Falling for Catastrophe

Filthy Gods #1

by Michelle Hercules

A Filthy Gods novel

Three years ago, I fell in love with a monster. I barely survived, and now I’ve been given a second chance at Maverick Prep.

My plan was to keep my head down and not draw attention to myself.

Then Jason Novak came into my life like a thunderstorm.

Furious.
Devastating.
Loud.

The devil incarnate, he has a reputation for cruelty that precedes him. Not even his angelic face can hide his black heart.

He wants something I’ve earned fair and square, and now he hates me.

My survival instincts are telling me to flee. But I’ve already let a monster take too much from me once. My name. My dreams. My home. I won’t let another asshole do that to me again.

Standing up to Jason becomes a dangerous game. There’s a fine line between love and hate, and we’re about to obliterate it.

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, College, Forced Proximity

Unknown Binding

Published August 18, 2022

Reviews

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars- too many things were rushed

Including the smexy scenes lol, but I'll give the book brownie points for having many of these (in a little more than 200 pages, I was loving that). Sometimes, quantity helps the quality lol.

Nicola/Isabelle's new; she transferred in as a senior because she was previously left for dead when her ex Juan psychotically "killed" her (and she's still supposedly dead😬). She changed her appearance and her name- Nicola- in order to escape him. When she's in her Spanish class (Juan's from Spain), she suffers and anxiety attack, so Jason rescues her by taking her to the nurse❤️.

Jason's a top dog- people fear him and equally respect him. He's been playing the violin for years and used to be obsessed with Isabelle since she’s a pretty famous violinist. When he hears her play the violin, he ends up recognizing her and then his infatuation turns into hatred😬. Why? His mom has always compared his playing skills to Isabelle, and he's never been as good as her. So now that he knows her secret, he's gonna milk it😈.

What I liked: Possible Spoilers
-The chemistry/tension🔥. Oh yeah. It's in here. Because Jason has buried hatred towards Isabelle, he's gonna get back at her, and it's usually in a smexual way😈

-The n0nc0n/dubc0n scenes🫣- I think they're more like dubcon🙃, but some might say otherwise. I mean, he forces her to play for him while she's nekkid👀... and to take care of his... ahem... problem when he's turned on😉

-He even makes her show him how turned on she is when she's sick... and then proceeds to edge her🥵

-How primal the smexy scenes get🔥… things get ripped off

-She gets back at him when he’s bullying her... lol... but he continues to have the upper hand 💅

-The side characters. Michelle Hercules is setting up the next books that'll come out from this world. I’m excited to read about them

-How protective Jason is 🥰. Sure, he blackmails her and bullies her😅, but no one else is allowed to 💁🏻‍♀️only he can do it 🙃

-There's a clingy OW that tries to flirt with Jason😑, but he doesn't care for her. He only wants Isabelle😉

-no c0nc0ms are used😈🔥

-Jason was infatuated before Isabelle🥰... I love when that happens

What I didn't like/wanted more of
-Details in the smexy scenes 😒(lol... but it was very STEAMY🔥 so I didn't miss it like I normally would)

-The ending was rushed 😐. So much happens towards the end. I get it. It's a book, but I can only suspend my belief so much 😒

-The sick scenes. When I'm sick, I just wanna sleep and recover😅. LOL, I guess Jason and Isabelle want smexy times😂 (bahahaha... maybe I don't really dislike this then... I'll suspend my belief again lol)

-I wish there has been more romance… and more push and pull scenes. Lol I know. I’m horrible 🫣😂😂😂

-There are grammar mistakes that made me reread a few times

-Although I had a feeling the secret identity and everything it encompasses would be the source of conflict/climax, I felt like it needed to be detailed more than it was

Overall, I enjoyed it. I would've preferred it to be longer though in order to include details on many things

⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing
-noncon/dubcon
-h has anxiety attacks/ she was abused/beat up in years before
-OW wants the H but he doesn’t. He gets close to her to get the h jealous
-the H fights the OM 💅 he gets taken care of 💁🏻‍♀️😈
-praise kink/edging/breath play
-no c0nd0ms
-neither are virgins/the h has had one partner
-more than an HFN

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 4 out of 5]

***4 "Filthy Little Liar!!!" stars***



"You can run, but you can't hide from me, cariño."

This was a very intriguing story and I enjoyed it very much...
It felt a little bit outrageous when you would think the ages of our heroes, but still... I liked it!!!
I loved our heroine's backbone and I love our hero's obsessive side...
These two started on the wrong foot but they gave us an amazing result with beautiful and intense moments...

"I'm not afraid of you, Jason."
"You should be afraid of me, Isabelle."

Isabelle had to die in order to live a life that wasn't really her own...
Nicola took her place and she had to change her whole life in order to get out of the clutches of a monster...
She just wants to keep her head down in this new school and to get out of there as soon as possible...
But Jason Novac is ruining her plans when he is putting her on the spotlight with his bullying ways...

"I'll stand up to Jason, and any other bully who gets in my way. I survived worse than him -much, much worse."

Jason is the king of the school... His last name means something to everyone around him, but it means nothing to the new girl... He is intrigued by her and he wants to break her, cause she reminds him of someone... and he doesn't miss a chance to pick up on Nicola.
Deep down, Jason is not what he seems on the outside and he has something in common with Nicola... Their love for playing the violin... But something that is connecting them have the ability to break them apart once and for all!!!

"I hate you with every fiber of my being. I didn't expect to want you with the same intensity."

I really liked this couple...
In the beginning, their hate push and pull was very intense and it was touching obsessive levels.... Yep, Jason was unnecessary a prick to poor Nicola, but I liked that she wasn't backing down and she was giving him back hell!!! It was thrilling to watch the development of their story...
Plus they had their own issues to solve and they could give peace to each other when everything seemed to go in hell...
Yep, I really enjoyed this story and I am curious about the next books in the series... My interest have already picked up with this crew...

"Oh, I can't wait to watch that performance."
"You don't like classical music," Sage replies.
"But I love catastrophe, and that duet will be explosive. Mark my words."

This was part of the anthology "Filthy Elites"!!!

**I received an ARC for the exchange of an honest review**

[Medollga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpectedly unpredictable book

We all know that bully romances have the same too-well-known formula, just the execution plays a role in our enjoyment level. BUT:

- the main characters played violin like their lives depended on it. In a world where every popular highschool book hero is a captain of some sports team, it was refreshing af to see the hero being so talented in performing arts. Plus the main heroine was a musical prodigy, and so part of their conflict was in their competition with each other, which was a treat!

- the heroine was an object of obsession not for one (the hero), but TWO guys. It created this almost competition between two Psychos. Who is the bigger of two evils? Who will win? (of course, we all know who, but still, it was nice to be kept on our toes)

- although the conclusion of the story was predictable as tbh all romance books are, the plot that drove us to said conclusion was refreshing.

The only thing that could be better, now that I had time to think about it, was the quick and almost anticlimactic resolution of the Big Bad Evil. So much was spent on heroine's fear of him, and to get rid of him so easily, so quickly, almost with no fourplay... I feel almost cheated. Also, it would be kinda nice if the hero and the heroine's tormentor had their own cat and mouse play, but oh well.

[ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

though this book is nothing i haven’t read before, it was pretty decent. i liked the music factor that was incorporated in the storyline and the whole situation that Isabelle had with her ex was nice drama i guess.

i rate this book 3 stars primarily because i didn’t feel much of a connection between Jason and Isabelle at any point in the book and everything felt very rushed - including the smut.

all in all, i recommend reading this if you want to add a quick book to your 2024 reading goal.

[Michelle Krystel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advance readers copy of this book and have decided to write a voluntary honest review. I absolutely loved Jason, I knew about Jason from Finn book, and I had to have his story and Nicola. God I love a good bully romance and this book is exactly that. I also really liked Nicola. And I'm excited for the other characters. Cameron and Harley are next I believe.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Umm que puedo decir, todo fue muy rápido a pesar de que el libro tiene bastantes páginas
No pude disfrutar mucho porque la historia iba muy rápido

No me gustó tanto:(, y la calificación que le doy, no más es por el final porque si estuvo lindo🤍

2,5/5✨
1,5/5🔥

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was absolutely incredible! It had me hooked from the prologue and I couldn’t put it down until I finished the very last page! The entire story blew me away!!

Isabelle has been forced into hiding and and ends up moving to Triton Cove where she enrols in Maverick Prep, a prestigious school for the elite. She immediately garners the unwanted attention of the king of the school, Jason Novak, who certainly doesn’t make things easy on her.

Jason is, in a word, intense. And it doesn’t take him long at all to see through the all the lies that Isabelle is telling and hold them against her. He threatens to reveal her deepest, darkest secret, if she doesn’t go along with his plans. But Isabelle isn’t a pushover, and she gives as good as she gets! And it turns out Jason is hiding a secret of his own.

This book was non-stop from beginning to end, and I loved every single second of it! The secrets, the lies, the suspense and of course the explosive chemistry between Jason and Isabelle! I can’t wait for more of this series when Falling For Disaster releases next!

[Corina Ciobanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story 🥰

I was so excited to read this book because for be was the very first review copy from the author

I must admit I’m a fan of bully romance and this was a very beautiful one.

The story flows and you never get bored. I was hooked from the prologue and the mystery behind Nicola/Isabelle past.

Nicola/Isabelle is a sweet character that had the unfortunate luck to have met the wrong person and with that she’s forced to change her whole life. I love that she’s not a week character, she’s passionate, talented, compassionate, friendly - very girly girl 🥰

Jason - he’s our bully high school alpha that comes from the richest family in town, but he has a beautiful heart and he’s there for her exactly when she needs him to be.
Overall they’re very well written and very mature for their age.

Personally I loved the story and definitely looking forward to be reading Finn’s story further on

Thank you Michelle for this beautiful story ❤️

[Marianne Tuakoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute love story! He idolized her since they were kids - then he hated her and then he loved her. Of course there has to be some tragedy along with some bullying and craziness but Nicola is a bad a$$ and gives as much as she gets which only makes the feels all that much stronger! Can’t wait to read about the rest of the group.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle has written an emotionally gripping story, filled with hard truths and characters you can't help but full in love with as you experience their pain at the hands of others.

Isabelle is dead, she's had her life as she knows taken away from her and has become someone else, Nicola. Her plan to go unnoticed and graduate falls to pieces instantly when her strong, defiant nature burns through the carefully crafted cold facade she has created. Isabelle is strong, loyal and unrelenting she faces her bully head on, she meets him strike for strike and begins to make him question everything.

Jason Novak is untouchable, his family built this town and own everyone. Until Nicola walks into his school, her soul calls to him in ways he can't understand but something about her haunts him and makes him question who she really is. Jason is such a complex individual that I was instantly drawn to him, even though in the beginning he is Isabelles bully. He is a tortured soul who has been mentally abused and degraded by his mother and numerous family members, who has had to build himself up into someone impenetrable. His character arc is a thing of beauty to read.

I love the enemies to lovers trope and Jason and Isabelle fulfill every last element in their story. You have the unrivalled, unrolling hate from Jason , the initial hurt and confusion from Isabelle until she turns the tide and fights back, this leads to some very hot and steamy encounters. She shows her inner strength and confuses Jason and makes him question everything till their hate becomes obsession and love or just acceptance and love in Jason's case.

[Emily Thayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Am. In. Love. Falling for Catastrophe may be my favorite Michelle Hercules book to date. This book drew me in from the first chapter and it was written in a way that I truly felt like I experiencing everything along with the characters. I was anxious with them, scared with them, feeling love and hate with them - just all the things. This book boasts one of my favorite plot lines ever and I cannot wait to talk about it with everyone!

Jason is the epitome of an enemies to lovers book boyfriend. His emotions are intense and he hates as passionately as he loves. Between tense familial relations and an obsession briefly turned dark, he’ll find out all your secrets.

Nicola has a secret, one she’s been working on keeping and nothing else. She has a connection to Jason, she just doesn’t know it yet. She is brave and loyal and passionate. When she decides to trust you, you’re it for her. When she’s done playing your games, sparks fly.

Falling for Catastrophe is the epitome of an enemies to lovers, high school bully romance. There are no crazy jumps in the plot or romance lines, everything has a definite cause and reaction. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Read this ASAP if you like
- enemies to lovers
- high school romance
- musician romance
- bully romance
- dark romance

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spice Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

I’ve been obsessed with Michelle Hercules since I first read Heart Stopper and with this new series she did not disappoint. Falling for Catastrophe is the definition of an Enemies-to-lover novel and the feud between Isabelle and Jason is so intense it gives you goosebumps. I love the eerie cloud that follows Isabelle around and how Michelle leaves you feeling uneasy right along with her. Michelle also taps into some hidden kinks that make you feel naughty and enticed just reading about them. Who knew hate s3x could be so good.Jason and Isabelle go through this extreme character development that the twists and turns never stop.

Falling for Catastrophe is such a fast paced, action packed novel it will keep you on your feet with a promise not to disappoint.

[Naurarwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. It's a bully romance about Nicola, but Nicola didn't use to be Nicola, instead, she was Isabelle living her life until she got together with the wrong guy and he left her for dead. So that's what happened, that day Isabelle died, and Nicola was born. She's far from her family and friends and starting fresh, but she's caught the eye of one of the Kings of the school, and as much as she wants to fly under the radar he's making it impossible.

This story is the perfect example of enemies to lovers, they don't want to like each other but they just can't help it. There are a lot of truths discovered about both characters along the way and a few things at the end that need covering up. It's a real rollercoaster ride from start to finish.

[Stital · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, suspenseful and action packed, Falling for Catastrophe is a captivating read.

With a mysterious and ominous vibe, Michelle gives us another gripping tale of secrets, survival and steam. With a fast paced plotline, Jason and Isabelle's relationship depends and develops as more secrets and hidden truths come to light, while the constant threat of past skeletons coming back to haunt them contributes to the eerie atmosphere that makes this story so gripping. I can't wait for more of this new and intriguing world.

4.5 stars and a violin

[Kayscorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good HS bully book that I could not put down - it flowed and was written so well.

I also liked that the hero, Jason, was not a jock which tends to be typical for this genre. He had some vulnerabilities which is usually a turn off for me, but not this time. His vulnerabilities were justified and age appropriate. Well done.

Nicola/Isabelle, the heroine, was likeable - her character was not especially remarkable - but she handled the bullying well and I enjoyed being in her head. I would not have minded if we learned a little more about her backstory and why Juan wanted her dead.

Nonetheless, really good storytelling.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
For most of this book, I was going to be rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4, but the last few chapters wrapped things up a bit too quickly and tidily for me, making the plot seem implausible and the story fall flat. Up until that point, I was thoroughly enjoying it all and was into the characters and their love. I'm not sure if I was intrigued in their world enough to carry on with the series, but I would for sure try this author again someday.

*Read from the Filthy Elites anthology after the standalone was released*

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in the Filthy Elites Anthology.

Let me preface this with the fact that there was A LOT of story in this book. So much so, that it actually needed more pages to fully flesh it out. There were some areas that really needed it in my opinion. YET, even saying that this was still a solid book. I really liked the premise of the story. Were all parts of the story entirely plausible? No. Before anyone can say this is fiction, I get that I do, but this stretched it a little far for me.

The suspense and tension were there as was the chemistry. Would this book make me interested in reading more from this author? ABSOLUTELY. Was it my favorite by her? No. Was it a great addition to this collection of full novels? YES.

Solid 4 stars.

[Patricia (Spellbound Stories Trish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling for Catastrophe is a bully romance like no other! Jason and Isabelle have a connection that will not be denied but both will fight it every chance they get!

I will say Jason is a bully you can’t help but love especially when you learn his truths! Does it excuse what he does no but Isabelle gives as good as she gets, she’s definitely no damsel in distress!

This story is a quick but very enjoyable read that you won’t want to put down!

[Lavinia²⁷ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pudo haber sido muuuuuuy bueno, pero todo se sintió apresurado y la química de los protas estaba por el suelo.
La trama estuvo bien, pero no se la supo explicar como se debía. Que entiendo que sean historias de 200 páginas, pero aquí hay 0 sentimiento. Pasaron del odio al amor literalmente en un paso. La obsesión del MMC (un pequeño plot twist) fue lo que rescató un poquito la historia.
La personalidad de la FMC súper plana y vacía.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Falling for Catastrophe had me sucked in and I couldn't put it down. Great start to the Filthy Gods series. Jason and Nicola's story is HOT! They start out as enemies who can't stay away from each other because of their attraction and "hatred". Good quick read!

[Cheri]

DNF @ chapter 27. Got bored. The relationship between Jason and Isabella needed to be fleshed out more. Didn't feel much connection between them and couldn't tell why they liked each other. The pacing was too fast and the sex scenes needed more detail.

[Babneet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to read and I loved the romance. There was so much chemistry and I loved the banter. There was a little bit of a mystery but it wasn’t too important. Sometimes the story did get slow but I liked the romance and characters so I would definitely recommend it.

[Butthisbook · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Lisbeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se sintió rápido y la trama es débil.

[Issa Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it! I read it in ONE day! I loved Jason and everything about him, how he went into her room that first time, i spit my drink out laughing at them. Everything about him was perfect, the good,bad, and ugly! I loved nikola/Isabelle and how she went through all she did and didn't back down she died and became a new person. So many parts of this book I could rave about but I don't want to spoil it. Her hobby is unique I loved that! The Hate sex was on point and spicy! So many quotes and highlights! I laughed, I was scared, I was anxious, I felt all the feelings. Michelle I'd amazing and So talented! I could go on and on, thank you Michelle now on to the next arc for her because she has me hooked!

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually not that bad at all.

I thought the premise was actually quite unique. Her being a violin prodigy and having faked her death because her ex is a psycho who wants to kill her. The hero knowing who she is like right off the bat even through her disguise because he is also a violinist and used to idolize her. It was interesting. Never read anything like that before in a romance. Although, as with these kinds of bully romance where the hero hates the heroine for a pretty stupid reason, he hates her for a kind of stupid reason, but it didn't really bother me. He also was hardly a bad guy compared to shit I've been reading lately. lol

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where was the romance?
Honestly, the H while a bully, felt more like a loser and pervert. The h... for someone who wanted to hide sure did everything possible to not hide. The conclusion was so unbelievable (yes I know it's fiction), by unbelievable I meant that suddenly the H becomes this strong protector and his friends have the ability to hide a body, he just seemed so weak and pathetic throughout the book and his friends didn't really have much of a backstory.

[Ola Adamska · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was s good to read another contemporary set story from this author. This time it's set collage, which is the environment this author feels really good in and we can see it while devouring the story of the two characters that should never start a relationship with each other.
Nicola is a girl that used to be someone else, she had to change her pans, appearance, and future, and her original self was no more - Isabelle is gone, just a faint memory of her coset one. And now she has a master plan - go under the radar, don't show any sign of being special, just an ordinary student, but as it usually happens - those plans NEVER go well, and on her very first day when she got the attention f the boy that she should stay away from... well... happens, right? I love her character, she's strong, and she will fight like a cat when she needs to, but still, she has feelings that will allow readers to fall for her because we need strong girls in our books to show an example.
Jason - is a privileged man, that can do anything in this college and even in the town, coming from a family like his has its pros, but also cons of this kind of life/position. At first, I did not like him, to be honest, but getting more and more into the book - I fell for him as well. He has layers, a lot of them and this is what makes him so special and loveable. He's a bully, that for sure, but while reading we will get so well-written origin that gave me chills even, but then we can see how he slowly changes and this is something we as readers love to see.
Once again I was hooked up by Ms. Soars' story, and I know for sure that I will be following her works further. I hope all of the books from her fingers will be as good as this one! Here we have a well-written enemies-to-lovers story, that will please readers' senses. Both main characters are strong, have their aim, and will not back down when cornered - what else can we want? A plot? Yes, please - it was well-developed and I really liked how Ms. Soars led us with this story. And the ending... ugh... I need to know what happens next, but it's not cliffy for this couple!

[Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convinced by the special edition again, I tried a new story 🥰 hehe the character art is also really cute!

Enemies to lovers? For real enemies to lovers, it was on and off, push and pull type of vibes.

Lowkey giving bully romance as well 💁🏻‍♀️

Morally grey characters? Yup.

Dual POV? Heheh yes.

It’s spicy with a lot of different ✨ scenarios ✨ their sexual tension is insane - the hate that they give each other turned into desire ~

Running away from her possessive, crazy, ex-boyfriend, Isabelle (also known as Nicola) - talented, traumatized and passionate, transferred to a new school for a fresh start - with her Isabelle identity being confirmed as dead, she made a new persona named Nicola.

Jason, the top dog of the school, powerful, caring, and sometimes cold - drawn towards Isabelle on the first day, he continued to pursue and find her secrets.

With Jason having the upper hand in knowing who she is, he decided to bother her and “hate on her” for various reasons. Their personality clashing, Isabelle and Jason have high tension and their conversations are always so fun to read about, always bickering.

I really enjoyed reading this 😌 a nice brain break hehehe - the only wish that I have is that the story was longer, in a way that parts of the story could be more stretched out and explained rather than rushed.

Overall, love 🤭 can’t wait to see the next book (kinda left off with a cliffhanger), till next time 🎻💕

[Wandering Bemused]

This book was decent! I think it would have worked better as a regular romance trope than a enemies to lovers. I was not buying the enemies angle at all and neither has any reason to dislike the other.

I really like the angle with Juan! I thought that was different, as well as the hidden identity schtick. I did start to get confused to the whole Isabelle/Nicola thing.

Isabelle was a pretty decent character! I really like her determination. I personally, I would not risk my life to play violin but that’s neither here nor there. I think she has a very high bullshit tolerance but she also went through so a lot. I wish her friendship with that one girl was more developed.

I did not like Jason. Jason was super annoying, very insecure and a bit unlikable. He knew he was untouchable and used it to his advantage. His reason for not liking her was super petty and dumb. Someone snubbed you one time when you were 10 and now you are gonna mess with them??? okay?? He also straight up left her in an isolated turn off???? Like what the hell??? I would have a hard time forgiving that. He was ok toward the end but was showing some initial red flags

All in all pretty ok book!