Lionheart Academy Book 1: Betting You by T. Ashleigh

Lionheart Academy Book 1

Hudson:

I don't have repeats, I don’t do feelings, and I definitely don’t make commitments.

If you come to me expecting your knight in shining armor, be prepared for disappointment.

It’s my senior year, and I want to enjoy my last bit of freedom before following the path my father has mapped out for me.

Well, that was the plan until Ryan showed up and ruined everything.

Fun.

That's all it was supposed to be, a game—just a way to mess with the new kid.

Except, what started as a game quickly turned into me catching feelings.

And what’s worse, he may never forgive me once he finds out.

Ryan:

This year has been chock-full of bad moments and even worse decisions.

The first was when my mom told me she was getting married again.

The second was being shipped off to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere.

The third was thinking I could trust the fuckboys of Lionheart Academy.

But the worst of them all was the fourth.

I should have known better. I should have listened to my gut.

Rich boys don’t have hearts.

And Hudson Reginn is no exception.

*Betting You is the first book in The Lionheart Academy series. It's a full length, new adult high school novel with material that may be difficult for some readers. It’s recommended for 18+ due to language and sexual situations. Please read trigger warnings before proceeding.*

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122873835-betting-you

********

My Review: 5/5 Stars

Let's be real. Nothing but chaos can come out of the bet trope. You know the person the bet is about is gonna find out and you know the other person is gonna fall hard. So why read this knowing how things will play out? Well, truth is you don't actually know just how everything goes down anyway. Which is why I always find myself picking the book up.  There are plenty of twists and turns to get you there, and this story had me hooked. First off, Hudson and Ryan are awesome characters. Immediately loved them and I couldn't wait to see how Ryan would be the one to make Mr. One Night Stand fall in love. So this book starts with Ryan being told by his mom that she fell in love again but this time it is different and she is gonna marry the guy. And unfortunately for Ryan that means he has to attend boarding school with the guy's son, Greg. Who doesn't exactly like him much. And though Greg has his own issues, he pushes his very loyal friends, and specifically Hudson, to do something kinda bad. Mess with Ryan. Make Ryan fall for Hudson and then break his heart. He may not be able to get back at his dad, but Ryan is his next target. His friends aren't good with this plan, including Hudson, but to help his best friend he caves. And immediately knows it was a mistake. Because the second he tries to get to know Ryan, he knows he is in trouble. They met for a moment before knowing one another and the sparks were definitely there. But now, they actually get to know one and it's game over when it comes to feelings. But Hudson has no idea how to come clean to either of them. To Ryan, to tell him that he may have pushed harder but fell in love anyway. And to Greg, to tell him he wanted out because he actually has feelings. And for Ryan, he knows that Hudson doesn't have a great rep when it comes to relationships, but he sees something in Hudson that makes him pause. And he takes the leap of faith. I actually loved this story. Like I said, Ryan and Hudson are great! I was rooting for them the whole way through, even when things blew up, because despite it all, those two are great together. We also had some great side characters, who I am looking forward to reading their stories as well.