Rook & Rebel (The Mavericks, #1) by Kate Crew
Series: The Mavericks #1
Published by Avon a on January 13, 2026
Genres: Romance
Pages: 381
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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A dark revenge romance filled with tattooed bikers, hilarious banter, heat, and high speeds.

Regan Fletcher
I used to have big dreams: finish college, make beautiful art, all while taking over my dad’s business. He wanted a legacy, and I wanted to give it to him. But his illness wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was his sudden need to keep me locked up in our mansion, safe and isolated. I want more from life, but could only spend my days waiting. Until one night, I came face-to-face with a street biker from a world far different from mine. What starts as him stalking me, quickly spirals into something deeper, and more deadly. I’m falling for a man who’s everything I should fear, yet he’s the only one who’s ever made me feel truly alive. But loving him means risking everything—my heart, my future, and my father.

Rook Emberson
Revenge has been my driving force for as long as I can remember. Cameron Fletcher stole everything from me, and I’ve spent years plotting the perfect way to take it all back. When fate puts his daughter in my sights, I know I’ve found the key to his destruction. But from the moment I meet her, my plans begin to unravel. Regan is everything I didn’t expect and I can’t help but be drawn to her. What starts as a twisted game of vengeance turns into an obsession. I need her, but I also need to destroy her father.

The lines between love and vengeance blur, and I’m not sure where one ends and the other begins.

Read if you like:

• Dark romance
• Romantic comedy
• Morally grey heroes
• Found family
• Top tier banter

My thoughts:

Rook & Rebel is an entertainingly quick dark romantic comedy in the vein of Lights Out and Butcher & Blackbird. It’s a quick, fun read, though not without its flaws.

I won’t lie, plot wise, Rook & Rebel is a bit ridiculous, not to mention being riddled with holes. However, the ridiculousness of the story made this one extremely entertaining for me. Rook is a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, hell-bent on getting revenge on the man who ruined his life. That man just happens to be the father of the girl he can’t stop obsessing over. When Regan is thrust into his life, Rook has to decide if he should use her for revenge or leave his plans in the past in order to start fresh with her.

A  bit of a predictable storyline, yes, but it still grabbed my attention. The story had a very strong start between Rook and Regan’s hilarious meet-cute and his subsequent stalking. Unfortunately, things went a bit downhill past the halfway mark. Plot holes popped up and characters started making decisions solely to move the story along. By the end, things made no sense and I was happy just to be done.

The characters and the romance were the redeeming factors here. The found family vibe of Rook’s crew was utterly perfect. They had quite the mix of personalities and I loved them all (though Hero might be my favorite!) If nothing else, I’ll continue the series to see more of them. The banter between them all felt like a true family (except for Aiden and Evie, for obvious reasons.)

As for banter, Rook and Regan had the best. They cracked me up from the moment they met. They were the perfect example of opposites attracting. Rook was drawn to the comfort and stability Regan offered and Regan was drawn to the adventure and danger that Rook added to her life. They had fantastic chemistry, in and out of the bedroom. The chemistry definitely worked in their favor when it came to spice. It was hot, though relatively tame for a dark romance.

My only issue with Regan was her naivete. She was so sheltered and she refused to see things that were right in front of her face. Her dad treated her like garbage and yet she kept making excuses for him. I loved Rook because, even though he wanted to protect her, he wanted to do it by showing her the truth and letting her decide things on her own. I just wanted to slap some sense into her. I liked her well enough but she needed the street skills that Rook and his friends were trying to teach her.

Overall, Rook & Rebel may not be perfect but it’s a quick and entertaining read that will have you laughing as you turn the pages. It’s a promising start to the Mavericks series and I look forward to reading more from Kate Crew.

TL;DR

Rook & Rebel is a hilarious dark romantic comedy, in the same style as Butcher & Blackbird and Lights Out. It’s a quick, entertaining read that will have you laughing constantly. It has some plot holes and some of the characters aren’t the most likable but it’s a solid start to the Mavericks series. If you’re a fan of quick, funny reads with some darker elements, this might just be the book for you!

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