Rebel at Spruce High

A Spruce Texas Romance, Book 5

By: Daryl Banner

Narrated by: Chris Chambers, Cooper North

Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Vann, the gorgeous, leather-jacket-clad new bad boy in school, just set his eyes on me.

I'm not really good at making friends. That's simply a fact. I'm happy enough if I can just get through the school day, avoid eye contact with anything that breathes, and make it home where my family can continue ignoring my existence and I can play video games in peace.

But then he crashes into my life like a tidal wave. The hot new senior at Spruce High. The bad boy everyone can't stop talking about. The one with the leather jacket, smoldering eyes, and cloud of danger following him. The one called Vann.

My whole life changes overnight. Now, I want different things. I want an end to my lonesomeness. I want to stand up to the jocks who keep pushing me around.

But most importantly, I want to know what Vann's lips taste like. And why he looks pained every time his dark eyes catch mine in class. And why he keeps paying attention to me when the rest of the town doesn't. And why every time I open my mouth to speak, my racing heart chokes me.

I don't know what's coming for me in my last year at Spruce High, but I sure hope I'm ready for it.

Contains mature themes.

©2020 Daryl Banner (P)2021 Tantor

It happens before

Daryl is a master and this audiobook brings the story to life. This is truly a love story.

One of the things I like about this one is how the author takes his time with character development without being boring. There are times though where I find myself saying “get on with it.“

Enter the MCs, one a perceived bad boy, the other a victim of bullying and totally unsure of himself. I find myself at times losing patience with them but it adds to the conflict and helps propel the story forward.

For me, as much of a spoiler as this might be, is the appeal of hearing those three words before sex and it actually happens here. The MCs are together quite awhile before it moves beyond the make out sessions.

If you’re a beginner in the MM Romance genre, I highly recommend the Spruce Texas series, of which I think this one is the best. Sometimes I find myself laughing out loud, at others shedding a tear.

Come for the love story, stay for the fluff

I saw a few reviews that said this book wasn't to par with the other in the series and it wasn't as spicy. I will agree on the spicy but it makes sense since the story is about two 18 yr olds. Their love can be more simple and less smutty and that's ok. I loved how they developed and enjoyed the time jumps instead of everything happening in 3 weeks.

fitting high school story

it's amazing how Daryl Banner can bring back high school memories. He's a great storyteller. He has a fantasy world that I really truly wish existed. I love how he brings past characters from other books into his newer books so characters and community still grow.

Beautiful But Baffling Trigger Warnings Needed

Right, the thing is, I like Daryl Banner’s storytelling and character creation in the Spruce series. His choices are his right to make as the author. As the listener/reader I only have expectations, and this intense and relatable set-up left me wondering what happened to the positive sexuality which I’m used to in the series. I see that others say that the sex was naturally less intense because the MCs are both 18. Pardon me, but what? As a former teenager all I can say is that my hormones were in overdrive, trying new things was mind-blowing and even simple acts were intensely hot. It didn’t exactly read this way in this book.

So, quick note about the sex scenes or lack of heat: I agree this wasn’t as erotic as most of the other Spruce stories.
It had plenty of tension, buildup, longing, willfulness and some very intimate moments, as well as some really disturbing things which nobody appears to want to mention in reviews yet. Here goes—

TRIGGER WARNING: This book includes a sexual assault.
It’s not reported, It’s not identified as assault by anyone. The implied time period was one in which people knew what assault was. I don’t understand the response (or lack of it) by the one assaulted, even if it’s a turning point for another character. When I say assault, I mean it. There is a buildup of other physical abuses and verbal harassment by the same character.

There is a whole lot to recommend this book. I sometimes come back to it having forgotten the assault, almost as if I expect the book to be different the next time. I just don’t know what to say about that, except that how it played out left me with a feeling of underlying wrongness and distrust of anything to do with the aggressor. I really don’t understand the choice to allow the aggressor more lenience, benefit of the doubt and compassion than the other romantic lead got for what I feel are more justified and less offensive acts.

I enjoyed many aspects of the book, truly. Some of the ‘getting to know each other’ scenes between the main characters were incredibly strong, so strong that I see echoes of them in real life and feel enriched for having read them all over again.

Forgiveness is important throughout life, not just in the pages of a book. Fiction can shape how much weight we give to things, how we identify them and how we respond to them, though. I can read this as an adult and name assault for what it is. I wish it had been addressed as such, had been named, not in a soap box way, but some way that acknowledges what kind of wrong was done. I didn’t write the book, it’s not my choice to make.

So, yeah. Trigger warnings for bullying, sexual assault and probably other things I’ve blanked out.

Is it weird to say that there wasn’t much smut and then warn about unwanted sexual contact? I don’t know.

What is probably weird is that I always remember this book when I think of Daryl Banner and his skill, even if the work left me queasy about one unresolved, important topic.

Mine is only one opinion. It seemed like that trigger ought to be brought up, even if it might not look like a big deal to others.

Love this whole series!

I'm telling you if you want feel good, funny, sometimes angsty, dramatic, sweet, charming. this book and the previous ones has it all and then some! So romantic and heartwarming. Honest and yet fanciful.

The good and the bad

Great story about Spruce, Texas. The performer who voiced Toby to life is great. The same cannot be said for the performer who voiced Van - pedantic and breathy are the kindest adjectives I can write. Despite that, it was great to visit Spruce again and I look forward to more from Daryl.

Another great read in the Spruce series

I am a BIG fan of the while series. the characters are so well rounded and, being from Mississippi in the south, i know these people haha.

This book in particular had a more sentimental, emotional feel. maybe it was my reader response, but these characters seemed to bring out real relationship feelings, trials, and emotional depth I really responded to. The steadier scence here were more tame and less explicit, but that added to the tenderness and vunerability the book had as a theme.

As usual, Banner transported me to that small town in Texas, references people I cared about from previous books, made me want a burger form Biggies and to see if that Country Lovin crepe is all it is hyped up to be, and overall made me feel like a member of this small, albeit progressive, southern town. cannot wait for the next book in the series.

THIS BOOK IS AMAZINGLY A MUST!

I don’t know where to start, BUT I loved the whole story and where it went! I’ve read every Spruce romance and it was definitely the best and the kicker! I honestly wish it wouldn’t be the last, especially because I wanna see Hoyt (side character) get his happy ending but I loved it completely and the creativity of this story had me smiling from ear to ear! It has made me fall in love with the development of all the characters and the town itself and truly inspired my life. It’s just a must read, sweet, sexy and dramatic in the best ways possible!

Small Town Country Boy & Big City Rebel

I enjoyed the story. The performance was excellent! I would definitely listen to other stories by the same author and especially the same performers!

I loved it.

In this home town love Story, filled with delicious angst and emotions, two lives crash into a love story I won't forget.