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Hatefully Yours
Five years ago I left Cabot Beach with a broken heart, but I didn't leave without telling the guy who broke it how much it hurt.
All of my emotion and angst was written in a letter that ended with Hatefully Yours.
Five years later, the guy I never thought I would see again is my new boss.
He doesn't want to put things in the past or move on.
He wants to destroy me.
Guess what? I feel the same way.
The battle lines are drawn and neither of us intends to play fair.
But there are things I never knew about what happened in Cabot Beach the night my life took an unexpected turn, and finding out the truth may be more painful than losing him to begin with.
This is a full length Enemies to Lovers Standalone Romance.
All of my emotion and angst was written in a letter that ended with Hatefully Yours.
Five years later, the guy I never thought I would see again is my new boss.
He doesn't want to put things in the past or move on.
He wants to destroy me.
Guess what? I feel the same way.
The battle lines are drawn and neither of us intends to play fair.
But there are things I never knew about what happened in Cabot Beach the night my life took an unexpected turn, and finding out the truth may be more painful than losing him to begin with.
This is a full length Enemies to Lovers Standalone Romance.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 3, 2020
395 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Kelli Callahan
96 books781 followerselli writes hot and steamy romances with delicious alpha males who will not stop until they get the women they crave exactly where they want them. Kelli's heroes are tough as nails, hot as sin, and underneath the rough exterior is a heart of gold begging to be unleashed. If you think you can tame them, you're probably right, but it won't be an easy journey.
Make no mistake, Kelli's stories will give you the happily ever after you need, but they're also steamy and packed from cover to cover with exactly what you're looking for late at night when you leave your panties by the door.
If you would like to contact Kelli, she can be reached at kellicallahanbooks@gmail.com.
Make no mistake, Kelli's stories will give you the happily ever after you need, but they're also steamy and packed from cover to cover with exactly what you're looking for late at night when you leave your panties by the door.
If you would like to contact Kelli, she can be reached at kellicallahanbooks@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
January 5, 2020
Don’t care if he was young. If you love someone in no way do you nearly have sex with her best friend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Shelved as 'nope'
January 10, 2020A cheater who doesn't apologize or grovel but acts like a douche-bag all along. No, thank you!
Read my friend Ana's review before deciding to read it or not...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Read my friend Ana's review before deciding to read it or not...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 7, 2020
2,5 🤔😕⭐️s
So, Trent had feelings for Brooke but she caught him making out with her best friend. And five years later they accidentally met again, he as her boss and making her life just hell!
I couldn’t be invested in this story, the characters lacked of emotions, romance and passion.
So, Trent had feelings for Brooke but she caught him making out with her best friend. And five years later they accidentally met again, he as her boss and making her life just hell!
I couldn’t be invested in this story, the characters lacked of emotions, romance and passion.
January 22, 2020
Oh please! I'll expect reviews from honest people because no woman with blood in her veins would accept to see the person she loves with her best friend and be able to make it redeemable (no misunderstandings here, he simply couldn't resist the temptation of "her best friend" on the same graduation night that they (h an H) had arranged to meet. But h arrived a little too late 🤮🤮🤮🤮 And obviously this gets worse because you think he at least tries to apologize when they meet again 5 years later? NOP! He simply remains a characterless pig trying to sabotage her career and treating her like shit (his words not mine). Yep, and you think there was any groveling after that NOP. Just another pathetic doormat. When these authors will stop writing the same book over and over and oooover again is apparently far from happening 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Merged review:
I don't understand why the same book was released twice. I think this is somehow not right for readers looking for honest reviews before reading a book, because the reviews that are here are very different. I wonder if this is a site mistake, by some reader who divulged the author's book or strategy from the author. So for those interested here is the link to the other publication
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Merged review:
I don't understand why the same book was released twice. I think this is somehow not right for readers looking for honest reviews before reading a book, because the reviews that are here are very different. I wonder if this is a site mistake, by some reader who divulged the author's book or strategy from the author. So for those interested here is the link to the other publication
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
January 14, 2020
Hmmmm.
This is a hard one. I liked some of the story after our intro. We start out learning that the hero made a really douchey and kind of unforgivable mistake. They do explain it at the beginning, so you don’t have to wait (that’s a bonus). I read on because I really wanted to understand his motives and see what he would do to make this right. At the end I was still left feeling like it wasn’t enough. He obviously regretted what he did, in his inner monologue he repeatedly dogged himself and professed his love for her. I eventually came to the conclusion that it really wasn’t the characters fault. The author should have set up their conflict situation much better. This character was in love with her. He came into town specifically to see her. A person this in love with someone doesn’t show up at a planned meeting place to finally profess his love only to say “screw it”, when a “pretty” girl (who also happens to be the heroines best friend) starts hitting on him. This is a guy who could have had lots of chances at easy sex, if he wanted that he wouldn’t have bothered come for her in the first place. This author tried to put two people who couldn’t possibly exist inside of the same person. If he had coincidently been at the same party and she saw him about to sleep with her friend it could have fit that idea. Or if he was trying to push her away and the heroine just didn’t believe him, that could definitely have raised this story to a 4. I am left so confused as to why the author didn’t do that? Only a completely tool would tell a girl who he knows has feeling for him to meet him and then hook up with another girl at the exact place he told her to meet. That’s not redeemable for the reasons already mentioned. Which leaves no more room for this character because people don’t change that much in 5 years. If this was a different book with a difference Book, that scenario may have worked, but with this character she created it just doesn’t. She needs to get some decent BETA READERS. Someone should have pointed it out before now.
Also, adding in that I really hated how she had the female main character become a completely different person, and go from virgin to slut because she got her heart broken (I’m not inferring this, it specifically says she started sleeping around to deal with her broken heart). She certainly didn’t need to wait for him or anything but allowing a man to completely change your personality it weak.
This is a hard one. I liked some of the story after our intro. We start out learning that the hero made a really douchey and kind of unforgivable mistake. They do explain it at the beginning, so you don’t have to wait (that’s a bonus). I read on because I really wanted to understand his motives and see what he would do to make this right. At the end I was still left feeling like it wasn’t enough. He obviously regretted what he did, in his inner monologue he repeatedly dogged himself and professed his love for her. I eventually came to the conclusion that it really wasn’t the characters fault. The author should have set up their conflict situation much better. This character was in love with her. He came into town specifically to see her. A person this in love with someone doesn’t show up at a planned meeting place to finally profess his love only to say “screw it”, when a “pretty” girl (who also happens to be the heroines best friend) starts hitting on him. This is a guy who could have had lots of chances at easy sex, if he wanted that he wouldn’t have bothered come for her in the first place. This author tried to put two people who couldn’t possibly exist inside of the same person. If he had coincidently been at the same party and she saw him about to sleep with her friend it could have fit that idea. Or if he was trying to push her away and the heroine just didn’t believe him, that could definitely have raised this story to a 4. I am left so confused as to why the author didn’t do that? Only a completely tool would tell a girl who he knows has feeling for him to meet him and then hook up with another girl at the exact place he told her to meet. That’s not redeemable for the reasons already mentioned. Which leaves no more room for this character because people don’t change that much in 5 years. If this was a different book with a difference Book, that scenario may have worked, but with this character she created it just doesn’t. She needs to get some decent BETA READERS. Someone should have pointed it out before now.
Also, adding in that I really hated how she had the female main character become a completely different person, and go from virgin to slut because she got her heart broken (I’m not inferring this, it specifically says she started sleeping around to deal with her broken heart). She certainly didn’t need to wait for him or anything but allowing a man to completely change your personality it weak.
January 6, 2020
Loved this enemies to lovers/second chance romance book. Brooke was in love with Trent when they were younger until he broke her heart. I loved watching them find each other again and work through the issues that caused hurt for them both. Loved the characters and the story. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 28, 2021
****SPOILERS THROUGHOUT********
I had read some reviews coming into this, so knew I was walking into something a little bit...tricksy. The hero does an awful thing, and there isn't some secret way that makes it less bad than it seems (details spoiler tagged at the bottom*). It's something that's hard to swallow from someone who supposedly cares about the heroine. Apparently I have a lot of thoughts about it!
On Trent: First, as to his terrible thing he did: it doesn't make sense. Trent's misdeed is totally incongruous with someone who had driven to their hometown special, just to finally tell Brooke his feelings for her that night. He knew she was coming to find him at any moment. That's not just a moment of weakness or getting caught up in the moment, it doesn't make sense. Trent calls himself weak, which he is, but that's not it. The way I see it, not fooling around with someone other than the person you want to be with shouldn't be some big obligation or sacrifice. What his actions do indicate are that his feelings for Brooke are weak. That's why this scenario doesn't fit with someone who cares so much about Brooke. It's not believable.(See THEORY below**)
On another note, Trent's explanation is that " 'we were alone in that room, and I was weak…' ” but if it's easy for Trent to be swayed into doing something that essentially guarantees he'll lose any chance with her, then Brooke dodged a bullet that graduation night. He would absolutely have cheated on her if they had gotten together. Like Brooke told him, “ 'If you were that weak, then it turned out for the best.' ”
But really, it isn't what turns me against Trent. What makes me think that Trent is a waste of fictional space and my real time happens five years later. While he's apparently wracked with shame over his actions, his overwhelming concern when seeing her again is that he's afraid that her heartbreak might affect the upward career track. Thus, he makes the conscious decision to hurt her again, first her heart and now by damaging her career and livelihood.
He punishes her for being a victim of his own shitty actions, and this time, it's not an impulsive, someone-waved-titties-in-my-face awful thing to do. It's an, I'm-a-slimy-person-with-no-integrity kind of thing to do. All because, in his words, "I did want the office on the top floor." Before, he was a person who did a shitty thing, now he's just a shitty person.
Also, Trent decides to sabotage Brooke's career based on the repulsive, misogynistic assumption that Brooke won't be able to control her feelings enough be professional around him, despite her showing no evidence of this. He even acknowledges that it's misogynistic before he does it. Brooke actually does act professional; she cares about her job and doesn't want to jeopardize anything.
While he says he feels guilty, he never questions his decision until, once again, he's concerned for his own professional ambitions: "hopefully my career will survive this..."
Just like his actions on Brooke's graduation night, Trent's acts of corporate sabotage make no fucking sense for somebody that cares about her at all. His guilt while he's actively damaging her career feels less than sincere.
We never see much of what makes Trent attractive to Brooke, then or now. We read the shit he pulls in painful detail, and then it's like, 'and now we're joking and enjoying each other's company,' but we don't see what that looks like. All I see is Trent being a dick, and then I'm told he's not so bad. Without seeing the good, it's hard to believe it.
On Brooke: She seems fine, I guess. Having history with Trent is the bulk of her personality. Also, what does she look like? We know she gets banging curves and is apparently pretty. But what does her face look like? What color is her hair??
Some people in reviews talked shit about Brooke, saying that she turned into a slut because of her heartbreak. If they think she's a slut, remind me not to tell them about my early twenties. She mentions vaguely that she let loose a little in college, and that she found it cathartic. Also, she almost has a one-night stand with a guy, but she realizes he's married and shuts it down before they even leave the bar. He thought she was a hooker😬 Rough break, but all that tells me is that she dared to want a night of casual, no-strings passion, and that probably was dressed a little sexy. Sometimes I dress a little hooker chic myself, just because. It makes me feel alive.
SIDEBAR:
People are so fucking judgmental in these reviews. The heroine stays celibate for years after a heartbreak, she gets flayed alive in the reviews. She discovers a healthy enjoyment of sex after a heartbreak, she gets burned at the stake. Now, I love romance novels. One could say I have a romance novel problem. But it hurts my heart that we're mostly women reading and writing these reviews and books, and yet the whole subculture is filled to the gills with negative, hateful messages to and about women. We're shitting on ourselves. This is a women-centered space and we use it to cut ourselves down. It's disappointing.
BACK TO REVIEW:
Anyway, Brooke seems cool. She accepted his apology without nearly enough explanation, and she softened to him way too easily for my taste. He never adequately apologizes for trying to ruin her career, for one. She makes her own excuses for him about that, saying he was a dick because was processing his feelings in seeing her again. That was a little pathetic. But probably partially seems like she's being too soft because I never see what she likes about him in the first place. Other than that stuff, we know she's good at her job, and according to Trent she's a very good person who sees the best in people.
Other Observations:
They keep referring a night they almost kissed that they can't forget. Here's the weird thing: it happens off page. It's this pivotal point that they're both thinking about as representative of what could have been, and when he heart became his etc... but we don't see it. We see other, less relevant flashbacks instead.
SEX: The first and only sex scene happens at 70%(so close!), lasts for a whopping 10% of the entire novel, and was not my style. I think it was a case of trying too hard to make it seem special. They talk waay too much, while giving head which is impressive, using this metaphor-innuendo of "groveling": It was like: "show me how you grovel" "yeah, I'll show you how I grovel, you're going to love it" "I'm going to grovel until you come" "are you going to let me grovel as long as I want?" "I'm going to want more than that kind of groveling" "That was some good groveling." I'm paraphrasing, but it went on and fucking on like that throughout the foreplay.
While hyperbolic speech is standard in a sex scene, this was too much, and repetitive. Not every touch should feel like molten lava, and it's a good thing it doesn't. Finally, it was just tooo looong.
**THEORY: Here's the thing: I don't think that Trent is attracted to Brooke. He never talks or thinks about the way she looks. He doesn't take note when she gets curves. He sees her for the first time in 5 years and doesn't drink in her appearance, or catalog how she's changed since then. He doesn't go home and think about how she looked. His only reaction is guilt and fear for his job.
He never calls her pretty or beautiful, or compliments how she looks at all, even in his head. There's one exception to this, and it's when he tells her she looks hot that day and likes her skirt, as part of calming her nerves before a presentation.
When she's giving him head for the first time, she asks how often he's fantasized about her doing this to him during meetings, and he says he thought about the kissing they were doing earlier instead. He doesn't remark on how she looks with his dick in her mouth, which is kind of a thing for guys usually. He genuinely doesn't seem jealous when he hears about her date with Fulton, just worried because he knows that guy is awful.
The way he talks about making a commitment to not having sex with other women, you'd think he was joining the priesthood. It's not supposed to be that hard. Regarding his hookup with Keely, he said he "wasn't man enough to resist temptation" and was chasing lust over love, but if he loves Brooke he should also lust after her, you know? I don't think he does.
In Sum: So anyway, reading this helped me learn that it's a bit too ambitious for me to feel the romance when struggling with overwhelming pangs of revulsion toward a hero. Then I just got bored with it, and kept taking breaks to write my feelings about it, the result of which is this pithy little tome of a review you see here!
*The Original Offense:
Merged review:
****SPOILERS THROUGHOUT********
I had read some reviews coming into this, so knew I was walking into something a little bit...tricksy. The hero does an awful thing, and there isn't some secret way that makes it less bad than it seems (details spoiler tagged at the bottom*). It's an offense that's hard to reconcile from someone who supposedly cares about the heroine. Apparently I have a lot of thoughts about it!
On Trent: First, as to his terrible thing he did: it doesn't make sense. Trent's misdeed is totally incongruous with someone who had driven to their hometown special, just to finally tell Brooke his feelings for her that very night. He knew she was coming to find him at any moment. That's not just a moment of weakness or getting caught up in the moment, it doesn't make sense. Trent calls himself weak, which he is, but that's not even close to a satisfactory explanation. The way I see it, if you really want to be with someone, not fooling around with other people shouldn't be some big obligation or sacrifice. What his actions do indicate are that his feelings for Brooke are weak. That's why the situation doesn't fit as coming from someone who cares so much about Brooke. It's not believable.(See THEORY below**)
On another note, Trent's explanation is that " 'we were alone in that room, and I was weak…' ” but if it's that easy for Trent to be swayed into doing something that obviously sabotages his chance with her, then Brooke dodged a bullet that graduation night. He would definitely have cheated on her if they had gotten together. Like Brooke told him, “ 'If you were that weak, then it turned out for the best.' ”
But really, it isn't what turns me against Trent. What makes me think that Trent is a waste of fictional space and my real time happens five years later. While he's apparently wracked with shame over his actions, his overwhelming concern when seeing her again is how her heartbreak might affect the upward career track. Thus, he makes the conscious decision to hurt her again, first her heart and now by damaging her career and livelihood.
He punishes her for being a victim of his own shitty actions, and this time, it's not an impulsive, someone-waved-titties-in-my-face awful thing to do. It's an, I'm-a-slimy-person-with-no-integrity kind of thing to do. All because, in his words, "I did want the office on the top floor." Before, he was a person who did a shitty thing, now he's just a shitty person.
Also, Trent decides to sabotage Brooke's career based on the repulsive, misogynistic assumption that Brooke won't be able to control her feelings enough be professional around him, despite her showing no evidence of this. He even acknowledges that it's misogynistic before he does it. Brooke actually does act professional; she cares about her job and doesn't want to jeopardize anything.
While he says he feels guilty, he never questions his decision until, once again, he's concerned for his own professional ambitions: "hopefully my career will survive this..."
Just like his actions on Brooke's graduation night, Trent's acts of corporate sabotage make no fucking sense for somebody that cares about her at all. His guilt while he's actively damaging her career feels less than sincere.
We never see much of what makes Trent attractive to Brooke, then or now. We read the reprehensible shit he pulls in painful detail, but when the time comes to hear any positive aspects of their connection, it's summarized. We get 'and now we're joking and enjoying each other's company,' but we don't see what that looks like. All I see is Trent being a dick, and then I'm told he's not so bad. Without seeing the good, it's hard to believe it.
On Brooke: She seems fine, I guess. She's good at her job, and according to Trent she's a very good person who sees the best in people. But really, having history with Trent is the bulk of her personality. Also what does she look like? We know she's pretty with banging curves, but what does her face look like? What color is her hair??
Some people in these reviews talked shit about Brooke, saying that she turned into a slut because of her heartbreak. If they think she's a slut, remind me not to tell them about my early twenties. She mentions vaguely that she let loose a little in college, and that she found it cathartic. Also, she almost has a one-night stand with a guy, but she realizes he's married and shuts it down before they even leave the bar. He thought she was a hooker😬 Rough break, but all that tells me is that she dared to want a night of casual, no-strings passion, and that probably was dressed a little sexy. Sometimes I dress a little hooker chic myself, just because. It makes me feel alive.
SIDEBAR:
People are so fucking judgmental in these romance novel reviews, I swear. If a heroine stays celibate for years after a heartbreak, she gets flayed alive in the reviews. If she discovers a healthy enjoyment of sex after a heartbreak, she gets burned at the stake. Now, I love romance novels. One could say I have a romance novel problem. But it hurts my heart that we're mostly women reading and writing these reviews and books, and yet the whole subculture is filled to the gills with negative, hateful messages to and about women. We're shitting on ourselves. This is a women-centered space and we use it to cut ourselves down. It's disappointing.
BACK TO REVIEW:
Anyway, Brooke seems alright. She accepts his apology without nearly enough explanation, and she softens to him way too easily for my taste. He never adequately apologizes for trying to ruin her career, for one. She makes up her own excuses for him about that, saying he was a dick because was processing his feelings in seeing her again. That was a little pathetic. But it probably partially seems like she's being too soft because I never see what she likes about him in the first place.
Other Observations:
They keep referring a night they almost kissed that they can't forget. Here's the weird thing: it happens off page. It's this pivotal point that they're both thinking about as representative of what could have been, and when he heart became his etc... but we don't see it. We see other, less relevant flashbacks instead.
SEX: The first and only sex scene happens at 70%(so close!), lasts for a whopping 10% of the entire novel, and was not my style. I think it was a case of trying too hard to make it seem special. They talk waay too much, while giving head which is impressive, using this metaphor-innuendo of "groveling": It was like: "show me how you grovel" "yeah, I'll show you how I grovel, you're going to love it" "I'm going to grovel until you come" "are you going to let me grovel as long as I want?" "I'm going to want more than that kind of groveling" "That was some good groveling." I'm paraphrasing, but it went on and fucking on like that throughout the foreplay.
While hyperbolic speech is standard in a sex scene, this was too much, and repetitive. Not every single touch should feel like molten lava, and if you think about it, that's a good thing. Finally, it was just tooo looong.
**THEORY: Here's my take: I don't think that Trent is attracted to Brooke. He never talks or thinks about the way she looks. He doesn't take note when she gets curves. He sees her for the first time in 5 years and doesn't drink in her appearance, or catalog how she's changed since then. He doesn't go home and think about how she looked. His only reaction is guilt and fear for his job.
He never calls her pretty or beautiful, or compliments how she looks at all, even in his head. There's one exception to this, and it's when he tells her she looks hot that day and likes her skirt, as part of calming her nerves before a presentation.
When she's giving him head for the first time, she asks how often he's fantasized about her doing this to him during meetings, and he says he thought about the kissing they were doing earlier instead. He doesn't remark on how she looks with his dick in her mouth, which is kind of a thing for guys usually. He genuinely doesn't seem jealous when he hears about her date with Fulton, just worried because he knows that guy is awful.
The way he talks about making a commitment to not having sex with other women, you'd think he was joining the priesthood. It's not supposed to be that hard. Regarding his hookup with Keely, he said he "wasn't man enough to resist temptation" and was chasing lust over love, but if he loves Brooke he should also lust after her, you know? I don't think he does.
In Sum: So anyway, reading this helped me learn that it's a bit too ambitious for me to feel the romance when struggling with overwhelming pangs of revulsion toward a hero. Then I just got bored with it, and kept taking breaks to write my feelings about it, the result of which is this pithy little tome of a review you see here!
*The Original Offense:
I had read some reviews coming into this, so knew I was walking into something a little bit...tricksy. The hero does an awful thing, and there isn't some secret way that makes it less bad than it seems (details spoiler tagged at the bottom*). It's something that's hard to swallow from someone who supposedly cares about the heroine. Apparently I have a lot of thoughts about it!
On Trent: First, as to his terrible thing he did: it doesn't make sense. Trent's misdeed is totally incongruous with someone who had driven to their hometown special, just to finally tell Brooke his feelings for her that night. He knew she was coming to find him at any moment. That's not just a moment of weakness or getting caught up in the moment, it doesn't make sense. Trent calls himself weak, which he is, but that's not it. The way I see it, not fooling around with someone other than the person you want to be with shouldn't be some big obligation or sacrifice. What his actions do indicate are that his feelings for Brooke are weak. That's why this scenario doesn't fit with someone who cares so much about Brooke. It's not believable.(See THEORY below**)
On another note, Trent's explanation is that " 'we were alone in that room, and I was weak…' ” but if it's easy for Trent to be swayed into doing something that essentially guarantees he'll lose any chance with her, then Brooke dodged a bullet that graduation night. He would absolutely have cheated on her if they had gotten together. Like Brooke told him, “ 'If you were that weak, then it turned out for the best.' ”
But really, it isn't what turns me against Trent. What makes me think that Trent is a waste of fictional space and my real time happens five years later. While he's apparently wracked with shame over his actions, his overwhelming concern when seeing her again is that he's afraid that her heartbreak might affect the upward career track. Thus, he makes the conscious decision to hurt her again, first her heart and now by damaging her career and livelihood.
He punishes her for being a victim of his own shitty actions, and this time, it's not an impulsive, someone-waved-titties-in-my-face awful thing to do. It's an, I'm-a-slimy-person-with-no-integrity kind of thing to do. All because, in his words, "I did want the office on the top floor." Before, he was a person who did a shitty thing, now he's just a shitty person.
Also, Trent decides to sabotage Brooke's career based on the repulsive, misogynistic assumption that Brooke won't be able to control her feelings enough be professional around him, despite her showing no evidence of this. He even acknowledges that it's misogynistic before he does it. Brooke actually does act professional; she cares about her job and doesn't want to jeopardize anything.
While he says he feels guilty, he never questions his decision until, once again, he's concerned for his own professional ambitions: "hopefully my career will survive this..."
Just like his actions on Brooke's graduation night, Trent's acts of corporate sabotage make no fucking sense for somebody that cares about her at all. His guilt while he's actively damaging her career feels less than sincere.
We never see much of what makes Trent attractive to Brooke, then or now. We read the shit he pulls in painful detail, and then it's like, 'and now we're joking and enjoying each other's company,' but we don't see what that looks like. All I see is Trent being a dick, and then I'm told he's not so bad. Without seeing the good, it's hard to believe it.
On Brooke: She seems fine, I guess. Having history with Trent is the bulk of her personality. Also, what does she look like? We know she gets banging curves and is apparently pretty. But what does her face look like? What color is her hair??
Some people in reviews talked shit about Brooke, saying that she turned into a slut because of her heartbreak. If they think she's a slut, remind me not to tell them about my early twenties. She mentions vaguely that she let loose a little in college, and that she found it cathartic. Also, she almost has a one-night stand with a guy, but she realizes he's married and shuts it down before they even leave the bar. He thought she was a hooker😬 Rough break, but all that tells me is that she dared to want a night of casual, no-strings passion, and that probably was dressed a little sexy. Sometimes I dress a little hooker chic myself, just because. It makes me feel alive.
SIDEBAR:
People are so fucking judgmental in these reviews. The heroine stays celibate for years after a heartbreak, she gets flayed alive in the reviews. She discovers a healthy enjoyment of sex after a heartbreak, she gets burned at the stake. Now, I love romance novels. One could say I have a romance novel problem. But it hurts my heart that we're mostly women reading and writing these reviews and books, and yet the whole subculture is filled to the gills with negative, hateful messages to and about women. We're shitting on ourselves. This is a women-centered space and we use it to cut ourselves down. It's disappointing.
BACK TO REVIEW:
Anyway, Brooke seems cool. She accepted his apology without nearly enough explanation, and she softened to him way too easily for my taste. He never adequately apologizes for trying to ruin her career, for one. She makes her own excuses for him about that, saying he was a dick because was processing his feelings in seeing her again. That was a little pathetic. But probably partially seems like she's being too soft because I never see what she likes about him in the first place. Other than that stuff, we know she's good at her job, and according to Trent she's a very good person who sees the best in people.
Other Observations:
They keep referring a night they almost kissed that they can't forget. Here's the weird thing: it happens off page. It's this pivotal point that they're both thinking about as representative of what could have been, and when he heart became his etc... but we don't see it. We see other, less relevant flashbacks instead.
SEX: The first and only sex scene happens at 70%(so close!), lasts for a whopping 10% of the entire novel, and was not my style. I think it was a case of trying too hard to make it seem special. They talk waay too much, while giving head which is impressive, using this metaphor-innuendo of "groveling": It was like: "show me how you grovel" "yeah, I'll show you how I grovel, you're going to love it" "I'm going to grovel until you come" "are you going to let me grovel as long as I want?" "I'm going to want more than that kind of groveling" "That was some good groveling." I'm paraphrasing, but it went on and fucking on like that throughout the foreplay.
While hyperbolic speech is standard in a sex scene, this was too much, and repetitive. Not every touch should feel like molten lava, and it's a good thing it doesn't. Finally, it was just tooo looong.
**THEORY: Here's the thing: I don't think that Trent is attracted to Brooke. He never talks or thinks about the way she looks. He doesn't take note when she gets curves. He sees her for the first time in 5 years and doesn't drink in her appearance, or catalog how she's changed since then. He doesn't go home and think about how she looked. His only reaction is guilt and fear for his job.
He never calls her pretty or beautiful, or compliments how she looks at all, even in his head. There's one exception to this, and it's when he tells her she looks hot that day and likes her skirt, as part of calming her nerves before a presentation.
When she's giving him head for the first time, she asks how often he's fantasized about her doing this to him during meetings, and he says he thought about the kissing they were doing earlier instead. He doesn't remark on how she looks with his dick in her mouth, which is kind of a thing for guys usually. He genuinely doesn't seem jealous when he hears about her date with Fulton, just worried because he knows that guy is awful.
The way he talks about making a commitment to not having sex with other women, you'd think he was joining the priesthood. It's not supposed to be that hard. Regarding his hookup with Keely, he said he "wasn't man enough to resist temptation" and was chasing lust over love, but if he loves Brooke he should also lust after her, you know? I don't think he does.
In Sum: So anyway, reading this helped me learn that it's a bit too ambitious for me to feel the romance when struggling with overwhelming pangs of revulsion toward a hero. Then I just got bored with it, and kept taking breaks to write my feelings about it, the result of which is this pithy little tome of a review you see here!
*The Original Offense:
Merged review:
****SPOILERS THROUGHOUT********
I had read some reviews coming into this, so knew I was walking into something a little bit...tricksy. The hero does an awful thing, and there isn't some secret way that makes it less bad than it seems (details spoiler tagged at the bottom*). It's an offense that's hard to reconcile from someone who supposedly cares about the heroine. Apparently I have a lot of thoughts about it!
On Trent: First, as to his terrible thing he did: it doesn't make sense. Trent's misdeed is totally incongruous with someone who had driven to their hometown special, just to finally tell Brooke his feelings for her that very night. He knew she was coming to find him at any moment. That's not just a moment of weakness or getting caught up in the moment, it doesn't make sense. Trent calls himself weak, which he is, but that's not even close to a satisfactory explanation. The way I see it, if you really want to be with someone, not fooling around with other people shouldn't be some big obligation or sacrifice. What his actions do indicate are that his feelings for Brooke are weak. That's why the situation doesn't fit as coming from someone who cares so much about Brooke. It's not believable.(See THEORY below**)
On another note, Trent's explanation is that " 'we were alone in that room, and I was weak…' ” but if it's that easy for Trent to be swayed into doing something that obviously sabotages his chance with her, then Brooke dodged a bullet that graduation night. He would definitely have cheated on her if they had gotten together. Like Brooke told him, “ 'If you were that weak, then it turned out for the best.' ”
But really, it isn't what turns me against Trent. What makes me think that Trent is a waste of fictional space and my real time happens five years later. While he's apparently wracked with shame over his actions, his overwhelming concern when seeing her again is how her heartbreak might affect the upward career track. Thus, he makes the conscious decision to hurt her again, first her heart and now by damaging her career and livelihood.
He punishes her for being a victim of his own shitty actions, and this time, it's not an impulsive, someone-waved-titties-in-my-face awful thing to do. It's an, I'm-a-slimy-person-with-no-integrity kind of thing to do. All because, in his words, "I did want the office on the top floor." Before, he was a person who did a shitty thing, now he's just a shitty person.
Also, Trent decides to sabotage Brooke's career based on the repulsive, misogynistic assumption that Brooke won't be able to control her feelings enough be professional around him, despite her showing no evidence of this. He even acknowledges that it's misogynistic before he does it. Brooke actually does act professional; she cares about her job and doesn't want to jeopardize anything.
While he says he feels guilty, he never questions his decision until, once again, he's concerned for his own professional ambitions: "hopefully my career will survive this..."
Just like his actions on Brooke's graduation night, Trent's acts of corporate sabotage make no fucking sense for somebody that cares about her at all. His guilt while he's actively damaging her career feels less than sincere.
We never see much of what makes Trent attractive to Brooke, then or now. We read the reprehensible shit he pulls in painful detail, but when the time comes to hear any positive aspects of their connection, it's summarized. We get 'and now we're joking and enjoying each other's company,' but we don't see what that looks like. All I see is Trent being a dick, and then I'm told he's not so bad. Without seeing the good, it's hard to believe it.
On Brooke: She seems fine, I guess. She's good at her job, and according to Trent she's a very good person who sees the best in people. But really, having history with Trent is the bulk of her personality. Also what does she look like? We know she's pretty with banging curves, but what does her face look like? What color is her hair??
Some people in these reviews talked shit about Brooke, saying that she turned into a slut because of her heartbreak. If they think she's a slut, remind me not to tell them about my early twenties. She mentions vaguely that she let loose a little in college, and that she found it cathartic. Also, she almost has a one-night stand with a guy, but she realizes he's married and shuts it down before they even leave the bar. He thought she was a hooker😬 Rough break, but all that tells me is that she dared to want a night of casual, no-strings passion, and that probably was dressed a little sexy. Sometimes I dress a little hooker chic myself, just because. It makes me feel alive.
SIDEBAR:
People are so fucking judgmental in these romance novel reviews, I swear. If a heroine stays celibate for years after a heartbreak, she gets flayed alive in the reviews. If she discovers a healthy enjoyment of sex after a heartbreak, she gets burned at the stake. Now, I love romance novels. One could say I have a romance novel problem. But it hurts my heart that we're mostly women reading and writing these reviews and books, and yet the whole subculture is filled to the gills with negative, hateful messages to and about women. We're shitting on ourselves. This is a women-centered space and we use it to cut ourselves down. It's disappointing.
BACK TO REVIEW:
Anyway, Brooke seems alright. She accepts his apology without nearly enough explanation, and she softens to him way too easily for my taste. He never adequately apologizes for trying to ruin her career, for one. She makes up her own excuses for him about that, saying he was a dick because was processing his feelings in seeing her again. That was a little pathetic. But it probably partially seems like she's being too soft because I never see what she likes about him in the first place.
Other Observations:
They keep referring a night they almost kissed that they can't forget. Here's the weird thing: it happens off page. It's this pivotal point that they're both thinking about as representative of what could have been, and when he heart became his etc... but we don't see it. We see other, less relevant flashbacks instead.
SEX: The first and only sex scene happens at 70%(so close!), lasts for a whopping 10% of the entire novel, and was not my style. I think it was a case of trying too hard to make it seem special. They talk waay too much, while giving head which is impressive, using this metaphor-innuendo of "groveling": It was like: "show me how you grovel" "yeah, I'll show you how I grovel, you're going to love it" "I'm going to grovel until you come" "are you going to let me grovel as long as I want?" "I'm going to want more than that kind of groveling" "That was some good groveling." I'm paraphrasing, but it went on and fucking on like that throughout the foreplay.
While hyperbolic speech is standard in a sex scene, this was too much, and repetitive. Not every single touch should feel like molten lava, and if you think about it, that's a good thing. Finally, it was just tooo looong.
**THEORY: Here's my take: I don't think that Trent is attracted to Brooke. He never talks or thinks about the way she looks. He doesn't take note when she gets curves. He sees her for the first time in 5 years and doesn't drink in her appearance, or catalog how she's changed since then. He doesn't go home and think about how she looked. His only reaction is guilt and fear for his job.
He never calls her pretty or beautiful, or compliments how she looks at all, even in his head. There's one exception to this, and it's when he tells her she looks hot that day and likes her skirt, as part of calming her nerves before a presentation.
When she's giving him head for the first time, she asks how often he's fantasized about her doing this to him during meetings, and he says he thought about the kissing they were doing earlier instead. He doesn't remark on how she looks with his dick in her mouth, which is kind of a thing for guys usually. He genuinely doesn't seem jealous when he hears about her date with Fulton, just worried because he knows that guy is awful.
The way he talks about making a commitment to not having sex with other women, you'd think he was joining the priesthood. It's not supposed to be that hard. Regarding his hookup with Keely, he said he "wasn't man enough to resist temptation" and was chasing lust over love, but if he loves Brooke he should also lust after her, you know? I don't think he does.
In Sum: So anyway, reading this helped me learn that it's a bit too ambitious for me to feel the romance when struggling with overwhelming pangs of revulsion toward a hero. Then I just got bored with it, and kept taking breaks to write my feelings about it, the result of which is this pithy little tome of a review you see here!
*The Original Offense:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2020
Pretty good
This was a pretty good read even though I feel something is missing. I'm going to try to put it into words without spoiling everything but i do have some unresolved feelings from this book. For one I feel that the issues was never fully resolved the way they should of been. There should of been more apologizing and groveling in my opinion. The friend should have been put through h🔥ll after what she did but that never happened. I would of loved to know the excuses and the past that was referred to but never explained. Other than that not a bad book at all.
This was a pretty good read even though I feel something is missing. I'm going to try to put it into words without spoiling everything but i do have some unresolved feelings from this book. For one I feel that the issues was never fully resolved the way they should of been. There should of been more apologizing and groveling in my opinion. The friend should have been put through h🔥ll after what she did but that never happened. I would of loved to know the excuses and the past that was referred to but never explained. Other than that not a bad book at all.
January 7, 2020
"I was playing with fire—I knew that—but I couldn’t find enough willpower to stop."
Another new to me author, one that pulled me in with my most favorite literary "carrot".....the promise of the level of angst that can only come from an enemies-to-lovers or bully romance. This sub-genre is my current fav to read which is the reason I find myself giving unknown (to me) authors a chance without first checking them out (ratings/review wise). Its also possibly the reason I may be more critical when it comes to these books. I WANTED this one to check all the boxes for me..... the blurb had me super hopeful.
Buttttt it ended up being the first one in 2020 I can say disappointed me.....not because it was boring or poorly written, but because I had such high hopes & it didn't deliver. It was a page turner plot wise, however it missed the mark on other necessary categories that are vital to produce a 4 or 5 star read.
Overall Story/Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brooke: ⭐⭐⭐
Trent: ⭐⭐⭐
Emotional Connectability: ⭐⭐
Angst Meter: 💔💔💔💔
Sex Scenes: 🔥🔥
Dirty Talk: 🔥
Chemistry: 🔥🔥
Book Facts:
POV: Dual
About: An instalove standalone that is a little enemies to lovers, office romance, & second chance/missed connection romance rolled into one.
Safe Read? No cheating, no triggering situations/subjects, & only mild bullying (for a small % of book).
HEA/HFN/Cliffy: Ends in a HEA with the potential to see them again if she expands this into a series (there are plenty of options).
"The Five":
Brooke: stubborn, fighter, confident, spitfire, gutsy.
Trent: broody, infuriating, supportive, redeemable, intense.
Story: slow-burn, infuriating, page turner, perfectly angsty, disappointing.
Feelings while reading (gifs):
Final Thoughts:
Fav Part of Book: The plot twist
Least Fav Part of Book: Fulton's skeezy ass
Positives: Great angst, interesting plot, surprising twist, no unnecessary drama, believable, sweet ending.
Negatives: The typos/errors/missing words & letters, the repetitive phrases/words/"thoughts", some points were a little slow (boring), lacked passion, couldn't get invested in their journey.
Writing: She does do a few things that I appreciated....like letting us in on the event that caused the hatred early on & creating a believable way to reconnect them & force both to face each other. The fact that the story focused more on the process of redemption/forgiveness than rushing it to get more sexy scenes is a definite plus. But what became my fav part of this book was the plot twist....its been a long time since I can honestly say I didn't see it coming.
My "major" issues with the book were 100% writing/ editing based. There were more than a few editing issues in my ARC copy. Grammar, typos, missing letters/words, & even a few formatting issues. It wasn't a major amount but enough to catch my attention too many times to ignore. There was also a problem with repetitive words/phrases, nowhere more glaringly obvious than in their sex scene. For a single moment to hold so much importance & be sorta ruined by the constant repetition of the same very specific phrases/words (molten lava/fire, grovel/ing, euphoria, fury/furious, beg/ing, bliss, throb....I could go on) AND the redundant focus put on begging & groveling while they were in the act.....well, that's a major letdown in a moment that should have had me hot & bothered wanting to mount my husband. Just to give you an idea ....in that single scene groveling was brought up 22 times & begging was used 42 times. I'm sure I seem a little nitpicky BUT seemingly insignificant issues like this that can impact the reader experience are what makes me so rage-y towards the betas & editors who sugarcoat instead of give the honest feedback their author deserves.
Overall, I absolutely felt the plot was interesting....I couldn't wait to find out what happened next, even when it seemed there wasn't anything "exciting" going on. But my inability to connect to the characters paired with the issues I had while reading made this lose stars I had intended to give to it. Is it a waste of time? Definitely not.....but if you have limited free time for reading you may want to search for something that makes the impact this one couldn't deliver.
“You should have…” I moaned. “You could have been my first.” “I’ll settle for being your last.”
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Another new to me author, one that pulled me in with my most favorite literary "carrot".....the promise of the level of angst that can only come from an enemies-to-lovers or bully romance. This sub-genre is my current fav to read which is the reason I find myself giving unknown (to me) authors a chance without first checking them out (ratings/review wise). Its also possibly the reason I may be more critical when it comes to these books. I WANTED this one to check all the boxes for me..... the blurb had me super hopeful.
Buttttt it ended up being the first one in 2020 I can say disappointed me.....not because it was boring or poorly written, but because I had such high hopes & it didn't deliver. It was a page turner plot wise, however it missed the mark on other necessary categories that are vital to produce a 4 or 5 star read.
Overall Story/Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brooke: ⭐⭐⭐
Trent: ⭐⭐⭐
Emotional Connectability: ⭐⭐
Angst Meter: 💔💔💔💔
Sex Scenes: 🔥🔥
Dirty Talk: 🔥
Chemistry: 🔥🔥
Book Facts:
POV: Dual
About: An instalove standalone that is a little enemies to lovers, office romance, & second chance/missed connection romance rolled into one.
Safe Read? No cheating, no triggering situations/subjects, & only mild bullying (for a small % of book).
HEA/HFN/Cliffy: Ends in a HEA with the potential to see them again if she expands this into a series (there are plenty of options).
"The Five":
Brooke: stubborn, fighter, confident, spitfire, gutsy.
Trent: broody, infuriating, supportive, redeemable, intense.
Story: slow-burn, infuriating, page turner, perfectly angsty, disappointing.
Feelings while reading (gifs):
Final Thoughts:
Fav Part of Book: The plot twist
Least Fav Part of Book: Fulton's skeezy ass
Positives: Great angst, interesting plot, surprising twist, no unnecessary drama, believable, sweet ending.
Negatives: The typos/errors/missing words & letters, the repetitive phrases/words/"thoughts", some points were a little slow (boring), lacked passion, couldn't get invested in their journey.
Writing: She does do a few things that I appreciated....like letting us in on the event that caused the hatred early on & creating a believable way to reconnect them & force both to face each other. The fact that the story focused more on the process of redemption/forgiveness than rushing it to get more sexy scenes is a definite plus. But what became my fav part of this book was the plot twist....its been a long time since I can honestly say I didn't see it coming.
My "major" issues with the book were 100% writing/ editing based. There were more than a few editing issues in my ARC copy. Grammar, typos, missing letters/words, & even a few formatting issues. It wasn't a major amount but enough to catch my attention too many times to ignore. There was also a problem with repetitive words/phrases, nowhere more glaringly obvious than in their sex scene. For a single moment to hold so much importance & be sorta ruined by the constant repetition of the same very specific phrases/words (molten lava/fire, grovel/ing, euphoria, fury/furious, beg/ing, bliss, throb....I could go on) AND the redundant focus put on begging & groveling while they were in the act.....well, that's a major letdown in a moment that should have had me hot & bothered wanting to mount my husband. Just to give you an idea ....in that single scene groveling was brought up 22 times & begging was used 42 times. I'm sure I seem a little nitpicky BUT seemingly insignificant issues like this that can impact the reader experience are what makes me so rage-y towards the betas & editors who sugarcoat instead of give the honest feedback their author deserves.
Overall, I absolutely felt the plot was interesting....I couldn't wait to find out what happened next, even when it seemed there wasn't anything "exciting" going on. But my inability to connect to the characters paired with the issues I had while reading made this lose stars I had intended to give to it. Is it a waste of time? Definitely not.....but if you have limited free time for reading you may want to search for something that makes the impact this one couldn't deliver.
“You should have…” I moaned. “You could have been my first.” “I’ll settle for being your last.”
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 12, 2020
Hmmm
This book had so much promise - I was so disappointed
I love enemies to lovers romances...
I read the blurb and couldn't wait to read it, unfortunately it didn't deliver.
I did not like Trent at all and in my eyes he really didn't redeem himself.
He was a jerk to Brooke on her graduation night and was still a jerk 5 years later when they meet again.
Brooke is hired at a firm after she graduated college and turns out Trent will be her boss. He treats her horribly and does things so he can fire her.
I don't understand how she forgave him after everything he did to her. She said several times that the Trent she used to know would occasionally come through but I never saw it.
This book had so much promise - I was so disappointed
I love enemies to lovers romances...
I read the blurb and couldn't wait to read it, unfortunately it didn't deliver.
I did not like Trent at all and in my eyes he really didn't redeem himself.
He was a jerk to Brooke on her graduation night and was still a jerk 5 years later when they meet again.
Brooke is hired at a firm after she graduated college and turns out Trent will be her boss. He treats her horribly and does things so he can fire her.
I don't understand how she forgave him after everything he did to her. She said several times that the Trent she used to know would occasionally come through but I never saw it.
January 20, 2020
Hatefully Yours: An Enemies to Lovers Standalone Romance By: Kelli CallahanMaybe She'll Be "Hatefully Yours" ForEVERmore....
He was Her Crush grow'n Up, As well Her Brother's BestFriend!
But On Her Grad Day, He Betrayed Her & broke Her HEART...
Sooo She wrote Her feelings DOWN...
Addressing Him & sign'n IT "Hatefully Yours" with finality!
Cuz She absolutely didn't want to see Him,
And that's the Way it was gonna be!
Until She gets a job, & He's the BOSS She'll work Under...
But "Hatefully Yours" should've stayed the Status Quo,
As He's doing WhatEver it takes to steal the show...
By gett'n Her to GO!
But is He gonna wise Up... And see Her "Hatefully Yours" façade as what IT is,
or will Be lose His Second Chance...
I was granted, via B00|{$P®0UT, an ARC of Kelli Callahan's "Hatefully Yours: An Enemies to Lovers Standalone Romance." I recommend this book to others based upon its own merits. All opinions expressed within this review are uniquely my own & freely given!
Until next time... Happy Reading!
My Rating Sytem:
4🌟: I like IT a lot. Great, Solid Story w/ few if any inconsistencies or errors. This is a HIGH Rating, & I rarely give OUT a Higher Rating.
If My Review is helpful to you, please check the box below~ Thank You.
January 19, 2020
I wanted to kick him for most of the story
So I really tried to like Hatefully Yours but I just could not fall into the story fully. Actually through most of the book I wanted to do two things - kick Trent, the supposed H, all the way up his azz and back and then also separate both the H and h completely apart. I cannot say that one of my favorite story-line is enemy to lover but if it is done well then it can make for a really great read. I just found this one to be to overly dramatic and in the end when they find their love connection again it was just too unbelievable that she would go down that road again after the way he had bullied her. I just kept wanting to tell her there were other jobs out there and to run to them immediately. This book was just not for me but I am sure there will be other that will love it. So if you happen to be one of those people then more power to you as variety is the spice of life.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
So I really tried to like Hatefully Yours but I just could not fall into the story fully. Actually through most of the book I wanted to do two things - kick Trent, the supposed H, all the way up his azz and back and then also separate both the H and h completely apart. I cannot say that one of my favorite story-line is enemy to lover but if it is done well then it can make for a really great read. I just found this one to be to overly dramatic and in the end when they find their love connection again it was just too unbelievable that she would go down that road again after the way he had bullied her. I just kept wanting to tell her there were other jobs out there and to run to them immediately. This book was just not for me but I am sure there will be other that will love it. So if you happen to be one of those people then more power to you as variety is the spice of life.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
February 4, 2020
Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Once I started reading I could not put the book down from start to finish you just could not get enough left you wanting more twists and turns with Brooke had a crush to Trent hurting her. Trent he has always had a crush on Brooke then betrayed her friendship it was like a rollercoaster ride of emotions that makes you wanting more.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 10, 2020
Trent & Brook have history.
It started when Brook was 15. Trent was her brother’s best friend. He’d moved away, but came back for a visit. She knew with one look into his ocean blue eyes. However, their timing never meshed. At her graduation party, she caught him with her best friend. Crushed, she wrote him a letter expressing all her pain. Years later, she begins her new job after completing college, and there’s the man that broke her heart. He’s now her supervisor. Her “hatefully yours” letter hit her target and she’s going to pay another price for losing her heart.
It started when Brook was 15. Trent was her brother’s best friend. He’d moved away, but came back for a visit. She knew with one look into his ocean blue eyes. However, their timing never meshed. At her graduation party, she caught him with her best friend. Crushed, she wrote him a letter expressing all her pain. Years later, she begins her new job after completing college, and there’s the man that broke her heart. He’s now her supervisor. Her “hatefully yours” letter hit her target and she’s going to pay another price for losing her heart.
Shelved as 'not-wasting-my-time'
January 22, 2020Not sure why any woman would want this clown back. He sounds like a weasel and a coward. And sabotaging her job because he's an insecure little shit? Oh, be still my heart.
Read
November 18, 2022Dnf 50%...lost interest for now,perhaps go back I future....
January 11, 2020
Hatefully yours,
Fun read of a horrible best friend, miscommunication, bad behavior and reconciliation.
The low-life of the year goes to.......(drumroll)......Fulton! His atrocious behavior have the book some spark....oh and Ben. Spoiler alert! Wife. Prostitute. Bouncer .
Fun read of a horrible best friend, miscommunication, bad behavior and reconciliation.
The low-life of the year goes to.......(drumroll)......Fulton! His atrocious behavior have the book some spark....oh and Ben. Spoiler alert! Wife. Prostitute. Bouncer .
January 5, 2020
An enjoyable intense read.
A second chance romance that was filled with intense emotional feel from start to finish. I enjoyed Brooke and Trent’s character who were both likable and relatable. I could picture the characters as they navigate to a enemies to lovers storyline. An enjoyable read from an author who does not disappoint.
A second chance romance that was filled with intense emotional feel from start to finish. I enjoyed Brooke and Trent’s character who were both likable and relatable. I could picture the characters as they navigate to a enemies to lovers storyline. An enjoyable read from an author who does not disappoint.
January 19, 2020
This book is a second chance, love to hate story that starts off as two teenagers who go from timing that is always off to a misunderstanding that breaks both their hearts, only to be revisited at the most inopportune moment either one could’ve foreseen. Brooke has just landed her dream job at a marketing company in New York. Her new team are waiting to be introduced to their new team leader. When Trent walks through the door, she wants the ground to open up. This is supposed to be the start of a new life, not the opening of old wounds. Trent broke her heart irreparably when she was eighteen and when he looks up and sees the woman who’s sitting in front of him, part of his new team, he knows he has to get her moved. His boss however, has other ideas. Make her life a living hell and set her up to be fired. Trent reluctantly follows his advice, ostracising Brooke, offering her no help, setting her deadlines that she fails to meet through no fault of her own. Her new team soon realise they need to give her wide birth. Brooke tries approaching Trent, talking to him but to no avail, so two can play at that game. She works above and beyond and when she’s given a new project that she is sure to be another set up, it just so happens to backfire on Trent and finds the two of them having to work on it together. The story is well written and interesting throughout, the characters all have something to offer and you can’t help either loving or hating them. You find yourself seeing both sides of the story from beginning to end and you have to keep reading, no matter the hour ;-) Absolutely brilliant.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 4, 2020
Brooke remembered how her first real crush completely crushed her heart when she was 18 - fast forward a few years and now that same boy is her boss.
When Brook showed up on Trent’s team, he didn’t know how to handle himself. The girl that stole his heart those years ago, the mistake he made, the letter, and now he is her boss. Fate isn’t kind to him. But when Trent’s boss encourages him to just get rid of her after finding out that the two of them have history, is he going to be able to go thru with it or will he finally get what his heart has always wanted?
Kelli nailed it with this story, the Trent and Brooke has so much depth. Their chemistry was off the charts and I found myself internally yelling at Trent a few choice words a time or two. I loved the plot and how Brooke wasn’t a pushover, she definitely stood her ground. I really enjoyed this and the ending was just perfect!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When Brook showed up on Trent’s team, he didn’t know how to handle himself. The girl that stole his heart those years ago, the mistake he made, the letter, and now he is her boss. Fate isn’t kind to him. But when Trent’s boss encourages him to just get rid of her after finding out that the two of them have history, is he going to be able to go thru with it or will he finally get what his heart has always wanted?
Kelli nailed it with this story, the Trent and Brooke has so much depth. Their chemistry was off the charts and I found myself internally yelling at Trent a few choice words a time or two. I loved the plot and how Brooke wasn’t a pushover, she definitely stood her ground. I really enjoyed this and the ending was just perfect!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 7, 2020
Brother's Best Friend and Little Sister romance story, sounds a little cliche but there are parts of this story that are not. There's a lot of hurt happening throughout this story, especially in the beginning. The way that Brooke and Trent find each other again, and the story had me reading this is one sitting. Kelli Callahan almost never disappoints with her stories. I love the ties with Carson Cove, and can't wait to read more!
Please note that I did receive an ARC of this story, and the opinion expressed in this review are my own.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Please note that I did receive an ARC of this story, and the opinion expressed in this review are my own.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 3, 2020
The amount of tension, sparks and raw emotion is this book is colossal! This book is a very intense and emotional roller coaster ride that will suck you in and often leave you breathless. The combination of complex characters, a complicated history and some stunning twists easily keeps you entertained and on edge as the story unfolds. That saying that: "There is a fine line between love and hate", truly applies here and I think that this author did an amazing job of walking that line as she crafted such an entertaining and enjoyable read. I am posting a volitional, candid review.
January 7, 2020
Brooke fell for her brother’s best friend years ago and when she thinks something is finally going to happen between them, she is heart broken to find him with her best friend. Five years later he ends up being her boss. He doesn’t treat her very nicely but she plans on sticking it out. Will they find a way to forget the past and move forward? Fast-paced read with plenty of drama and steamy chemistry. This read is lots of fun, very entertaining and has plenty of emotion. I really liked it.
January 4, 2020
This was so much fun to read and I was engrossed in it. It's an enemies-to-lovers romance but also a second chance since they knew each other from the past. They are hurtful towards each other and their past feelings come into play. There's an air of mystery as well since what they thought they knew may not be the actual truth. I was sucked in and didn't put it down until I was done.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 6, 2020
Okay first I have to say I really loved this book. The story was unique and I got addicted right from the start. But I pretty much hated Trent most of this book. That being said he did redeem himself but omg I wanted to beat the heck out of him most of this story. But I’m glad he redeemed himself because they deserved their happy ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 9, 2020
I enjoyed Trent & Brooke's story. Good characters. This was an entertaining & addictive book. I received a free copy of the book. And am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
February 6, 2020
http://rpmbt-blog.com/rpmbt/review-ha...
I’m a huge lover of enemies to lovers romances, so when I read the blurb of Hatefully Yours, I needed to get this book and read it ASAP, but unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me. I couldn’t get on board with Trent’s character, no matter how much I tried, and to me this book seemed to just not flow as well as I would have liked. Let me explain…
We meet Trent and Brooke when they are teenagers. Brooke is the awkward teenage girl who has a huge crush on her brother’s best friend, Trent, and even though they are friends, nothing seems to happen between them. On her graduation night, things hold promise until he breaks her heart, and she decides to give up on him after writing him a scathing letter. Flash forward five years later and Trent is now her boss, and Brooke is doing everything in her power to keep her job. At first Trent is just trying to prove himself to his boss and makes Brooke look awful and I hated this, but when Brooke refuses to let Trent push her aside and make her look bad, Trent tries to redeem himself and realizes he still has feelings for her and is now “Mr. Nice Guy”.
I get Brooke’s hesitation towards Trent throughout most of this book, he was her first crush, maybe love, and he destroyed her, and when he enters her life again, he’s out to destroy her career, so when he starts to play nice, she’s hesitant, and I did enjoy how strong she seemed to be and how she didn’t put up with any of his crap, but then it seemed like something switched in her and all was forgotten, even if she said it wasn’t, and Trent was her go to guy, and her roommates that she was going to for advice all the time, just seemed to disappear in the book all together and I was like, “wait, what happened to them?”.
As much as I adored Brooke’s character, I could never get on board with Trent’s and all the things he put her through, and just the choppiness of how this book flowed. I think if Trent had some redeeming quality (outside of how the epilogue went) and the story flowed a little better this would have been a 4 star read for me, but instead it just kind of fell flat.
I’m a huge lover of enemies to lovers romances, so when I read the blurb of Hatefully Yours, I needed to get this book and read it ASAP, but unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me. I couldn’t get on board with Trent’s character, no matter how much I tried, and to me this book seemed to just not flow as well as I would have liked. Let me explain…
We meet Trent and Brooke when they are teenagers. Brooke is the awkward teenage girl who has a huge crush on her brother’s best friend, Trent, and even though they are friends, nothing seems to happen between them. On her graduation night, things hold promise until he breaks her heart, and she decides to give up on him after writing him a scathing letter. Flash forward five years later and Trent is now her boss, and Brooke is doing everything in her power to keep her job. At first Trent is just trying to prove himself to his boss and makes Brooke look awful and I hated this, but when Brooke refuses to let Trent push her aside and make her look bad, Trent tries to redeem himself and realizes he still has feelings for her and is now “Mr. Nice Guy”.
I get Brooke’s hesitation towards Trent throughout most of this book, he was her first crush, maybe love, and he destroyed her, and when he enters her life again, he’s out to destroy her career, so when he starts to play nice, she’s hesitant, and I did enjoy how strong she seemed to be and how she didn’t put up with any of his crap, but then it seemed like something switched in her and all was forgotten, even if she said it wasn’t, and Trent was her go to guy, and her roommates that she was going to for advice all the time, just seemed to disappear in the book all together and I was like, “wait, what happened to them?”.
As much as I adored Brooke’s character, I could never get on board with Trent’s and all the things he put her through, and just the choppiness of how this book flowed. I think if Trent had some redeeming quality (outside of how the epilogue went) and the story flowed a little better this would have been a 4 star read for me, but instead it just kind of fell flat.
February 21, 2020
Meh
I didn’t really see or feel the connection between Brooke and Trent. The story skipped the only high school year they shared. And what was his history with Keely? It was never discussed, just he had history with her. And if he really wanted to see Brooke at that party he would’ve made sure of it. He wouldn’t have been distracted by another girl. And for her to hate him so much when they weren’t even a couple, never shared anything but some conversations is ridiculous. And then when they meet up in the adult world she goes from pushing him away to sleeping with him in the course of a paragraph. Not buying it.
I didn’t really see or feel the connection between Brooke and Trent. The story skipped the only high school year they shared. And what was his history with Keely? It was never discussed, just he had history with her. And if he really wanted to see Brooke at that party he would’ve made sure of it. He wouldn’t have been distracted by another girl. And for her to hate him so much when they weren’t even a couple, never shared anything but some conversations is ridiculous. And then when they meet up in the adult world she goes from pushing him away to sleeping with him in the course of a paragraph. Not buying it.
January 22, 2020
An entertaining enemies to lovers book about Brooke and her brothers best friend Trent...when Brooke thinks that Trent will finally be hers she finds him kissing her best friend on the day of her graduation.....Trent has never been able to get over Brooke and still carries the letter she wrote to him in his wallet.....now five years later she is working at the same company as him....he will do everything in his power to get her out...either she quits or gets fired...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 4, 2020
Okay, not great
The shortage potential but seemed to lose focus midway through. The characters weren't particularly likeable and were wishywashy with there minions of each other changing constantly. Trent are very little sense in his feeling and I could not tell you why he acted they way he did.
The shortage potential but seemed to lose focus midway through. The characters weren't particularly likeable and were wishywashy with there minions of each other changing constantly. Trent are very little sense in his feeling and I could not tell you why he acted they way he did.
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