A dark bully romance I couldn’t put down

I really enjoyed this, the narration was great they really brought these characters to life, I love dark bully romances and this one took the cake, make sure to check TW, loved the authors world building and character development

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Wow - 4.5 stars -What A Ride and An Entire Series That Takes You Up and Down

This series did something I never thought could be accomplished - the dark MMC Quinton transforms throughout the series and you actually are hoping he gets his happy ending with the FMC Aspen. One can’t forget this ‘University’ is for the youth of the worst criminals, so Surprise there are a number unredeemable characters, yet you come to realize why they are as they are…a rating scale would be perfect.
How perfect to get this series in one audio book! Perfect.
You’ll find yourself grabbed and unable to let go of tis story with numerous and surprising twists and turns.
I enjoyed the writing and the narration. You need to buckle up and be aware there are scenes that tear your heart out and yet they are slowly pieced back together.
Worth your time and $ for those who enjoy dark romance, strong determined men and woman and people who live by their own code of conduct.

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I LOVE this series!!!

I thought I loved eyeball reading this series, but hearing it in audio......I AM SPEECHLESS!!!!!

King of Corium-
I can't wait for more!!!

I love anything written by JL Beck and C Hallman and this book did not disappoint! Aspen is attending Corium to be safe from her fathers actions. While there she runs into Quinton, who is part of a rival family that wants Aspen killed.

This is not a lovey dovey romance at all. Quinton is ruthless to Aspen, but eventually sees his feelings for her but it's too late. That cliffhanger though 😭😭😭😭 i cant wait for book 2!!!!

Drop Dead Queen-
Holy crap, what a wild ride this book took me on!!

Drop Dead Queen is book 2 in the Corium University series and picks up right where King of Corium ended. Aspen has been through so much in her time at Corium and she goes through so much more over the course of this book. Thank God Quinton has stalker tendencies and always looks out for her and tries to keep her safe.

Aspen and Quinton are both slowly realizing there are real feelings between them and they arent "just sex." Poor Aspen cant catch a break though, and Matteo is out to get her. After Q gets some mews and goes home while every one else is home for the holidays, Matteo makes his move and does something horrendous to Aspen. When Q finds out what he has done and what they have lost, he is out for Matteos blood.

I love this Corium world so much, but that cliffhanger gutted me!!! I am anxiously awaiting Broken Kingdom to see how everything plays out! If you havent started this series yet, you really really should!!

Broken Kingdom-
This was an emotional, yet beautiful ending to this phenomenal trilogy!

Broken Kingdom is book 3 in the Corium University trilogy. This is a dark romance, and you have to read King of Corium and Drop Dead Queen first.

If you have read the first 2 books, you know that Aspen has been though so very much. At the end of Drop Dead Queen, something horrible happens. During this book, she is struggling with what has happened and what she has lost.

Quinton will do whatever it takes to keep Aspen safe. Even if it means letting her go. He will do whatever he has to do to make sure she gets a long happy life, and makes it out of Corium alive.

Aspen and Quinton have to fight tooth and nail for their happy ending. Its an edge of your seat, wild ride all the way to the end!

My favorite highlight is this: "As much as a whirlwind this has been, inside, I know it was always meant to be this way. She was always going to be mine. There was never a choice. She belongs to me."

Broken Kingdom is an epic, absolutely beautiful conclusion to Q and Aspens story. I love this trilogy so much, and I cant wait to see if we get more from this world!

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Not for all...

1
Heads up, this is not romance. It's dark, but not the darkest. In case you missed it, this book takes place on an island meant to train CRIMINALS. This is straight up a starter Stockholm read, and there's nothing wrong with that if it's what you're into. Which I am.

Now, if you've read criminal college books before, you're going to see some similarities. I picked up on a few but the book was still unique. I've been reading this duo for quite some time, they really got me hooked on the bully genre, so I am used to their writing style and the direction their content can go.

I cannot express enough that this book is more dark than romance. Do not take it lightly, you will regret it. Q is an absolute worm, he's despicable and I'm not sure I'll warm up to him. Aspen is a walking tragedy and my heart hurt for her. I'm hoping things shape up in book two, I didn't hate it but I'm concerned.

2
Book one was not NEARLY as rough. DDQ was emphatically so.

I still feel so terrible for Aspen and that cliffhanger was so brutal. If this is your genre of choice there's a good chance you're gonna love this series, if you're coming in new? You will probably not have a good time.

3
I finally warmed up a bit to Quinton but I still think he's a twerp. There was more romance to the dynamic this time around and I sighed wistfully more than once. This book covers the aftermath of what was done to Aspen, how it dug in and left scars on both of them. INTENSE.

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Good read 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I felt so bad for Aspen most of the time, but I did enjoy the book you have to be open-minded and the spicy scenes were great

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Dark Bully Romance

I originally listened to each book separately. Here are my reviews broken down per book.
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King of Corium by J.L. Beck and C. Hallman is a dark enemies-to-lovers bully romance that I listened to audio narrated by Zara Eden and Connor Brown. This is the first book in the Corium University Series.

This is the first book of J.L. Beck and C. Hallman's that I have read, and it won't be my last. I was pulled in from the first chapter and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I am loving the messed-up relationship between Aspen and Quinton. I really enjoyed getting both of their points of view throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.

The book ends on an amazing cliffhanger that left me begging for more. I can't wait to read the next book in the series Drop Dead Queen.

Zara and Connor did an amazing job on the narration. They both really know how to bring a story to life. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.

I would recommend this book if you like dark romances, enemies to lovers romances, bully romances, or romantic suspense.
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Drop Dead Queen by J.L. Beck and C. Hallman is a dark enemies-to-lovers bully romance that I listened to audio narrated by Zara Eden and Connor Brown. This is the second book in the Corium University Series.

This is the second book of J.L. Beck and C. Hallman's that I have read, and it won't be my last. I was pulled in from the first chapter and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I am loving the messed-up relationship between Aspen and Quinton. I can't help but root for them. I really enjoyed getting both of their points of view throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.

Wow that ending!!! I can't wait to jump into the next book Broken Kingdom to get the rest of their story.

Zara and Connor did an amazing job on the narration. They both really know how to bring a story to life. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.

I would recommend this book if you like dark romances, enemies-to-lovers romances, bully romances, or romantic suspense.

=============================
Broken Kingdom by J.L. Beck and C. Hallman is a dark enemies-to-lovers bully romance that I listened to audio narrated by Zara Eden and Connor Brown. This is the third book in the Corium University Series.

This is the first series of J.L. Beck and C. Hallman's that I have read, and it won't be my last. They did a great job wrapping up Quinton and Aspen's story. I really enjoyed getting both of their points of view throughout the book. It really brough the story to life.

I can't wait for the next book in the series Ruins of Temptation to be released on audio so I can get Lucas and Delilah's story.

Zara and Connor did a great job on the narration. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.

I would recommend this series if you like dark romances, enemies-to-lovers romances, bully romances, or romantic suspense.


The Flock Team

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Plenty of triggers...

The Corium University Trilogy is a dark, full of insanity and intense series. This series has many trigger warnings as Quinton and Aspen trudge through the mess of their parents. This is an emotional roller coaster ride that you won't want to get off of. There are dark themes with non-consent events and tons of bullying. You get vengeance and so many secrets revealed. I was hooked from the start.

Zara Eden and Connor Brown did an amazing job with the narration. They really brought these characters to life.

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Amazing!

Absolutely adored these books. Lots of spice but also an amazing story line. Really happy that there was a HEA bc some parts got really dark. Loved that I didn’t know what was happening next! 5/5 stars no doubt!

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Extreme bully romance. Loved it

5/5⭐️ 3/5🌶️ 5/5🎧
This series has me in a chokehold. The storyline was unique and I liked that it was a bit unpredictable. I will say there are a ton of triggers, so check those before reading if you need to. I’ll say I loved the blossoming relationship between Quinton and Aspen, and although they weren’t an epic type love story, I enjoyed the journey with them. It was an extreme bulky romance and the transition from enemies to lovers was paced very well. I really enjoyed this and plan to read the next part of the series.

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Deliciously dark

King of Corium (Corium U. #1)

A school for criminals … as in … it teaches people how to be better criminals. What a brilliant concept for dark fiction. I was hooked from the start.

Highlights / tropes hit:

👑Dubc0n / non-c0n.
👑Büllies—entire university, staff included worth of büllies.
👑V!rg!n heroine.
👑Billionaires.
👑Criminals.
👑Fast-burn.
👑A very strong-willed FMC.
👑Lots of people to love to hate.
👑A mystery throughout.
👑Mortal enemies to lovers.
👑Hate-(uhm…”fluffing”).
👑Alternating first-person POVs.
👑Suspense, specifically at the end.


This book ends on a wicked cliffhanger—and it’s totally cool because the next 2 are available.
Could not put it down.

4 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

*A bit of the ‘dirty talk’ could be cheesy at times. But mostly it was hot and well done.

*Loved when the heroine was found reading Pretty Little Savage! Fun shout-out to Lucy Smoke.


Audio:
👑Features dual narrators.
👑High-quality production, overall. No extraneous sounds, etc.
👑 Absolutely perfect performance—5 stars. 🦩


Drop Dead Queen (Corium U. Book 2)

This installment picks up right where book 1 left off, so it’s a bit of excitement for a while there. But then things are pretty much back to normal, with a somewhat new dynamic. Aspen’s situation is worse … despite a few things that should’ve made it better having come to light. I’m impressed with the author’s ability to do this and as a result, keep me just as interested for another installment. There’s clearly some skill here and I’ve now found myself wanting to explore her other reads.

“It took me until now to realize… I’m falling in love with my enemy.”

This one’s even darker than the first one—not at first but it definitely ends up that way. Heed the warning, if you’ve got tr!gg3rs, but personally, I found it all glorious. Like its predecessor, it ends on a vicious cliffhanger—thank goodness this is the complete trilogy.

Recommended read … at least for my fellow darklings. 😈 I don’t share sp0ilers, so I’ll just say: this is how criminals are made, I’m pretty sure. Enjoy!

Overall:
4 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️


*Slight continuity issue.
A good editing team/ astute beta readers could’ve helped with this.
We already saw Aspen reading ‘Pretty Little Savage’ by Lucy Smoke in book 1. But now, in book 2, when a friend brings her a copy of the same book, she goes on and on to the reader about how it’s “new” to her. I *love* the shout-out to Smoke in this manner, but it could’ve been done using a different title, so that they still had continuity.


Audio:
👑Features dual narrators.
👑High-quality production, overall. No extraneous sounds, etc.
There were some bits where the narrator sounded far away or under water. They were all brief, not a huge deal in the grand scheme.🦩
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️



Broken Kingdom (Corium U. #3)

When I say: BE READY WITH THIS ONE before you even start book 2, I am not kidding. Book 1 ended in a cliffie, but it was nothing like book 2’s, entirely different situation.

Anyway, I basically binged books 1 & 2 and had to move right into 3—this series apparently is like crack, at least for a dark reads lover like myself.

This one picks up a short time after book 2 ends … it’s pretty much right where it left off.

“I’m nothing more than a chess piece; a pawn on an endless board … when I should be queen.”

This one’s sort of frustrating, as Aspen’s trying to heal from so much … but still in some trouble, but doesn’t tell anyone about it. Which sorta seems like she’s setting herself up for more. The explanation is a bit weak … until it isn’t and it all makes perfect sense! Brilliantly executed! And this entire installment is shrouded in mystery, so that keeps it fun. I thought it’d end at this one, but I see there are 2 more books in this series. Definitely feel a need to read on and expect you will too.

Overall:
4 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️


Audio:
Overall, excellent. I can’t say it’s a perfectly seamless production, there are a few minor instances, (all the female’s, if memory serves) where her voice changes quite a bit for a sentence or two … Overall, excellent quality. No extraneous sounds and both narrators perform beautifully. 4-star production. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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