Kudos to this author for good writing even if most of the scenarios were totally unbelievable. I know it's fiction but I don't want to shake my head at every ridiculous thing the characters do. Nero was hot but Lucca has my undivided attention. Chloe and Elle were doormats with a capital "D". I just hate it when characters lie down and just take abuse then lie to protect the abusers. WHAT! There is vindication which is awesome to read about. ( )

Want to know if the whole series is worth reading? Read my overall review of the whole series at seriesousbookreviews.com! Spoiler Free!

Hmmm...where to start...When I first started Nero, I almost put it down. You know when teenagers attempt to act like adults and it just makes everything a little awkward? That's what the plot is in this story. I had to remind myself numerous times that these characters were 17 and in high school--not 24 and in college. Everything was really melodramatic and over the top. Some of the things Nero and his crew do blew my mind and had me shaking my head to make sure I was reading everything correctly. The plot in this series is definitely over the top...but the weird thing was that I kinda grew to like it.

Reading Nero reminded me of watching Secret Life of the American Teenager for the first time. You watch one episode to see what it is about and then you find yourself 5 episodes in because it is so cheesy and ridiculous you can't wait to see what crazy stunt they are going to make the characters undergo next.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: http://wp.me/p3txrs-1ae
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This book is very YA for a lot of it. I was expecting more organized crime and less high school drama. It is a good read, but I would have preferred less virginity and more bad boy. The best part to me was the ending. It turns a bit darker toward the finish. If it is an indication of what's to come in the series, I think I have something which to look forward. After this book everyone is graduated so I'm assuming it will become more adult of a story. Also, I'm looking forward to reading more about the older brother. He seems to be the darker and twistier one.
3-3.5 stars ( )

I am not going to trash this novel because of it's classic cliche YA theme. Usually if i stumble upon a story that is juvenile i just pass it off as bubblegum high school drama and leave it at that. Suffice to say, this is a book written by young girlies, for young girlies.

This book however has two things that annoyed me to hell. Portrayal of the lead female character Elle and the actual writing, witch was atrocious.

I'll elaborate.
Both men and women tend to be misunderstood and underestimated because of their age, but they are far more capable and intelligent then we give them credit for. Emphasis on the capable.

Elle walks trough school being bullied to that extreme extent that it made no sense. I understand that high school can be very traumatic for some people, especially if you have been bullied. The author wanted to portray emotional turmoil and the feelings of isolation, but with the choices Elle made she didn't do her any favors. Even a kitten, young, inexperienced, uncoordinated has some claws to protect itself. The characters were overblown in their aggression, and Elle just stood there taking it all. It was actually Nero who first stood up for her and she beamed at him like a silly calf, never thinking to do that herself, she was so 'afraid' of any type of confrontation. The author shot and missed the target. This was a young woman, but she didn't behave as such, she was more of an infant that needed coddling. The naivete displayed by Elle was so great it was as dangerous as it was impossible. She would have known more about life simply by watching TV, let alone human interaction. I cringed to see just how pitiful and pathetic Elle was. It annoyed me, it upset me. She was worse then a beaten dog, and i can't say that endeared her to me. For a seventeen year old girl she had a shriveled soul and the intelligence of a child.

The amount of effort the author invested into making her lead need saving surpassed the classic maiden in distress cliche. Now i don't mind a bit of maiden in distress, i am a romantic to the bone, but when the maiden is that weak that she needs help to breathe, i don't like the maiden. I would rather feed her to the dragon.

I truly believe that a little backbone wouldn't hurt this story, but in fact improve it. Women presented as slobbering idiots that forget themselves as soon as a guy bats his eyelashes grate on my nerves. Also when they are such imbeciles that they need a guy to find their self worth. Especially in high school. In fact a kindergarten child has more self esteem and shows more common sense. This isn't a historical romance where women swoon and have no rights, it's the 21st century. The message i got from experiencing Elle's character was a disturbing one; justification of abuse for the sake of popularity, and romanticizing self interest because let's face it, Nero is just looking after his own hide.

About the writing....The author manages to transport us back in time, when indeed we sat in class trying to write an essay. In my head i keep hearing the professor saying, be careful! When writing in third person, make sure that you don't use the name so often when starting a sentence, and most of all don't string them together.

Small example:

Elle knew she needed help, and if anyone in this school could protect Chloe, it was Nero and his crew. Sorry, Chloe.
Elle sat down beside Chloe. “You better not be lying to me, Nero.”
Elle knew he had heard her; he nodded, not only for her, but for his crew to come over.
Elle whispered to Chloe, “It’s going to be okay. I haven’t let anyone in here hurt you, have I?” And she hadn’t. Elle did whatever it took to make sure no one laid a finger on her. Yes, that meant Elle got the short end of the stick in here, but Chloe got the shortest end of the shittiest stick outside of here.
Elle gave Chloe a smile when she finally answered, shaking her head no.
Elle could see the signal Nero gave the young blond one to sit beside Chloe.

And then, and then, and then, and then......

Bad form, that showed just how much the author was struggling to find the adequate words to convey her story.

Those two things killed it for me. ( )

Contemporary Romance. Nero mafia-son and boss-dog at school and Elle, school punching bag in protection of her friend Chloe. Poor ( )