Bully King - J.A. Huss Page 0,109

say, right now, that wasn’t the end. It would take a few more years to really get away. And I did actually get revenge for all of it. No one was assassinated. lol It was a very legal revenge plan. So I’m not saying I’m like super evolved or anything. I’m human.

But that forgiveness was real. Everything that came after I didn’t control. That was all him.

The only thing I could control was how I reacted to him.

And as long as my reactions weren’t based on hate and anger, I would be fine.

And I was.

I win.

So this EOBS is about forgiveness.

It’s so fucking powerful.

Once you forgive—truly let it go and forgive—you’re free.

And that’s what Cadee decided to do in this book. She hasn’t articulated it yet because she’s still in denial. But she knew instinctively that letting things go was the only way forward.

I don’t forgive Cooper yet.

Lars certainly doesn’t.

Ax—maybe. Because he’s well-versed in hate and anger and he knows it’s a trap.

But we don’t matter. If Cooper was a real person and not just some character in a book, the only thing that would matter is that he is able to forgive himself.

And that’s a LOT harder than forgiving someone else.

We don’t forgive ourselves very often. Our mistakes stick with us for years. Decades. Sometimes a whole lifetime. The stick with us and manifest as guilt. They color us in a new way and unless we’re very aware that we made a mistake that led to this moment, we don’t often get off that path of self-destruction.

It is so much harder to forgive yourself. (Unless you’re a sociopath, that is.)

So if you’re thinking Cooper didn’t earn Cadee’s forgiveness—he doesn’t have to.

Her forgiveness isn’t about HIM. It’s about HER.

And if Cooper can forgive himself, that’s not about Cadee. It’s only about him.

And just like me when I forgave the asshole, it didn’t really make anything better in my life. The only thing that got better was my opinion of myself.

Because forgiveness isn’t about the person being forgiven.

It’s about the person doing the forgiving.

It is a magnanimous gesture. And the greater the sin, the more noble the act of forgiveness is.

You just have to let it go.

I respect Cadee Hunter. Obviously, she still has a lot to deal with. This is a duet. Neither Cadee nor Cooper are at the end of their road yet. So we’ll see what happens in book two.

But I hope, if you’re holding in some past anger and hate, that maybe you take some time to forgive whoever hurt you. You don’t even have to tell them. Just as long as you believe it.

Anyway, that’s it for me. This EOBS is done.

Two books. That’s it.

If I ever revisit these characters (I kinda love me some Ax and Valentina) it will not take place on this college campus. But I could see a standalone book about Ax a few years in the future.

Ruling Class releases September 2 (so a short wait) but to make it all easier I will be releasing a PREQUEL to Bully King on August 19th. If you’re craving a little sexy history between Ax, Lars, Cooper, and Cadee you can get your fix with a novella. If you’re not in to that—skip it. Ruling Class will not be a reverse harem. Just getting that out of the way now.

Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing (please go leave me a review! I really love it when you do that!) and I’ll see you in the next book!

Julie

JA Huss

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JA Huss is the New York Times Bestselling author of 321 and has been on the USA Today Bestseller's list 21 times in the past five years. She writes characters with heart, plots with twists, and perfect endings.

Her new sexy sci-fi romance and paranormal romance pen name is KC Cross and she writes novels and teleplays collaboratively with actor and screenwriter, Johnathan McClain.

Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world, the audio version of her semi-autobiographical book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie Award in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her audiobook, Mr. Perfect, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017. Her audiobook, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Five of her book were optioned for a TV series by MGM television in 2018. And her book, Total Exposure, was nominated for a RITA Award in 2019.

She lives on a ranch in Central Colorado with her family.