I read this delightful series on the first days of the year, just what I needed to take my mind of this dreadful Covid illness!
Harlow and her mother Penelope leave their shabby house in Arizona and travel to Fox Hill, Connecticut, for a new job and new opportunity to improve their lot. Penelope is to be housekeeper at the mansion of Samuel Black, and Harlow was registered to study in an exclusive private school in the district, Linwood Academy. With the six figures salary Penelope was offered, they have high hopes of getting rid of the crippling debt they incurred in Harlow’s treatment when she had leukemia at ten years old.
The mansion was huge, the owners seemed to be kind, things were good, except for the bullying Harlow is subjected to at school, typical when a new, poor student arrives at a posh school. In spite of this, Harlow is a great student and a great worker and she has no problem in helping her mother at her work in the mansion. The son of the owners, Lincoln, is part of a claque called the Kings and they reign supreme at the school. There’s a strong attraction between Linc and Harlow but there’s also mistrust irradiating from Lincoln.
When Harlow and the kings witness a murder of a school student, the trauma brings them together. And when Harlow’s mother is arrested for the murder of the student, the story gets super dramatic, and Harlow demands that they help her clarify the murder to prove her mother’s innocence. The series covers the work Harlow and the kings do as they investigate and shows how they fall for each other.
The author did a great job in developing the character of each of the kings, including the twins Dax and Chase. Initially I thought that the love interest would be between Lincoln and Harlow, with Dax, Chase, and River as close friends, but as the story develops through the three books, we see that relations develop between Harlow and the other three. I usually have an ick reaction to reverse harems but the author did a great job in presenting a lot of tenderness and affection first before turning it into sexy times. There’s a lot of hugging and comforting and banter within the group.
The first two books end in cliffhangers and I could’t help grabbing the next book in a hurry to read what happens next. The suspense is great, there are several layers in the story, since within each of the houses of the kings there are issues, plus there’s a ton of bullying and intrigue at the academy.
Harlow’s relation with her mother is heartbreaking, as Harlow works hard to solve the murder to clear her mother. Likewise, Penelope struggles to reassure her daughter that she trusts justice will be done and she will be found innocent. There are moments you can’t help but cry because they try to envision being together in the future without a plexiglass between them. Every time Harlow visits her mother at the jail, they end with palms meeting at the clear wall, with “I love you”, truly heartbreaking. The kings are relentless in helping Harlow, even when they get in trouble with their parents for helping her.
This was a super entertaining read, a lovely love story, four boys who were perfectly portrayed, each one different, each one unique, and each one lovable. Harlow is magnificent, in her quest and her intelligence as she works for her mother’s innocence. Best way to start the year!
Purchase links
The Help: https://amzn.to/3ikhk4Z
The Lie: https://amzn.to/3GgMOku
The Risk: https://amzn.to/3jY6zWl
About the author
Callie Rose is a bestselling author who loves to write books that will grab you by the feels and not let go till the very last page. She loves twisty plots, tortured bad boys, strong FMCs, and redemption stories where that shit is *earned*.
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She promises not to bite (or spam you)!
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