Maya Hughes

A deliciously steamy enemies with benefits romance.Declan McAvoy. Voted Biggest Flirt. Highest goal scorer in Kings of Rittenhouse Prep history. Everyone's impressed, well except one person¿

Shameless King

Ana Clara Moreno

Kasey Montagnat

Doesn’t explain why they were enemies in the first place for 1 and for 2 they randomly just started to get together and then 2 seconds later were dating like?? I felt like I’ve read the same book but this one was worse somewhere else.

I was really hoping to love this book because it has been recommended to me quite a few times but to be totally and completely honest it felt like an instalove with massive chunks of the plot missing. It felt like a poorly-written fanfic with that amount of disconnect between the chapters. I kept flipping back and forth between pages to see if I was missing something because the characters had little to no tension or obstacles to overcome and theie relationship was very very smoothly until the inevitable third act breakup. The second half of the book is 90% smut (and don’t get me wrong, I love a good bit of spice, but it was just repetivie vanilla sex and even Mak’s sex list was an embarrassingly minor side point that was never really explained just mentioned in passing) and even the epilogue is only set a few months (at most a year, still unclear as to the timeline of this chapter) and only serves to add an extra chapter of smut and no real progression of Mak and Declan’s relationship. I loved the character of Heath tho!

Zarah Hussain

Megan Lowe

I liked this book. Enemies to lovers is one of my favourite tropes so this was right up my alley.
Although, I do think a little more background was needed. We never really see why Declan and Mak hate each other so much. I really think this is vital to the story, but we never really get it.
Having said that, I did love Declan. He was pretty awesome.
Makenna was exactly what she needed to be. Uptight, highly strung, but ultimately everything Declan needed.
This was a solid book and I enjoyed the cast of characters. Give it a go.

fer ❀

i saw too much hype about these hockey series on tiktok i was expecting much more on the plot but it was a fast read if you’re bored

Nedu

Olivia Mattiske

Where has this book been all my life?!

This is the first of Maya Hughes' books that I've read and as an avid sports romance lover, I don't know why I haven't picked up any of her books before! Shameless King was absolutely phenomenal. It had all the elements of a sports romance that I love: the enemies to lover trope and the perfect amount of spice. I loveddd Declan; like many fictional men, he has set the bar wayyyy too high for men IRL. Not to mention, Declan and Makenna were absolutely perfect for each other! I could read Shameless King over and over again...hint hint: I most likely will. 

If you loved Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus series, this should definitely be the next series you pick up!

5/5

Ragetha Ann Guting

Maya Hughes has a way of coaxing out the sweats from your inner eyes with her stories.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


Y'all, I have a new bookish love — or maybe two to be exact — Mak and Declan in Maya Hughes' Shameless King. It was hate-to-love with a side of second chance romance at it's very best. I need some more Kings of Rittenhouse in my life soon.

Funny story about this book. Sometimes I’m terrible at checking my email. I spend so much time responding to email at work that I often slack off a bit on my personal and blog email. Anywho, I started seeing this book cover all over Instagram and the blurb sounded so good I decided I needed it in my life. I went to my inbox and did a search for the title to see if maybe Maya was working with any of the publicity companies I work with. She wasn’t… but she had reached out to me directly with a copy of the book! Best and biggest surprise ever. Because I’ve been bingeing the hell out of hockey romance, I dove right in and fell in love.

But, I digress. Back to the book. The ARC I received also contained the prequel novella, Kings of Rittenhouse, so bonus! The novella pulled me right in and left me with enough questions — and a bit of an obsession with all of the characters — that I couldn't wait to get more. I read the book in about a day and a half and I couldn't stop thinking about it once I started. I do love me some hate-to-love romance and Mak and Declan's story checked all my boxes. I was absolutely all in for these two characters. 

Mak and Declan were enemies from high school — even though they had one little moment that showed there was something between them. Now they're both in college and have come face-to-face again... and they're lab partners. I loved the setup for their story. Their chemistry was off the charts and they gave good banter, too. But, more than that, I really loved following along as they got to know each other better and realized they definitely didn't hate each other. Their animosity transitioned to friends with benefits and then? Much more. 

Shameless King was a wonderful book. It was the perfect way to introduce me to Maya Hughes' books. It had it all — swoons, laughs, hot sexy times and just enough angst to make me feel but not drive me crazy. The romance was top notch and I loved the character growth both Mak and Declan experienced. (Mak most of all, however. My heart ached for her for what she'd been through with her brother and her guilt was so strong it was palpable. Seeing her come to terms and truly move on was beautiful.) 

I can't wait to see what happens next. If you need me, I'll be over here waiting with grabby hands for the next Kings of Rittenhouse book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

If he couldn't be here, I'd be the best I could so that no one ever thought the wrong Halstead had lived.

Mak was a one-woman wrecking crew, and my self-control was slipping.

I'd never felt more alive. Like every inch of me was in tune with something else in the universe. Someone else. He'd sexed me into a different dimension.

I lived for those moments. The little looks that made me forget to breathe or the smile that was only for me. He'd rewritten our story and I didn't know how many more pages were left.

"Now that I've had a taste, don't think you're going to be able to get me from between these legs. I'm planting a flag. This is the New World, Books."

Shameless King

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