CROSS THE LINE
Series: Shadow Valley U #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: S. Massery & S.J. Sylvis
Release Date: December 11, 2025![]()

Scarlett Wallace has hated me since the moment we met.
Fine—feelings are mutual.
When she transfers to Shadow Valley U, her dad’s brilliant idea has us living under the same roof as newly minted step-siblings, and she becomes impossible to ignore.
Too stubborn. Too tempting. Too off-limits.
But when I mess up with the wrong crowd, they demand repayment. and unfortunately, they decide Scarlett is the perfect leverage.
She deserves a fresh start after what happened at her last school… Instead, she gets me—her stepbrother. The guy who can’t stay out of trouble…and can’t stay away from her.
Protecting her means crossing every line.
Wanting her means destroying the rest.
Cross the Line is a spicy new adult romance featuring a fighter and his brand new enemy (AKA step-sister), brought to you by the bestselling authors S. Massery and SJ Sylvis.


Scarlett is a temptation I can’t afford.
I love and I mean LOVE this series. And while I definitely still enjoyed this book, it just didn’t hit for me like the rest of the series has. I sat on my rating for a few days, trying to decide on a 3 star or 4 stars. I liked it more than a run of the mill 3 star read, but I also didn’t feel it packed the punch I would expect for a solid 4. So halfway we meet with 3 and a half.
Now I love a good step sibling trope, especially when it’s enemies to lovers with a splash of the bully trope. I mean YUM!
You asshole,” she bites out.
“Obviously. But an asshole who can make you come.” I lean over her. “Did you see stars?”
She grimaces. “That’s that, then.”
What’s interesting here is that I read the book in one sitting and it kept me engaged form cover to cover, but it also didn’t fully connect with me. It’s like all the ingredients were there but something was still off. I can’t tell you exactly what but there was just something missing. I loved Cross as a character, but I also felt like I didn’t know him enough. I felt the same with Scarlett. The chemistry was also there, but not enough to feel their true connection beyond surface level attraction.
They hate each other from their first meeting at their parents wedding, but I never really fully understood why. Cross’s severe dislike of Scarlett felt excessive to understand. Like a distaste, sure. But the level of hate he had for her and the way he antagonizes and borderline bullies her for it, not really. It just never clicked.
I think I would have loved the story as a duet or perhaps if it had 100-150 more pages to it. It just felt like we went from beginning to finish without a middle, if that makes sense. They hate each other for so long and I loved the slow burn of it. But then the romance felt sudden and the love element too early. The ending felt a bit rushed and while it was satisfying on the one side, it also wasn’t.
I genuinely don’t even know how to describe my experience with this book. Because I enjoyed it, but when I compare it to the first two books, it just didn’t hit the same. Would I recommend it for fans of this series? Without a doubt. It was a fun, sexy read and who doesn’t love a fighter MMC? Yes please and thank you. I may have let my expectations get the best of me with this one so definitely don’t let my rating deter you. It was a fun ride and definitely one I recommend. I can’t wait for the next in the series!
S. Massery:
S. Massery is a dark romance author who loves injecting a good dose of suspense into her stories. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her dog, Alice.
Before adventuring into the world of writing, she went to college in Boston and held a wide variety of jobs–including working on a dude ranch in Wyoming (a personal highlight). She has a love affair with coffee and chocolate. When S. Massery isn’t writing, she can be found devouring books, playing outside with her dog, or trying to make people smile.
Author Links:
Website: http://smassery.com
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/smassery
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/smassery
Facebook: http://facebook.com/authorsmassery
Facebook Group: http://facebook.com/groups/smasserysquad
Instagram: http://instagram.com/authorsmassery
TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@smassery
Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/author/s-massery
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authorsmassery
S.J. Sylvis:
S.J. Sylvis is an Amazon top 50 and USA Today bestselling author who is best known for her angsty new adult romances. She currently resides in Arizona with her husband, two small kiddos, and dog. She is obsessed with coffee, becomes easily attached to fictional characters, and spends most of her evenings buried in a book!
Author Links:
Instagram: @authorsjsylvis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sjsylvisbooks/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorsjsylvis

Scarlett is a temptation I can’t afford.
SWEET VICTORY




It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since I first read the book that began my love affair with all things Gina L Maxwell,
Yeah. What’s better than a ripped MMA fighter? Give him a British accent. I mean….*drools*. I know, I know, I’m easy. But I can’t help myself. I loved the man.
RAW DEAL



Do you see that pathetic pile of emotional goo sitting there on the couch with her box of tissues and sniffling into her Ben & Jerry’s? Ignore her. She’s still trying to calm her tits after having her heart put through an emotional wringer that was this book. No really. She normally doesn’t cry through almost an entire book, and she definitely doesn’t refer to herself in the third person. So you know when all of this does happen, it’s definitely an unforgettable 5 star read. I’m talking have your tissues ready and prepare to have your hearts squeezed in a vice sort of read.
Mike is a man wrecked by guilt and sorrow. He’s had a hard life, but nothing has been harder than living with the knowledge that it was his hit that cost a man’s life. He knows that falling for the guy’s sister is wrong, but he can’t stay away from her.
Savannah is woman that struggles with her own guilt. She knows her family and her sister in law will never accept her relationship, but she also sees a side of Mike that she knows not many have. The sweet and caring side. The side that will move mountains for the people he loves. A man that will do everything and anything at the drop of a hat just to be there for her and to make her smile.
BECOMING A LEGEND


How have I not read anything by this author before? What is wrong with me? Why am I starting this series with book 3? Well, at least I know the answer to the third question there, and that’s because I like to do things back-asswards more often than not. As for the other two? I have no clue and I’m kicking myself for the mistake thoroughly because I seriously enjoyed this book.








His destiny always found him no matter how much he ran from it. As sure as Chuito knew the next breath would have to enter his lungs whether he wanted it to or not, he knew that Alaine couldn’t be his forever.








































































