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Book Review: Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

Home Book ReviewsBook Review: Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

Book Review: Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

January 6, 2015 Posted by angelreads Book Reviews No Comments

bad romeo hi res (2)Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven

Pages:416
Publish date: January 1st 2015
Publisher: Pan Macmillan (Australia)
ISBN: 1743531605
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Cassie Taylor was just another good girl acting student. Ethan Holt was the bad boy on campus. Then one fated casting choice for Romeo and Juliet changed it all. Like the characters they were playing onstage, Cassie and Ethan’s epic romance seemed destined. Until it ended in tragedy when he shattered her heart.

Now they’ve made it to Broadway where they’re reunited as romantic leads once again – and their passionate scenes force them to confront the heartbreaking lows and pulse-pounding highs of their intense college affair. For Ethan, losing Cassie was his biggest regret-and he’s determined to redeem himself. But for Cassie, even though Ethan was her first and only great love, he hurt her too much to ever be trusted again. The trouble is, when it comes to love, sometimes it’s the things that aren’t good for us that are the most irresistible.

Bad Romeo:

I received a copy of Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven from Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts on the book in any way.

I normally don’t read too much New Adult but as soon I read the synopsis of Bad Romeo I needed it. It sounded intriguing and pulled me to the core and I wasn’t wrong.

Just a warning Bad Romeo isn’t really for anyone under the age of 17ish.

I utterly enjoyed reading Bad Romeo, the Characters, the story line, the writing all so amazing. Bad Romeo is a hate to love each other, can’t stay away, love you no matter how dysfunctional and painful love story. But that is what makes it such an exciting read.

Cassie Taylor is an interesting character she is the sweet, timid good girl who is new to the acting school scenery. Ethan Holt the resident bad boy brings out what you could say, a very different side to her however they do bring out the best in each other, but their love is tainted.

“I love you,” he murmurs as he rests his head on my shoulder. “I love you so much. Don’t leave me.”

Bad Romeo goes from present to past, so the reader is able to see what really happened between the pair. I really relished that the reader is able to read about what occurred in the past and comprehend why Cassie is the way she is and how upset she is because of what Ethan did.

Cassie is extremely hurt by Ethan and still carries on the burden of how much he hurt her. She gave Ethan something she could not give back and he burnt her to the ground. Cassie tried to be strong and not let what he did tear her down but when he comes back into her life she just cannot help it.

I feel sorry for Cassie she still loves Ethan after all this time and still after what he did she doesn’t want to admit it but the reader is clearly able to perceive it.

Ethan on the other hand, what can I say about Ethan Holt, he is the bad boy and nothing can change that. He hurt Cassie and even though he feels awful about it he is still very untrustworthy.

I story line was very intriguing and I cannot wait to read more. But I did feel like it wasn’t as original as it could have been. I guess you could say it was predictable and you could have déjà vu with other books. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t good in any way because it was absolutely it just similar to other novels none in particular but you understand me.

“Cassie, I felt like a ghost while I was away from you. I was. Now, I want to feel real again.”

I loved Leisa Rayven writing style, it was drawing and intriguing. The emotions of her characters were true and raw which made Bad Romeo even more pulling then it already was. Leisa Rayven writing makes the reader feel all sorts of emotions; anger, sadness, happiness everything.

I loved reading Bad Romeo and cannot wait to read more from Rayven and more from Cassie and Ethan.

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📚15/150

I have a love-hate relationship with this series. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. But I ended up really enjoying this one. It’s best friends to fake dating to-lovers. It’s always been you, bad-boy/good-girl, and I loved that. While Save Your Breath has quite a few tropes, it really leads itself to it, and it works. 

Aleks and Mia have known each other for years now. Since they were teenagers, that angst has been building up this whole time. And you can tell right from the get-go, it’s fantastic. I even wanted more of it, because I love pain. When Aleks went to live with Mia’s family as a teenager, sparks flew, but for many reasons, they both put their feelings aside. And well, now they are not only going to be fake-dating, but they might as well be engaged, too. 

I really enjoyed seeing how both Aleks and Mia both tried to hide how they were feeling throughout the whole ‘fake-dating’ situation, but anyone could see it. They know each other as no one else does. Aleks has a lot going on, and while I do think this was brushed over a little too much, Mia is his centre. Mia is a massive music star and is a female in the industry, so yeah, people don’t respect her. Obvsiouly because why couldn’t a female star be badass and write about the things that she has gone through? Aleks and Mia get each other, and that is very clear from the start; they are both just trying to squash everything. We get to see them slowly start to show how they feel, and well, one night it all explodes. 

Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot; it’s not my favourite of the series, but I had a great time reading it. I liked Aleks and Mia a lot as characeters and while I think the mental health aspect could have been explored a whole lot more, I can see why it wasn’t. The romance was slow and spicy, the angst was great, and the payoff for these two was what they needed. 

Tropes
🏒Sports/Hockey Romance
🎤Fake Dating/Engagement
🏒Childhood Friends to Lovers
🎤Forced Proximity
🏒Athlete x Pop Star 
🎤Angsty Slow Burn 

Content Warnings
Mental Health Struggles 
Suicide Intention 
Family Deaths 
Alcohol Consumption
Violence on Ice

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #bookreview
Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I onl Well February wasn’t the best reading month. I only ended up reading 3 books in. 3 pretty fun books but one of my slowest readings months in a while. 

And I’m going to be honest here it’s because I’ve been constantly reading Heated Rivalry fanfics. 🤷‍♀️ I’m having the best time though. 

How was your reading in February? Any 5  star reads? 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #februarywrapup
January was a really solid reading month. I read s January was a really solid reading month. I read some books that had been on my tbr for some time, reread a few things that peaked my interest. I also started a few new series. And just had a good time!

I just had a really good start to the year. While February is a little slow so far I’m looking forward to what I can pick up.

What did you read in January? Any 5-star reads? Let’s chat! 

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #januarywrapup
Can you believe that it’s already February? I know Can you believe that it’s already February? I know I can’t. But that means it’s a new month with more releases coming out! And that makes me excited. Some fantastic titles releasing this month and I cannot wait to read them. 📚

A couple of these are on my TBR already and some have just caught my eye and that makes me super excited to pick them up. 🖤

What are you looking forward to reading this month? Let’s chat! ✨

🏷️ 
#romancebooks #bookstagram  #angelreads #spicybooks #Februaryreleases2026
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