Review – The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine

The Retaliation You Deliver; Maddison Kings University #7 
(#7 within a series)

Publication Date: September 2, 2021

Genre/Tropes: Book Duet/New Adult/Dark/Bully Romance

Author: Tracy Lorraine

Review Rating: 5 Gold Stars

Review/Synopsis:

Review:

Lorraine delivered the perfect broken hero in this final MKU duet.

Remember how I gave a warning for Luca Dunn…Luca now seems like fuzzy bunny slippers…I’m stamping Leon with the extra deep, dark warning!!

Leon Dunn needs a hug, snuggles, and he needs Macie, but it’s a journey to get there and have him admit it, but what a ride! A deep, dark, delicious ride.

There is a darkness inside Leon Dunn that came from a childhood trauma that no one should suffer. It’s a darkness that Leon has lived with in silence for a decade and it has slowly poisoned him little by little, blotting out the good that lives inside. It’s why Letty has always sensed he was holding a secret and why he slowly lost the brotherly bond to his twin, Luca.

Bit by bit Leon was losing himself and it wasn’t until he found Macie, the girl he’d been searching for for the past ten years, that he finally felt alive. The girl he wanted to punish for what happened, the girl who would lead him to retaliation so he would finally be free. Unfortunately, being with Macie only seemed to confuse Leon and that vengeance he wanted became mutteled.

Macie understood Leon better than anyone. While she didn’t suffer exactly what Leon did, she suffered differently everyday living with her uncle.  Even though she knew better than to trust him, Leon knew exactly how to pick her apart and sneak through her defences falling for the broken boy never realizing just how much they had in common.

Even though Leon had nefarious purposes, Macie had a soft spot for him and what he went through, but can she really trust the boy who only set out to destroy her heart?

The Retaliation You Deliver is a duet and needs to be read in order after The Devastation you Reap. However, to really get the best enjoyment I would also suggest reading the entire MKU series and begin with Letty and Kane’s books. Letty is Leon and Luca’s childhood friend and she is an integral part and has an ear to bend (meaning she has advice and talks some sense into both of her friends), but a lot of Letty’s advice makes sense due to her time spent with Kane. On top of that, Kane’s world, the roommates he lived with, become important to the overall story too. The overall story arc comes together by the end of this book and yet also shows where the future can go with different plot lines.

Synopsis:

When something seems too good to be true. It’s usually because it is.

A lesson I learned the hard way.

Every single fear I had about falling for Leon, has just come true in the most brutal way.

The sweet guy act he’s been putting on the past few weeks is over.

The cold, hard truth is… he never wanted me. He only wanted retaliation.

And like a fool, I played right into his wicked scheme.

But I’m not the monster he thinks I am.

Ten years ago, I might have discovered the horrifying truth, but I did the only thing I could. I pushed it down and tried to forget. Tried to survive. Afraid of what might happen at the hands of the monster who ruined both our lives.

But now the truth is out, and the secret Leon has been keeping for a decade is about to poison those he loves, sending him into a darker place than he’s ever been.

Healing isn’t always easy, it’s messy and painful.

The question is, beneath all the hate, will I rediscover the man I fell for, or was he always a fantasy?

Dear Reader,

The Retaliation You Deliver is the conclusion to Macie and Leon’s duet and the final book in the Maddison Kings University. It’s a dark bully romance that contains mature content and demanding alphaholes that some readers may find disturbing. You have been warned.

Must be read in order, start with The Devastation You Reap

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