Vicious

Reviewed by Sharon Thérèse Don’t you love that feeling of excitement you get when you read the first paragraph in the first chapter and know that book you’ve started is going to make you put your life on hold? Ms Shen’s story did just that to me and at a drop of a hat. Never was the male protagonist’s nick name taken in vain as he most certainly lived up to this adjective’s definition. Re: the title. Although I skipped no words, what I didn’t do was highlight any passages or jot down notes. By doing so would have essentially slowed my reading pace down which wasn’t an option. By being overly toyed with the plot, I was given no choice but to reread the whole book which I can assure you, was effortless! The author left me spent and guess what… I wanted more! So be warned; Shen’s story isn’t merely reading her written words. The depth of them is nothing less than absorbing. The force of the storyline is as such that delving deeply into the thoughts of two diversely different characters’ backgrounds and personalities results in a very challenging and an emotional read. The time-frame construed made my morbid curiosity yearn for the next move like a bee to a honeypot and was perfect. In this case, the word perfect is an understatement. Baron Spencer has reasons for not wanting to use his given name. He also has reasons for being callous and downright ruthless. Figuratively speaking, he provoked my thoughts to such an extent that I could have given him a taste of his own medicine. I felt quite ashamed of myself for loving him regardless of his outrageous behaviour towards Emilia LeBlanc. She just so happened to be in the firing line, and I had no doubt that if it wasn’t her, it would have been someone else. But she was the perfect target in the wrong place at the right time. Vicious’ quest for vengeance is a complicated one and would normally be the recipe for disaster for someone as young as him. I was astounded that nothing ruffled his feathers, that he’s in no rush… at all. The timeline is very relevant though. He doesn’t even need to put manipulating skills to the test. He’s a born natural! He’d learnt at an early age the hard way and the situations he plays on are always to his advantage. Nevertheless, Vicious still got under my skin, and still annoyed and bewildered the pants off me! “I smell a challenge. You know I’m always a little silly for a challenge…” Now then, the author went to town on her characters’ development in such a way that for me, it was obvious from the start that she wanted to shock the reader. There’s no lovey-dovey relationships with any of Vicious’ tight-knit group of friends, either. They know what to expect and stick together… until one of them steps into his territory and upsets well-laid plans depending on how one looks at it. And that folks, is when the merde hits the fan! Yet bent truths have a way of showing their ugly heads sooner or later. “What’s your problem with me, huh? What have I ever done to deserve this?” Only Vicious has the audacity to give the noun ‘help’ in parenthesis to a gal who never deserved his ire. Maybe said noun will change into the verb. Wait and see future readers! Emilia is not only adorable, naïve and a talented, but also a fighter. Neither her dress sense nor social status worries her. I had her back throughout what was to become a game of deception she had no idea she was participating in. She’s a pawn in a catastrophic secret which was beyond her. If you’re like me and can’t wait for the outcome, get ready ‘cause it’s harsh and will help you to put Vicious’ story is into perspective! “How about you keep your side of the deal, Ms LeBlanc?” “I will. Eventually. Patience is a virtue.” Her foremost concern is for her sister whose handicap is one of the bi-roots of this story. However, certain circumstances put me in panic mode because I had no idea how either of them were going to come out this nightmare unscathed. There wasn’t one moment I sat back and breathed deeply. I was on tenterhooks; on their team cheering them on. “I don't know what you've got planned for her, but if it's vicious like you, I'm not going to let you get away with it.” None of the most important characters swayed their ideals in a fast-flowing but complex story. Some of them grew up side by side, were successful in their joint professions and their joint goals in life. Others weren’t so fortunate. Their ups and downs are at all times, easy to relate to. Except of course, Vicious! But the simple fact that they don’t adhere to his convoluted ways of thinking or his actions was for me, chapeau. His persona is unbendable, he is invincible, he is outstanding! “I'm going to regret this” “Probably.” “But it'll be worth it.” Summing up this read is not as easy-peasy as I thought it would be. I hope I haven’t let on because the last thing I would do is inadvertently spoil this read for you. Please take note that I haven’t mentioned the bedroom scenes in this review. I’d like to say more. I won’t! What I can say is the magnetism between Emilia and Vicious is Off. The. Charts, their dialogue—incredible. There was not a single thing I disliked about this book and it’s fast become one of my fave reads this year. I couldn’t have wished to have had a better initiation into Ms Shen’s storytelling, too. The editing and proofreading which I give a lot of importance to was faultless. Bravo ma’am! “Am I an idiot for sitting here with you?” “You’re a lot of things. And idiot has never been one of them.” “Then what am I?” You’re … complicated…”

He was the storm to my cherry blossoms LJ Shen is a fantastic author and she is obviously becoming one of those where I will read everything she puts out. Vicious is one of those characters you just cannot ignore. He is a douche at times which of course is the premises of the story but he also has a good streak deep down. Emelia is just like all of us. Attracted to the Mr. Wrong who she wants to make Mr. Right so bad. But honestly, these men don’t change so easily. Her attraction to Vicious is bound to leave a wreckage. I really liked how the book started off with the present. I think these kinds of stories where the past plays an important role but we also need to know where it takes the character in the present, can be tricky. Simply because sometimes the past can get annoying and you really want to know what these characters are up to now. Miss Shen did a really good job of focusing on the present and giving us bits of the past which were crucial to knowing more about their relationship. The thing which I loved the most was the banter. Emilia really knows how to give sass back when it’s received which pulls Vicious in even more. Like who would dare talk to him like that? But Emelia doesn’t care about things like money and status. So she doesn’t care about pleasing Vicious and licking his ass like everyone else does. Their dialogue made me smile and the comebacks were hilarious. It is not often where I care about reading the stories of other characters but I know I will definitely be coming back to this series to read about the other Hot Holes (Vicious’s friends). Especially Dean, he definitely has me intrigued with the whole Bradley Cooper look.

Enemies to more books are some of my favourites , because the hero and heroine are so set against each other, watching them fall in love is so much sweeter. They say there is a very thin line between love and hate, and this could not be truer for Emilia Le Blanc and Vicious Spencer. Vicious and Emilia have known each other since they were 18, when Millie’s parents started working on the Spencer estate. Vicious takes an instant disliking to Millie, who has no idea why, and from there, bullying and other awful events take place, leading to Millie being driven out of their town, Todos Santos, after graduation. When they meet again ten years later, Vicious is the same merciless man, and the minute Emilia Le Blanc reappears in his life, he knows he can use her to his advantage to get the revenge he so desperately wants. Vicious Spencer is the world’s biggest a$$hole. He is ruthless and cruel, he lives up to his nickname time and time again, and he is the most outwardly awful member of the Four HotHoles. Vic is everything men want to be, gorgeous, rich, powerful and a player. But he has deep rooted issues, which mean he treats everyone except his three closes friends as temporary and never makes meaningful connections, even though it’s clear he is capable of love through his friendship with the boys, he’s just picky over who’s worthy of it. He has secrets and a past and has spent years planning revenge on those who did him wrong. He is vindictive and callous, hiding his pain behind an angry façade so when Emilia turns up at his door, she immediately has a target on her back, because she is so good. Emilia is sweet and light, both at 18 and ten years later, when she is living in New York caring for her younger sister Rosie, who has cystic fibrosis. She is the only person in the world who is immune to Vicious and his cruel ways, she stands up to him and gives it back. ‘Her indifference to my power somewhat disarmed me’ is the perfect quote to describe how Emilia is around Vic. She is also the good that he most desperately wants but doesn’t think he is deserving of. Her refusal to compromise is outstanding and she challenges Vicious every step of the way. Sometimes it’s hard to see the love between them, but the more you read, you see that their relationship is blurred, just like the line between love and hate. His awful actions as a teenager and also ten years later are barely forgivable, but when he reveals his truth to Millie, you can begin to understand the man behind the monster and fall in love with him too. Vicious’ character evolves rapidly throughout this book as he lets down the wall to Millie and I loved him. He shouldn’t be likable, but he is, especially as he spends more time with Millie, not just for his need for revenge. He feels so guilty about what he did to her in the past, he knows he was wrong, and that’s why he was so different to other bully’s in romance novels, he feels remorse. He always loved her, he just didn’t want anyone else to have her until he was ready. Their attraction is strong, and their coupling is inevitable. The other FHH, Trent, Jamie, and Dean, are very similar to Vicious in terms of how they live their lives, but I know that they too have reasons for behaving the way they do. These men don’t act like a$$holes for the sake of it, they have reasons which they keep buried, not even revealing them to each other. I loved revisiting Jaime and Mel and seeing the start Trent and Dean’s story’s play out has me hooked again. None of these men are finding their HEAs through the conventional way and that’s what makes their stories even more memorable and intriguing. Vicious is told in dual-pov which is needed for this type of book to truly understand how the mind of Vicious Spencer works, it’s the perfect dark enemies to more read. An alpha possessive hero who you want to hate but can’t help but love (I don’t know how LJ does that, so many books with similar H I just dislike them). A heroine who will fight for herself and stand up to others but is so open and accepting with the man she loves. Scenes which will make you swoon, but also make you blush and light the pages of the book on fire. A plot which grips you from start to finish and twists you can’t see coming, the ending was perfect and showed how much he had changed, because you will learn the Vicious never does something he doesn’t want to do. I am re-reading this series for a second time and I actually forgot how much I loved Vicious Spencer.

Well I’m still flabbergasted at this book. I’m not a fan of going back and forward in time but didn’t mind it in this book. It starts at school and in a rich man’s mansion with a neglected kid who earns the name vicious. He has 3 friends who seem as much of a screwup as him. Enter emmeline who is their opposite and is treated badly by them, I nearly gave up at this point. Glad I persevered as the story unfolds and secrets come to light, but also emm and vicious’s relationship develops and changes occur. Anyway good if somewhat malicious read that I enjoyed.

OH MY GOD! I’ve found a new favourite author! I could NOT put this book down. “His eyes were dead, but his lips were red, full, and very much alive. This guy is going to break my heart if I let him.” When Emilia LeBlanc arrives in Todos Santos with her parents, who’ve taken up the posts of live-in servants to the rich Spencer family, her first meeting with Baron AKA Vicious Spencer is memorable but terrible. Lauded, courted, and rich, he is Vicious by name and vicious by nature – it’s hate at first sight for him. Completely bewildered by his animosity, Emilia lives her senior year out by being ostracised by her peers, as Vicious makes her life miserable. She hates him equally but also can’t help her attraction to him. When she starts to date one of his best friends, it stirs up uncomfortable and unwanted feelings, and causes a rift in Vicious’ close circle until, finally, Emilia leaves to start a new life on the other side of the country. Fast forward ten years. Emilia is a struggling artist in New York, working two jobs and trying to make ends meets, whilst supporting her sickly younger sister. She’s having a particularly bad day, and her financial circumstances have become really dire, when an unwelcome face from the past turns up in the bar where she works. “She was perfect. Perfect for my plans and perfect to pass the time with until they materialized…She was mine again the minute I saw her in her next-to-nothing outfit. She just didn’t know it yet.” The years have been good to Vicious. He couldn’t be more opposite to Emilia. He makes her an offer she absolutely cannot refuse even though it sounds too good to be true. And, she’s right, he does need something from her. “Vicious wasn’t only in my life without permission. He was in my veins.” The more time they spend together, they start to see beyond their mutual animosity. Their old attraction is back in full force and Vicious is determined to have her, to get her out of his system once and for all. Emilia finds her resolve cracking. He’s going back to LA soon, so, why not indulge in a fling? THIS BOOK!! Seriously! It was compelling and electric. So addictive! Vicious is complex, troubled and secretive as a teenager. He goes through the motions. He’s rude, arrogant, and intrinsically a loner. His three close friends keep him in the eye of social popularity. As an adult, he’s polished and successful but still rude and self-serving. He’s on a personal mission. He hated Emilia for so many reasons but she was also his obsession. His turmoil of emotions tortured him and he was completely possessive of her. He had rules that he followed, where women were concerned, but he found himself breaking them for her – without regrets. Innately good, honest, and independent, Emilia is a really strong heroine who only bends to her circumstances when there is no alternative. She’s sassy and defiant, and doesn’t really care what other people think of her, which only turns Vicious on more, since he’s usually surrounded by sycophants. He secretly admires and respects her for being true to herself. “You’re obsessed with this girl. You’re in love with this girl, always have been, ever since you realized she’s not afraid or impressed by your bs.” In spite of their animosity, their connection is undeniable. When they’re together, even as teens, everything fades into the background. There’s a heap of sexual tension between them, that stretches out until Vicious is half-mad with his desire for her. I loved how Emilia handles him – teasing and pushing him beyond his comfort zone. This novel was as much about Vicious’ personal journey, as his dark secrets are revealed, as well as about their journey to each other. Amazing, unputdownable read! #TopRead2017.

Vicious (Baron) Spencer chased Emilia LeBlanc from California, from her friends, from her family and from her home. Ten years later, he needs help. And she is the only one that can help him. They strike up a deal, one that will benefit them both. But with so much history and buried feelings between them, it was only a matter of time before they finally gave in. The cold and vicious man finds himself becoming soft and falling in love with the one person he has loved since he was a teenager. ---- I love this story. Vicious is the alpha hero like we are used to in all LJ Shen's books. He is not a nice guy, he was a spoiled teenager who threw a tantrum and banished Emilia from her home. Emilia is the complete opposite. She is kind, warm and loving. But she has always had feelings for Vicious she couldn't understand. She should hate him for what he did to her, but she doesn't. Their love story was emotional, raw, dramatic. But I loved every minute of it. LJ Shen wrote a very interesting match with these two. And I recommend this anyone who loves a enemies to lovers story with high angst and perfectly written love scenes. 4 stars.

I read a lot of different genres; Crime, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, PNR, Straight romance, Romantic Suspense, Erotica, Fantasy, well, you get the picture. Most of my inability to settle on one comes from my low boredom threshold. And it’s when I sit down to books like Vicious, that I’m grateful for that easy tedium. I saw Vicious recommended on Wopsywoobookblog (Great name, right!) and the review she wrote made Vicious sound right up my street. It was. Ten years ago, Baron Spencer Jr, aka Vicious, ruined Emilia’s senior year in high school. He bullied her, tortured her, threatened her, but it’s when she started dating one of his closest friends, that Vicious truly lived up to his name. He threatened her parents and her sister, Rosie, (who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis) would be homeless and jobless unless she took his $20 grand and disappeared. For good. Ten years later, Emilia is living in New York with her sister. Broke and in debt with a desperate need to keep her sister in medication, Emilia is working two jobs trying to make ends meet. Her day can’t get any worse when she is fired from one job and mugged en route to her second, a waitress in a bar frequented by New York high rollers. Except it does. Putting her best smile on because she needs the tips, she is horrified when the table she is serving just happens to have Vicious sitting at it. Ten years may have passed, but Vicious still owns her ass. And he has aged well. Very well. In fact, all those earlier feelings she repressed back in high school come roaring back. But Vicious didn’t get his nickname for nothing, and the years haven’t softened him at all. In fact, he’s even more cruel, more dangerous, more vile. But he needs something from Emilia. Something only she can provide. And he’ll do anything to get it. I should have hated this book. Vicious appeared to have no redeeming features. We all like a bad boy, but there has to be a reason for him to be a bad boy, and yet Vicious seemed to like being evil, for the sake of being evil. Of course, life is never that simple, and we get some way in to the book before Vicious’s motivation and reasoning for his behaviour starts to become clear. And by then, I was hooked. No strike that, I was in love. There’s nothing new to the plot here; bad boy, good girl. It’s formulaic. But don’t let that put you off. Some of Vicious’s one liners had me laughing out loud, even though I was simultaneously cringing and feeling strong empathy for the poor soul on the receiving end. Sometimes, you just need to read a book that’s easy, that doesn’t require you to concentrate hard, that’s a wild ride – and has your emotions all over the place. Look no further. Five massively brilliant stars

Oh my goodness let me count the ways I absolutely loved this book! First let me apologise if a babble through this review because I read this book in hours and I am still incredibly book hungover! - enemies to lovers - Bully - Second chances - Good girl/ bad boy - 1st book in series (different couples) Our two leads are Emilia LeBlanc and Baron ‘Vicious’ Spencer and holy Jesus and his crew, it is viciously explosive!! They haven’t seen each other in 10 years, their hated for each other is still just as strong but we all know what they say about love and hate 😏 Vicious is as the name intended, he is the bad boy rich kid who turns has turned into a richer, badder ALL man! He hated Emilia from the moment his eyes met hers, he was obsessed with her and he definitely didn’t want anyone else to have her. So much so that he runs her out of her home, out of town and as far away from him as he can. He is troubled, broken, tortured by his past, a past he believes Emilia knows more about than she should and he hates it. He isn’t weak and will not let anyone think he is. 10 years after he scars her away he is in her part of the world, fate throws them back into each others paths. She has nothing, he has everything, he still hates that he wants her. So he decides to use her. Will he push her away for good this time? Will be let the past stay where it is or will he destroy them both? I have never hated that I loved someone so much as I did Vicious. He made me laugh, scream at my kindle, want to shake him, cuddle and climb inside him all at the same time!! Emilia is sweet, caring, hard working, determined and feisty as hell! I loved her, I loved her strength, her relationship with her sister and how she refuses to take Vicious crap. She leaves for the sake of her family, she isn’t scared of him, she’s scared of how much she still wants him and she can’t fight it. Now he’s back in her life still demanding things that she doesn’t want to do but she knows she will- her sister needs things that she can provide for with the only job she has left. He was her bully, her obsession, her muse and her enemy but she wants him. She always has and fears she always will. Has Vicious met his match in Emilia? Can she forgive him? Or will she end up running away? This book literally has everything and made me feel everything!! Lies, secrets, love, family drama, darkness, hotness and oh so emotional. I could go on and on! I could have quoted the whole damn book! A reread is definitely in its future! I need more!! I really hope we get to see these two within the rest of the series, I am now the one that is obsessed. Highly recommend and I can’t wait to read more.

Fue mi primer libro de LJ y caí enamorada jaja. Todos los libros de ella son bastante buenos y los he leído todos, y me gustan todos solo que siempre regreso con Vicious. Léanlo, si te gusta el género no te vas arrepentir.

This book is the second book from The FourHotHoles series. Reading Defy (Jaimes story) first is not necessary, Vicious can be read as standalone. Okay first.... yes, yes yes i love the book, I recommend the book, I want to read more from FHH and more from Leigh Shen. 5 Stars for my happy first read in 2017. Story: Vicious is one of the FHH Jaime, Vicious, Trent and Dean, four boys once ruled their highschool in Todos Santos and now founders and owners of FiscalHeightsHolding with branches in LA, NY, Chicago and London. Emilia is an young artist in New York, who tries to make meets end, supports her sister and left her parents 10 years ago. Her Parents who work for Vicious family. Emilia and Vicious went to the same highschool during senior year. And Vicious was just that: vicious, rude and mean to Emilia. Now, 10 years later, they come face to face again. And there are some things Vicious wants Emilias help for. So he makes an offer she can't resist. But Vicious once manipulated Emilias life and bent it to the extreme, now he could break her. "I was her black and she was my pink." Vicious is someone you know you should resent for his behavior but i wanted to find something to like him. And i did. Inbetween i was angry about his behavior, shocked about what he did and sad about what he thought. But that was just inbetween i fell in love with him for Emilia. And i love Emilia. She is soft but strong, young but sure of herself and what she wants and deserves. She is a talented artist, an awesome sister and daughter who gives everything for the people she cares about. "He was in my veins. But I'd managed to crawl under his skin." When Emilia and Vicious met back in highschool and meet again one night in New York, there isn't just some chemistry there is something explosive like firework. They are fierce in hating each other but it's really clear all their actions revolving around their feeling for each other. It's relationship kind of "When love and hate collides" or "sometimes the line between love and hate is such a small one, that you can't clearly recognize the truth". There is so much in that book i love and would love to write about but i don't want to spoil too much. Vicious is a great read, not just made of feelings and actions like cherryblossoms and soft pink colors but also of black stormclouds and cold stone. But it is a story about two people who got lost and on the wrong path in life but always were meant to find their (sometimes dark and dirty) way. And they find each other. Because there is a HEA. Until now...

I loved this book, honestly, it has the perfect amount of all the right things for me. I loved discovering L.J. Shen's work through this book, you are hooked from page one and around 10% into this book you are already madly invested in this couple and this universe. Millie and Vicious are soulmates and you can't deny that (not even at the beginning of the book). You may even wish that life had been easy for them, but they end up where they were supposed to be, next to each other. vicious is morally gray, a walking red flag and you still wish this man well because you know the broken boy inside him deserves it. Millie is a fierce woman who inspires you with her strength and her beautiful heart. You can't help but love and wish you were her friend. All in all, it was an amazing read that I highly recommend!

I HAD to read this book because I kept on seeing it on the TOP100 of Amazon's Best Sellers, and two, because the blurb intrigued me. Guess what, I am so happy I cave in and sat down to read it. It's the first of the Sinners of Saint series by author L.J. Shen, a new author to stalk, if you ask me. :P hehe. Emilia was a relatable character with a high sense of morality. She always tried to behave well, supported her family, her sister, and tried to stood up for herself even when Vicious acted like a jerk towards her. She didn't take his outbursts like a submissive person would, and I loved how she treated him in good and bad times. She was believable as a character and I loved how she handled some things, especially how she handled Vicious. He, was Emilia's opposite. Selfish and proud, he always wants to win every argument and never put his feelings on display because of his past. What happened before Emilia and her family move to his mansion is what probably made him this way, and to resolve his issues the author took her time, and it was a credible journey. He was so broken and raw and true at the same time, you hated to love him. He was never flat, and always enjoyable to read because you never knew what his next move would be. Emilia and Vicious completed each other perfectly. She was innocent and valued morality a lot, while he was reckless and didn't care about rules, he acted like a whiny child and did whatever he wanted until Emilia makes him realize that is not like that he is going to achieve something. In his work environment it could be okay to be like that, but at some point he needed to face his demons and move on - only then he would feel truly satisfied. Emilia's and Vic's dialogue was super funny and angsty. There was a lot of sexual tension between them, and I loved how the author took her time to develop both characters and reach the climax. In the end I was satisfied of how they turned out to be, but I craved more, so much more, since I enjoyed this book so much. I hope we'll get a glimpse of their life in "Ruckus", the next book in the series. Besides Emilia and Vicious, I felt myself drawn to the other characters, especially the Four HotHoles, the group of hot and rich guys Vicious was part of during high school with Dean, Trent and Jaime. His story can be read in the Prequel Novella called "Defy" that is recommended to read before "Vicious", but I still haven't read that one yet. Emilia's sister Rosie was also interesting, and we'll see more of her in "Ruckus" since the book will be about her. The story was not typical. It was dark, gritty, and raw. A lot of emotions that many don't want to face were exposed and expanded, it was not your usual candy and flowers love story, the Hallmark movie type, to be exact, and this is why I loved it even more. Every twist and turn in the plot was unexpected and Emilia's and Vic's scenes made my heart a turmoil of emotions of all kind - I was intoxicated by the characters and the story. I was like a junkie, really. The writing was perfect, very flowing, never boring, the kind that lets you imagine everything you're reading in your mind. This book made me sigh a good kind of sigh and now I'm left in awe and I'd just wish and hope a producer would turn this into a series or a movie. PLEASEEEEEE!!! I bet it would be a great success - it already is. Like I mentioned above, the next book in the series is titled "Ruckus" and it will come out on May 26th. I can't wait to read it and be swarmed in a new oceans of emotions. For the lovers of contemporary romance and second chances romances, this book is perfect. But beware of the dark themes, because I told you this is not your usual sugar-coated romance, this is so much more. I hope I can find more writers who write like this! Ah! Suggest me some if you know some names. :)

I don't want to leave a long review for all you readers out there because I don't want to bore the crap outta you . I want you guys to be able to enjoy this book on your own . Where to begin seriously ........... This book has been on my mind for ages , had a countdown and I was always stalking this authors pages for teasers or anything to do with this release . This book had such a catchy storyline from the beginning and it will keep you hooked sweethearts . You will be tranzed to this book and you won't want to miss anything . The characters are amazing , at times I wanted to really murder some people but I kept my craziness to a minimal. The banter between the characters keep you thoroughly interested and you just fall in love with every single one of them . Now I know all you naughty people out there are thinking well how was the s*x . Boy oh boy was it incredible . The hero and the heroine when they get it on it's like stars and galaxies are being seen. It was so hot and FYI don't be reading this Crap while your around people . You will blush . If you seriously haven't read this book then I really don't know what your waiting for . Vicious is to be read . Like come on , look at that sexy cover . Hubba Hubba ...