Crew Lancaster first set eyes on her over three years ago. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen...and the bane of his existence. She arrived on the first day of our freshman year at Lancaster Prep Boarding School three years ago, but no one knew who she was. Even though she's only spoken a handful of words to him the entirety of her time here, he knew who she was. Everyone who saw her smile wanted to emulate her and be her friend.
Crew had heard that she was intimidated and scared of him. They are opposites, but still the same. They both lead the school. She with her brightness and he with darkness always being reminded of his duty that comes with the Lancaster name. He comes from one of the richest families in the country.
Every single morning he waits at the front entrance for her arrival. Waiting for her to acknowledge him. Returning from Thanksgiving break and he is still waiting to be acknowledged. Wren Beaumont.
As she approaches he glances at the thin band on her left finger. A promise ring was given to her when she made her vow of chastity at some screwed-up wedding-like ceremony. The girls' dates are their fathers. Fathers who want to own everything...including their daughters. A virgin and proud of it, everyone knows about her speeches to other girls about saving themselves for their future husbands. But, they grew up and one by one her friends were losing their virginity.
Now she's the last virgin in the senior class. And he wants to be the one that corrupts her and takes all her firsts. He almost laughs when she passes by saying hi to both Ezra and Malcolm and ignoring him completely. Just making her a bigger challenge.
Wren thinks it's weird having a fan club when you've done nothing to have one, but everyone at school seems to want to be her friend. The pressure they put on her to be perfect is sometimes too much, but she manages to smile regardless. Sometimes staying on the pedestal they have put her on seems impossible. But being a role model takes her mind off her problems.
She wanted to be a nurse until her father’s rants changed her mind. A billionaire by the time he was thirty, having a daughter as a nurse was unheard of. She couldn't do anything without her dad's approval.
When she arrives for her Honors English class, Crew is already there. In the years she's attended this school she's never sat near him or held a conversation. She avoids him at all costs since he is always looking at her with disgust. Which is always...he is always watching her making her uncomfortable. She doesn't understand what she could have done to get that reaction from him.
He is just too much. Too moody, too dark, too quiet...too handsome and smart. And she doesn't understand the shivery feelings she gets when she feels his eyes on her. Feelings she's never had before and only has when Crew's nearby.
Her last class of the day is her favorite...Psychology. Today they will be given their final project for the semester before breaking for Christmas. The girls she's done the group projects with in the past all did their part in sharing the workload so she is excited to work with them again. But, now Ms. Skov is telling them it will be a one-on-one project...and she is choosing their partner.
She is deliberately choosing exact opposites so they can interview each other and then give a speech before the class about what makes their partner tick. Her partner for the project is Crew.
For the next three weeks, they will spend the entire period with their partner working on the project. He is the last person she wants studying her closely...she can barely handle him studying her from a distance. There is no way she's sharing anything about herself with him to be used against her.
I loved this book!!! It is very well written and the characters are both fully developed and relatable. This enemies-to-lovers romance is a lesson in self-discovery and Wren doesn't like what she sees. She has lived her whole life being overly sheltered and controlled by her father. Crew opens her eyes to how the other students see her and she is realizing that her father isn't protecting her as much he is controlling her.
Crew was a complete surprise and I fell in love with him immediately. He comes across as a moody jerk, but coming from one of the richest families in the world and his family owning the elite boarding school he doesn't let anyone, including his best friends, Ezra and Malcolm, get too close. Everyone just wants a piece of him because of his money. They aren't interested in the man behind the money.
This book is intense, smoking hot and full of romance. This is NOT a short story, but I couldn't put it down once I started reading. The author grabbed my attention from page one with Crew and Wren's amazing story. There are two other stories in the background. One being the title and leads to the most romantic part of the story.
I highly recommend this book and if you haven't read Monica Murphy she is definitely an author to add to your TBR list. I have read several of her books, but Crew and Wren are my absolute favorites to date.
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