my heart has been relocated to the pit of my stomach after this one. what a soul-shattering, gut wrencher (in the best way). the raw agony that riley endures throughout this story, let alone her past, had me torn to pieces. i love a good bully romance, and this one is GREAT. the utter torture logan, royce, and grayson put her through, has me a little weary on how RA Smythe will redeem them. that being said, the trauma and darkly disturbing pasts the boys have absolutely clouded their judgements and actions so i truly am on the edge of my seat to explore their groveling, growth and redemption in the continued trilogy!

helena walters and oliver highpoint are both newer narrators to me, and they gained an IMMEDIATE fan. their work on this narration was gut wrenchingly beautiful and the subtle nuances and changes to their narration during various scenes made me emotional!!

thank you to RA Smythe, Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review Frozen Hearts!

tropes: bully romance, bully reverse harem, university aged romance, revenge plot, trauma rep, ex step brother, hockey player mmc, broody damaged mmc, strong fmc
vibes: dark emotional slow-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, dubcon/noncon within the harem
Moderate: Rape (outside of the harem), Self harm, Sexual assault (outside of the harem), Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment (outside of the harem)
Minor: Blood, Dementia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

I am a big fan of dark romance so I went into this with high expectations of what to expect. It wasn’t really my cup of tea. I really enjoyed Riley’s character and her story but I had a hard time connecting with any of the love interests. I enjoyed Logan as a golden retriever type but he changed so quickly that it didn’t track with his character. Then his back and forth seemed so weird to me. I honestly didn’t find anything redeemable about Grayson, especially after the kitchen scene. Royce was the only one that I could sort of connect with. His backstory really helped to sell why he was on board with the plan that happened. The plot was interesting and the revenge plan was definitely not what I was anticipating. The story itself hooked me enough that I’ll be continuing the series. I’m hoping the male characters are developed some more in the next one so that I can connect with them. Regardless of my hesitation with the characters I found the audiobook to be done very well. The narration/narrators really brought the story to life.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🎧 ALC Review 🎧
Narrated by Helena Walter & Oliver Highpoint
Dreamscape Media

Frozen Hearts is the first book of the Halston U series. It's a dark, emotionally charged college romance that explores trauma, redemption, and complex relationships.

Riley is moving through life with trauma, searching for a fresh start. Love interests? Why choose? Logan (hockey boy), Royce (broody), and Grayson (estranged stepbrother). Grayson is driven by revenge and resentment towards Riley. She is the reason that his father is behind bars, but Riley's reason was valid; yet he doesn't want to believe it... he doesn't believe it. Until...

<b> Tropes: </b>
🏑 Why Choose
💃 Dark College Romance
🏑 Stepbrother Romance
💃 Enemies to Lovers
🏑 Redemption Arc
💃Trauma Recovery

<b> "I will be her protector. Her silent shadow in the night. Her invisible weapon to wield. The soldier at her side. The shield at her back and the breastplate over her heart. I will be whatever and whoever she needs to feel safe in this world. </b>

This was like…. A book you hated, but kept on reading ‘cause something about it hooked you in the beginning & you just gotta see it through ☠️

That’s what this book felt like!! ‘Cause the MMCs? They were not it 😬 I love a bully romance, but like, they’re kinda dumb? Like they really pin all these weird narratives on her simply over an occurrence that had NOTHING to do w/ them.
(Well, 2 of them)
And the way Logan did a whole 180, I just fr despise him and all he stands for. I hope he never wins a hockey match ever again lmfaoo.
And Royce? I wanna like him, but the way he just doesn’t intervene enough for meeee. I just can’t fully fall in love w/ his character 😔
And Grayson?
Just no. Jail. Prison. Hell.

It was giving weird vibes on top of some REALLY you need to go to prison vibes lol… Like this was messy, but I couldn’t stop right there type of mess.
Grayson def is his Daddy’s son though… And they need to live to together if you catch my drift ✌🏽
And the other two as accomplices in this ridiculousness ‘cause how are y’all mad at Riley then go and follow through w/ a plan like this????
Baby, yous the pot & the kettle atp lol.

Overall, the story was good up until THAT point… Aka Grayson. Would I read the sequel? Probably ☠️
‘Cause the ending? I just need to know what happens next ‘cause I’m nosey fr 😭😭😭
Helena Walters & Oliver Highpoint did an amazing job, esp having to narrate 3 diff MMCs lol.

What a roller coaster ride! This book was crazy good, there were tropes galore, twists and turns, and 3 possessive men. There were also difficult topics handled with as much care as possible with the miscommunication/misunderstandings that took place. The ending? That was perfect and now I need to go find book 2.
The narrators did a great job telling this story and fit the characters so well.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the audio ARC

2 ⭐️ ⭐️

🎧 AUDIOBOOK REVIEW 🎧

The audio was fine. I love a duet narration book and they both did a good job. If I had physically read this I would have DNFed but because it was audio and I enjoyed the narrators I finished it.

I was not a fan of the story normally I love a good bully romance but this was a no go for me.

3.75 🌟 rounded
Spice: open door (check triggers)
Format: ALC

I find this author is hit or miss for me. I loved Pacific Prep but Ruthless Boys was just okay. This one is kinda in the middle. I enjoyed it mostly, but Greyson can get fucked. Sorry, but I don't find him redeemable. One scene was less dub con and more rape. It's hard to look past. Not to mention his grudge against Riley is kinda ridiculous. I like Logan & Royce, but they lose points for just doing whatever Grayson says. I am intrigued enough that I will probably grab the other audios as they release. I like the narrators and the story kept me interested.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the alc in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book!!!!!! I loved everything from the writing to the characters. I was invested in this story from the beginning and it kept my attention throughout the entire book. I’m not usually a big fan of bully romances but I loved this one. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

Yall, do these men even like Riley because it sure doesn't seem like it. This book is definitely dark and intense with taboo romance and a whole lot of drama. I typically like dark romance but I need the men to actually like the FMC. I really loved Logan at first but once he thinks Riley lied to him, he acts like a total jerk to her. I don't know, I'm torn with this book. The writing is good but none of these men are likeable to me and it made me not want to continue this series. I'm going to give this one a 3 for now but this book made me mad.

Helena Walters and Oliver Highpoint do a great job with narration!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Frozen Hearts by R.A. Smith is an emotional and gripping story brought to life through a multi-narrator audiobook experience. While the frequent POV shifts, especially between the male voices—can be a little confusing at times, the powerful storyline and compelling characters make it well worth the listen. Riley is strong yet vulnerable, trying to navigate her complicated feelings while staying true to herself. Royce is mysterious and stalkerish in a way that keeps you constantly questioning his motives, while Logan’s charm and quiet intensity add balance to the chaos. Grayson, on the other hand, is angry and entitled, but his presence adds a necessary tension to the group dynamic. Each character brings something raw and real to the story, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how everything plays out in the rest of the series. A solid 4-star listen!

If I could give it negative stars, I would.

Riley’s story is straight up fucked and heartbreaking. There is not one person in her life that protected her. Unfuckingbelievable. Riley is repeatedly raped by her step dad, she has a child out of that rape, her mother is a piece of shit and has custody of her rape baby. And I’m supposed to believe Riley finds some fucked up love with her rapist’s son and his loser friends? 🤮

How does Grayson justify hating Riley? She is a survivor of child sexual abuse. Like in what fucking world? Typical man, upholding the patriarchy and trusting a man over believing a woman. And he doesn’t just not believe her, he actively, aggressively defends his father’s (RAPIST) actions. He really abducts her and says he going to make her his sex slave. He a fucking vile little boy and has zero redeeming qualities.

Logan? ABSOLUTE piece of shit. Really believes she lied about being raped and just goes with whatever Grayson says? SMH. Wow, he eventually lets her not sleep on the floor…what a hero.

Ruthless? PIECE OF SHIT. Has the edgy sad-but-sensitive-boy vibes, but also just goes along with his bitch bro says.

Mind you, I am not new to the dark romance genre and I’m usually eating up a bully romance, but this was NOT safe. I’m down with a little dubious consent, but all the sex in this book was straight up RAPE.

This book is absolute trash and I only finished it to properly rate it like the garbage it is. As a survivor of CSA, I am absolutely disgusted and cannot reiterate enough that this is not worth your time or emotional damage. I should have just DNFed. I need an acid wash of my brain to remove this book from my psyche.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC, but I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone.

This is the first book in the Halston U series. I am hooked. I have to continue. This book comes with many content warnings but if those don't bother you, try this read. It's worth it! 5 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.