If you’ve read Saint View Prison, Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe takes place concurrently with that series. And honestly, I don’t know which one you should read first. I’m probably going to go with the Saint View Prison series, but Evil Enemy should be read shortly afterward though, it will leave you on a bit of a cliffhanger, so be warned.
Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe
Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe is the first book in the Saint View Strip series. It is a dark romantic suspense that was published March 10, 2023. It is 324 pages long and is a slow burn with characters in their 30s. You can find the book on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and the author’s website here.
Premise
When Eve’s business is under attack from a politician looking to turn the whole run down block into yoga studios and coffee shops, she makes it a point to show up at his next event and give him a piece of her mind. Unfortunately, when her and her friends start making a seen, Joshua Boston and other cops arrest them all and take them in. It isn’t the first time she’s been arrested, and it wouldn’t be the last.
For Boston, however, he’s not interested in charging Eve with anything. Mainly because growing up in Saint View himself, he also doesn’t agree with the politician, but he still has a job to do. One that is growing increasingly difficult to look forward to. He wanted to make a difference but in Saint View and Providence corruption is around every single corner. And when his partner ends up murdered, it only makes all of those feelings worse when he realizes the “confession” other officers got wasn’t legit.
Triggers
Triggers found in Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe include:
- Sex Work, sex work shaming
- Murder, death, blood
- Cops and corruption
- Sexually Explicit Scenes
My Thoughts
I didn’t quite know what to expect going into Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe. It’s the first book in the Saint View Strip series, except unlike her other series, this one is M/F and follows a different couple in each book. So while you’ll get a happily ever after for the main couple there are overarching plots that likely span the whole series and leaving you reaching for the next book in the series to find out more.
And while it is different from the other series I have read by Elle Thorpe I still thoroughly enjoyed Evil Enemy and got the same twisting plots that kept me flipping pages.
Eve is a feisty one, and she will not take anyone’s shit. She’s also a bit impulsive and quick to speak her mind, which gets her in a world of trouble with Boston. Meanwhile Boston’s attracted to Eve but unable to do much with that attraction due to his position, at least at first.
“Lady, your husband probably spends all his Friday nights at my club. Don’t go acting like you’re all high and mighty.” – Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe
The two have a bit of a push and pull, poke and prod, type of rivalry going on that gives you plenty of laugh out loud moments. I personally loved the tension between these two characters as they not only try to deal with the harassment Eve is receiving and the corruption throughout the police force Boston works for.
This book is a slow burn, but there are a few scenes leading up to the main event. I personally loved the tension and flirting between these two. Give me witty banter and teasing every damn day over sweet statements whispered in an ear.
From the beginning we see that Boston is in the middle of a mental crisis, he’s a police officer who joined the force to end corruption and help people, and that’s not what he gets in his job. Figuring out that the things you’d been working toward aren’t actually what you thought they were is hard and his growth, determining where his values actually stand, is detailed throughout the book.
I closed my eyes and sank into her, abandoning my glass to hold her instead. I wrapped my arms around her smaller body and held her tight, as if she were a lifeboat in a stormy sea. In that moment, she was. She was all I had to cling to in an ocean that threatened to end me. – Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe
For Eve we have a woman who knows what she wants and won’t let anyone get in her way. Unfortunately this almost always means closing off your emotions. Add on that she’s impulsive and she becomes a fire ball of chaos that Boston doesn’t know what to do with. She’ll put herself in danger to stand up for what she believes is right and that influence on Boston both drives him crazy and drives him to make certain decisions over his life too.
She could have told me to do anything from cleaning toilets to disposing of a body. And in that moment, completely under her spell, I would have done anything Eve Hawkins asked me to. – Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe
This whole series follows the people that work at Eve’s strip club so we are introduced to quite a few people who you will absolutely fall in love with. I personally cannot wait to read each of their stories and see how they unfold. You’ll get huge found family vibes in this book.
If you like romantic suspense following a group of people from the “wrong” side of the tracks as they battle the corruption that infects their daily lives, you’ll love this story.
Who Would Like Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe?
Tropes found in Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe include:
- Found Family
- Opposites Attract
- Slow Burn
- Strong FMC
Make sure to check out all of me Saint View Strip recommendations below:
If you like King by SJ Tilly, Wretched by Emily McIntire, or Corrupted Chaos by Shain Rose you will likely love this book.
Have you read Evil Enemy by Elle Thorpe, or have you added it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments below. I love interacting with other readers over books I enjoyed.