Blurb:

The new girl doesn’t belong here. So why can’t I stop thinking about her? Iris Briggs a goodie two-shoes with a headmaster father who aims to ruin my school year before it’s even begun. She gets under my skin. With her demure skirts and braided hair, Iris flits around the periphery until she runs right into me, hot coffee soaking me as she looks up at me with wide, innocent eyes. We start off scalding.

In the library, we reach lava levels.

And then in the city? We go nuclear.

She’s a good girl, but I’m a Constantine. My duty is to my family. At least, it was until I started unbraiding the good girl and realizing there’s more to life than duty.

Wicked Idol: A Hellfire Club Novel by [Becker Gray]

My Review:

Wicked Idol is part of the Midnight Dynasty Collection of books about the Constantine and Morelli families and is my first book from Becker Gray. This story is about Caroline Constantine’s son, Keaton Constantine. This is the first in the Hellfire Club series and a standalone set at Pembroke Academy where Keaton is a senior. He is the rugby captain, a member of the Hellfire Club and king of the school. 

Iris Briggs is not only the new girl at school but also the Headmaster’s daughter. She is desperate to not draw attention to herself and survive the year. However, her plans go awry when she bumps into Keaton and spills his coffee all over the members of the Hellfire Club her first day.

Keaton is fascinated by the new girl. She is irritating, sassy and mouthy, all which he dislikes so  annoyed that he gets turned on when they argue. She isn’t afraid of him and he feels like she can really see him and understands him. 

The chemistry and attraction between them builds the first week of school and comes to a head when they both hide out in the library one day. When they finally kiss he’s shocked that she actually wants him, a feeling he rarely gets. He often feels lonely, unwanted and unloved so is surprised she is kissing him back. Iris can’t believe Keaton is interested in her, especially as she knows he has a girlfriend. She doesn’t know that his relationship with Clara is all fake to keep their families happy. Poor Iris is so confused how she keeps ending up with Keaton when neither of them like each other. She has set her heart on attending the Sorbonne in Paris which will also give her freedom from her parents so she can’t afford to mess around with him but it looks like fate has other ideas. 

If you have read any of the other books in the collection then you will know how complicated the Constantine family is and especially Caroline. She wants Keaton to work for the family’s business with his older brother but Keaton isn’t driven or ambitious like Winston. He wants to play professional rugby or have his own design company. She insists he continues to date Clara Blair as the relationship is part of an important business deal between the families and they expect them to marry. Although she is controlling and cold to him, all he’s ever wanted was to make his mother proud of him. 

They get assigned a project to work on together and things between them escalate and become very intense. She sees he pretends to be the spoilt rich kid and is far smarter than anyone knows. Turns out they both have controlling parents who never listen to either of them. Keaton is very loyal to his friends so can’t tell her the truth about Clara and this leads to misunderstandings, jealousy and thoughts of betrayal. In his desperation to show his mother he can be of value to the family, he makes the biggest mistake of his life. Can he ever do what makes him happy or is he always going to do what other people want him to do? Who will he choose – Iris or his family? 

We don’t learn much about the other students but I thought the support Iris got from Serafina, Aurora and Sloane was great. They wouldn’t let her get away with being boring and showed her she was strong. They pushed her to be different and try things. They were hilarious with their ideas over the Hellfire club boys and I look forward to see what happens to them all in the rest of the series.

I enjoyed seeing Keaton’s vulnerable side and felt all his pain when he was dealing with his mother. The more of these books I read, the more I hate Caroline. Iris became a right little firecracker and really put the cocky, bossy Keaton in his place. I liked how the author showed the pressure of family expectations and all the doubts first love brings. Lovely epilogue to conclude the couple’s story and shows how love can conquer all.