Kricket's Chirps: Blog Tour & Review: BOYS OF BRAYSHAW HIGH by Meagan Brandy

BOYS OF BRAYSHAW HIGH, a brand new series from Meagan Brandy is NOW LIVE !!!

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iBooks: http://bit.ly/iBooksBOBH

Nook: http://bit.ly/NookBNBOBH

Kobo: http://bit.ly/KoboBOBH

Universal link: http://bit.ly/BOBHUniversal

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/BOBHTBR

Synopsis

"Girls like you aren't exactly welcomed at a place like this, so keep your head down and look the other way."

Those were the exact words of my social worker when she dropped me in my newest hellhole, a place for "troubled teens".

I didn't listen, and now I'm on their radar.

They expect me to play along in their games of hierarchy, to fall in line in the social order they've deemed me fit.

Too bad for them, I don't follow rules.

Too bad for me, they're determined to make sure I do.

Inconceivably attractive and treated like kings...these are the boys of Brayshaw High.

And I'm the girl who got in their way.

See Chapter one here

REVIEW:

"Family runs deeper than blood."
In this first installment of "Brayshaw" series, that quote couldn't be more fitting.
Maddoc, Royce and Captain are brothers by choice and loyal no matter what. They protect what is there's and demand respect and loyalty from others.
Raven Carver carves her own path in life. She's fiercely independent. Refuses to bend to anyone. She protects and only depends on herself. These are resources her life demands, her only means of survival. Then she joins Brayshaw High and tests the finely constructed hierarchy there and in doing so, attracts the attention of the three boys in charge. These boys demand her respect and loyalty and expect her to step into line with all the others who follow them. They attempt to command her every move, but of course she "bucks the system" and refuses to wield. So that of course piques their interest...her "don't give a f*ck who you are" attitude makes her a new kind of target. "This is their world, and it seems I'm in the middle of it." She challenges them at every turn, but ultimately ends up showing them something what they're missing in their power group and she also finds something she's missing in life as well. "Someone for Captain to care for, someone for Royce to worry about, someone for Maddoc to protect." They unknowingly find a family within each other. But Raven continues to have walls up guarding herself, so that she doesn't get too close. She wants zero attachments, so that she can walk away one day. She refuses to give in completely because she knows eventually this will all end. And the guys don't know if they can truly trust her, so they too have reservations. But can they trust each other in the end?

I feel like BoBH was a good foundation book for this series, it definitely set up the rest of the series. I am MOST DEFINITELY interested in Royce and Captian's stories (which I'm presuming we'll get because Meagan was laying down major hints for Cap's book. happy dance). And I LOVED Royce's character, he was the humorous element that I would've been missing if he wasn't in this book. There was plenty of high school type drama (which I am all about) and angst (BIG PLUS, LOVE me some angst) that kept me reading. The mystery in the background also kept me coming back for more.

I will say I struggled with the pace at times. The first 50% seemed to move at a snail's pace for me and seemed a bit drug out, with some repetitiveness. Because of this, some of the story execution was lacking at times. I think some of it maybe could've been cut and the story would've had more of an impact earlier on for me. And then Raven's character at times was hard for me to read. Idk if it was just me and my lack of "ghetto talk", but I found myself confused at times with Raven's dialogue (verbal and inner). I found myself re-reading parts to try to better understand what she was saying/meaning, which became frustrating at times. But I stuck it out because like I said, the seed of intrigue was planted and I wanted to know more about these characters and how they ended up where they were in life and I was curious to see what other drama/plot twists would arise.

With all that being said, I did push through and I really enjoyed the last 50% of this book. It seemed like the pieces were falling into place to build a great plot. I look forward to seeing how book 2 plays out. I'm also really anxious to see if we get books for Royce and Captain or if book 2 will continue on with Maddoc's and Raven's story...I guess we'll find out.

3 stars

xoxo, Vivian💋

Excerpt

“You’re Raven Carver, aren’t you?”

I face forward with a frown.

“Sorry, but Maybell told me you were coming today. I didn’t think you’d be at school already, but usually the only new kids who come are people from the home.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t exactly given an option so, here I am.”

“Are you gonna run?”

I laugh lightly, shifting my eyes to hers. “Nah. I’ve got nowhere to be. Now I’m stuck in the system ‘til I’m eighteen anyway, so fuck it. May as well cruise through.”

“Those guys back there, you need to be careful. They’re… not like most high schoolers. People around here listen to them, follow their every move.”

So those are the guys the chick was referring to this morning.

“What you did today? They won’t allow that without getting you back. They can’t.” She shakes her head.

“I keyed his Denali.” I shrug. “Big fucking deal.”

The girl stops, her eyes widening. “Yeah, you got that part right. It is a ‘big fucking deal.’ If they let some nobody, new girl like you – no offense – openly disrespect them like that, it’ll threaten their entire system.”

“System.”

“Yeah. System. They’re a big deal around here, and not just at the school. You either kneel at their feet or get stomped under them. They’ll make sure you’re shamed, one way or another.”

We make our way up the dirt driveway. “He disrespected me first. If there’s one thing I know about guys, it’s if you let them walk all over you, they’ll take pleasure in doing it.”

The girl steps ahead, pulling open the screen door as she looks back at me. “If there’s one thing I know about the boys of Brayshaw, it’s that they’ll destroy anything that threatens to mess up their vision. Watch out, Raven. Your little stunt today may have gotten the guys you’re used to off your back, but for these guys? All you did was paint the mark brighter.”

I raise a black brow and she scowls at me.

“A target from them means a target from all their followers,” she spits.

Right. “Let me guess… you’re a follower?”

This time it’s her who pops an eyebrow. “Welcome to Brayshaw High.”

Listen to the Boys of Brayshaw High Playlist here