Review ~ Very Wicked Things by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Title: Very Wicked Things
Author: Ilsa Madden-Mills
Series: Briarcrest Academy #2

Genre: NA Contemporary

Published: May 13th 2014

Born on the poor side of town...

Ballerina Dovey Beckham is a scholarship student at Briarcrest Academy, determined to prove she’s more than just a girl with the wrong pedigree. She does whatever it takes to succeed in her endgame, even if it means surrendering her body…but never her heart.

Until the day she meets him, and he rips apart all her well-laid plans. Suddenly, the girl everyone thought unbreakable might just shatter.

Born into wealth and privilege...

Cuba “Hollywood” Hudson is rich, spoiled, and a star football player. With his fast cars and superficial girlfriends, he lives the high-life, hiding his secrets from the world.

Until the day he meets her, and she offers him something he’s never tasted... love.

But once in a lifetime kind of love doesn’t come easy. When trust crumbles and doubts creep in, both will have to decide to either love or let go... forever.

Welcome to Briarcrest Academy, where sometimes, only the wicked survive.

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I loved Cuba when I met him in the first book so I was excited to see that he had his own stories. I read the Novella, Very Wicked Beginnings and I knew I wanted more, so I dove straight into this one. I wasn't disappointed at all! Cuba really is a sweetie, but hides it behind his strong personality and swims in guilt. Learning his secrets really is heartbreaking and makes you love him more.


Dovey has had her share of heartache too. She grew up knowing things children shouldn't know. She witnessed abuse, prostitution and murder. But she always had plans to get out of Ratcliffe and to make something of herself. She managed to get a scholarship at Briarcrest Academy and looked set to meet her dreams. A year after first meeting Cuba, and avoiding him, he suddenly pays attention again and she is not sure her heart can take it again. When she realises that Sarah her guardian owes money to the wrong people, she stoops to some serious lows to save the people she loves and it broke me to see what she did.

I enjoyed watching Dovey and Cuba's stories unfold. They are slightly damaged people and carry a lot of guilt for things that are out of their control. They punish themselves and will do anything for the people they care about. The road back to one another is a rocky one and they have to deal with a lot do issues, but in the end I loved how they were able to trust each other again.

It was exciting to see some of the familiar characters from the first book too. I had small glimpses of Leo and Nora, and also a bit of Sebastian in this book too. I am excited to see that he gets his own book next, as there was unfinished business for him in this book. I also like Spider... He was a bit of a jerk to Dovey, but in the end stepped up to support her. I am excited to continue this series, that's for sure!!

Complimentary copy provided by the Publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very Wicked Beginnings is currently free on Amazon

Other reviews featuring Ilsa Madden-Mills

Briarcrest Academy
Very Bad Things #1
Very Wicked Beginnings #1.5