read!
Audio Review from April 2019
What a powerful story. It’s not fast paced but it’s not a slow burn either, at least in regards to their sex life! Ha!
It is a slow telling of how a beautiful man finally got his head out of his a$$ in regards to the girl he always had his eye on.
He is the biggest jacka$$ so I spent the majority of the book enjoying their story but trying to see how he would redeem himself to her. And when he finally did? It was super unique!
Their love story is anything but typical but it was a fun freaking ride!
A must read
Alpha-hole OG
“Nothing sexual either. You’ll be happy to know, I still see more ass than a proctologist. For free.”
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration:
Romance:
Heat/Steam:
Story/Plot:
World building:
Character development:
The heroine: Emilia (a.k.a. Millie) – Daughter of the Cook and Gardener for the Spencer’s. She lives in the garage apartment at their mansion. She needs to complete her senior year with good grades to go away to college.
The Hero(es): Baron Spencer Jr. (a.k.a. Vicious) – The heir to one of the largest family owned businesses in the country. He is called Vicious for his cold, ruthless behavior.
The Story: Vicious is the king of Todos Santos high. He loves to torment Emilia, and thinks that she overheard something she shouldn’t have on their first meeting. Though Millie didn’t, or didn’t understand what she heard.
“A month after we moved out, Dean came by our new apartment. He looked good, if you liked the hot-shot, all-American Bradley Cooper look. Which I thought I did, but apparently, I was more of a brooding, all-consuming-jerk Colin Farrell type of girl.”
Let’s start right out with the narration. I was really hoping the male narrator would have a deep voice to match what I think Vicious would sound like but I was flabbergasted when he actually started talking. His voice was deep, but sounded like a 45 year old chain smoker. NOT 18 year old vicious at all. Plus I expected Vicious to sound intelligent and he sounded a like a surfer dude at times.
The funny thing was the fact that it wasn’t long before I began to think his voice fit Vicious perfectly. He had the perfect inflection for the dead pan way that Vicious says completely outrageous things. I ended up really loving him as a narrator and thinking he is Vicious exactly.
The story quickly goes from a few high school scenes in Todos Santos to ten years in the future in New York City where Millie is fired from one of her jobs, mugged, and comes in late to her waitress job only to find Vicious at one of her tables in a meeting with another man. She is late on her rent, supporting her sister Rosie who has a debilitating disease, and feeling just like the help, the nickname he always called her.
Though Millie had a crush of vicious in high school, now she blames him for ruining her life. Though when he offers her a job that she desperately needs, she has no choice but to accept. I loved Vicious, he is the original Alpha-hole as far as I am concerned. I could read this book over and over.
Vicious:
L.J. Shen
“Ask me what I want.”
Vicious is a enemies-to-lovers romance between a hot-shot attorney Baron “Vicious” Spencer, and Emilia LeBlanc, a waitress in New York who becomes his assistant.
Previously, when the two of them were in high school, Emilia’s family worked for Vicious’ in Todos Santos. Though Emilia harbors a secret love for Vicious, he bullies her, ridicules her, and is overall an asshole of massive proportions. Ten years pass in which they stay away from one another but when they re-unite, Vicious picks up right where he left off.
This relationship is rocky and conflicted. There’s searing sexual tension between the two of them and watching their relationship grow is very interesting. It’s angsty and a slow-burn. The backstory is really well developed and sets the scene for the upcoming books very nicely as well.
I’m not a fan of bully romances so this one was a little meh for me but Rosie and Dean? HELL. YES.
This is a book that I hate I had to give five stars to, the same way Em hated Baron-too beautiful, too epic, too smart not to love the man or the book. You just keep on reading and realize you’re hooked! In the end, it all made sense and was believable. When Vicious got his love and his revenge, he was redeemed indeed!
Loved this entire series!
*5 Stars*
I’ve seen and heard a lot about this book, and its been sitting on my kindle for a while. I haven’t read many LJ Shen books yet, but the ones I have, I have enjoyed.
I devoured this book, I was really invested in finding out what had actually happened between Emilia and Vicious in the past, and what was going on in the present. I really liked Emilia, she was an easy character to connect with and to root for. Vicious, I still don’t know how I feel about him. He was a horrible person for the most part, but something about him keeps you wanting to know more.
I enjoyed reading this, and I look forward to reading more of this series when I get a chance.
Vicious by LJ Shen is the first full book in the Sinners of Saints series. This is the story of Baron ‘Vicious’ Spencer and Emilia LeBlanc. Vicious is the only son of the richest man in Todos Santos, a town in California. He got his nickname for his vicious, take no prisoners attitude. His counterpart Emilia LeBlanc is sweet and friendly to everyone. She has an eccentric sense of style which drives Vicious crazy. However, her style reflects her love for art with her favorite thing to draw being cherry blossom trees. Emilia and Vicious met in high school when Emilia’s family went to live and work for the Spencer family. Throughout high school Vicious is extremely mean to Emilia and continues the bullying even as she begins to date one of his friends. Years after high school Vicious comes to New York where he runs into Emilia. He then offers her the job position as his assistant while he is working there. At first she is reluctant but then he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. It quickly becomes apparent that he may have ulterior motives to hiring her. This is a story of hidden secrets, high school enemies, and revenge.
I really enjoyed reading this book! The story was fantastic and not only were the characters likeable, but they were also very realistic. The character development as well as the story line really came off the pages. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are new to reading LJ Shen books. This is a great starting point and it will quickly suck you into the LJ Shen book world.
Favorite Quotes:
“Lust is when you want the person to make you feel good. Love is when you want to make the other person feel good.”
“…Love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances. The passion is the same. The pain is the same. That weird thing that bubbles in your chest? Same.”
I hated Baron “Vicious” Spencer so much through a lot of this book! I wanted to rip his heart out! The biggest a**hole ever! Yet he is my favorite “Hot-hole” throughout this whole series. My favorite book through this whole series! This is my second time reading this book and I still love him/hate him just as much as the first time I read it! I just love L.J. Shen’s writing style. For me she gives the perfect amount of everything you need in a book! I love her books so much!
I feel this book is over-hyped. Told in a dual POV and in dual timeline, Vicious is a book that romanticizes bad behavior and bullying, while providing no real character growth.
Vicious is the ultimate rich A-hole. Unlike other LJ Shen anti-heroes, the reasons behind his behavior are valid: absent father, losing his mother at an young age, being physically abused by his step-uncle, no boundaries or support system and a lot of money and power. But there is no real character growth here. Sure, when he realizes he wants Emilia, he does everything in his power to get her and even grovels, but at the end of the book, he is still every bit a rich A-hole as he was in the beginning. The only change is that he now treats her well.
Even more than Vicious, I disliked Emilia. Her context is hard yes, no doubt about it. But does she have no choice? Not really. I dislike doormat heroines that turn somewhat sassy for the sake of the hate to love trope but end up accepting bad behavior because of sexual tension and chemistry. She is 27 and acts like she was 16. And that is true for most of the characters in this series. But it makes for an entertaining read that a lot of people will like.
This is the first book from L. J. Shen that I’ve read. The first thing that catched my attention when I first saw the book was the cover(yes, I have a thing for covers, if I like it than probably I’ll end up buying the book) because it is so beautiful. And then, after only two pages I was hooked and could’t put the book down. I finished it in a few hours and while I was reading I became a fan and I knew that I had to had all of L. J. Shen books. I read this book a month ago, and I loved it so much, that since then I have read it four more times.
Vicious is the first book in the “Sinners of Saint” series, followed by Defy, Ruckus, Scandalous and finally Bane. I will also talk about these books in the followings posts, because I love them, they are amazing and a great read.
For the better half of the book I wanted to slap that attitude out of Vicious, but he managed to get under my skin and made me love him in the end and root for him to realize what has been in front of him the whole time.
I love this book, and I love Vicious and Emilia, and also I love how easily it was to fall in love with them and their story. I like how strong Emilia is and how much she cares for those around her, and I loved her a lot more when she made Vicious grovel and fight for her, because she was worth it.
I don’t want to get into much details because I’m afraid I’m gonna say some spoilers and I want to let you guys enjoy the book.
L J Shen you are amazing and extremely talented and I love your work and I want to thank you for writing these amazing characters and their stories.
Barron vicious spencer. I hated to love you. You were a bully. But you were also a god. I fell in love the moment you started speaking. He’s broken and just needed someone good. He is a true alpha. A king. This book was nothing I expected yet so much more! I’ve read over 2 dozen times and will keep reading. 100 stars!!!