Hate by Tate James is a great new adult, enemies-to-lovers, reverse harem, romance. It's dark without being "too dark", and is just the right amount of "spicy". It reads almost like a CW show with a few R rated spicy scenes. The banter between the characters is great, I especially enjoyed the MC's quick witted, and sarcastic, sense of humor. As a 35 year old reader, I do wish the MC was a bit older, but given the storyline of the series I get why the author has her at 18/19. Overall, this book is a quick and easy read for those looking to get into the lighter side the dark romance genre.

Thank you Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest, and unbiased, review.

I love this series so much, the author is an auto buy for me at this point. I can’t wait for more of her stuff in the future.

Holy sexual tension! Madison Kate is a force to be reckoned with, but when she's framed for a crime she didn't commit, her whole life changes in the blink of an eye. When she gets back home, she finds that the 3 guys responsible for framing her are living in her house and think they can run her life. Steel manages to break down her walls, Kodiak is the sweetheart, and then we have Archer. The primo asshole. And yet, even he is starting to get under her skin. On the one year anniversary of riot night, she ends up right back where this whole nightmare started. And what the fuck was that ending! Ahhhhhhh!

I absolutely devoured this book!

Tate James really knows how to hook you from page 1 and doesn’t let go until you put the book down. She’s the cliffhanger queen as well. It ended and i was SCREAMINNNGGGG WHAT.

I adored how MK was a bad ass, independent FMC. Kodiak and Steele are def my favorite of the boys, and i still can’t decide if i like Archer - SPECIALLY after that ending! I will 100% be picking up the next book in the series ASAP!

If you’re wanting a darker romance that’s fun, unputdownable and keeps you on the edge of your seat from page 1, you’ll devour this book!

James creates a thrilling narrative packed full of heat. Madison Kate is a spitfire of a female main character, and constantly keeps it interesting with the hate-to-love trope that works so well here.

The author skillfully blends together romance and suspense, but then adds in a dash of mystery. From a totally false and wrongful accusation at the beginning that drives the story, leads on with a palpable revenge towards those who ruined her life.

The close proximity had me screaming when she came home and the men who caused it were there to stay. In a world of lies, betrayal and deceit the story keeps you on your toes. The twists and turns only had me begging for more and once it was over? Well, time for the next in the series.


Thank you to Tate James and Bloom Books for the eARC!

I seriously loved this book and definitely need to read the rest of the series! After seeing this series going viral on #booktok for over a year, my stubborn ass refused to read it until now, and how stupid do I feel now? I am a huge fan why-choose romance, and I love a sassy heroine who is out for revenge. Since this is a multi book series, of course there is an element of slow burn and building of tension and chemistry between the characters, but in this case it was necessary to help lay out the ground work of the plot - which thankfully seems to be well worth the wait. All I can say is: More please!

Okay- Im torn between loving and hating this book, is that possible? I was intrigued by the story at first. The FMC, Madison (MK) goes with a friend to watch an illegal fight that is being held at an amusement park. The place is packed and while shes there something goes on and shots are fired, people were shot, a girl died. Madison was framed for the death of the girl, even though she did not kill her. Lucky for MK her father is a very wealthy man and is able to get here out of doing any jail time but kept her away from the place she lived for a long time. When she finally is able to come back out of hiding she plans to seek her revenge on the men that framed her. Sounds great right? A girl on a revenge rampage? THis is where I think it fell short for me. I want Madison to come in there like she was the boss, stand her grown, show those men that they messed with the wrong girl, but that's not exactly how things play out. The love-hate relationship she has with the men kind of drove me nuts, All I wanted was for her to be able to look past their sexiness and get her revenge. Im still giving the book 4 stars because I did not hate it, I just think there were some missed opportunities in regard to how Madison got her revenge, Something about it kept me enthralled enough to keep on flying through the pages.

This book captivated me from the start with its gripping plot and complex characters. Madison Kate Danvers's journey from wrongful accusation to seeking revenge had me hooked. James skillfully blends romance, suspense, and mystery, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. Madison's intense hatred and determination for retribution against those who ruined her life resonated with me. The dynamic between Madison and her love interests, particularly Archer D’Ath, is electric and keeps the pages turning. While the cliffhanger ending left me eager for more, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this spicy and suspenseful read. I can't wait to dive into the next installment in the series.

Prepare to be hooked from the very first page!! This dark and intense tale follows Madison Kate Danvers, a young woman who's been framed for a crime she didn't commit. Determined to seek revenge on those who wronged her, Madison returns to Shadow Grove with vengeance burning in her heart. The writing pulls you into a world of secrets, lies, and betrayal, where nothing is as it seems and danger lurks around every corner. As Madison navigates the treacherous landscape of her hometown, she discovers that her enemies are closer than she ever imagined—living under the same roof. The dynamic between Madison and the enigmatic boys who framed her—Archer, Kodiak, and Steele—is electric, filled with tension and simmering attraction. But Madison refuses to be swayed by their charms, determined to exact her revenge at any cost. This was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with twists and turns that left me breathless. Definitely recommend if you're a fan of dark romance and gripping suspense.
🔥🔪 #Hate #TateJames #DarkRomance #Suspense #BookReview

Thanks to netgalley and Bloom for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

—— Review

Huge ty @netgalley and @read_bloom for the advanced readers copy of Hate. This has been on my TBR forever & was so excited to hear it was being republished by Bloom (although I prefer the original covers tbh).

Happy to say that I learned what a reverse harem novel is & this is my first. I FLEW through this one. Slightly low brow but addictive and the perfect palette cleanser after reading so much of the same genre (always romance). Honestly, the whole story line gave me major Riverdale vibes?? I never finished that show, but I did watch the first few seasons. Maybe it is just the small town divided by class differences- insert biker gangs.

Madison was an alright FMC. I think she is portrayed to be a rebel/bad b. However, she came out kinda soft and I wished she had more character development. The boys are everything, I’m in love. I already know I’m going to binge the rest of this series and stress over the fact that she doesn’t pick one at the end (my small mono heart). Absolutely loved this one!💕

This was very mf singular for a reverse harem series..and yet I want moreeee

This book is one of those that you both love and get kind of annoyed about let me be honest with you. However as MK develops as a character we get more and more of the story of riot night and also fall in love with each man individually but all of is it little grains of rice that come together. I cannot wait for book 2 to see what more i can learn

Hate is a reread for me, however it's been a long while and I'm so glad to have been reminded why I loved this book so much! It's such a page turner and oh my goodness the men are deliciously sizzling.

When Bloom announced they were picking this up I took it as the sign I was waiting for to dive into this series finally. I love a good why choose story every once in a while and I was ready to be whisked away into the world of Madison Kate and her boys.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: Let’s first dive into the titular Madison Kate, back in town after her father exiled her to Cambodia and she’s ready to re-enter, no actually to reclaim her life. She’s a character you’ll love if you like to embrace rooting for a morally grey leading lady. She’s violent and vengeful, and I loved every bit of it. She has this magnetism about her, which no doubt lures her three boys in. In a why choose story it’s hard to make sure all the love interests are well-defined and separate characters. Archer, Steele, and Kodiak are very different from each other. Archer is the possessive asshole type, the classic I hate you but am wildly attracted to you, type of character. Kodiak is the sweetest of the guys for sure, while Steele definitely brought his own swagger, having the balls to really put the moves on MK first. For sure though it’s these main characters that have me intrigued to keep reading.
Setting: Shadow Grove is the setting for this story, and I feel like I have yet to understand this town. This is understandable because this is the first book, not all the secrets are going to reveal themselves just yet. It does lead to a few frustrations while reading as it is hard to believe an entire town let MK be the scapegoat for Riot Night.
Pacing: The first few chapters took me a bit to get into, but I felt way more invested in what was happening once the plot picked up. The story improves as we get more information, I do not really like how left in the dark we are as readers. It ends with quite the cliffhanger, which did have me diving into the second book Liar, basically right away.
Romance: It’s hard to really rate the romance in this one, as this first instalment is very much more the boys lusting over Madison Kate, and her denying that she is lusting after any of them. The spice in this book doesn’t really hit for me, but I really do hope as the series continues we get longer scenes, basically most of the scenes in this book did not last nearly long enough. I am invested in seeing how each of the relationships grow, especially Kodiak and Steele, but I trust that Tate James will even have me rooting for Archer by the end.

Hate receives 3.5/5 stars.

I have been hearing about Tate James for years, but I wasn’t sure if I was her target audience. How wrong was I!!
This book consumed me from the moment I started it. There’s so much action, snarky banter, and revenge tactics. All the interactions between Madison Kate and the three guys were chefs kiss. I could literally feel the sexual tension burning up my kindle. I liked that the guys all seemed the same at the beginning, but as the book went on little nuances showed the differences. Kody seems like the more fun-loving guy, Steele is sweet under all those muscles and a peacemaker, while Archer is the boss, the alpha of the alphas. MK fit right in with their dynamic.
I’m not a big finisher of series but I know I’m going to finish this one, and quickly. That cliffhanger, argh I need to know.

As soon as I saw these coming out and had a chance to snag an ARC, I jumped on it! A slow burn Why Choose that is going to extend to the other books I’m assuming (at least that’s how a few WC romances I’ve read go). Lot of BDE flying around with not one, not two, but three “roommates” to “protect” our FMC. The various personalities are interesting but I’m intrigued enough to keep reading. It was a weird dynamic to me but the suspense part has me hooked enough to venture on. Ends on a cliffhanger but does include a bonus scene.

I'm gonna rate this book 4.75 stars cause oh my god this book was so good and i had such a good time reading this book! This book follows madison kate and after she get's framed for a crime she didn't commit she moves back home into her father's home and has to live with the 3 men who she believes framed her.
Honestly i found madison so funny and relatable but also once you get the details of her past you start to feel sad for her but her 'relationship' with the boys throughout the entire book is so funny and cute. I can't wait to read more of these characters because madison, steele, kody and archer are so easy to fall in love with, there are some characters i'm suspicious of and i can't wait to see if i'm right about my predictions. This is definitely one of my new favorite books ever i'm in love with the plot, writing and characters so much and can't wait to see where this story goes.

Tate James is a queen at dark romance and why choose. This was my first why choose romance and I loved it so much!! Having listened to this series on audio a couple of months ago and loving it when I saw the earc I crossed my fingers and hoped I got a copy and I’m so grateful I did! I loved it so much. Reading how awesome and strong MK is, how local and protective her three boys are especially Archer had me swooning constantly. The mystery and suspense element just added to how good it was. I can’t wait for the next book to come out and to receive my physical copy from booktopia. Thank you so much for the arc.

Hate is the start of the best series ever. Madison Kate is such a bad a** leading female character who stands her ground and runs the show. She sets the bar high not only for RH series but for female heroines. Tate does this series and this book so much justice.

Wow, okay! In the beginning I was a bit iffy on this but I am so glad I kept trucking along! The pacing was really great and the twists at the end had me SHOOK!

I really enjoyed MK's personality. Her pranks were top notch and obsessed with her attitude. I also enjoyed that each man had their own distinct personalities. I am looking forward to getting to know them more in the next book. I didn't realize this was a why choose so extra points for that!

Totally recommend!

My feelings about this one are all over the place. There were a few thrilling moments that kept me on the edge of my seat, and I did feel invested in the storyline at times, but there’s a lot that I didn’t love.

The chemistry was unconvincing and stale. The romance depended on sexual attraction and literally nothing else. We don’t get to know much about any of the characters individually and it seems as though they all exist solely to be aggressive, intimidating gang members that happen to all be, conveniently, sexually attracted to the main character. Now, I understand that this is common in books like this, (we all know the main reason we’re reading them) but that doesn’t change the fact that this book would have been so much more enjoyable with just a little bit more character development. The plot is intriguing, and there’s a foundation for something great here.

I struggled with the main character. She comes off as immature and impulsive, which made it difficult for me to connect to her. She put herself in danger so many times while actively thinking to herself “this isn’t a good idea” but then did it anyways. It left me frustrated and disconnected from her as a character too many times.

The plot feels like it’s something we all fantasized about at the age of 15. Hot, rich girl lives in a mansion with no adults and 3 hot, ripped bad boys that all have a massive crush on her. Her closet is magically filled with cute outfits, there’s a cook, a butler, maids, etc. The quarterback wants to date you, and his dad, a professor, even calls you the “prettiest girl in the class” in front of everyone. On and on it goes. Everything just felt so convenient and unrealistic.

However, the underlying mystery has me hooked, and I can’t deny there’s something slightly addicting to the story. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I know I’ll be picking up the next one to find out what happens to these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.