A review by originalbooknerd
Defy by L.J. Shen

emotional funny fast-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

5.0

βž°π•―π•°π•±π–„ - π•Ύπ–Žπ–“π–“π–Šπ–—π–˜ 𝖔𝖋 π•Ύπ–†π–Žπ–“π–™ 0.5 - π•½π–Šπ–›π–Žπ–Šπ–œβž° 
 
Author: LJ Shen 
 
Couple: Melody Greene & Jaime Followhill 
 
Tropes: student x teacher, possessive obsessive alphahole, reverse age gap, high school romance (MMC 18+), football romance, billionaire romance, forbidden and taboo 
 
Review: DEFY…wow, LJ did it again! This is the prequel to the Sinners of Saint series and we begin with Jaime Followhill and his UTLIMATE fantasy. Jaime’s book is short, HAWT and INTENSE like all good LJ books and also provides us with all the angst perfect for people who love forbidden romances. DEFY was a whirlwind romance that sucked me in from page one and these two just kept getting better! 
 
Melody is the goody two shoes teacher that never strays to far from the wrong side of the line. I loved how she was so GOOD and had to wrestle with herself for giving into her feelings. Her POV is heartbreaking yet beautiful since we really begin to see her open up as Jaime wins her over. LJ did really well with the forbidden student x teacher trope and Melody’s character was unique and also perfect for how possessive Jaime is! 
 
Jaime is THE one in this book. He was so gone for Melody that his emotions bled through the pages. I adored seeing all the OG sinners in their high school ages and enjoyed seeing their starting points. I also LOVED how Jaime was an ALPHAhole or…a HOTHOLE! The way he gave everything to Melody and was being torn up at the same time since he did not want her to get hurt was emotional angst at its finest and it was so easy to binge his book for this and this alone! Ultimately, Jaime is the OG Sinner whose romance is perfectly taboo and delicious to read! 
 
Rating: 4/5, A HAWT, spicy romance between a high school senior and his favorite teacher and their taboo love affair!