Book Review: Sticks and Stones (Shadow Valley U #1) by S. Massery & S.J. Sylvis

Sticks and stones may break our bones…

Hockey is my life.

After Wren Davis puts my dreams of the NHL in jeopardy, I vow to make her life hell if she ever comes near me again.

But she’s my best friend’s foster sister, and even though they don’t live together anymore, their bond is still tight, which makes avoiding each other extra difficult.

Especially when I show up at Shadow Valley University and learn my new room comes with an unwelcome addition: Wren Davis.

As much as I try to make her life hell, she gives it right back, until she’s not just under my skin but constantly on my mind.

But some things can’t be forgiven, and fraternizing with the enemy is the last thing either of us want. (From: Goodreads)

My door has a hole in it. The wood is splintered. I locked the door before going to sleep, and I’m pretty certain Stone used his fist to break it down to get to me.
“Jesus Christ,” someone says.
I shut my eyes immediately when I see the rest of my housemates standing in the hallway with concern etched onto their sleepy faces.
“Wrenny.”
Stone pauses at the sound of Evan’s voice, but I shake my head along his chest. I don’t want to talk, and there is no amount of milk and cookies that can get me to. Instead, I listen to the thundering beat of Stone’s heart against my ear and hold on tighter as he takes me upstairs.

***Actual rating: 4/5 Possessive Stars***

What a quote, isn’t it? That highlighted quote above was my most favorite scene in this book and I just wanted to relive that specific moment as many times as possible. Sticks and Stones was the first co-write by Sara Massery and S.J. Sylvis, both of who are spectacular Queens of Dark and Angsty Romance. I personally have yet to read Sara’s books but have heard how extremely dark they are and aren’t for the faint-hearted. As for Sammi’s work, well, it’s an understatement that I am addicted to it. As one of her number one stalker fans, I’ve read and enjoyed ALL of her books and let me tell you, her writing style keeps getting better and better with each new release. That being said, I was beyond thrilled to learn that both Sara and Sammi were co-writing yet another highly anticipated college hockey dark romance series called Shadow Valley U.

”You’re even more desirable with the look of hatred in your eye.”

It goes without saying that this book features not only college hockey romance, but also the delicious tropes of enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity (one bed), brother’s best friend, and slightly bully element. I mean, these are pretty much the recipe to a yummilicious spicy & dark romance, amiright? The protagonists, Wren and Stone, had been each other’s nemesis since high school after Wren stole Evan, Stone’s best friend and Wren’s foster brother who loved her the most, whenever she was around, and particularly after she did something terrible back then. Stone never forgave her, of course, so that was how all the bullying and horrible pranks started when she, all of a sudden, reappeared in Stone and Evan’s life two years later.

”I thought you were sleeping.”
“Your silence is so loud it woke me up,” she replies.

Honestly, I was a little hesitant before diving into this book, knowing that there would be slight bully element because for someone who’d been bullied throughout her entire childhood, I never had a soft spot for bullies and I guessed I’d never have that, either. Thankfully, the bullying parts were quite tolerable, and I was completely impressed with Wren’s resilience through and through. Just because she was made fun of by Stone, she never backed down. Instead, she paid back ten-fold and that was my girl. Besides, I also was relieved that Stone later realized he had gone too far with one of the pranks, and he actually felt GUILTY. Guys, that was huge coming from an arrogant prick like him, y’all!

She finally seems to come back to herself. And when she registers me, she doesn’t push me away. No, she fucking drags me closer. She winds her arms around my neck and buries her face in my shirt, hiding herself.
My heart cracks.
She was in here fighting for her life in her dreams. Alone.

Undoubtedly, Wren’s twisted past was what drew me in from the very beginning. She did not grow up in a fairytale family with loving parents and besties; on the contrary, she lived in a trailer, cooking meth for her druggie father, absent mother, and even more toxic “friends.” Despite the poor living condition, she continued acing her academic performance and did everything she could to maintain her life as well as her broken family’s. What made this book stand out was hands down its character development. Call me a character-oriented reader, but I truly appreciated how much Stone and Wren had matured throughout the book, especially when they were finally on the same page. Sometimes Stone’s consideration and concern for Wren really touched me, but, as reluctant as I was to say this, his obsession with her had become a bit suffocating to me as the story progressed.

”Baby, I’m fucking obsessed with you.” His deep voice is hot. “I can’t sleep if you’re not beside me. I can’t eat if you’re at work and I’m not sitting there in a booth, watching your hips sway with your tray. Even during my practices and games, if I don’t know where you are at all times, I fuck up and nearly fall on the ice.”

I knew a dominating alpha (control) male (freak) could be sexy and romantically-desirable for some people, but not me. Just like how the angry and hatred sex didn’t work for me, either. In my opinion, the lack of mutual favorable feeling and emotional connection between Wren and Stone was the biggest problem in their romantic relationship. Although Stone went utterly out of his way to protect Wren, such as punching literally every guy who glanced her way or tracking her every move or switching his own class schedule to exactly the same as hers, I would much appreciate if they could at least try establishing their relationship on more solid ground. For example, maybe learning to build some mutual trust, as the first baby step. Or avoiding having make-up sex filled with so much anger management problem and hatred for each other.

Stone has been careless, and I’ve been letting him come inside me as if there is no other way. Thank God I’m on birth control—something he has never inquired about.

What’s worse, another major killjoy of this book was how RECKLESS and UNTHOUGHTFUL Stone was when in bed with Wren. There, I said it. Call me a conservative prude, but just when I tried not to think too much into details of the steamy sex scenes—which were A LOT when it came to these two horny college students—Wren practically spilt it out loud and now I could not unread it. No matter how perfect their romance was, I just wished these characters could take their responsibility more serious. To some extent, I also felt that Wren and Stone’s relationship was a bit toxic due to Stone’s obsession with Wren. He seemed to be extremely possessive where Wren was concerned, and wanted to control her every move for the sake of “being over-protective of her” and even took her matters into his own hands just to be her knight in shining armor. What I was saying was that I believed they could show a little effort in making their relationship work better, and in a more positive way. Mercifully, there wasn’t any surprising pregnancy here.

As for the ending, well, as relieved as I was to find Wren and Stone got their hard-earned HEA, I hated to admit how suddenly and a bit unnecessary the plot twist at the last 7% of the book was. Not sure if this was the case with Sara’s books, but Sammi has a tendency to throw in some unexpected twists at the very last of the story (say the last 10% of the book) so the ending could be a wee bit rushed, in my opinion. That was why I was afraid to double check the percentage of the remaining of this book when I read that particular turning point…because seriously, another surprise at 93% of the book?? Then bam, the story ended with bad guy dead and good ones alive out of the blue. Oh, and let’s not forget the epic…fluffy, happy ending for Wren and Stone in the epilogue…ugh, I just wished there could be an extended and better-paced epilogue!

To sum up, Sticks and Stones was an enjoyable dark romance without doubt. Frankly, I devoured the first 70% of the book in one sitting (no kidding), and before I knew it, Wren and Stone’s story came to an end. Now I miss everyone in the Shadow Valley U and can’t wait to read more in the following instalments. I also adored that there was reference to Briar U from Sammi’s Weak Side and Ice Bet! There was something magical and unbelievable when two different settings all morphed into one, further elevating the overall quality and anticipation of both stories. Enough said, please go give Sara and Sammi’s first co-write a shot and I hope you will enjoy Wren and Stone’s story more than I do!