Review: CORRUPT by Penelope Douglas

Erika
I was told that dreams were our heart's desires. My nightmares, however, became my obsession.

His name is Michael Crist.

My boyfriend's older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He's handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team and now gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me.

But I noticed him.

I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid... For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away.

Now, I've graduated high school and moved on to college, but I haven't stopped watching Michael. He's bad, and the dirt I've seen isn't content to stay in my head anymore.

Because he's finally noticed me.

Michael
Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika.

My brother's girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven't had her body, I know that I have her mind. That's all I really want anyway.

Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college.

In my city.

Unprotected.

The opportunity is too good to be true, as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they're out.

We've waited. We've been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.

*Corrupt is a STANDALONE dark romance with no cliffhanger. It is suitable for ages 18+

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MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Erica spent a lot of time at the Crist house, watching the eldest Crist son, Michael. All five of her senses were attuned to his existence. He was her everything and treated her like she didn’t exist. Any time he gave her a modicum of attention, she ate it up like the best of desserts. Starting over in a new college in a new city may give her a new lease on life, away from the Crist family and its expectations of her. Too bad her new city is already owned by Michael Crist.

There were dark deeds and bad seeds, but who cared if the house was falling apart as long as it was pretty, right?


While reading this book, I kept thinking... where are these people? Do people like this actually exist at our schools? The Horsemen ruled the town, but I’ve never encountered this problem before. In books, yes. In real life, not so much.

There was a scene where Michael and his friends came back to the high school they already graduated from and the author perfectly described the hush that came over the entire student body, including the teachers. And Erica was sitting there like a pathetic fool acting just like everyone else. What type of school was this were everyone was intimidated by some new adults? Grown men were cowed by little boys. Girls were willing to allow themselves to be humiliated for the pleasure of their company. Even Erica, a self-proclaimed smart girl, was eager to endure their subjugation for the simple taste of their attention. What type of nonsense is this?

Our scrapes and bruises, tattoos, scars, smiles, and wrinkles told our stories, and I didn’t want a pristine piece of wallpaper. I wanted her and everything she was.


Erica was a hard character to get behind. She was insecure, weak, sniveling and immature. She had the ability to make herself believe she was capable of more than what she was. I get that she was still pretty young, but she kept putting herself in situations that were clearly more than she could handle and yet she still went in telling herself she could handle everything. Then when it all blew up in her face, she didn’t handle her fall with grace or learn from her mistakes. She kept on going back for more with the same plan and experiencing the same results. It was frustrating!

What made this book a winner for me was Michael. The author gave me an amazing anti-hero to really get behind. He had the most depth and the most growth and he didn’t come off foolish like the female protagonist did. I would have been fine getting the entire book from Michael’s perspective. He may have not been the most likeable character either, but he was the most compelling. He was twisted and wicked and sexy and charismatic in a very stoic way, but I liked how his moral compass and his heart were trying to lead him in a new direction. He ended up being a man seeking some sort of redemption and in the end, I really liked him. Amidst a litany of betrayals and misdeeds, Erica may get just what she’s always wanted - Michael. Can she survive the myriad of trials and tribulations he and his friends have in store for her along the way?

Release: November 25, 2015 | Genre: Dark New Adult Romance | Dual POV - 1st person | Heat: 4 | Standalone - Book 1 of the Devil’s Night series

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