I should have known better than to read a Tate James book before it's a complete series... but when I got my hands on an advance reading copy of this it would have been rude not to! The Queen of cliffhangers strikes again! Now I'm not going to lie, a little part of me wishes that Ashley had been a little bit stronger at resisting their charms as she clearly knew something fishy was going on and I wouldn't have trusted them as far as I could have thrown them... but damn this was good! The dynamic had me hooked from page one, the guys held my intrigue the whole way through and the ducks had me chuckling! I cannot wait to see where this goes!

Dear Reader was my first step into Tate James' books and I will be rectifying that immediately. This book was everything it promised; from the tropes all the way to the execution of the plot. This is easily one of the most exciting and engaging books I have ever read and it's definitely one of my new favourite books. This book brought something new to the table for me, as my first romantic suspense I didn't know what to expect but Dear Reader is expertly written, terrifying at times and it left me open mouthed wondering what the hell happened. Taunted by her stepbrother to be and his three friends Ashley finds fitting in at Nevaeh University to be a challenge, then she finds a diary of a deceased student in her room and stuff gets WEIRD. The tension between Ashley and the four, yes FOUR (this is a spectacular why choose romance) guys is off the charts. I ended up going through all the emptions with these characters, at first what I thought was dislike has now ended up being something like an obsession. Every guy has such a different personality that draws you in; Heath feels like a first love, Royce is undeniably a softie at heart, Carter has me so conflicted, and then there's Nate who I feel like I didn't really get a chance to know. If you are a dark romance lover then you will eat this book up, the relationships are maddening and the spice is sizzling! I fear Dear Reader has opened a can of worms because I crave more already. Tate James knows how to throw her readers completely off kilter, that ending? Goodbye! Not quite sure how I'm going to wait until July for the second instalment, I really think I might go mad. I have no idea where these relationships - or even the plot is going, I'm over here fully questioning my sanity... This book is honestly insane, the chokehold it now has over me is unreal, I literally read this book in six hours and I feel like it has consumed me. If you're considering trying something new or think you might like to give Dear Reader a go, please pick it up! I have a feeling you won't regret it. I'm definitely going to work my way through Tate James' backlog now!