Pretty Ruthless (The Order: The Beginning Prequel) by Lexi Davis-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 28, 2026

At Ashford University, power doesn’t belong to the professors.
It belongs to the students.
The ones with the right names, the right connections.
The ones who decide what happens behind closed doors.

Becky Dawson doesn’t belong there.
A scholarship kid, she doesn’t have their pedigrees or trust funds.
What she does have is a stack of newspaper clippings, unanswered questions, and one goal:
Uncover the secret society known as The Order.

Every clue leads back to one man: Carrson Ashford.
Elusive golden boy. Groomed for leadership. Keeper of secrets.
Tortured and untrusting.
Everyone says he’s dangerous. They have no idea.

Now Becky’s on the hunt.
Studying him, following him, learning where he’s weak and where he’s strong.
Because Carrson isn’t just a man.
He’s a door.
The heir to a world built on power, ambition, and survival.
And Becky wants in.

But Becky isn’t the only predator here.
Carrson notices her and he pushes back.

When he presses a blade to her throat, she doesn’t flinch.
When he tells her to stay away, she steps closer.
When he tells her to run,
she waits to see if he’ll chase.

The deeper Becky digs, the more dangerous the game becomes.
Because some secrets were never meant to be discovered.
But now that they are,
Carrson will have to decide
whether to destroy her…
or make sure she never leaves.

••••••

REVIEW:PRETTY RUTHLESS is the prequel instalment in Lexi Davis’ new adult THE ORDER dark, academia erotic, romance series. This is legacy heir Carrson Ashford and Becky Dawson’s story line.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers

Told from dual first person perspectives (Carrson and Becky) set in the years 1994-95, PRETTY RUTHLESS follows college freshman Becky Dawson as she sets into motion a plan to confront Ashford University legacy heir Carrson Ashford but all does not go according to plan when Becky finds herself falling for a man with too many ghosts from the past. Setting her sights on Carrson Ashford, Becky will soon discover all is not as it appears to be, as Carrson battles between legacy and his heart as it pertains to our story line heroine.

The world building focuses on Ashford University traditions and birthrights; the culture surrounding secrets and historical ascension, and the darkest that permeates everyone involved. A prequel set thirty years in the past, PRETTY RUTHLESS sets up the construct and complexities of Ashford University and The Order.

The relationship between Becky and Carrson begins acrimoniously. Becky Dawson all but stalks our story line hero, hoping for a chance to understand the man in charge but Becky’s ulterior motives are about to threaten any chance of retribution or happily ever after, never expecting to fall in love without story line hero. Carrson is a broken young man but a man with a mission to regain control. Becky will become a distraction, a distraction that threatens to break his power. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense.

There is a large ensemble cast of questionable, dark and dynamic secondary and supporting characters including the students at both Rosewood Hall, and Ashford House. We are introduced to Louellen, the young woman in charge at Rosewood Hall, and Carrson’s housemates Jackson Beaumont, and his father Jack.

PRETTY RUTHLESS is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, manipulation and escalation, authoritarian societies, acceptance and love. The character driven premise is dark, dramatic and edgy; the romance is impassioned and haunting; the characters are animated and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy