Blog Tour + Review: Wicked Saint by Veronica Eden
Title: Wicked Saint
Series: Sinners and Saints Book 1
Author: Veronica Eden
Genre: Dark NA High School Bully Romance
He stole my first kiss… and now he thinks everything else is his.
I said no to the one person no one at this school dares to refuse.
Now I’m targeted by jealous girls, guys that compete to be the first to “break the prude”, and by him. After one kiss, the king of the school hunts me down like I’m a conquest to win. He’ll have to fight harder than that, because I’m no one’s trophy.
They all want a piece of me, but I will not bend or break for them.
LUCAS
No one refuses the king.
One case of mistaken identity and a hasty kiss turned my world upside down.
The new girl refused me. Not only that, she threw down the gauntlet. That won’t stand. No one ever says no to me. This school is mine and she’ll learn her place as a loyal follower or her life is going up in flames.
Lucas smiles down at me, but there’s nothing sweet about it. The smile is all hunter, mean and precise. The smile of a hungry predator with its prey in reach.
“Because what I say fucking goes around here. If I want you to come sit in my lap, you’ll do it. Do you need another reminder of who’s in charge around here?”
Who the fuck does this guy think he is?
“Did a football hit you too many times in the head?”
A confused wrinkle appears on his forehead.
“No,” I say slowly, so he understands. “I don’t want to sit with you. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
Lucas tugs sharply on my braid. He literally pulls my hair, like the bullying boys that girls are always warned about.
A scoff of amused disbelief leaves me. “Did you really just…?”
“I’ll give you one more chance, Gemma.”
Lucas’ playful demeanor and big-man-on-campus act has vanished. Now he’s deadly serious as he stares at me.
“Or what?” Sheer astonishment at this whole situation bleeds into my voice.
“You don’t want to know that. You’re either with us or you’re against us, and you don’t want to be against us. Just accept it, like everyone else does, or you’ll face the consequences.”
With us or against us. Consequences. Lucas sounds like some power-hungry mafioso rather than a high school quarterback.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me. I said no, you bastard.” My voice raises. “Back off, or I’m going to dump my lunch tray on you! I don’t think gravy stains will go well with your expensive tailoring.”
He drops my braid, but I don’t get the chance to move back before he grips my hips, his fingers digging at my skin through the material.
I mash my lips together to withhold a grimace.
“What is your problem? You can’t just manhandle me into getting your way,” I grumble. “Do you not understand what no means? That’ll get you in trouble with the law someday when your power trip goes to your head.”
Lucas rears back with a shocked look. Then his eyes narrow to dangerous slits.
“Jesus, I’m not a rapist, you little—”
I hoist my tray threateningly and he cuts off.
“Leave me the hell alone, Lucas! I don’t want jack shit to do with you or your lousy friends!”
Hushed mutters breaks out around the room. A few phones are held up, capturing the drama as it unfolds. They’ve got proof of me denouncing their king.
It’ll be all over Snapchat and Instagram stories within minutes, spreading like a fatal forest fire across the school, no doubt.
“You’re going to regret that,” Lucas promises in a rough, dark voice.
Those proverbial gallows feel like they’re snapping around my neck and wrists.
But I won’t bend the knee in fealty to this asshole.
Who would want someone like Lucas? Not me, that’s for damn sure.
“See if I give a shit. Go ahead and throw a tantrum.” I jerk my head back at my table. “I’ll be over there enjoying my lunch.”
Before the spectacle continues, I spin on my heel to end the conversation.
Lucas hooks his foot around my ankle as soon as I take a step and fucking trips me up. I stumble, but I don’t go down. My water bottle is the only thing to topple from my wobbling tray. I meet the eyes of a few people nearby and can sense the hunger for blood.
No one’s satisfied that I didn’t crash to the floor face first into my lunch.
I bend to retrieve the water bottle and when I rise, Lucas is two steps closer, lurking right behind me like an imposing shadow.
MY REVIEW
Wicked Saint is the first book in the Sinners and Saints series, but it can be read as a standalone. This was the first book by Veronica Eden, that I’ve read and I usually find high school romances overly dramatic, but this one was a total delight.
As a bully romance, the situations presented were realistic and relatable and I enjoyed the writing style, it was easy to follow and engaging. The action was fast-paced and there wasn’t a dull moment throughout the whole story. It had the right amount of angst, drama, hot moments and sexy banter.
Lucas Saint is the most popular kid in school, he’s the quarterback that every girl wants to be with and all the guys look up too. He’s rich, arrogant and entitled, that’s why when he kisses Gemma by mistake and she rejects his attention, it becomes his mission to make her one of his conquests and prove to everyone that nobody says no to him. But that kiss between them sparks something else in Lucas's heart, a feeling of longing and excitement and chasing after Gemma becomes an obsession because even if he bullies her every day, there’s something about her that also makes him want to protect her. Gemma is the looner type, always keeps to herself and doesn’t want to be around people. She and her twin brother are both seniors and they just transferred to this new school and all she wants is to graduate and pursue a career in photography. But this isn’t going to be easy for her when Lucas is trying to turn her life into a living hell.
I loved both Gemma and Lucas. She is feisty, and spirited and hardheaded, and doesn’t cower when she’s being bullied, she fights back. And Lucas is really sweet underneath his bad boy demeanor. His possessiveness and protectiveness towards Gemma was heartwarming. Don’t get me wrong, Lucas is style a prick most of the time, but I really liked seeing him lose his mask when he’s friend wasn’t around and he could be himself. The chemistry between the two of them was off the charts, the build-up and anticipation were amplified by their constant bickering, and when they finally got together they were explosive.
Also, the secondary characters were interesting. I am intrigued by Alec and his constant angry state of being, and there’s also something between Devlin and Blair that I can’t wait to know more about. I’m totally looking forward to reading their book.
All in all, it was a solid story, and I recommend it to those who enjoy high school romances with darker notes.
Veronica Eden is the author of dark new adult romances + reverse harem romances with spitfire heroines and irresistible heroes. She loves exploring complicated feelings, magical worlds, epic adventures, and the bond of characters that embrace us against the world. She has always been drawn to gruff antiheroes, clever villains, and the twisty-turns of morally gray decisions. She believes sometimes the villain should get the girl and is a sucker for a deliciously devilish antihero. Veronica Eden is the pen name of romance author Mara Townsend. When not writing, she can be found soaking up sunshine at the beach, snuggling in a pile with her untamed pack of animals (her husband, dog and cat), and surrounding herself with as many plants as she can get her hands on.
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