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The Rules
She's the one person I can never fall in love with...
A car door slams in the driveway.
We both freeze. Still tangled together, still breathing hard. The dryer rumbles beneath us like it’s trying to rat us out.
No. Not now.
“No,” Harper whispers. “No, no, no, no.”
I can feel her heart pounding against my chest. Another door slam. Voices—Mom’s laugh, Silas’s deeper one behind it.
Our parents are back. Early.
The basement suddenly feels smaller. Hotter. The warm, reckless bubble we were in starts collapsing under the weight of reality.
Harper’s hands are still under my shirt. Mine are still on her skin. Neither of us moves.
“They’re early,” she whispers, eyes wide, lips still kiss-swollen.
I should step back. I should untangle my stepsister’s legs from around me and put actual feet of space between us before we get caught like this.
I don’t.
For three more pounding heartbeats, I kiss her deep again, lingering in the way her tongue tangles urgently against mine, memorizing the exact way her legs feel wrapped around me right now—
Before I force myself to let go.
Pulling back is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
And the way her fingers catch in my shirt at the last second—like she doesn’t want to let go either—nearly kills me.
A dark romance stepbrother romance novel.
A car door slams in the driveway.
We both freeze. Still tangled together, still breathing hard. The dryer rumbles beneath us like it’s trying to rat us out.
No. Not now.
“No,” Harper whispers. “No, no, no, no.”
I can feel her heart pounding against my chest. Another door slam. Voices—Mom’s laugh, Silas’s deeper one behind it.
Our parents are back. Early.
The basement suddenly feels smaller. Hotter. The warm, reckless bubble we were in starts collapsing under the weight of reality.
Harper’s hands are still under my shirt. Mine are still on her skin. Neither of us moves.
“They’re early,” she whispers, eyes wide, lips still kiss-swollen.
I should step back. I should untangle my stepsister’s legs from around me and put actual feet of space between us before we get caught like this.
I don’t.
For three more pounding heartbeats, I kiss her deep again, lingering in the way her tongue tangles urgently against mine, memorizing the exact way her legs feel wrapped around me right now—
Before I force myself to let go.
Pulling back is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
And the way her fingers catch in my shirt at the last second—like she doesn’t want to let go either—nearly kills me.
A dark romance stepbrother romance novel.
516 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
April 20, 2026
From the Author:
🔥stepbrother romance
🔥angst
🔥secret relationship
🔥dark secrets
🔥control vs obsession
🔥psychological dark romance
🔥love triangle
She’s my stepsister. The one girl I shouldn't want... and the only one I can't resist.
Five minutes earlier she was just the new girl in class—
Chaos in human form with her sharp tongue and those scuffed combat boots,
Calling me a coward in front of everyone.
Then we were alone in the parking lot.
She stepped close.
Wrapped her arms around my neck.
And kissed me like she meant it.
Then she stole my wallet.
I was still trying to figure out what the hell just happened when my dad tackled her as she was sprinting away.
“I see you’ve already met your new stepsister.”
Stepsister.
She stares at me. I stare at her.
“Oh, you have got to be forking kidding me,” she sighs.
Because now the girl who kissed me like my life depended on it…
is living in my house.
We should stay away from each other.
But neither of us has ever been very good at following the rules.
My Review:
The “Im not crying, your crying” definitely had me in my feels reading this book. Did I cry multiple times. Yes. Do regret it? No! I loved this book, 5 ⭐️easily. Im glad I had the opportunity to read it, and I already cannot wait for book two. It is an emotional journey riding along with these characters. Both MCs are struggling with different kinds of trauma. Harper is having a tough time letting go of her past after her father plucks her out of the only life that she has known and moves her to Dallas where she now resides with her stepbrother and stepmother. Caleb, her stepbrother depends on control to keep his terrible anxiety in check. Harper is his exact opposite. Harper sees the life that she could have but her promises to escape with her best friend Z are holding her back. That cliffhanger shooketh me……like ummmmm I’m here for it because it was an immaculate story, but I did not see that coming. Like at all. It was savage!
I was gifted an ebook in exchange for my honest thoughts. Thank you T.A.A and Kora Nyx for the emotional damage! Nah jk. Truly thanks.
🔥stepbrother romance
🔥angst
🔥secret relationship
🔥dark secrets
🔥control vs obsession
🔥psychological dark romance
🔥love triangle
She’s my stepsister. The one girl I shouldn't want... and the only one I can't resist.
Five minutes earlier she was just the new girl in class—
Chaos in human form with her sharp tongue and those scuffed combat boots,
Calling me a coward in front of everyone.
Then we were alone in the parking lot.
She stepped close.
Wrapped her arms around my neck.
And kissed me like she meant it.
Then she stole my wallet.
I was still trying to figure out what the hell just happened when my dad tackled her as she was sprinting away.
“I see you’ve already met your new stepsister.”
Stepsister.
She stares at me. I stare at her.
“Oh, you have got to be forking kidding me,” she sighs.
Because now the girl who kissed me like my life depended on it…
is living in my house.
We should stay away from each other.
But neither of us has ever been very good at following the rules.
My Review:
The “Im not crying, your crying” definitely had me in my feels reading this book. Did I cry multiple times. Yes. Do regret it? No! I loved this book, 5 ⭐️easily. Im glad I had the opportunity to read it, and I already cannot wait for book two. It is an emotional journey riding along with these characters. Both MCs are struggling with different kinds of trauma. Harper is having a tough time letting go of her past after her father plucks her out of the only life that she has known and moves her to Dallas where she now resides with her stepbrother and stepmother. Caleb, her stepbrother depends on control to keep his terrible anxiety in check. Harper is his exact opposite. Harper sees the life that she could have but her promises to escape with her best friend Z are holding her back. That cliffhanger shooketh me……like ummmmm I’m here for it because it was an immaculate story, but I did not see that coming. Like at all. It was savage!
I was gifted an ebook in exchange for my honest thoughts. Thank you T.A.A and Kora Nyx for the emotional damage! Nah jk. Truly thanks.
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October 3, 2025beta read🫶🏽
April 22, 2026
Plot: 4.5/5 • Spice: 2.5/5 ➡️➡️➡️ Harper and her BFF, Z, are surviving in trailer park where they live with their deadbeat parents. Harper’s estranged father comes from her after he’s gotten his life together. Harper does not want to leave Z by any means but eventually does.
Harper’s new life with her step mom and step brother seems like something out of a book. She doesn’t want to believe any of it. She turns 18 in a couple weeks so as soon as she does she’s going to run back to Z and they’ll start their life. Not romantically, strictly platonic. At least for her.
Harper and her new step brother, Caleb, are instantly
attracted to each other. They’re complete opposites. but what do they always say? Opposites attract. Caleb falls hard and fast. Harper hides her feelings but she’s on the same page as Caleb.
After refusing to let her leave, Caleb drives Harper back to east Texas to get Z. They bring him back to their home. Her step mother welcomes him with open arms. Z has feelings for Harper, but they’re still not reciprocated.
When Helen (the step mothers) cancer returns shit hits the fan. Caleb spirals. Harper stands by him. Harper’s dad makes the ultimate sacrifice. Harper and Caleb are targeted by their “friend”. Z manipulates an awful situation to benefit only him. This ends on such a sad, heartbreaking cliffy.
I made the mistake of reading the synopsis for book two. 👀👀👀👀 Holy crap. I know damn well it’s gonna get worse. Holding on until May!
Harper’s new life with her step mom and step brother seems like something out of a book. She doesn’t want to believe any of it. She turns 18 in a couple weeks so as soon as she does she’s going to run back to Z and they’ll start their life. Not romantically, strictly platonic. At least for her.
Harper and her new step brother, Caleb, are instantly
attracted to each other. They’re complete opposites. but what do they always say? Opposites attract. Caleb falls hard and fast. Harper hides her feelings but she’s on the same page as Caleb.
After refusing to let her leave, Caleb drives Harper back to east Texas to get Z. They bring him back to their home. Her step mother welcomes him with open arms. Z has feelings for Harper, but they’re still not reciprocated.
When Helen (the step mothers) cancer returns shit hits the fan. Caleb spirals. Harper stands by him. Harper’s dad makes the ultimate sacrifice. Harper and Caleb are targeted by their “friend”. Z manipulates an awful situation to benefit only him. This ends on such a sad, heartbreaking cliffy.
I made the mistake of reading the synopsis for book two. 👀👀👀👀 Holy crap. I know damn well it’s gonna get worse. Holding on until May!
March 29, 2026
“She wants to be ruined? I’ll ruin her.”
WOW! I just read my first Kora Nyx book, and nooooo … I am not okay. I am still shooketh from The Rules. I didn’t expect this romance to break me! My poor heart and mind were not prepared for this annihilation. The Rules is a storm I never saw coming, but one that wrecked my heart and soul in the most wonderful of ways. So devastatingly beautiful and brilliantly told.
This step-sibling romance stars two broken soulmates—struck by tragedy—who battle the past and perception as they become whole together.
He’s calm and calculated.
She’s chaos.
He shows her that she’s worthy.
She brings much-needed color to his gray world.
Both make each other feel everything.
I was drawn to Harper and Caleb’s undeniable pull … a connection of kismet. I was mesmerized by the depth and raw vulnerability of this hero and heroine who awaken and save each other. Caleb and Harper held my heart the whole time reading.
OMG … the angst … the push and pull … the chemistry … the intensity … the heat … I was done for! My body and soul burst into flames. I burned and broke for this book. Pure intoxication! Days later, my emotions are still raging for this forbidden and fiery romance that’s messy, but oh so meaningful.
If you like highly addictive, hold-you-prisoner, heart-pounding YA/NA romance, run and one-click this novel now! But you must try and have patience because holy mother of cliffhangers! I was rendered an emotional mess. A few tears, screams for more, and the urge to smack a villain. Well played, Kora Nyx. You created an addict for your words, AKA, ME. I NEED book two now!
💋💋💋💋💋 ruin me kisses
⏩️ https://amzn.to/4dbpXJf
Reviewed on behalf of Bookalicious Babes Blog
WOW! I just read my first Kora Nyx book, and nooooo … I am not okay. I am still shooketh from The Rules. I didn’t expect this romance to break me! My poor heart and mind were not prepared for this annihilation. The Rules is a storm I never saw coming, but one that wrecked my heart and soul in the most wonderful of ways. So devastatingly beautiful and brilliantly told.
This step-sibling romance stars two broken soulmates—struck by tragedy—who battle the past and perception as they become whole together.
He’s calm and calculated.
She’s chaos.
He shows her that she’s worthy.
She brings much-needed color to his gray world.
Both make each other feel everything.
I was drawn to Harper and Caleb’s undeniable pull … a connection of kismet. I was mesmerized by the depth and raw vulnerability of this hero and heroine who awaken and save each other. Caleb and Harper held my heart the whole time reading.
OMG … the angst … the push and pull … the chemistry … the intensity … the heat … I was done for! My body and soul burst into flames. I burned and broke for this book. Pure intoxication! Days later, my emotions are still raging for this forbidden and fiery romance that’s messy, but oh so meaningful.
If you like highly addictive, hold-you-prisoner, heart-pounding YA/NA romance, run and one-click this novel now! But you must try and have patience because holy mother of cliffhangers! I was rendered an emotional mess. A few tears, screams for more, and the urge to smack a villain. Well played, Kora Nyx. You created an addict for your words, AKA, ME. I NEED book two now!
💋💋💋💋💋 ruin me kisses
⏩️ https://amzn.to/4dbpXJf
Reviewed on behalf of Bookalicious Babes Blog
May 8, 2026
Well where do I start. After that ending I’m real glad book two is on my kindle ready for me to jump straight in. My concentration and interests in reading haven’t been great lately so a book needs to grab my attention quite quickly and I’m delighted that this one did. In fact I found when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about the characters and wondering how it was going to play out. Whatever scenarios I came up with didn’t happen as the author took me on a path that I was hooked on.
I absolutely love the two main characters Caleb and Harper. I was rooting for them all the way through. Harper has had to be so strong that I wanted her to find some true happiness.
This is my first read by this author and it won’t be the last as I’m about to jump right into book two.
I absolutely love the two main characters Caleb and Harper. I was rooting for them all the way through. Harper has had to be so strong that I wanted her to find some true happiness.
This is my first read by this author and it won’t be the last as I’m about to jump right into book two.
May 13, 2026
She knows how to survive. He makes her want to stay.
Harper comes from a life built on damage control. She’s sharp, guarded, and used to turning fear into a weapon before anyone can get close enough to hurt her. When she lands in her estranged father’s polished new home, she isn’t looking for a fresh start. She’s looking for a way back to Z, the boy who survived hell with her and still pulls at her loyalty.
Then there’s Caleb, all control, restraint, and careful rules. He should be the safe choice to avoid, the perfect stepbrother with too much to lose. But Harper gets under his skin fast, and Caleb sees too much. Not just her anger, but the tenderness she keeps buried.
What starts as tension turns into something neither of them can handle cleanly. Their connection is forbidden, obsessive, protective, and messy. Caleb wants to be chosen. Harper doesn’t know how to stay. And Z’s pull keeps dragging her toward the survival bond she’s scared to outgrow.
As secrets, family wounds, old loyalties, and consequences close in, Harper and Caleb become more than a line they shouldn’t cross. They become proof of what they’re both scared to want: safety, desire, trust, and someone who doesn’t leave.
Harper moves from guarded survival toward the possibility of wanting tenderness and a future she doesn’t have to run from. Caleb shifts from rigid control into exposed devotion that forces him to face how little he can control love or loss. Together, they build a bond where being chosen feels dangerous and necessary.
A dark, hot stepbrother romance about off-limits desire, toxic loyalty, and the difference between being needed and being chosen. It follows a girl built to run, a boy held together by rules, and a love that offers safety while every old wound tells them to leave. It’s messy, obsessive, protective, and ends on a cliffhanger.
The Elevator Pitch: When Harper is pulled from the wreckage of one life into the polished rules of another, Caleb should be the one boundary she refuses to cross. But his careful control and her feral self-protection collide into a forbidden connection neither of them can manage cleanly. As old loyalties, family secrets, and public consequences close in, wanting each other becomes the most dangerous form of truth.
Heat Level: 🔥🔥 Hot
Harper comes from a life built on damage control. She’s sharp, guarded, and used to turning fear into a weapon before anyone can get close enough to hurt her. When she lands in her estranged father’s polished new home, she isn’t looking for a fresh start. She’s looking for a way back to Z, the boy who survived hell with her and still pulls at her loyalty.
Then there’s Caleb, all control, restraint, and careful rules. He should be the safe choice to avoid, the perfect stepbrother with too much to lose. But Harper gets under his skin fast, and Caleb sees too much. Not just her anger, but the tenderness she keeps buried.
What starts as tension turns into something neither of them can handle cleanly. Their connection is forbidden, obsessive, protective, and messy. Caleb wants to be chosen. Harper doesn’t know how to stay. And Z’s pull keeps dragging her toward the survival bond she’s scared to outgrow.
As secrets, family wounds, old loyalties, and consequences close in, Harper and Caleb become more than a line they shouldn’t cross. They become proof of what they’re both scared to want: safety, desire, trust, and someone who doesn’t leave.
Harper moves from guarded survival toward the possibility of wanting tenderness and a future she doesn’t have to run from. Caleb shifts from rigid control into exposed devotion that forces him to face how little he can control love or loss. Together, they build a bond where being chosen feels dangerous and necessary.
A dark, hot stepbrother romance about off-limits desire, toxic loyalty, and the difference between being needed and being chosen. It follows a girl built to run, a boy held together by rules, and a love that offers safety while every old wound tells them to leave. It’s messy, obsessive, protective, and ends on a cliffhanger.
The Elevator Pitch: When Harper is pulled from the wreckage of one life into the polished rules of another, Caleb should be the one boundary she refuses to cross. But his careful control and her feral self-protection collide into a forbidden connection neither of them can manage cleanly. As old loyalties, family secrets, and public consequences close in, wanting each other becomes the most dangerous form of truth.
Heat Level: 🔥🔥 Hot
May 18, 2026
It’s a slow burn to start with leading us into Harper’s story. Her past life and her new one, some of her past pulling into her future. Her concealed love for her step-brother seems to be the light she needs. Caleb controls his own complex mind through rules, he uses to follow to keep him in centred, on the right path except where Harper is concerned, her touch has the ability to ground him. Her found family, her hoping she can settle without thinking she isn’t good enough, that she isn’t like her alcoholic mother or her in and it out of prison father who seems to be on the straight and narrow with this new family. But is it all a pipe dream? Can she actually be a better person?
𝐈'𝐦 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭.
Kora has written this beautifully, it flows effortlessly through Harper’s life, giving us hope for her, the trailer trash girl gets a break at last. The taboo relationship narrated to perfection without it seeming sleazy, the spice between the pair is hot and I loved the way they flowed together with a comfortable ease. All the characters within the story are portrayed brilliantly, it’s difficult to explain how committed you feel like you are a part of their life within the pages. BUT gosh! That ending 🫣🤯
𝐈'𝐦 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭.
Kora has written this beautifully, it flows effortlessly through Harper’s life, giving us hope for her, the trailer trash girl gets a break at last. The taboo relationship narrated to perfection without it seeming sleazy, the spice between the pair is hot and I loved the way they flowed together with a comfortable ease. All the characters within the story are portrayed brilliantly, it’s difficult to explain how committed you feel like you are a part of their life within the pages. BUT gosh! That ending 🫣🤯
June 8, 2026
This is my first Kora Knox book and it didn't disappoint. Harper and her best friend are surviving in a trailer park with deadbeat parents. Until her dad come for her after he got his life together. Once living with her father she meets her stepbrother Caleb, and they are instantly attracted to each other. A dark, hot stepbrother romance about off-limits desire, toxic loyalty, and the difference between being needed and being chosen. But be prepared for the cliffy...
July 6, 2026
SOLD 4.5.... I really enjoyed this book.. step siblings who fall for each other... lots of Family Drama.... and omg the twist at the end... I cannot wait for book 2!
April 22, 2026
"I'm not responsible for your emotional damage😅 enjoy."...... That is what I got in the message letting me know the author, and or her team approved me for an advanced copy of this book. So me, being my cocky self said "game on challenged accepted." After reading this book I am surrendering. 🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️. I made it until almost the end until my tear ducts forgot how to stop the water works and my youngest is asking what is wrong with me.
This is not an easy read, especially if you can personally relate to some of the scenes in this book. If you have TW please heed with caution.
I have officially diagnosed myself with book character emotional connection disorder, and even though that may not be an actual diagnosis, in my world it's true.
Harper, Caleb and Z have such a complicated entanglement throughout the whole book. Trust, broken trust, honesty and being vulnerable isn't something any of these characters are familiar with handling emotionally. There is anger, jealousy, resentment, and growth these characters experience that pull you in and hold you tight.
Is that my heart breaking, or yours? After you read this, let me know.
This is not an easy read, especially if you can personally relate to some of the scenes in this book. If you have TW please heed with caution.
I have officially diagnosed myself with book character emotional connection disorder, and even though that may not be an actual diagnosis, in my world it's true.
Harper, Caleb and Z have such a complicated entanglement throughout the whole book. Trust, broken trust, honesty and being vulnerable isn't something any of these characters are familiar with handling emotionally. There is anger, jealousy, resentment, and growth these characters experience that pull you in and hold you tight.
Is that my heart breaking, or yours? After you read this, let me know.
April 21, 2026
I was chasing a 5 ⭐️ read that would leave me speechless!
This is my the first time reading a book by Author Kora Nyx. I loved everything about this book. I couldn’t put this book down, the angst , sadness, and I was just in all my feelings. Oh Helen…..
Initially, I was irritated with Harper because of her hesitation about living with her Dad Silas. Her childhood backstory was heartbreaking. Helen was a favorite character of mine.
I can’t stand Z, yes, I feel for his trauma and the physical abuse he endured. I still don’t like him for sabotaging Harper life.
I need to find out what happens to Caleb and Harper. I want to find out about Silas also.
This is my the first time reading a book by Author Kora Nyx. I loved everything about this book. I couldn’t put this book down, the angst , sadness, and I was just in all my feelings. Oh Helen…..
Initially, I was irritated with Harper because of her hesitation about living with her Dad Silas. Her childhood backstory was heartbreaking. Helen was a favorite character of mine.
I can’t stand Z, yes, I feel for his trauma and the physical abuse he endured. I still don’t like him for sabotaging Harper life.
I need to find out what happens to Caleb and Harper. I want to find out about Silas also.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2026
★ ★ ★ ★ ½ (4.5)
I received The Rules directly from the author, and I’m so glad I picked it up. I loved the spice in this story, as it was just the right amount to keep things fun without overwhelming the plot. Even with all the warnings presented at the beginning (and verbally given to me by the author), I was still pleasantly shocked by that twist at the end. I genuinely didn’t see it coming, when I tell you that my jaw was on the floor, I mean it.
I’m counting down the days until the second book in the series, The Ruins, drops on May 12th!
I received The Rules directly from the author, and I’m so glad I picked it up. I loved the spice in this story, as it was just the right amount to keep things fun without overwhelming the plot. Even with all the warnings presented at the beginning (and verbally given to me by the author), I was still pleasantly shocked by that twist at the end. I genuinely didn’t see it coming, when I tell you that my jaw was on the floor, I mean it.
I’m counting down the days until the second book in the series, The Ruins, drops on May 12th!
April 25, 2026
If you like books where the fmc falls for the step brother with a plot twist you should check this out.
June 6, 2026
What a gut’s wrenching story this turned out be
What starts with the familiar trope of Step Siblings falling for each other, takes a dark twist/turn for the worst! at the end.
Caleb Graham believes in rules.
And as long as he stick to them..Well… He believes his mother’s cancer will not return.
This means Caleb’s life is all about numbers ( Math is his thing ) if things end in an even number or even better a prime number, ( seven is his favourite) then he believed whatever is happening in his life will have the more fortuitous outcome.
He is all about excelling in everything.
His main goal! Ivory League Colleges ( preferably Harvard, or Princeton)
Along with his mother’s health ,
( checked her appearance and visual vitals daily for any signs)
He desperately NEEDS his studies and extra curricula’s to remind high…Perfect …
For his mother.
Into this structured world where even Caleb’s hair and clothing must be “ on point “ at all times
, comes a seventeen years old
A trailer Park Tornado called ,Harper Tucker.
Harper is the daughter of Silas, Caleb’s new Stepdad.( an ex MC member)
The reason for his appearance NOW, was due to her mother Darlene, placing a call, informing Silas that, she believed, Harper was in danger having gaining the attention of her current boyfriend, Todd.
Thus, Silas drove all the way from Dallas to Shellbyvile, East Texas to - after five years absence - lay claim to his daughter and bring her back to his new home, new family.
Helen, Caleb, and him.
On first arrival, Harper is in awe of the stunning new home and believes her father is coming this new family
She is also aware she has a nerdy stepbrother, ( not met yet ) but after reluctantly ( very reluctantly) being dragged to her new Prep school to finish her final year, she finally meet him…
Although she isn’t aware the boy with the perfect hair, perfect school inform, perfectly laid out pens and stationery ( coordinated) who proves to be smart AF in English Lit, is her stepbrother…
Until!
She allows him to approach her in the after school car park when he misunderstands, and thinks the car she is sitting on is hers, and she is in need of assistance.
( because he’s a sweet guy )
Harper, who by this stage, is desperate to get back to Shellbyville, lures him in, kisses him, steals his wallet, and runs.
It’s at this point, while she’s running, that Silas eventually shows up, in his car, and these realise, for the first time, they are step siblings.
Both these two fall hard but, Harper, withholds her true feeling as long as possible, truely believing her is no good for this sweet, golden boy “ “Boy Scout”
For Caleb, he is fascinated finding Harper a real force of nature,
And!
He total besotted
So, as Caleb try’s to convince Harper to not run and give family a try, Harpers heart is breaking for her trailer park bestie “ Z” whom she had to leave behind in East Texas with an abusive Step Father.
Thanks to the new, Helen and Silas bought laptop, she is able to video chat with Z on his ancient desktop most nights, where she observes all his new cuts, bruises and weight loss.
She needs to get back, and get back QUICKLY
This becomes a tale of the obsessive compulsive, Caleb trying to talk Harper into staying.
He has until her eighteenth birthday because then, she’ll be free to leave so she can marry Z
( it’s just a piece of paper )
So she can emancipate him from his father’s control.
During this time, Caleb, Helen, and, yes occasionally Silas, being to work their way into Harpers life.
For Harper, the family, and boy that sleeps in the room next door are becoming harder, and harder to ignore.
This story is a coming of age where Harper ( and Silas ) while bringing this family together…
Ultimately, through their actions and past indiscretions….tears it apart.
NGL, the last few chapters of this story were insanely good.
( not that the rest of the book isn’t )
It’s was heartbreaking.
It’s was infuriating.
It got me so ANGRY!!!
And!
WTF! Sob! 🥺 Brutal last chapter, off the back of the ultimate betrayal.
So in for this second book
What starts with the familiar trope of Step Siblings falling for each other, takes a dark twist/turn for the worst! at the end.
Caleb Graham believes in rules.
And as long as he stick to them..Well… He believes his mother’s cancer will not return.
This means Caleb’s life is all about numbers ( Math is his thing ) if things end in an even number or even better a prime number, ( seven is his favourite) then he believed whatever is happening in his life will have the more fortuitous outcome.
He is all about excelling in everything.
His main goal! Ivory League Colleges ( preferably Harvard, or Princeton)
Along with his mother’s health ,
( checked her appearance and visual vitals daily for any signs)
He desperately NEEDS his studies and extra curricula’s to remind high…Perfect …
For his mother.
Into this structured world where even Caleb’s hair and clothing must be “ on point “ at all times
, comes a seventeen years old
A trailer Park Tornado called ,Harper Tucker.
Harper is the daughter of Silas, Caleb’s new Stepdad.( an ex MC member)
The reason for his appearance NOW, was due to her mother Darlene, placing a call, informing Silas that, she believed, Harper was in danger having gaining the attention of her current boyfriend, Todd.
Thus, Silas drove all the way from Dallas to Shellbyvile, East Texas to - after five years absence - lay claim to his daughter and bring her back to his new home, new family.
Helen, Caleb, and him.
On first arrival, Harper is in awe of the stunning new home and believes her father is coming this new family
She is also aware she has a nerdy stepbrother, ( not met yet ) but after reluctantly ( very reluctantly) being dragged to her new Prep school to finish her final year, she finally meet him…
Although she isn’t aware the boy with the perfect hair, perfect school inform, perfectly laid out pens and stationery ( coordinated) who proves to be smart AF in English Lit, is her stepbrother…
Until!
She allows him to approach her in the after school car park when he misunderstands, and thinks the car she is sitting on is hers, and she is in need of assistance.
( because he’s a sweet guy )
Harper, who by this stage, is desperate to get back to Shellbyville, lures him in, kisses him, steals his wallet, and runs.
It’s at this point, while she’s running, that Silas eventually shows up, in his car, and these realise, for the first time, they are step siblings.
Both these two fall hard but, Harper, withholds her true feeling as long as possible, truely believing her is no good for this sweet, golden boy “ “Boy Scout”
For Caleb, he is fascinated finding Harper a real force of nature,
And!
He total besotted
So, as Caleb try’s to convince Harper to not run and give family a try, Harpers heart is breaking for her trailer park bestie “ Z” whom she had to leave behind in East Texas with an abusive Step Father.
Thanks to the new, Helen and Silas bought laptop, she is able to video chat with Z on his ancient desktop most nights, where she observes all his new cuts, bruises and weight loss.
She needs to get back, and get back QUICKLY
This becomes a tale of the obsessive compulsive, Caleb trying to talk Harper into staying.
He has until her eighteenth birthday because then, she’ll be free to leave so she can marry Z
( it’s just a piece of paper )
So she can emancipate him from his father’s control.
During this time, Caleb, Helen, and, yes occasionally Silas, being to work their way into Harpers life.
For Harper, the family, and boy that sleeps in the room next door are becoming harder, and harder to ignore.
This story is a coming of age where Harper ( and Silas ) while bringing this family together…
Ultimately, through their actions and past indiscretions….tears it apart.
NGL, the last few chapters of this story were insanely good.
( not that the rest of the book isn’t )
It’s was heartbreaking.
It’s was infuriating.
It got me so ANGRY!!!
And!
WTF! Sob! 🥺 Brutal last chapter, off the back of the ultimate betrayal.
So in for this second book
June 23, 2026
WOW. Just... WOW. I picked up The Rules as my very first Kora Nyx book, and I was completely unprepared for the emotional devastation that awaited me. No one warned me that this story would crawl under my skin, take possession of my heart, and leave me staring at the wall afterward wondering how I was ever supposed to recover.
This wasn't just a romance—it was an experience. A beautifully painful, soul-crushing, heart-healing journey that consumed me from beginning to end. Kora Nyx delivered a story so emotionally charged, so raw and breathtakingly written, that I felt every single moment deep in my chest.
At the heart of this unforgettable story are Harper and Caleb, two broken souls bound together by tragedy, grief, and an undeniable connection that feels written in the stars. Their relationship is complicated, forbidden, and emotionally messy, but that's exactly what makes it feel so real and powerful. They aren't perfect people. They're wounded, flawed, and struggling to find their place in a world that has hurt them both. Yet somehow, together, they become whole.
Caleb is calm, controlled, and quietly protective. Harper is fire and chaos, carrying pain behind her sharp edges. Watching these two slowly tear down each other's walls was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Caleb sees Harper in a way no one else ever has. He reminds her that she is worthy of love, worthy of being chosen, worthy of happiness. And Harper brings light and color back into Caleb's carefully guarded world, teaching him how to truly feel again.
Their connection is magnetic from the very beginning. Every glance, every touch, every stolen moment felt charged with emotion and longing. The chemistry between them practically crackled off the pages. The tension was exquisite—filled with aching desire, uncertainty, and the constant push and pull between what they wanted and what they believed they could have.
And the angst? Absolutely brutal.
This book destroyed me in the best possible way. My heart was constantly being pulled in opposite directions. One moment I was swooning, the next I was holding my breath, and then suddenly I was emotionally shattered. The vulnerability between Harper and Caleb felt so authentic that I couldn't help but become completely invested in their happiness.
The romance is passionate, intense, and deeply emotional. Every moment carried weight. Every setback hurt. Every victory felt earned. It wasn't just about falling in love—it was about healing, forgiveness, self-worth, and finding someone who sees the broken pieces of you and chooses to stay.
Even days after finishing, I still can't stop thinking about this story. The emotions linger. The characters linger. That overwhelming ache in my chest lingers.
And then there's that ending.
Holy mother of cliffhangers.
I was left emotionally wrecked, desperate for answers, and in immediate need of book two. I experienced every possible emotion—tears, frustration, heartbreak, hope, and an overwhelming urge to reach through the pages and deal with certain characters myself. Kora Nyx absolutely knew what she was doing, and she executed it flawlessly.
If you love addictive YA/NA romance filled with forbidden love, emotional depth, soul-deep connections, heart-stopping chemistry, and enough angst to completely consume your life, then The Rules needs to be at the top of your TBR immediately. Just be warned: once you start, there's no escape. This book will own your heart, shatter it into pieces, and leave you desperately begging for more.
Kora Nyx has officially gained a new fan, and I am already counting down the seconds until I can get my hands on the next book.
This wasn't just a romance—it was an experience. A beautifully painful, soul-crushing, heart-healing journey that consumed me from beginning to end. Kora Nyx delivered a story so emotionally charged, so raw and breathtakingly written, that I felt every single moment deep in my chest.
At the heart of this unforgettable story are Harper and Caleb, two broken souls bound together by tragedy, grief, and an undeniable connection that feels written in the stars. Their relationship is complicated, forbidden, and emotionally messy, but that's exactly what makes it feel so real and powerful. They aren't perfect people. They're wounded, flawed, and struggling to find their place in a world that has hurt them both. Yet somehow, together, they become whole.
Caleb is calm, controlled, and quietly protective. Harper is fire and chaos, carrying pain behind her sharp edges. Watching these two slowly tear down each other's walls was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Caleb sees Harper in a way no one else ever has. He reminds her that she is worthy of love, worthy of being chosen, worthy of happiness. And Harper brings light and color back into Caleb's carefully guarded world, teaching him how to truly feel again.
Their connection is magnetic from the very beginning. Every glance, every touch, every stolen moment felt charged with emotion and longing. The chemistry between them practically crackled off the pages. The tension was exquisite—filled with aching desire, uncertainty, and the constant push and pull between what they wanted and what they believed they could have.
And the angst? Absolutely brutal.
This book destroyed me in the best possible way. My heart was constantly being pulled in opposite directions. One moment I was swooning, the next I was holding my breath, and then suddenly I was emotionally shattered. The vulnerability between Harper and Caleb felt so authentic that I couldn't help but become completely invested in their happiness.
The romance is passionate, intense, and deeply emotional. Every moment carried weight. Every setback hurt. Every victory felt earned. It wasn't just about falling in love—it was about healing, forgiveness, self-worth, and finding someone who sees the broken pieces of you and chooses to stay.
Even days after finishing, I still can't stop thinking about this story. The emotions linger. The characters linger. That overwhelming ache in my chest lingers.
And then there's that ending.
Holy mother of cliffhangers.
I was left emotionally wrecked, desperate for answers, and in immediate need of book two. I experienced every possible emotion—tears, frustration, heartbreak, hope, and an overwhelming urge to reach through the pages and deal with certain characters myself. Kora Nyx absolutely knew what she was doing, and she executed it flawlessly.
If you love addictive YA/NA romance filled with forbidden love, emotional depth, soul-deep connections, heart-stopping chemistry, and enough angst to completely consume your life, then The Rules needs to be at the top of your TBR immediately. Just be warned: once you start, there's no escape. This book will own your heart, shatter it into pieces, and leave you desperately begging for more.
Kora Nyx has officially gained a new fan, and I am already counting down the seconds until I can get my hands on the next book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Harper's story in Rules & Ruin 1 is the beginning of an intense, chaotic, and emotionally harrowing journey, where every decision is driven by the struggle for survival, from the start, we meet Harper a strong, sarcastic and angry girl, shaped by a harsh environment that never gave her the chance to simply be a teenager, behind her tough exterior lies pain, fear and a constant desire to escape the life she was dealt.
By her side is Z her refuge and the only person who truly understands her, their relationship is deep, built on shared pain, loyalty and the need to not be alone, they both dream of running away, of starting over far from everything that has scarred them, however this connection is also fraught with uncertainty, unresolved feelings, and decisions that could change everything.
Everything takes a turn when Silas Harper's father, abruptly enters her life, although he arrives to rescue her from a dangerous situation, he also forces her to abandon the only place she's ever known Z this moment completely shatters Harper's equilibrium and marks a turning point in the story, filled with helplessness and pain. The transition to a new life is radical, Harper goes from surviving in a hostile environment to a world of privilege, rules and appearances where she doesn't fit in, this is where Caleb enters the picture a character who adds a new layer to the story, unlike anything Harper has ever known, Caleb represents control, stability and a completely different world he is intelligent, reserved and seemingly perfect but he also possesses an intensity that is palpable in every interaction with Harper.
The relationship between Harper and Caleb is marked by constant tension from the very beginning, there is a clash between them two opposing worlds that shouldn't understand each other but that inevitably draw together, Caleb is not an easy character to understand and that makes him all the more interesting. With him Harper confronts new emotions, a different kind of connection, more restrained but equally intense, that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself.
Throughout the story Harper struggles between her past and present, between what she left behind with Z and what begins to emerge with Caleb, this internal conflict is one of the book's strongest points because it shows how difficult it is to let go, heal and allow yourself to feel something new when wounds are still open. And then the ending arrives and it simply leaves you breathless, just when you begin to feel that Harper is finding a new equilibrium, that she might slowly begin to rebuild herself, the story takes that twist that changes everything, it's one of those endings that leaves you silent for a few seconds, processing what just happened, with a mixture of shock, frustration, and an urgent need to continue the story.
It leaves you with too many questions, with raw emotions, and with that feeling that nothing is truly resolved. And that, although it hurts, is precisely what makes the book so addictive. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
By her side is Z her refuge and the only person who truly understands her, their relationship is deep, built on shared pain, loyalty and the need to not be alone, they both dream of running away, of starting over far from everything that has scarred them, however this connection is also fraught with uncertainty, unresolved feelings, and decisions that could change everything.
Everything takes a turn when Silas Harper's father, abruptly enters her life, although he arrives to rescue her from a dangerous situation, he also forces her to abandon the only place she's ever known Z this moment completely shatters Harper's equilibrium and marks a turning point in the story, filled with helplessness and pain. The transition to a new life is radical, Harper goes from surviving in a hostile environment to a world of privilege, rules and appearances where she doesn't fit in, this is where Caleb enters the picture a character who adds a new layer to the story, unlike anything Harper has ever known, Caleb represents control, stability and a completely different world he is intelligent, reserved and seemingly perfect but he also possesses an intensity that is palpable in every interaction with Harper.
The relationship between Harper and Caleb is marked by constant tension from the very beginning, there is a clash between them two opposing worlds that shouldn't understand each other but that inevitably draw together, Caleb is not an easy character to understand and that makes him all the more interesting. With him Harper confronts new emotions, a different kind of connection, more restrained but equally intense, that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself.
Throughout the story Harper struggles between her past and present, between what she left behind with Z and what begins to emerge with Caleb, this internal conflict is one of the book's strongest points because it shows how difficult it is to let go, heal and allow yourself to feel something new when wounds are still open. And then the ending arrives and it simply leaves you breathless, just when you begin to feel that Harper is finding a new equilibrium, that she might slowly begin to rebuild herself, the story takes that twist that changes everything, it's one of those endings that leaves you silent for a few seconds, processing what just happened, with a mixture of shock, frustration, and an urgent need to continue the story.
It leaves you with too many questions, with raw emotions, and with that feeling that nothing is truly resolved. And that, although it hurts, is precisely what makes the book so addictive. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 26, 2026
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Rules is the kind of dark romance that grabs you from the first chapter and refuses to let go. I started it intending to read a few chapters before bed and ended up finishing half the book in a single night. The pacing is relentless, the emotional stakes are high, and every chapter ends with just enough tension to make it impossible to stop reading.
What stood out most was Harper's voice. From the opening pages, she feels authentic, raw, angry, vulnerable, and fiercely resilient. Coming from a background marked by neglect, poverty, and instability, her perspective carries genuine emotional weight. Her sarcasm and sharp humor balance some very heavy themes, making her an engaging protagonist whose struggles feel real rather than manufactured.
The novel also does an excellent job establishing emotional investment before diving into the central romance. The friendships, family dynamics, trauma, and Harper's desperate desire for escape create a strong foundation that gives the story depth beyond its romantic elements. The opening sections especially showcase Nyx's ability to create sympathy for her characters and immerse readers in their circumstances.
The chemistry between the main characters is immediate and compelling. Their interactions crackle with tension, wit, and emotional complexity. Rather than relying solely on physical attraction, the author develops an intriguing push-and-pull dynamic that keeps readers invested in where the relationship is headed.
Kora Nyx's writing style is highly accessible and addictive. The dialogue flows naturally, character voices are distinct, and the narrative rarely slows down. Even at over 500 pages, the story never felt unnecessarily padded. Instead, each chapter added momentum, making the book remarkably easy to binge-read.
That said, readers should pay close attention to the content warnings before starting. The novel explores several dark and potentially triggering subjects, including abuse, trauma, assault-related themes, substance use, and morally complex relationships. These elements are central to the story and contribute to its darker atmosphere. The book also ends with a cliffhanger.
My main criticism is that some plot developments occasionally lean into familiar dark-romance tropes and require a degree of suspension of disbelief. Certain situations escalate very quickly, and a few secondary characters can feel somewhat exaggerated in their roles. However, these issues never significantly detracted from my enjoyment because the emotional intensity and strong character work kept me invested.
Overall, The Rules is an addictive, emotionally charged dark romance featuring a memorable heroine, compelling tension, and page-turning storytelling. Fans of darker contemporary romance with complex characters and high emotional stakes will likely find it difficult to put down. If a book can keep me reading until the early hours of the morning and leave me immediately wanting the next installment, it has clearly done something right.
The Rules is the kind of dark romance that grabs you from the first chapter and refuses to let go. I started it intending to read a few chapters before bed and ended up finishing half the book in a single night. The pacing is relentless, the emotional stakes are high, and every chapter ends with just enough tension to make it impossible to stop reading.
What stood out most was Harper's voice. From the opening pages, she feels authentic, raw, angry, vulnerable, and fiercely resilient. Coming from a background marked by neglect, poverty, and instability, her perspective carries genuine emotional weight. Her sarcasm and sharp humor balance some very heavy themes, making her an engaging protagonist whose struggles feel real rather than manufactured.
The novel also does an excellent job establishing emotional investment before diving into the central romance. The friendships, family dynamics, trauma, and Harper's desperate desire for escape create a strong foundation that gives the story depth beyond its romantic elements. The opening sections especially showcase Nyx's ability to create sympathy for her characters and immerse readers in their circumstances.
The chemistry between the main characters is immediate and compelling. Their interactions crackle with tension, wit, and emotional complexity. Rather than relying solely on physical attraction, the author develops an intriguing push-and-pull dynamic that keeps readers invested in where the relationship is headed.
Kora Nyx's writing style is highly accessible and addictive. The dialogue flows naturally, character voices are distinct, and the narrative rarely slows down. Even at over 500 pages, the story never felt unnecessarily padded. Instead, each chapter added momentum, making the book remarkably easy to binge-read.
That said, readers should pay close attention to the content warnings before starting. The novel explores several dark and potentially triggering subjects, including abuse, trauma, assault-related themes, substance use, and morally complex relationships. These elements are central to the story and contribute to its darker atmosphere. The book also ends with a cliffhanger.
My main criticism is that some plot developments occasionally lean into familiar dark-romance tropes and require a degree of suspension of disbelief. Certain situations escalate very quickly, and a few secondary characters can feel somewhat exaggerated in their roles. However, these issues never significantly detracted from my enjoyment because the emotional intensity and strong character work kept me invested.
Overall, The Rules is an addictive, emotionally charged dark romance featuring a memorable heroine, compelling tension, and page-turning storytelling. Fans of darker contemporary romance with complex characters and high emotional stakes will likely find it difficult to put down. If a book can keep me reading until the early hours of the morning and leave me immediately wanting the next installment, it has clearly done something right.
July 16, 2026
Raw and Emotional
Kora Nyx’s The Rules is a deeply emotional, angst-filled story that follows Harper, a teenage girl shaped by hardship and forced to grow up too quickly. The story explores themes of survival, trauma, and the complicated nature of love and belonging.
Kora really captures the essence of the struggling teenager in Harper's character. She has been hardened by life, she comes from the wrong side of the tracks, where family isn’t always defined by blood but by shared pain and loyalty. Her bond with her best friend, Z, is central to her identity. They are each other’s only constant, with dreams of escaping their circumstances together, even if they were slightly unrealistic. When Harper is suddenly taken from Z and placed into a new life with her estranged father, she is uprooted from the only sense of stability she has ever known. Her anger and impulsiveness feel authentic, serving as both a flaw and a defence mechanism.
We are soon introduced to Caleb, her stepbrother, and this adds an emotional complexity to the story. Where Harper is rough around the edges, Caleb strives for perfection. He is also shaped by his own pressures and vulnerabilities. He's a unique character and I really liked how the author took the time with his mannerisms.
Their relationship develops gradually, beginning with tension and curiosity before evolving into something deeper. Harper’s unfamiliarity with love makes this progression particularly compelling. It is her disbelief that she deserves something real adds a layer of emotional depth to their connection.
One of the book’s strengths is the exploration of emotional growth. Through Caleb and his mother, Harper begins to see what care, stability, and genuine affection can look like. These moments provide a stark contrast to her past and offer glimpses of hope. At the same time, Caleb’s own struggles with maintaining perfection reveal his fragile nature.
As the story progresses, the emotional tension intensifies. Harper’s inability to recognize manipulation is both frustrating and heartbreaking, highlighting her vulnerability and need for connection. The fallout is devastating, and the use of multiple perspectives emphasizes the extent of the emotional damage, revealing every trap that Harper stepped into and it makes your stomach turn. She's on her own now, only she can save herself.
Ultimately, The Rules is a powerful exploration of trauma, trust, and resilience. Harper’s journey is painful but deeply engaging, and her struggle to find her own strength in the aftermath of betrayal leaves a lasting impact. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of its characters’ lives, making it both compelling and emotionally raw.
This is a gripping, character-driven story that delivers intense emotion and a realistic portrayal of vulnerability, making this your next must read.
Kora Nyx’s The Rules is a deeply emotional, angst-filled story that follows Harper, a teenage girl shaped by hardship and forced to grow up too quickly. The story explores themes of survival, trauma, and the complicated nature of love and belonging.
Kora really captures the essence of the struggling teenager in Harper's character. She has been hardened by life, she comes from the wrong side of the tracks, where family isn’t always defined by blood but by shared pain and loyalty. Her bond with her best friend, Z, is central to her identity. They are each other’s only constant, with dreams of escaping their circumstances together, even if they were slightly unrealistic. When Harper is suddenly taken from Z and placed into a new life with her estranged father, she is uprooted from the only sense of stability she has ever known. Her anger and impulsiveness feel authentic, serving as both a flaw and a defence mechanism.
We are soon introduced to Caleb, her stepbrother, and this adds an emotional complexity to the story. Where Harper is rough around the edges, Caleb strives for perfection. He is also shaped by his own pressures and vulnerabilities. He's a unique character and I really liked how the author took the time with his mannerisms.
Their relationship develops gradually, beginning with tension and curiosity before evolving into something deeper. Harper’s unfamiliarity with love makes this progression particularly compelling. It is her disbelief that she deserves something real adds a layer of emotional depth to their connection.
One of the book’s strengths is the exploration of emotional growth. Through Caleb and his mother, Harper begins to see what care, stability, and genuine affection can look like. These moments provide a stark contrast to her past and offer glimpses of hope. At the same time, Caleb’s own struggles with maintaining perfection reveal his fragile nature.
As the story progresses, the emotional tension intensifies. Harper’s inability to recognize manipulation is both frustrating and heartbreaking, highlighting her vulnerability and need for connection. The fallout is devastating, and the use of multiple perspectives emphasizes the extent of the emotional damage, revealing every trap that Harper stepped into and it makes your stomach turn. She's on her own now, only she can save herself.
Ultimately, The Rules is a powerful exploration of trauma, trust, and resilience. Harper’s journey is painful but deeply engaging, and her struggle to find her own strength in the aftermath of betrayal leaves a lasting impact. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of its characters’ lives, making it both compelling and emotionally raw.
This is a gripping, character-driven story that delivers intense emotion and a realistic portrayal of vulnerability, making this your next must read.
May 17, 2026
The Rules is the first book in a duet series. This is my first book by the author and I have to say, I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this.
I should note, to me, this wasn't a dark romance and the cover is sightly misleading. The MMC isn't a dark Hero, nor is he the bad-boy type that the cover makes you believe (at least with me), BUT that is okay. It actually turned out better than expected.
This is a drama romance with a good-boy / bad-girl kind of romance vibe. I'm usually not into FMC who have a chip on their shoulder, but Harper was written fairly well. She lives in a trailer park with her single mom. Her step-dad is a perv and she finds solace with her guy best-friend Z. I actually would have appreciated Z's POV, just to get a little of his justification for his behavior, he was painted as the obstacle in the book (a little too annoying at times, but I get it, there needs to be tension).
Harper's father takes Harper back to live with her Dad in Dallas. Harper will share a house with Caleb (the stepson) and the new mom, stepmom. The stepmom was a sweet character too and I appreciated the balance of tension. I love it when there is a balance of good characters and bad (not so great) characters.
The best part of the read for me was Caleb. He's the good-boy, guy next door type. He follows the rules and does his best to get top grades and land a spot to Harvard. I really liked Caleb, I found him endearing and his OCD traits made me want to give him a big hug.
The relationship between Harper and Caleb was very adorable and sweet.
This could have easily been a five star read for me, BUT with the last minute tension written towards the end, I just kind of cringed at the change of tone. It was a relatively light read, which turned slightly dramatic for the sake of a cliffy. I get it, that's the whole point of a duet right? BUT I didn't like the dramatic change of tone.
I will continue to the next book and if the tone is still intense, I'll have to skim it, instead of read it. But we shall see.
I should note, to me, this wasn't a dark romance and the cover is sightly misleading. The MMC isn't a dark Hero, nor is he the bad-boy type that the cover makes you believe (at least with me), BUT that is okay. It actually turned out better than expected.
This is a drama romance with a good-boy / bad-girl kind of romance vibe. I'm usually not into FMC who have a chip on their shoulder, but Harper was written fairly well. She lives in a trailer park with her single mom. Her step-dad is a perv and she finds solace with her guy best-friend Z. I actually would have appreciated Z's POV, just to get a little of his justification for his behavior, he was painted as the obstacle in the book (a little too annoying at times, but I get it, there needs to be tension).
Harper's father takes Harper back to live with her Dad in Dallas. Harper will share a house with Caleb (the stepson) and the new mom, stepmom. The stepmom was a sweet character too and I appreciated the balance of tension. I love it when there is a balance of good characters and bad (not so great) characters.
The best part of the read for me was Caleb. He's the good-boy, guy next door type. He follows the rules and does his best to get top grades and land a spot to Harvard. I really liked Caleb, I found him endearing and his OCD traits made me want to give him a big hug.
The relationship between Harper and Caleb was very adorable and sweet.
This could have easily been a five star read for me, BUT with the last minute tension written towards the end, I just kind of cringed at the change of tone. It was a relatively light read, which turned slightly dramatic for the sake of a cliffy. I get it, that's the whole point of a duet right? BUT I didn't like the dramatic change of tone.
I will continue to the next book and if the tone is still intense, I'll have to skim it, instead of read it. But we shall see.
May 6, 2026
4.5 Stars
The Rules is written by Kora Nyx, a new-to-me author I found on Tiktok. I decided to give the book a shot and went in blind. This book is a dark stepbrother romance. I love me a good taboo-ish book. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I began reading, but she had me hooked within the first chapter.
The book focuses on three main characters: Harper, her best friend Z, and Caleb, her stepbrother. Harper is the product of raw, ugly instability. Raised in a trailer park by an addict mother and a rotation of disgusting men, she runs on pure survival instinct. She uses her rebellion as a shield, allowing only Z to be close. Z, growing up in the same area, has to deal with an abusive father and pure neglect. Together, they form a pact to marry to escape their home situation. But life has other plans.
When Harper’s real dad comes for her, leaving her best friend behind, she moves into a big house with her new stepmother and stepbrother. Caleb, as a defense mechanism, creates an ever-growing list of “rules” to project the appearance of perfection for his ill mom. This rigid structure and protective nature offer Harper the first genuine experience in safety she has ever known. Together, they see things in each other that draw them to each other. Harper’s chaotic and rebellious nature and Caleb’s secure and stable life.
The presence of Z complicates the dynamic. Harper’s loyalty is called into question as her connection with Caleb grows more intense. Z sees Harper as a means to escape his traumatic life, but sadly, it is only keeping them tethered to a cycle of poverty and danger.
This story had me in a chokehold, and that ending had my jaw on the floor!! I was shookith! LOL. Oh, and there is another book releasing soon called The Ruins!! I can’t wait!!
Thanks to Kora Nyx for gifting me an eARC of The Rules. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Rules is written by Kora Nyx, a new-to-me author I found on Tiktok. I decided to give the book a shot and went in blind. This book is a dark stepbrother romance. I love me a good taboo-ish book. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I began reading, but she had me hooked within the first chapter.
The book focuses on three main characters: Harper, her best friend Z, and Caleb, her stepbrother. Harper is the product of raw, ugly instability. Raised in a trailer park by an addict mother and a rotation of disgusting men, she runs on pure survival instinct. She uses her rebellion as a shield, allowing only Z to be close. Z, growing up in the same area, has to deal with an abusive father and pure neglect. Together, they form a pact to marry to escape their home situation. But life has other plans.
When Harper’s real dad comes for her, leaving her best friend behind, she moves into a big house with her new stepmother and stepbrother. Caleb, as a defense mechanism, creates an ever-growing list of “rules” to project the appearance of perfection for his ill mom. This rigid structure and protective nature offer Harper the first genuine experience in safety she has ever known. Together, they see things in each other that draw them to each other. Harper’s chaotic and rebellious nature and Caleb’s secure and stable life.
The presence of Z complicates the dynamic. Harper’s loyalty is called into question as her connection with Caleb grows more intense. Z sees Harper as a means to escape his traumatic life, but sadly, it is only keeping them tethered to a cycle of poverty and danger.
This story had me in a chokehold, and that ending had my jaw on the floor!! I was shookith! LOL. Oh, and there is another book releasing soon called The Ruins!! I can’t wait!!
Thanks to Kora Nyx for gifting me an eARC of The Rules. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 11, 2026
The Rules was a heartbreaking story... in all the ways.
Harper has had a rough life, left to be raised by her mom and whatever boyfriend she's currently with, in a trailer home. Her mother, not really the mom type. Harper is basically left to fend for herself finding food. But she doesn't have the worst of it. Because her best friend Z is living basically the same life as her, except his father is abusive and loves to take his anger out on Z. So not only does she try to survive herself, but she tries to help keep Z alive as well. making sure that when she steals food, she steals enough for them both and making sure that he eats. Until her father shows up. He takes Harper to live with him and his new wife and step son. Harper is heartbroken, as she made a pact with Z that as soon as they turn 18 in a few months, they'll get married, emancipated from their parents, and start their lives together, looking after one another, as they've always done. But now, Harper has to play family with her father's new family, except, once she meets her step brother Caleb, that all changes. She sees a life of possibilities, chances she was never given, and someone who makes her feel whole and loved. Through it all though, she never forgets Z and still plans to rescue him. But rescuing him may cost her everything!!
I was not prepared for the way this ended. I just knew he was bad to his core. I know Harper is hurting and blinded by everything right now to see the truth, but I hope she pulls it together and gets revenge in book 2.
This story sucked me in right from the beginning. Caleb with his severe OCD and rules to help keep things in order. Z with all his chaos and destruction. Harper, with all her character growth. She grew sooooo much in this story. I loved that for her. I love who she's becoming. I can't wait for the next one!!
Harper has had a rough life, left to be raised by her mom and whatever boyfriend she's currently with, in a trailer home. Her mother, not really the mom type. Harper is basically left to fend for herself finding food. But she doesn't have the worst of it. Because her best friend Z is living basically the same life as her, except his father is abusive and loves to take his anger out on Z. So not only does she try to survive herself, but she tries to help keep Z alive as well. making sure that when she steals food, she steals enough for them both and making sure that he eats. Until her father shows up. He takes Harper to live with him and his new wife and step son. Harper is heartbroken, as she made a pact with Z that as soon as they turn 18 in a few months, they'll get married, emancipated from their parents, and start their lives together, looking after one another, as they've always done. But now, Harper has to play family with her father's new family, except, once she meets her step brother Caleb, that all changes. She sees a life of possibilities, chances she was never given, and someone who makes her feel whole and loved. Through it all though, she never forgets Z and still plans to rescue him. But rescuing him may cost her everything!!
I was not prepared for the way this ended. I just knew he was bad to his core. I know Harper is hurting and blinded by everything right now to see the truth, but I hope she pulls it together and gets revenge in book 2.
This story sucked me in right from the beginning. Caleb with his severe OCD and rules to help keep things in order. Z with all his chaos and destruction. Harper, with all her character growth. She grew sooooo much in this story. I loved that for her. I love who she's becoming. I can't wait for the next one!!
May 22, 2026
Harper lives in a trailer park with her mum who really doesn't seem to care. Darlene is an alcoholic and doesn't seem aware that her latest boyfriend is acting creepily towards her daughter Harper but it isn't the first one and probably wouldn't have been the last if it wasn't for the fact that her father came to take her home with him. Apparently Darlene was actually aware but instead of kicking out her boyfriend she had Harper removed instead.
This should have been a turning point for Harper. Her father is an ex con that is actually doing quite well for himself. Married to a woman with money, and a stepson he seemed to have turned his life around although Harper doesn't trust it. She also just wants to return home to her best friend Z, to rescue him from his abusive father.
Living with her father and his new family is also challenging as she has an attraction towards her stepbrother and he feels the same. Her stepbrother Caleb is a golden boy, good reputation, intelligent, seems to be on track for Harvard but lives his life to a strict set of rules. Self inflicted rules that once Harper comes to stay grow by the day as he knows he can't act on his ever growing feelings towards his stepsister.
Overall this book was excellent. It really grabbed my attention and although the relationship between the 2 main characters was tabboo I was still rooting for them. As this book drew to an end all of a sudden a lot of stuff happened and none of it good. This culminated in the most brutal cliffhanger I have ever read. I am totally wrecked and I am so glad I waited for book 2 to be released before reading this. Make sure you have the next book lined up ready to go, waiting to read the conclusion would be just too nerve wracking!
This should have been a turning point for Harper. Her father is an ex con that is actually doing quite well for himself. Married to a woman with money, and a stepson he seemed to have turned his life around although Harper doesn't trust it. She also just wants to return home to her best friend Z, to rescue him from his abusive father.
Living with her father and his new family is also challenging as she has an attraction towards her stepbrother and he feels the same. Her stepbrother Caleb is a golden boy, good reputation, intelligent, seems to be on track for Harvard but lives his life to a strict set of rules. Self inflicted rules that once Harper comes to stay grow by the day as he knows he can't act on his ever growing feelings towards his stepsister.
Overall this book was excellent. It really grabbed my attention and although the relationship between the 2 main characters was tabboo I was still rooting for them. As this book drew to an end all of a sudden a lot of stuff happened and none of it good. This culminated in the most brutal cliffhanger I have ever read. I am totally wrecked and I am so glad I waited for book 2 to be released before reading this. Make sure you have the next book lined up ready to go, waiting to read the conclusion would be just too nerve wracking!
Review of advance copy received from Author
😭😮💨 I am emotionally wrecked is that a spoiler or a warning?
😮💨 I wish I had book 2 right now (it IS a duet) there is a giant cliffie and my heart was broken before we even went over the edge.
This is my first book by this author— I stumbled on her ARC sign up, and the premise of the book resonated with me.
🌶️ Spice level | 1 1/2 on page everyone is 18.
🛑 Some trigger warnings for attempted SA of FMC not by any MCs. Child abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, addiction. 🛑
📖 Story line | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Well written, well paced.
👩🏻👦🏻 Characters | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Raw, Realistic, easy to empathize with.
🔤📖 Writing | Few errors, some minor edits remain but nowhere near so many indie books I’ve read of late, I don’t feel they interfered with the enjoyment of the story.
Story is told in dual POV.
📖 Tropes 📖
Step-Sibling Romance
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Secret Relationship
Taboo Relationship
Dark Romance
Early Adult
📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Character’s feel very realistic down to trauma responses, broken family dynamics and how one might pick up the broken bits and try to go forward.
The MMC has OCD and I feel this was written really well and felt very realistic. I never found myself scanning past his ticks — I went through them and experienced them with him and my heart cracked a little each time for him.
Broken people can either try to help you up or pull you down so they’re not alone, the FMC gets to meet several people who are prime examples of this and we get to feel her own struggle with it and what kind of person she wants to be. 😮💨 really hoping for a HEA in book 2.
😮💨 I wish I had book 2 right now (it IS a duet) there is a giant cliffie and my heart was broken before we even went over the edge.
This is my first book by this author— I stumbled on her ARC sign up, and the premise of the book resonated with me.
🌶️ Spice level | 1 1/2 on page everyone is 18.
🛑 Some trigger warnings for attempted SA of FMC not by any MCs. Child abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, addiction. 🛑
📖 Story line | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Well written, well paced.
👩🏻👦🏻 Characters | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Raw, Realistic, easy to empathize with.
🔤📖 Writing | Few errors, some minor edits remain but nowhere near so many indie books I’ve read of late, I don’t feel they interfered with the enjoyment of the story.
Story is told in dual POV.
📖 Tropes 📖
Step-Sibling Romance
Found Family
Forced Proximity
Secret Relationship
Taboo Relationship
Dark Romance
Early Adult
📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Character’s feel very realistic down to trauma responses, broken family dynamics and how one might pick up the broken bits and try to go forward.
The MMC has OCD and I feel this was written really well and felt very realistic. I never found myself scanning past his ticks — I went through them and experienced them with him and my heart cracked a little each time for him.
Broken people can either try to help you up or pull you down so they’re not alone, the FMC gets to meet several people who are prime examples of this and we get to feel her own struggle with it and what kind of person she wants to be. 😮💨 really hoping for a HEA in book 2.
May 26, 2026
From its very first pages, this novel thrusts readers into the gritty, unvarnished reality of Harper’s world — a trailer park existence held together by the bond between two best friends and the quiet desperation of a girl who has learned not to want too much.
Harper is a protagonist born of circumstance rather than choice. Tough, street-smart, and fiercely loyal to her best friend Z, she carries the particular weariness of someone who has had to grow up far too quickly. Her home life is painted in deeply uncomfortable strokes — an alcoholic mother with predatory boyfriends, an absent father, and a suffocating environment she and Z have silently vowed to escape together.
When Harper is abruptly uprooted and sent to live with her largely absent father Silas and his wife Helen, the story pivots from survival drama to something far more complicated. Dropped into the gleaming, foreign world of an exclusive private school, Harper is every bit the fish out of water — and she knows it. What she does not know, in a twist that will delight fans of forbidden romance, is that the breathtaking boy she impulsively kisses in a parking lot in order to pick his pocket is about to become her stepbrother.
Harper resists comfort the way someone resists a too-warm embrace from a stranger — not out of cruelty, but out of hard-won self-protection. Just as Harper begins to believe that good things might actually be for her too, the story pulls the rug out with a painful swiftness that will leave readers breathless — and likely reaching for the next book in the series.
June 10, 2026
The Rules by Kora Nyx completely consumed me. This was one of those books that grabbed my attention from the very first page and refused to let go. Dark, emotional, intense, and packed with tension, it delivered everything I look for in a romance.
The connection between Harper and Caleb is impossible to ignore. Their story is filled with longing, secrets, heartbreak, and an undeniable attraction that creates constant tension throughout the book. I loved how the author took time to develop both characters, making their struggles, fears, and emotions feel real and relatable.
What stood out most was the emotional depth. Beneath the romance is a story about healing, trust, and finding someone who truly understands you. The darker themes add weight to the story without overshadowing the relationship, making every emotional moment hit even harder.
Kora Nyx does an incredible job balancing angst, suspense, passion, and heartfelt moments. The writing kept me fully invested, and I found myself thinking about the characters long after I finished reading.
If you enjoy dark romance with forbidden attraction, emotional intensity, complex characters, and plenty of angst, this book is definitely worth picking up. The ending left me desperate for more, and I will absolutely be continuing the series.
A beautifully messy, emotional, and addictive dark romance that kept me turning pages late into the night. ❤️📚🔥
The connection between Harper and Caleb is impossible to ignore. Their story is filled with longing, secrets, heartbreak, and an undeniable attraction that creates constant tension throughout the book. I loved how the author took time to develop both characters, making their struggles, fears, and emotions feel real and relatable.
What stood out most was the emotional depth. Beneath the romance is a story about healing, trust, and finding someone who truly understands you. The darker themes add weight to the story without overshadowing the relationship, making every emotional moment hit even harder.
Kora Nyx does an incredible job balancing angst, suspense, passion, and heartfelt moments. The writing kept me fully invested, and I found myself thinking about the characters long after I finished reading.
If you enjoy dark romance with forbidden attraction, emotional intensity, complex characters, and plenty of angst, this book is definitely worth picking up. The ending left me desperate for more, and I will absolutely be continuing the series.
A beautifully messy, emotional, and addictive dark romance that kept me turning pages late into the night. ❤️📚🔥
May 11, 2026
They didn't just break the rules, they obliterated them.
Very dark and sexually explicit romance about step siblings, with no shared parent I feel compelled to add. The FMC, Harper, grew up in a small southern Texas town trailer park. Caleb grew up, well let's just say on the other side of the tracks. Prep school, debate team, and Harvard bound. Both of them have their own issues, to put it kindly, but when their lives implode it is a spectacular conflagration, events neither of them could have predicted lead to circumstances they didn't see coming.
The main characters are high school students, seniors, and pretty typically angsty. The FMC and MMC fall in love and have no idea wat kind of sh*# show is brewing behind their backs. Their story had me riveted from the first page, and while I was kinda rooting for them, I was also always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Anger, betrayal, drug and alcohol use, sexual assault, as well as some surprising and unexpected twist and turns in the plot, and a cliffhanger that left me reeling. This book made me laugh and cry and thank goodness that I was in high school long before cell phones were a thing. While this book might not be for everyone, I enjoyed it and will gladly recommend it to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC provided by the author.
Very dark and sexually explicit romance about step siblings, with no shared parent I feel compelled to add. The FMC, Harper, grew up in a small southern Texas town trailer park. Caleb grew up, well let's just say on the other side of the tracks. Prep school, debate team, and Harvard bound. Both of them have their own issues, to put it kindly, but when their lives implode it is a spectacular conflagration, events neither of them could have predicted lead to circumstances they didn't see coming.
The main characters are high school students, seniors, and pretty typically angsty. The FMC and MMC fall in love and have no idea wat kind of sh*# show is brewing behind their backs. Their story had me riveted from the first page, and while I was kinda rooting for them, I was also always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Anger, betrayal, drug and alcohol use, sexual assault, as well as some surprising and unexpected twist and turns in the plot, and a cliffhanger that left me reeling. This book made me laugh and cry and thank goodness that I was in high school long before cell phones were a thing. While this book might not be for everyone, I enjoyed it and will gladly recommend it to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC provided by the author.
June 4, 2026
I must say that I don’t read the spoiler for this book. Only the title “The Rules: A dark stepbrother romance”
So, this book took me by surprise: it was not Kora’s usual dark romance.
With Caleb obsessed with perfection, convincing himself that can control the uncontrollable, with Harper convinced that she is unlovable and all good things have an end - and this book is still had too much light, kisses and love.
Until almost to the end, when the dark begin to infiltrate the story.
Until the inevitable happened.
I was waiting breathless for the other shoe to drop. I expected it. I suspected it.
But such level of betrayal let me speechless and angry.
Becouse let’s faced it: Z destroyed everyone, and was willing even to put Harper in jail.
And all this for his obsession, his selfish need to own her, and not for love.
This was never love. Was him clinging to the only good thing that he seen in his life, the only ray of light.
And thinking that Harper was willing to sacrifice for him, and they welcomed him in their family, made me more than angry - made me mad.
The only good thing is that I don’t have to wait for the end of their story, becouse I already have the ARC for The Ruin.
A MUST READ!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
So, this book took me by surprise: it was not Kora’s usual dark romance.
With Caleb obsessed with perfection, convincing himself that can control the uncontrollable, with Harper convinced that she is unlovable and all good things have an end - and this book is still had too much light, kisses and love.
Until almost to the end, when the dark begin to infiltrate the story.
Until the inevitable happened.
I was waiting breathless for the other shoe to drop. I expected it. I suspected it.
But such level of betrayal let me speechless and angry.
Becouse let’s faced it: Z destroyed everyone, and was willing even to put Harper in jail.
And all this for his obsession, his selfish need to own her, and not for love.
This was never love. Was him clinging to the only good thing that he seen in his life, the only ray of light.
And thinking that Harper was willing to sacrifice for him, and they welcomed him in their family, made me more than angry - made me mad.
The only good thing is that I don’t have to wait for the end of their story, becouse I already have the ARC for The Ruin.
A MUST READ!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
June 8, 2026
This is the first book I've read by this author, and it had me hooked from the very start. It covers the relationship between step-siblings who didn't know who they were when they first met. The attraction between them is immediate. Caleb is the good honour student with perfect grades and a bright future ahead of him, and Harper is the girl classed as trailer park trash, from the wrong side of the tracks.
From that initial meeting, the attraction only grows. One that Caleb struggles with, trying to stick to his 'rules', but no matter what, they orbit around each other until their resolve breaks and they cross that line.
'Z' is Harper's best friend from the trailer park. They have been friends for years. They have had each other's back when their home life became too much. They had a plan to get away, to flee, but that went sideways when Silas, Harper's dad, took her away. Harper hasn't forgotten about 'Z'; she is trying her best to get him out of his awful home life. She'll find a way to make it happen, but will 'Z' be jealous of her new life, how 'his girl' has been pulled in a different direction than one they had planned, and also has eyes for another?
The book leaves us hanging for more. Will it be more heartbreak, jealousy, anger, and family dynamics? OOH, I can't wait!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
From that initial meeting, the attraction only grows. One that Caleb struggles with, trying to stick to his 'rules', but no matter what, they orbit around each other until their resolve breaks and they cross that line.
'Z' is Harper's best friend from the trailer park. They have been friends for years. They have had each other's back when their home life became too much. They had a plan to get away, to flee, but that went sideways when Silas, Harper's dad, took her away. Harper hasn't forgotten about 'Z'; she is trying her best to get him out of his awful home life. She'll find a way to make it happen, but will 'Z' be jealous of her new life, how 'his girl' has been pulled in a different direction than one they had planned, and also has eyes for another?
The book leaves us hanging for more. Will it be more heartbreak, jealousy, anger, and family dynamics? OOH, I can't wait!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a step-sibling romance with a heavy emphasis on the taboo element of them being step-siblings. While I never find this trope to be problematic, this book wants you to feel the forbidden nature of it. So much so, anyone finding out, implies catastrophic consequences! Outside of that, you have two teenagers from different sides of the tracks, so to speak, with traumatic pasts that find one another. He has what appears to be a severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder that developed out of a need to exert control over his environment. Harper has spent her entire 17 years on this earth surviving. When she is unexpectedly removed from her home and her best friend, we bear witness to her breaking and breaking some more. Caleb, dear sweet Caleb, doesn't necessarily want to save her, but to show her she is worthy of love. He gives and he gives without asking anything in return. His love is that pure untainted kind that we wish we could go back to before we became jaded by knowledge and life.
The author warns readers about a toxic love. You won't see it until the end, but when you do, it's a bit of a mind trip. Prepare yourselves. This book does end on a cliffy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The author warns readers about a toxic love. You won't see it until the end, but when you do, it's a bit of a mind trip. Prepare yourselves. This book does end on a cliffy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 5, 2026
This is the first book in a duet. Harper has a rough life. Her mother is a drunk and invites strange men over that she needs to hide from and fight off. Her best friend Z is being physically and verbally abused by his dad. Z is being starved and tortured. These two can’t wait to graduate and run away. However, before that can happen Harper’s father has apparently cleaned himself up and is now doing pretty well. He takes Harper with him to a new place and a new private school. Harper is a tough talking bright young lady and she clashes with her classmates in an English class but Caleb a very handsome shy young man tries to smooth things out and make peace. But right after school Harper lays a big kiss on him and steals his wallet trying to get back to Z, only for her father to arrive and introduce her to he4 stepbrother Caleb. The dichotomy between these two is so bizarre. Harper is chaos and loud and a whirlwind of trouble. Caleb has a severe case of OCD and anxiety. He tries to be the perfect son, not make waves, smooth ruffled feathers. This book is a very emotional story, wit( heartache, action, spice and lots of tension. This book does end on a cliffhanger so be prepared for that.
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