Sharon’s review ~ The Wickedest Ones by K.C. Everly

The Wickedest Ones by K.C. Everly
on September 7, 2023
Genres: Enemies to Lovers, Redemption romance, Small Town & Rural
Pages: 389
Format: eBook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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When a bad girl tries to go good…

Home is where they never let you forget who you were. And me? I was the wicked witch of Clear Lake. But that was ten years ago, and today is a new chapter.

When my life spirals unexpectedly, I have no choice but to return to the small town where I grew up. I’m not exactly greeted with open arms, but I’m not back to make friends, anyway.

With no place to call my own, no job to rely on, and a bank account that's seen better days, I'm left with one mission: endure six weeks with my even wickeder mother until I can access my trust fund. Simple, right?

But just when I think I’ve hit rock bottom, fate delivers the ultimate punchline. I find myself stranded and needing help from a town filled with people who don’t want to give it.

Then he enters the scene—Reed Watkins, the quiet, introverted boy from my past who’s transformed into a man I couldn’t plan for. I never thought I'd need his help, but life has a funny way of surprising you. Reed becomes my ally on the path to redemption.

But I’m a girl with a reputation—the villain in everyone’s story. Girls like me? We don’t get fairy tale endings. But Reed’s the plot twist I never saw coming, and with his help, I wonder if I can rewrite my story.

The Wickedest Ones was an emotional, well written, character driven story and I truly enjoyed it. ~ Sharon – Simply Love Books

 

I’m not a lover of bully redemption romances, but after loving the first book in this series I decided to give The Wickedest Ones a try and I’m glad I did.  Vivian grew up in Clear Lake and ran with the “cool kids” who bullied their way through school, after quitting her job (for a good reason) and finding her boyfriend cheating in flagrante delicto with the upstairs neighbor she returns back to town and forced to live with her narcissistic mother. Broke and unemployed she finds that coming home isn’t so easy for the mean girl she used to be, but when Missy a girl she used to torment accepts her apology and offers her a job and Ezra a boy she once saved in elementary school but went on to bully in high school rescues her by the side of the road and realizes there’s more to Vivian than meets the eye, Vivian realizes that maybe she can atone for her past.

Vivian was a complex character and while I don’t condone the way she treated people, I also understood it came from a place of hurt and I truly believed she wanted to be a better person and was sorry for the way she treated others. Something she learned given the changes in her body over the last few years. I grew to like Vivian and cheered her on as she offered up apologies and made friends with more and more of the people she once tormented. I also hated the way her mother treated her and made her feel about herself but felt proud when she stood up to her.

Ezra was such a surprise, a quiet, shy boy and teen, he still prefers to be alone most of the time and while he has no intention of giving Vivian the time of day, he soon finds he wants to help her. As an author, Ezra has a great command of language yet Vivian leaves him tongue tied and unsettled until they move into a physical relationship and then Ezra shows her just how verbal and physical he can be.

These two seemed like complete opposites, yet they complemented each other well. Vivian pulling Ezra out of his shell and getting him to socialize more and Ezra showing Vivian she deserved to be treated better by the people in her life and to find a job she was passionate about.

I absolutely LOVED the Facetime calls with all the boys (and Jamie) throughout this book and I cannot wait for the next two books in this series.

The Wickedest Ones was an emotional, well written, character driven story and I truly enjoyed it.