I am reviewing this one because it was the feeebie novella I picked up not realizing it was part of a serial... I skipped the first one bc I thought each was a "mini-romance" as the author suggests, but this is definitely a serial as each book is about 30-40 pages and each starts off exactly where the other left off. I knocked 2-10 out in an evening bc it was a very quick read, and I felt invested in it bc I actually liked this book (#2)... but things went sharply downhill from there. Way too much trying to happen in one story, and then even at the end of this serial, it isn't the actual end - there's a whole other set of serials that pick up where this one leaves off. Feels never-ending (and not in a good way).
The h is a high schooler trying to investigate a possible murder and steroid scandal with the high school basketball team... because that is believable. And the H really isn't the one who bullies her but his friends do, and he is supposed to be the alpha of this group (the author states this again and again), yet somehow he is unable to stop them from repeatedly trying to rape her and physically harm her --- and one of them is this guy's brother, FFS!
Also, there is a lot of "sex talk" and some grinding sessions, but nothing really happens until the last book, and then it is SUPER rushed after all that build-up. No background on why this high school chick who seems nerdy is not a virgin (usually there was one bf before that gets talked about at this age/stage, but nothing.... and she's supposed to be socially awkward and nerdy. Ummm k. Just didn't work for me.