He stole my first kiss… and now he thinks everything else is his.GemmaI said no to the one person no one at this school dares to refuse.Now I’m targeted by jealous girls, guys that compete to be the first to “break the prude”, and by him. After one kiss, the king of the school hunts me down like I’m a conquest to win. He’ll have to fight harder than that, because I’m no one’s trophy.They all want … than that, because I’m no one’s trophy.
They all want a piece of me, but I will not bend or break for them.
No one refuses the king.
Lucas
One case of mistaken identity and a hasty kiss turned my world upside down.
The new girl refused me. Not only that, she threw down the gauntlet. That won’t stand. No one ever says no to me. This school is mine and she’ll learn her place as a loyal follower or her life is going up in flames.
I’ll make her say yes. She’ll be screaming it before I’m finished breaking her.
Warning: Wicked Saint is a dark new adult high school bully romance intended for readers 18+. This book is part of a series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. This mature new adult romance contains dubious situations and detailed intense sexual/violent content that some readers might find triggering or offensive. Please proceed with caution.
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TOTAL RATING:
This is the first book of veronica Eden that i just read , an it was Amazing!!!
Both Lucas and Gemma were perfect. I really liked that this book had a strong heroine and not the weak ones who run away crying at the slightest of bullying.
Our hero too, was a massive jackass , but his character very well written too because despite of being a jackass , i actually got from where he was coming from!!!
I rarely find books in which the author is actually able to explain the reasons and justifications for the bullying , but in this one that was achieved !!
The ending was also pretty good and I liked that there was less drama and the characters were more sort-of grown up.
I am really looking forward to Devlin’s book and will pre-ordering it soon!!!
Review:
Why can’t book boyfriends make mistakes like regular guys?
I went into this book with a few preconceived notions after reading some bad reviews and was actually quite pleasantly surprised that the bully in this one turned out to be such a great guy. I find it hard to believe that some reviewers have such a hard time attributing lifelike thoughts and actions to characters in books and always make things out to be social commentary on how men treat women.
So if a guy in a book is mistreating a woman or a girl in any way, it must be the author saying it is ok to do that, not the character, who is a teenage boy, actually making a mistake by being an idiot in front of his buddies or something like that. Also some reviewers see no redemption in the fact that the guy ultimately knows that he was wrong, feels awful about it and seeks to make up for it as well as learns from his mistakes (isn’t that actually like the definition of redemption?). That is one of the things that draws me to these bully and hate-to-love romance tropes the most.
Our bully in this case is Lucas Saint, the king of the school and the football field. The entire school adores him, but Lucas is bored and sick of wearing a mask in front of the entire world. He isn’t really the happy go lucky party hearty football god they all think. He is a guy that likes to spend time alone with his dog, an old pug named Lancelot, and he loves to sit on the deck and draw in his sketchbook. He wants to build up the courage to tell his parents that he doesn’t want a football scholarship but wants to go to school for architecture.
Gemma Turner is the new girl in school, she has a twin brother Alec who currently is hating on her for being the cause of them moving. It all started when something happened between her and his best friend. Alec didn’t believe her side of it and things haven’t been the same between them ever since. Gemma wants to stay under the radar at the new school but that is impossible after her Mom makes her pick up Alec at a party one night.
Lucas, while trying to get an old girlfriend from being a stage five clinger, sees Gemma from behind and thinks she is one of his “friends with benefits”, a girl named Heather. He walks right up to her, turns her around and starts kissing her like nobody’s business. While some reviewers call that assault (and technically maybe it is), he thought she was someone he knew, so really it’s just mistaken identity.
Granted Lucas is quite the tool after that when Gemma turns him down for more of the same. Lucas makes a bet with the guys as high school boys often do, and like the kind of boy that is used to getting any girl he goes after, he continues to go after her with a vengeance seemingly knowing she is drawn to him too. Though he never goes too far with her. When she says stop, he always stops.
Also I don’t want to give too much away, but I have seen a few reviews that talk about the scene after the Gemma loses her virginity to Lucas. How he is with a group and puts his arm around another girl and then in a text tells her that is just how he is and to deal with it. I think that was taken out of context a bit. Because there was talk of the fact that his mask was on and Gemma even knew that and he did say he was only with Gemma, like he was just flirting with the girl like he always has, because people expect that from him. Also Gemma didn’t know if he would acknowledge that she was his girlfriend in school because of his mask that he wore.
Prior to that, the book had described how he had been kissing her in school so often and having her sit on his lap at lunch all the time, so it seemed like he had been acting already like he was her boyfriend. However, if she was worried that he wouldn’t act like he was her boyfriend, then he must have always been flirting with other girls like that. I doubt it was anything new. Anyway, that is just how I took it. Either way, he still ended up feeling terrible about everything he did that hurt her. So I think he is totally redeemable and a very realistic character. I hope I didn’t give too much away, I am just trying to refute some of the poor reviews with my opinion. Because I liked the book quite a bit.
Actually this was less dark than many I have read and Lucas was a much nicer guy than I expected going in. I must say that guys treating girls bad is not something I condone at all and in any way. However, it happens in real life much more than we want or would like to think about. And I would rather read about people and situations that are lifelike that fake and politically correct versions of what people think should be out there for the public to read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you Enticing Journey for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wicked Saint
By: Veronica Eden
*REVIEW*
I always try my best to find redemptive qualities in unlikable characters and the stories containing them therein. Wicked Saint crossed a line for me personally that should never be crossed. The story is a high school bully romance, and the synopsis was intriguing. The heroine, Gemma, has endured an attack and almost rape in the past causing her to upend her life and move. For me, this attack is not something to take lightly. This teenage girl is scarred for life and suffering from trauma. The hero, Lucas, Gemma meets at her new school. Blah blah blah, etc. He attacks her, not rape, but still, seriously? Lucas calls what he does to Gemma a prank. Veronica Eden takes every girl’s nightmare and makes it light, fluffy and humorous, the worst offense is treating this subject like it’s okay. It gets worse, though, when Gemma sleeps with Lucas-she’s a virgin. He claims to have feelings for her that he didn’t understand or whatever, but he’s come around and wants to be with Gemma,etc. You know how it goes. The next day at school he’s with another girl, bragging about his conquest, showing pictures he took-are you serious!? He does this after saying he had feelings for Gemma. Lucas is supposed to be the reformed swoon worthy hero, but he’s a grade A a**h***. Readers should admire Lucas by this point, but if you admire this guy, then you condone his behavior. He treats Gemma like garbage and humiliates her, but it’s fine. Gemma should be strong, intelligent, and in control. She is none of those things and definitely not an inspiration for girls. Why write her this way? I don’t get it. Does Lucas apologize and make things right? No-his apology is like expecting a blow me away, major unbelievable category 5 hurricane and getting a light breeze instead. The characters are pathetic and not likeable in the slightest. The story is just wrong. It’s wrong to make attempted rape and kidnapping okay. It’s wrong to make losing your virginity a light subject. It’s wrong to make a guy humiliating a girl and treating her like trash okay . It’s wrong to have said guy offer a pointless apology which the girl accepts. It’s wrong to portray a young girl as weak, gullible, spineless and stupid, especially after a physical assault. Everything is wrong. Don’t read this book. Don’t encourage the it’s okay attitude.
I want to preface my review and say I am not a fan of bully romance. I do like enemies to lovers, but I prefer the bully to being on the lighter side or the men make up for the bullying enough to win me over. I will say Lucas did enough for me, but out of the 3 books I have listened to in this series so far, he is my least favorite of the guys. I thought Gemma was great, except sometimes she seemed a bit out of character/her decisions and thoughts didn’t always match what her previous behavior/what I as a reader thought of her as. Some scenes were tough for me/wanted to throttle Lucas and his arrogant, self-absorbed decisions. I mean, I had to remind myself this is set in high school, since they acted more like college, but still. I don’t want to give much away since its a standalone and everything happens in one book, but here are some things I did enjoy or made me very emotional haha.
– I was worried about Lucas’ parents but I loved their reaction to his desire to not play football (I was worried it was going to be a cliche trope where they force him and blah blah blah)
– I was super pissed at Gemma’s twin. Like what the heck dude. It took him long enough to get his head out of his butt and be a good brother. I wonder if he will get a story because he has a TON of growing up to do
– I felt for Gemma because of her triggers and what happened to her in the past, and I did like Lucas finally having his lightbulb moment and being there for her and being protective. Loved when he finally gave in and became a big ol’ teddy bear
– I liked the little intros to Blair and the growing relationship with her and Gemma
– Lancelot totally stole the show haha
In terms of the narration, I thought Alan and Stephanie did a good job. I have listened to Stephanie before so I already knew I would enjoy her rendition. I haven’t listened to Alan before but I did like his performances. He brought Lucas to life really well (and all the side characters we get to listen to as well – good job with the villain of the story!). I really liked it was duet (where Stephanie only does female voices and Alan does all the male voices, regardless of chapter POVs). 5/5 stars for the narration
This was my first book of Veronica Eden’s I have listened to/read and I know it won’t be the last. I liked this book, but if people are on the fence, I would say try out book #2 because I thought it was a big improvement in my eyes. I am listening to book 3 now and am waiting for the big fallout to see how everything ends haha. I would give the story a 4 stars.
It’s the first time reading Veronica Eden but her writing style is so compelling that she made me believe for a second I’ve always been reading her books.
This story follows the angsty romance between Gemma and Lucas, students from the Silver Lake High School. They both collided with each other at his party and shared her first kiss. From that moment he gets obsessed with her and tries everything to win her over. Lucas or Saint is the popular guy that no one messes with. But when Gemma doesn’t fall for his charms he pursues her with every twisted technique he can come up with.
Gemma only wanted to be left alone. Her life has been normal until something happens that forces her to leave her old school and change. Her brother also faces the consequences and all she wants to do is be hidden to end up at her school without any problems. But whenever Lucas gets into her nerves, she fights back with all of her strength to avoid being another girl on Lucas’s list.
This sounds like the typical high school story but it’s more than that. But also if you enjoy this premise, you’re going to get addicted to the whole series. Because this is not a kid’s game, this has a darker twist.
It’s a steamy story full of personal issues and strong decisions. I enjoyed it a lot and I want to keep reading the whole series.
Series is completed
Hopefully, soon I get my physical copies.
4.0
I started this book in preparation for crowned crows and BEST IDEA EVER! Im new to Veronica’s writing and I must say Im in love, this book has everything I like in a bully romance and im so hyped up for what’s next in this series. One thing I loved so much was the dual POV, I know most of the romance books are like that BUT a lot of them is like 5 chapter for the H and 25 for the h but not in these book! We actually get both perspectives on every problem during the book and I enjoy it soooo much!
Now speaking about the characters I think they both are my faves, I usually pick one but with this one I can’t, they both pissed me off and made my heart sing lol haha. Lucas was such a sweetheart like I mean yeah his an ass to Gemma just because she said no but once you get to know him he’s a really good person. He struggles a lot withe self doubts and finding his place in the world just like our heroine, I think that connects them so much, they both have their own defense mechanism. Something I really appreciated from this book is that they got over their fears and doubts by themselves, don’t get me wrong the other was involved but it was each of them deciding that they were worth fitting for and believed it.
Summing it up this was a great read, I had so much fun reading it and enjoyed the characters a lot. Well except Alec, I wanted to punch him in the face more than once but he did got better by the end hahaha. Im so excited to have found this author, I can’t wait to read the rest of her work. Im here for all of it, would absolutely recommend this book!
3.75
Spanish & English Opinion
ESP ::
Estas historias teens de enemies to lovers donde hay apuestas y polos opuestos me gustan. Si bien, el género ya lo conocemos, la parte que más disfruto es la evolución de la relación, los sentimientos y los personajes.
Gemma y Lucas crecen y se descubren a lo largo del libro. Gemma es una mujer fuerte que logra manejar una situación complicada que tristemente muchas mujeres han experimentado. También creo que el libro genera conciencia acerca del tema.
Lucas es un hombre que no se muestra cómo es ante todos y con Gemma logra hacer Conexion. Me hubiese gustado más arrastre por su parte (su actitud fresca cuando se descubre la apuesta estuvo fatal). La historia es entretenida y me intriga qué pasará con Devlin.
ENG ::
These teens-enemies-to-lovers where opposites attract, bets happen and characters grow are cool! I really like them, even though we know the story.
Gemma and Lucas have a nice evolution throughout the book but I wish more groveling would happen (Lucas and his blasé attitude regarding the bet thing is pfffff).
Also, the book helps denouncing the sad and heinous situation that happens to many women, creating conscience that’s so much needed. Entertaining reading without a doubt. Now, I’m intrigued with Devlin’s story
Everyone on campus knows the name Lucas King, he is king of the football field and in the halls of the school. What he says it was goes, everyone bows down to him and does as he orders, it’s just the way it is. But new girl Gemma Turner refuses to follow in line like everyone else, she wants to get her senior year over with and stay under the radar.
Unfortunately for her she has caught the eye of the king and he always gets what he wants… which also means no sneaking under the radar for her. She just found herself at the center of everyone’s attention by becoming Lucas’s new little toy! There is no way she is giving in to him… or is there?
Wicked Saint is a steamy and thoroughly entertaining little literary romp that kept me captivated from the first page until the last. These characters were everything! The hate-fueled banter, the palpable attraction, the white hot chemistry, and of course the heart squeezing emotion, they brought it all to the pages. I enjoyed watching this one play out and see if Gemma could resist the charms of the king, and I will say she put up a good fight… but eventually love got the upper hand on her. I enjoyed every minute of this one, it had everything I love in a bully romance and more! Can’t wait to read the next installment! Highly recommend!
This book revolves around Gemma and Lucas. Lucas is the king of his school and Gemma is the new girl who just moved. Gemma and her family had to relocate after she suffered some trauma at her previous school. Lucas see’s Gemma at one of his parties and thinks she’s someone else. In order to have a good time and forget things for a while, he kisses Gemma not realizing she’s someone else. Gemma is the first girl to stand up to Lucas and put him in his place. This starts a back and forth bully romance between the two characters.
I absolutely loved this story. I think that Lucas needed someone like Gemma to stand up to him and not cower at his feet. I loved that she put him in his place and didn’t swoon for the king of the campus. No matter what Lucas threw at Gemma she wouldn’t back down. She gives as good as she gets.
This is bully romance at its finest. The story was captivating from the very first chapter. I couldn’t put it down.
I don’t know why I am barely starting this series I swear I must have been living under a rock because this was FIRE! Gemma and Lucas are freaking amazing.. I adore Gemma and her take no crap attitude she is sexy and feisty and seriously give Lucas a run for his money because there was no chance of her giving in and breaking. Gemma is complete girl crush! These two characters chemistry was off the charts hot and I will definitely be heading on into Tempting Devil!!! Highly recommend!
I absolutely loved this book! Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down.
Wicked Saint was so incredibly hot!! Lucas Saint… king of the campus… star quarterback… the one that every girl wants to date and every guy wants to befriend. And he has his sights on Gemma, the girl who recently turned him down in front of the entire school…. at his own party!
Gemma has no tolerance for guys who think they own everyone around them. Guys just like our hero. But after she denies him her plan to stay under the radar at school goes out the window. Try as she might, she can’t shake Lucas. And the more persistent he is the further under her skin he gets.
If you enjoy bully romance I definitely recommend Wicked Saint. I would have liked to see Lucas grovel a bit more, but it was still a good read.
Enjoyable read
3.5 STARS
I found myself constantly displeased by how much the characters flip flopped. It constantly contradicted their thoughts and what they wanted, I got whiplash. Normally I enjoy when characters put up a fight and then give in to their desires, but there was something about them that made it feel flimsy. However, I did enjoy the plot and storyline and am actually intrigued by the other characters. I’d definitely read the other books in the series, if only to sate my curiosity.
Gemma & Lucas burned up these pages. Feuding, loving, fighting, & pranking, they danced an admirable dance to the end.
Gemma just wants to make it through high school, with her head down, and away from anything problematic. The problem with this, is that Lucas, the King of school has his sights set on her from the moment she turns him down.
Lucas’ feelings toward Gemma are chaotic, bordering on obsession, if not completely scaling the fence. He’s proclaimed her his, but also turned his friends loose to make her life miserable.
I enjoyed this story, and it’s characters, and it’s an excellent jumping off point for this series. Not only was I captivated by the story, but also with the side characters. I’m anxious to get more of Devlin, Blair, and especially Alec.
Definitely recommend.
This book was so good!
Lucas Saint gave me full on whiplash! I loved it as much as I hated it. This book wasn’t as dark of a bully romance as some that I have read but it was enough to make me question things.
Gemma is trying hard to get back on her feet after the move and what happened at her last school, then Lucas steals her first kiss and it’s not something she plans for. She is dealing with things, but she is having a hard time with everything going on and it makes it worse when she realizes she is alone. Nobody is going to help her, but she refuses to give up. She refuses to break, for anyone.
Lucas was so sweet and had such depth to him, when they were alone but there was a mask he wore for everyone else and it hurts Gemma, constantly. It hurts her to see it and it hurts her when he treats her differently in public. She wants private Lucas, but he isn’t around in public and its hard for her to deal with it.
I loved Lucas and every part to him, he was deep and meaningful and sweet and then he was a jerk and I couldn’t get enough of it! I was starved for more of private Lucas but at the same time I was enthralled by public Lucas. It was intriguing to say the least.
I finished this book in less than a day, I started and I just couldn’t put it down. Wicked Saint was so much more than I expected. Gemma was seriously my favorite, she was so strong and I loved how she never let anything bring her down. She did make me cry several times, especially in her scenes with her brother, I just loved her so much and I wanted to protect her at all costs.
Lucas, the bad boy who is used to getting everything he wants. I loved and disliked him. Lucas us used to getting everything and anything he wants, so when he meets Gemma and sees that she isn’t interested, he makes it his mission to make her fall for him. He wasn’t expecting him to fall for her too. This book deals with a heavy topic, one I wish wouldn’t been closed and dealt with better. But overall, this story was so so good!!! Veronica legit made me cry. A must read.
Oh boy….Wicked Saint was a fast paced, intense read. So many things happening that from start to finish I could not put down and if I had to I resented the time away from reading and could not wait to start again. That would be my advice to any futures readers….start in the morning and make sure you clear your calendar so you won’t have interruptions. As for me started in the evening and finished early the next morning. Veronica Eden, author, know how to grab your attention and not let go front Rh first page to the last. Veronica, also, knows how to create and wonderful world and characters. You may not love all of them but you can relate to them and either cheer for them or want to smack them (or should I say one of them). Wicked Saint has lots of elements that I look for in a 5 read which it can’t be boring obviously and it must have enough unpredictability that I stay engrossed from the fist page to the last. I must be able to relate to the heroine and hero (or anti-hero in some cases) and can empathize with them. I want to be able to engage my emotions whether it means laughing with them or crying for them and all the emotions in between love and hate. All of this is present in Wicked Saints and Veronica was able to portray them perfectly. I know that I can’t wait to start the next book in the series to find out what is going to happen next. Highly recommend Wicked Saint and I for one will be checking out other books from Veronica in between reading or listening to books from a Veronica. She is one of my newest favorite author.
This book really surprised me! I loved the tropes and the relationship between Gemma and Lucas. Lucas is super sexy but their romance is so heartwarming. They have such a genuine connection, you’ll be yearning for their sexy yet sweet and soft scenes.
*review for audible UK version*
This story isn’t the darkest bully romance that I’ve read/listened to but I really love these characters. Gemma is troubled by her past experiences and it bleed into her new life and new school. She’s trying her best to be strong and make the best out of her senior year in high school.
Lucas is the quarterback and king of the school, everyone following his lead and doing what he says. Gemma and Lucas turn from enemies to lovers but Lucas has started something that he ends up regretting in the end. There’s much more to him than the facade that he puts on with his friends.
I really loved the narrators! Alan Carlson is a new to me narrator and I swooned over his voice. He really brought Lucas to life and I can’t imagine this character voiced by anyone else. Stephanie Rose is always amazing in everything she narrates and she’s the perfect Gemma. Overall, this story and the narrators absolutely shine!
I enjoyed the audiobook, as a fan of the bully romance trope, this one was enjoyable but a bit rushed, I like high school drama and everything that comes with it especially for this trope. The audiobook narrators Stephanie Rose and Alan Carlson did a good job portraying the characters, the editing and overall was good, definitely good enough to get the audiobook instead of the book.