Harley Laroux

I was supposed to have it all. I'd been Prom Queen, Cheer Captain - high school's most savage Queen Bee. I could have everything I wanted. Except them. The freaks, the weirdos, the school's ultimate losers: Manson, Jason, Lucas, and Vincent. Our hatred for each other couldn't keep us apart, not even when my own mistake got Manson expelled and made me the ultimate villain to the rest of them. One night was supposed to be enough. I couldn't resist forever. For one night I gave myself over to the men I wasn't supposed to want and satisfied the darkest parts of my soul. But some things are meant to stay in the dark. One night, and it was over. Nothing more than a game. Now, with college behind me, our worlds collide yet again. Four men, all willing to share me as their plaything until my debt to them is paid. Another game to satiate my dark cravings, the twisted rules of which bring us all even closer than before. But games aren't meant to last. When the debt is paid and the game is done, what if I don't want to walk away? Although not required, it is recommended to read the novella, The Dare, prior to reading Losers. This book is part 1 of a duet. It is is First Person, Multi POV. Losers is an 18+ polyamorous bisexual romance between one woman and four men, including MF, MM, and group scenes. Reader discretion is strongly advised, this is a dark read. This book contains graphic sexual scenes, intense scenes of BDSM, graphic violence, and strong language. A full content note can be found in the front matter of the book.

Part I

Losers

Ah, bloody fucking hell. Miss Harley. This hurts. 

Leonie

“If you can get through the night, you’ll see the sun again,” I said, repeating the words he’d told me back then. “Keep chasing the next sunrise.” I closed my eyes as I exhaled. “The night feels really fucking dark, Manson, but I’m still chasing sunrises.”

The control I was seeking in self- destruction was something I could find with him. Something I could trust him with. Sometimes, I needed someone to tell me when enough was enough before I tore myself into pieces.

Call me Lucas at this point, i'm not even trying to hide it anymore. 

I didn’t like change, and it seemed our lives had been in constant flux for so long now. It made me anxious, and when I got anxious, I withdrew. I pulled away from the very people I was closest to. Like I needed to punish myself for feeling anything at all.

This one hit a little too close to home. Seems like Lucas and I share more than a general antipathy against most people and the first letter of our names. 

He was right, we both needed to quit. But sometimes, when I saw him getting better, when I saw how hard he was trying to be a better man, I felt like I was being left behind. He was able to do what I couldn’t, and although he kept trying to drag me along with him, I still lived with the fear that eventually, he’d fix himself and I’d still be broken. Too broken for him, for any of them. We’d met each other at our lowest and risen out of that together. We’d been desperate back then, searching for any reason at all to keep going, and we’d found that in each other. How selfish was I to worry that he might not need me anymore?

I mean ... you can't go wrong with both, can you? 

I didn’t know if I wanted to spank her or fucking kiss her again. Probably both. Definitely both.

We all see the keyword here and want to know the story behind that, don't we? I certainly do. 

My mouth hung open for a moment. Had I passed out? Was I dreaming? Had Vincent put magic mushrooms in my breakfast again?

I used to try to make everyone I met into a friend, regardless of who they were or how they’d treated me. I’d convinced myself that enough kindness could turn anything around, but not everyone was— or deserved to be— a friend. Learning that lesson hadn’t been easy, but painfully necessary.

I'm sorry, but this really does not make any sense. A few paragraphs before she described him driving a stick shift. Who in their right mind puts a manual car out of gear when parking? 

Maybe it's the semi-working handbrakes of old european cars trauma for me, but nope, this ... no. 

He pulled off the road, the tires crackling on the dirt as he drove onto a narrow path that led back into a field of tall corn stalks. He pulled the hand brake, put the car in neutral, and let the song play out as we sat there in the field.

No, that wasn’t a happy thoughts smile. It was an I’m going to start shit smile.

Manson had his pills, his therapy, his meditation and all that shit, but there was still something dark in him that would never quite go away. Something born because it had to be, and alive because nothing could kill it. That thing, that monster inside him, had gotten a taste of Jess and nothing else could satiate it.

“Why do we come to this shit?” Lucas muttered, puffing at his cigarette as he scanned the faces spread among the trees. “I fucking hate half the people here.” 

“What about the other half?” Manson said, tossing a beer to me before opening one for himself. Lucas shook his head. 

Manson snorted. “Right. Let’s get some alcohol in you before you start shit.”

If a guy couldn’t play with my masochism as enthusiastically as he played with my pleasure, then I didn’t want it. There simply wasn’t a nice way to tell your mother that you wanted a guy who could spank you as well as he could fuck. A man who was as comfortable with whips and chains as he was at candlelit dinners. Someone who wasn’t afraid to take control but wasn’t going to make the relationship feel like a cage.

Quick to anger, slow to forgive, moody as hell. He was either horny enough to fuck night and day, or so withdrawn he didn’t even want to be touched.

To the losers, the freaks, and the outcasts. Keep chasing sunrises.

Doris Ivandic 

Honestly I did not expect much from this, however it turned out to have such a beautiful and open perspective on love and what it means to truly love someone. I’ve never read a why choose romance before - but Harley Laroux did a sweet job with these characters. Sure, people probably go into this expecting the smut etc. however I would say that the plot about learning to love without restrictions, letting go of other’s expectations, and accepting who you are was what truly made an impact on me and I was much more interested in each person’s relationship with the others than just the smut

This book had me at the dedication already and I’m not going to pretend that I don’t inhale anything this extraordinary author writes. Something about the way Harley Laroux writes their characters just gets me every time and this was no exception. Even though I might end up not liking ALL of the characters, there always will be one or two that really grow on me.

This is what happened here, too. While I enjoyed Vincent and Jason for the characters they were, Manson as their seemingly ever-calm presence, their rock and their anchor point, it certainly was Lucas who had my whole heart. Manson watches out for them all, ties them together, keeps them together and level-headed(-ish) and realising he might need someone to lean on to sometimes was a valuable part in this book. So while I had some sort of sympathy for all of them, even Jess slowly started to grow on me, it all came down to Lucas being the most relatable to me.

Behind all that aggression, the gruff exterior and the harsh words there’s just someone so afraid of losing again, that he can’t allow himself to get attached to anything at all. He’s afraid of being left behind when everyone else develops and evolves, not seeing how much value he has to all of them. His slow progress to trusting people, the general mistrust and antipathy towards the majority of people … that all hit a little too close to home to be comfortable. I just want to hug that man and tell him it’s going to be alright.

Plotwise there was not too much going on in this one, but being a book that focuses a lot on the relations of the characters and their bond growing, evolving and prospering, I didn’t mind too much. The spice was good though. Like really good.

Being a firm advocate for “no romance books should have more than 500 pages”, I’ll make an exception here because it’s basically like … 4 romance books, right? Right.  

This book had me at the dedication already and I’m not going to pretend that I don’t inhale anything this extraordinary author writes. Something about the way Harley Laroux writes their characters just gets me every time and this was no exception. Even though I might end up not liking ALL of the characters, there always will be one or two that really grow on me.

This is what happened here, too. While I enjoyed Vincent and Jason for the characters they were, Manson as their seemingly ever-calm presence, their rock and their anchor point, it certainly was Lucas who had my whole heart. Manson watches out for them all, ties them together, keeps them together and level-headed(-ish) and realising he might need someone to lean on to sometimes was a valuable part in this book. So while I had some sort of sympathy for all of them, even Jess slowly started to grow on me, it all came down to Lucas being the most relatable to me.

Behind all that aggression, the gruff exterior and the harsh words there’s just someone so afraid of losing again, that he can’t allow himself to get attached to anything at all. He’s afraid of being left behind when everyone else develops and evolves, not seeing how much value he has to all of them. His slow progress to trusting people, the general mistrust and antipathy towards the majority of people … that all hit a little too close to home to be comfortable. I just want to hug that man and tell him it’s going to be alright.

Plotwise there was not too much going on in this one, but being a book that focuses a lot on the relations of the characters and their bond growing, evolving and prospering, I didn’t mind too much. The spice was good though. Like really good.

Being a firm advocate for “no romance books should have more than 500 pages”, I’ll make an exception here because it’s basically like … 4 romance books, right? Right.  

This book had a lot of tropes to it. The intiment scenes were really intense in the best way possible.

Jessica Smith

A lot of spice with a surprisingly good plot 

Joelina Schlabbach

I love love love, the dare aswell. Such good books

detelinka

isabella

Kelly Tähe

I just love it. I cant wait for part 2. It is such a great steamy read. Not too over sex but has also a plot and it was great.

Losers Part I

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