He’s dangerous. He’s violent. He’s everything I should stay away from. Viks stormed into my life and he wrecked it. I know bad men. I know what they think. I know how they act. So trust me when I say, that of all the bad men in Eastpoint, I know Viks is the worst of them all. I tried to be good. I tried to stay away. He kept pulling me back in. Once a wicked man, always a wicked man. \This is a complete prequel novel that serves as a precursor to the Sick Boys series. You do NOT have to read the series to understand this book. You CAN read this as a completely separate standalone\ \*TW: This book is labeled as dark romance for a reason and contains themes of drug usage, violence, murder, and sexual situations that may not be suitable for underage audiences. Please read responsibly.\*

חוק מספר אחת: אל תעצבנו את הבחורים האפלים. הם אכזרים. פזיזים. דפוקים ברמות. הבחורים האפלים ניזונים מהסדר שהם מכתיבים. הם שולטים באוניברסיטת איסטפוינט בדיוק כמו שמשפחותיהם עשו במשך עשרות שנים, אך הכוח שלהם לא נעצר שם. שלושתם יורשים של הון משפחתי מהגדולים ביותר בעולם, ומאחורי עושר מהסוג הזה נמצא עולם תחתון של שחיתות. על פני השטח הם נסיכים מושלמים והוא "המלך" שלהם. אך מתחת לכל זה, הם מלאים בדם, שקרים וסודות. בגלל כל הקשרים שלהם, יש להם מספיק כוח כדי לרסק כל מי שעומד בדרכם. העובדה שהם מעוותים כמוני לא תגרום לי לוותר להם מפני שאני, אבלון מאנינג, לא משתחווה בפני אף אחד, ואני חיה כדי להפר את החוקים המזדיינים שלהם. אכזריות יפהפייה הוא הספר הראשון בסדרת הבחורים האפלים, שבו האויבים הופכים לאוהבים ומאזן הכוחות משתנה. זהו רומן על אישה חזקה שלא נותנת לאף אחד לשבור אותה, גם לא הבחורים החזקים ביותר. אזהרת טריגר: סדרת הבחורים האפלים מתויגת כסדרה אפלה מאחר שהיא מכילה נושאים קשים כמו התמכרות לסמים, אלימות ורצח וכן סיטואציות מיניות שעלולות להיות בלתי הולמות. אנא קראו באחריות. הספר כולל את הנובלה "משחקים אסורים". הוא מסוכן. הוא אלים. הוא כל מה שאני צריכה להתרחק ממנו. ויקס נכנס לחיי בסערה והחריב אותם. אני מכירה גברים רעים. אני יודעת מה הם חושבים. אז סמכו עליי כשאני אומרת שמכל הגברים הרעים באיסטפוינט, ויקס הוא הגרוע מכולם. ניסיתי להיות טובה. ניסיתי להתרחק. הוא לא הפסיק למשוך אותי בחזרה פנימה. גבר מרושע – תמיד יהיה מרושע. משחקים אסורים הוא רומן שמשמש קדימון לסדרת הבחורים האפלים.

Rule No. 1: Don’t piss off the Sick Boys They’re cruel. Reckless. Impossibly fucked up. The Sick Boys feed on the order they create. They rule Eastpoint University just as their families have for decades. But their power doesn’t stop there. The three of them are heirs to some of the largest fortunes in the world, and behind that kind of wealth lies an underworld of corruption. On the surface, they’re perfect princes and he is their King. But underneath it all, they’re filled with blood, lies, and secrets. With all of their connections, they have the power to crush anyone who gets in their way. But just because they’re as warped as I am doesn’t mean I’m going to give them a free pass. Because I, Avalon Manning, bow to no one, and I live to break the fucking rules. \\\This is a Dark MF New Adult Enemies to Lovers Romance.\\\

Rule No. 2: Show no fear. They’re vile and twisted. The only thing more fucked up than the Sick Boys is me, and I’m ready to show them. The Sick Boys are hiding something from me. They want to pretend like I didn’t kill my rapist and they didn’t help. But we’re not ordinary college students, that much has become clear to me, and I’m growing tired of all of the lies and secrets. Their masks are cracking and finally, I’m starting to see the grotesque reality underneath. It’s far darker than I ever expected, and it’s not enough. They know everything about me, so now it’s my turn. I fear nothing. Not them. Not the man that I killed or the people who set me up. Fear is for the weak and I, Avalon Manning, am anything but.

Rule No. 3: Never let anyone think they can hurt you and get away with it. I thought I’d seen and felt the worst of it, but there’s nothing worse than betrayal. Corina knows who’s behind what happened to me and she may think hiding will keep her safe, but after everything that’s happened, nothing can keep her safe from me and the Sick Boys. She’s a pawn in all of this, but I’ll get that information even if it means I have to cut it out of her - piece by fucking piece. This little charade is about to end. They thought they could drag me down into the dirt and grind my soul into the dust. What they failed to realize is that there’s nothing left of my soul and I don’t mind getting a little dirty if it means getting my revenge. I may have let her fool me once, but there’s no way in hell I’ll let her fool me twice. After I’m done with her, I’m going after the big boys.

What tangled webs we weave... He’s everything I don’t want. A playboy. A beast with a cunningly gorgeous smile. Faces like his only mean one thing. Somewhere underneath all of that handsomeness, there lies a monster. And if anyone can sense a monster, it’s me. I understand cruelty. I’ve lived and breathed it for my entire life. I existed on the ‘charity’ of others until I realized that wouldn’t be enough. My demons would soon be let free. They were coming back for me and in order to be ready for them—to be ready for him—I needed to make myself invincible. But it’s not enough. If I’m going to survive then I need to make an alliance with a monster of my own: Abel Frazier.

A life for a life … will kill the both of us in the end. Clover I know nothing of the Sickness at Eastpoint University. I know only the backroads that slip past the southern beaches and the gators that make their way onto the swamps shores. Until him. Until the killer known as Braxton Smalls finds his way into my stilted trailer on the coast of Port Charlotte. He came looking for Ace, but he found me instead… Braxton I’m a monster. Always have been. Always will be. The only people I’ve ever given a shit about are my boys and their girls. No one hurts my family, and knowing that someone has … and that they’ve gotten away with it plagues me. Ace Volkov will pay for what he put Avalon through and if I have to use his most precious weakness to draw him out, I will. She thinks she can bargain for his life with her own, but I mean to show her that there’s nothing I won’t do to see my vengeance through to the end.

It will end the same way it started … with death. Clover I gave Braxton Smalls everything. I sacrificed myself and all I ended up with was a broken heart and a shattered soul. Now, I’ve got bigger things to worry about than an angry Eastpoint Heir hot on my trail. Brax may be the psycho who kidnapped me–but he’s nothing compared to the organization my brother works for. And me? I’m the monster ready to wreck them all. Braxton I live for vengeance. That's all I know, all I see. Until her. Until Clover La Roux. No … until Evgenia Volkov. Daughter of a Russian mobster. Sister to the man who tortured one of my best friends. The only woman to ever satisfy the cruel desires inside of me. Whoever took her will pay with their lives. And once I have her back, I’ll make sure she can never leave me again. Consequences be damned.

I sold my soul to the devil only to turn around and slit his throat… Thomas Kincaid took everything from me. My mother. My hopes. My innocence. Now, it’s my turn. He thought he was safe. They all did. They were wrong. Men always think they can take without ever having to deal with the consequences. Well, now I’m back, and I'm the last consequence they’ll ever see. \*This is a dark romance, and contains dark and very taboo themes which some readers may find uncomfortable or upsetting such as but not limited to SA, murder, violence, child abuse, sexual slavery, misuse of the law, drug use etc. If you do not enjoy these themes, or have triggers, please do not read. Recommended for 18+ due to sexual content and adult situations. Please read responsibly.\*