Rook and Rebel by Kate Crew is a new adult dark romance that blends classic elements that readers love into a story filled with revenge and smoking hot spice. It’s the first in an ongoing series of standalones, and it’s been getting a lot of BookTok hype.
Regan Fletcher just wants to be taken seriously, and she’ll do whatever is asked of her to be included in her father’s business. Unfortunately for her, that means occasionally getting dolled up for parties and otherwise staying far out of his way. No matter how much she tries to prove herself, it is never enough, and she’s left on the sidelines.
One night, her boyfriend takes her out on a date and takes her on a walk that leads them down a dark alley. What Regan doesn’t know is that her boyfriend owes a gambling debt to a dangerous group of bikers, and their leader is looking to get his money back. Rook, the leader of the bikers, attempts to rob Regan’s boyfriend at gunpoint, and like a true gentleman, the boyfriend bails, leaving Regan to deal with the man that her boyfriend owes. Their chemistry is instant, even though Regan is just a little bit afraid of her would-be attacker. It’s one hell of a meet-cute.
Rook doesn’t know who the girl on the back of his bike is, but he knows he can’t let her distract him from the goal he’s been working towards since he was a child: revenge. When he was a child, his parents were killed in an intentional fire that left him permanently scarred. Rook wants revenge on the man responsible. He wants to take everything from Cameron Fletcher in the same way that this man took everything from him. And then his daughter falls right into Rook’s lap.
Rook and Rebel is a little reminiscent of Penelope Douglas and her Devil’s Night series with its angsty twenty-somethings and their fixations on revenge. Devil’s Night is one of my favorite contemporary romance collections, so I immediately liked the vibe of this book.
While I found similarities in a different series, this book was marketed as a comparison to Butcher and Blackbird, which I can see how that would make sense, but it’s a completely different tone and energy. Rook isn’t exactly a serial killer, and the violence in this book is more geared toward the organized crime variety.
Rook and Regan are both pretty classic contemporary romance characters. He’s the broody, violent hero and she’s the sheltered princess with a dark side. I fully enjoyed reading their story and I enjoyed their characters, but there wasn’t anything that specifically set them away from the pack and made them memorable. It feels like I’ve read their story before, and I probably have. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, but this book isn’t bringing anything new to the table.
In a book that is so familiar like this one, it’s important to have spice that holds up and that is where this book shines. The chemistry between these two is on fire, and their romantic interactions are enough to make even a seasoned dark romance reader blush just a little.
Because of it’s revenge themes, the catharsis at the end of this book was quite satisfying. Rook and Rebel is a classic dark romance with gang vibes that’s a fun read that’s super easy to get through. If you’re a fan of the dark romance formula, you’ll love Rook and Rebel.
Writing: 3.5
Spice: 4
Kindle: $4.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited
Paperback: $15.79
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