Alpha Bully (Wolf Ridge High, #1)
by Renee Rose
Publication date: September 4th, 2019
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
USA Today bestselling author Renee Rose delivers on this intense bully romance with a paranormal twist.
SHE RUINED EVERYTHING… I WILL MAKE HER PAY.
Her mom robbed my dad of his job. Destroyed his life.
Now I have to look at her every day.
The girl next door. A human. A hot little nerd.
She doesn’t belong here—not in Wolf Ridge, not at our high school, definitely not in my life.
She doesn’t know what I am.
Which makes it all the easier to take revenge.
I will bring her to her knees. Pierce her heart.
Make her bleed. For me.
All for me.
NOTE: This New Adult book features steamy scenes with characters over eighteen and is for an audience that is also over eighteen.
~ BOOK REVIEW for Alpha Bully ~
*****(5) out of 5 Stars!
Holy, hell! That was HOT!! I'm talking, like, scorching hot! Yet it also had an amazing level of emotionally maturity to it, and a story that was incredibly well chartered. We learn more about the two main characters as things unfold, while they are also learning so much about each other, as well as about themselves. This is an extremely well-written work of prose, on several different levels! A great coming-of-age tale that is so much more than just that. The paranormal twist is not at all superfluous to the story, but weaves perfectly into the situation, and also gives reason or at least explanation for many of the events that occur.
We first meet Bailey and are immediately drawn to her. She just sounds like an ordinary person who is having one craptastic day, and being treated horribly by the people next-door. It actually turns out lucky for her though that she missed her school bus and couldn't get a ride from her neighbor. That's how she happens to meet Rayne, who quickly becomes her first friend in this new town. Both girls are social outcasts, for reasons that become evident later in the story. (Bailey originally believed that everyone was being racist due to her Latina heritage, but the truth to a great extent has more to do with the paranormal aspects of the story.)
Turns out, Cole is also immediately drawn to Bailey as soon as she moves in next door, only that fact does nothing but upset and anger him. So he does everything that he can to take it out on her. He is such a mean, hateful person at the beginning of the story, that I seriously wondered how he could have any redeeming qualities or become a romantic lead worthy of Bailey. That is, until something truly horrible happens to her, with him as the sole witness. Pretty much from that moment on, Cole becomes her champion; supporting her emotionally as she tries to work thru things, being her confidant, even a friend, and then slowly but surely so more than that. They do keep all of this hidden from most of the outside world for the majority of the book though. When and how things start to be known definitely play significant parts in the tale.
There were several minor characters, mostly in the background, but some that had significant interactions with one or both of the protagonists. All of them were interesting, and many delightful. I am hopefully there are future volumes in this series that highlight other individuals that we just met in passing. There was definitley a lot to work with there.
One thing that I do want to point out in particular is how well the concept of consent is handled here. There is a huge amount of power exchange that occurs with this couple; and Cole is basically just downright bossy in every aspect of their relationship. Of course, if you hadn't figured that out by the use of "Alpha" in the title, you really haven't been paying much attention. But all throughout the story, Cole very specifically makes sure that Bailey is on board with whatever they are doing before proceeding with anything. And since this is a dual point-of-view tale, we get to hear from her directly about how confident she is that he'd stop any time she asks, as well as how safe and secure this makes her feel.
This is certainly a book that I recommend for anyone who enjoys an excellently penned, spicy New Adult Paranormal Romance. It is very rare that you run across a book so well written in every aspect, from the finely crafted plot to characters with depth to spicy hot love scenes. It is definitely one of my favorite books that I've read so far this year!
We first meet Bailey and are immediately drawn to her. She just sounds like an ordinary person who is having one craptastic day, and being treated horribly by the people next-door. It actually turns out lucky for her though that she missed her school bus and couldn't get a ride from her neighbor. That's how she happens to meet Rayne, who quickly becomes her first friend in this new town. Both girls are social outcasts, for reasons that become evident later in the story. (Bailey originally believed that everyone was being racist due to her Latina heritage, but the truth to a great extent has more to do with the paranormal aspects of the story.)
Turns out, Cole is also immediately drawn to Bailey as soon as she moves in next door, only that fact does nothing but upset and anger him. So he does everything that he can to take it out on her. He is such a mean, hateful person at the beginning of the story, that I seriously wondered how he could have any redeeming qualities or become a romantic lead worthy of Bailey. That is, until something truly horrible happens to her, with him as the sole witness. Pretty much from that moment on, Cole becomes her champion; supporting her emotionally as she tries to work thru things, being her confidant, even a friend, and then slowly but surely so more than that. They do keep all of this hidden from most of the outside world for the majority of the book though. When and how things start to be known definitely play significant parts in the tale.
There were several minor characters, mostly in the background, but some that had significant interactions with one or both of the protagonists. All of them were interesting, and many delightful. I am hopefully there are future volumes in this series that highlight other individuals that we just met in passing. There was definitley a lot to work with there.
One thing that I do want to point out in particular is how well the concept of consent is handled here. There is a huge amount of power exchange that occurs with this couple; and Cole is basically just downright bossy in every aspect of their relationship. Of course, if you hadn't figured that out by the use of "Alpha" in the title, you really haven't been paying much attention. But all throughout the story, Cole very specifically makes sure that Bailey is on board with whatever they are doing before proceeding with anything. And since this is a dual point-of-view tale, we get to hear from her directly about how confident she is that he'd stop any time she asks, as well as how safe and secure this makes her feel.
This is certainly a book that I recommend for anyone who enjoys an excellently penned, spicy New Adult Paranormal Romance. It is very rare that you run across a book so well written in every aspect, from the finely crafted plot to characters with depth to spicy hot love scenes. It is definitely one of my favorite books that I've read so far this year!
I received a free eBook copy of this title from Xpresso Book Tours,
and have willingly provided an honest review.
Excerpt:
It’s past midnight when I wake up.
My window’s open, moonlight streaming in.
That wasn’t what woke me, though.
It wasn’t the pain of the beating,
either. That’s already half-healed. By tomorrow it will be nothing.
That’s the thing about wolf
discipline. It’s more about dominance and humiliation than actual pain. Casey
and I aren’t in real danger.
But that doesn’t mean the shit
doesn’t hurt.
I rub the stubble on my chin and
blink into the darkness. There’s a tug on my wolf, pulling me to the window.
And I know exactly what I’m going to see when I look out.
Even so, my heart stutters.
The little human is standing
outside. Standing underneath my window, looking up.
Like she’s waiting for me and she
knew I’d come. Prickles run across my skin.
She’s in the same dress she wore
today—another short one, blue and white stripes. She lost the Converse,
though. She’s barefooted on the crushed granite. Which must hurt her tender
human feet.
I’m in gym shorts. I pull on a black
tank top as I stare down at her.
She’s standing there like a fucking
tribute. A virginal offering.
She must really feel guilty.
I shove the window open and pop the
screen out. It’s not the first time I’ve climbed out this window, but I try not
to make it look too easy when I scale across the patio overhang and drop to the
gravel in front of her. “Hey.”
She’s crying. Silent tears that
streak down her pale cheeks. I wonder if she ever stopped. If she’s been
leaking those salty tears since she saw the ugliness that is my dad shit-faced.
The scent of her tears does something to me. Makes me itchy and raw, with the
need to smash things with my fists.
“Stop it.” I sound menacing. I’m not
sorry. She silently called me out here. She’s gonna get what she gets. I
advance on her like a fucking predator.
She backs up. She must sense how
dangerous I am right now. How unhinged.
“Was it because of me?”
Of course it was because of her. But
I’m not going to say that. That shit isn’t her fault.
Instead, I growl, “Stop crying for
me.”
Her big brown eyes are wide. I
wonder how well she can see me in the dark. Not nearly as well as I can see
her.
“Stop
it,” I command. “I’m the one who got the beatdown.”
“Cole.” It’s a broken syllable. So
much emotion packed into one sound. Apology. Pleading. Desperation, even.
My control snaps. I snatch her face
up to mine with a hand behind her head and devour her mouth. It tastes like all
the emotion I heard.
Except more.
I savor gratitude and soft, supple
generosity. Pent up anger. Grief.
Desire.
I scoop my forearm under her ass to
pick her up and slam her back against the tan stucco of her house.
She opens her lips for me, lets me
in. It’s not how I imagined it.
It’s better.
More raw. Sweeter, even though I’m fucking brutal with my
attack. Her lips twist over mine with the same intensity, her nails claw into
my bare shoulders. I shove the bulge of my cock in the cradle of her legs, even
though I know it will probably scare the shit out of her.
Author Bio:USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero! She's sold over a half million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. Her books have been featured in USA Today's Happily Ever After and Popsugar. Named Eroticon USA's Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won Spunky and Sassy's Favorite Sci-Fi and Anthology author, The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and Spanking Romance Reviews' Best Sci-fi, Paranormal, Historical, Erotic, Ageplay and favorite couple and author. She's hit the USA Today list five times with various anthologies.
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