I loved Ruthless Rivals and knew that I had to read the second book in the series as soon as possible! It didn't disappoint! This story it so steamy and intense, it had me gripped from the start! Would definitely recommend!

Oh, let me tell you about "Fallen Foe" by LJ Shen! This book totally had me swooning and grinning like a love-struck fool! The sizzling chemistry between the characters was off the charts, and the forbidden romance had me flipping pages faster than I could say 'OMG'! LJ Shen's writing skills are seriously on point, making this story a rollercoaster of emotions filled with juicy love, redemption, and hot second chances. If you're a romance junkie like me, grab this book ASAP and get ready to fall head over heels! 😍📚

Brilliant! I love these characters. I’d been looking forward to this story for a while and I’m so pleased with the outcome.

The story is angsty, intriguing, and sexy. Exactly what I needed at the moment!

Very captivating romance. Just like the author's other books the characters' chemistry and attraction was igniting from their first meeting till their hea.

Ich liebe die Bücher der Autorin einfach. Sie sind besonders und berühren mich immer auf eine ganz spezielle Art.

Unser „Held“ ist ein weiterer selbsternannter, reicher Mistkerl, besessen von seiner giftigen Stiefschwester. Während ihres gesamten verschlungenen Lebens waren sie gefühllos und grausam zueinander. Arsene ist überzeugt, dass er in Grace verliebt ist, und als sein Vater stirbt und Grace lebt, kein finanzieller Gewinn aus seinem Tod, erklärt sie sich bereit, Arsene zu heiraten. Er freut sich, den Krieg endlich gewonnen zu haben und Grace ist sein ultimativer Preis.

Wie alle guten Liebesgeschichten kommt es zu einer Tragödie und Arsenes Welt nimmt eine unerwartete Wendung.

Winnifred ist ein Kleinstadtmädchen mit einem großen Herzen und größeren Träumen. Als sie ihren Ehemann auf tragische Weise verliert, empfindet sie die Realität seines Verrats erschütternd.

Diese beiden werden zusammengebracht, um die Antworten zu bekommen, die sie verdienen, und ein seltenes Ding namens Liebesblüten.

Viel Spaß beim Selberlesen!

4/5 stars! This is the second book in the "Cruel Castaways" series by author L.J. Shen. I found this to be an enjoyable dark romance that relied heavily on the enemies-to-lovers trope. This book had a slow start but picked up quite a bit for the second half. I found Winifred to be sweet and Arsene to be intriguing. I like them as a couple and would definitely read another book by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

God, this was just not my cup of tea. I adore this author, but nooo on this one. Just because it is Shen it is a 3 stars, if it was not it would be a lot lower

Fallen Foe (book 2 in the Cruel Castaways series, though works well as a standalone) was not the kind of romance I typically read (I.e. I gravitate toward fairly well-adjusted cinnamon roll mmcs and Arsene is the opposite of that). Swipe for Goodreads synopsis).

Pick this up if you like:
✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Hurt/Comfort
✔️ I Don't Know How to Love
✔️ Just One Night
✔️ Billionaire MMC

But maybe steer clear if these are not for you (and check trigger warnings)
✔️ Fertility Issues
✔️ Toxic Relationships (not with each other)
✔️ Taboo Relationship (not with each other)

For me, the front half of the book was a struggle to like Arsene. He was hard to root for, despite his not-great childhood. That said, I adore the transition from a guy who scoffs at love and then is confused that he's miserable without her 😂

Overall, I'd give this a 4⭐️ though those who love a alpha/billionaire romance will rate this higher. Thanks to @netgalley for the ebook.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

I'll be honest, LJ Shen's style doesn't always work for me. I haven't read her backlist extensively, but I will say this wasn't my least favourite of her books that I've read. It's definitely a personal issue, and I can see how she has so many fans - if you're into very alpha heroes (going into alphahole territory) she is for you. There were some interesting choices in this book in terms of starting the book with the hero fully with someone other than the heroine, and the hero and heroine not interacting in any significant way until about a third of the way through the book. I will likely still read the last book in the series since I'm interested to see more of Riggs.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!

Swoon-worthy romance! This book feels like old LJ Shen, which I adored! Fantastic chemistry, witty dialogue, and heavy on drama!

I love her writing style. It’s so easy to get lost in her books and this one was no different. The characters and storyline were great and I really enjoyed reading their story.

I liked this story more then the first. While I don’t read sibling romance (even step) I pushed through to figure out what was going on. So glad I did. Really liked all the interactions between Arsène and Winnie and their friends. The tragedy that brought them together made it perfect.

LJ Shen is a real hit or Miss author for me. I’ve had books I’ve loved from her and books I haven’t cared much for, unfortunately this book is one of the latter. My main issue is I’m not sure who this book’s audience is!? The general romance reader will hate how much OW drama there is in this (i mean the whole first part of the book is our main characters in love with other people and the second part is them getting over them) and the people who are fine with OW drama (hi! Me!) are going to be more invested in the Gracelynn storyline because frankly it’s more interesting. It’s also what we were teased in Ruthless Rival and so it feels like a bait and switch.

I really expected this book to be a different book than what we usually get from this author but instead we got the same asshole mc x innocent/sunshine fmc we’ve gotten a thousand times before. This is a villain retelling but not even as good! I wanted the toxicity between grace and Arsene I was invested in their push and pull. It would’ve been something new and that’s the direction we should’ve gone in. Anyway I think I’m done trying with this author now.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

If you’ve read anything else by LJ Shen, then you’ll know this is her typical trope and writing style. You either love or hate their work, there doesn’t seem to be much of an in between.

This is book two in the series, and the second book where we feature Arsene. The book is pretty slowmoving to start, which isn’t my favorite. It’s the pretty typical love/hate dynamic in the beginning.
There’s some tragedy features, and a slightly taboo dynamic of step/siblings.
I wish the book was faster paced, and that there was better spice and banter.

The book wasn’t A huge success for me unfortunately.

I think I'm in the minority here. I actually liked Arsene. Yes he is a cocky ahole but he does redeem himself. He's also broken which makes it hard for him to have feelings.
The story starts with Arsene and Grace. Grace is his stepsister. I know that seems kind of yukky. Anyway, they have this weird relationship and plans on getting married but something happens and Aresene must go on. Him and Winnie find some comfort, if you call it that for Arsene since he has no feelings, in getting together to find out the mystery of their partners relationship. I don't want to spoil it , so won't say more. Just to say it does end in HEA! I'm giving it 5 stars because I rather enjoyed the story.

Fallen Foe is a tired tale of typical LJ SHEN. When something works, she tries to replicate it with similar characters and tropes. Sadly, what could have been an epic hate-love tale that was teased in the previous book between aresene and his step sister gracelynn is not the story here. His new love interest is winnifred, who's a sweet girl, and you figure. It's a typical replica of The Villain by Lj shen herself.

The marketing for this book has been absolutely gross and baiting, after reading this book. Every teaser has moments of us feeling maybe it's gracelynn with corny catch phrases where the FMC uses grace-ly and etc etc

I didn't enjoy this one but if you love alpha hole and a sweet strong girl, and aren't tired of lj shen then you would enjoy this

Fallen Foe - L.J. Shen

I enjoyed the story but personally I just found the romance a bit lacking. The back and forth between Arsene and Grace was very toxic, and where some may enjoy this, I found it just wasn't for me, Also I felt it a bit of a slow burn, and took me a while to really get into it. Thank you Netgalley, Montlake and L.J. Shen for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

I loved this book and I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I was hooked from the very first pageI loved the chemistry and attraction that these two had and the banter between them was really amazing. I loved watching there relationship grow while reading this book. This is a book was amazing and I can't wait to read what she writes next.

In the first book of the Cruel Castaways, we meet Arsene, a complex character filled with anger and bitterness. As we delve into his adult life, we witness his obsession with his step-sister and his unexpected attraction to Winnifred, whom he initially despises.

Tragedy brings them together and intensifies their connection. When Winnie decides to leave, Arsene is determined to bring her back, believing that nothing can stand in his way. This gripping story earns a well-deserved 5 stars, showcasing lj shen's talent for captivating storytelling.