Heartbreak Kings

by Sedona Venez

Being a trailblazer was never my intention. Unable to afford college, I was thrilled at the offer of a full-ride scholarship. But accepting it made me the first female student on an all-male campus. I thought I was tough. That I could handle it with ease. Then I found myself faced with hateful emails, malicious plots, and dirt-digging journalists. No one is happy I’m here. None more so than the five inner circle members of the Alpha Omega Fraternity. They call themselves the Gentlemen’s Club, yet there’s nothing chivalrous about their behavior. I know their goal is to break me. Still, as annoyed as I am by their antics, I feel drawn to the challenge. They’re dripping with cocky charisma and think they can force me out through manipulation. But I earned my place here and I’m ready to prove I’m not going anywhere. Heartbreak Kings is a full-length new adult/college age dark romance with enemies to lovers/hate to love themes. This is a reverse harem novel, meaning the leading lady has several love interests and she doesn't have to choose between them for her happily ever after. If this isn't your cup of tea, then this book isn’t for you. ♥

366 pages, Paperback

Published January 14, 2021

About the author

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Sedona Venez lives in New York City with her hot ex-military hubby--hooah--and their fur babies. She loves writing sizzling, sexy intricate stories about strong but broken characters who push limits, overcome their fears and risk it all for love.

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Reviews

[ame]

Just some factoids for the author... Eidetic memory is not real; please look it up. All German nouns are capitalized (always; so no, it's not schwein, it's Schwein). A rich kid from Berlin is as ridiculous as a dog that meows. Hamburg, I'd have bought, but Berlin? I snorted.
At best, these ridiculous and confidently ignorant tidbits break immersion.
Every single POV sounds the same, and the characters are indistinguishable. And boring. Oh dear God, they're so boring.

In the case of this 'book', all I can say in conclusion —and regarding EVERYTHING it contains — is: please do not write what you don't know.

[Elaine Edwards]

This not an IR book

I’m sick and tired of authors using front covers as clickbait when it has nothing to do with the storyline or the characters in the book. Other than the front cover Sabine could have been any ethnicity. In fact she was less likely to be African-American because not once throughout the book was her ethnicity mentioned, even the guys who hated her being there didn’t mention her colour in a positive or derogatory way which makes no sense in this day and age with BLM movements and interracial relationships. So if you’re looking for an IR book avoid this

[Michelle]

Didn't feel satisfied after reading this. I didn't care for the men and maybe that's why.

[Gella]

Easy read

Easy read , good storyline however ending very rushed. Would liked to have seen how the relationship between Sabine and the 5 Gentleman really worked out, the trial outcome and mum's views of the relationship her daughter was having

[Rebecca Brown]

Love the fml and her boys

I enjoyed the fml and how strong she was and fought for everything she earned. No matter what was thrown at her she stayed strong.

[Manly Manster]

It's a college campus where guys don't want the only female student to be there. They are protesting her arrival. Unfortunately, this girl has come to the college not just for education, but also for dating. So as a straight woman, she will definitely need males...

Apparently the title of this book is from the plan the fraternity males make to get the girl to leave the school. They all plan to seduce her and then dump her so that she leaves from heartbreak.

The most popular fraternity male is so sexy and Alpha that the girl finds herself atttacted, even though she knows the guys at the school can't be trusted.

The situation changes as the guys display rare ways of male thinking...

Apparently, the guys are all extremely compassionate and caring guys who want to put a woman's needs first. They all would like to date her and don't mind sharing her with each other, but only if she would enjoy that.

There are just 5 main guys who want to have the shared group relationship with her, not the whole fraternity....

The question of power dynamics in shared partner relationships needs to be discussed now. The guys suggest they will be taming her and taking charge of her actions and behavior, instead of being 5 guys who are dominated and made to please 1 woman.

The power differences here parallel real world #metoo struggles and issues of women's subjugation to men in general. It's just that here, the guys are overly desiring to please the woman in a way that would probably not exist outside of a book.

I give it less than 3 stars, maybe as high as 2.9 stars.

The reverse harem part of the book was good, mainly concerning the differences in the personalities and lovemaking styles of the 5 boyfriends. Unfortunately, that was not as important a part of the book as I wanted it to be.

The last boyfriend's intimate time with the girl, for example, was cut short to wrap up the protest conflict storyline.

The book was well thought out and the author clearly put time into creating her story. But, I did want to see more interaction between the girl and the 5th boyfriend who she thought was more of a jerk. What their sex would have been like is an issue that needed to be resolved within the text of the book.

The author did a very good job of creating a situation about a girl who was a virgin until she meets 5 hot guys. But because she did such a good job, I guess I need a sequel. One that focuses on the sex, and the social taboo of the relationship. This book was really more about the situation in the college with the protesting and how she was introduced to the guys. More follow up sex is needed to flesh out the story...

Perhaps the main protester could have been eliminated from the story way sooner. That would have left more time for the girl and the guys' bodies to jell together.

[Ann Mihailovic]

Heartbreak Kings by Sedona Venez is the first book that I've read by this author and I must say, I'm glad I took the chance. This is a reverse harem / college romance story with drama, bullying and some steamy scenes.
In this story, Sabine in a young girl who along with her mother, have struggled to get by since the death of her father. With college being so expensive, she accepts a fully funded scholarship at a prestigious school. The catch? It's an elite male-only college. The administration decided Sabine would be the first female student on campus, in their attempt to make the school co-ed. With this comes a lot of backlash from the male students. Threats and internet trolling was already well underway before she started college, but once she gets there, things get worse. Sabine isn't the type of girl to cower or quit. She gives it right back anytime someone confronts her and records every interaction, later posting it on her blog. But what happens when she gets the attention of The Gentlemen's Club? Five rich and powerful guys who happen to run the frat Alpha Omega.
Blake, Marcus, Nathaniel, Daniel and Jude are like brothers. They take their schooling and frat seriously. When some of the members in the frat demand they do something to get rid of the girl, their plans to make Sabine leave on her own accord don't go too smoothly. Instead, one by one, as they get to know her, they start falling for her. Eventually, their plans to get rid of her ends up being a plan to protect her and keep her safe. Especially when some members of the frat go rogue and try to hurt and bully Sabine physically.
Sabine has never had a boyfriend, let alone five. So what happens. Will she choose one guy over the other or will she choose all five? Will she stay at the college or will she leave?
This was a great story by Sedona Venez that had me feeling for what the heroine was going through. But I was glad that she had someone (s) to step up and help her through her difficult times.

[Sheila]

5 STARS for Heartbreak Kings by Sedona Venez

ARC received from Booksprout and author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way.

There is so much to like about this book that I just wanted more :

Great cover and book blurb certainly interesting enough to want to one click
Enemies to lovers
Amazing characters
Strong fearless heroine
Interesting plot twists and storyline
Implied HEA

As far as characters go I absolutely loved Sabine and her (5) Heartbreakers !! Sabine is the first woman allowed on full scholarship into Markinswell University ( a not quite Ivy League school on Long Island ) She meets plenty of opposition in the form of angry emails , face to face interaction / intimidation and threats - with most of them coming from Mikey Carmody and his juvenile followers.

The Gentleman are the 5 guys on campus that after a rough first start with Sabine step up as her protectors:
Blake - intense and controlled
Daniel - athletic with sheer power
Nathanial - so not the nerdy one and an intellectual “match” for Sabine
Marcus - tender and patient
Jude - a few years younger than the others but fun , flirty and kind

The only thing I was left with was wanting more of this story !!!

Great book highly recommend Heartbreak Kings as well as the author !

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Maura]

3.5 Stars

HEARTBREAK KINGS: An enemies to lovers reverse harem romance is book 4 in the "Shameless Desires Series" and is the first book I've read in this series. It is an absolute stand-alone and it, honestly, didn't fell like there were any threads from previous stories.

The story is told in first person from multiple POVs and while it is categorized as a Reverse Harem (As defined by Dictionary (dot) com: A genre...where a single (often ordinary) girl is liked and followed by a bunch of handsome men (3 or more) who are all madly in love with her. The girl often cannot pick which guy she should go out with and remains indecisive. The male version of this is harem.) this book was more of a bully NA story than even a romance.

There is a long build up and honestly I thought it was either going to end on a cliffhanger or it was going to be a HFN and continue into the next book. As I closed the book, I was left with thoughts that things weren't quite finished. The ending felt very rushed and I wish the book was just a little bit longer so we (the reader) could have a better understanding of all of the intertwining threads.

All in all an ok read for a snowy Sunday afternoon.

[Aimee]

This is a RH story. If that isn't your jam, give this one a pass.

I really liked Sabine. I thought she was crafted well and she's portrayed as a strong independent woman. I did not particularly like the male characters. There was a bit of waffling and it seemed as if they evolved a bit too much on the fly. They also seem to have crumbled under very little pressure. They kept saying they had morals but then kept saying and doing things that made me question if they even knew what that word meant.

The plot is decent and I haven't ever seen its like before. I appreciate the originality (or at least it was to me). It does lean hard on feminist values and as a social commentary it was very good. There were def some bad social norms and problems that were effectively highlighted.

The pace of this book also felt a bit off to me. In only a few days Sabine goes from disliking the "gentlemen" to falling in to bed with them.

Overall I think that this was a decent story that could use a round of edits.

I believe that the author has potential and I will give her work another try.

Happy Reading!

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon]

3 Cranky Stars


Being the first at anything is always scary and exciting and comes with pros and cons. Sabine is the first female to attend an all boys college. Some think nothing of it and some think she really doesn’t belong there. Bullies are constantly trying to scare into leaving but she is not budging. Sabine records and blogs everything that they do which the administration doesn’t like.


This is your typical push them out any way possible story that then ends up with the ones trying to get rid of the person falling for them and then everything else happens. You had your one person that stuck by and wanted her out throughout the whole story, Carmody. He was psycho. But the book kindly made Sabine sleep with all the other guys and she really did seem like a whore. Sad truth is it’s honestly part of reality for some. I’m more of an old fashioned person. The book was okay but it could have been better.

[Melanie]

I enjoyed reading the book. My favorite character was Sabine. I was impressed by the way she stands up to the misogynist idiots. She is independent, strong-willed and quick-witted. I just loved it!
In chapter 8, where Sabine verbally takes apart each of the so-called 'gentlemen' - that was effing glorious! Really well written!
The steamy love scenes were also really well written.
I can recommend the book!
Here is the reason why I didn't give it five stars: The stand-alone novel tells from all 6 perspectives (Sabine + 5 gentlemen). That was too much for me personally. I found that the development of the relationship between Sabine and the 5 boys on only 230 pages suffered a bit. I would have liked a series of 3 (or so) books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly Gregory]

A really great read! It was quick paced, lots of action and some smoking hot sex scenes!
The main thing I liked was the strong heroine, she was not only tough but really intelligent, i just loved how she stood up for herself at the dinner with the gentlemen, leaving them speechless!
With regards the gentlemen themselves, I liked how different they all were and how protective they became of Sabine by the end of the story, although I have to admit they did come across stuck up at times, especially Marcus with his briefcase, I just found it hard to picture him at times. My only other disappointment was that there was no sex scene with Jude....why?

Overall though this was a great RH romance that had me hooked right to the last page!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Naurarwen]

First of all, this was a really good book and I absolutely adored Sabine, she has been offered a full scholarship at an all male campus. She knows she's going to face some opposition from the men around her, but she isn't there to step on any toes, she just wants to complete her course and leave with a qualification but not everyone wants her there.

You really get a feel for Sabine from the get-go, in fact, in the very first chapter where she sticks up for herself against one group that doesn't want her there. She's cautious, and rightly so but a certain Alpha Omega Fraternity's leaders catch her eye.

There is definitely a lot going on in this story, especially considering it seems to be a standalone and is also quite short. But somehow the author managed to fit it all in. The boys are hot, and the scenes between Sabine and the men are in a lot of cases, off the charts.

[Mylene Williams]

Sabine, Blake, Marcus, Nathaniel, Jude and Daniel embark on a unconventional relationship borne from fascination on the part of the men and fear and curiosity from Sabine. This relationship has been started by the guys in a bid to get Sabine to leave their prestigious university of her own free will. But Sabine is made of stronger stuff and the guys-Gentlemen, are about find out. Will the Gentlemen hurt Sabine so badly that she will leave in shame or Will she stand her ground and it will be the gentlemen who lose their hearts to her one by one? Who is really in control here? Very good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mulan Book Princess]

I rate this book 4.5 stars.

This was such an entertaining story! There is so much conflict and action that occurs throughout the novel that you aren't sure who has what agenda. I love Sabine as she is so strong and motivated to succeed, and not willing to let the boys drive her out. And those alpha guys are so sexy but so different - I wasn't sure if I liked them in the beginning but they got better as the book progresses and shows us that they are not the total jerks I thought them to be. This story was steamy hot, intriguing and enjoyable to read.

I received a free advanced review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my fair and honest opinion.

[Caroline]

A great storyline and entertaining book to read. Some steamy bits but a lot of chemistry.

I loved the main character and her efforts to attend college, the only college she can afford, the only college she received a full scholarship to. This college is an all male campus and most of the students aren't accepting the change, many holding Sabine responsible, going as far as threatening her life.

Five strong men become her protectors. Although they don't agree with the schools change of pathway, they recognise Sabine as being caught in the middle. But it isn't all about school policy, all five want more from Sabine.

[Tammy]

Unable to avoid college Sabine is happy when she receives a full-ride scholarship as the first female student at an all-male school. Unfortunately, not many others are happy for her including the Alpha Omega Fraternity also known as the Gentlemen’s Club. They plan to break her but she is tough and soon sparks are flying between them. Can she show them that she belongs as much as they do? Fast-paced reverse harem read with loads of drama, suspense and steam. Great characters, intense chemistry and an entertaining story. I liked it.

[S I]

This is a fast read on a sweet afternoon. My first for this author and I like it. It was fast and she had a strong minded women taking on a university off all men that were bullies to her. Sabine will show them and face them but Mikey, Blake , Daniel, Nathanial, Marcus and Jude will change their tunes in no time.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andrea]

Overall this was a good read. For a RH it was a good storyline with strong characters. It was short for the amount of characters, but it still read well. I enjoyed the interactions and the story flowed. I wish it could have been a bit longer, but I still recommend!

[Darnell MR Hart]

Sabine is a woman willing do anything to get her education. She is able to stand her ground fight prejudice with grace. The Gentleman are a unique blend of what all good book boyfriends should be with a small dash of jerk.  You will cheer at the twist that happen in this book.  

[Read.Review.Repeat Blog]

Overall this was a good read. For a RH it was a good storyline with strong characters. It was short for the amount of characters, but it still read well. I enjoyed the interactions and the story flowed. I wish it could have been a bit longer, but I still recommend!

[Con Fran]

This was a pretty good read. The storyline had some action, suspense and drama, and the main male characters showed confidence and integrity after a certain point. The female lead was also confident and intelligent, but innocent in other areas. Overall, the story was entertaining.

[Heather]

Good book! Loved the strong female lead. Mikey is super crazy. One piece was missing though. Hoping there is a second book that gives us that missing piece.

[Nate]

Wow! I loved this book. I couldn't get enough of it. It put me through an emotional roller coaster. I received a free copy of the book. And am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.