enemies-to-lovers

An Academic Affair

by Jodi McAlister

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of An Academic Affair! All opinions are completely my own.

An Academic Affair brings us to Australia, where we follow academics Jonah and Sadie. The two have been rivals for years, but a potential job opportunity leaves them considering the ultimate truce.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it very easy to read, making it hard to put down. Our main characters, Jonah and Sadie, both have some complex challenges in their personal lives that they are dealing with in addition to difficulty in finding full-time academic work. I thought both were relatable and I especially liked their dynamic together. While they have been fighting each other for years, I liked that they still seemed to respect each other. It was nice to see how much their ability to communicate and work together improved. While this book is primarily a love story, it also takes a hard look at academic careers and how difficult the industry can be. It was eye opening, and I was pretty shocked at how toxic the workplace was for our characters. Unfortunately I couldn’t really appreciate the numerous literature references throughout the book, but it didn’t really take away from the story for me. I think I would’ve like to see a bit more of the story before it ended, but maybe I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. That said, I feel like maybe this book will be the start of the series, since I picked up on some possible connections between side characters that I’d love to see more of.

Wish You Were Her

by Elle McNicoll

coming August 26, 2025

(4 / 5)

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

In Wish You Were Her, we follow a young actress, Allegra, who is taking a break and spending her summer in a small town, where she meets a grumpy bookseller, Jonah. It’s dual POV, which gives us the opportunity to see things from both Allegra and Jonah’s perspectives. Since the author is Scottish, the book is written in British English.

I enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down. While there wasn’t anything super surprising about the plot, it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment of the book. The relationship between Allegra and Jonah could be a bit explosive but was fun to watch it evolve. We meet a variety of characters, with some very likable and others having a darker side.

A big topic in this story is autism, and we meet a couple autistic characters along the way. I thought it was all very insightful, with great descriptions of how characters felt. It was portrayed in an optimistic and uplifting way while still showing the obstacles characters faced. Allegra was an especially interesting character since we could see what it was like to be famous, the challenges that came with it, and how her autism affected that experience, sometimes in a very positive way.

This was a quick, fun read, and I look forward to seeing more from the author!

August 21, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Young Adult 0

A Dragon Rider’s Guide to Retirement

by Julia Huni

coming August 5, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

A special “thank you” to author Julia Huni for providing a free review copy of this book! All opinions are completely my own.

This was a cozy fantasy with a quaint small-town setting. It also had a sweet, spice-free romance that developed. I liked how descriptive the story was, allowing me to easily visualize this world. It almost felt like a fairy tale the way it was written, with a variety of magical beings. I especially liked the water dragons! There wasn’t necessarily anything that was shocking or surprising in the story, but sometimes it’s nice to have something that doesn’t bring a ton of drama. And there were still some exciting scenes to keep things interesting! It was fun to meet William and Cala, who were both likable characters. I liked to see how they each adapted to “normal” life after fighting in a war for many years. Some of the side characters were a lot of fun too!

July 23, 2025 by danimae1981 Fantasy Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Well, Actually

by Mazey Eddings

coming August 5, 2025

(4 / 5)

First off, thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Well, Actually! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

A spontaneous drunken social media post leads to two online personalities to have to confront each other and their past failed relationship, all with the public watching.

I really enjoyed reading this one! I thought it had fun elements while also diving into some more serious topics as well. It manages to have some decent spice too. I think Eva, the FMC, probably won’t be for everyone – on the outside she can be prickly, harsh, and push people away. I couldn’t help but like her though, and I enjoyed watching her character grow. I liked the dynamic between Eva and Rylie, the MMC, who challenged her in a positive way and accepted her the way she was. The banter between the two was fun and one of my favorite things about this book. I thought the way that Eva and Rylie confronted their past was handled well. Some of the workplace issues were a bit appalling, but I like how things were resolved in the end. I found the book engaging and hard to put down – I’ll be seeking out more by the author in the future!

July 14, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Not Safe for Work

by Nisha J. Tuli

coming May 20, 2025

(4 / 5)

I had the opportunity to read a free advance review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Tris is an engineer who has been selected to go on a company retreat to Hawaii for a chance to advance her career. Unfortunately, her biggest rival in the office, Rafe, is also attending.

Not Safe for Work was an enjoyable read that kept me interested until the end. We follow Tris, who is a woman of color working in a male-dominated industry. It really dives into some toxic workplace behavior that can be pretty eye-opening. I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers romance that develops, even though some aspects of the situation seemed a bit hard to believe (coworkers forced to share a room with one bed). The fighting between them felt a little unprofessional at first, but I enjoyed the characters getting to know each other better as the story progressed. It’s a bit of a slow burn for a while, but it eventually turns up the heat. Plot-wise there wasn’t anything all that surprising and things pretty much went the way I expected them to, but it was still a fun escape.

March 12, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Any Trope but You

by Victoria Lavine

coming April 1, 2025

(4 / 5)

Margot is a romance author who was recently canceled after a personal file was leaked publicly. In hopes of saving her career, she goes to remote Alaska to write a book in a new genre.

Any Trope but You was a fun book to read. As the title suggests, it’s full of romance tropes. It might be a little ridiculous, but the fact that the characters are pointing it out makes it more comedic than cheesy. I really liked both main characters, Margot and Forrest. I thought Margot felt especially real with all her mishaps and really being out of her comfort zone. The relationship that develops brings on a decent amount of spice, so if that’s not your thing, you may want to give this one a pass. Plot-wise there wasn’t anything all that surprising along the way, but it wasn’t something I was expecting either. Bonus points for the great setting in the Alaskan wilderness! It made a nice wintertime read.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Any Trope but You! All opinions are completely my own.

February 17, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Bad Publicity

By Bianca Gillam

Coming May 20, 2025

(3.5 / 5)

In Bad Publicity, we follow Andie, a book publicist who has found out that she will be promoting a book written by the man she never wanted to talk to again, Jack. While the book seems to be marketed as a romance, I found that wasn’t the main focus of the story. Instead, it is mostly a journey of a woman who has avoided facing the grief from her father dying 5 years ago and now must face it.

Honestly, I don’t think I ever fully connected with Andie’s character. She felt very self-centered which was often frustrating. The “enemies” aspect was one-sided, with Andie being very hostile toward Jack and often not acting professionally. We don’t find out about the events from Andie and Jack’s past until about 70% of the way through the book – I think I would have preferred to have the context earlier on so I could understand where all the animosity was coming from. All of this did allow for some good character growth, but even at the end there were aspects about Andie’s actions that I found hard to explain.

All that said, the book did keep my interest well enough while I was reading it, and I think there’s some valuable insight about processing grief. I especially enjoyed the frequent setting changes while the characters traveled to different cities in Europe.

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the free review copy of Bad Publicity! All opinions in my review are completely my own.

February 13, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

When You Bake with the Enemy

When in Rotheberg Book 1

By Lia Huni

(4 / 5)

When You Bake with the Enemy is the first book in the When in Rotheberg series, which brings us to a small Bavarian-inspired town in Oregon. This story follows Jamie, a math teacher who is new to the town and unexpectedly finds out she also has to teach a baking class. When she encounters Dylan, a local who is hoping to build a test kitchen in the spot where the baking class takes place, sparks fly.

I thought this was a really cute story. In the beginning I was a little overwhelmed with all the characters we were meeting, but since Jamie was new to town, it also felt like a good reflection about how she must feel. Plus, I can already see how it sets up for the series to easily expand into multiple books. The story alternates POVs between Jamie and Dylan, which I think helped me like both characters because I could see the situation from both sides. Dylan definitely had moments where his actions could be frustrating, but it was hard to stay mad at him for long. In the end, there was nothing particularly surprising about this story, but it was a fun escape and kept me interested the whole time. I’m looking forward to continuing the series!

January 17, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Kindle Romance 0

Book Lovers

By Emily Henry

(5 / 5)

I enjoyed reading this book so much. The witty banter and comebacks between Nora and Charlie had me literally laughing out loud more than I have while reading a book in a long time. The characters had a lot of depth, with their first impressions barely scratching the surface. This book faces some heavy topics at times, but I enjoyed the growth of the characters and relationships with each other. As a book lover, I enjoyed the glimpses into the book publishing world, plus the quips about small town romance tropes when this was indeed a small town romance itself. My only regret is that it took me so long to finally get around to reading this book!

January 15, 2025 by danimae1981 Fiction Hardcover Romance 0

Ex Marks the Spot

By Gloria Chao

Coming December 31, 2024

(4.5 / 5)

It’s always been just Gemma and her mom, with no other family or connections to her heritage in Thailand. When she finds out that her grandfather has recently passed and left her a trail of clues that lead to Thailand and a possible inheritance, Gemma can’t pass up on the opportunity. But the only way to get there is to ask for help from her ex and biggest rival, Xander.

Ex Marks the Spot was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down and really enjoyed reading. At first I thought Gemma, our main character, felt a bit young and was a little petty in her rivalry against her ex, Xander, but it allowed for an incredible amount of character growth. I really enjoyed the treasure hunt feel of the story, with various puzzles presented along the way. I couldn’t fully appreciate all of them since I don’t know Mandarin, but since Gemma doesn’t either, it didn’t take away from the story at all. I loved all the vivid descriptions of landmarks and food in Thailand, and found myself looking up more information along the way since it all sounded so amazing. While there’s a romance that develops along the way, I think the themes of finding heritage, learning family history, the true meaning of family, learning to understand others, and figuring out who you are were the shining themes of the book. I also enjoyed the story within the story while Gemma learned about her grandfather’s past and the challenges he faced in life. After reading this book, I definitely want to read more by author Gloria Chao.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the free review copy of Ex Marks the Spot! All opinions in my review are completely my own.