Review ~ Bad Reputation (Bad Reputation #1) by K.B. Nelson

ebook received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: June 11th 2015

Publisher: Self-published

Description:
She knows better. She just doesn’t care. 

Apple Malloy is a woman scorned. Scorned by a society that has shamed her, and scorned by the men who have claimed her. On the verge of college graduation, Apple finds herself entangled in one last game of manipulation, deceit and sexual corruption with her former lover, and constant enabler, Brick Valmont.

Apple sets her sights on Jensen Moon—the enigmatic professor who had failed her the semester prior—and vows revenge. She’ll make him fall in love with her, and then break his heart, leaving his reputation destroyed in the process. 

Brick makes her a wager she can’t refuse.

If Apple can seduce Jensen before Brick can sleep with Tyra Young, the beautiful, innocent daughter of a sitting U.S. Senator, then she will emerge victorious. If she wins, she gets the satisfaction that she has beaten him at his own game. If she loses, she must sleep with Brick one last time before heading separate ways.

Apple is a pro at this. She knows how to maneuver men and wrap them around her finger. She knows how to get what she wants, but Jensen tosses an unexpected grenade into her path to victory. Soon, she realizes it is she that might face the worst fate of all.

She falls in love.

Jensen has a power over Apple and it terrifies her. He can make her feel things. He can make her heart race. He might be the only one capable of saving her soul before it’s too late. But one thing is certain—nobody escapes unscathed in this titillating story of manipulation where nothing is as it appears.

Bad Reputation is the first book in the Bad Reputation series, and is loosely based on the 1782 classic novel, Dangerous Liaisons.

My Opinion

I'm having a tough time coming up with how I feel about this book. Therefore I'm going to do this review a little differently to normal. Instead of writing long-winded, jumbled explanations that don't make sense because I don't know where my thoughts are at, I'm going to do a list format.

So ...

The positives:
- It's short and easy to read.
- It's a quick read.
- The characters are twisted and messed up, especially Brick. It made the situations interesting.
- The concept wasn't one I've come across before. It wasn't a feel-good romance, but had a more vindictive quality. Strangely, it worked.
- There was growth with Apple. I believed her emotions and the way her heart changed.

And ...

The negatives.
- I found it hard to connect with the characters because of their twisted and cold-hearted personalities.
- Apple isn't a character I rooted for. She came across as a bitch and I never liked her, even at the end.
- The back story didn't seem to justify Apple's actions for me. It seemed a little extreme.
- The first 50% was slow and didn't engage me. Thankfully it picked up when Jensen starts talking more.
- It didn't draw any emotions from me.


Overall, this read has split my opinion. I didn't like the first half, but the second half grew on me. Although, it didn't draw many emotions from me, it was still a quick, easy read.

2.5