The Harper Effect

A sizzling coming of age story set in the world of professional tennis about a girl who learns to win from a boy who has lost everything.

Sixteen-year-old Harper was once a rising star on the tennis court—until her coach dropped her for being “mentally weak.” Without tennis, who is she? Her confidence at an all-time low, she secretly turns to her childhood friend, next-door neighbor Jacob—who also happens to be her sister’s very recent ex-boyfriend. If her sister finds out, it will mean a family war.

But when Harper is taken on by a new coach who wants her to train with Colt, a cold, defensive, brooding young tennis phenom, she hits the court all the harder, if only to prove to Colt she has it in her to be a champion. As the two learn to become a team, Harper gets glimpses of the vulnerable boy beneath the surface, the boy who was deeply scarred by his family’s dark and scandalous past. The boy she could easily find herself falling for.

As she walks a fine line between Colt’s secrets, her forbidden love, and a game that demands nothing but the best, Harper must choose between her past and her future and between two boys who send her head spinning. Turns out, the biggest battle she needs to win, is the one against herself.

Taryn Bashford is from a family of elite athletes, musicians, and academics, and is fascinated by driven teens. Born in South Africa, raised in England, and with career stints in New York, Colorado, and London, Taryn has been a media manager and executive director of an internet company—at the age of 29, she was heading up Carlton Television’s Internet Agency and was one of the youngest CEOs in London—but she now very happily writes full time.

She lives in Queensland, Australia, with her husband and teen children.

Praise for The Harper Effect:

"An exciting peek inside the world of professional tennis, this adorable young adult romance will leave you wanting to hit fireballs at your opponent across the court and snuggling up to your doubles partner after the match!" —Kristine Asselin, author of Any Way You Slice It

"Details about tennis and the struggles of teens on the cusp of adulthood are nicely balanced. Harper is well-characterized, and the secondary characters, including coaches and parents, ring true. Colt and his backstory are compelling, and the revelations are skillfully handled. The match action is pitch-perfect. . . . A layered romance in a unique setting." —Kirkus Reviews