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Mine to Fear

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When my horrible ex kicked me out of our apartment, and refused to let me pick up my things...

I called my brother’s best friend.

Twenty minutes later, he showed up in a nice SUV with two bodyguards in black suits.

The second my ex saw them, his whole demeanor changed.

He was smug for half a second, then pale the next.

He stepped back and nearly tripped over his own feet, as and my brother’s best friend said calm and cold,

“Get out. She needs to pack her things.”

My hands were shaking as I packed, but he watched from the doorway as his bodyguards waited outside.

I finished packing, and he gently took the suitcase from my hand and carried it to the car.

My ex was still in the front yard pouting, and when he opened his mouth again...

My brother’s best friend turned to him and growled,

“You lost the right to speak to her. She's coming to live with me.”

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2025

812 people are currently reading
260 people want to read

About the author

Eden Lux

8 books4 followers

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5 stars
431 (33%)
4 stars
282 (21%)
3 stars
319 (24%)
2 stars
169 (13%)
1 star
96 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
Profile Image for Carol Cooper.
253 reviews17 followers
December 4, 2025
Disappointed.
The amount of cheese in this book was ridiculous. And it wasn't the good kind, it was definitely the cringe kind. The story line had potential but fell flat with dreary characters, plot holes, and legit "copy and paste" sections throughout the book. I did end up finishing it, so I know it ends with an HEA but honestly, it didn't even feel satisfying. It didn't even have any spice that could have saved it a little for me. All in all, I would recommend just passing on this one. I definitely won't be continuing the series.
1,249 reviews15 followers
November 13, 2025
1.5* Hated the mmc. Dreary, depressing, plots that didn’t make any sense.

I did actually finish it which I’m shocked at, as there’s so many mistakes, things that aren’t explained, and this author seriously annoyed me. Every time the two mc’s came close to being happy, something really bad happened to spoil it. The first time it happened I shrugged it off, but when it happened again and again I got annoyed! Then there’s the mistakes. Willa’s ex husband is a penniless, broke artist, oh no he’s not, he’s really rich and dresses in designer suits??????? He’s a drunk waste of space, suddenly he’s a criminal mastermind. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Willa and her brother are orphaned when Willa is 15 and Jude her brother 16 or 17. They’re sent to live in a children’s home and meet Kieran. It never explains what happened to any of their parents, or why they had no one else. As they get older Jude and Kieran are best friends, so throughout nearly the whole book, Kieran won’t give in and be with Willa because of Jude, and he’s not good enough for her. (I actually agree, he’s not good enough.) Jude who really wants them to be together! Kieran doesn’t just reject Willa, nooo he has to really make it clear that he doesn’t want her, with a parade of beautiful, accomplished women. To be honest I hated Kieran! The way that he treats Willa the whole book is awful!

Fast forward years later and Willa is married to an abusive, controlling man and Kieran avoids seeing her so doesn’t realise what’s happening to the woman he supposedly loves. Jude is away in the army so Willa has no one. When she finally manages to escape with (FINALLY) the help of Kieran I thought things were going to change. Noooo. Kieran is really really cold with Willa who is living in his apartment with him, he won’t let her use her marketing skills for his business and puts her to work FILING! When she tries to help him with a brilliant marketing plan, he rebuffs her. AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!! It’s not even making sense now!

Eventually it looks like we might get a happy ending, but no the author doesn’t want that. Instead she does something else to destroy them.

All of this on top of there’s NO S*X!!! Nope. Sorry it’s terrible but I kept reading waiting for a happy end.
Profile Image for Christy.
298 reviews3 followers
December 17, 2025
I literally read fanfiction TODAY on AO3 that was better written and had a fully developed plot and actually made sense. She gets shot by her ex, and yet he's just sitting in their apartment and he wasn't arrested? WTH?! Then dude is a security expert and yet all of their client information is available for one single person to be able to access? BULLSHITE. And then, to top it all off, the brother dies and somehow writes a letter to tell her that she and Kieran should be together. Cause yeah, thats what a normal person does. AND WHAT'S IN THE RANDOM ASS BOX THAT HE GAVE WILLA TO PROTECT?!
Profile Image for Ej Hiestand.
4 reviews
January 15, 2026
Someone should have read this before they turned it loose. It had potential but was so choppy. Even a couple of sentences went from her POV to his in the same line.
Profile Image for Pebbles Lacasse.
Author 37 books798 followers
December 22, 2025
Best friend’s brother – off-limits

Her brother‘s best friend is madly in love with her but refuses to admit it She kissed him at one point many years ago, but it changed nothing. What happens when the two of them are rejoined? What happens when two lives experiencing their own traumas get together? Can they resolve their issues or will the issues tear them apart?

This is a well-written story with a great plot and easily relatable characters. An excellent read.
265 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2025
Good but messy

Firstly, I didn’t see any trigger warnings at the start of this book and I really think it needs some.
Domestic abuse, violence and death are all involved.
Secondly, I don’t know who edited this book but it was shocking. Double lines. He’s instead of she’s. Sentences that didn’t make sense.
Thirdly, the blurb I saw on Facebook that made me pick this book, is not actually in this book at all.
However overall it was a decent read and it did make me cry. I’m not sure that I liked the ending and felt that the same could have been achieved without the death.
1 review1 follower
December 27, 2025
touching

I was great to read a love story without it being porn.
I enjoyed Eden, writing style. The people are very real.
Profile Image for Kristiej.
1,536 reviews100 followers
December 31, 2025
I’m frustrated with this novella. There were many editing issues that a good editor would have pointed out. But I still kept thinking it had potential and I would give more of her books a go. But then something very disturbing to me happened very near the end, something entirely unnecessary that will keep me from trying any more books by this author. I’m sure those who have read the book know exactly what I’m referring to. At least I got this on KU so I can return it.
4 reviews
November 11, 2025
quick read

Storyline was decent , for a short read it felt like multiple sections were legit cut and pasted word for word. Sometimes it seemed dramatic effect to repeat others I felt it was more filler to give it length.
102 reviews
December 30, 2025
Good story; I wanted to love it

Kieran and Willa have an unrequited love from a shared childhood of sorts. When he realizes the danger she is in from her own abusive husband, he steps in to help. However, her past won't let go and threatens everything Kieran has built for himself.

It is at that point in the book that I just couldn't finish. From the beginning, there is a constant switch back and forth between tenses. One person talks in present tense while another uses part tense to refer to current events. It is just maddening to a person with grammar hang-ups.
Profile Image for Engrossed Reader.
393 reviews11 followers
December 9, 2025
The book blurb was a total click bait. There was a plot here but it was hidden with lots of posturing, self denial and stupidity.

Willa loved Kieran. Kieran loved Willa. Why did he reject her? Why did she stay with an abusive ass because she thought she didn't have anyone else? How did their opinion of what Jude thought (Willa's brother and Kieran's best friend) take precedent over their own budding relationship? Did anyone ask if Jude cared if they dated? Anguish for no real reason.

Everything about Kieran's company, industrial espionage, Willa's marketing genius was raised and never fleshed out. No consequences, no real resolutions.

Downgraded to 1 star now. Annoyed the more I write this review. And why are Amazon reviews 4 and 5 stars for this book. Unbelievable.
Profile Image for Sara Vaughan.
42 reviews
December 7, 2025
The ending seemed rushed. The book description doesn’t match the book it’s taken two scenes and mashed them into one.
The brothers death didn’t add any value to the story. I wish there was more about the brother, why couldn’t his character survive ? They went through enough trauma in their life. It’s a quick and easy pallet cleanser but I don’t think I would read it again or continue with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jesmin Nawaz.
1,153 reviews14 followers
January 24, 2026
Complete false advertising. Everyone on social media it says that the FMC is kicked out of her apartment by her ex and she ends up calling her childhood crush to come help her. Nope. Said crush had seen her at an art exhibit for her husband and had his people tracing her cell. FMC escapes her violent husband (not ex at this point) and gets shot in the shoulder - this is how Mr. Crush finds her. He takes her to the hospital and then accompanies her to her apartment to grab her things.

Not at all like what social media had me thinking. Plus, the FMC practically throws herself at the MMC and he pushes her away by saying "you know why we can't do this" - the why being the FMC's brother. However, when said brother dies and she gets his letter, it says, oh, you know that he (the MMC) has been in love with you since you were 17. Give him a chance blah blah blah. Excuse me, what!? She did, he pushed her away. Why is it all of a sudden like the MMC had not idea that the FMC had the hots for him and vice versa. Such nonsense. This is such a waste of time!
Profile Image for Maddie Frank.
4 reviews
January 25, 2026
SPOILERS!
I read this book so you don't have to. 180 pages of a book that was quite possibly the worst I've ever read. I would actually rank this lower than the worst Wattpad book you can find. The flashbacks make sense at the beginning of the book, but get sloppy as you continue. The author kept 0 notes about her characters, so when she referenced something again it was all wrong. POV's were switched mid page, sometimes even mid paragraph. I'm truly confused how someone read this, and gave it the OK to publish.
The author didn't research anything,I think. Just had a dream and ran with it. SPOILER the brother dies in action during a war and the FBI doesn't call the next of kin, but her boyfriend. It's all wrong. The FBI doesn't make calls like that, and if they did, they wouldn't bypass the literal next of kin.
The time jumps make no sense, the POV jumps are confusing.
The only reason I even decided to review this is to save some poor soul their time. If I could give 0 stars I would. So disappointed and wish I could go back to the person I was before I read this book.
1,712 reviews15 followers
January 28, 2026
I really enjoyed this amazing story I came across on the internet through an ad on one of my apps. I use this word app that features ads you can read for points, and this author showed up in one of them.
Mine to fear by Eden Lux features this group of three orphans that met in foster care. Kieran Cross and Jude and Willa Winslow. The group had parents who died, and they had no other family to care for them. Jude took care of Willa and was her protector even up until he went in the service. Since she was 17 Willa was in love with Kieran, but he thought he couldn't mess with her because he and her brother Jude were best buddies. Jude actually didn't care. This book is about how broken people navigate life especially those young people who spent time in foster care and feel broken and have to navigate life without the advantage of having parents to guide them. They had to choose Love over Fear and that is what they eventually do.
Profile Image for Karen.
328 reviews7 followers
December 27, 2025
too many holes and inconsistencies

I don’t like writing bad reviews because I don’t want to poo on someone else’s work, but this could have used better editing. Is Dex poor or wealthy, because he’s described as both. Willa was the bread winner in the marriage but suddenly had no job? I thought Kieran’s logic made no sense and was actually cruel. Why would he make Willa do menial tasks instead of using her abilities? Wouldn’t feeling useful help with her recovery? What was the point of killing her brother off? Hadn’t both Willa and Kieran been thru enough? Just too much unexplained, too much drama just for drama’s sake, too many plot holes.
3 reviews
January 9, 2026
Not what I expected

The cover suggested the story would be a good fit to my current reading obsession. It started out pretty good, but then it started becoming disjointed. Whoever edited it missed the lack of continuity towards the end. Each chapter was written from the person view of the chapter title heading. About 2/3 of the way through, chapters start changing the view to another character without any indicator of character change. Settings start being referred to as integral to the story without previous mention.
Its a good thing I enjoyed the basic story, because the details towards the end sounded like the book had AI generated without enough editing/filtering
Profile Image for Stone Cold Jane Austen.
12 reviews
January 22, 2026
You get a star for writing a book.

This is so bad it hurts. The “plot” is terrible, characters are poorly written, and there’s so many mistakes that should have been caught before publishing. Tenses are/were/will be all over the shop, there’s a bunch of continuity errors, parts that straight up make no sense, and others that are just repeated over and over. I’m wondering if it was, even just partially, written with AI. It certainly feels like it could have been.

Either way, I get it if you want to self publish (which I have to assume happened here), but please budget for an editor. For the love of literacy!
Profile Image for Lauren Douglas.
14 reviews
January 15, 2026
I went into this book with high expectations after that dramatic, promising setup—but unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver.

While the opening scene had a strong hook, the MMC quickly became too cheesy for my taste, leaning more into over-the-top fantasy than believable intensity. The storyline also dragged in places, which made it hard to stay fully engaged as the book went on.

Overall, it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t as good as I had hoped. A decent read if you enjoy protective, larger-than-life MMCs, but it fell short of being truly memorable for me.
Profile Image for Heather Bondie.
15 reviews
Read
January 5, 2026
I don't like to be too harsh but there were a few problems with this book. It kept switching to a past tense in sentences that were also present tense. It had an AI prompt response still in the book "Here is a revised..." with the same/similar sentence right after. There were also some issues that weren't resolved or brought up? Why put a drama point in without it being discussed at some point. I would like to say it has potential but also it needs story work and editing for sure.
Profile Image for Lyndsey Beard.
4 reviews5 followers
January 9, 2026
I'm not finishing this book. I made it to 57% before deciding it's not worth it. He sucks, going on lots of dates with other women while she is living at his penthouse. I decided to read some reviews before finishing and I'm glad I did. If I read the whole book and it never got better I would be annoyed. Also the author really needs an editor! Mistakes everywhere! Full sentences repeated, wrong words used. Not good.
Profile Image for Tanya Wright.
209 reviews1 follower
November 14, 2025
Good read.

Great plot and quite some unexpected turns, specially with her brother. Though I thought Kieren needed a kick up the bottom with his Dance around Willa they make the perfect couple as her Brother had known.
Dual Pov, Betrayal Angst, Domestic abuse. Not from MMC. Healing and Building together.
Lovely HEA
Profile Image for Janna Arkin.
37 reviews
December 30, 2025
Too many tears

I read this because I tHOUGHT IT WAS A ROMANCE OR DARK ROMANCE. IT WAS SAD! I Like to read books to escape from most of real life. I usually like dark romance because the characters don't always end up together. This one had too many depressing tropes for me to fully enjoy it. Not a bad book, just not the book for me.
Profile Image for Andrea.
84 reviews
January 1, 2026
Not a bad story.

But....it seriously needs a good editor. At times it was hard to read due to errors like frequent past tenses used when speaking in present tense. ...The story lines jumps around quite a bit but eventually gets going about half way through. I think with a good editor, this could be a be a mich more enjoyable read.
Profile Image for BobaFett114.
1,955 reviews3 followers
January 10, 2026
I enjoyed this book, but it needs some editing, there are a lot of typos.
Willa is a likable character, but toward the end of the book I wanted to smack her. Sorry. I’m not a fan of the victim mentality and she had it in spades. I felt like Kieran was doing his best just to make her comfortable, though he should have listened to her at the beginning. This is a closed door romance.
45 reviews
January 11, 2026
Simple, sweet and straightforward

A love story down to its bones. Willa and Kieran are first loves and all that means. A little bit angsty, a little bit bittersweet and a whole lot of growing up before the happy ever after.

A bit of a heart-rending moment in which I totally did*not* cry over. And despite typos I plan on reading the next in the series!
525 reviews2 followers
December 10, 2025
💖💖💖

This story was deep but short. It packed a punch without being overwhelming. 2 men who loved cared enough to keep one woman safe. One of which was her brother and the other who tried to hide he loved her. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series!
Profile Image for Gale Albright.
2,953 reviews19 followers
December 12, 2025
It’s a beautiful story by an author that I’ve never read before. I plan to read more of her works in the very near future. This was not your typical billionaire, best friend‘s little sister Story. It was so much more than that.
Profile Image for Shayleigh.
36 reviews
December 15, 2025
Tear Jerker Romance

A quick but, well written book. I loved reading how the author scripted Willa and Kieran's story. Laughs and tears throughout it. Do give it a shot. There are some trigger warnings for abuse and such.
883 reviews4 followers
December 15, 2025
Repetitive

Repetitive and some parts of the book felt like they were missing.

The storyline started off good. A woman running from an abusive husband. The man she always loved coming to her rescue.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews

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