VICIOUS – L. J. SHEN

**Spoilers Ahead, Read On With Caution**

VICIOUS was one of the books I was most excited about reading after the ALL SAINT HIGH series, as I was intrigued about Vicious and Emilia, Vaughn’s parents, after getting to see snippets of them in ANGRY GOD. I wanted to get a better understanding of who it is who raised and loved Vaughn. And now, having read VICIOUS and soon to be the least of the HotHoles books, it makes me feel like I might need to reread the ASH books to have a proper full circle moment. 

“I used to think of you as a villain, but you’re not my villain. You’re your own villain.” 

Baron ‘Vicious’ Spencer is rude to Emilia LeBlanc from the absolute get-go when they first meet senior year. Vicious is a rich hothole (hot arsehole) and Emilia is the new girl in school with a sweet smile and southern charm. She’s artistic and friendly to all, even Vicious. From what we learn about Vicious in DEFY, is that he’s ruthless, loyal and protective of his friends. Enjoys a fight, but like a joint and side action too. While Emilia is just happy painting with her oils, seeing her sister, Rosie, laugh and having her senior year out with one of the hotholes pursuing her, and not the one she wants. While Emilia is dating Dean, Vicious is lurking making everything a nightmare. 

“Lust is when you want the person to make you feel good. Love is when you want to make the other person feel good.”

Something I appreciated about this book was that it still gave us a past and present for Emilia and Vicious. We got chapters that were back when they were in High School, and got to see how the backlash hits them in the future. We got to see them as two twisted kids, and how it translated to adulthood. 

One thing I will say that these boys (from both series’ apparently, because they took after their fathers) is that calling someone yours when you’re nothing but mean or abrupt with them, doesn’t win you points. Doesn’t even get you in the game properly. You cannot be the protective bear to someone you openly state to hate. When you’re mean, no girl is going to assume you really secretly want her, when all you’ve done is belittle and mock her. You’ll lose epically. 

I liked Vicious, I thought he was clearly the personality that carried the book. He has so many layers, and really enjoyed as a reader being allowed to sneak past all of them and watch him realise he’d been in love for a decade. 

I’d love to get to see a novella one day of them as parents with baby Vaughn tottling around. But what do I know? Maybe we get to see that at some other point in the series, I’m gunna find out, that’s for sure.

“You were always mine. -Black”