The Ruthless Boys by C.M. Stunich
Series: Adamson All-Boys Academy #2
Publication date: August 11th, 2019
Pages: 469
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
Psst, I know a secret.
The same secret that the Student Council--the super-rich, super handsome elite of Adamson All-Boys Academy--knows, too.
Jenica Woodruff, the only girl to ever attend the academy before I showed up, didn't commit suicide: she was murdered.
Now, someone is after me, too, but no matter where I go, the killer follows. My new high school isn't safe, and turns out, neither is my old one.
I'm not a member of the Student Council, but after everything we've been through together, after the horrible things we've seen, I may as well be. These ruthless boys have taken me under their wing.
Church, the fearless leader (and hopeless coffee addict). Ranger, the badass VP (and naked baker). The identical McCarthy twins (and MMA enthusiasts). And Spencer, the boy who was willing to question everything about himself to fall for me... oh, Spencer.
Murder and romance are both in the air at Adamson; I'm just not sure which one will kill me first.
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Review:
Remember that 2am second book I had to get right at that second? Yeah... this is it. Do I even need to explain why I picked this up? If you read the first book with me then you'll understand the cruel cliffhanger that we were left on and why I had to continue on no matter the time of day it took place. I have lost much sleep reading these last few days, Ms. Stunich. I blame you... respectfully. :)
Charlotte is attempting to navigate her new school but the more dangerous situations she encounters the more her father wants to bury his head in the sand and push her away. But where she used to long for the chance to get back home to her old life, she now can't image returning to that life. She doesn't want to be away from her beloved Student Council or leave them in danger of the murderers who are currently stalking her, but she has no say in the matter. But it turns out even going back to her old school is safe as she is hunted down even there. Thankfully her boys have the financial capabilities to be at her side as soon as summer break starts. After a dream experience at Disney Land, the plan to return her to school despite her father's wishes starts to become a reality. The only hitch? She must be engaged to Church to enlist his parents' help in the matter. Church's parents have an extreme pull and their word is often law. And they just happen to be the biggest believers in love even if it's their only son marrying a maid's daughter. All the while, Charlotte is having to negotiate a experimental relationship between all the members of the Council. If made to choose only one, would she? Could she?
Some of the attributes in this book seemed a bit more farfetched than I would expect reality to be. Such as Church's parents being completely accepting of his whirlwind desire to marry Charlotte without ever having seen her or heard anything about her aside from their knowledge that she was the headmaster's daughter hiding out in the school as a male student. But despite this interesting development with Church this book seems a bit more focused on Charlotte trying to figure out how to explore her feelings for the other members of the Council while not upsetting any of them if she were to fall into bed with another. Spencer is the one struggling the most in the beginning. He had thought Charlotte and him were monogamist until he realized his twin best friends also had feelings for her. Unable to lose either Charlotte or the twins he makes a compromise. This makes Charlotte turn to him anytime she considers having any sort of romantic interlude with any of the others. It was nice that the romance between multiple partners didn't just simply happen with no one having an issue with it. That would have really been unbelievable.
Spencer and Ranger remain my favorites but... Church is starting to open up a bit more and I'm starting to think he may not be as cold as he likes to act. The twins are great but I'm still a bit... unsure of the whole siblings being together in a sexual interlude even if they don't directly do anything with each other. But then again, I always never understand the male fantasy of being with twins and how those said twins could actually do that with each other in the same room let alone with the same person. But I mean... maybe I just don't understand a twin bond?
Add in the fact that I still haven't a clue who could be behind the murder(s) and who could be hunting Charlotte. Are they doing it because she's a girl? Maybe not since boys are dying as well. Could it be because of her connection to the headmaster? Her close bond with the Student Council? Or was she just unlike by chance? The pieces are coming together, I can feel it as the gang investigates but I am still clueless. Where you taking this, Ms. Stunich? I'm with you on this ride.
The second installment, The Ruthless Boys, in this series was even more interesting than the first (which is hard to believe): the plot thickens and the steam intensifies.
