I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads Review Team 
 I began reading, and I was slightly confused, asking myself who the narrator was in relation to Bully. I couldn't place Fallon. So I stopped reading, and began debating if I should reread Bully, since I initially read it so very long ago. After consulting a book bud who read this prior to me, I was told Fallon was new to the reader. So, if you read this review before reading the book (something I do) then you've been schooled. 
 I was gripped by the story immediately. Fallon was a kick-ass sort of girl. Her internal monologue had me busting a gut, as well as tearing up a time or two. 
 Madoc was easy to love, and he was written as so very male. I say this because sometimes books with a dual perspective sound like the same voice no matter the narrator (the author's natural voice). Fallon and Madoc each had a distinct voice of their own in Rival. Thank goodness for their voice, or I'd have been even more confused. (I will explain this in the con section of the review) 
 I loved Bully, as I did its sequel. I laid in bed, planning on reading a few chapters, and ended up reading it from start to finish. Rival is NOT a tiny book. It took me over 7 hours, and I didn't finish until the sun was rising. I was thankful that I finally found a book that clicked with me after so many disappointments as of late. I've read book after book of smoke and mirrors, hiding the fact that it lacked in story behind scene after scene of mechanical sex. I cannot express how many times I've used the phrase I don't want sex with a side of story. I want a story with sex as the decadent dessert. 
 Proving less is more. Rival is very HOT. Smoking hot, yet done in a way to slowly build a banked fire that turns explosive. I haven't read a lot of erotica books that got me as bothered- squirming around uncomfortably- as Rival had me. Proof that when sex is the dessert, not the main dish, you appreciate the taste on the back of your tongue. 
 Rival was filled with everything I love in an addictive book: angst, angst, and more angst. Frustration. Love/Hate back-and-forth banter, while often mean, it's just as humorous. A great side cast of characters that add to the story but never overpower the main couple. Chemistry. Emotion. 
 We continue to see the developing/evolving relationship between Bully's co-stars, keeping us connected, as well as several other sets of characters. 
 Jax? Are you the next book? Goodness, I hope so. Rival sets up the next book perfectly, creating a rabid reader, thirsting for more. If it's Jax's turn, I'm excited. That book will rock. Hard. 
 Okay, now for the cons. I only have 2. I was being picky with all those DNFs I've experienced, but I don't have much to complain about with Rival. But it does need to be said. 
 1: Formatting. I don't know if this is because I received a reviewer copy from Netgalley, or not. But the formatting was wonky, making it difficult for me to read. Several times over, I had to guess or reread to determine the narrator. Yes, the author placed their name as a subheading beneath the chapter. But with the formatting screwy, it was tucked in tightly, hiding, and the same font and size without bolding to distinguish it from the rest of the wording. 
 In fact, there were no page breaks, so I'd be reading along, not realizing I'd started another chapter. I know this makes me seem dim, but the lines were so tight, it was easy to overlook. The chapter was literally at the end of the previous chapter's last sentence. 
 Next, scene skipping. From one sentence to the next, we were in a new scene. I cannot express how many times I reread a page, trying to figure wth was going on. The character would be doing one thing, and then BAM! There was no extra spacing or anything to denote a change of scene. It was discombobulating. 
 Lastly, with the crunch, dialogue was pressed together. "How are you?" Fallon said to me. "I'm great," I replied. this happened a lot. With long dialogue, I'd be reading along, confused as to why a certain character was saying something, only to decipher it was the reply. After reading it over and over again, many times, I would deduce from the he said/she said what was going on. 
 While this doesn't detract from the story, it DID pull me from the story more times than I can count. I didn't change my rating because of it. But I thought I'd bring it to the author's attention, in case it wasn't just the Netgalley Kindle copy. It was very, VERY difficult to read. 
 2: Length of the book. It was a long book. I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing. I write epic-length books. I'm only stating this because it started to drag when I felt like it should have met its conclusion chapters ago. Fast-paced lovers may become bored, and even I began to skip to get to the conclusion. I loved the story, eager for whatever the author would give us. But near the last 3/4th, I was asking myself what role the scene I was reading played out in the bigger picture, and whether or not it could have been crunched down into other scenes. 
 Rival was a huge book packed with even more story, raw emotion, with a strong connection between the characters, and a great supporting side cast. 
 I'll read whatever Penelope Douglas writes. Thank you for allowing me to read for free, and for proving there are still great books out there to read. I began to lose faith during my book slump. I've been renewed, and now I'm hungry to hunt down another read.