Book Info
Start A War by Elle ThorpeSeries: Saint View Psychos #1
Rating:
Book ratings explainedGenres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Pages: 331
Published: 01/07/2022
Purchase at: Amazon | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU
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“Do you want some Goldfish crackers, Bliss?”
Those were the last words my brother said to me before he was shot execution style. A childhood code only he and I knew, and one that had a single, clear meaning behind it.
Run.
I’m not going anywhere. Not when his murderer is still out there.
To catch a killer, I put aside my life of money and luxury and take over the running of Psychos, a dive bar in the seedy underbelly of Saint View.
But Psychos delivers more than I ever could have bargained for and three men I never saw coming.
Nash, my brother’s best friend. Older and more experienced, he still remembers me as the neglected child he once saved.
War, heir to a biker gang throne and searching for the man who left his mother in a coma. Bonded over a common goal, he introduces me to a world of after-hours clubs, danger, and violence.
And Vincent, the quiet new guy nobody seems to see except me. He’s sweet and quirky, but there’s a darkness in him just waiting to be unleashed.
With every lie we uncover, every secret we expose, the danger mounts.
Until there’s only one thing we know for sure.
The killer is still out there.
And we’re his next targets.
Start a War is an adult, #whychoose romance, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. This book contains romantic suspense / dark themes that may trigger some readers. It is the first book in an ongoing trilogy.
Start A War - My Review
I remember when the Saint View Prison series ended, Elle Thorpe asked her Facebook group which guy characters they liked the most. A large number of us responded not with any of the series’ main characters, but with a supporting role: the unusual and definitely psychopathic hitman, Vincent. I mean doesn’t everybody love your friendly neighbourhood psycho?
When I realised that Vincent was co-starring, it was only natural that I’d be itching to get my hands on Elle’s newest trilogy, the Saint View Psychos. This time around, the owner of the deliciously hot harem is Bliss. Her life started out in Saint View where she experienced a childhood of neglect at the hands of her prostitute mother and abusive pimp stepfather. Until her brother and his best friend Nash got her out and took her to live with her father on the good side of town. Fast forward the best part of 20 years and Bliss is almost engaged to a wealthy man and preparing for life as a trophy wife. Not exactly the recipe for the harem of her dreams.
When her brother is murdered and Bliss inherits his bar (and its extra-curricular interests) she’s thrown back into Saint View and face to face with Nash. Of course, sparks will fly, and it’s pretty much a powder keg when you introduce overly protective and loveable Vincent, and sinfully steaming hot War into the mix. This all happens while she’s trying to keep the bar and her Saint View life hidden from her rich family, ditch her absolutely vile fiancé, find out who killed her brother and so many other dramas that she’s managed to attract in her life. And there are a lot of dramas.
Aside from the brilliant storylines and thigh-squeezingly delicious smut, the character development within the book was incredible. When we’re first introduced to 25-year-old Bliss, she is not the sort of person you’d want to read a book about. She’s naive, inexperienced, wishy-washy, and has nothing even remotely resembling a backbone. It’s fair to say that there’s very little that’s endearing about her. While she slides back into Saint View’s ways pretty quickly, she has a lot of growing up to do in not much time. It was thoroughly enjoyable to watch her find herself, realising where her strengths and capabilities lie and juggling her potential love interests while still staying true to herself and her needs. For those of you in need of a story with a dose of body positivity, you’ll find it in Start A War. Bliss is a curvy girl who needs to learn to love herself and her harem is going to help her do just that.
If you’ve read the Saint View Prison series you’ll already know that Vincent is not your average hitman. I had no idea how much depth there would be to his character. He’s got a complicated relationship with his parents, especially now that he wants out of the family business. He struggles with how much of his personal life he can tell Bliss about, including the truth about his previous career, his stint in prison, and his mental health. There are some incredibly sweet moments between him and Bliss, including their first date and his first kiss.
You’re going to love this book and completely devour it. You’re also going to curse Thorpe and probably indulge in a little screaming, shouting and Kindle throwing as well. In true Thorpe style, the book ends with an epic cliffhanger that you’ll never see coming and leaves you teetering on the edge of being broken, but you won’t regret a minute of reading it.
About Elle Thorpe
Elle Thorpe lives on the sunny east coast of Australia, about an hour out of Sydney. When she’s not writing stories full of kissing and chemistry, she’s a wife, and Mummy to three tiny humans. She’s also official ball thrower to one slobbery dog named Rollo. Yes, she named a female dog after a male character on Vikings. Don’t judge her. Elle is a complete and utter fangirl at heart, obsessing over The Walking Dead and Outlander to an unhealthy degree. But she wouldn’t change a thing.
