In Love with the Monster by Theo Leonis

Whispers of the Story

You walk into a new college you are lucky enough to get a scholarship to. This college is super elite, and it will open many doors for you.

The downside is that all the students who got there on a scholarship are called “rats” and have to endure humiliation from super-rich, spoiled students whose parents practically rule the country.

What do you do?Well, Noah decides to become the king of the Rats and devour any pretty, rich girl who crosses his path.

But there is one rich girl who crumbles his world, the Golden Princess, Riley. She is the one he doesn’t want to destroy, but bring to life.

Review of In Love with the Monster by Theo Leonis

This is an ARC review, which means I was trusted with this book before my judgment could be questioned.

Do you want the recipe for a college spicy story? Here it is.

Take one boy, Noah Cade, part of the working class, gaining a scholarship to a very prestigious college. He is handsome, with a sculpted body, a hidden past, guts, and an aura that attracts everyone.

Then take Riley Thompson, the Golden Princess, who is different from other rich, spoiled people. She is trapped by her family’s expectations, beautiful like no other, and stuck with a perfect boyfriend, Hudson, for her perfect, insipid life. Of course, the boyfriend acts like she is entitled to him, is the most popular in the courtyard, and gets jealous the moment people shift their attention to someone else.

Take the Golden Princess, make her feel sparks only when she is with Noah, add some spicy scenes, vulgar language, and voilà, you have the base.

Add some more ingredients, such as a dominatrix who secretly wants to be dominated, to create spicy scenes and show how good Noah can… do it. And apparently, he can do it pretty well, since she caves so easily, almost as if her entire personality changes.

Make the boyfriend oblivious to the fact that Riley is unhappy, that she is not attracted to him, that she is making small cuts on her fingers just to feel something. But the moment Riley looks at Noah and he looks back, the boyfriend suddenly notices.

Of course, there has to be some drama. She has to reject him to preserve his future, so he becomes like those he hates just to hurt her.

And for the crème de la crème: the tension, the almost kiss, the touching, the rapid breaths.

Do We Know This Story Already? Yes. 

Is it new? No. It has all the classic clichés that you normally find in a college spicy story trope. Is it enticing? Yes. I read it in one sitting. Did I fall for it? Yes.

Why? I don’t know exactly. I have read a lot of books based on the same recipe, but still, I was hooked.

Let’s get into the specifics. The plot is similar to many other stories, but the little details got me hooked, like the animalistic way those on scholarship were gathered in the middle like livestock. I liked the interaction between Noah and everyone else, he is the most complex character with a hidden past. One second he is an animal, the next he is cute, you never know what you will get. And when he wants to teach a lesson, he gives a party everyone wants to attend. And Hudson, well he has a melt down. 

Who Carries This Story? 

Noah is like many others: beautiful, perfect body, angry, and determined to fight injustice, but also someone who has no problem sleeping with women just to get his way. He has this animalistic vibe, like he is not there to be controlled. Do you want him? You can have him, but he will make you tremble.

Riley is pretty similar to other female characters. She is controlled, has no real choice, feels empty, and learns how to live only through Noah.

But Samantha is a different story. I liked that some chapters were from her perspective. I think those chapters were meant to show the effect Noah has on women and how well he performs, but beyond that, Samantha has a spark. Yes, she is a bitch, but she owns it.

She lives this privileged life that gives her power, and she fully takes advantage of it. She owns her sexuality, feeds on power, and unlike Riley, she fights back in her own way. Rich stay with the rich and poor with the poor? She flies in a tuxedo from Europe just to see Noah and shows up at a gala with him. She wants to touch Noah? She will do it however she wants. She wants pleasure four times a night? She gets it, unlike Riley, who admits she feels nothing when she is touched. Theo Leonis made a good choice by making Samantha leave, because she was real competition for who the readers might like more.

Even Hudson feels more determined. He knows what he wants and is ready to do everything possible to get it.

So basically, the only one drifting through life and then dwelling on how sad it is, is Riley. Obviously, I did not empathize with her.

Frustration, But Make It Intentional 

Now let’s get to the juicy part of the story: the spicy scenes.

Unfortunately, there are no spicy scenes between Noah and Riley. But we will get to that.

The build-up between them is intense, mostly because we already know what Noah can do. He emits raw sexual energy, dominates Samantha, pushes her, and clearly enjoys it at the same time. The spicy scenes are raw, masculine, intense. Samantha is one lucky girl.

But the truth is, I think the scenes feel so intense because Noah is in them. Every scene he is involved in feels intense, almost vibrating.

Every girl would want to be handled like Noah handles Samantha at least once in her life.

No Closure, Just Vibes  

Now let’s talk about the ending. It ends in a cliffhanger. Like I feel like it’s not an ending but I just got to the juicy part. The tension between Noah and Riley is very high but it just…ends. 

And they don’t even get one epic moment. They still want each other, they crave each other, but there is no release. It leaves you frustrated. Why?

Also, there are also some loose ends, like Sabrina, the woman who apparently left a mark on Noah. Did she die? Did she leave? What happened?

Riley is still stuck, but now she also wants to protect him. Noah has a lot to lose if Hudson goes after him. And clearly something happened that made Samantha leave so abruptly.

Final Thoughts 

I recommend In Love with the Monster if you want something raw, intense, and addictive.

It does not bring anything new to the genre. It follows familiar patterns, uses well-known tropes, and builds on a structure that has been used many times before.

And yet, it works. It pulls you in, keeps you there, and makes you turn the pages faster than you expected. I read it in one sitting. And honestly, that says enough.

Rating: 7 out of 10. Tension, spice and everything nice. 

Happy reading!