
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed by: Michelle
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review

"Our scrapes and bruises, tattoos, scars, smiles, and wrinkles told our stories, and I didn't want a pristine piece of wallpaper. I wanted her and everything she was."
Ahhhhhhh!!!!! Where do I even begin to explain how devious and wickedly addicting Corrupt by Penelope Douglas is. To say that I'm shocked that Penelope wrote this book is a big understatement because I am utterly stunned that she was able to corrupt me with this tactfully, twisted, wicked game of cat and mouse. She has perfectly orchestrated a brilliant game of chess, where I had no idea what her next move was. I would think the story is heading in this one direction then she brilliantly surprises me with a move that I didn't see coming. And throughout this intense rollercoaster and mind games, I loved every single moment of it. I loved that Ms. Douglas was able to draw out all facets of raw emotions, grit, suspense, intrigue, and sexual tension.

"Promise you'll never leave me? Promise you belong to me? Promise you're mine?"
This book chronicles the tale of four guy best friends and one girl. All of them comes from money. Money is no issue for them. Their family names speaks for themselves. And these four men had a notoriety of being the bad boys of their small seaside community. And all it took was one night for these four friends and a young naive girl to have their lives changed where danger, innocence and corruptions begins. So once you have been corrupted, can you ever go back? It has been said that all things wicked starts from innocence so will this hold true for Rika?
"You want to know what I've learned? I don't win by playing your games. I win by making you play mine?"
Corrupt is not a book your typical standard of good girl falling for bad boy romance. It is not even your hearts and flowery romance type also. It is in your face, raw, manipulative, gritty, intense, and wickedly devious. It is a story that will leave you feeling that you have not only been corrupted by the cast of characters but also by the mastermind, Penelope Douglas. In all honesty, I really don't want to delve and rehash what the story of Corrupt is because this book must be experienced, read and savored. It is the kind of read where you just had to go with the flow and see where the author takes her readers. But what I can tell you is that Ms. Douglas took me down a rabbit hole full of suspense, chicanery, intrigue, danger, revenge and passion.

Corrupt had my mind reeling on what did I just read and I had to remind myself Penelope Douglas wrote this book. The same author who wrote Bully, Until You, Rival, Falling Away and Aflame. I am utterly stunned that this is the same author because Corrupt was so different and fresh. I loved how wicked, raw, dark, manipulative, and suspenseful this book was. The writing was just brilliant as always. Ms. Douglas never fails to deliver a book that will hold you hostage and I can happily say that I am corrupted by her word, prose, and raw characters.

Penelope Douglas
View all my reviews