A gut-wrenching read

Worse Than Enemies: A Dark Bully Romance

by J.L. Beck

What a roller-coaster! I can honestly say that I did not see that plot twist coming. Sometimes things really aren’t as they seem.

I loved the heroine and identified with her every step of the way. She is a good example of how nurture and a person’s circumstances do not (and should not) define who they are as a person. She sees the good in Hayes, despite the shitty way he treats her. I wish she had more of a spine though, but in the end, I understand why she made the choices she did. Sometimes not fighting back is the best approach, if you know it will only make things worse. I get that.

And Hayes…oh, Hayes. This one was gut-wrenching. I was right there with him – the shame, the pain, the judgment, the humiliation, the wanting it all to end – and everything else in between. I also felt conflicted about his decision to take out his frustrations on Morgan. Maybe it was warranted in the beginning, but taking it that far was unwarranted on his part. It didn’t take a genius to see that besides sharing half her DNA, Morgan was nothing like her mother. And how he contradicted himself. I was conflicted when he told Salem she was allowed to say no. A little hypocritical of him, considering it was less than a day after he ignored someone else’s no’s. Same circumstance.

Overall, it wasn’t as dark as I was expecting, but that’s okay since not everyone’s definition of dark is the same. I would still say it is called a Dark Bully Romance for a reason. The ending felt a bit rushed but I’m a sucker for a good HEA, and that’s what J.L. Beck delivered for the main characters. For that, I give this 5-stars.

As Salem so succinctly puts it, for all its glitz, glamor, and prestige – the school is just teeming with kids who have fucked up relationships with their families. For this, I look forward to the rest of the books in this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Bleeding Heart Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.