Genre: Adult, Romance, Bully, Enemies to Lovers, Sports
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Violet

The fresh start I was supposed to have by transferring to Whitman is starting to feel more like a big bag of dirt. And when things couldn’t get worse, I come face to face with an enemy of the past.

But it seems I’d fallen into some sort of alternate universe. Because instead of making my life hell, Reed Hayes had become my unforeseen protector in the havoc that has become my life.

The Better Bully is an easy to read enemies to lovers bully sports romance book.

This story was a bit different than my usual bully romance reads. The bullying was not as graphic and even though the author tells us the last year of high school was rough for our main character (Violet), we don't really "see" any of the bullying. By the time the "NOW" story starts following, the bullying is something in the past (when they were teenagers), yes, there's animosity between the characters, a lot of sarcastic banter between them, but none "hardcore bullying". I liked that this story is focused on "now that we are adults, things are different" to the point of Reed staying away because Violet would be more intriguing that he may have predicted.

I was a bit outraged (as much as Reed) that Violet started this whole thing because she was fiercely defending her older and nerdy brother and the brother LITERALLY WAS OBLYVIOUS to everything that was happening to Violet in high school.

Overall you have the perfect combination of topics to have an enjoyable romance: ex-drama, a past that might make the relationship complicated, the brother not liking the past and the relationship and situations forcing the 2 characters to interact all the time.

A few things that made this book enjoyable were:

1) The back and forth between Reed and Violet.

2) The different POVs. We get to see what's happening from Reed & Violet's POV and that adds a lot to the story.

3) The back story and the impact that is having in the "NOW" events.

So if you are looking for a light romance read with a bit of bullying with an enemies to lovers trope, I recommend THE BETTER BULLY.

Charity is a fairy godmother. She doesn’t wear a poofy dress or go around waving a wand, but she does make sure the deepest desires of the student population at Jack London High School come true. And she knows what they want even better than they do because she can glimpse their perfect futures.

But when Charity fulfills a glimpse that gets Vibha crowned homecoming queen, it ends in disaster. Suddenly, every wish Charity has ever granted is called into question. Has she really been helping people? Where do these glimpses come from, anyway? What if she’s not getting the whole picture?

Making this existential crisis way worse is Noah—the adorkable and (in Charity’s opinion) diabolical ex of one of her past clients—who blames her for sabotaging his prom plans and claims her interventions are doing more harm than good. He demands that she stop granting wishes and help him get his girl back. At first, Charity has no choice but to play along. But soon, Noah becomes an unexpected ally in getting to the bottom of the glimpses. Before long, Charity dares to call him her friend…and even starts to wish he were something more. But can the fairy godmother ever get the happily ever after?

Glimpsed is a charming, sparkly rom-com that follows a wish-granting teen forced to question if she’s really doing good—and if she has the power to make her own dreams come true. It’s got geeky fandom, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and a hint of magic!

A Few of the Main Characters:

Charity – seventeen, has some abandonment issues, is juggling a lot at school, and is a fairy godmother.

Noah – another student at Charity’s high school and a diehard Trekkie; nursing a broken heart from getting suddenly and thoroughly dumped a hot minute before junior prom.

Vindhya ­­– Charity’s current Cinderella (Cindy); currently in robotics club and soon-to-be (if everything goes to plan) Homecoming Queen.

Sean – a former Cindy; currently a male ballet dancer and school It Boy.

Memom – Charity’s grandmother, also a fairy godmother.

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

I love them all, but Noah is my favourite. I love his confident nerdiness, his unabashed passion for Star Trek, and his determination to remain completely himself even when that isn’t winning him popularity points. I love that he is able to admit (eventually) when he’s wrong. He’s smart, funny, and shamelessly in-touch with his inner child. And, quoting Charity, “he looks like Ross Lynch.” (Not waxed-chest, bleached-hair, cool guy Ross Lynch. More like “Harvey Kinkle” Ross Lynch.)

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

Even though I know that most people, if they’re talking about a problem, just want a sympathetic ear…even though I’ve seen that episode of Parks & Rec…I still can’t help myself. There’s something inside me that says all problems must have solutions. The words come unbidden out of my mouth, “Have you tried—?" I guess what I’m trying to say is that it came pretty naturally for me to write a book about a girl who legitimately believes it’s her job to fix everyone else’s stuff. And I loved exploring—in a really whimsical way—the question of: “What does it mean to truly help others? How do we engage with people who are struggling without imposing our own will on them or diminishing their dignity?”

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

Maybe Problem by Ariana Grande. As a fairy godmother, Charity is fixing A LOT of problems in Glimpsed—her own and other people’s—and she’s pretty convinced that if she could just get Noah off her back, that would be one less problem for her to deal with.

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

Noah is the easiest to cast—we’d need Ross Lynch, obviously. For Charity, how about Mary Mouser (Sam Larusso in Cobra Kai)? I’m not even going to try to cast the rest! There is practically a cast of thousands in Glimpsed. JLHS is a very diverse school, and—sad to say—there seems to be a really limited number of teen Japanese, Latinx, and Indian actors. So lots of the cast will have to be new up-and-coming actors that I can’t wait to meet! But if you guys have ideas, send them to Netflix with the subject line “please make a Glimpsed movie” (copy me, please, because I’d love to know too)! 😉

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

There is kind of a lot of eating in Glimpsed, so there are a few different ways you could go with this:

- You could have a cozy night at home with Star Trek themed foods like Romulan Ale and the Klingon delicacy gladst. (You can easily find recipes for these and more on line. The Star Trek fandom is legit.)

OR

- You could order some Thai take-out. Pad Thai is always a great choice.

OR

- Head to a coffee shop or bakery that has good cream cheese croissants. Wash them down with tea or orange juice. (But definitely don’t order coffee. Charity would not approve.)

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish GLIMPSED?

For contemporary romance with snarky, fast-paced dialogue, try Abigail Johnson’s books, especially If I Fix You and Every Other Weekend.

For a book that will make you laugh out loud, try Gloria Chao’s Rent a Boyfriend.

For a good enemies-to-lovers story, I enjoyed Tweet Cute by Emma Lord.

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Before getting published, I would have said, “Nothing! It’s all fun, and I enjoy creating every step of the way!” Now that I’m published, to be honest, I would say, “EVERYTHING! It’s all hard!” There are lots of other people invested now who are looking over my shoulder with certain expectations…and that creates some pressure that I never had to worry about before. Will Smith once said that success is the enemy of creativity. Not that I will ever have anywhere near the talent or success of Will Smith, but I have to agree that the hardest part of creating something new is trying to figure out how to step out of the shadow of what you’ve done before.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a fun new romcom with a little bit of magic! I can’t talk too much about it because it’s not sold yet and is still very much a work in progress. But if you want updates about that and future books, you can subscribe to my “sporadic news” on my website gfmiller.com and follow me on Instagram @author.gfmiller. See you there!

by Amber Torney

Release Date: November 2020

Genre: Polyamorous, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult, Reverse Harem

**Phoenix**

Shhh ... don’t scream

I prayed the hand over my mouth would suffocate me

before I ever had to tell my best friend the truth.

I loved Logan Ducane—he was everything to me.

But my secrets ripped our families apart.

I’ve spent the last four years trying to rebuild a life worth living,

and trying to find my voice after I’d lost so much.

Four years of progress ...

GONE.

I thought I had nothing left to lose,

but I was so wrong.

My bags are packed, and I’m on my way,

to let another Ducane boy finish ripping me to shreds.

He says I’m the enemy ...

but if only he knew.

**Logan**

The last time I saw her she was scared, crying, and bloodied,

my cousin’s cold and lifeless body at her feet.

Four years ago, everything I thought I knew was uprooted and shattered.

The girl I thought I loved was the cause of so much pain and angst.

Her lies destroyed everything we had,

but now I get my chance to make her pay.

Four years of hate, anger, and pain—all ready to be released.

Shattered Dreams is a Young Adult, Dark Bully Enemies to Lovers, Reverse Harem Romance. This book contains Dark and often confronting themes that some may find TRIGGERING.

Shattered Dreams is the debut book for Amber Torney, and also the first book in the breakout Crew series. As an overall, before we dive into a more in depth review, I would like to say that this is a good start for a series I will definitely be following. However, I think there are a few gaps that could have been fixed, but hope these get mended in book 2.

WARNING: This book contains triggering topics such as rape, stalking and bullying. So before you dive into this story, be aware that these topics are the main focus of Phoenix's story.

Just as a quick summary, we follow Phoenix's story (since everything that happens and new characters only get introduced into the story when she moves around) from different POVs, which always help understand what are the intentions when there are some bullying scenes in the story. Logan and Phoenix were best friends as kids. Their moms were best friends and everyone thought they would end up together. However, one day something really bad happens (trying not spoil anything here, even though it's quite obvious...) and ends up with Phoenix's dad in jail, and Logan loosing all contact with Phoenix and even blaming her for the death of someone in his family.

Fast-forward to now, after years of therapy and trying to be comfortable around people, Phoenix's on the right path when tragedy strikes again. Forcing her to move to the States with her guardian: Logan's parents. That's when Logan starts to unfold "his plan" to ruin Phoenix's life like "she did 4 years ago".

I have a few problems with the story and it doesn't have to be necessarily with the author's writing:

1) The parents. Logan's parents believed that not telling what really happened four years ago was "for the best" since he already lost so much... *insert eye roll* I am not a parent, so I am not sure what I would do, but I want to say not telling Logan the truth was an absolute and out of touch for what Phoenix had to go through. Ending in Logan not truly understanding the situation and hence seeking revenge. I suppose otherwise we wouldn't have this story...

2) Logan. A scene that really, really bothered me was when he was looking at the live recording happening in Phoenix's room and when she was having the night terrors triggered by her experience 4 years ago, he LITERALLY THOUGHT THOSE WERE CAUSE BECAUSE OF A GOOD DREAM. So freaking disconnected from reality this guy.

3) The guys we are shipping. So 3 are clear: Stryker, Logan (cause duh) and Jonah (?). But then I thought the other 2 in Logan's group were in Phoenix's sexy radar? I don't know if it was me just misinterpreting the whole thing or not, but if they are they were literally non-existent in this story. So I suppose I would like to see more of their POVs in book 2 and see a somewhat relationship with Phoenix that can justify her being with them.

4) The relationships. This is related to the previous topic, but when Phoenix calls her friend Angel back in Australia she says "she likes them all". Hang on girl, define all. As in all of Logan's friends, him included AND Jonah? If so, why? Because the interaction throughout the whole book was with Logan, Stryker and Jonah. Maybe I misread this bit, but as of now I cannot understand why would she like the other 2 unless it's just a physical attraction.

The ending was quite abrupt and left in a cliff-hanger. However, "the revealing" at the end wasn't really a massive shock to us readers. I suppose it's more about Phoenix actually talking to someone and saying it out loud what happened all those years ago the shock factor.

Overall, it was a good read, don't get me wrong. I will be definitely grabbing book 2 and reading more about Phoenix's story. There are a lot of unanswered questions that the author left unanswered aside from the boy drama that really caught my attention and I want to know more. It was definitely a quick read and would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a YA RH bully romance with difficult topics that will make you think about the characters decisions.

by Michelle Hercules

Publication date: March 3rd 2021

Genres: New Adult Sports College Romance

Player.

Casanova.

Heartbreaker.

I’ve heard it all. But the truth is, I’m the king of wanting what I can’t have.

Jane is a beacon of light I didn’t expect to find. Her innocence and joy call to my dark soul.

But she’s off-limits, my best friend’s kid sister. And I’m a damaged jerk with enough baggage to fill a jet plane.

All it took was one taste for my resolve to stay away to crumble. Now I can’t get her out of my head, out of my mangled heart.

If her brother finds out about us, he might kill me. If Jane finds out about my past, she’ll never speak to me again.

This love is a disaster waiting to happen, and yet, I can’t help going back for more.