Enemies to Lovers

Review of The Little Black Dress by Piper James

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Synopsis:
Never underestimate the power of a little black dress. Especially one as lucky as mine.

Every time I’ve worn my favorite black dress, something good has happened. I’ve talked my way out of speeding tickets––and into a date with the cute cop––and I’ve found money on the ground, won cool prizes on the Las Vegas strip, and even got a cushy job with an even cushier paycheck.

It’s my lucky dress, and in it, I can’t lose.

Until I did.

Thanks to an enthusiastic bidder at an art auction, the dress failed me when I needed it most. I disappointed my boss and got fired, even though it wasn’t my fault. It was his. The man who writes thirty-five million dollar checks for ugly, ridiculous paintings.

Now, I’m unemployed, broke, and incredibly close to losing the life I’ve built for myself. When I score a job as an assistant to a billionaire casino owner, I’m over-the-moon happy. Hoping there’s still some luck left in my little black dress, I wear it on my first day to meet my new boss…

Jared Hart. Owner and operator of The Black Hart Casino.

And the insufferable, grumpy, gorgeous jerk who got me fired in the first place.

I want to tell him to take his job and shove it, but I need the money. Plus, being his assistant might give me an opportunity to exact a little payback.

Game on, sir.

Oh, and I’m setting that dress on fire the first chance I get. Its luck has obviously run out.

The Little Black Dress is a steamy romantic comedy with enemies who turn into lovers, lots of laughs, stellar friendships, and it brings all the heat. You might want to keep a fan nearby while you’re reading.

Review:
This book was absolute perfection. The characters were well fleshed out, and it flowed very well. There was never a point where I wanted to set the book down. It was an amazing grumpy/sunshine enemies to lovers style book and I highly recommend it. It had a very slow build up but it was done right; the tension was there, the stakes clearly outlined. Seeing these two get to now each other and find if there is something more than meets the eye was a treat. Highly recommend!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Cruel Princes by Jillian Frost

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Synopsis:
I hate the princes of Devil’s Creek.

Luca, Bastian, Marcello, and Damian.

For most of my life, no one wanted me… not until they needed me. Turns out I’m the lost heiress to a multi-billion dollar fortune and a pawn in their game.

They keep me locked in their seaside estate, completely at their mercy. All four of them are bullies, taking out their hatred for me in the form of punishments, each with their own reason for keeping me around.

I’m sick to want them.
It’s dangerous to need them.

I think I’m finding my place among these depraved monsters.

Except there’s one small problem.
They’re not the only men who want me.

There are far more dangerous men looking for the heir to the Wellington fortune… which means I’ll be staying in their beds and under their protection for the foreseeable future.

Cruel Princes is a DARK enemies to lovers romance about four possessive men and one ruthless woman who will bring them to their knees. The main character will end up with more than one love interest.

Review:
I didn’t love this book. I picked it up because I’d seen it mentioned on Booktok, but honestly, I could have left this one alone. When it got there, the spice was done well, but I almost stopped reading after the first chapter. It was over the top, and while unbelievable set a bad tone for abuse and punishment. The princes are set to be unlikeable, and while they may become a bit redeemed, I was not enamoured enough with the harem style love scene(s) to be able to definitively say I intend to ever finish this series.

Star rating: ✯✯✯

Review of Close Quarters by Emily Deady

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Close Quarters: Enemies to Lovers (A Brekka Romance Book 1) by [Emily Deady]

A forced engagement. A cramped ship. Two hearts that refuse to bend.

When Ceola’s father arranges her marriage to Tuav Strand, she’s furious. Not only is she in love with someone else, she’s tired of sacrificing everything for her father’s political career. But when her father offers her a handsome sum to spend three months with the man before she calls it off, she gladly accepts the deal. That money means freedom.

Tuav is a sailor, not a politician. He won’t abandon his summer patrol for some spoiled girl from the capital, even if she is the Regent’s daughter. What he can do, however, is make her miserable enough to break off the engagement herself.

When Ceola arrives at the coast to spend time with the man she already hates, she finds him leaving on patrol. The only way she can fulfill her bargain is to join his expedition. Stuck on a confining ship with him, a lighthearted crew, and an old natural philosopher, her only respite is that in three months it will all be over. Or will it?

This sweet romance is an enemies-to-lovers tale full of banter, adventure, romance, and a happily ever after.

Review:
I quite enjoyed the development of our lead protagonists from naive children to adults that had to empathize with each other, and that other people have goals and ambitions in life. I thought it was incredibly realistic as I know I, for one, was (am) a hopeless romantic, and probably spent far too much of my time daydreaming about relationships that were never to be. Ceola really has to grow up and not act like a brat, and while Tuav finds himself learning more of the girl, it is really Ceola who develops.

The ending was nice, but seemed a bit lackluster, with a promise but nothing actually finished. I imagine that, like the Fairy Tale Royals books, you’ll learn more about how everything settles in the next book in the series.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯


On a side note, clearly once I read some books of an author I really like, I tend to devour a lot. Any recommendations from those of you reading?