The Ruthless Note: Dark High School Bully Romance (Redwood Kings) Paperback – December 13, 2022

*Warning: slight spoilers about secondary characters at the end of my review*The second installment in this series is just as great as the first. The author knows how to build suspense and drop little hints, usually by way of Jinx, to keep the story moving and the reader invested.I need to know Cadey’s full story as well as Dutch’s! Waiting for the finale will be excruciating, but I know it will be worth the wait. (Please don’t make us wait too long!)I’m assuming we will get the stories on Dutch’s brothers as well as Sol. I sniff a little spark between Sol & Serena. I hope I’m right and their story is next! And Zane and Miss Jamison? I’m not usually interested in a teacher/student trope, but I’m willing to try it. Most intriguing is the crush Finn has on Jinx, the resident gossip girl. When will he find out who she is?I’m so happy to add this author to my favorites!

-Bully-gossip girl-ish-secrets-internal strugglesThis book is full of unexpected twists and turns. While you may find yourself wanting to dislike Dutch, you'll find that's difficult. Similarly, you might wish Cadence would be more assertive, but she isn't. I appreciate the complex and compelling relationship between Dutch and Cadence. I also empathize with both Sol and Zane. The characters' experiences demonstrate the truth of the saying that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. This storyline is captivating.

Ugh!!! SO GOOD! I couldn’t put it down. I loved the back and forth between Cadence and Dutch, and them slowly coming to terms with their feelings. Loved the twists, and that cliff!! I can't wait to read the next book to find out how everything works out.

I coached myself through book 1 and had to force myself to complete book 2. I feel as though all of these books are unnecessary for just Dutch & Cadence’s story. They’re needlessly prolonging the inevitable. The constant physical descriptions of the same people took up so much space, and made the reading feel redundant. If the writing was streamlined, it would make this a great read. I’ll opt for getting spoilers on the remaining books to find out what happens to the rest of the characters.

And that's a good thing. Dutch and Cadence are still at each other's throats, but the tension is building. The question is who will snap first. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you know that is a great second book, even better than the first. She's still being bullied and there are more twist taking this story to the next level.This book made me laugh, happy, anxious and going, "Oh, no." It has a sensuous undertone that builds and builds until it pops. I enjoy this story so much, and I cannot wait to see where the next book takes the Cross men. Yeah, Daddy joining in the fun. Enjoy.

When Sol expressed his troubles the way he did, I just knew he was going to play a key part in my heart for this book because this is how most people feel.

This book was so good. I loved it. This one had more spice. Plus it had a lot of drama and a major plot twist. Can't wait to read next book.

I am addicted to this series! I normally hate slow burns, but I’m hooked on this one. There are several typos and the spicey scenes are described in an elementary way. But the plot being so good keeps me reading.