Rebels & Rejects by R.A. Smyth

I work in the darkness that is Black Creek.

If there’s a secret to uncover, a package to deliver, or a story to be told, I’m your girl. I make my money however I can.

Once upon a time, The Feral Beasts ruled Black Creek with an iron fist, but they’re long gone now. The Antonelli family stepped in, only caring about their family and their money.

I’ve heard the whispers…The Reaper Rejects are growing and they want control of Black Creek. But this town isn’t big enough for the both of them. Blood will be shed, lives will be lost, retribution will be dealt.

A war is coming and this town has never been more deadly.

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Rebels & Rejects is the first book in the Black Creek series that connects to R.A. Smyth’s other two series: Pacific Prep and Crescentwood. Though it seems that it can be read on its own without reading the other two.

Black Creek is a gang infested town where every citizen is just trying their bests to survive. Sawyer has three sources of income in her struggles to support herself and her fifteen year old brother. She gathers intel for a man she knows nothing about, performs as a stripper at the local strip club, and takes on jobs to kill abusive asshole men. It’s this last job that garnered her a reputation and the nickname “Reaper”, though no one knows who she really is.

When the Reaper Rejects (total coincidence in that name similarity lol) go after the same mark as Sawyer, she finds herself getting involved in their gang war against the Antonelli family in spite of how hard she tries to stay out of it all. It doesn’t help that she has a volatile chemistry with the Rejects’ leader, Cain, and an undeniable connection with his best friend/second in command, Oliver. Sawyer also has a connection of sorts with the son of the Antonelli family don, though neither of them really know it yet.

I love mafia/gang romances a lot. I’ve read so many. But this one? This one takes the cake. This isn’t just a war for power and control. This is a story of revenge, but more than that a story of the broken and the beaten fighting their way to a better future for themselves and those who can’t join the fight.

There is so much mystery and intrigue in this story. So many little pieces of information that either we the readers or just a character or two do not know. And so much that was left unanswered or unexplored by the end of the book. This was a great set up for what is undoubtedly going to be an epic series. I cant wait to see what R.A. Smyth has in store for these characters.

Rebels & Rejects will be available on April 1, 2022. Check it out on Goodreads here!