| Title | : | Losers: Part I (Losers, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 594 |
| Publication | : | First published September 30, 2022 |
I’d been Prom Queen, Cheer Captain - high school’s most savage Queen Bee. I could have everything I wanted.
Except them. The freaks, the weirdos, the school’s ultimate losers: Manson, Jason, Lucas, and Vincent. Our hatred for each other couldn’t keep us apart, not even when my own mistake got Manson expelled and made me the ultimate villain to the rest of them.
One night was supposed to be enough.
I couldn’t resist forever. For one night I gave myself over to the men I wasn’t supposed to want and satisfied the darkest parts of my soul. But some things are meant to stay in the dark. One night, and it was over.
Nothing more than a game.
Now, with college behind me, our worlds collide yet again. Four men, all willing to share me as their plaything until my debt to them is paid. Another game to satiate my dark cravings, the twisted rules of which bring us all even closer than before. But games aren’t meant to last.
When the debt is paid and the game is done, what if I don’t want to walk away?
Although not required, it is recommended to read the novella, The Dare, prior to reading Losers.
This book is First Person, Multi POV.
This is an 18+ polyamorous bisexual romance between one woman and four men, including MF, MM, and group scenes. Reader discretion is strongly advised, this is a dark read. This book contains graphic sexual scenes, intense scenes of BDSM, graphic violence, and strong language. A full content note can be found in the front matter of the book.
Losers: Part I (Losers, #1) Reviews
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update : may 2022 me was a little wild it seems 🤡
don't mind me i'm just horny -
excuse the blasphemy, but this was genuinely a religious experience .
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Having to wait till November for the next book is cruel and unusual punishment. I never expected to fall so hard for this cast of characters but I’m obsessed and this is the only bully romance that deserves rights
P.s: here’s my playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5zk... -
➥ 4.75 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
Softly, darkly, Manson said, "Lucas, do you want to fuck her?"
The other man's eyes were black as night when he looked at me. "Yes. I want to make her scream."
"Ask nicely."
Lucas bared his teeth for a moment and buries his mouth against Manson's neck as if to keep the words inside.
"Please let me fuck her."
━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
Thankyou Harley Laroux for the arc in exchange for a review! Ladies and gentlemen, today is the day - the release of this fucking blessing. Harley Laroux never disappoints me. This surrounds and tells the story of characters from
The Dare, so that one should be read before this one. I don't quite know what to say other than this was uh, great? I expected for Manson to always be my number 1 and for the others to just be cute additions but let me tell you, my heart is divided equally between them all. The sex was great, as per usual. And the romance? HL aways pulls through on the front of creating dark stories surrounding sex, but always executing the romance. The tenderness and love is something you'll always feel is there, because it is.➥ Jess (h) was interesting...I'll say. Do I love her nearly as much as I do the boys? No. Do I wish I did? Yes. I always roll my eyes when popular people feel all victimised when they're the ones traumatising people, but she did own up to it in the end and her love for all of them felt very real. Do I like her character? Not really. She reminded me of Ryen from
Punk 57 but with a little less substance, really. She was childish and often a pick me girl but I didn't really care? She wasn't as great as Juniper from
Her Soul for Revenge but was much better than Rae from
Her Soul to Take. To be fair, Harley had to work with the character she had written for The Dare and I think that must've been challenging.
➥ Manson (H) is still my bae. I love him, he's everyone's daddy let's be real. The "Angel" will never get old and he will always be an icon. His daddy issues run deep though...damn.
Manson stepped closer. Before I even realised what was happening, he'd scooped me up, my feet leaving the ground as he easily carried me the rest of the way down the hall.
"What are you doing?" I said, as he shoved open my bedroom door with his foot.
"Getting that sad look off your face," he said, smiling at me crookedly as he stopped next to my bed. He dumped me on the mattress but followed me down, crawling on top of me. He buried his face against me neck, the combination of his mouth and warm breath trailing over my skin making me erupt in a fit of laughter.
➥ Lucas (H) is one I have a real soft spot for. He's the one I disliked the most at first, but his strong relationship with Manson is EVERYTHING and he has his moments when you're like aw. He also liked being called a "good boy"...just saying...
"They're back," I said.
Lucas took my hand again. He lifted it to his lips, kissing my knuckles tenderly. "Let's go see what happened."
➥ Vincent (H) is my man. I mean they all are mine, just to be clear, but he's my favourite I think. He's funny, he's unhinged and I love him, your honour.
He stood suddenly, tucking the umbrella against his shoulder before he extended his hand to me. I stared at his open palm, blinking rapidly in confusion. "What?"
"Doesn't feel right for the Prom Queen to not get her slow dance," he said, a slight smile playing around his lips.
➥ Jason (H) is a cutie patootie. I adore his relationship with Vinc :(, they're so STINKING cute.
Jason's fingers brushed my shoulder. "Come with us," he said softly. "Let's get you out of here."
For starters, I'd say, be prepared for the beginning of this book to be utter shite ok? We get scenes in highschool from before The Dare and it's terrible. Typical literal teenagers that "run the school" and Jess just had no fucking backbone, it was painful to read. Reminds me of how silly series like "Fall Away" and "Devil's Night" are with the highschool being like the fucking mafia lmao. I just think that the drama notch needed to be aggressively turned down at the beginning.
When we get to after The Dare though? That's when the fun begins. A leads to B and Jess is repaying her debt by becoming their whore. Kinda? But yeah that's the gist and it's entertaining as fuck bye.
The way they're all so in love with eachother is driving me crazy. I haven't really read many other polyamorous books but I feel like that aspect was well-executed. Especially when compared to reverse harems where there's some dicking down for everyone. I feel like you could really see all the dynamics so distinctly and it was excellently, beautifully done."Breakfast is coming up!" Vincent called from the kitchen as we came back inside. I could smell bacon and hash browns, and when I looked into the kitchen, there were multiple bowls on the counter and pans on the stove. He glanced over his shoulder at me with a grin, his long hair messily tied up as he added another pancake to the stack in front of him.
Like shut the fuck up, the domestic scenes are already driving me crazy. But before I weep about how fucking perfect they all are, let me give you the quotes we're all here for."Are you ready to be a good girl for us?" he said as Lucas's arms wrapped around his chest. Lucas rested his chin on Manson's shoulder, tenderly kissing his neck.
Somebody sedate me rn. Lucas and Manson are so inexplicably perfect, it's unbearable.His hand trailed over my body, rough and hard, when he pulled up my dress and pressed himself against me.
"Terrible taste," he murmured again. "What are you fucking with trash for, huh? Pretty little thing like you."
Let me pick my jaw up off the floor rq.He tugged the knife out of the tree and grasped my hand. He held my palm up between the two of us, slowly rubbing his thumb over my fingers.
"You're not afraid?" He watched my face carefully. He'd know if I lied.
I shook my head. "No."
Delicately, he pressed the sharp tip of the blade against the pad of my middle finger. There was a subtle sting as my skin parted, blood welling up. He moved the knife in slow small lines and I was mesmerized by the sight.
What he left behind was a tiny heart, etched into my finger. The pain wasn't even as bad as a papercut, so why did it feel like it sliced so deep?
Yeah, is life even worth living if Manson doesn't carve a heart into my middle finger??? The answer is no.
Okok, now time for substantiality on my part, regardless of the rough beginning, this book exceeded my expectations. The smut was so good (that was expected - dw), and the romance? Hello?? I truly think Harley Laroux is the future of dark romance because she does everything right.
We always get emphatic consent, we get unique, incredibly well fleshed-out characters, and fucking romance. They all have their moments with Jess, and of course, with eachother. The love they have for eachother is palpable, and yet so different and unique to each pair. Like can we talk about Vincent carrying Jess on his shoulders so she could watch a car race better? This shit is so fucking romantic that it's painful.
Of course there was also tear-inducing aftercare. Them all snuggling up trying to fit on one bed together?? Hello?? I forget who but one of them ran a bath for Jess. Then Vincent cooks pancakes. Shut the fuck up, I felt this book in my soul.
The "ily" between Lucas and Manson? I'll never recover.
Still, no book is perfect so here are some of my very few complaints. Like I mentioned, rough cringey beginning. The highschool times were really dramatised and cringey imo, but that was a problem left long in the past once we get to the time set after "The Dare".
Also, at the beginning there was a strong emphasis on the guys being super super mega emo and it just got kinda jarring when it was mentioned every second? But again, that definitely stops happening after The Dare.
I was a little concerned with the romanticisation of drugs because it's something I personally don't appreciate, but in the end it was mentioned that they all want to stop smoking and doing drugs in general so that's really heartwarming <33
And the last thing? I whine about this all the time so it's definitely a me thing, but I could definitely do with fewer dick-in-mouth scenes. It seemed that in every scene they did together, that was absolutely necessary to include? I don't mind if it's a sometimes, but I wish there had been more group scenes that didn't involve her being stuffed in the mouth...lol. Between the guys too I suppose. And the nickname "fucktoy" wasn't my fav...? Years better than "babygirl" though.
Also, the car racing aspect was a tad sappy, I wasn't totally buying it.
That scene between Lucas and Manson with the whole worship thing they had going on...didn't really do it for me either?
Ah, one last thing, the evil dad plot we have going on is kinda cheap, I fear...hopefully it'll just add stakes and change? I guess we'll see but I also don't care.
Also also, I need to see Vincent hang someone from the ceiling rn, all that bark and no bite, it better be in the next book...can't wait <33. AND WE NEED SOME FACE SITTING!! Bye.━━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━━
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this book changed me… for the better. also didn’t know manson was my dream man until i read this book. had me kicking my feet and giggling forreal.
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Losers are what Spice dreams are made of. It's CNC, Bondage, knife play, everything dirty and nice; get ready for more of Manson and the clowns. This time around, we have more of their backstories with multiple POVs. I’m on a Losers high, and I never want to come down.
I have missed Manson and dove into this book for him but ended up loving all of them, especially Lucas. Manson, Lucas, Jason, and Vincent. A self-made family with each so much love to give.
When I turned to page one, I said, “Let the games begin,” and boy, do they. This time around, the games are on steroids. A word of advice, have extra knickers on hand. You will need them.
Jessica and the guys are now out of college and next stage of their life. We read what happened after The Dare and POV back in High School. The past comes back to haunt them all.
Losers is my Top read of the year. The author went into great detail, left nothing out, and delivered a masterpiece. Losers is addicting, captivated, and seductive. The book left me laughing, yelling, and hot under the collar. It’s had me flying my freak flag high and proud. On top of spice, there is a fantastic plot.
With that said. I have zero triggers. I get excited when there is a long list. I know right there it’s a book for me. It’s not a book for everyone, and it’s okay. If you haven't read The Dare, I suggest you do. Then dive into this book. You will not regret it. -
“God, I loved to watch them with her. How they pleasured her, used her, cared for her. There was something beautiful in trusting them so damn much that we could share this.”
“He was intoxicating, a flawed god I couldn’t resist worshiping. His imperfection made him sacred, his strength made him holy. But the lust he inspired in me made him wicked, and the ease with which he bent me to his will was the closest thing to divinity I could imagine.”
~
If I thought The Dare was like a shock to my system, Losers Part I was like a heroin shot straight to my brain. To say I’m utterly obsessed would be an understatement. This book has consumed me for days now, and I can’t find my way out. I want to try and be coherent for this, but please don’t expect much from me right now. I’m having a moment.
Someone may think I'm joking when I say this, but I didn’t think this was dark at all. Sure, the TW list is there for a reason, but the romance was actually pretty damn sweet. All the BDSM scenes were enthusiastically consensual and everyone respected everyone else. These four men treated Jess better than anyone else had ever done in her life. They would constantly check on her during their scenes and make sure she was okay. Men who care about consent are so damn sexy to me. And the way they simped after her was just marvelous. That’s the kind of male character I want in my dark romance. Someone who chokes you a little bit, spits in your mouth and calls you a good girl as he’s giving you the third orgasm in a row.
The found family element melted my heart into a goo. The love these four men had for each other was so precious and tender, I have no words. And I absolutely loved the fact that they identified as polyamorous bisexuals. How fucking amazing is that??? I’m so in love. The fact that they were open about this, the way they discussed relationships, romantic feelings and how each relationship can be different but still equal. Peak polyamorous bisexuality right there.
I have a soft spot for the found family of underdogs and this one was excellent. The way Jess fit into their group, I can’t wait for the second part and all the blissful domesticity, or their version of such thing at least lol
I’ve never cared about cars, but these guys made me get invested. All the elements around their cars, races and such were so interesting and well done, this book made my heart beat faster with some of those speed sequences.
“I was submitting all control to him, but he looked in awe of me. As if I was something to be revered, my endurance admired, my service treasured.”
God bless Jessica Martin and her flawlessly done character development. I thought I was obsessed with her but still, I wasn’t ready for what a force of nature this woman is. I better not see anyone bitching about her on their reviews or I’ll have to defend her with my life. Jess is arguably an unlikeable female character. We know how much this society loves to hate those, imaginary or real. But for me, they are the best kind of female characters. They are allowed to show a range of emotions women in general aren’t allowed to. They are usually angry and bitchy and unapologetic about it. And Jess was all that in the sexiest way possible. The scene where she goes to a party with Manson and kisses him in front of all her ex friends will forever live in my heart. What a legend!
I loved to see her going from reluctant and struggling with what she wanted vs what she knew she should want, to just accepting her feelings and realizing what everyone thought didn’t matter and she just wanted to be happy. It was so beautifully done, Harley Laroux outdid herself with this character. She’s making it into my top favorite female characters of 2022 for sure.
Her relationship with her horrendous mother explained so much about her past behavior. In the end, she was another victim of her circumstances and she did the best she could. This book gave us a lot of backstories and did a fantastic job in explaining why these characters were the way they are.
“It’s beautiful when you suffer for me. When you endure because you know it pleases me. You’re doing well, angel.”
Getting inside Manson’s head was such a rush. I loved how complex he was. All his backstory with his father, and how he tied it up with his desire to inflict pain to his partners was so well done. But Jesus, this man is pure sex. Daddy Manson is always collected and in control, he has the filthiest mouth and he knows how to make you quiver with shame to later on make you fly with his praise. The combination of both was addictive. He was the perfect balance between Dom and caring boyfriend. And his voyeur tendencies made everything ten times better.
“This was how I was going to get myself in trouble. Getting these stupid soft feelings for her. Feeling proud of her. Feeling like I wanted to kiss her every damn time I saw her, or make her laugh, or see her smile. God fucking damn it.”
Lucas was such a delightful surprise for me. There was this unique depth and complex character structure behind his furrowed mask. One of my favorite scenes was the paintball fight between him and Jess. Or when you find out the reason he attacked that jock back in high school was to defend her... His insecurities, the fact that he’s a switch, his begrudgingly vulnerability… Fuck, I have a type and he checks all the boxes. Every time he let his façade slip and showed how much he cared, I would MELT.
“The control I was seeking in self-destruction was something I could find with him. Something I could trust him with.”
Lucas’ relationship with Manson was another of my favorite aspects of this book. Especially their last scene together, and all the little hints at their backstory and how they had supported and loved each other unconditionally for so long. The way he submitted to Manson was so beautiful. His need for punishment and the way Manson made sure he didn’t cross a line, I just loved their dynamic so much.
“I’m going to make you come so many times there won’t be a single thought left in your pretty little head.”
And that’s exactly what he did lol
I found Jason’s confidence and lack of fucks to give so incredibly sexy. His backstory with his conservative parents was so well done and it added so much more to his character. I loved how open and honest he was. His relationship with Vincent was so lovely and domestic, I was utterly obsessed. The scene at the gym and in his room will forever live rent free in my mind.
“Shit, you clench so tight every time I shock you. It feels so fucking good.” He shuddered along with me as he shocked me again, humming with pleasure as if my screams were music to his ears.
Did I go too hard with that quote? I have no chills, I’m practically feral at this point. Bear with me.
Vincent was the glue keeping everyone together and I always love that kind of character. He was funny, charming, a little bit unhinged and sexy as all hell. When he tied Jess to the hood of his car, I needed a whole moment. He better use his hooks and ropes from his room in the next book, that’s all I’m saying.
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At this point in this review, I’m more guttural noises than person. I have no idea how I’m going to survive the wait until the next book. Or how I’ll cope with my life afterwards with no more Losers.
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i dnf-ed this but no amount of holy water is going to save me now. also why the fuck does manson have a mohawk haircut??? my life was sm better before knowing what that was 😭🙏🏻
lila, i should've picked the contemporary one 😭 also if you see the rating change, blame lulu 💘
ps, if you see the consistent 1 star reviews, believe me I'm not that much of a hater, i read this a while ago 💀 -
0.5.)
The Dare ★★★★
"His imperfection made him sacred, his strength made him holy. But the lust he inspired in me made him wicked, and the ease with which he bent me to his will was the closest thing to divinity I could imagine."
friends, i am sad because i wanted to love this so badly. especially because i loved the prequel novella so very much! But please believe that i really do love these characters, and the writing, and i love everything that this author is doing in the book world and i really respect and adore them a lot. sadly, i just didn't love the plot of this one, which i know is a funny thing to say with a book like this, and maybe my rating just has to be with the timing in which i picked this book up. but I really did enjoy a lot about this, and it is a high three star from me that i totally still recommend if you are in the right headspace and interested in the story! also, the found family and polyamory in this is very beautiful and truly some of the best (and most healing + hopeful) in the romance genre.
author content warnings at the start of the book (which i really appreciate):
Subjects include mental illness, trauma, childhood abuse (physical and emotional), body shaming (by a parent to their adult child), parental rejection, bullying, instances of homophobia/biphobia, and discussions of suicide. This book contains graphic sexual scenes, intense sequences of BDSM, graphic violence, and strong language. This book should not be used as a reference or guide for safe BDSM practices. Some activities depicted herein contain significant risk of injury and bodily harm. While all sexual scenes depicted are consensual, some scenes depict consensual non-consent (CNC) roleplaying. Other kinks include erotic degradation and humiliation, bondage, electrostimulation, domestic discipline, impact play, knife play, bodily fluids (including blood), public play, pain play, voyeurism, and pet play. Please be aware that this list is non-exhaustive. If you have any questions pertaining to these warnings, please contact the author, Harley Laroux.
cw/tw i found while reading (i am sure some repeat from the author's):
bullying, infidelity in past mentions, child abuse in past mentions, child abandonment in past mentions, abuse, homophobia (always negative), homophobic parents, mention of outing in past, drinking, drugs, anxiety depiction, ptsd depiction, a lot of trauma depiction - both past and present, loss of a parent mention, sick parent in past mention, panic attacks, blood, fighting, unwanted pictures/videos being shared, mention of murder, unwanted touching, talk of parent monitoring child’s food intake that i think could potentially be triggering, and cutting/self harm in sexual situations (this a hard tw to write, i'm sure the author + other reviews have done a better job than me, but please know something like this is in this book and use caution!)
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➽ 1.)
Her Soul to Take ★★★★★
➽ 2.)
Her Soul for Revenge ★★★ -
🅻🅾🆂🅴🆁🆂: 🅿🅰🆁🆃 1 Continues after 'The Dare' is a full length Reverse Harem book by author Harley Laroux. Spoken in multiple POV's. Back in this sexy world where Manson, Jason, Lucas, Vincent and Jessica reside.
So after coming right off
The Dare I jumped into this, I must enjoy this one because I woke up at 3.am and picked it up to read another chapter.
Even though 'The dare' was vital to their story I kind of wish I hadn't read it because I'm kind of eating my words...I didn't connect with our heroine at all in 'The Dare' but this book gives us more depth into their characters and I understand where she's coming from.
Poor Jess, like why choose one when you can have all four!?! Yes Please!!
This jumps after the previous book in years, (two years, eight months later) after that unforgettable halloween party, Jessica ghosted them. Even though they were out of sight, they were never far from her mind and vice versa.
𝑵𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒅 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.
𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒎. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅; 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕, 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓.
𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆, 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕. - 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏
Now she's moved from Nashville back home to Wickeston temporarily. One night hanging out with her so called friends whose hated for these men go back to highschool leave her stranded on their property alone to face their wrath.
These men concoct a plan when her car needs a whole new motor and with no money to her name these men step in and she becomes their property to do with as they please.
𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒙. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑵𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅. 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 - 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏
These men had come along way since she'd known them, all four live together in a somewhat run down home and build fast cars for competition, for the power and speed hoping to do the house up, flick it off and move away from this small minded town.
This book exceeded all my expectations, I came away not really having a crowd favourite but loving them all, though Mason is an inch in front of the others. I’ve also gotta say that this is one of the best RH books I’ve read! Plus I loved how that wasn’t the sole focus, I enjoyed all their backgrounds, and their connections, the love they share towards each other. I can’t fault this book at all.
So thank you for giving me a solid 5 star read! I can’t wait to dive into the next book!
-
5/5.
this is my bible. -
5⭐️
I loved this! Full review coming — going to do a reread when both audiobooks become available (July 18th) and then produce a thorough review / possibly essay on this series -
i’m a very religious person i pray to manson reed, jason roth, lucas bent & vincent volkov every night… sorry but i cant help that i like my men a little fruity & insane.
4.75 stars -
✧ ↝ 2.5 stars
i haven’t written a review in a while and it’s funny to me that this is going to be my first.
also, disclaimer. i didn’t dislike this book. feel free to
proceed if you loved this book and rated it infinite stars, we’re here at a 2-star rating because i’m harsh asf. 😭
anyway.
i’m looking now and i took more than a month to read this…? it really did not feel that long LMAO hello reading slump.
Losers was certainly enjoyable in some ways, but it was also very silly. the writing was silly, the dialogue was silly (“I’m ready for it,” I said. “You’ll see. You guys aren’t the only ones who want payback.” ??? ), the descriptions of the characters were almost unbearably silly.
which is fine. which could be enjoyable in itself, in some cases, but after very unironically loving The Dare… i expected better.
disclaimer (again), i hadn’t actually read any other Harley LaRoux books besides The Dare, so i had no other previous experience with their full-length romances, and didn’t ~actually~ know what to expect.
it was probably unfair to compare this so harshly to The Dare. i think The Dare is just a different breed.
it’s made different. nothing will ever compare.
the writing was probably the biggest letdown for me as in comparison to The Dare, and even though i—for the most part—ignored it, it made scenes that should’ve been emotional and deeply sincere instead ridiculous and laughable.
the dialogue was especially hard to ignore, and maybe i’m wrong about this, but shouldn’t a book that has little to no other plot be able to contain realistic or, at the very least, passable dialogue?
maybe i shouldn’t be so harsh. trashy romances are not exactly known for their stellar writing. but why can i not have both?
and you know what? i was going to stop comparing the two, but The Dare gave me both. or it very nearly did.
regardless, actually, of whether it did or not, it had Manson. Manson in The Dare was absolutely incomparable, superior, magnificent, unmatched.
here? it’s like he’s the same as the other three boys. when the point of view shifts, i can’t tell who is talking to me through the little pages on my phone.
i firmly stand by the rule that authors should not be writing multiple pov in first person if they cannot use a distinct-enough voice for each character.
Lucas was really the only character out of the four guys who seemed like his own separate character. which, you know, good for him.
this blurring of separate character identities also affected the romance.
the polyamorous aspect was so appealing and seemed to fit so perfectly with the story and even the original set-up from The Dare. it was executed well, for the most part, but i would’ve preferred there to have been more scenes with everybody together and less one-on-one time with Jessica.
because the four guys were so similar, none of their relationships with jessica felt very authentic or distinct from each other. they all had the same thoughts about jessica (except for lucas) and mostly treated her in the same way.
another thing:
i don’t care for jessica.
she worked in The Dare, but here her character development was extremely cliched and lacking any sort of nuance. before, she was unapologetically defiant and rude. here, she is bitchy but simultaneously spineless.
i don’t even care to read a whole book about her, much less one filled with a constant stream of undeserved praise towards her. i got that the boys are head-over-heels for her and can’t let her go. i got that the first time it was mentioned, thank you very much.
now, i’m being so harsh, but this book is as if The Dare was taken and shook up a couple of times and then twisted around a couple of times and stretched out to the power of 3 and punched a couple of times for good measure.
LUCKILY the smut came out the other side unscathed.
not many things did.
one other thing, that didn’t so much come out the other side unscathed but was shaken into the book for better, was the relationships between lucas & manson and jason & vincent.
their admiration and love towards jessica makes no damn sense to me, which makes me laugh a little annoyed laugh at each of their relationships with her, but i can see how they could authentically love each other.
it makes logical sense to me.
also, that ending with lucas and manson fucked me up.
i think that’s all i have to say for now. i need to stop being so critical of literal trashy romance books goddammit.
(but one last thing i miss the other Manson this new washed-out watered-down version of him isn’t doing shit for me; he will be deeply missed)
it probably now seems odd for someone complaining this much to put a disclaimer at the beginning saying “i didn’t dislike this book”. anyways. ignore my shit please. -
THERE IS A MAID OUTFIT GAMING SMUT SCENE?! I DIDNT KNOW HOW BAD I NEEDED THAT TILL I READ IT AND I WILL FOREVER BE CHANGED AND OBSESSED. (Jason is my fave brat)
This is one of my all time favourite books and I would tattoo Manson’s name on my body if it wasn’t weird. Like for real. I really adore Jessica as a character and she is someone i really relate and connect to. She made me feel seen and I would reread this book a million times for that. Plus, the way she used learning about k¡nk as a way to learn about herself and embrace who she wants to be is super important and meaningful.
Now, this book has all, and i mean all, the spicy scenes you could ever want. And if you’ve never read electrostimation, well…you are in for a treat.
Mason, Jason, Lucas, and Vincent are all so amazing. I loved that we didn’t just get to see their relationship with Jessica grow and how they changed from loving her…but we also got to see how their relationships with each other grew (especially Jason and Lucas!!!). This is a god-tier poly romance.
Basically, you need this book in your life.
If you like kinda dark, hella smutty, poly romance? Read this.
(But tbh don’t worry there is a quote in this book i plan to get as a tattoo lol) -
currently wishing i was jess🧍🏾♀️no further questions please
-
Moving home from Nashville, Jessica returns to Wickeston to find the boys she ghosted after high school have become men.
Drawn to one another despite the disparity and underlying anger, when the engine blows in Jess’ car, she takes the opportunity to work out a trade.
I’ll be honest, I was fully expecting a storyline, similar to what we had in The Dare. Losers was just as scorching hot. Actually, that’s a woefully inadequate description. I mean, it’s one of the hottest books I’ve ever read. However, it was so much more than that. There were intense emotions, character insight, and a beguiling plot.
Truthfully, lengthy books don’t usually hold my attention. By a couple hundred pages in, I’m usually ready to throw in the towel. I desperately wish Losers hadn’t come to an end though. I’m enamored with each guy and their unique personality. I have a girl crush on Jess. And I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens with Reagan.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🤍
Heat: 🌶🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 😔🥵🤬🥵🙃
Ending: 🧗🏻♀️ {Cliffy}
POV: 👨🏽🤝👨🏼🧍🏻♂️👫🏻 {Multiple}
🗂 Genre: Contemporary Romance
✨ Tropes: Band of Brothers/Found Family, Debt Payment, Enemies-to-Lovers, Why Choose
🫦 Kinks: ⚔️, Degradation, Dirty Talk, Domination, Bondage/Restraints, Blood Play, Breath Play, Impact Play, Punishment, Orgäsm Denial, Primal, CNC, Ice Play, Electro-Stimulation, Spit, Forced Os, Edging, 🔪 Play
⛔️ Warning: This book may cause blushing, squirming, combusting panties, and/or self-care. It’s definitely NSFW or with a kiddo by your side. In fact, I would highly recommend you read this one after dark to avoid side eye or awkward conversations.
⚠️ Safety Squad: There are some triggering elements. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!
📣 Type: Losers is book one of the Losers duet and ends on a cliffhanger.
🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y. -
i like my men submissive and breedable
-
i confess i'm mostly here bc manson 😌
-
This book very much healed something in me.
I don’t know if it’s just the content itself or Harley Laroux being a fantastic writer.
It’s very much a story about how one has to present themselves in society or how you can make a place for yourself that society deems unworthy.
The “losers”; Manson, Lucas, Vincent and Jason all come from different backgrounds. All of them insanely driven and caring towards each other. I quite literally teared up in the first 30 pages over their interactions because you can just feel the love these guys have.
And then there is Jess. A character you should not like because she was (is) the popular girl and we as a society hate on people who get all the attention.
But she’s so much more. Her character development was already amazingly done and can’t wait for her to fully get adopted into this group.
Anyway, enough of me rambling. If you want to read a book with:
-Amazingly written deep and caring men who are just trying to make a life together
-spicy kink scenes (read the content warning, it’s not for everyone)
-lots of car racing (which i actually really enjoyed)
-not really a dark romance, because although the topics that are discussed are dark, the relationship between everyone is incredibly caring and sweet
-a bisexual poly relationship
-and lots more because you should just read this book🫶
6/5
——————
this healed a part of me that i didn’t know needed healing.
Anyway, review will come when i munched on this -
3.75
Tbh I thought it would be better. The fmc was very bland. The guys were all in love with her even when she bullied them. That doesn’t make sense. The spice was just okay. All I felt was lust and no real connection. But I did enjoy the plot. I was also very invested the whole time.
Random kinks or things in the book⬇️
- Binding and blindfolding
- Knife play
- Licking blood
- They beat her ass with a bat…literally 💀
- Spanking
- Snowballing
- Breaking in / stalking
- Ice cube play ? Ice cubes up the ass
- Hair pulling
- Light stinging slaps on the face
- Facials
- Candle wax play
- Tied to the hood of a car
- Electric shock play
- Pet play
- Spit -
5/5⭐️ 5/5🌶️
Wow I cannot tell you how much I love this book and omg can Harley WRITE 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
First things first yes the spice is INSANE, it’s deliciously smutty, there’s so much spice and it’s not your bog standard scenes this book opened my eyes up to a whole worlddddd of kinks 👀 (and it’s written so damn well)
But that aside this book is actually deeper on so many levels
It covers so many topics I feel people can really relate too-
Being ‘misfits’
The pressure of parents who expect the world of you and you think you’re not good enough
Discovering who you are, and dealing with bias when it doesn’t follow societal norms
Traumatic upbringings
She spends the time developing the characters and the story without rushing it, it’s dark, it’s spicy, but it’s also heart warming and exciting and fun 🥰
The FOUND FAMILY IN THIS ❤️🫶🏽 was everything I was literally tearing up by very last few chapters seeing them all together and finally giving in to this pull they’ve all had since high school
Jess’ character development too throughout this book was perfect, I was nervous by the last third of the book she was gonna fuck it up lol but I was so proud of her
This book was just everything and I can’t wait to read the second one but I’m gonna save it I’m not ready to let go of them just yet haha
P.s. Manson and Lucas are just everythinggggg I love them
and I don’t know what it is about boys in books with their classic cars and workshops but I. Eat. It. Up. 🏎️ -
![Namera [The Literary Invertebrate]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1647896333i/31792110._UX200_CR0,96,200,200_.jpg)
⤅ Wow, this book was SOMETHING ELSE.
A while back I read Harley Laroux's short story about Jessica, a former cheerleader and prom queen who's reunited on Halloween with her onetime victim, Manson. They have a tangled history - she bullied him in school, though he didn't exactly lie down and take it - and he sees the opportunity to take his revenge on her by daring her to do whatever he wants... for the whole night.
That story ended after the one night, and I'd pretty much resigned myself to not holding my breath for a sequel. So imagine my joy when I saw that not only has Laroux followed up, she's turned the story of Jess and Manson into a full-scale RH, with the addition of Jason, Lucas, and Vincent. I don't remember them from the original novella, but they've now appeared as fellow former victims of Jess who are all too keen to get their revenge.
You may be surprised to hear that despite the setup, it really doesn't feel too dark at all. There's a sense of dubcon overlaying the characters' interactions - Jess here winds up in a relationship with them in exchange for them fixing her car - but it's just enough to lend spice to the book, rather than pushing it over the line into being a dark romance. I really liked how Laroux held it here, trapping Jess with guys who are simultaneously mean and vengeful but also sweet and devoted to her.
The writing is superb, the characters are well-developed, and the sex scenes are scorching. I've definitely learnt a couple new words...
Also, I've mentioned before that I'm not too keen on M/M if I feel that it detracts from the heroine, but I think it's handled well here; it's quite clear that Jess means something special to all the boys even when they have personal relationships with each other. (Also, Manson is just with Jason and Lucas is just with Vincent, so it's not quite as messy as it could've been).
Can't wait for the sequel.
-
**4.5 Stars**
I couldn’t wait to be back with Jess and her 4 guys. They left an immediate impression on me while reading The Dare.
Losers is more than two years later when the reader is back with them.
Manson, Lucas, Jason and Vincent are such a close knit group. They’re a family, trust one another and love each other. They don’t care what society thinks of them and how they live their lives. They’re secure in their sexuality.
It’s the opposite for Jess. She has her friends and is still the popular girl after she returns home. Still what’s lurking deep inside her is her fantasies and that Halloween night she shared with Manson and the guys. She can’t forget and neither can they.
Losers is a fantastic Polyamorous story and the sex was amazing. Wow. Laroux never disappoints in that department. Whether it was Jess with the guys or just the guys together it was so good and intense. As much as I enjoyed the sex cause I sure did it was the deeper look into the characters individually that had me invested. I was intrigued by these 4 guys and how they found one another and their backstory. I wasn’t disappointed! There’s so many layers to them and Jess played a role in slowly peeling them off of them one by one.
I enjoyed Jess with guys but Manson and his Pup did something to me. Such a fascinating and loving relationship these two guys have.
Losers Part 1 ended with me wanting more. So much more. Phew🥵
4.5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
*I received an ARC for a honest review* -
After basically reading this twice, for science. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Ahem.
Anyhoozle, after reading it twice it hit me why I like this story/these characters so much: it's reverse harem Sixteen Candles!
Popular girl (Jessica) who's untouchable in high school, cheerleader, prom queen, impossible to cut up somehow, someway (after high school) ends up hooking up with this squad of outcasts who've all, to varying degrees, been mooning over her since forever but never in a MILLION years thought they had a shot.
They do. Several shots, if you will.
It's a joy to read. Granted, it's smutty and kinky AF but at it's heart it's heartwarming to see them all realize that against all odds, they work.
I would highly recommend reading
The Dare before reading this and I would also recommend reading the content warnings. Undoubtedly, I forgot some of the kinks they explore. -
4.5⭐️ 5🌶
Cause what’s better than one male love interest…. FOUR MALE LOVE INTERESTS!!!
Please check tw for this book, it is very very kinky and totally not everyone’s vibe! I freaking loved this book!!! So many people told me how spicy this is and I was like “yah okay” , omg they were right!!! THE SPICE IN THIS BOOK DID NOT COME TO PLAY!!
So this basically takes place 3 years after the dare, which is a prequel to this series. Jessica is back in town and the boys basically haven’t been able to get over her, and everything from there in terms of character development, povs, the writing, THE SPICE. Was just so freaking good!!
If you want really kinky spice this is for you!!!!!
Also ps, sorry this took me a minute to review. I’m in a funk 🤣 -
*Thank you to the author for an ARC of this title.*
Harley Laroux packs a big emotional punch with Losers: Part 1. I was not prepared for the feels that this evoked in me and it wasn't just the tingly kind. I felt so deeply for all of these characters and Laroux brings her A-game to this romance.
So.. I'm kind of at a loss for how to review this one. This book is outside my normal comfort zone, and not for the steamy content. I tend to shy away from books with more than 3 love interests, as I find that characters tend to get left behind in the narrative and only brought forward when their body parts are necessary for a steamy group scene. That is far from the case here.
I also am not usually a fan when an author decides to break up a story to release in multiple parts. As I was already signed up to read this book, I decided to just keep going and see what was going to happen. I am pleased to say that I felt every emotional hit and I know each of these characters as an individual and their relationships are deep and real to me. That's not to say I know everything yet, there is definitely still more to go, but I look forward to learning more nuance and watching them fall deeper in love.
I never thought that there would be more to these characters after the Dare, and I am so pleased to see what the author had planned. I love how she can take some pretty intense k!nk and make it emotional and beautiful. Because any true lover of these themes knows that the more degrading a steamy situation might get, the more trust and devotion that needs to be present. And while the Dare had some pretty intense things happen.. it was just the beginning, just the tip (bad pun, i know) of what these characters are capable of.
I don't know if I've convinced anyone to read this, you probably already have an idea based on the tropes if you'll be into it or not. I would also add that though the category for this maybe RH or "why choose", this is one of the truest representations of an equal polyamourous relationship I have read in a long time. I feel the love, devotion, connection, and romance between everyone... It hits in different ways but no 2 relationships are the same and that's what I am always looking for and often missing when I attempt them.
So yeah, the bargain Jessica enters into with Manson, Lucas, Jason, and Vincent may seem like a punishment or payback, but that is just the surface reason... I can't wait to see what it brings them in the next part.
5 stars
4.5 on the spice scale
TW/CW: intense BDSM situations, CNC, MF, MM, and group scenes, toys, spanking, edging, degradation, and more. -
hi keep scrolling, im just horny ✋🏽✋🏽
-
I’ve been trying to think of the right words to use in my review but I realized no word in the english vocabulary could explain how in love I am with these characters and their world.
-
This was more fun than I thought it would be.
As with every why choose book i was cringing a lot ngl🙃
Jess is a girl that used to bully these 4 boys in high school. She used them and made them miserable.
But now years later she is back in town and they can’t help but be drown to each other. Especially after that party in the Dare.
Some shit happens and they make a deal to help her if she becomes their fucktoy for a while. All is cool and spicy but ofc they all caught feelings.
Their dialogues were stupid af sometimes but i���m not here for the plot.
It ends on a somewhat cliffhanger so I can’t wait to read part 2.
