Freestyle: 1 (Academy of Stardom)

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I also kinda hated how before Pen showed interest in them when they were younger they were parading girls around her all the time and yet of course she stayed pure and didn’t even date. I was doubly that an artform so VISUAL, so experiential, and so tied to music could be adequately conveyed in writing. I mean okay, Xeno is like the lider of the group, but if the guys really love her, how are they so okay with that ultimatum?

While I do wish it was Multi-POV, the author does convey a lot of depth, empathy, and emotional connection with the Hs through the interactions and experiences from the single POV by the FMC. And then worse for poor Pen here it seems she’s being personally tormented in some horrible and cruel ways by all the men in her life. I am sad to say I will continue the series, as I do want to continue to hate it and have all the arguments for said hate. This book had everything you want , the angst that breaks your heart in the right way , the pain that makes you feel so much and the vulnerable scenes that you want to capture and keep with you forever! I loved Xeno, Zayn, York and Dax equally; they all had different personalities and they fit perfectly with Penelope (Pen).

I don’t really know who exactly my favourite is, but I do have a soft spot for Dax that is for sure. In a way with these flashbacks, I felt even closer to these characters as you got given an insight to each of their life’s, you got to how it changed them and made them into the boys who turned into men real quickly, we also got the front row seat of when feelings started to get blurred and crossed the line. Is it so hard to say "i'm sorry but my sick brother who is in love with me threatened to kill my little sister if i don't stay away from you guys, so i hope you understand.

I mean force the girl to choose one of them and then run off with that guy and never they would be friends again with the rest, it just sounds ridiculous to me. This ends in a cliffhanger, but damn, that’s a pretty good one because I feel like that’s when the spice really starts! I think each chapter being past and present played into that for me as it took awhile to see their connections. Filled to the brim with laughter, love, tears, passion and some of your favourite characters from the spin-off series’, this is going to be one hell of a performance you won’t want to miss.These guys are so well articulated, so intimately defined and developed- unique, dimensional, each completely compelling- which is HARD for RH.

But, it keeps you hooked, anxious to find out what is happening back in the timeline you were exploring, and it really serves our characters well- helps us understand them and also the impact of the past on the present as Bea skillfully juxtaposes the past and present- in character voice and emotive tone, in how they look, and, brilliantly, in how they dance.This is described beautifully with only a few things being revealed at a time, leaving the reader in a perfect place of knowing nothing but having all the guesses. I know it needs to be like that for the story but I just prefer it when it’s all squished at the front so I can get on with the present. Lyrical is book two of this dark gang romance, featuring gangsters who can dance, and deals with adult themes and some subjects you may find upsetting. Breakers is book three of this dark gang romance romance and deals with adult themes and some subjects you may find upsetting. They can't just own up to mistakes they make, or maybe admit not knowing the full in's and out's of the truth.

This one really sets us up with the back story and where Pen is at now with the convergence of her past and present. If you love reverse harem, friends to enemies to lovers, dark, and bully romances, then this book is a hundred percent for you. Since I've always had a weakness for movies and shows about dancing it wasn't a big surprise how quickly I was into this book and how easily and how much I enjoyed it. I hope the next books will rely less on flashbacks and obfuscation and I can get a better sense of what is happening in the present. There were quite a few times throughout the whole book, but especially Finale, that really got to me.I just don’t get why characters can’t be honest and dish shit out before letting it get blown out of control. The flashbacks going back to when they first met was what I was living for as you got to experience the start of their friendship that soon turned into something bigger, something that was unavoidable. Not to mention, Bea so carefully sketches the emotional architecture of Pen to each guy- carefully constructed so that each relationship feels not only intimate and fully realized but also fundamental to the bones of these characters, and fundamental to the crew. And in the flashbacks there's that part when Xeno fucks his latest girlfriend near the baysement they hang and she hears all of that, and gets a little hurt.