by Ashley N Rostek

A Romance, 2021 by Blackstone Publishing, 274 Pages 

What I Didn’t Like:

• Content warning: explicit sexual content, reverse harem, implied sexual assault, violence, PTSD
• No one better hurt you trope, which I do like, dances with damsel in distress, my least favorite trope. There were times when it worked and times when it made me roll my eyes.
• The high stress of the witsec situation contrasts heavily with the slow burn romance. They’re not blended as well as I’d like. In fact, it felt like the witsec stuff and the danger (which should’ve taken the front seat) was a tool for the romance. 
• It’s a bit far-fetched to write Shiloh as this absolute sex object who everyone falls in love with. I mean literally EVERYONE. Also, reverse harem stories with high school students (even legal adults) is a little cringe. 

What I Did Like:

• Characters. Every single one of them felt realistic and fun. I would’ve been friends with them all. The banter was wonderful and they all instantly cared for each other. 
• The “don’t you dare hurt her” trope comes out full force in a fun way. 
• Reverse harem can be tricky. How do you conceivably convince the reader that there’s connections everywhere? This one does a good job, which is important since it’s the first book in what will likely be a series that will take you deeper into this particular relationship. You feel the connections and the pull between all the pairings. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Reverse harem fans (or those who want to try it, since this is sort of a slow burn set up). 

My Rating: 2 Stars

• This is really only for reverse harem fans, or those who want to try out that style book, which automatically makes it niche. However, it is fraught with things even fans of this type of book will have a problem with, namely the ages of those involved. For those reasons, this one is problematic.