Breaking the Badboy by J.T. Hardt

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Romance Author J.T. Hardt is celebrating the release of her new book, Breaking The Badboy (A Highschool Enemies To Lovers Bully Romance), by giving away amazing prizes to five (5) lucky winners! Click here to enter.

Three Princes. One New Girl. No Mercy.

When Jen moves to Lakeview High, she wants nothing more than to fly under the radar. But the Gang of Princes has other plans.

They choose one girl each year. One girl to wear the crown.

It’s a game. A status symbol. A trap.

Galen—the brooding king with secrets darker than night.
Angelo—the golden boy with a wicked streak.
Thomás—the quiet one who might be the most dangerous of all.

Jen is no damsel. And she’s not here to be claimed. But in a school where power means everything, refusing the crown may cost her more than her pride.

Enemies-to-lovers tension
Found family & forbidden romance
High school politics with mafia-level stakes

Who will break—and who will be broken?

Perfect for fans of bully romance and dark high school drama with a twist of heart.

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Read A Free Excerpt From Breaking The Badboys by J.T. Hardt:

The town was cute. I was too busy feeling grumpy and resentful to explore when we moved here a few weeks ago. I turned down a small side street, stopping with wide eyes at the cute bookstore with an American flag fluttering in the breeze out front. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply as I opened the door.

“Miss? Are you all right?”

“Just a second…,” I raised a finger with my eyes still closed. The smell of books was my drug.

Real books.

Leather-bound.

Old, mixed with the smell of freshly printed paperbacks…I was a book whore.

Unashamedly.

My favorite place where we used to live was the old thrift shop where I could scoop up ten or twelve for a dollar. Mom boxed them all up and returned them as donations last year when I was in school. I cried. Literally cried. She just didn’t get it or me. She’s not evil or mean. She just doesn’t understand me the way I don’t her.

An old man shuffled from around the counter. His wire-rimmed glasses sat perched on the bridge of his nose. His grey hair was crazy like an old professor. But his smile was the knowing one. “I’ve waited my whole life for a girl like you.”

I smiled. “I think I just found heaven. Are you hiring?”

He shrugged. “More like retiring. We don’t get much business. People these days like to read on their devices.”

“It’s just not the same,” I scoffed.

“It isn’t, is it? Feel free to look around. “

“Oh, will!” I set off toward the back of the store. My hands rubbed together, giddy at the collection. He had classics. The ones banned in schools.

An entire wall of poetry collections.

A section for Indie authors.

I got lost, reading blurb after blurb, waiting for that zing when one would entice me. I laughed out loud as I perused the sci-fi section finding “Bound by the Alien.” Apparently, it was a BDSM romance where a hot alien man takes his human to the stars in more ways the one.

I skimmed a few pages out of humor, but soon found myself wrapped in the story due to good writing. Just as a rather in-depth love scene started to unfold—I closed the book, red-faced. I had pictured the alien man’s face to be Angelo’s. When alien man was tracing his fingertips across the woman’s spine—it was Angelo’s golden eyes and hair I saw, lit with desire.

I was losing it.

There was no other explanation.

I placed the book back on the shelf, scooped up a collection of poetry written by an Argentine and translated, and found a good coming-of-age fiction by an Indie author. But alien man and his woman… were still in my mind. I went back for it, hid the paperback in the middle of my stack, and headed for the register.

The owner didn’t even raise a brow as he rang me up. He carefully placed my purchases in a bag and handed them over with a smile. “I hope you’ll be back.”

“You know I will.” Especially since he only charged me for two books.

I left the bookstore feeling lighter.

Fuck the Princes.

Their bullshit wasn’t real life. Their made-up drama can’t touch me. I kept walking down the small street under the shade of oak trees whose leaves were still green. I smiled in delight as the street turned into another street leading to a small park. No one was there. I found a huge tree in the shade, rested my back against the trunk, and opened my bag.

I started with the poetry, but soon switched back to raunchy sci-fi. I got lost in the whispered words of love and romance. Something I’d never had. Teenage boys suck at that shit anyway. Soon, the sounds of a wireless speaker blasting hip-hop came from across the park. It was annoying but not enough to rip my eyes from the pages of my book. I blocked out the sounds of a bouncing basketball, the shouts of players on the court across from me as alien man married his human bride in an intergalactic ritual involving honey, wax, and red roses.

“Hey!” I shouted as the book was ripped from my hands just when the wedding night was getting interesting. Thomás cleared his throat, held the book high and started reading every lusty detail in a booming voice.

I was dead.

My life was over from humiliation.

My whole body turned red in embarrassment. “…his touch was fire on my skin. Drakkon kissed a trail down to my breasts before his double tongue rolled each one of my nipples. I was so wet for him. His member was twice the size of any male human. It hurt at first, but then as he thrust, I screamed in pleasure at how he filled me…”

Howls of laughter erupted from the guys on the court. “Damn, new girl. You read some kinky shit.”

“I’ll be your alien man.” Angelo trotted over and I just withered. If he only knew in my head, he already was. Angelo was tanned perfection. Sweat dripped from his naked torso, down his abs. He caught me looking. I jumped, snatching back my book from Thomás’s hands, grabbed the rest of my things, and tried to rush off when my arm was grabbed, swinging me back around.

My eyes widened as Thomás grabbed me. Behind him, facing the other direction, was a familiar back. It was coated in a fine sheen of sweat. His taunt muscles were covered in that bold ink I was entranced by earlier. The guy turned.

Galen.

It was Galen. A.K.A. King of the Princes. The look of pure hatred in his eyes when ours locked had my heart beating faster than the heroine’s in the book that was clutched in my hands. I knew his dirty little secret. I wonder if the rest of his crew did too.

He mouthed the word “Princess.” The action hit me like a shot. Even if he hated me, he’d still choose me. My arm burned from where Thomás still held it.

“Let me go. Now!”

“Sure thing, princess.” His hold loosened, his fingers rubbed up and down the red marks he had made.

“My name’s Jen,” I snapped.

Thomás, leaned down, his minty breath made my lips tingle as he spoke so close against them. “Kiss me now, and I’ll delete the video I just took. Deny me, and it gets posted to my Snapchat story.”

“You wouldn’t?”

His brow rose as he hovered inches above me.

Angelo frowned. “You hurt her.”

“Not yet, but we will.” Thomás finally let me go, smirking as he noticed my heartbeat thrumming hard.

My eyes cut to Angelo’s, pleading. But he shook his head. I knew there was no way out. Not even the “nice” one would help. All the shame and joking dissipated. What was left between the four of us, hanging in the air, was heavy. Charged with what was to come.

About The Author:

Author of swoon & scorch
Stories with heart, heat & edge
Writing one HEA at a time
Small towns | Big feelings

JT Hardt is the author of emotionally charged, addictive romance stories that explore the glitter and grit behind privilege, power, and young love. Hardt made a splash with their debut novel, Yacht Club Boy Summer, a steamy summer romance set against a backdrop of wealth and secrets. The buzz continued with Breaking the Bad Boy, and now readers are eagerly awaiting the launch of Lakeview High, a bold new high school bully romance series. When not writing twisty, heart-flipping love stories, JT Hardt can be found people-watching at coffee shops or dreaming up drama in the quiet moments between songs.

Exclusive Interview with J.T. Hardt:

Q: Your debut novel, Yacht Club Boy Summer, pulled back the curtain on privilege and summer love. What inspired you to dive into that world—and what message did you hope readers would walk away with?

JTH: I grew up fascinated by the way summer has its own rhythm—a time when everything feels suspended between what’s real and what’s possible. Those fleeting months of freedom always felt electric to me, full of first crushes, late-night confessions, and moments that stay burned into your memory long after the season ends. Writing Yacht Club Boy Summer was my way of capturing that magic, but also exploring the flip side: the pressure, the social divides, and the way privilege can shape a story before it even begins.

A lot of the emotions in the book came from my own summers—the kind where a single glance across a crowded beach could set your heart racing, or where a romance felt like the whole world, even if it was destined to be temporary. I wanted readers to feel that rush of nostalgia and excitement, but also see the realness underneath all the glossy summer perfection. More than anything, I hoped to remind people that love stories, no matter where they happen, are just as complicated, messy, and transformative as the people living them.

Q: Both Breaking the Bad Boy and your upcoming Lakeview High series lean into the emotional tension of high school dynamics. What draws you to writing about teenage power struggles and romance?

JTH: High school is this intense, unforgettable chapter of life where everything feels bigger than it is—friendships, heartbreak, power dynamics, even just walking into the cafeteria. I think that’s why I’m drawn to writing about it: the stakes feel so high because, in that moment, they really are. Those years shaped so much of who I am, and I love channeling that raw energy into my stories.

For me, teenage power struggles and romance are about more than drama; they’re about identity and resilience. First love, betrayal, figuring out where you belong—all of it leaves a permanent mark, and I think readers connect to that nostalgia and intensity, no matter their age. Writing Breaking the Bad Boy and the Lakeview High series lets me dive into those messy emotions and explore what it means to grow up, fall hard, and find strength in unexpected places.

Q: If one of your books were turned into a streaming series tomorrow, who would you cast as your main couple—and what’s the one scene you’d insist stay exactly as written?

JTH: If Breaking the Bad Boy ever made it to streaming, I’d love to see Jacob Elordi as Galen—he has that perfect mix of danger and vulnerability that makes Galen impossible to resist. For Jen, I’d cast Hailey Fuchere; she has this natural sweetness and quiet strength that would make Jen’s journey feel so authentic.

The one scene I’d fight to keep exactly as written? The birthday party scene. It’s such a turning point—it’s messy, charged, and full of that intoxicating mix of danger, attraction, and power shifts that define their relationship. It’s the moment that sets everything in motion, and I’d want viewers to feel every ounce of tension and longing that’s on the page.

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