Nellie Rivera is trading traffic for tranquility. When the quiet streets of small-town Montana beckon, she leaves Denver behind and moves to Calamity. It would be the perfect adventure if not for Cal Stark.
When her archnemesis dares to show his face one Saturday morning, declaring he is moving there too, she vows to make his life a misery. The town isn’t big enough for the both of them and besides . . .
She was here first.
Cal has been a thorn in her side since high school. He might have bullied her back then, but she’s not a modest teenager anymore and has learned a few plays of her own. If all goes to plan, she’ll run the former pro quarterback out of town within a month.
There’s only one problem. Cal has the same plan. He wants Calamity bad enough to pull out all the stops. And after one kiss, she realizes that he doesn’t play fair.
Willa Nash is Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author Devney Perry’s alter ego, writing contemporary romance stories for Kindle Unlimited. Lover of Swedish Fish, hater of laundry, she lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. She was born and raised in Montana and has a passion for writing books in the state she calls home.
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this is the weirdest enemies to lovers book i've read in my life.
they went from enemies, to secret fuck buddies to i love you marry me and i'm here like:
This was my highly anticipated book about Cal and Nellie. they hate but secretly love each other since high school. Cal was the rich popular jock and Nellie was the poor girl on scholarship. he treated her like crap, humiliated her, sabotaged her, got her dad fired from his job where they literally lost their livelihood.
Then in the present time Cal just retired from the NFL and moves to Calamity to be closer to his best friend Pierce (from the previous book) for whom Nellie works. They can't stand each other so both are on mission to drive the other out of the city.
And here comes the weird part. So we find out everything about their past when Cal steals one of Nellie's diaries from high school where she described every awful thing he did to her. Also who gives you the right to read someones thoughts and secrets without pemission?? This was so intrusive!! Normally Cal feels like shit but he does nothing to make things better in the present!!! This annoyed me so much.
He had a reputation as an asshole in the NFL, he's rude all the time, basically acts like a recluse and the author normally explained his piss poor behaviour with his childhood trauma or the fancy word for daddy issues. So what his dad cheated on his mom, put a lot of pressure on him to succeed as an athlete and all of Cal's awful behaviour was just a fuck you to his dad and their perfect family picture?
OMG GROW THE FUCK UP. He was a 33 year old man ffs. No one abused you or forced you to act like the rudest jerk in existence. Normally the author tried to explain all of that again just like a front to protect himself but i couldn't get past how terribly he treated everyone around him, i don't care if that's a front or not, imo he didn't do anything himself to explain his actions. He did nothing period. He didn't apologized like he should, he didn't grovel enough, it was like none of it was his fault?
I get that they both have history together. Later it was revealed that for 4 years they have a fuck buddy situation where they have sex and then don't see each other for months or years. The only positive thing about this was that for 4 years they only had sex with each other.
However, there wasn't any romance. There wasn't any chemistry or cute moments. They literally insult each other all the time, than have sex, don't see each other for days, weeks, have sex, insult all over again. I was so frustrated😤😤😤
I feel like they barely said two words that weren't some taunt or insult. So the moment both realize they actually love each other?
In the end Nellie was the one who went and chased him. 😤
AHHHHHHHH‼️I devoured this series HAHAHA but it was just so easy and fun to read. I really enjoyed the comfort they brought me. I’d say for NOW this one is my fav but I have a feeling the ones to come will be even better. Cal & Nellie were so funny w their “hatred” for each other, and enemies w benefits? yes PLSSSS! i love how everyone in this series turned out to be one big found family. also this author does NOT PLAY when it comes to epilogues😍 cant wait for the next book to come out!
Oh my gosh! The push and pull between Cal and Nellie was deliciously fun and smexy with moments of angst. Reflecting on this read, a roller-coaster ride is what comes to mind. This had me moving from one emotion to the next before gently easing me down and starting the whole thing over again. It was freaking wonderful! As soon as I finished, I wanted to do it all again.
This author has the ability to make me love tropes that I usually shy away from. She’s proven this to me repeatedly and yet I still was a bit anxious going into this one. And again, she completely won me over. In my opinion, this isn’t a dark bully story. Cal and Nellie gave as good as they got so it never felt as though one had more power emotionally over the other.
My heart was definitely softened towards both of them as I read about their pasts, the different events and incidents that inflicted pain upon them and their struggle to overcome it. They were on what I would consider an even playing field although neither realized it.
I loved watching this couple connect throughout the story, each time bringing them closer to something more than just a hookup. I couldn’t wait to learn what it was going to take to get them permanently together in the end. Insert a ridiculously adorable child saying, “Unka Cal” and I was a goner.
I love a well done enemies to lovers romance and this one was great. Nellie and Cal went to high school together and they weren't friends... and now as adults with a mutual friend (Nellie's boss/friend and Cal's bff) they end up spending more time together than they'd like. I loved seeing Nellie's diary entries and learning why Cal was the way he was when they were younger and I also loved watching his growth. They were great together and the ending left me with a big smile on my face.
Audio book source: Audible Story Rating: 4 stars Narrators: Cindy Kay & Connor Crais Narration Rating: 4 stars Genre: Contemporary Romance Length:7h 30m
this was a very different book from the rest of them. I enjoyed it all the same, but it was fun to kind of shake things up. I loved that both of these characters were side characters that were hinted at from specifically the third book. I really found myself wondering what was gonna happen next, I was kind of always on my toes so that was interesting. I feel like throughout the story I was equally irritated and in awe at the same time of what was happening. Like I adore Nellie, but she irritated me sometimes because she was like a pendulum always switching sides, same thing with Cal but I can appreciate his honesty with himself. I liked how we got to find out they were practically enemies with benefits, I was not expecting that at all and that definitely threw me for a loop and made the story 10 times more interesting. I’ve never read a book like this before so at first I didn’t know how to feel, but now that the story has kind of settled I did really enjoy it!
“Tell me what you hate about me.” “Excuse me?” I spun around. Was he joking? “Tell me what you hate about me,” he repeated. “We don’t have that much time.”
5 'Tell me what you hate about me' Stars! ARC provided via Valentine PR in exchange for an honest review.
I swear this series keeps getting better with each book! Until now, the previous installment (The Brazen) was my absolute favorite but I have to say Cal and Nellie have stolen my heart completely with The Bully. This novel is the perfect mix of enemies-to-lovers / I-wanted-you-forever-but-never-told-you theme. I just couldn’t get enough of this couple! I loved the back and forth between past and present and reading how they finally act on their true feelings for one another.
So, The Bully is the fourth installment in Willa Nash’s Calamity Montana series, and it tells the story of Nellie Rivera and Cal Stark. These two know each other from high school, they had this weird mix of emotions between them, but Cal essentially decided it was better to act as a bully than saying what he really felt. Now Cal has retired, and he wants to start a new life in Calamity. But Nellie is not having it. She was there first and she wants him out. But what happens when we discover they have this secret passion and they are acting on it? Will that win or are the past experiences too painful for this couple?
This was us. Push and pull. Cold or hot. Off to on. We were magnets, one flip and we’d repulse each other. But turned the other way, there was no ripping us apart.
Wow, wow, wow. I literally devoured this book. Like I could not stop reading. The story between Cal and Nellie is so addicting. I am a sucker for couples that secretly want each other and these two are the prime example of that. They try to mask everything as hate but it’s so obvious there is so much more to them. The connection and chemistry between these two! It was beautiful, heartbreaking at times and so freaking steamy. I loved seeing how their story develops and how they can’t stop themselves from finally accepting their true feelings. What an incredible roller coaster Willa Nash has written. You will not be disappointed; the wait has been totally worth it!
I’d rather spend a lifetime arguing with Cal Stark, than laughing with anyone else.
Therefore, I am rating The Bully with 5 STARS because Willa keeps making me fall in love with Calamity and the outstanding characters she is creating around this small town. I do have a new favorite couple (but I do love them all!) because Nellie and Cal’s story is so my jam. I love the theme and the troupe and how Willla developed it. I loved reading their whole story and how they finally get together after so many years apart. Any enemies-to-lovers fan will love this book so I highly recommend you read it (and the whole series!).
The only thing better than enemies to lovers is enemies with benefits. I live for characters who can’t stand to be around each other but deep down it’s because they can’t get the other person out of their head. Top tier.
Cal & Nellie went to high school together, and now years later they both end up in the same small town in Montana. They never got along in high school, Nellie was the poor, nerdy girl, Cal was the rich, hot jock. Now they’re forced to be around each other and those feelings from their teenage years can’t stay buried long.
This is very much a “I hate you but I want you” situation, and I loved it. They definitely have lots of pent up feelings for each other, both good and bad. Honestly some of the insults they hurled at each other hurt my feelings at times lol. But it was very obvious they had both been hiding feelings and putting up walls to keep the other out for years. I loved how their history of why they “hated” each other so much unfolds through Nellie’s diary entries. It gave so much necessary insight into their past without having to break up the momentum of the plot with tons of flash backs.
I think this was my favorite of the series so far! It’s always so fun to see characters from the other books in the series make appearances. And i love how the epilogue of each book gives a tiny hint about the next one in the series!
Nellie really got on my nerves. Her total hatred of anything and everything Cal got old really fast. She was so stuck in the past, and thinking she knew exactly how Cal operated that she refused to see him in any way but her Bully. Her reactions to him as an adult was just horrible.
quel plaisir de retourner à Calamity dans le Montana 🤠🐎🌾
quelle histoire ! ce tome s’impose sans mal comme mon favori de la saga (pour l’instant du moins, il en reste encore deux 🤭)
j’ai tout simplement adoré le moment que j’ai passé aux côtés de Cal & Nellie, leur relation est explosive, complexe et tellement attachante— c’est court mais tellement efficace !
j’ai adoré les flashback au travers du journal intime de Nellie, j’ai adoré les personnalités des deux protagonistes qui m’ont tout les deux beaucoup touchés, j’ai adoré la tension, j’ai adoré les émotions que cette histoire m’a procuré en me faisant passer des larmes aux rires (la scène du discours mdr)
et évidemment, ai-je besoin d’ajouter que j’adore tout simplement cette found family ?
le teasing à la fin concernant le prochain tome sur Larke ? i can’t waitttt
The Bully certainly sweet. The enemy to lover trophe hits the right note. I do enjoy the slow and sexy banter and pranks between Nellie and Cal. They both sweet and so much head strong. Miss Nash proves herself again in this NA romance.
I wish there is more drama on the story. More twist and turn. More secrets.
I really loved this one from Willa Nash - enemies to lovers, small town, but how Nash told this story really sealed the deal for me.
What I loved: 1. Cal was a fantastic hero. Although her perception is that he bullied her (and he did) his reasoning for doing what he did and how it was revealed was so good and so unique. 2. I really loved that Nellie owned who she was and was proud of who she was. At times, her pride might have been a detriment to her happiness with Cal but she rectified it when it mattered. 3. Cal and Nellie had really great chemistry - physically and emotionally. 4. The narrators were amazing, as always. 5. Willa Nash crafted a great story!
There really wasn’t anything that I disliked. It was great and well crafted romance, one of my fave standalones from the series.
TELL ME WHY YOU HATE ME! Cal + Nellie’s banter is electric and steamy. Ahhh, just pure perfection. 🥲
tropes: small town romance, enemies with benefits, and enemies to lovers!
I loved Nellie’s diary entries and Cal’s realization of how much pain he caused her. I don’t normally love bully to lover romances, but he falls first and he PINES FOR HER💖
The Bribe - 3.75 stars The Bluff - 4.25 stars The Brazen - 4 stars >> The Bully - 3.25–.5 stars The Brawl - tbr/November 2022
WN/DP returns with another peek into the small town community of Calamity, Montana. This go-round, The Bully gives us/the reader the chance to get more acquainted with some of the newest residents, Nellie & Cal — The Brazen’s hero, Pierce’s two bffs. Both are like family to Pierce…separately. As expected since high school, however, these two are anything, BUT close or family-like to each other. It’s taken them almost two decades, but Nellie & Cal finally started putting the gloves away 🥊.
I’m going to level with you, a bully romance fan I am not. I absolutely love a good enemies-to-lovers trope, but this more particular riff(bully) of ETL just has never been my cuppa. HOWEVER, if bully romance is your jam, by all means, take my review with a big ass grain of salt 🧂lol. You probably will be more satisfied than me. Anyhoo, based on the little teases in The Brazen for this pairing & the fact I’ve enjoyed each of the previous books in the series so far, I was cautiously optimistic despite the title. So I think I actually did a pretty good job keeping an open mind all the way to the end. Even though his actions were ass-backwards in high school & sometimes in the present, I believed Cal’s intentions for the most part. His methods in their teens just particularly sucked. I bought into the magnetism that kept drawing them together… sort of. Generally, I didn’t dislike either h or H. I mean I gave a bully romance more than a star over 2 stars 😏, so it’s decent.
⛔️ spoilery side from here on ⛔️
AND tbh, while yeah, it still didn’t suddenly turn me into a fan of the trope, I’m not so sure that was what kept the story hovering at just above average throughout. What held it back more was the unanticipated addition of enemies-with-benefits. I don’t get the appeal in romance tbh, especially when it exists off-page before the book even begins(even if it’s only occasionally when he would come to visit Pierce, Nellie works for Pierce). They were unknowingly monogamous since it began happening a few years before, so I suppose that was the one positive of it 🤷🏻♀️. Still, one of the main reasons I continually gravitate to ETL is the growing anticipation & developing tension between the h & H. EWB undercuts both of those things like a slow leak. The romance becomes underdeveloped & unremarkable imho. It would be one thing if it had been only once in the past, then the tension might be more believable to recapture in time. But the latter wasn’t the case here. So since it wasn’t, I think that was one of the main reasons causing the holding pattern I felt with the story remaining status quo.
Also thought WN/DP cut corners a bit in some areas imo. i.e. For a long stretch, both characters were too isolated from others. It’s intentionally mentioned between this book & the last, that Pierce is like family to each of them. Also to a lesser extent, it seemed like Kerrigan(Pierce’s wife/The Brazen’s heroine) & Nellie clicked pretty quick, even before they met in person. I know My point with less availability & even if they didn’t spill all the beans to him, Pierce still would’ve been there for them, especially with Cal just getting there. & idk, maybe Cal could’ve made friends with Duke(The Bribe) or Hux (The Bluff) too. Nellie kinda made friends with Larke, Kerrigan’s sister, but she vanished for stretches.
So there it is 🤷🏻♀️. A little above average read. I still like the Calamity series a lot, so I’m not gonna stop now. The twist in the epilogue about Larke(the upcoming The Brawl heroine & Kerrigan’s sister) absolutely has me curious. November’s so far 😭.
Probably my least favourite of the series so far. Nellie and Cal have pretty much been enemies since high school, when he used to bully her.
Fast forward, they are now in their 30s and still hate each other. Cal moves to the town where Nellie lives and all they do is argue or insult each other. They also have an enemies with benefits situation going on and then next thing you know they’re in love with each other. I’m sorry????????
There was no development from being enemies to being lovers except for the sex. There were no cute, heartwarming or tender moments between them so how the hell did they fall in love?
The only good thing was seeing the characters from the other books lmao
The Calamity Montana series has been so enjoyable and it's not over yet. This fourth book in the series can read as a standalone but this is a great series that I would highly recommend if you love small town romances. I wish I lived in Calamity!
My musical muse for The Bully is 'You Should Probably Leave' by Chris Stapleton
Cal and Nellie both appear in the third book , The Brazen. Cal is Pierce's best friend and Nellie is Pierce's friend and his second in command of his company. The three of them know each other from school. Pierce and Cal are both from wealthy families and Nellie was a scholarship student. All the rich kids gave her a hard time or ignored her. School was a hellish experience.
When I beat Pierce for valedictorian, I was so proud. So smug. Yet as I stood at the podium, getting ready to deliver my speech, all of my arrogance evaporated. Because I was staring at a crowd of people who would never accept me. Ace every test. Get a full ride to a prestigious university. Be smart. Be kind. None of it mattered. To them, I would always be less
This is an enemies to lovers trope that has a lot of push and pull in it. There clearly had been a strong physical attraction between them from the very beginning. Even aged 14 they felt a pull to each other but for various reasons, the relationship fractured and eventually the entire thing imploded. Lines were drawn and after school they went their separate ways until their late 20's when they meet again through Pierce. The animosity is bubbling constantly but it's a thin line between love and hate and when emotions are heightened , passion can no longer be ignored and so Cal and Nellie develop an enemies with benefits relationship of sorts.
His mouth was an addiction. The softness of his lips. The bite of his teeth. The wet heat of his wicked tongue. He kissed the way he played football. He kissed the way he fucked. Without restraint.
I loved lots about this book but the constant push and pull between Cal and Nellie went on a little longer than I wanted it to and at times I got a bit irritated with Nellie but then I learnt another snippet of their history and I fully understood why she was behaving the way she did.
Cal is a very lovable Hero. He is a cocky , arrogant athlete but his career has ended and I felt sorry for him as he struggled to manage the transition from NFL Pro Quarterback to someone searching for purpose. He was so in love with Nellie and he did everything to try and earn her forgiveness - again , I wanted Nellie to be less stubborn.
The ending is done beautifully and when Cal finally wins Nell , I had a little tear in my eye. Fab epilogue too that leads beautifully into the next book The Brawl which focuses on Larke, Kerrigan's sister. Roll on November...I'm impatient for more Calamity.
HEA? Yes Cheating? No. Once they start their hookups , neither has sex with anyone else.
4 So Good Star * * * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review Willa Nash came up with an idea for a winning series and she has continued to make it happen. No matter how she puts her couples together, the chemistry jumps off the page and takes you on the type of romance journey you want.
How she has been able to do it with every single entry is a delight.
What I hate about this book? It has to end This is the ultimate enemies to lovers romance. Holy Moly! Does the heroine hold grudge :0 Nellie and Cal have known each other since high school. They both attended a prestige private high school where Nellie was a scholarship kid and Cal is a rich and famous star. Nellie was always an outcas, and she was bullied quite a bit by Cal. Nellie vowed to stay away from boys like Cal and never fall for his antics. One innocent kiss by the pool changed their life forever. Cal became a star in all Nellie’s journal, and not in a good way :0 Years later, Nellie moved to small town Montana to start a new life with one of their mutual friend’s company. What happen when said mutual friend also invited Cal to move there too since Cal is retiring from pro football? I like that the heroine is feisty and strong will. The hero is portrayed as a heartless bad boy extraordinaire but Cal is any but … if anything Cal is misunderstood, mainly because he chose the outer image he wants people to see. These two is hellbent on hating each other but physical attraction is a bitch. They can’t stay away from each other even if they tried. Their relationship is all angsts, push and pull, love and hate … so what we have is all heat and explosive chemistry. I like the idea of the diary which give us a glimpse of their past. The HAE ending is long time coming but so worth it. There is a bonus epilogue you don’t want to miss either. Make sure you download it after you are done with the book – super cute. This small town, enemy-to-lover is a wonderful addition to Calamity Montana series and just might be my favorite. Lovely read!!!
Forever in each other’s minds from the days of high school. The love/hate banter and chemistry is scorching. I am alllllllllll for 2nd chances given when it’s inevitable and it made me swoon.
I don't know how should I rate this one to be honest, so im going with a rounded 3 stars, because even if i disliked many points I also enjoyed being back in Calamity Montana world.. I loved the first book in this series and then it kinda lost me on the way here. It was ... boring and dull.. I went in expecting a steamy enemies to lovers romance, what I got was a hero who steals personal diaries and reads them unapologetically and a heroine who from the bullied becomes a bully herself. How old are these people again?! I thought I'm reading about teenagers, when she dropped her coffee in his pants for no reason whatsoever , ( beside things he did to her freaking 15 year ago when in highschool ) and other shenanigans that were meant to be funny but came across immature as fuck. And the sleeping together on and off for like 4 years? Not sexy when their treated each other like shit the rest of the time. I liked the girl gang and how welcoming this little town is, also Cal's ornery neighbor. The fact that we get snippets into the others couples hea was a bonus.
I love Devney Perry's books, but I hate bully romances, so I put off reading this book for months. I finally picked it up, and turns out, it's hardly even a bully romance (thank god). The love interest teased the main character in high school, but that was ten years ago. He already has feelings for her and feels guilty over the past from the start of the novel. The set up adds some angst and makes the story a slow burn (two elements that are easy to overdo and fuck up), but we still get Devney Perry's signature charm. I'm really glad I got around to picking this up, as I really liked it!
Oh my, I really loved this visit to the Calamity Montana world! I was so curious how Willa would take on a "bully" type story while maintaining her charismatic swoony tone, but this veered more into enemies to lovers with a past and present dynamic that made it all really work.
Nellie and Cal have lives that are intersected, and long complicated history with each other. And history that means these two just do not get along, at all. So much so that Nellie wants to push Cal right on out of town. Willa gives this story so much emotional complexity and depth. I loved them peeling back each other's layers and discovering the truth about one another- the real person beneath the veneer AND the way that veneer has impacted the other. The diary aspect in particular was such a great narrative touch- it helped us (and Cal) learn so much about Nellie. Plus I adored seeing Cal step away from his jerkish facade and exposing more of his heart. He's just alone in so many ways.
The banter, the heart, the sizzle, the steam, the chemistry- ah, I just loved them. And love this series.
the enemies to lovers was too childish and petty for my liking, and the “with benefits/fuck buddies” part shouldnt have been included imo cause it only ruined the angst and the tension.
i just thought it odd that they had sex once in a blue moon, but never talked about it after and just went on with their lives; then, they suddenly lived in the same town and constantly run into each other, but all they did was argue and insult each other. it was fun at first, and i was really feeling the angst (especially bcs of the double POVs). but i grew tired of the H with his daddy issues and the h with her persistent villainization of the H (even though its been more than a DECADE since he was her bully). so much for a #glowup. 😭
there was too much unnecessary hostility and not enough sweet, emotional “lovers” moments. plus, it was the h who had to chase after the H in the end... yeah, not my cuppa.
This book is my favorite our of the series so far. I do so love the enemies to lovers trope and Cal and Nellie have hated each other for twenty years since they were high school freshman. Both have decided to move to Calamity, Montana, because their friend Pierce (one of the main characters from the previous book) has decided to settle here. However, the town isn't big enough for both Cal and Nellie.
back in high school, she hated him, and now years later they leave in the same small town. is hate to frenemies to lovers. the romance development is a bit fast, but it was so good that i couldn't care