Save Me

The first book in the international bestselling Maxton Hall series, now in English for the first time.
They come from different worlds, and yet they are meant for each other.
Money, glamour, luxury, power—Ruby Bell couldn’t be less interested in these things if she tried. After being awarded a scholarship to one of England’s most prestigious and expensive private schools, Maxton Hall, all she wants is to keep her head down, work hard, and get accepted to Oxford. She keeps her distance from everyone, especially the arrogant, rich, and extremely handsome James Beaufort, ringleader of the school’s party boys. 
When Ruby discovers a scandalous secret about the Beauforts, she is suddenly on James’s radar. It only gets worse when James is forced to work with her to plan the school's annual gala. Yet the more time they spend together, the more they realize they share much more than they thought.
Falling for James Beaufort was never part of her plan, yet Ruby can’t help but let her feelings sweep her away. But James must make a decision for will he choose what’s expected of him, or what he feels for her?

Save Me is the first installment in Mona Kasten’s Maxton Hall series and is being released for the first time in English this year (2025). After watching the TV show Maxton Hall on Amazon Prime last year, I went searching for the books on Goodreads and was sad to realize the books were only in German. I was ready to start taking German to read the books, but thankfully, Berkley picked up the books and had them translated (translator: Rachel Ward), and I have to say this series may very well consume me. 

I loved that I found Mona Kasten’s Maxton Hall series thanks to Amazon Prime because if there is one thing I always love is finding new authors and their books. As soon as I started reading Save Me, I was transported back to when I watched the first season of Maxton Hall. I loved that the book is told in Dual POV, mainly in Ruby’s POV, but there is James’s POV, too, but not as much as Ruby’s. 

I absolutely adore Ruby in the TV show, and I absolutely adore her in the book. She has such a kind heart and loves her family dearly, and it’s portrayed in both the book and TV show how she wants to keep her life at Maxton Hall and her family separate, and I can understand why. There are some ruthless people at Maxton Hall. Sadly, Ruby is about to become visible after two years of being at Maxton Hall because she saw something she shouldn’t have. Now, she has the notorious playboy and ruthless James Beautfort bugging her at every turn to make sure she doesn’t expose what she saw with his sister, and he’ll do anything to make sure she doesn’t talk. 

I don’t want to go anymore into the storyline, but just know that the TV show and book are almost similar with slight differences, especially when it comes to the end of the book/TV show. I actually prefer the TV show’s cliffhanger ending over the book because, let’s just say James does something stupid at the end of the book, which made me not like him much, and here it was, he was, winning me over. Nope, not anymore! Hopefully, he’ll redeem himself in the next book. 

I feel for Ruby for what she was put through with James since he was going back and forth with her, but I’m glad I got his POV because I understood him a little better as a character and why he was the way he was. It all has to do with the family he’s a part of and what he is being forced to do after he finishes Maxton Hall. Let’s just say the antagonist of the whole book is someone close to James, and I really can’t stand this person. He can kick rocks and leave James and Ruby alone. 

Both the book and TV show had me hooked from the beginning, and here is one reader (and watcher of the TV show) who is anxious for the second book/second season of the TV show. I’m so glad I came across Maxton Hall on Amazon Prime, and I watched it because then I would have never known about the books. (Now, if only I could convince my oldest daughter to read the book and watch the TV show so she could fall for the story and characters just as much as I have.) 

Overall, I give this book four stars and can’t wait to read the next book, especially after Mona Kasten left me with such a brutal cliffhanger. I need to know what Ruby does next and if she’ll forgive James. I don’t know if she should, but I’m here for whatever she decides.

Single/Dual POV: Dual POV

Cliffhanger: Yes.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you enjoyed watching Maxton Hall on Amazon Prime, then pick up Save Me and read it. If you haven’t watched the show and enjoy reading Enemies to Lovers plus Opposites Sides of the Track storylines, then add Save Me to your reading list now. 

What to Expect:
✔️New Adult Romance
✔️Enemies to Lovers
✔️Forced Proximity
✔️Opposite Sides of the Track
✔️Slow Burn
✔️Sports/Lacrosse

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FranJessca

Owner/Reviewer at A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog

I guess I should type a bio here. I'm FranJessca, or Fran for short. I'm the owner/reviewer behind A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog. I've been reading and reviewing books on my blog since leaving the Navy in 2011, and I will keep doing it as long as possible. My favorite genres will always be Romance & Fantasy, and I read every subgenre underneath those two genres. (Sorry, not a fan of nonfiction, so don't try to convince me to read it.)
My obsession with reading started over 30+ years ago when I went to my first Scholastic Book Fair and found R.L. Stine's Fear Street series. Later, I came across Anne Rice's novels at my public library when I was fourteen when my obsession with vampires started. I was the girl who preferred to be a vampire over a princess any day. My husband says I would leave him a heartbeat for a vampire that looked like Spike or Angel (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) or Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries. (It's true, though, and he's accepted it.)

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