Ex Marks the Spot by Hazel James [Review]

Ex Marks the Spot (Teachers' Lounge #3) by Hazel James
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: June 26, 2025

Teachers' Lounge
1. Passing Notes
2. Band Together
3. Ex Marks the Spot - Paperback | Kindle
4. Past Tents
5. The Best Medicine

Hazel James
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

When Hartley Billings is selected to compete on her favorite reality TV show, she only needs to do two things to win a million dollars:

1. Come in first place in the final leg.
2. Not murder her teammate.

The last step would be a lot easier if she wasn’t paired up with her ex, AKA: the guy who obliterated her heart in college.

Court Mueller isn’t thrilled either. His one shot at earning prize money and escaping his lackluster life in Green Valley rests in the hands of the woman he gave up six years ago, AKA: the one he’s stuck with 24/7 for the next three weeks.

With their thorny past now their present, Team Hartbreak only needs to do two things to survive this season of Xtreme Quest:

1. Establish clear boundaries.
2. Never, ever cross them… no matter how tempting it is.

Thoughts on Ex Marks the Spot: Oh man. The thought of going on a reality show with your ex AND the entire viewing world of said show knowing the painful details of your breakup is rough. It's probably even Rough with a capital R. And since Hartley doesn't make any attempt to tone down her animosity (mostly because she's a rage-filled individual when it comes to the circumstances following the breakup), EVERYTHING is known.

Well, not everything. At least not at first. Because Hartley is 100% sure Court cheated on her and that's why they broke up. The reality is far different from that, but he didn't bother to correct what she believed because he thought it would be easier for both of them. Then he let one little thing slip and suddenly they're actually dealing with the real whys and hows and OH HEY MAYBE THEY'RE NOT OVER ONE ANOTHER.

But first...those challenges in the beginning were fraught. Not because of the physicality of the challenges (although that was rough, too), but because figuring out how to work together with their shared past isn't the easiest. They both want to win and they (somewhat grudgingly) know they need to figure things out, but HA. Yeah. There was tension.

There was also beautiful scenery and other contestants who could be friends. In fact, they ARE friends. Well, some of them. Even though they're all competing for the big prize, most of the other groups are pretty solid (while some are most definitely not) and they're all secretly (and not-so-secretly) rooting for Hartley and Court to work things out.

Which is sweet. And pretty much what I was rooting for.

Exotic locales, friends who celebrate the wins, powerful manifesting, a man who did what he did because he wanted the best for his girl, and a lady who had to be willing to let go of the past if she wanted a future with her guy. All in all, an EXCELLENT read.