The ‘Madison Kate’ series by Tate James has been on my tbr for some time now. I didn’t know if I was going to ever read it, but it had always been in the back of my mind. Recently after joining TikTok my need to read this series so I did it. I love that it’s on KU – it makes reading these series so much easier and I can do it. And after reading it, I thought I should share my thoughts with you all. 

Just a quick preface, this series does include a reverse harem, dark themes and is 18+. The ‘Madison Kate’ series follows Madison after she is set up and charged with a string of offences and made an example of by her father. Now she is back in town and wants revenge. But what she doesn’t expect when she arrives back is Archer D’Ath and his merry men to be living right down the hall. There is a thin line between hate and love – and many lines are crossed in this series. 

WARNING – There will be small spoilers from each book in this discussion. I’ve tried not to spoil too much, but there might be some here and there. 

Hate: The first book in the series is an interesting one. A lot is going on and the reader is thrown into the thick of it. I actually liked it that way. I think it’s a great way to start not only a book but a series. It’s not only engaging but demands the reader to keep on reading the book. Hate starts off the night that kicks of everything. It’s intense, will keep you on the edge of your seat and you won’t be able to put it down. You know what is going to happen but you don’t know how and when. And then it does. 

When Madison Kate returns she is out for revenge. But she is in for one hell of a surprise. Archer D’Ath and his boys and her new housemates. What starts as revenge turns into something more and MK doesn’t know what to feel. 

MK is a very interesting protagonist throughout the whole series. She isn’t easy to like – but that made me like her even more. I really enjoyed that she wasn’t likeable, it added another dimension to this book and the series. She isn’t nice, she doesn’t want to be nice and she does not care what people think. That makes for a protagonist that is sharp-tongued, smart and knows what she wants. 

The romance is very interesting. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a romance here in the first one yet. While it does become that in the rest of this series. There is still a lot of hate going on in this book, which stops all of them from having feelings.  I enjoyed the tension between all of them. MK and Archer have the most hatred between one another. But that doesn’t stop her from having feelings for him. Or having any feelings for Kody or Steel. 

Archer is a dick – but I still really enjoyed getting to know him. Kody is crazy and I loved it. He was the first of the men that I was able to connect with. And then there is Steel, who I think just needs a big hug and someone to hold him tight. I feel like the men didn’t have massive arcs in this book.

I did find the pacing a little strange for the first half of this book. However, I can’t exactly pick up what I didn’t like about it, however towards the end it really picked up and I couldn’t put the book down. 

Overall, this is a fantastic start to the series and I’m taken aback by how much I did enjoy it. It has elements that I enjoy reading from other books – so it shouldn’t have been a surprise. 

Liar: After the previous book’s ending, I just right into Liar – and let me tell you it was a ride. I think this is my favourite of the four books. It’s that great combo of being intense and full of high stakes, while also having those quiet moments that you love in a romance. 

Liar pretty much starts from the ending of the first book. So the reader is thrown back into the world of MK and her men. At the moment a lot of what is going on between them is full of hate and dislike. This drives each of them to do some questionable things. 

Along with all of this, MK’s stalker is now becoming much more dangerous. You have no idea what is going to happen next and that is what makes this book so intense. I have said this before, and I still stand by it. I don’t mind when I can guess a few things that might happen in a novel here and there. Especially in regards to a mystery. I think that makes for good writing. The author has left enough crumbs for you to figure out what is going on. And I think that is what happens here. I was able to guess a few things – but then other things were thrown at me. And I loved that. 

The romance in this one is very interesting. You can see that all the boys care for MK and she cares for them. But they don’t nearly let themselves see it. There were so many times throughout this book that I wanted to just scream at them all. In saying this we do get some moments here and I loved it so damn much. 

I also feel like we get to see more of Archer, Steele and Kody throughout Liar. They get to really become their own people here. They start to form a great character arc that goes through this book and the whole series. The reader also gets to see the men a little vulnerable here. Their walls start to break down just a little and they let MK in. 

The ending on this one was intense! It was so intense that I had to put the book down just to wrap my head around what was happening. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It’s full of high stakes, the romance is intensified and I couldn’t put it down. 

Photo by Nikola Jovanovic on Unsplash

Fake: I was not prepared for this book. I was not ready to be hurt. I was not ready for the pain. But also some of the confusion. I didn’t particularly like the way that this one started. It just felt like we lost something as a reader because of the time jump and what happened in it. Because of this, I felt very disconnected at the start. It took me a little while to get back into the story. But once that I did get into it, I wasn’t able to put it down. 

This whole series has kept me engaged from the start. I managed to read the whole series in about a week because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. And this one especially kept me on the edge of my seat. There was just so much tension not only between characters but because of the plot as well.

MK is having a really hard time in this book. She feels alone, disappointed and betrayed. She trusted Archer and the boys and now she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Because of this, she puts her trust in some old and new faces – and things aren’t exactly how they seem. 

Things are also starting to heat up in regards to MK and her stalker in this one. Things are getting out of hard. And while she knows that she can’t trust Archer, Kody and Steel. She does know that they will protect her. She is feeling helpless and she doesn’t like that at all.

I think we really get to see another side of not MK, but her men as well. MK starts to become not just physically but mentally stronger – and with what is coming she has to. The reader can see Archer, Kody and Steele vulnerable side. Which isn’t something they want anyone to see. 

The romance in this one has its many ups and downs. After we find out the big news at the end of book three, there is a lot of hate going on between MK and the boys. There is also a lot of hurt in this one. But slowly as the novel goes on and the stakes get higher MK walls to start to break again. And she can’t help but let her men back in. 

Overall, this was a great third novel in the series. The stakes are becoming even higher, the romance is heating up and MK is even more dangerous than before. But she not only has Archer, Kody and Steel by her side, but a few others that she didn’t know she would have. 

Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash

Kate: I know I said it before but the intensity of this series is insane. I had to jump on the last book right away because I needed to know what on earth was going to happen next. If you thought the other books in the series had high stakes, then you are not prepared for this one. Everything we know has been leading up to this book and it didn’t disappoint. It’s high paced, intense and exactly what I wanted it to be. 

Following the events from previous books, MK just wants everything to end. She has been stabbed, tormented, stalked and everything in between. She wants to move on, she wants freedom. And she wants her men. This is the book where we finally get to see them all let down their walls and let each other in. 

As I said before, there were a few things that I already guessed in the previous books in the series. But there were a few surprises in Kate. I loved that I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen next, it made for a more intense and entertaining read. 

The romance absolutely intensifies in this one. MK finally lets her walls down full and lets all her men in. She knows that they would do anything for her, especially love her. Archer was the most stubborn of the lot, but that is what makes their relationship much more interesting. It was fantastic. Both Kody and Steel were sweet and charming, but you never wanted to mess with them. You know from the start that they would do anything for MK. It was just great to see them all work together, try and figure everything out. 

I haven’t really talked about this much, but I did want to make a quick mention of it. The writing style of Tate James is very easy to read. It just flows nicely, and I was never really stumped by anything. Sometimes I did feel that the pacing was a little off here and there, but it wasn’t a major deal. These are long books, and if you don’t like long romance books these aren’t for you. But I really did enjoy it. 

Overall, this was a great ending to the series and a great pathway to the Hades series. MK was such a fantastic protagonist. She isn’t easy to love, but that is what makes her so interesting and addicting. Archer, Kody and Steel are rough and tough, but they protect their women with everything they have. 

Photo by Sophie Keen on Unsplash

Overall, I had a blast reading the Madison Kate series. It’s not going to be for everyone. It’s dark and rough and it has a reverse harem. But it was so enjoyable. And now not only do I want the physical books of this series, but I can’t wait to start more from Tate James. I’m waiting till the Hades series is finished before I pick it up. But does anyone have an idea of what I should read next?  

Have you read this series before? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read many darker romances before? Let’s Chat!