Spider (English #3)

I chew on my bottom lip. You dont care who you hurt to avoid feeling anything, which probably means youve been hurt in the past. You have demons.
This book was nothing like I expected. I wanted to read Spider because I love Ilsa Madden-Mills and couldnt wait for a new story. After reading the blurb, I wondered what I might have gotten myself into.

Ill admit, once I fully grasped that I had read the word stepbrother in the blurb, I wasnt sure I had made the right decision. So often stepbrother romances arent something I feel comfortable with once the story gets going. I get that its not technically wrong, but some stories feel a bit too familial for my liking, and thats just not something I enjoy.

Lets begin with Rose. We meet her as a young girl, struggling to survive. She endures some extremely hard times, but somehow manages to make it out not only alive, but without losing herself in the process. What I love the most about Rose, is her best friend Oscar. He is HILARIOUS!

What would I do without you?
Youd be considerably less stylish, and youd be hungry.
I grin. Id have more money though.
Who needs money when you have me?
Spider doesnt come into the picture until one fateful day at the airport, when Rose and he are seated together on the plane. Although this seems to be a beginning, Rose quickly learns that it isnt what she thought. Then, upon arriving in the airport she quickly learns she may be seeing more of Spider than she wanted

For me, this wasnt the typical stepbrother romance. At no point did I feel like things crossed a line, and the events of the story were never stagnant or simply centered around a physical attraction. The group of characters presented was quite varied, and offered a lot for us, as readers, to analyze and process. I enjoyed not only the story itself, but seeing the characters progress and grow as they moved through life.

Definitely some unexpected turns. If youre an Ilsa Madden-Mills fan, definitely give it a shot. As for the rest of you, this was a good read, so if youre in the mood for something new here it is!

Oh Spider. After meeting you in Very Wicked Things, I knew I was going to love you. There was something about you and I knew you had a story to tell. Thank goodness Ilsa Madden-Mills recognized that your story was going to be one hot and wicked and fate filled trip for us fans.
This story is told in dual POV and in chronological order starting from some time ago and then skipping a few years ahead for the majority of the book and even more toward the last 3/4 of it. Rose and Spider are two very different people but whose souls have connected at a very difficult time in their lives. Rose’s life started out not so pretty but she met a boy who left a permanent mark on who she would become in life. She would fight and become better than what surrounded her. She would be strong and take the most out of life.
But what happens when you get on a plane and meet a man so all encompassing that you would be willing to let it all go? A beautiful bad boy that is so charismatic and has every woman falling at his feet?
“It’s the heart that always knows, and mine does.”
But there is a twist and there are demons that will be uncovered. For both characters. Some demons eat at people and cause them to turn toward things that are not good for them and some demons make you fight and be a better person. That is who we have in Spider and Rose. But there is a pull with them that can’t be touched. And Spider knows that is something that could be life altering for both of them. So what do you do when you know you are bad for someone that is so genuinely good? You protect them from your bad decisions even though they should be able to make their own decisions themselves.
“Because I am you. We’re so much alike, it’s staggering. With one exception: you’re better than me.”
Their journey and their fight to find their happiness was compared to Jane Eyre. I love when authors do that and make their story more current for us. A hot, rich rock star and a girl from the wrong side of the tracks brought in to the “rich” fold but always looking from the outside in with her world. I love Spider and his journey and fight for what he figured out was worth living for. HE had to figure it out on his own and once he did? Beautiful!
“I want to be his everything. I want him to be consumed with me. I want to be the person who keeps him on the straight and narrow. I want him to not be able to get out of f.. bed unless I’m next to him. I want him to crumble if I walk away. I want him to love me forever. I say those things to him as tears run down my face.”
Ilsa, thank you for taking the chance on Spider’s short story and making a full novel out of it. He was worth it and so was Rose. Their story was beautiful and a journey that they needed to take. It took awhile to get there, but it was so full of different feelings throughout. At some point they made you laugh, some made you want to hit certain characters and other times you could feel the chemistry come right through the pages. I swear my kindle could see it and would burn right into flames. And it was all worth it!
“Love is for people who want to get hurt.”

The long wait is over!!!! I was so so stoked when this book released that I did something I never do. I savored every single delicious page. Spider was my favorite secondary character in the briarcrest series, and when I found out she was finally working on a full length Spider novel I may have squeaked and did a happy dance Charlie Brown style. This book literally has everything, it’s got yummy angst, two star crossed lovers, and as always has a tie in with a classic book. I was never interested in reading the classics until I started reading Ilsa’s books. If you love angst and passion and sweetness and redemption wrapped into one hot package, definitely pick up this book Now!

OH WOW!! I have had this book on my kindle for a while, and I really wish i had read it sooner!! I love a Rock Star, and I love them even more if they are a BAD BOY Rock Star and Spider most definitely fits that bill !!
Rose is travelling to visit her mother, and is a nervous flyer, sitting beside this bad boy rocker does not make it easier for her. But he has charm and entertains her throughout their journey. They share a kiss and it leaves Rose absolutely hooked !!
Spider is the baddest of bad boy rockers. He hugely indulges in all aspects of the lifestyle. He really couldn’t care less waether it pleases people or not. He knows he has a problem with his over indulgences but hey what else does he have? Then he sits beside Rose on a plane and begins to wonder if there could be more.. whats this girl done to him? Seems not when she actually turns out to be his new STEP SISTER !!!!

OMG I fell for Spider hard, I think he may now be my most fav rock star, I loved his dramas, i loved his angst, but most of all i loved his heart. This wasn’t a selfish self indulgent rock star, yes he was but, when it came to it, this was a man without a selfish bone in his body. He would move heaven and earth for those he loved. He would walk away to make sure Rose got the life she deserved. he would walk away and make himself worth of her, omg my heart melted. This couple couldn’t neither fight nor deny their feelings for each other yet, Rose definitely expected and knew Spider wouldn’t be a guy for her happy ever after, she knew he would break her heart. What she didn’t know was the lengths and depths this man would travel, to make life right for her !!! Definitely a must read and definitely a ROCK STAR you won’t easily or ever let go off !!!

I’ve been intrigued by Spider since meeting him in the Briarwood Academy & later in Filthy English wanting to know more about him, his past & what he’s hiding. I was drawn immediately into Spider & Rose’s story, which had my emotions mimicking that of a roller coaster soaring up & then plummeting down again. I continued to devour their story until the end, which for me personally, just ended far to quickly, after all the tension & build up I felt kind of deflated by how promptly their relationship was wrapped up.

I thought the author did a great job at incorporating what we already knew about Spider, from the previous books into his story, although admittedly his love interest was not who I was expecting!

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member