𝘏𝘈𝘝𝘖𝘊. 𝘋𝘌𝘊𝘌𝘐𝘛. 𝘗𝘙𝘐𝘝𝘐𝘓𝘌𝘎𝘌.
The elite come to play on the campus of Glass Heart Academy.
𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐫
My sister was their everything. I’m their nothing.
They waited three hundred and sixty-five days after her disappearance to acknowledge I’m alive.
Their wicked games should scare me.
Except they don’t know I’m not much different than her.
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐤
Palmer Weston isn’t anything like her sister.
She’s sweet and naive. There are plenty of reasons why I should keep my distance.
Except where’s the fun in that.
I’m a boy who loves his toys and I’ve kept her on the shelf long enough.
It seems someone is determined on giving Palmer the same fate as her sister.
Problem is I’ve never been good at sharing.
Wow. I’d like to start off with saying, please read the trigger warnings before reading ANY bully romance. I’d also like to say, in my personal opinion nothing was glamorized or romanticized. The abuse was addressed and the guilty parties felt guilty! Yes, the main couple enjoyed a little darker, rougher sec but that’s perfectly fine if both parties consent. Okay, so, I loved this duology. Please don’t get me wrong, the anxiety and panic I felt while reading was unlike any other. I CRIED because of my pent up my frustration. Marek and Palmer have a push/pull relationship that isn’t for the faint of heart and while I eventually became intoxicated by their story, it is heavy and hard to handle at points. GLASS HEART SAVAGE and GLASS HEART BROKEN, are two books that will stay with me for a long time, and I will be recommending to everyone who loved bully books.
Now that that is out of the way, I cannot believe how much I enjoyed this twisted insane story of a secretive group of 4 boys and a girl who finds herself in their life. Palmer Weston is a stunning character. She has so much love in her broken little heart and an extraordinary amount of strength to share. She has had to face many unthinkable challenges before even starting her game with the Glass Heart Boys. Even at her lowest she still thought of others first during both books and that’s an admirable characteristic that not many possess. Marek and Breaker are easily my two favorite boys (Breaker might win though), and the boys have an extremely close and dark bond. They’re more family than friends, which leads them to do sinister things for one another. Unfortunately, Palmer finds herself in the middle of their games and can’t escape because of her attraction to not only Marek but to the group as a whole. What makes them tick? What makes them who they are? She’s determined to find answers and discover any connection they may have to her sister, who went missing the year before.
It is very easy to forget that these characters are in high school, which is a plus. They speak and act as if they're older so I imagined them as mid 20’s, making it a little bit easier to digest. All of the characters seem to deal with real world problems, and while very dramatized it was nice to see. The problems that arise in book 2 are VERY dramatic and contain an explosive climax and ending. I really enjoyed the serious tone here and seeing the characters work together for once. Marek and Palmer make a good team, which is highlighted in a twisted but enjoyable way.
The love story between Palmer and Marek is amazing to read, but so so cruel. Throughout the two books we see them come together and love through all of the pain. The history between Marek and Reed, Palmer’s sister, is sort of unsettling. I personally would be extremely jealous if my sister had any sort of history with the person I’m seeing, and falling for. I love the way this aspect is developed however. The characters definitely face this jealous head on in a way that I think is mature (and sort of exciting). The way Marek and Palmer speak to one another is QUALITY. The banter and the sexual tension is amazing, it’s what had me craving more. And I mean let's be real, the sex is hot. They don't go too far here, or maybe I'm more kinky than I thought, but either way it's very typical for a bully romance with a little reverse harem twist at certain points. And the love story between Palmer and Breaker, although very platonic, is inspiring. The boys don’t understand normalcy and it’s so beautiful to see a “normal” friendship form between these two! Their banter was perfectly done and natural, making their friendship seem even more plausible. The reasons she has for staying close to Breaker genuinely shattered my heart, but all’s well that ends well. Dixon and Bryon, the actual brothers in the bunch, have less of a hold on me, and on Palmer, and while they were critical to the story and plot, I just didn't love them (which is the point so success there Ms. Iler).
Overall, I loved these books. I was going to read Breaker's story GLASS HEART HERO immediately following the first two books, heck I DID start it, but I didn't feel like now was the time for me. I loved Breaker and don't particularly want to get in his head and see him struggle with his feelings for Delaney, Palmer's best friend and rock throughout the first two books. I hope read him book one day but for now I'm happy with what I have read and might take a break from the bully world and go back to sports romance or fantasy or even light summer reads.
Rating (Combined): 4/5
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