/WARNING: This contains the FULL synopsis of The Bully’s Dare and includes spoilers. Skip this section if you don’t want to be spoiled!

Kenzi, an 18-year old self-described geek and introvert, arrives on Hannsett Island just as summer begins. She’s stuck in “rich‑people‑land” and forced to endure the latest addition to her mom’s string of shallow relationships.

Meanwhile, dock-hand Donovan—a brooding, queer loner with dark clothes and quick wit—has become the target of relentless bullying by the island’s wealthy teens. After Kenzi stands up for Donovan, the two of them bond and devise a plan to get back at the bullies.

Their target: Jason King, the cocky “leader” of the pack as the son of the wealthiest family on the island. Donovan and Kenzi play elaborate pranks on Jason throughout the summer, determined to get back at him. One of their pranks includes untying Jason’s dad’s boat from the dock, causing it to get stuck in the mud.

Meanwhile, things between Jason and Donovan are tense. Hannsett Island boosts the nation’s leading medical center, and Donovan and Jason are both attending a summer program for emerging doctors. Although they were once childhood friends, there has been a rift between them ever since teenage-hood. When they’re paired up for a project that’s forced to bring them in physical proximity, Jason lashes out, and Donovan realizes that Jason’s bullying tactics may be covering up a hidden vulnerability underneath…

After a particularly satisfying victory prank against Jason, Donovan and Kenzi go to a private room to celebrate. Their victory sparks a heat between the two, and they kiss. The heavy petting becomes too intense for Donovan, who “finishes” in his pants. Embarrassed, he pulls away. The two agree that they should remain friends, nothing more.

Jason ultimately comes up with a truce: he’ll leave Donovan alone…on the condition that Kenzi goes out on a date with him. What starts as a strategic ice-cream date takes an unexpected turn: the connection between Kenzi and Jason becomes strangely magnetic and evolves into an all-night phone call after the date.

Kenzi is surprised when Jason’s family invites her and her family over for dinner. At the dinner, she notices Jason’s normally cocky, arrogant humor has left him. He seems on edge. In the middle of dinner, his father brings up the boat incident and embarrasses Jason in front of everyone at the table by forcing him to submissively apologize. Kenzi starts to realize: the bully-apple does not fall far from the bully-tree. Later that night, she attempts to comfort Jason, and the two have a genuine, connective moment.

When she returns to the marina, Donovan can sense there’s been a change in Kenzi and Jason’s relationship. He’s angry, and he takes it out on Kenzi. The two get in a fight, but ultimately reconcile when Donovan realizes he’s being unfair to her.

Jason, however, is still “on the hook.” He attempts to repair things with Donovan by groveling and helping out with tasks around the marina. During this moment, a muskrat appears and terrifies Donovan. The muskrat becomes a joke between the three of them, who dub themselves “The Three Muskrats” in reference to “The Three Musketeers.”

By summer’s end, their trio evolves into a fast, secret bond. Donovan invites Jason and Kenzi to a boat yard, where they get in an abandoned boat. Donovan announces his plans to fix up the junk boat. His plans surprise Kenzi, who realize his trajectory looks very different from Kenzi and Jason’s, who are in line to follow a much more traditional path (college, then work).

The three of them play a game of Truth or Dare in the boat. When the game becomes steamy, Donovan starts to leave. But Jason takes Donovan’s wrist, telling him to stay. Jason, Donovan, and Kenzi engage in a threesome — Kenzi’s first sexual experience. At the end, Jason asks if they’re going to tell anyone about this. The three agree to keep it a secret.

However, Kenzi misses her period, and discovers she’s become pregnant. She turns to Jason’s dad for assistance, who runs the hospital on the island. Since he’s a doctor, she confides in him, hoping he’ll be able to help her. However, Jason’s dad is convinced this union will ruin his son’s reputation and the hard-won reputation of their family. He encourages her to get an abortion. When she resists, he threatens to blackmail her and her family if she doesn’t go through with it.

Terrified, Kenzi finally opens up to her mother. Her mother helps sneak her off the island. Kenzi leaves Donovan a heartfelt note and a cryptic apology. She leaves for the summer with both Jason and Donovan unaware that she’s carrying their child…(find out what happens next in The Doctor’s Truth!)

• Main characters:
  • Kenzi – a curvy, nerdy heroine caught between loyalty and attraction.
  • Donovan – a tough queer outcast with a hidden heart of gold.
  • Jason King – the rich, bully-turned-lover whose guard finally cracks.
• Tropes and themes: Bully romance; enemies to friends to lovers; coming-of-age; small-town/beach-town setting; bisexual MMF dynamics; pregnancy trope; polyam elements; why choose; reverse harem.
• Tone and style: Fast-paced, emotionally intense, and steamy with a mix of humor and raw, tender moments.
• Trigger warnings and content tags include but aren’t limited to male/male/female (with slight male/male) group sex scenes, bullying from the main character, homophobic remarks, abandonment issues, drug use (marijuana), death of parent (mentioned, not on page), surprise pregnancy.

Q: Is this part of a series?

A: Yes! The Bully’s Dare is Book #1 in a complete, 4-book series called the “Truth or Dare Series.” The first plot line involving Kenzi, Jason, and Donovan is wrapped up in books #1 (The Bully’s Dare) and #2 (The Doctor’s Truth), completing the duet. Books #3 and #4 are complete stories of their own following their children, Otto and Joan.

The reading order is as follows: The Bully’s Dare (Book #1), The Doctor’s Truth (Book #2), Two Truths and a Lie (a bonus novella that takes place between #1 and #2), All I Want for Christmas is Them (Book #3), and The Pink Lantern (Book #4).

Q: Is there a cliffhanger?

A: Yes, The Bully’s Dare ends on a cliffhanger that is resolved in Book #2, The Doctor’s Truth, where the three characters get their hard-earned happily ever after.

Q: Is it multi-POV?

A: Yes, The Bully’s Dare is a first-person, present tense narrative. The chapters flip from three different points of view — Kenzi, Donovan, and Jason.

Q: Is there M/M (gay) content?

A: Sort of…although Donovan is openly out through the entire series, Jason’s coming out as a bisexual man is a slower process. In this book, he’s still learning to accept his identity. While there is a “moment” between the two of them on the boat, Jason is still struggling to come to terms with his own sexuality, which is explored fully in The Doctor’s Truth, and touched upon in the bonus book, Two Truths & a Lie.

Q: Is this a spicy book?

A: Yes, although I would call this a “medium heat” book. While there are open-door intimate scenes, the heat really turns up in the following book, The Doctor’s Truth, once all of the characters are full adults.

Q: Where are the spicy chapters?

A: Chapter 8 (Donovan “arrives” in his pants), Chapter 10 (Kenzi dreams about Jason), Chapter 22- 25 (“What happens on the boat, stays on the boat”).

Q: Is Hannsett Island a real place?

A: No, Hannsett Island is a fictional place, but it was based on the author’s real life experiences as a teenager when she spent the summers living in a marina on Long Island.

Q: Is there an audiobook?

A: Yes! You can listen to the whole Truth or Dare Series on Audible or whatever platform you prefer to listen to audiobooks.

Q: Is it in Kindle Unlimited?

A: Yes, the entire Truth or Dare Series is currently enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can borrow “The Bully’s Dare” and subsequent books in the Truth or Dare Series for free.