I was introduced to Mary Martel and her Ariel Kimber series in a FB group I am a part of. I am always on the lookout for a good reverse harem story, so when this went on sale for 99 cents, I grabbed it!
Ariel Kimber has had a crappy life thanks to her abusive mother. When Ariel's mom moves them in with her new, wealthy boyfriend, Ariel is forced into a new school. The students are horrible to her. Then she starts having strange interactions with her new neighbors.
I really liked Tyson, Addison, and Abel. These are the 3 guys she spends the most time with and that we, as the reader, get to know the best. These 3 are Ariel's age and go to school with her. They also happen to have magical powers, and, as it turns out, so does Ariel. She is not really sure what the hell is going on and it was the most I have agreed with a character in a long time!! So often the heroine just sort of accepts the weirdness while I am like "WTF?!?!". So, I was glad to see Ariel not embrace everything right away.
I am also not sure about her harem. Tyson, Addison, and Abel are okay for the most part. A bit...much at times, but overall okay. However, Quinton, Damien and Dash are straight up not okay. They are rude, bossy, and Quinton is so inappropriate with Ariel. We only get a small amount of interaction with Julian, but his actions at the end of the book were good and I started to warm up to him a bit.
Now, I will say this book kept me up so late I only got a few hours of sleep before I had to go to work! Between Ariel's crazy mom, the weird relationship with Mr. Hale (mom's boyfriend who is very kind to Ariel), the overwhelming behavior of the guys, and the magic....the story has a LOT going for it! I am hoping that as the story continues, I will be more accepting of some of the heroes. Thankfully, this is a slow burn harem since Ariel is still in high school. Her hesitance and the slow building of the romance makes me more willing to give the guys a chance.
The end felt VERY abrupt to me! I am glad book 2 is already out because I was sure my kindle was broken or something. There is no way it could just....end like that!?
- POV: 1st (Ariel)
- Tears: no
- Trope: high school, reverse harem, witches
- Triggers: Ariel's mother physically abuses her
- Series/Standalone: series
- Cliffhanger: yes
- HEA: unknown....at the end of the book things are very unsettled!
The Ghost Bird Series, the Veil Diaries series...then you will probably like Brothers of the Flame!
See full review on The Book Disciple