Ruining Him

Blackwater University, Book 1

De: S. Wilson

Narrado por: Maxine Mitchell, Scott Rose

Have you ever taken one look at someone and wanted to destroy them?

That was the only thought going through my mind when I laid eyes on Lana James after she literally crashed her way into my life.

So that's exactly what I set out to do. Only I didn't take into account the way her body would make me feel, the way her words would set my soul on fire, or how her lips pressed against mine would rewrite everything I've ever known.

I think maybe, I won't be the one to destroy her, she'll be the one to ruin me.

This is a dark, enemies to lovers college romance and is book one in a series of four interconnected standalones. This book ends with a HEA and no cliffhanger. Intended for mature audiences. Content warnings listed inside the book and on the authors website.

©2025 S. Wilson (P)2025 Blue Nose Publishing

cute!!

How is this the cutest, "dark" romance!? Or I'm completely desensitized to murder and other things in books. 😆 I really enjoyed this book it was fast paced and a good story line.

ALC REVIEW:
STORY: 4 🌟
NARRATIONS: 5 🌟
DUET

Lana Lana (Little Menace) you are so funny and so mean to poor Cole. You definitely pulled off the badass fmc and I'm really judgy against fmcs. (I hate him, kinda)

*on the run (hiding)
*secret society
*raw & primal
*knife play
*secrets
*death


Cole (Pretty Boy) the push and pull you have with your "Little Menace" is hilarious. I know this is supposed to be a dark romance but it's so cute! Good boy Cole!! (I hate her, kinda)

*family legacies
*rich boy problems
*kinky
*found purpose


Narrators couldn't of been more spot on! Maxine Mitchell is one of my top go to in female narrators and she fkn was great in this. Scott Rose is (new to me) though and he did not disappoint 🙌 👏. How good of a boy you were!! I will definitely look you up for more books you've done.

Great Start To This Incredible Enemies-To-Lovers Series! Dark Romance Audio Perfection!

Ruining Him is the first audiobook in S. Wilson’s Blackwater University series. And based on this story, it promises to be one heck of a series! This is a dark, bully/enemies-to-lovers romance set in an elite university. There is so much more to this story than first meets the eye (or ear in this case), and it had me hooked right from the jump. And rather than doing a data dump at the end of the story (like we so often see), S. Wilson rolls out delicious tidbits throughout the story that culminate in an explosive conclusion. This first book centers around Lana and Cole, who are pretty equally matched, in my opinion, as adversaries. They really kind of bully each other. And the wickedly sassy banter is next level! When they get together, there are always fireworks—in and out of the bedroom. Lana is just a straight-up bad a** and can definitely put Cole in his place. And Cole is an alpha through and through, but when he gets behind closed doors with Lana, he’s just as happy to be her good boy. I loved everything about this audiobook! The duet narration from Maxine Mitchell and Scott Rose was second to none, with both actors completely inhabiting their roles. Maxine Mitchell’s portrayal of Lana was nothing short of perfection. She completely nailed Lana’s attitude yet also flawlessly delivered on those rare moments when Lana showed her vulnerability. And Scott Rose certainly more than did justice to Cole, perfectly capturing every facet of this compelling character. And I want to give an extra shout-out to Scott Rose for the way he voiced Cole’s friends, giving each a unique voice and personality. I absolutely cannot wait to see where this series takes us next!

Black cat FMC for the win in this one! 🖤

This story had me hooked from the start and I had a hard time pressing pause to resume, well, my world that isn’t nearly as dark and dangerous as this one. S. Wilson is a new to me author, and I was thrilled to see the casting of Maxine Mitchell and Scott Rose.

This college-aged romance is a dark foray into the enemies to lovers trope with a delicious twist — Lana (the FMC) matches (if not exceeds) Cole’s sinister personality with definite black cat energy. Maxine, cast as the role of Lana gave me an IMMEDIATE desire to listen. Maxine in any contemporary romance is a win, and I’ve been awaiting her dark side. And she absolutely shimmers.

What I really loved about Lana and Cole is that they have a magnetism that is unavoidable and plays well to the dynamic Maxine and Scott create with their voices. Both performances are smooth, and provide plenty of bite. If you have never listened to Scott Rose, well, this is the book to get in your earbuds. His delivery as a confident man turned simpering, lusting fool is so charming.

This book is a great listen if you crave a departure from the typical dark romance dynamic of the male protagonist being the one with all the edge, because Cole follows Lana’s lead like he is under his spell. And when you listen, well, you are bound to be as well.

Check your content warnings before diving in — there are some spiiiiiiiicy scenes that involve some darker kinks that are very well written and dangerously performed.

I wasn’t expecting that! But yessssss

Ok so this is definitely a good read! She is a good surprise to the normal mfc and I’m totally here for it. She has no problem putting his dad in line and also him. But they both try to take the lead all the time lol. She is totally my hero in this book, but Cole is absolutely amazing! I would love to learn more about Logan. I feel like there is more to the story with him and Lana than we know. I feel like he’s got bigger secrets than he’s letting on about. And the spice is totally there!!!

Addiction

Ruining Him by S. Wilson is a dark enemies to lovers romance. CHECK YOUR TRIGGERS please!!!! Omg this book is full of so many delicious surprises, some having me question my morals. I literally could not stop listening to this story almost like a craving or an addiction that I wanted more and more. Don’t get me started on the FMC, Miss Lana James, who has become one of my favorite FMCs ever! Lana is beautiful, intelligent, resourceful, a firecracker, and down right brutal when need be. I love her sassy and smart a** remarks. She will literally take no sh*t from anyone whether it’s man or woman! Then we have the MMC, Cole, aka Mr Brooding. This man has some unusual k*nks, but you can’t help but be intrigued by it. Together, Lana and Cole are a power house just waiting to explode. The s*xual tension and bratty banter is soooooo exquisite. When the spice moments hit, oh my they are something else and scorching! This just may be the deadliest fight they ever encountered and it is worth it to see who’s left standing. I’m definitely listening to this one again!

For the audiobook, Maxine Mitchell and Scott Rose performance was down right sinful! Their execution of their characters so enticing and authentic. Well done! Let’s just say Maxine was made for this role with her seductive low voice and razor sharp back talk! This was my first time listening to Scott Rose and I was impressed! Thank you Blue Nose Audio for this ALC opportunity!

Quick and fun dark college romance

So, take what you’d typically expect from the MMC in a dark college romance and flip that. In this story the FMC was the bad***, dominant, take control, protective one. The MMC, Cole, could hold his own and was just as protective but, Lana ran the show. I loved that! The chemistry and connection between them was so good. Their characters came a long way and I was happy with how the story ended. I loved the banter between them and all the side characters that had me laughing at times. It was a quick, fun, dark college romance and I enjoyed it.

Maxine Mitchell and Scott Rose did amazing voicing these characters and bringing the story to life! Their voices fit the characters perfectly.

Badass FMC!

S. Wilson brings us a wild ride of Lana and Cole. Lana is our badass FMC who appears on campus and as the story propels forward, we learn more and more about her mysterious past. I think what really drew me into the story was how much Lana was very much in charge, and really the star of this book. Having her frequently be the aggressor throughout the story was such a fresh and much needed perspective. Cole was no pushover however, unless it turned him on. The knife and praise kinks for Cole were an unexpected twist that I loved.

The writing in this story was excellent and the narration was fantastic. Maxine Mitchell took Lana to another level that I'm not sure any one else could have accomplished. Scott Rose really managed to bring that balance of vulnerability and toughness that embodied Cole. A great start to the Blackwater University series!

Ruining Him

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️
3🌶️🌶️🌶️

Ruin Him is book one in The Blackwater University series. Lana is the new student to this secret society type university. This college doesn’t usually get new students. Cole is one of the top students. He is on his way to taking control of his father’s company. Cole has a secret dark side that craves release. He fights in underground fights at “The Church”. Cole is very interested in Lana, and where she came from. One night while Cole was at The Church, he sees Lana in room three. That’s where the fights with no limits or rules takes place. He sees her in the ring just destroying her opponent. He sees the same darkness within himself in her too. This book may have triggers for some. I throughly enjoyed this book.

Maxine Mitchell and Scott Rose did a fantastic job narrating this book in duet style narration.

5-Star Dark Romance

I’ve been needing a good dark romance and Ruining Him gave me what I wanted and more! The best part about this book is our FMC Lana is the trained fighter/killer. She running from her past but things always catch up to you. And Cole our MMC is kinda obsessed with Lana after seeing her fighting and winning against a huge guy at the church. Their relationship was all hate/lust/love and it was chefs kiss. Maxine Mitchell and Scott Rose brought is amazing book to life and it was flawless. These two made us feel every conflicting emotion Cole and Lana had. This was my first book by S. Wilson, but it won’t be my last.