Synopsis

My dick never got me in half as much trouble as my heart…

We were high school sweethearts. I was head over heels for her and no one could tell me we weren’t going to last forever. College? Going pro? My family’s money? None of it mattered. She was all I needed.

Then she ripped my heart out. But I’m not going to let that happen again.

She’s back. Invading my life and acting like she was the wronged one. The pain is still there, but I can’t keep my eyes off her. I can’t stop thinking about her and how much was left unsaid between us. Being this close is making me question everything I thought I knew about her.

This time everything will be on my terms. Everything…

Review

I’ve been with this series from the very beginning and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Maya’s writing grow stronger and more well rounded with every book she writes.  I’ve been anxiously awaiting the story of Emmett and Avery since I finished the Kings of Rittenhouse prequel and I saw how their breakup went down.  I enjoy a good second chance love story, especially one that hows secrets as deep and intrinsic as the ones found in Ruthless King.

The Kings of Rittenhouse books center around a group of hockey players who all graduated together (sports romance √ hockey players √ a couple that learns from their mistakes while steaming up a room √ and √!!) . Each book can be read as a standalone, but in my humble opinion, you’re missing out on a lot of good stuff if you don’t read and follow these handsome hockey players from the very beginning.  Plus it really sets the stage for Emmett and Avery’s story and gives you a lot of back story to how they felt about each other in highschool and how detrimental their breakup was for each other.

Ruthless King takes place four years after the night in high school that ripped them apart.  Emmett has been playing professional hockey, and living the life of his dreams, while not really living at all.  He’s unhappy, and even though he’s attempted more than once to let Avery go, his feelings for her have fueled a pile of bitterness and hurt day after day.  Avery on the other hand has worked hard to raise her sister, and to ensure that she doesn’t have to experience the hardships that Avery has felt over the years.  After convincing from their mutual friends to take a vacation, both Emmett and Avery end up spending two weeks together in the same beachhouse.  The first week is spent avoiding and sniping at each other, and it isn’t until an all out screaming match, that some of the secrets that they help between them are released.

Once I started this one, I couldn’t put it down.  Most of the book takes place during the two week vacation, which leads to a quick pacing that made it hard to stop once I had opened the book on my Kindle.  This book is also an emotional read, more so than the others in the series.  I think part of this is that we’ve been in invested in Emmett and Avery’s love story for a while, and we were finally getting to see what was going to happen, and the fact that the secrets between them could ruin them if they allowed.

I’m still absolutely in love with these books and Maya Hughes and I can’t wait to read Book 4, Fearless King which is about Ford, my favorite quiet hockey player.  If you haven’t read this series, you have some time to get caught up and I wouldn’t hesitate to do so!  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

4.5/5 Stars