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Diamond Devils #1
If You Dare
The judge didn’t serve justice. But the Devils will.
Violet
I never meant to hurt anybody.
Chloe was my best friend, and that night, we were drunk and stupid. We never backed down from a dare, and the one time she did, I wouldn't let her.
Even though it was an accident, no one believes me. She was the girl everyone loved, and now I'm the girl everyone hates.
I can't pretend their punishments don't hurt. Especially his. Her brother, the hockey captain I once called a friend. The man I thought, someday, might be something more.
Now Wes hates me too. And he's not quiet about it.
But I can't fight back. Because I deserve it all.
Wes
Before, Violet was the girl I wanted but couldn't have.
Now, my sister is dead, and she's the girl I can't stand.
Violet is getting everything she doesn’t deserve. Protection. Freedom. Her life.
She gets to keep living, even after she put my sister in the ground.
So I’m enlisting my team to make every second of her life as miserable as possible. Because that’s what she deserves.
Violet is going to pay for what she’s done. The Devils will make sure of it.
Violet
I never meant to hurt anybody.
Chloe was my best friend, and that night, we were drunk and stupid. We never backed down from a dare, and the one time she did, I wouldn't let her.
Even though it was an accident, no one believes me. She was the girl everyone loved, and now I'm the girl everyone hates.
I can't pretend their punishments don't hurt. Especially his. Her brother, the hockey captain I once called a friend. The man I thought, someday, might be something more.
Now Wes hates me too. And he's not quiet about it.
But I can't fight back. Because I deserve it all.
Wes
Before, Violet was the girl I wanted but couldn't have.
Now, my sister is dead, and she's the girl I can't stand.
Violet is getting everything she doesn’t deserve. Protection. Freedom. Her life.
She gets to keep living, even after she put my sister in the ground.
So I’m enlisting my team to make every second of her life as miserable as possible. Because that’s what she deserves.
Violet is going to pay for what she’s done. The Devils will make sure of it.
310 pages, Paperback
First published November 27, 2023
2545 people are currently reading
19375 people want to read
About the author
Harmony West
9 books1,424 followersHarmony West writes dark forbidden romance. She enjoys her love stories with a side of mystery, twists, and spice.
For updates on Harmony West’s latest releases, visit her website at https://www.harmonywestbooks.com/.
For updates on Harmony West’s latest releases, visit her website at https://www.harmonywestbooks.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,068 reviews
February 25, 2024
she was assaulted by him and his friends and that was his vengeance plot… and this poor girl believed it was justified because her friend (the mmcs sister) died to the fmc pushing her in a pool. prior to the push the fmc & her friend had their drinks spiked by guess who? one of the mmcs friends! aw and he was the main man to torment the fmc as if he wasn’t planning to rape her friend and her that night!!! the fmc didn’t drink the spiked drink but unfortunately her friend did. yes we don’t know until the end but this poor girl even at the end basically excuses getting assaulted by the mmcs friends saying she deserved it. also i thought his grovel fucking sucked so for me this was just a shitty situation. the flashbacks were the best chapters.
2/25/2024
********************************************
also to add on, i LV a good bully romance but this shit was not a bully romance this was him literally mentally, physically, and emotionally abusing her then making it seem like it’s deserved. i can handle any bully x hockey romance all day everyday those are my favorite but this book genuinely grossed me out and was horrible. it amazes me how half of these people justified it. his half ass apology AT THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS WAS SHIT. honestly he should’ve been her past and she should’ve got a new mmc.
2/25/2024
********************************************
also to add on, i LV a good bully romance but this shit was not a bully romance this was him literally mentally, physically, and emotionally abusing her then making it seem like it’s deserved. i can handle any bully x hockey romance all day everyday those are my favorite but this book genuinely grossed me out and was horrible. it amazes me how half of these people justified it. his half ass apology AT THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS WAS SHIT. honestly he should’ve been her past and she should’ve got a new mmc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2024
If you enjoy degradation, you’re in the right place, and if you don’t, this ain’t for you.
MMC lets his friends sexually assault the FMC, cut her hair, cut her up with a knife, take degrading photos of her, and generally torment her emotionally, mentally, and physically. No groveling, minimal apologies (only after she’s been cut up with a knife).
MMC also has multiple sexual encounters with other females described in detail ⚠️ Chapter 11 (explicit), Chapter 13 (explicit), Chapter 21 (minor)
I personally think this one went a bit too far and I wasn’t a fan of the MMC at all. This is all basically one big misunderstanding, and although tragic, it’s a misunderstanding over a terrible accident at its core. I absolutely will not be continuing this series, as all of the male characters participated in sexual assaulting Violet and that’s just gross. There’s dub con, there’s CNC, and there’s straight up sexual assault, and I’d encourage the author to be mindful of the distinction as she moves forward. I personally have no desire to read anything more from her at this time.
MMC lets his friends sexually assault the FMC, cut her hair, cut her up with a knife, take degrading photos of her, and generally torment her emotionally, mentally, and physically. No groveling, minimal apologies (only after she’s been cut up with a knife).
MMC also has multiple sexual encounters with other females described in detail ⚠️ Chapter 11 (explicit), Chapter 13 (explicit), Chapter 21 (minor)
I personally think this one went a bit too far and I wasn’t a fan of the MMC at all. This is all basically one big misunderstanding, and although tragic, it’s a misunderstanding over a terrible accident at its core. I absolutely will not be continuing this series, as all of the male characters participated in sexual assaulting Violet and that’s just gross. There’s dub con, there’s CNC, and there’s straight up sexual assault, and I’d encourage the author to be mindful of the distinction as she moves forward. I personally have no desire to read anything more from her at this time.
March 11, 2026
I wish I could give this book 0 ⭐️
I wish I could unread this book
I wish I didn’t finish out of spite and DNFed when I still had a chance to forget
This is THE WORST bully romance I’ve ever read in my life, and I say that with confidence because I’ve read plenty and I LOVE a good bully romance ! But I want fight in my bully romances and not a doormat of a FMC!
If you don’t want spoilers stop reading this review now ! I don’t want to press the spoiler button because when I get too angry about a book I just want everyone to have a chance to save themselves BEFORE reading.
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴SPOILER 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
So the plot of the book is actually good believe it or not, what is shitty is everything else. And that includes Luke, yes he is also shitty along with everyone else in the book besides Aneesa and Chloe (before she died)
The reason why the MMC aka Wes is so angry at the FMC aka Violet is because she “killed” his sister which she didn’t it was accident that wouldn’t ever happened if her drink hadn’t been spiked by one of Wes teammate… but that is for later!
So Violet was deemed innocent by the judge and she returns to campus and Wes vow to take justice for his sister death since the justice system didn’t . Up to there I was very invested because good plot right? I understood his need for vengeance and I even understood Violet’s thinking “she deserved” which she didn’t btw !
What I didn’t understand, accept and respect is the fact that I’ve read one of the WORST FMC in the history of FMCs ! I couldn’t even believe the audacity of this author to write such a doormat ! Violet is dull, bland, compliant and the worst, she is STUPID omg she is SO fucking stupid and I can’t accept that. Even in the worst bully romances I’ve ever read the FMC end up finding their voice, their power, their fire. Well not Violet, I am actually offended she shares a name with Violet Sorrengail because that girl is a warrior!
So Wes get all his teammates to be part of his plan to torment Violet. He does everything bad you can imagine, the only thing he didn’t and his friends didn’t do it , but not because they all didn’t want to do it and were ready for but because something always happened the very last minute was rape her, everything else they did and she JUST took it and I almost heard her saying thank you. Trey is the worst of the teammates and very rapey…. I can’t even believe he gets a book after all his done it !
Instead of fighting back or being smart she does everything the opposite way.
✅ She walks at night alone
✅ She goes to parties when she knows she shouldn’t
✅ Wes snap her fingers she follows
✅ Wes text her to meet him at night after all his done to her (which was already everything bad) AND SHE FUCKING DOES IT ! Of course they ambushed her and again tormented her!
✅ He tells her to repeat a bunch of degrading things in front of everyone and SHE DOES IT!!! Bitch walk your sorry excuse of ass home , who needs a party? Certainly not you ! Have some dignity and some pride !
✅ They call her to their table and SHE FUCKING GOES!
✅ SHE ACCEPTS A DRINK FROM THE HANDS OF TREY THE “RAPEY HAPPY” GUY IN A PARTY !
✅ Trey kisses her and she doesn’t fight, punch, kick, scream … NOTHING !
✅ She runs from Trey in broad daylight in the middle of the University and instead of running to a populated area , noooo she runs into a secluded bathroom where he can do whatever he wants and no one will hear and of course HE DOES ! And SHE DOES NOTHING, not a single word !
✅ Trey orders her to take her close off and pose for pictures and ? You guessed it .. SHE OBVIOUSLY DOES IT without a word .
At this point I was like , you know what ? You kind deserve it because I wanted to go inside the book and beat her up myself ! Even the devil himself Wes asked her why she doesn’t fight back and her answer? “Isn’t what you want ?” INCREDIBLE!
I love bully romances where the girl fights back and have some bratty attitude, some spark. Where the guy is the bully but he doesn’t allow anyone to touch her ONLY HIM , not the case here because with all Wes flaws the WORST one is he allows, I mean not only allows but he instructed his teammates to touch her and they were all to happy to do it.
I am sorry…. EXCUSE the fuck out of me ? What ????
Oh but worry not because BIG BAD WES GOOD FOR BULLY GIRLS AND SO INVESTED IN GETTING REVENGE FOR HIS SISTER DEATH, JUST ALLOWS THE ONE ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HER DEATH WALK AWAY ….. YES HE SUDDENLY DIDNT NEED TO TEACH THAT GUY A LESSON ! I WONDER WHY? This is the biggest bullshit ever because he was way too ok in teaching the girl a lesson but not the guy ? Very macho of him ! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
And after all of that she just IMMEDIATELY forgives him, I mean he didn’t even have to ask for forgiveness, she just took 0.2 seconds to forgive him even before the words were out of his mouth ! The biggest shenanigans in this book was NO GROVELING, I REPEAT, NO GROVELING!!!!!! Nada ! Even if by any chance he was ready to grovel , she didn’t even give him an opportunity because she was too ready to lay down like the doormat she is so he could step right on her !
If you want to read a good bully romance with great story, amazing smut and spunk smart fire girl who fights back and tortured MMC mean to his core with a good reason and the cherry on the top they are step siblings, just go read GREEN LIGHT by Jescie Hall and thank me later for saving you from this book over here !!!!
I wish I could unread this book
I wish I didn’t finish out of spite and DNFed when I still had a chance to forget
This is THE WORST bully romance I’ve ever read in my life, and I say that with confidence because I’ve read plenty and I LOVE a good bully romance ! But I want fight in my bully romances and not a doormat of a FMC!
If you don’t want spoilers stop reading this review now ! I don’t want to press the spoiler button because when I get too angry about a book I just want everyone to have a chance to save themselves BEFORE reading.
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴SPOILER 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
So the plot of the book is actually good believe it or not, what is shitty is everything else. And that includes Luke, yes he is also shitty along with everyone else in the book besides Aneesa and Chloe (before she died)
The reason why the MMC aka Wes is so angry at the FMC aka Violet is because she “killed” his sister which she didn’t it was accident that wouldn’t ever happened if her drink hadn’t been spiked by one of Wes teammate… but that is for later!
So Violet was deemed innocent by the judge and she returns to campus and Wes vow to take justice for his sister death since the justice system didn’t . Up to there I was very invested because good plot right? I understood his need for vengeance and I even understood Violet’s thinking “she deserved” which she didn’t btw !
What I didn’t understand, accept and respect is the fact that I’ve read one of the WORST FMC in the history of FMCs ! I couldn’t even believe the audacity of this author to write such a doormat ! Violet is dull, bland, compliant and the worst, she is STUPID omg she is SO fucking stupid and I can’t accept that. Even in the worst bully romances I’ve ever read the FMC end up finding their voice, their power, their fire. Well not Violet, I am actually offended she shares a name with Violet Sorrengail because that girl is a warrior!
So Wes get all his teammates to be part of his plan to torment Violet. He does everything bad you can imagine, the only thing he didn’t and his friends didn’t do it , but not because they all didn’t want to do it and were ready for but because something always happened the very last minute was rape her, everything else they did and she JUST took it and I almost heard her saying thank you. Trey is the worst of the teammates and very rapey…. I can’t even believe he gets a book after all his done it !
Instead of fighting back or being smart she does everything the opposite way.
✅ She walks at night alone
✅ She goes to parties when she knows she shouldn’t
✅ Wes snap her fingers she follows
✅ Wes text her to meet him at night after all his done to her (which was already everything bad) AND SHE FUCKING DOES IT ! Of course they ambushed her and again tormented her!
✅ He tells her to repeat a bunch of degrading things in front of everyone and SHE DOES IT!!! Bitch walk your sorry excuse of ass home , who needs a party? Certainly not you ! Have some dignity and some pride !
✅ They call her to their table and SHE FUCKING GOES!
✅ SHE ACCEPTS A DRINK FROM THE HANDS OF TREY THE “RAPEY HAPPY” GUY IN A PARTY !
✅ Trey kisses her and she doesn’t fight, punch, kick, scream … NOTHING !
✅ She runs from Trey in broad daylight in the middle of the University and instead of running to a populated area , noooo she runs into a secluded bathroom where he can do whatever he wants and no one will hear and of course HE DOES ! And SHE DOES NOTHING, not a single word !
✅ Trey orders her to take her close off and pose for pictures and ? You guessed it .. SHE OBVIOUSLY DOES IT without a word .
At this point I was like , you know what ? You kind deserve it because I wanted to go inside the book and beat her up myself ! Even the devil himself Wes asked her why she doesn’t fight back and her answer? “Isn’t what you want ?” INCREDIBLE!
I love bully romances where the girl fights back and have some bratty attitude, some spark. Where the guy is the bully but he doesn’t allow anyone to touch her ONLY HIM , not the case here because with all Wes flaws the WORST one is he allows, I mean not only allows but he instructed his teammates to touch her and they were all to happy to do it.
I am sorry…. EXCUSE the fuck out of me ? What ????
Oh but worry not because BIG BAD WES GOOD FOR BULLY GIRLS AND SO INVESTED IN GETTING REVENGE FOR HIS SISTER DEATH, JUST ALLOWS THE ONE ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HER DEATH WALK AWAY ….. YES HE SUDDENLY DIDNT NEED TO TEACH THAT GUY A LESSON ! I WONDER WHY? This is the biggest bullshit ever because he was way too ok in teaching the girl a lesson but not the guy ? Very macho of him ! 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
And after all of that she just IMMEDIATELY forgives him, I mean he didn’t even have to ask for forgiveness, she just took 0.2 seconds to forgive him even before the words were out of his mouth ! The biggest shenanigans in this book was NO GROVELING, I REPEAT, NO GROVELING!!!!!! Nada ! Even if by any chance he was ready to grovel , she didn’t even give him an opportunity because she was too ready to lay down like the doormat she is so he could step right on her !
If you want to read a good bully romance with great story, amazing smut and spunk smart fire girl who fights back and tortured MMC mean to his core with a good reason and the cherry on the top they are step siblings, just go read GREEN LIGHT by Jescie Hall and thank me later for saving you from this book over here !!!!
August 21, 2024
Imagine
Imagine a man regaulrly made it so you were hungry, beaten, sexually assaulted and made to feel like shit constantly.
Now imagine that was a romance book.
Imagine that author prefaced her romance book, knowing abuse is terrible way to show any sort of feelings towards anyone, as it creates muscle memory of committing abuse.
Right?
Good.
Now imagine that author was afraid of words like sexual assault and abuse.
Imagine the author likes having her characters act out sexual abuse, knows its wrong, enough to warn you at the start, but hasn't the courage to call it what it is.
Its like watching someone with a drink problem be scared of the word alcohol or alcoholism.
Its chronic and pathetic, reading how he genuinely believes it is one of her fantasies for him to throat rape her, and for us to be expected to be "hey its ok, he can learn to be better than rape."
Nope, not if he never learns the word rape or sexual assault can he ever be better than when he does it.
Its kinda sad, reading women so comfortable in their lives, they make a man a rapist, to save him from being a rapist, and nearly kills her at several points, but makes him afraid of fhe word.
Its kinda cowardly.
Act it out, but dont say it, that way, we can keep shaming ND women when they say rape because it is rape.
I don't give a fuck that hes grieving.
Pain is not a reason men are toxic.
Men are toxic because they are men.
No. Other. Reason.
The way he's attracted to her more when Trey removes a huge important.part of her.
And the way the author insists shes into it.
Its so.fucking weird.
These authors are responsible for every time a woman dies from accidental choking.
Neoliberals, so bored in life, they make excuses for abusers.
Imagine a man regaulrly made it so you were hungry, beaten, sexually assaulted and made to feel like shit constantly.
Now imagine that was a romance book.
Imagine that author prefaced her romance book, knowing abuse is terrible way to show any sort of feelings towards anyone, as it creates muscle memory of committing abuse.
Right?
Good.
Now imagine that author was afraid of words like sexual assault and abuse.
Imagine the author likes having her characters act out sexual abuse, knows its wrong, enough to warn you at the start, but hasn't the courage to call it what it is.
Its like watching someone with a drink problem be scared of the word alcohol or alcoholism.
Its chronic and pathetic, reading how he genuinely believes it is one of her fantasies for him to throat rape her, and for us to be expected to be "hey its ok, he can learn to be better than rape."
Nope, not if he never learns the word rape or sexual assault can he ever be better than when he does it.
Its kinda sad, reading women so comfortable in their lives, they make a man a rapist, to save him from being a rapist, and nearly kills her at several points, but makes him afraid of fhe word.
Its kinda cowardly.
Act it out, but dont say it, that way, we can keep shaming ND women when they say rape because it is rape.
I don't give a fuck that hes grieving.
Pain is not a reason men are toxic.
Men are toxic because they are men.
No. Other. Reason.
The way he's attracted to her more when Trey removes a huge important.part of her.
And the way the author insists shes into it.
Its so.fucking weird.
These authors are responsible for every time a woman dies from accidental choking.
Neoliberals, so bored in life, they make excuses for abusers.
February 4, 2024
I finished the book so it wasn’t terrible but cant rate it higher because:
- The H was too cruel and never protected the h. He allowed his team to grope/SA her,cut her hair and didn’t believe her when the villain was clearly lying about something.
- The h was fine but she was dumb/weak and never defended herself. I get that she feels like she deserved everything she got due to her involvement in her friend’s death, but still.
I would read something by this author again but think she needs to tone down some of the dark elements to make her characters somewhat likeable.
- The H was too cruel and never protected the h. He allowed his team to grope/SA her,cut her hair and didn’t believe her when the villain was clearly lying about something.
- The h was fine but she was dumb/weak and never defended herself. I get that she feels like she deserved everything she got due to her involvement in her friend’s death, but still.
I would read something by this author again but think she needs to tone down some of the dark elements to make her characters somewhat likeable.
April 7, 2024
DNF around 20% what the fuck do you mean “bullying” is him and his teammates trying to r@pe her? this book was pure trash, the mmc constantly talked about wanting to have sex with the fmc, the random orgy (????), on page detailed sex with ow, making the fmc justify the assault??
“Tell me, Violet.” Trey’s singsong voice sends a shiver down my spine. “Have you been deflowered?” 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
“Tell me, Violet.” Trey’s singsong voice sends a shiver down my spine. “Have you been deflowered?” 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
November 25, 2024
Bullying and assault are two different things and this is far from bullying
January 12, 2024
i’ve never wanted more for two characters to NOT end up together than i did these two
dnr-not-safe
August 29, 2024Self note:
Not safe
Detailed scene with OW and the MMC treats the h horrible.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not safe
Detailed scene with OW and the MMC treats the h horrible.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 28, 2023
4.5⭐️
4.5🌶️
Wow wow wow! This was my first time reading a bully romance and honestly didn’t know what to expect but I enjoyed it so much! This book is dark so please check TWs before reading. 🤍
If You Dare show how guilt can manifest in different ways for different people. The “before” chapters show us what Violet and Wes were like before Chloe died (Wes’ sister and Violet’s best friend). And the “after” chapters gave us a glimpse into how they both deal with their guilt.
I love Violet and Wes together! 🤍🖤🤍🖤
just for good measure this is for Trey 🖕🏻🖕🏻
Also this is my official petition for Harmony to write a novela of Violet and Wes cause I want to see them happy together forever 😭🤍
This was an arc given to me from the author in exchange for my honest review.
4.5🌶️
Wow wow wow! This was my first time reading a bully romance and honestly didn’t know what to expect but I enjoyed it so much! This book is dark so please check TWs before reading. 🤍
If You Dare show how guilt can manifest in different ways for different people. The “before” chapters show us what Violet and Wes were like before Chloe died (Wes’ sister and Violet’s best friend). And the “after” chapters gave us a glimpse into how they both deal with their guilt.
I love Violet and Wes together! 🤍🖤🤍🖤
just for good measure this is for Trey 🖕🏻🖕🏻
Also this is my official petition for Harmony to write a novela of Violet and Wes cause I want to see them happy together forever 😭🤍
This was an arc given to me from the author in exchange for my honest review.
September 2, 2025
3.5⭐️
Героїня ні риба, ні мясо, але не зовсім бісяча, терпимо. Вірить, що заслуговує на всі знущання від героя. Ща вона ще трошечки потерпить, він зрозуміє, що кохає її, і вони як заживуть разом щасливо. Чєлу навіть не потрібно докладати зусиль, щоб її буллити, вона сама чудово з цим справляється.
Герой трошки клоун. Накрутив щось собі в голові і вирішив помститися героїні. Апхаха за що? Нє, ну ти і дебіл. Короче, незрозумілий "геній", який намагається будь-якими дурними засобами впоратися з болем від втрати сестри.
Мінімум вибачень і ніякого виправлення мудака. Та героїні це й не потрібно, ій довподоби, коли до неї ставляться, як до лайна. А ось герой пробачає її і дає другий/третій шанс🤡
Жесті, про яку пишуть у відгуках, я не побачила. Принаймні від головного героя. Читається легко і швидко. Книжка невелика, насичена подіями та без зайвої води. Якщо вам подобаються буллі романи, сміливо читайте цю книгу. Як на мене, непоганий початок серії. Цікаво як Люк себе проявить в 2 книзі. А ось на рахунок Трея не впевнена. Він довбаний психопат і не в найкращому сенсі.
P.S. Присутня OWD, герой декілька разів запалює з іншими дівчатами.
Героїня ні риба, ні мясо, але не зовсім бісяча, терпимо. Вірить, що заслуговує на всі знущання від героя. Ща вона ще трошечки потерпить, він зрозуміє, що кохає її, і вони як заживуть разом щасливо. Чєлу навіть не потрібно докладати зусиль, щоб її буллити, вона сама чудово з цим справляється.
Герой трошки клоун. Накрутив щось собі в голові і вирішив помститися героїні. Апхаха за що? Нє, ну ти і дебіл. Короче, незрозумілий "геній", який намагається будь-якими дурними засобами впоратися з болем від втрати сестри.
Мінімум вибачень і ніякого виправлення мудака. Та героїні це й не потрібно, ій довподоби, коли до неї ставляться, як до лайна. А ось герой пробачає її і дає другий/третій шанс🤡
Жесті, про яку пишуть у відгуках, я не побачила. Принаймні від головного героя. Читається легко і швидко. Книжка невелика, насичена подіями та без зайвої води. Якщо вам подобаються буллі романи, сміливо читайте цю книгу. Як на мене, непоганий початок серії. Цікаво як Люк себе проявить в 2 книзі. А ось на рахунок Трея не впевнена. Він довбаний психопат і не в найкращому сенсі.
P.S. Присутня OWD, герой декілька разів запалює з іншими дівчатами.
December 30, 2023
the girl in this was SO dumb but holy hell wes was SO hot. consider me ✨gagged✨
July 7, 2024
Trey better not get his own book.
I like my men morally black but beating women is my limit
I like my men morally black but beating women is my limit
March 29, 2025
»What? She's all yours now?«
»That's how it works. I claimed her. She's mine.«
★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒕
Poor girl suffered so much. I could really relate to her and it was heartbreaking reading about her story.
❥ 𝑾𝒆𝒔
He is heartbroken over his sisters death and does everything to make Violet miserable. He was an asshole most of the book.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This was super thrilling and I was so curious what happened the whole time.
The love story is a little tragic considering the whole situation with Chloe’s death but Wes and Violet have a deep connection. I didn‘t like the bullying because it was more of sexual assault than bullying and this is a big no go. Wes literally told his friends to sexually assault and torment violet to get his revenge and to make her life a living hell. Good for him that he comes to his right sense and started protecting Violet but still I had a hard time forgiving him.
Overall this was a thrilling and enjoyable read which goes in the direction of darkromance. Only read this book if you can stand (sexual) violence and mention of death.
»I hope you know what you've just unleashed, little flower. You're not going anywhere now.«
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 4/5
spice: 3/5
humor: 2/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
college, darkromance, ice hockey captain x library worker, bully romance, traumatic past, revenge, morally dark
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: both around 20 I think
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: chocking, praise
𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
Beautiful Desperation - Raven Wood
Sticks and Stones - S. Massery
Brutal Heir - Eden O‘Neill
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 If You Dare ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Drown In You ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Devil You Know ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
»That's how it works. I claimed her. She's mine.«
★ ★ ★ ★
❥ 𝑽𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒕
Poor girl suffered so much. I could really relate to her and it was heartbreaking reading about her story.
❥ 𝑾𝒆𝒔
He is heartbroken over his sisters death and does everything to make Violet miserable. He was an asshole most of the book.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
This was super thrilling and I was so curious what happened the whole time.
The love story is a little tragic considering the whole situation with Chloe’s death but Wes and Violet have a deep connection. I didn‘t like the bullying because it was more of sexual assault than bullying and this is a big no go. Wes literally told his friends to sexually assault and torment violet to get his revenge and to make her life a living hell. Good for him that he comes to his right sense and started protecting Violet but still I had a hard time forgiving him.
Overall this was a thrilling and enjoyable read which goes in the direction of darkromance. Only read this book if you can stand (sexual) violence and mention of death.
»I hope you know what you've just unleashed, little flower. You're not going anywhere now.«
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓
plot: 4/5
spice: 3/5
humor: 2/5
couple/tension: 5/5
world building: 5/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
college, darkromance, ice hockey captain x library worker, bully romance, traumatic past, revenge, morally dark
𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲
ages: both around 20 I think
cheating: no
sharing: no
kinks: chocking, praise
𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬
Beautiful Desperation - Raven Wood
Sticks and Stones - S. Massery
Brutal Heir - Eden O‘Neill
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 If You Dare ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Drown In You ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Devil You Know ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 29, 2023
Hockey x Bully is one of my favorite combinations.
Sometimes MMC motivations for being a bully are flimsy but this was a solid bully plot line.
The dual timeline and pov worked.
Sometimes MMC motivations for being a bully are flimsy but this was a solid bully plot line.
The dual timeline and pov worked.
February 7, 2026
¿Es un buen libro? Si soy objetiva: no. ¿Me lo he metido por el culo en casi un día? Sí.
Es como si Devils night tuviese un bebé con Off campus y tuvieran una aberración oscura, MUY cuestionable, con jugadores de hockey reventados de la cabeza (deja en pañales a los cuatro jinetes, Damon es un santo al lado de Trey)
Por supuesto que voy a seguir con el resto porque yo quiero saber cómo van a redimir a ese puto loco porque las cosas que ha hecho son imperdonables.
Es como si Devils night tuviese un bebé con Off campus y tuvieran una aberración oscura, MUY cuestionable, con jugadores de hockey reventados de la cabeza (deja en pañales a los cuatro jinetes, Damon es un santo al lado de Trey)
Por supuesto que voy a seguir con el resto porque yo quiero saber cómo van a redimir a ese puto loco porque las cosas que ha hecho son imperdonables.
May 31, 2024
Read this based off a reel that looked interesting.
TW: multiple SA scenes that are very descriptive
Could hardly stomach many of the scenes. I’ve read bully romance before, but this book took it to a whole different level.
The MMC treats girls horribly at the start of the book, and encourages and participates in disgusting treatment of girls. It’s one thing to have a degradation kink, another thing to treat the random puck bunnies in the beginning the way he and his team did.
Setting that aside, he is the ring leader and mastermind behind the ongoing psychological dumb -uckery and abuse of the FMC.
I don’t care what she did, no one deserves the ongoing torture they put the FMC through. How are we supposed to want a good outcome for him?
I have no idea when I’ll be able to read hockey romance again after this one, as I can’t get some of the locker room scenes out of my head. And NOT in a good way.
Going to go back and check if there were accurate trigger warnings in this one.
Update: TW from the book:
Wes Novak would like me to warn you that his hockey team is called the Devils for a reason. There are few lines they won’t cross for revenge. Proceed with caution. For more detailed warnings, visit www.harmonywestbooks.com. This book includes graphic content. Whether you’d like to skip over or skip to the steamy chapters in this book, you can find these scenes in Chapters 11, 13, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, and 41.
Not enough in my opinion. SA TW should be in book, not only available if I exit the book and go to a website.
TW: multiple SA scenes that are very descriptive
Could hardly stomach many of the scenes. I’ve read bully romance before, but this book took it to a whole different level.
The MMC treats girls horribly at the start of the book, and encourages and participates in disgusting treatment of girls. It’s one thing to have a degradation kink, another thing to treat the random puck bunnies in the beginning the way he and his team did.
Setting that aside, he is the ring leader and mastermind behind the ongoing psychological dumb -uckery and abuse of the FMC.
I don’t care what she did, no one deserves the ongoing torture they put the FMC through. How are we supposed to want a good outcome for him?
I have no idea when I’ll be able to read hockey romance again after this one, as I can’t get some of the locker room scenes out of my head. And NOT in a good way.
Going to go back and check if there were accurate trigger warnings in this one.
Update: TW from the book:
Wes Novak would like me to warn you that his hockey team is called the Devils for a reason. There are few lines they won’t cross for revenge. Proceed with caution. For more detailed warnings, visit www.harmonywestbooks.com. This book includes graphic content. Whether you’d like to skip over or skip to the steamy chapters in this book, you can find these scenes in Chapters 11, 13, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, and 41.
Not enough in my opinion. SA TW should be in book, not only available if I exit the book and go to a website.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2023
bully trope isn’t my thing
I saw a reel on instagram and thought I would give this a read, I enjoyed some parts of the book but I struggled reading the bully trope. I like dark romance but I feel like this was more sadistic that haunting Adeline
I saw a reel on instagram and thought I would give this a read, I enjoyed some parts of the book but I struggled reading the bully trope. I like dark romance but I feel like this was more sadistic that haunting Adeline
February 11, 2025
4.75⭐️ Omg why was this so good?? And it’s really weird how I just read the book in one day!! I’m so proud of myself bc I’m a really slow reader💗😖
January 1, 2025
Dec. 31 2024 update:
Upon reflection, downgrading this to 3.5. Initially 4 stars because I was just happy to finish a romance.
Downgrading mainly due to the fact that the heroine's issue with her new roommate was never resolved. Heroine accused new roommate of reporting her bully for harassment. Obviously, the roommate was pissed. Heroine never thought to think, the roommate is looking out for her. From the outside, everyone would be telling the heroine to run away.
I wish that there was more character development... it's kind of giving pick me vibes. It's also kind of giving the author didn't think it was important to develop this relationship more thoroughly, even though it would have added to the overall emotional landscape of the novel. The new roommate went out of her way to be kind and include the heroine in things and the heroine didn't do much to reciprocate. I honestly feel the heroine was not a girl's girl.
Also lol that for me the non-safety issue is the heroine and her new roommate’s relationship is not satisfactorily resolved or given a heart-to-heart, not the h being “shared.”
Dec. 29, 2024:
I liked it. As a dark romance reader, this is medium-gray. If you don’t like any sharing or can’t get past the hero blaming the heroine for the tragic event, you might not enjoy this.
Usually, I would roll my eyes but the depraved actions that came from the hero made the flimsy motivation bearable. Also, I sometimes had the feeling that the hero was lying to himself, although I’m not sure how much of it was explicitly said, but more of the lady doth protest too much whenever we got his POV. He was angry at her but he always sounded like he was overdoing it, trying to convince himself. And like Chloe said, too scared to fall in love.
I would have liked if the Before timeline was taken out because it added so much lightness, and I liked how dirty the hero was 😈
I really need a new dark hockey smut series so I’m going to read the next one and I hope it’s as slutty!
Upon reflection, downgrading this to 3.5. Initially 4 stars because I was just happy to finish a romance.
Downgrading mainly due to the fact that the heroine's issue with her new roommate was never resolved. Heroine accused new roommate of reporting her bully for harassment. Obviously, the roommate was pissed. Heroine never thought to think, the roommate is looking out for her. From the outside, everyone would be telling the heroine to run away.
I wish that there was more character development... it's kind of giving pick me vibes. It's also kind of giving the author didn't think it was important to develop this relationship more thoroughly, even though it would have added to the overall emotional landscape of the novel. The new roommate went out of her way to be kind and include the heroine in things and the heroine didn't do much to reciprocate. I honestly feel the heroine was not a girl's girl.
Also lol that for me the non-safety issue is the heroine and her new roommate’s relationship is not satisfactorily resolved or given a heart-to-heart, not the h being “shared.”
Dec. 29, 2024:
I liked it. As a dark romance reader, this is medium-gray. If you don’t like any sharing or can’t get past the hero blaming the heroine for the tragic event, you might not enjoy this.
Usually, I would roll my eyes but the depraved actions that came from the hero made the flimsy motivation bearable. Also, I sometimes had the feeling that the hero was lying to himself, although I’m not sure how much of it was explicitly said, but more of the lady doth protest too much whenever we got his POV. He was angry at her but he always sounded like he was overdoing it, trying to convince himself. And like Chloe said, too scared to fall in love.
I would have liked if the Before timeline was taken out because it added so much lightness, and I liked how dirty the hero was 😈
I really need a new dark hockey smut series so I’m going to read the next one and I hope it’s as slutty!
January 5, 2024
usually not something i would read but i wanted to try this. i didn’t enjoy this at all. quite disgusting and not something for me, broke my heart to read about violet tbh
September 2, 2025
If You Dare was… something. Violet’s drowning in guilt, Wes is out for blood, and apparently the entire hockey team has nothing better to do than bully one girl like it’s a varsity side hustle. The drama is cranked to 100 — sometimes fun, sometimes just exhausting.
Yeah, the chemistry between Violet and Wes has its moments, but it’s buried under so much cruelty that by the time we get to the “romance,” I was like, really? This guy? And the ending? Wrapped up way too fast, like someone hit the “okay fine, happy-ish now” button.
Yeah, the chemistry between Violet and Wes has its moments, but it’s buried under so much cruelty that by the time we get to the “romance,” I was like, really? This guy? And the ending? Wrapped up way too fast, like someone hit the “okay fine, happy-ish now” button.
February 4, 2024
One of the worst books I’ve EVER read, truly.
He orders his friends to r*pe and assault her, physically abuses her, and doesn’t have an ounce of mercy, AND to top it off gets sucked of by multiple women in this book, can it get anymore disgusting??
He doesn’t even GROVEL, there’s no ounce of grovelling in this book AT ALL. Except for the heroine being a delusional idiot who apologies constantly when SHES the one being assaulted while her friend’s death was an accident. (Spoiler alert ‼️ one of the MMC “friends” is the one who spiked the friend and heroines drink, thus leading to the friend’s death)
There wasn’t even any lead up to finding the truth or the MMC reacting to it; after his friend (which he ORDERED to assault the FMC and cut off her ponytail?!) slices her here and there with a knife he suddenly becomes “changed” and “wants to move on” are u fucking serious??
There was no revenge against the perpetrator either as far as I know, it was SO bad I had to skim through near the end because I just could not.
The heroine had NO respect or dignity for herself, not even awareness or any semi-realistic reaction‼️..
And after reading this book, I too have lost respect for myself
He orders his friends to r*pe and assault her, physically abuses her, and doesn’t have an ounce of mercy, AND to top it off gets sucked of by multiple women in this book, can it get anymore disgusting??
He doesn’t even GROVEL, there’s no ounce of grovelling in this book AT ALL. Except for the heroine being a delusional idiot who apologies constantly when SHES the one being assaulted while her friend’s death was an accident. (Spoiler alert ‼️ one of the MMC “friends” is the one who spiked the friend and heroines drink, thus leading to the friend’s death)
There wasn’t even any lead up to finding the truth or the MMC reacting to it; after his friend (which he ORDERED to assault the FMC and cut off her ponytail?!) slices her here and there with a knife he suddenly becomes “changed” and “wants to move on” are u fucking serious??
There was no revenge against the perpetrator either as far as I know, it was SO bad I had to skim through near the end because I just could not.
The heroine had NO respect or dignity for herself, not even awareness or any semi-realistic reaction‼️..
And after reading this book, I too have lost respect for myself
April 6, 2024
✋🤠 honestly i’m ashamed of reading this and wish i could take back the two hours i spent, but i need to add it to make sure i never read it again 👍
November 22, 2023
Anything by Harmony West is a MUST READ! The plot was great with twists and turns that made it such a great bully suspense romance.
Violet and her best friend, Chloe, were involved in a tragic accident that everyone blames her for. Even her own mother has stopped supporting her daughter. But worst of all the guy, Wes, she was falling for hates her the most. Who happens to be Chloe’s older brother.
This emotional roller coaster is filled with red flags and how trauma can be dealt with in very unhealthy and unorthodox ways. Check the TWs. It was dark, twisty, suspenseful, with a whole lot of built up sexual tension. I loved every page of it 😏
Violet and her best friend, Chloe, were involved in a tragic accident that everyone blames her for. Even her own mother has stopped supporting her daughter. But worst of all the guy, Wes, she was falling for hates her the most. Who happens to be Chloe’s older brother.
This emotional roller coaster is filled with red flags and how trauma can be dealt with in very unhealthy and unorthodox ways. Check the TWs. It was dark, twisty, suspenseful, with a whole lot of built up sexual tension. I loved every page of it 😏
Read
March 23, 2025DNF
Spoilers
Attempting to gang rape her with his teammates and Sexually assaulted her multiple times because he thinks his sister died because of her when in fact she drowned because one of his " boys" spiked her drink
The fmc justifying the sexual assault was worst
Spoilers
Attempting to gang rape her with his teammates and Sexually assaulted her multiple times because he thinks his sister died because of her when in fact she drowned because one of his " boys" spiked her drink
The fmc justifying the sexual assault was worst
February 16, 2025
re-read review: yeah i still grabbed my damn rose
all my bully romance / hockey lovers need to get this on your tbr right now !! if you enjoy dark, buIIy, masked men, yummy spice like primaI play, breath play, “crawl to me”, duo pov … RUN RIGHT NOW !!
THIS IS A HEAVY BULLY ROMANCE !! the mmc does some questionable stuff. literally you might hate him but fuck if he isn’t hot as fucking fuck. although i’m not always a fan of the mmc getting with other girls, the scenes in this one definitely got me sweating and panting wishing that was me 😩
check your triggers and know what you’re getting yourself into if you wish to continue reading.
my morals and self love went out the damn window i’m ngl 💀 idk. sue me.
i love harmony west and her mind. this just got me so excited for the rest of the series
🌶️🌶️🌶️
all my bully romance / hockey lovers need to get this on your tbr right now !! if you enjoy dark, buIIy, masked men, yummy spice like primaI play, breath play, “crawl to me”, duo pov … RUN RIGHT NOW !!
THIS IS A HEAVY BULLY ROMANCE !! the mmc does some questionable stuff. literally you might hate him but fuck if he isn’t hot as fucking fuck. although i’m not always a fan of the mmc getting with other girls, the scenes in this one definitely got me sweating and panting wishing that was me 😩
check your triggers and know what you’re getting yourself into if you wish to continue reading.
my morals and self love went out the damn window i’m ngl 💀 idk. sue me.
i love harmony west and her mind. this just got me so excited for the rest of the series
🌶️🌶️🌶️
June 12, 2024
I just finished this after finishing the Saint and sinner duet, and let me tell you!!! What's not to love about revenge and masked men? Stalkers? Hockey? I love it all and the way harmony wrote each character just made me fall in love with them... even if they're crazy. The spice was spicing and the kinks were to die for. I absolutely can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!! Check your triggers as always, they're a must for this book!
December 30, 2023
As someone else said : never wanted any main couple to NOT end up together so much
April 24, 2024
omfg i dont even know why i picked up this book i hate bully romance why would anybody love this kind of shit. really. u all should go to therapy.
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