CRUEL RULE: AN ELITE PREP SCHOOL BULLY ROMANCE

Book 1: ROYAL OAKS PREP

by J.T. Hardt

Genres: YA Contemporary Romance; YA Romance

Synopsis

I kissed the king of Royal Oaks Prep. Now I'm his favorite target.

Leo Holt is rich, ruthless, and ridiculously hot.
Captain of the basketball team.
Worshipped by the school.
Feared by everyone else.

And me?
I'm the new girl. The nobody.
The mistake he never saw coming.

One stolen kiss at a summer bonfire—that's all it took to paint a target on my back.
Now he's made it his mission to destroy me, one brutal rumor at a time.

But I don't scare easy.
I don't cry in the bathroom.
And I sure as hell don't bow to bullies—no matter how good they look in a varsity jacket.

Leo Holt thinks he can break me?
He's dead wrong.

Because I've got secrets of my own.
And when the queen rises... the king falls.

Perfect for fans of:
💔 High school bully romance
🔥 Enemies-to-lovers tension
👑 Alpha bad boys & fierce heroines
🎓 Prep school drama with real heart
💋 First kisses, cruel games, and slow-burn passion

(THIS IS BOOK ONE OF A TWO BOOK SERIES MINI CLIFF)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“My new obsession!”
I devoured this in one sitting. Leo Holt is the arrogant, broken, brooding bad boy of my dreams, and the heroine? An actual queen. I was hooked from the bonfire kiss to the final twist. If you love cruel games, sizzling tension, and girls who fight back, this book is for you.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“Best bully romance of the year.”
This book has EVERYTHING.
💋 First kiss at a bonfire? Check.
👑 Arrogant alpha who secretly cares? Check.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“Read this if you love Zodiac Academy, Elite, or Cruel Prince.”
The Gold Royal Oak setting gave dark academia perfection, and the dynamics between Leo and the heroine were FIRE. Every time he called her “Gitanilla” I MELTED. I need this adapted to Netflix immediately.
#LeoHoltForever #PromKingFanClub

🎓 Rich kids, power plays, and private school chaos? DOUBLE CHECK.
The writing is sharp, the pacing flawless, and the heat? Let's just say I highlighted a lot.

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Release date: September 29, 2025

Print pages: 187