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whiskeywoman79's review against another edition
4.0
Oh boy, correction, Oh boy's!!
I absolutely loved this book and the series. Though in all honesty, some things have gotten me a little twisted, I guess is the right word. I love Liam!! I have very mixed feelings about Doc, and that relationship! I am not working on my own theories of how things will play out and it sucks cause I don't really don't like any of them. The book gives you just enough to try and see what twists and turns are coming up but does not give anything away. Now I just have to keep myself busy until September.
I absolutely loved this book and the series. Though in all honesty, some things have gotten me a little twisted, I guess is the right word. I love Liam!! I have very mixed feelings about Doc, and that relationship! I am not working on my own theories of how things will play out and it sucks cause I don't really don't like any of them. The book gives you just enough to try and see what twists and turns are coming up but does not give anything away. Now I just have to keep myself busy until September.
glitteringghost's review against another edition
5.0
when I was nearing the end of the book, I thought to myself, “wow this is ending on such a pleasant note!” I should have known heather better than that by now. “brutal” is right!!
this is the fifth book in what has quickly become a favorite series. we’re focused on emersyn’s recovery from the events of book four, and the story showcases her strength. emersyn is tough in a relatable way, not in the ridiculous “I’m a heroine in a story and can bounce back from anything literally immediately” way.
I loved getting a different perspective on emersyn’s friendship with lainey. we see more from adam and ezra, and it’s clear emersyn has an irresistible pull on everyone she encounters. her relationships with each of the vandals is so different, and the guys have such distinct voices and personalities.
a lot happened in this book, plot wise. it moved quickly and tied some earlier pieces together. I can’t wait to reread!
this is the fifth book in what has quickly become a favorite series. we’re focused on emersyn’s recovery from the events of book four, and the story showcases her strength. emersyn is tough in a relatable way, not in the ridiculous “I’m a heroine in a story and can bounce back from anything literally immediately” way.
I loved getting a different perspective on emersyn’s friendship with lainey. we see more from adam and ezra, and it’s clear emersyn has an irresistible pull on everyone she encounters. her relationships with each of the vandals is so different, and the guys have such distinct voices and personalities.
a lot happened in this book, plot wise. it moved quickly and tied some earlier pieces together. I can’t wait to reread!
onepageatatime's review against another edition
5.0
This series is so amazing. The Vandals are back, and I couldn't put this book down. Of course, my heart stopped at the end because Heather Long is the queen of killer cliffhangers. While I love all of the Vandal book this one was my favorite. Emersyn was surrounded by love and support and while this story is dark and there are a lot of ups and downs the guys were always there for her. I can't wait for the next book.
adlerje1's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my broken heart. Heather absolutely destroyed this book in the best (heartbreaking) way. This is the 5th time we get Emersyn and the gang. And it honestly may be my favorite yet. I seriously say that every time but this book. Maybe I was feeling extra emotional but this book was beautifully tragic. Before I get into it without spoilers, Emersyn is seriously so strong and determined. It just hurts my heart while she works through trauma. But I’m so glad she is. This book, these guys, their problem. We’re slowly unraveling issues and piecing them to together. As we gradually get a better understanding of everyone’s story, we get answers and of course, more questions. Emersyn gets the MVP trophy for this book. She is the definition of resilient. Her trauma and pain have defined her and with the help of the guys she’s slowly recovering and I am here for it. I love the support they give her. I’m still processing the ending. I’m not sure if I should say WTF HEATHER or WTF JANE! But honestly the ending makes me depressed and throw a little hissy fit bc we have to wait for the next book. If you have not started the vandals series. START NOW. This may be my absolute favorite book from heather so far. It just has captured my heart and pulled on all the strings.
shedevilreads's review
5.0
Brutal Fighter by Heather long is a reverse harem romance. This is the fifth book in the 82 Street Vandals series.
I absolutely love this series! Heather does an amazing job pulling me in from the first chapter and keeping me hooked until the very end. I am loving the relationship between Emersyn and the Vandals.
I really enjoyed getting Emersyn, Kellan, Doc, Vaughn, Liam, Jasper, Rome, Liam, and Freddie's point of views throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.
The book ends on another cliffhanger, which isn't a surprise since Heather warned us it would happen. I can't wait for the next book in the series Dangerous Renegade to be released on September 6, 2022.
I would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves dark romances, enemies-to-lovers romance, new adult romances, reverse harems, or romantic suspense.
I absolutely love this series! Heather does an amazing job pulling me in from the first chapter and keeping me hooked until the very end. I am loving the relationship between Emersyn and the Vandals.
I really enjoyed getting Emersyn, Kellan, Doc, Vaughn, Liam, Jasper, Rome, Liam, and Freddie's point of views throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.
The book ends on another cliffhanger, which isn't a surprise since Heather warned us it would happen. I can't wait for the next book in the series Dangerous Renegade to be released on September 6, 2022.
I would highly recommend this series to anyone who loves dark romances, enemies-to-lovers romance, new adult romances, reverse harems, or romantic suspense.
booksfirst_sleeplater's review against another edition
5.0
Alright friends. I think I’ve had enough time to make peace with that ending. MAYBE. But we’ll circle back to that in a bit.
I love that we dive right back in where Dirty Devil left off. Emersyn is back with the Vandals (where she belongs might I add) and she is HEALING. That’s my favorite part of this story so far, that she feels safe enough with them to heal, even when it’s messy and not easy.
She fits in so seamlessly with all of the guys and it’s another one of my favorite parts to see what she brings out in them. They each have a different, softer side with her and I LOOOOVE it. I love that we got to see more into Kellan, and I double loved that Milo let go of a bit of the control because he knew it’s what was needed. (Can’t wait to see more of him and Lainey!!!) The twins as always are my favorites (Liam specifically) so you know I am HEATED about certain parts of this book. The ending left me shook (as usual) but I trust in our evil queen and know that the next book will be worth it!!!!
I love that we dive right back in where Dirty Devil left off. Emersyn is back with the Vandals (where she belongs might I add) and she is HEALING. That’s my favorite part of this story so far, that she feels safe enough with them to heal, even when it’s messy and not easy.
She fits in so seamlessly with all of the guys and it’s another one of my favorite parts to see what she brings out in them. They each have a different, softer side with her and I LOOOOVE it. I love that we got to see more into Kellan, and I double loved that Milo let go of a bit of the control because he knew it’s what was needed. (Can’t wait to see more of him and Lainey!!!) The twins as always are my favorites (Liam specifically) so you know I am HEATED about certain parts of this book. The ending left me shook (as usual) but I trust in our evil queen and know that the next book will be worth it!!!!
bookwormbetty's review against another edition
5.0
I could not love a series more if I tried. This book is so dang good. Of course you have to read them all, and in order, but my goodness, it's worth it. I adore these characters, and the chemistry they all have for each other. The raw gut turning emotions in this book is something that you work past, with the characters, you are in the book, you feel the emotions. The author does a beautiful job of keeping you hostage and making you feel everything.
Emersyn is a woman of many feelings, and relationships, she has deep feelings, and she is strong yet delicate like a flower. She fights past any trauma she has with the help of her guys, who can out stubborn her any day of the week. There is a balance to a RH, and it can get messy quick, but Heather Long, scoffs at that, and makes it perfection. Told in multiple POV, don't sleep on this series.
Emersyn is a woman of many feelings, and relationships, she has deep feelings, and she is strong yet delicate like a flower. She fights past any trauma she has with the help of her guys, who can out stubborn her any day of the week. There is a balance to a RH, and it can get messy quick, but Heather Long, scoffs at that, and makes it perfection. Told in multiple POV, don't sleep on this series.
kfriend's review against another edition
5.0
There’s truly nothing like this series out there- a cornucopia of characters, moments and feeling so uniquely layered and so deftly interwoven that you can’t help but marvel at how seamlessly they capture you. Brutal Fighter unfolds with a series of contrasts that parallels the dichotomy of its characters- the painful and the restorative, the quiet and the loud, the heartbreaking and the swoony. But Brutal Fighter is also a huge turning point for Emersyn, our embattled, enigmatic, and entrancing heroine. And what a beautiful and hopeful turning point it is.
The Vandals are no strangers to pain and trauma. Some of these characters have suffered through unimaginable trauma for years, so much so that it’s become the fabric of their DNA, the thread that ties them all together. Their baggage enables them to see and understand one another in wordless ways, the silent solidarity of pain and adversity. They’ve internalized it and accepted it- let it catalyze them into the crew that they are. Brothers, survivors, brutal fighters. Pain has become their identity. But finding Emersyn changed everything, threw off their equilibrium (as well as her own), and the waters have never quite settled. Secrets, mistruths, painful decisions, and the past have all hindered the solidity of their future.
After the heartwrenching journey they’ve each been on, Heather gives us a brief reprieve of peace and healing. Narratively, this story feels entirely different, at least at first. Heather narrows the focus, hones in on the interpersonal, and quiets the nose. Set entirely in the present for the first time, our story’s beginning almost feels like a meditation. A melancholic one, one heavy with unspoken feelings and questions. It’s somehow both serene and foreboding, a veritable calm before the storm. It feels intimate- as the group rebounds and recovers from the events in the prior book. Emersyn is back in their care, but the question of the impact of her most recent suffering lingers like smog in their air. And as the narrative is stripped down, so are the characters- because Brutal Fighter is a turning point. There’s a reason we aren’t exploring flashbacks or mired in immediate action- Brutal Fighter is about the Vandals moving forward, together and facing the interpersonal obstacles among them before they face their shared enemies. Brutal Fighter is about the power that comes from facing your pain- the power of vulnerability. Most importantly, Emersyn’s.
Emersyn is one of the most interesting heroine’s I’ve ever read- a captivating and fearless survivor who has suffered greatly at the hands of those that should love and protect her. Trust isn’t just foreign to her, it’s almost unimaginable. But we’ve gradually seen her lean into connection with each of the Vandals, but Emersyn has never been truly vulnerable, she’s never surrendered to her trust. Until now. Now we see Emersyn find the the greatest courage of all is not facing the monsters that haunt her, it’s not surviving the gruesome and deplorable acts she’s been made to suffer. Her courage comes from opening her heart in spite of it, from surviving without losing the essence of her humanity. And it’s the key to her need for belonging. And that means learning into her pain and brokenness, that means she has to stop hiding parts of herself. NOT just from the Vandals. No, she also needs to stop hiding from herself. It’s a choice, over and over again, to trust in another, to bare your soul, to expose your fractures and scars, and Emersyn is finally ready to make that choice. In a series of beautiful, quiet, and meaningful moments, we see her in Brutal Fighter fight for her own vitality, for her own future, by leaning into small moments with her guys. And I was mesmerized and captivated by the magic of it all.
And Kellan. Just Kellan. He’s been my favorite from the beginning, he spoke to my soul. Emersyn’s safety net that lost her trust by his well-meaning and protective duplicity. But he finds the trust again. And now I know why he felt so compelling to me. The way he centers Emersyn, the way he accepts her and encourages her and catalyzes her vulnerability- well, it’s everything I’ve been waiting for. Each character plays a role, each relationship has it’s own unique purpose and power. Each is so beautifully crafted, but Kellan healed my heart in this book- he wrapped it in a warm and safe embrace, making space for me to breathe out my own pain into the air. And good things are indeed worth the wait….wink wink.
Of course, Heather certainly bursts our intimate bubble, and Brutal Fighter ends in a barrage of action and danger and a hell of a twist ending. The Vandals internal demons aren’t just waiting for them- so are their real life monsters. But, the wounds are exposed, little by little. Heather has stripped them all bare, now comes the true testament of the resilience and love of the Vandals, because together and broken they are much stronger than they would be separate and whole. Darkness and pain, it’s universal. Broken isn’t bad- no, not atll. Their brokenness is the key to their power.
The Vandals are no strangers to pain and trauma. Some of these characters have suffered through unimaginable trauma for years, so much so that it’s become the fabric of their DNA, the thread that ties them all together. Their baggage enables them to see and understand one another in wordless ways, the silent solidarity of pain and adversity. They’ve internalized it and accepted it- let it catalyze them into the crew that they are. Brothers, survivors, brutal fighters. Pain has become their identity. But finding Emersyn changed everything, threw off their equilibrium (as well as her own), and the waters have never quite settled. Secrets, mistruths, painful decisions, and the past have all hindered the solidity of their future.
After the heartwrenching journey they’ve each been on, Heather gives us a brief reprieve of peace and healing. Narratively, this story feels entirely different, at least at first. Heather narrows the focus, hones in on the interpersonal, and quiets the nose. Set entirely in the present for the first time, our story’s beginning almost feels like a meditation. A melancholic one, one heavy with unspoken feelings and questions. It’s somehow both serene and foreboding, a veritable calm before the storm. It feels intimate- as the group rebounds and recovers from the events in the prior book. Emersyn is back in their care, but the question of the impact of her most recent suffering lingers like smog in their air. And as the narrative is stripped down, so are the characters- because Brutal Fighter is a turning point. There’s a reason we aren’t exploring flashbacks or mired in immediate action- Brutal Fighter is about the Vandals moving forward, together and facing the interpersonal obstacles among them before they face their shared enemies. Brutal Fighter is about the power that comes from facing your pain- the power of vulnerability. Most importantly, Emersyn’s.
Emersyn is one of the most interesting heroine’s I’ve ever read- a captivating and fearless survivor who has suffered greatly at the hands of those that should love and protect her. Trust isn’t just foreign to her, it’s almost unimaginable. But we’ve gradually seen her lean into connection with each of the Vandals, but Emersyn has never been truly vulnerable, she’s never surrendered to her trust. Until now. Now we see Emersyn find the the greatest courage of all is not facing the monsters that haunt her, it’s not surviving the gruesome and deplorable acts she’s been made to suffer. Her courage comes from opening her heart in spite of it, from surviving without losing the essence of her humanity. And it’s the key to her need for belonging. And that means learning into her pain and brokenness, that means she has to stop hiding parts of herself. NOT just from the Vandals. No, she also needs to stop hiding from herself. It’s a choice, over and over again, to trust in another, to bare your soul, to expose your fractures and scars, and Emersyn is finally ready to make that choice. In a series of beautiful, quiet, and meaningful moments, we see her in Brutal Fighter fight for her own vitality, for her own future, by leaning into small moments with her guys. And I was mesmerized and captivated by the magic of it all.
And Kellan. Just Kellan. He’s been my favorite from the beginning, he spoke to my soul. Emersyn’s safety net that lost her trust by his well-meaning and protective duplicity. But he finds the trust again. And now I know why he felt so compelling to me. The way he centers Emersyn, the way he accepts her and encourages her and catalyzes her vulnerability- well, it’s everything I’ve been waiting for. Each character plays a role, each relationship has it’s own unique purpose and power. Each is so beautifully crafted, but Kellan healed my heart in this book- he wrapped it in a warm and safe embrace, making space for me to breathe out my own pain into the air. And good things are indeed worth the wait….wink wink.
Of course, Heather certainly bursts our intimate bubble, and Brutal Fighter ends in a barrage of action and danger and a hell of a twist ending. The Vandals internal demons aren’t just waiting for them- so are their real life monsters. But, the wounds are exposed, little by little. Heather has stripped them all bare, now comes the true testament of the resilience and love of the Vandals, because together and broken they are much stronger than they would be separate and whole. Darkness and pain, it’s universal. Broken isn’t bad- no, not atll. Their brokenness is the key to their power.
rhreviewer91's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Gore, Torture, Trafficking, and Gaslighting
kayleeereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0