ARC review, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, Cover Reveal, Romance Readers

Review: The Ritual by Shantel Tessier

THE CHOSEN ONE

I vow. You vow. We vow.

Barrington University is home of the Lords, a secret society that requires their blood in payment. They are above all—the most powerful men in the world. They devote their lives to violence in exchange for power. And during their senior year, they are offered a chosen one.

People think growing up with money is freeing, but I promise you, it’s not. My entire life has been planned out for me. I never got the chance to do what I wanted until Ryat Alexander Archer came along and gave me an option for a better life. He offered me what no one else ever had—freedom.

I chose to be his. He made me believe that anyway, but it was just another lie. A way that the Lords manipulate you into doing what they want.

After being sucked into the dark, twisted world of the Lords, I embraced my new role and allowed Ryat to parade me around like the trophy I was to him. But like all things, what started out as a game soon became a fight for survival. And the only way out was death.


I couldn’t wait for this book so I jumped on it right away and could not put it down. This story is an instant favorite and I savored every minute. I liked Blakely right away although I wasn’t sold on Ryat at first but quickly came to love them both. There’s a lot going on here but I was riveted, hanging on every word. Blakely seems shy and demure at first, but she’s actually a complete badass. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go for it, even when she’s scared. This story isn’t for the faint of heart but the girl power she gives off is worth every twisted moment.

Ryat was a puzzle at first and I wasn’t sure he was worthy of Blakely but he debuted pretty high on the book boyfriend list before I even finished the book. He’s all hot alpha who will do anything for his woman. Their lives have always been predetermined. Making their own way has never been an option because disobedience means certain death in this dark world of evil elites. They’ve always been resigned to the future planned by their parents. After all, they’ve never had choices. But suddenly things are different because they see other possibilities for the future, if they can stay alive.

I couldn’t get enough of Blakely and Ryat. Her strength and determination never waiver. His devotion to her is nothing short of epic. The romance is super steamy but the suspense is amazing enough to carry the story all on it’s own, making the heat just gravy. It moves fast with a lot of action but the pace is perfect. I loved everything about it and this is a story I will definitely read again. I received an ARC from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.

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