I thought I was lucky to have a fresh start.

Those don’t come around often for a girl from the streets of this city. But a fortunate chain of events has delivered me to the center of wealth and power and into the midst of three very different, very formidable cousins with the world at their feet.

Gage, Micah, and Conner were determined to be my enemies. So I braced for a war. But they underestimated me. I earned respect from one of them, friendship from another, and I found love with the third. Or so I thought.

Everyone who insisted Gage Silvestro was heartless had to be wrong. He was just misunderstood, my unexpected soul mate. As it turned out, I was the one who was fooled, and I suffered for it. A night of terror and tragedy became a crash course in how easily love can turn to hate.

Eight years have passed since Gage crushed my heart, betrayed my trust, and then disappeared. Now he’s back in the form of a ruthless crime boss. I thought I’d have to be crazy to give him a second look—until he risked his life to prove that our real enemy has always been pulling the strings.

Gage and I need each other if we intend to save everyone we care about. We’ll keep our friends close. We’ll keep our enemies closer. And we’ll destroy anyone who tries to separate us again.

Hateful is a twisted love story from USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Cora Brent. It is thefirst book in the Wicked West Rejects series, but may be enjoyed as a standalone.