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Kings of Quarantine by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Series: Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #1
Publication date: April 19th, 2020
Pages: 658
The ruthless boys of Everlake Prep never saw lockdown coming.
But the virus isn't their number one enemy.
I am.
And as if being confined to a boarding school for the elite wasn't bad enough, now I'm stuck in isolation with the boys who hate me most too.
Saint, Kyan and Blake. The Night Keepers. Or so they call themselves. They've embodied the Native American legend which lives in this valley, taking on the role of the monsters who lurk in the forest. And though they act like beasts, they may also be the most tempting creatures I've ever seen.
With the virus escalating and my dad's name splashed through the news, my entire world is falling apart. What he did has cast a dark shadow over me. And the Night Keepers want to make me pay for his crimes.
Then things went from bad to worse when I touched the sacred rock. A rock which supposedly holds a curse to bind me as the Night Keepers' slave. And as crazy as it sounds, I decided to play along. Because there are things about me they don't know. Things my dad has hidden from me for years. All I can be sure of is that I have to find a way to escape this school. But until then, those savage boys are making my life a living hell.
As the virus sweeps through the country and the world twists into something ugly and unknown, the kings of this school become true monarchs. Even the teachers bow to them now. And I'm kinda glad about the 'stay six feet away from one another' rule, because without it, I know they'd rip me apart.
At least there's a silver lining. I'm cozying up to Coach Monroe. My hot as hell, brooding P.E. teacher who has a vendetta of his own against the Night Keepers. And with his help, I may succeed at doing more than escaping the clutches of these heartless fiends. I might even destroy them along the way.
My father taught me how to be strong.
How to prepare for the end of the world.
So this isn't going to be the end of my world, mark my words.
But if I'm able to use my mind and body to bring these assholes to their knees, it might just be the end of theirs.
This is a high school bully RH series with off the charts angst, dark themes and is not for the faint of heart. Prepare to enroll at Everlake Prep. Bring your hand sanitizer, face masks and toilet paper to barter with, but don't expect to hold onto them for long. Because it's time to go into quarantine with the Night Keepers. And everything you own now belongs to them.
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Review:
During the peak of the pandemic in real time I stumbled across this book. I scoffed and dismissed it because before reading the synopsis I figured it was another ploy to play on the situation with COVID in current society. I had seen a few others written referencing the virus in one way or another and found that it was almost in bad taste to use such a devastating world event for the sale of books. However, after reading Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti's Harlequin Crew series where the characters Saint, Kyan, Blake, and Tatum made a cameo, I had to dig deeper into their story despite my earlier reservations.
Tatum has spent her entire life with a prepper scientist father who was bent on teaching her how to survive no matter what situation she is put in. What he didn't prepare her for was not having him around having to survive in the Boarding school atmosphere of the world's elite. Everything seemed to be going fine the first few weeks she was at the school, but when the media grabs hold of a story stating that Tatum's father is involved in the release of the Hades Virus, her status drops lower than the Unspeakable scum. The attention of the Night Keepers, the kings of the school, is firmly on her now and they have decided that she is to be punished for her father's crimes by becoming their slave.
Tatum is strong but even so, some of their punishments are enough to crack even her resolve. It is in this regard that she is determined to make them pay. And Monroe, her hunky P.E. teacher, is just the accomplice she was looking for. Between the two of them she should be able to find a scratch in the meticulously polished crowns of the campus kings. However, when the campus is overrun by looters bent on stealing from the Night Keeper's stockpile of toilet paper and canned goods, a new threat is presented that has nothing to do with punishing Tatum or seeking revenge on her owners. It is in this battle for life and dwindling supplies that a bond is formed; one that is forged in blood and death.
I have read a lot of bully romance books that have made me wince over the treatment of the main female protagonist, but in this situation I was almost physically uncomfortable. Many a tear was shed as I watched this poor girl be isolated and tormented beyond the realm of what would be considered adequate for her crimes. Saint was the more sadistic of the Night Keepers and any time he interacted with Tatum I tensed. The man was a hair's breath away from killing her on several occasions! Tatum's strength through it all was one of the best representations of a strong female lead that I have seen in a long time. I kept expecting her to crumble but even while I was breaking for her, she was rallying to strike back.
My snap judgment on this book was appalling and I regret not reading this series sooner. I am starting to truly grow to love the authors' writing and character building skills. If you plan to read Kings of Quarantine be prepared to rage, sob, swoon, and laugh from beginning to end.
