Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up this book, for taking a chance on a new series. If I’m a new to you author, welcome. If you’ve read my previous works, hello there, it’s good to see you. Mad Boys is book 2 of Blue Ivy Prep, so if you haven’t read Problem Child, I would recommend pausing to grab that first as this series needs to be read in order.
Previously at Blue Ivy Prep, KC and Aubrey kicked off their first year at the school to different experiences. While Aubrey seemed to settle in, KC faced friction from the douchebags three. The first, Jonas, a student in all of her classes who stares, says little, and turned her in for failure to help on an assignment when she was pulled away for an emergency. The second, Lachlan, a guy who follows her on runs and takes to ninja kisses following a heated mistaken identity encounter during a Halloween party. The third, Ramsey, is also TA in one of her classes and he re-arranges her schedule so she has to do tutoring. He also kisses her after calling her nothing.
In the meanwhile, KC struggles with the day to day tasks in her larger than life experience including her mother not wanting to leave her “rehab” center, her mother’s lover sending her dick pics to send to her mother, gossip and innuendo, bullying from other students, and a cancer diagnosis for her baby sister.
When KC learns the douchebag three are all brothers, she wants even less to do with them. At the end of the year, during parents weekend, Johnny Pound, her mother’s aforementioned lover, shows up to support KC and she learned the truth behind some of the douchebags animosity. Not only are they brothers, they are her stepbrothers. Her absent father is married to their mother.
Whew. It’s a lot, but that’s where we were at the end of Problem Child which brings us to Mad Boys.
Triggers to be mindful of: There is some stalking, and I will give a warning for a severe health diagnosis for a side character. An SA is referenced on page and “heard.”
If you have read this far, thank you. Mad Boys is the second in a four book series following Kaitlin Crosse as she attends Blue Ivy Prep, an exclusive boarding, prep, and college school for the wealthy and the privileged.
The series is reverse harem/why choose. This means the female main character will not have to choose between the guys in her life. This series is also slow burn, and begins with bullying, secrets, lies, and complicated family ties.
While the first book was told exclusively from Kaitlin’s viewpoint except for the prologue, this and future books in this series contain multiple points of view.
Thank you again for taking a chance on this series, I can’t wait to hear what you think of KC and the girls. Be sure to join us in my reader group on Facebook where we talk books, book loving, some spoilers, teasers for the future, and bonus scene. Don’t forget to sign up for news and updates on my website to get all the latest news, releases and more emailed right to you.
xoxo
Heather
Prologue
JONAS
“Just fix your tie,” Lachlan snapped at me. Mom hadn’t let us know they were coming. We probably wouldn’t have known if Ramsey hadn’t woken us up with the news. Now, he and Lachlan were both glaring at me to hurry.
All I’d done was back-to-back exams, papers, and projects for the last three weeks. KC and I had nearly been paired on a project, but the teacher decided to make them individual. Probably better.
She hadn’t spoken to me since the day of the fight. She barely even looked at me. When she did—well, it was like I wasn’t there. This morning, however, the music had been posted to my door with the lyrics added. I’d been sitting and reading it, trying to process when Ramsey showed up.
“Jonas,” Ramsey said. Oh good, it was time for big brother to tell me what I was doing wrong. Turning away from both of them, I buttoned up my shirt. We never went to parents’ day or whatever it was. Mom usually had a tour or recording studio. It would be a first for Gibs, too.
Probably because KC was here. I tucked the shirt in mechanically, then retrieved my school tie. It was the last one to survive the school year. The weight of their glares made me take my time. If I hoped they would just go and leave me, I was doomed to disappointment.
Ramsey always seemed to know when I would not show up.
When I slid my feet into my shoes, Lachlan let out an aggrieved sigh. “Finally… let’s get this fucking over with so you can go back to moping.”
I would have lunged at him, but Ramsey stepped right between us and put a hand to my chest to keep me from going after him.
“Stop being such a dick,” Ramsey said over his shoulder to Lachlan. “Antagonizing him is only going to make it worse.”
“Whatever,” Lachlan said. “Let’s just go. You know how she gets if she has to wait too long.”
Icy. Impatient. Insulting.
Ramsey shook his head, but Lachlan missed it as he was already gone. “Look,” he said, removing his hand when I backed up a step. “I get it, you’re pissed at us. Maybe we deserve it. Maybe we don’t. But for the next hour, we’re going to make nice with Mom and Gibs and be perfect sons.”
I just stared at him.
“It’s all she’s asking.”
I continued staring.
“Right, fucking off. Just come on.” Not waiting for me, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the suite Lachlan and I had been sharing this year.
Next year I would be rid of him. Lachlan graduated in a week. I had already requested a single. No roommate. No brother. No more backstabbing.
Despite my lack of hurrying, both brothers waited for me before we headed for the dining hall. I kept my hands in my pockets as I followed them. The urge to punch Lachlan buzzed under my skin like a beehive had been kicked over.
He was such a dick
The noise from inside hit like a tidal wave as Lachlan shoved the door open. Ramsey caught it before it could close, and then we were inside.
“There’s my boy!” Mom’s grin was wider and more open than I’d seen it in a long time. She gave Lachlan a big squeeze before reaching out a hand to me. I wasn’t big on—I held my breath as she crushed me to her.
The overwhelming floral spray she favored filled my nostrils. It was almost enough to overpower the smell of cigarettes. Mom was smoking again. Didn’t surprise me. Gibs smoked. Mom would smoke with him.
“All of my boys.” Mom pulled back then pressed a kiss to my cheek before she went to Ramsey. Gibs chuckled as he clapped my shoulder.
“Good year?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, shaking his hand briefly. At least he didn’t expect much more than a quick handshake.
“Good. Good. Your mother worries.” He said it like he shared a confidence. I was aware. My mother didn’t worry that much. Gibs, however, had already turned away to Ramsey, and I savored the reprieve. There were too many people in this vast, overcrowded room.
A flash of blue caught my eye and I shifted to see KC staring at us.
No.
Staring at Gibs.
I glanced at him, but he hadn’t so much as noticed her. He was focused on whatever it was Lachlan was saying. Lachlan could talk about anything. Mom looked happy about whatever it was.
When I looked at KC again, her expression crumpled before she pivoted and walked away.
Away.