RHIANNON IS BACK!!

This is Rhiannon’s final outing.. and boy what an ending for her 😳 we pick up where we left her, with her and Raf planning to go to the UK to save Ivy, but nothing ever goes to plan for a serial killer does it? There’s drama, laughs, unexpected friendships and murder… what more could you want? This was the perfect end for Rhiannon and I can’t wait for Ivy’s story!

The Sweetpea series has been my number one of the year since I read it, they were my first books of 2024 and as a collective they haven’t moved! I love Rhiannon, and I think we can all relate, maybe not as serial killers but in some kinda way! She’s feisty, funny and a killer. These books have plenty of dark humour in them and just make for a great read tbh. I would recommend these to anyone. Cannot wait to see the TV adaptation. 24 stars!

Despite outward appearances to the contrary, things are still going pear-shaped for Rhiannon.

She's having to hightail it back from the States. There are still people after her. And the welcoming committee probably isn't going to be much better.

This series just keeps getting better and funnier

Good grief this was absolutely brilliant! C J Skuse just manages to continually produce fresh storylines that both grip the reader and entertain them. First class.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 5*
Writing skill : 5*
Plot: 5*
Pace: 4*
Characters: 5*
Completion: 4*

She does it again, another 5* installment to one of my favourite ever series. I cannot talk to you about the plot, if you havent read the others it will be a complete spoiler, but I will say its a great progression of the story. There were scenarios I did not expect, but loved them regardless.
This ended in a great way, open to more, but also closed enough for completeness.
I know theres been a flood of female serial killer books over the past few years, but they all stem from this one, and in my opinion they dont touch they sides. Stick with this one and you wont go far wrong!!
Sad to say goodbye to sweetpea, but boy have I enjoyed the ride!

I knew even before I started this book that I would have to give it 5 stars. I had loved Thorn In My Side and was thrilled to be able to read The Bad Seeds. It is a ‘suspend belief and just go with it’ sort of book. The language is disgusting, the killings are over-the-top dreadful, and it is absolutely brilliant! Loved it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a fabulous early read.

Thanks so much to HQ Stories, Netgalley and C.J. Skuse for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a little bittersweet for me, as I've been reading the Sweetpea series for a while now. I really wanted to see how it ended, but I didn't actually want it to end.
C.J. Skuse has definitely done justice to the series with the ending.
I thought it was a very fitting end to a truly epic thriller series.

I was super excited to get the email inviting me to read The Bad Seeds. It was my most anticipated read for this year, and it definitely lived up to it.

C.J. Skuse is such a talented writer. She draws you into her stories immediately and doesn't let go. I binged the whole book in one sitting. I couldn't pay attention to anything else until I finished it.

I can't wait to see what C.J. comes up with next. I'll be waiting very impatiently.

I VERY highly recommend.

5 Well deserved stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love CJ Skuse's books, the style of writing and the full of twists storylines with very dark humour. This one didn't disappoint and I am already eagerly awaiting the next one!

I love the character of Rhiannon that CJ Skuse has created! I'm not remotely surprised Sweetpea is getting turned into a TV show and I'll be the first in line to watch it!

Ending directly after the last one in the series we find Rhiannon waiting in hospital for news of Raf's health after he's been shot before ultimately fleeing with his friend Billy to England believing Ivy needs her cells to help fight leukaemia.

This feels like a fitting end to the series although the middle felt a little long. Despite that, CJ's punchy writing has me laughing out loud with almost every page.

Thanks very much to the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Bad Seeds.

I was so excited when I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

What a series! I've loved each book and I'm gutted it's over (please please write a book from Ivy's side). I fly through these books.

The Bad seeds followed on from the cliffhanger left on the previous book (Thorn in my side). It was fast paced and had the usual twists which keeps the reader gripped throughout. I found a slight change in Rhiannon's character throughout this book but saw glimpses of this in the previous book too. Rhiannon has this charm and witt which has the reader rooting for her everytime, strange given she's a serial killer!

This book was written brilliantly by C J Skuse and I found it to be the perfect ending to a fab series.

What a series, I absolutely devoured it . A fantastic read , I thoroughly enjoyed the book . This is so fast paced , funny and dark in equal measures

I am gutted that this series is over but what a ride this final installment was.

The Bad Seeds picked up exactly where Thorn In My Side left off so questions from that torturous cliffhanger were instantly answered and we were off to a dramatic start.

Rhiannon was back with her dry wit and open disdain for pretty much anyone who isn't her. I agree with far too many of her lists and have howled with laughter at some of her comments. "Your prefrontal cortex is being shut down by alcohol. Mine was shut down by a hammer so I'm permanently loose lipped."

I'm finding it hard to write this without squealing about spoilers. There were so many twists and truly unexpected plot points that I was on tenterhools the entire time.

I adore Rhiannon, whatever that says about me, and feel like this ending for her was perfect. I feel like her story has been rounded out exactly as it needed to and exactly how I wanted it to.

I have been a Bad Seed right from the beginning and will continue to force these books on everyone. #KeepHerBuried

CJ Skuse is an auto buy author for me and I am so grateful to have been able to read this. I'm also super excited because I'm mentioned in the acknowledgements.

Thank you to the publisher HQ and Netgalley for inviting me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have been very impatiently waiting for this one after the massive cliffhanger at the end of the previous book!

In The Bad Seeds, we are thrown straight back into the mix, picking up immediately where Thorn In My Side finished with Rhiannon facing a huge dilemma with no time to ponder on a decision. The choice she makes leads her back to the UK, under the nose of the police who have been looking for her for years for a string of murders, but also closer to her daughter. Can she stay under the radar, check on her daughter and maybe take some revenge?

It is ridiculously bittersweet that this is the final book in this amazing series. This is another excellent instalment with the usual witty, dark storytelling and, as much as I hate that this is the end, I am so happy with how it turned out. From book one, it has always felt a bit odd to be desperate to catch up with my favourite serial killer, but Rhiannons heart has always been in the right place and she (almost!) always only kills those that most would agree deserve it. The only thing that is lessening the blow is that the TV series will be starting soon and I can't wait to see our girl on screen.

Rhiannon is on the run again - this time back to the UK and ultimately into the arms of the police who are waiting to arrest her for the string of murders she has committed. But Rhiannon will risk anything to save her little daughter - and, being a devious and well-practised serial killer, she's long been one step ahead of the law ...
And just like that, everyone's favourite serial killer Sweetpea is back. And as a vigilante killer of predatory men, there are plenty people backing her. The Bad Seeds are a motley crew, usually found lurking online, but will there be any around when she needs them?
As alway, CJ Skuse delivers a strong and audacious story that will leave you gasping. It's witty, it's filthy but it is also finessed, as Rhiannon's character continues to develop as she comes to terms with her past as a child victim of a hammer attack, her father's relentless quest for bloody vengeance, and her sister's abandonment of her when she needed her most.
There's a strong backing cast of characters here, Billy, the ex-army Irishman with false legs provides much of the humour, along with his Irish friends and family, but it's Rhiannon's arch Nemesis DI Gericault who comes into her own as she and Rhiannon stage their own version of Thelma and Louise. We've hated Gericault over four books - will we learn now to love her?
Rhiannon loves to make lists of the things she'd destroy if she could, and I generally agree with her. This time she got me with the Daisy, Daisy, Daisy ad - whoever came up with that one deserves Rhiannon's wrath! As did all her other victims. It's why we love Sweetpea so much.
You don;t have to read all the books in the series to enjoy this one, but I'd highly recommend them. And this one is just as great as the others. CJ Skuse won't mind me saying how much I admire her evil genius - but if I suddenly disappear from this platform, you'll know she's got Sweetpea to get me.

I was so excited to get the email from netgalley and the publisher to invite me to read the final installment of the Sweetpea series.
You know those things you wish you could experience again for the first time - reading Sweetpea was one of mine. Sweetpea ignited a passion for a very specific genre in me and I've adored the whole series, but with this one I truly feel like it's gone full circle and I got those same feels like the first book.
After leaving us on the mother of all cliffhangers at the end of thorn in my side, the bad seeds throws us straight back into the thick of it.
I laughed so hard at so many different points - the deliciously dark humour and sarcastic one liners are just so on point.
I wasn't sure how the story of Rhiannon/Sweetpea would end - I obviously didn't want it to! But I think the way that it has is actually pretty perfect.
I'm also truly honoured that a little piece of me is in this final book as I'm mentioned in the acknowledgements!
C. J. Skuse I'm a Bad Seed for life! #KeepHerBuried

Well, what can I say! I’ve absolutely loved this series and how it has progressed. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the ending as I didn’t really want it to end. But it really drew everything together. CJSkuse writes with such humour but is also able to make you root for the characters. I adore Sweetpea, I loved the first book and then how her story has progressed and how much she’s grown has been a pleasure to read. I will miss the list of things that annoy her at the start of every chapter, her wit and humour and even her warmth and love towards the end. Fantastic.

Rhiannon, our favourite serial killer is back.

After the cliff hanger at the end of the last book, we get the ending that Rhiannon deserves. We will miss her, but don't miss out on this latest instalment of the Sweetpea books.

So good, I devoured it.

What a series! What an author!! I am officially a Black Seed #KeepHerBuried

Rhiannon Lewis is a complex character built entirely in a league of her own. You’ll love her for her expletive descriptions and no holds barred reaction to aggression. She’s she is one of the most contradictory and yet plain-living serial killers you’ll ever read which makes her both intriguing and laugh out loud funny.

Rhiannon’s (or should I say CJ Skuse’s) expletive narrative is just another reason I love these books so much. It’s horribly offensive, graphic and over the top … but omg so funny and crying out to be quoted in everyday life!

This whole series follows a seemingly normal and clichéd character until the day that she ‘snaps’ and has what can only be described as a a ‘coming of rage’ moment. Told from Rhiannon’s perspective it reads almost like a Bridget Jones novel, had Bridget decided to chop her ‘baby daddy’ up into tiny pieces and go on midnight stalks if pervs and ‘peeds’ for kicks.

I was selected to read this book by the publishing house and I can’t tell you how honoured I was to get my hands on an unedited version!! I chose not to read the synopsis of this book before reading. I didn’t need to be told how much I’d love it, or what she was going to do… I just knew I wanted to be on that bus to ruin with her. And what a thrill ride it was! So much so I miss Rhiannon/Ophelia and have put the whole series back into my TBR pile - because it is SO GOOD!

Thank you as ever to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very difficult review for me to write. Because no matter how I love this book I am BEREFT that this is the final instalment in the absolutely first class Sweet Pea series. (Soon to be a major TV drama).

This book is the last time we’ll read about Rhiannon Lewis - a serial killer who (mostly) despatches predators and creeps. Yes, a few innocent people have been caught in her twisted stabby crossfire but despite her pathological lack of remorse she is still a character you cheer on. Even when her truly deranged self emerges from the shadows.
This book more than any puts her vigilante existence into context with how many, many women still face abuse and violence. There are stark reminders of the predators of this world littered through the book.
But as always, writer CJ Skuse manages to avoid dragging us too far into the darkness as Sweetpea’s filter free approach to life is just so sharp and witty. I laughed out loud many times - but I’m aware Rhiannon will very much not be every readers’ cup of tea. She is abrasive and offensive. Taste and decency are not her thing and yet she is one of the best and most memorable characters in modern crime fiction.
Book 4 in this series left us with one hell of a cliffhanger and I absolutely do not want to spoiler this for anyone - suffice to say this is an exceptionally satisfying conclusion to one of my favourite reads of all time.
So much happens in this book - Richard Grunt makes his usual appearance, Rhiannon has to face her past head on and risks losing everything. There is tension a plenty and heartache too.
Even five books in this story feels fresh. That’s quite an achievement in and of itself.

I loved it. I’m sad it’s over. It’s exquisite in every way.

Thank you @hqstories for an ARC of this book which is released in October.

Rhiannon has done it again!

While this novel was more slow paced than all the previous ones, I still enjoyed it. It seems like this is the final book in the series and it has a very satisfying ending

Rhiannon is back! I was so excited to read the 5th installment of the Sweetpea series. I don't typically read series' but this one I never miss an installment of. As always, Rhiannon's wit and dry sense of humour are the star of the show and the action was really ramped up in Bad Seeds. I loved the exploration of the other characters in the story and the sense of inner conflict between turning her in or joining her in her vigilante justice. Another excellent installment in a great series! Would definitely recommend.