The Bully: Limited Edition Cover (Kingmakers)

Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Spice level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥Redemption: 😍😍😍😍😍To say that there was a lot of hype building up to this release would be a gross understatement; I have never in my life anticipated a book so much (and that is saying a great deal since I’ve been reading romance novels for a couple decades now). The 6 week wait after the Rebel was agonizing but so very worth it and Dean and Cat did not disappoint.This is book three in the kingmakers series and although it can be read as a standalone, you will really get so much more enjoyment if you’ve also read the first two books. So many small moments are revealed in those books too that it made reading the bully even more amazing. And the music playlist was great; I’ve never actually listened to a playlist before when reading a book, and in the past I almost didn’t see the point. But I tried it out this time and was blown away by how much it enhanced my reading experience so be sure to also listen to that!Now onto the best parts!I really hated how Dean acted in the first book, but unlike Rocco, who is truly evil and irredeemable, you could see glimpses of dean’s inner character and how tormented and alone he felt. How utterly unloved and abandoned by everyone that should have loved him and put him first. How exhausted he was trying to force love to happen and how defeated when his efforts failed. Dean became a feral animal: longing so badly to have what everyone else seemed to take for granted but so hurt and angry that he savaged anyone that got close.And then along came Cat. Even Dean underestimated how special and amazing she was at first, seeing just an opportunity to have control over someone because if he couldn’t have love, by God he would have obedience and power. But what started as just something fun to pass the time (and the ultimate bullying experience), quickly morphs into something vital and unexpected. Dean begins to see the hidden parts of Cat and far from being satisfied with controlling only her physical movements, he becomes obsessed with learning everything about this woman he never saw coming.He learns along this journey that you can’t force love or control a person’s feelings even if you can control everything else. Dean starts to understand what love is: something precious and empowering that will bring you to your knees while at the same time giving you the strength to move mountains. Watching him come to this realization and seeing how Cat helps him find redemption was mind blowing and so satisfying.Cat: always underestimated by her peers and overlooked as being timid and powerless, she really comes into her own in this book. We see at the end of The Rebel what she is truly capable of and then we get to watch her come to terms with herself and what she is and what (and who) she wants. She starts out afraid of Dean but still inexplicably drawn to him and I adored seeing how her feelings changed to unconditional love despite his mistakes and shortcomings. Cat also gets to witness the ultimate act of love a person can perform and it is such a powerful scene. 😭🤯❤️It’s easy to focus on Dean’s lack of love because it is so obvious and in your face (along with his savage behavior when he feels threatened or weak), that you can almost forget to keep in mind that Cat was also starved of love. With only her sister’s love in her life, she too suffered from a lack of parental love and support and was just as needy as Dean. He fills that void in her heart so perfectly. These two souls were made for each other, truly two halves of a whole and this journey is amazing to witness.And seeing a return of Snow and Sasha, and especially watching the relationship develop and unfold between Snow and Dean, was extra special. Omg this hit me in all the feels!!The Bully has plenty of angst and drama, including the clues that will lay the groundwork for the next book The Spy, and so much love and redemption and heart wrenching feels. And the intimate scenes between Cat and Dean are pure 🔥🔥🔥🤯🥵😍. In the past Dean had only ever experienced sex as just something physical, never the alchemy of emotional, mental, and spiritual connection alongside the physical aspect that he finds with Cat. Every scene fits perfectly into the story and helps bring it along and man are they also spicy🌶!!Sophie has done it again!! She is a phenomenal author who has that rare ability to not only draw her readers into the story but to also truly experience and feel all the emotions of the characters. You won’t be disappointed with The Bully.I have a KU subscription because I read so many books that if I bought them all I might spend my entire paycheck, lol, but although I could read her books for free on KU, it’s not enough and I have bought all of them too! Sophie is an author that I trust to always make the story amazing and whose books that I will buy sight unseen because she is JUST. THAT. AWESOME!!!!So don’t delay and go get to reading now!! The Kingmakers world is waiting for you :) 🤩❤️

… as each book from this series is released, it becomes my new favorite, and Dean and Cat will stay with me forever. I laughed, I cried, I repeatedly (like a lot) fanned myself, I swooned, I cringed, and I devoured the pages… because it’s THAT good!Okay, I’m lying-I guess I do know how- it’s Sophie Lark’s impeccable writing and attention to detail that get me hooked with each book of her’s that I read (I am WAY behind on all of her books! And I KNOW I would’ve appreciated some of the characters more had I previously read Snow (even the references to Ivan), but I didn’t get confused at all and found that enough info was given for me to feel in the loop).This book continues months after The Rebel ended, which is book two. Cat has been with her sister Zoe and Miles for the summer, but time passes by quickly and she finds herself back at Kingmakers. And, with being back, so is the threat that Dean left her with at the end of the previous book. Right away, he collects on this threat , and she needs to be a slave and be at his beck and call whenever he needs her to be. He knows what she did, knows that she became a murderer, and he’s going to bully her to satisfy his dominant side. Cat has no choice but to comply, or else she will face the same death as Rocco because of the law of recompense. So… right off the bat… Cat is forced to listen… and it was delicious 🤤.I’ll get to that in a bit, but let me talk about the other stuff going on in this book. We are given an insight into Dean’s home life (which we previewed in book 1) and what’s expected of him, the types of people he’s supposed to be involved in, and his negligent father’s lifestyle and expectations. It all gives us answers as to why Dean is the way that he is, which is horrible because he grew up in a household where he wasn’t shown love, he wasn’t shown what it’s like to be in a normal family, and it’s all sitting on his shoulders as added pressure, which gutted me. Even as he develops more feelings for Cat, his history of not feeling loved comes crashing down, and he’s faced with unfamiliar feelings and unfamiliar choices he’s never had to make (I love Snow’s role in this). Gah… I just wanted to hug him and tell him that he’s important, that he’s loved, and that he matters 🥺❤️.With that being said, it didn’t take away from the “punishment” he planned to inflict on Cat 😉. Oh… dear Lord.. have mercy on all of the women reading this book… and Sophie… be prepared to have tons of little baby Deans and Cats in 9 months… because this book was smexxxxxxy! I found myself looking over my shoulder many times when the sexy times started, which was pretty quickly compared to the other books of SL that I’ve read. And, oh gawd, they were 🔥🥵💦😅🤤!! The chemistry was visceral, raw, sexy, primitive, hot, combustible and freaking EXPLOSIVE! I am surprised my kindle didn’t catch on fire! I WANTED Dean to punish Cat more… lol… because she enjoyed it every. Single. Time. (And me too 💁🏻‍♀️). And the songs accompanying the scenes were *chef’s kiss*.Cat matures in this book. Yes, she loses her v to Dean, but that’s not what I mean. She becomes stronger, braver, and ends up finding herself more. Dean helps her do this, and she in turn helps him find a place to belong to. I loved it!!!And, I was omagawing (I just made this a word) when the Spy chapters were thrown in (my mind is RACING!). I can’t wait to keep reading this series! But, more importantly, I can’t wait to REREAD this book. Swoon… it’s so good!What didn’t I like? There’s only one thing that bothered me (not enough to take stars away because this book deserves more than 5)- do these people not know what birth control is? 🤔 I mean, it’s now book 3 in this series and none of the MCs use any BC. I’m allllll for it, but, I need the MCs to acknowledge it somehow. Unless both MCs are Vs (like in The Heir), I want it to be mentioned somehow. Like, are the girls automatically on the shot or take pills at night? Zoey and Cat are sisters and from Spain- is it common for girls to be on BC? Dean isn’t a v, but when was he last checked? In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about it 😬🙈. Just a quick “I’m clean” would’ve been nice lol. Buuuut… I still loved the book!⚠️safety squad⚠️-no cheating-no sharing-no OW or OM drama (but I did like when Dean used it as an excuse to “punish” Cat 😉-some people might think there’s some dubcon vibes going on, but really, Cat enjoyed it all

5🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭Spanish & English OpinionESP ::¡Este ha sido mi libro favorito de todos! Es difícil decir esto porque todos los libros de Sophie Lark me han encantado y más las parejas.Kingmakers es una idea novedosa, diferente y especial los misterios, los herederos, las historias que están entrelazadas hacen la serie adictiva y eso que no he mencionado la química, la conexión y el amor que se da entre las nuevas parejas ❤️Dean y Cat son un complemento perfecto. Él es el personaje que desde el libro uno me llamó la atención y aunque todo me gustan, él es mi “underdog” y mi consentido. Toda su carga emocional y su sensación de no pertenecer me conmueve, sin que justifique sus acciones.Cat es una mujer fuerte y diferente. Ella tiene una crisis de identidad, pero con Dean descubre todo lo que puede ser y esa transición es hermosa. Ella y él tienen en común siempre sentirse fuera del círculo, fuera del núcleo. Su crecimiento a lo largo de la historia es increíble y el epílogo es lo más conmovedor.MUST read.ENG ::This has been my favorite Lark’s book! And that’s saying something, because every story and every couple has enchanted me.Kingmakers is a different, original and special universe. Seeing the sons and daughters of characters we liked in previous books is amazing, especially when they find love in the middle of their chaos. This series is addictive!Dean and Cat are my favorites! They complement each other perfectly. He’s the underdog that always have felt that life cheated on him. She’s the girl that feels is second best. Both of them haven been feeling outside of the inner circle and unworthy of everything good, but they discover that’s not true. They also find each other and they find a once-in-a-lifetime love and that’s inspirational.The ending made my heart happy because it has a powerful message, and then the epilogue... WOW.

The best book in the series.It has a great redemption arc of hero and a couple who has great chemistry.

The story and the smut 😩🥰❤️😤Dean Yenin, mi nuevo esposo falso de Kingmakers 💕💕💕💕💕 Gracias Sophie por darnos una buena trama junto con unas escenas de dom tan bien planteadas! Love u, girl

Omg. Dean from book 1 looked like someone I was curious about and what a perfection this story. Dean and Cat both grew themselves and broke through their characters.Loved it. By far my fav couple. Can't wait to read the next.

3 stars because I didn’t like the development of the story. It was going really slow and then all of a sudden they were having sex. I expected something more fluid, you know when they slowly ease into love? Plus he was too rough with her for only the beginning, sometimes I felt like he was really using her. I didn't give less stars because I liked the drawings of them, I never read a book on kindle of YA that had them, and their relationship a very clear dom and sub bond was very well written.