For me this wasn't one of my fav reads by this author which is sad because I really thought it would be a 4-5 star read but it was a weak 3.

The story is okey and easy to follow but I think I had too high hopes for this one after reading her books in the McCullough Mountain series.

I did not care for this book. I couldn't follow along with the storyline and I generally just didn't enjoy it.

Loved this enthralling and gripping story about love against all odds and knowing your worth. Loved the characters and their development and storyline. Highly recommended!!

DID NOT LIKED THIS
Is she is a escort or she has a Sugar daddy???
this one started out pretty well but as the story got going I just really started hating the main character.
Noah was a chauvinistic, abusive pig
I struggled to find anything I liked with this book.
This book plays very dangerously with consent and while the author may have thought they were writing edgy, kinky sex this book veers straight into abuse territory and not an example of adult fun.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Avery and Noah. Avery is a college student and lives next door to Noah. Noah owns his own company. There is an instant attraction. They go out on a date after Noah asks several times and was turned down. They each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

I thought this book was okay, many things seemed unresolved though and we were left with no answers...

I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I will be looking for more books from this author.

This is my second time reading this author and I’m a fan. I love audio books so much! The blurb for this book had me so intrigued.

This was an interesting story that’s for sure. I haven’t read anything like this book before. It kept my attention and had me wanting to know what was going to happen next.

If you are looking for something different than anything you’ve read in a while grab this book.

A story set in Philidephelipha has Avery who has changed her last name and has worked on forgetting where she has come from, the problem is she has not blocked her mother and she calls all the time. She is still going to college and is almost finished. Now though her neighbor Noah is after her thinking that she is beautiful and he does not all of her choices. The problem I have with Noah is the way he talks to her the words or words he calls her. I never care for men who use the “B” towards women and he uses it many times towards her. He also acts immature even though he is two years older than her and he owns a company. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the way he treats her and the words he also uses towards her. I am not saying her character is perfect but I could understand where her character was from. Anyway, it was a good story and you do see growth between the two characters.

Good read! It's a cute story with an erotic nature. It's a different twist to the BDSM I have previously read. The author is on point in transitioning the story throughout. I like this authors writing. I would recommend this read if you like more than a Hallmark movie level romance!

This story was amazing. Avery found her way out of a terrible situation the best way she could. She meets Noah, someone she starts to have feelings for, and not only is her past getting in the way but her present is too. I also found myself laughing out loud at certain times which was fantastic. I loved this book so much.

I generally love Miss Michaels' books but had a difficult time delving into this one .I couldn't appreciate the juvenile push/pull between Noah and Avery and several times thought of abandoning this story, but I hesitate to leave a book unfinished without giving it the full benefit of the doubt. I found Avery weak and easily manipulated while Noah was obnoxious and had such a grandiose sense of self ,it was off-putting. If you relish relationships where the self proclaimed dominant becomes the submissive, this one will gratify. There was a satisfactory plotline and I believe that was what afforded this one a three star review.

A sexy alpha male from the poshest part of Philadelphia gets snowed in with his beautiful neighbor in this modern day rags-to-riches, enemies to lovers romance from bestselling and award winning author, Lydia Michaels.


Avery Johansson is borrowing against her youth and beauty to afford a better future by working as a sugar baby. Gifted at playing the role of a delicate female, she makes a living by stroking men’s egos. But the real Avery prefers leather over lace and spice instead of nice.


Noah Wolfe is used to getting exactly what he wants when he wants, and when he sets his sights on his sexy neighbor, he’s determined to have her. Little does he know, the soft female across the hall doesn’t swoon for roses–she plays with the thorns.

Loved the premise of the story. I thought the characters were well developed and came to life.

If I had not previously read books from Ms. Michaels then this book would have certainly put me off her writings.

Noah was a chauvinistic, abusive pig that had no redeeming qualities that I could see. I struggled to find anything I liked with this book. This book plays very dangerously with consent and while the author may have thought they were writing edgy, kinky sex this book veers straight into abuse territory and not an example of adult fun.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a cliché for romance with heavy sexual overtones. I stopped reading after a few chapters. I was hoping this book would have more substance to it. DNF.



*****************I received an ARC for my honest opinion through NetGalley.******************************

The lower rating is for the content, not the writing. I would be open to reading the author's other work, but this story made me uncomfortable. I thought Noah was a terrible love interest. In most of the sex scenes, consent isn't enthusiastically given (usually from Avery but also from Noah). At one point in Noah's POV he even says he likes when Avery resists, and continues having sex with her because she "didn't say no or stop." I felt gross reading that. I also didn't like the message that Avery needed to accept being dominated, as if being a female top is such a bad thing.

While obviously not as big an issue, it's worth pointing out that Noah also repeatedly calls Avery a bitch. She calls him out on it a few times, but he continues. Seriously, Titanic-era young Leo himself could time travel to 2023 and declare his undying love for me with a serenade on bended knee, but as soon as he called me the b-word my attraction would immediately be dead-buried-deceased.

I loved the flashback scene between Avery and Gavin (at least when I ignore that the author made her underage in it). However, I don't think it's healthy to equate Avery being in control of what happens to being a dom. To me, that was just standard consent. But if Michaels had stories like that I would want to read them.

Thank you to Michaels, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

*** 4.5 ⭐️ ***

This book *phew* ..... so much to unpack!!

First of all, I wouldn't consider this your everyday, run-of-the-mill enemy-to-lovers or rags to riches book (as stated in the synopsis). This was way more, in the way of childhood trauma, parental abuse, sexual dominance, among many others.

When Noah moved into the same building as Avery, they were both done for - sparks flew from the first encounter. Sparks then grew into fireworks, but with Avery being a sugar baby and having particular proclivities in the bedroom, it never would've worked with Noah, as they are both alphas.

When Avery agrees to one date with Noah, the sarcastic, quippy, teasing roller coaster they have been on morphs into something more heated and complicated. This is roughly the part when some major triggers start becoming apparent. Without divulging specifics, what transpired could very easily have been construed as rape, even though the inner thought monologues of each character denoted consent (but never actually verbalized), thereby justifying the event that occurred. A fine line was often crossed, on both ends of the spectrum and by both MCs, but the MCs still remained likable the following day.

This book was hard to read in some places and yet unputdownable and binge worthy in others. Something that makes me grapple with right/wrong concepts definitely warrants a high recommendation rating.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review. I have read this author before and have enjoyed her books. Basic premise is the trusting to love and overcoming your fears on life and relationships.. This book was different. I have mixed feelings about this book. Spoiler: Some aspect of BDSM and thought it was a bit violent for my taste. I did give this book a 3 because I read the book because I was interested to see how it end. I will still read this author and look forward to her future books.

DNF 40%. I cannot take Noah. At. All. He has ruined this book for me. He's so unbelievability manipulative, rude and insults Avery every chance he gets.

I can't see how they are compatible. I just don't see it.

I hate DNFing a book but I'm not going to force myself to finish something that I'm not enjoying.

It's so sad because I LOVED another book by this author, I guess this one just isn't for me 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

This is the first book I’ve read by Lydia Michaels, I enjoyed her writing style it was unique and kept you engaged in the storyline. I also liked that the book would on occasion bounce back and forth between the past and the present. It was done well and added to the storyline, it wasn’t overdone which can sometimes happen.

The book is about a girl named Avery who is currently working as a Sugar Baby while she is going through college to remain debt free. Her need to make more of herself and not leave herself in a bad situation stems from her poor upbringing and abusive childhood. I liked that Avery had a plan in place so that she would not end up in debt, she fought hard for her future and what she wanted, the plan made sense and was working just fine until she met Noah.

Noah is the epitome of Jealous/Possessive which I love in the MMC. The moment he meets Avery he’s done; he knows that she is what he wants, and he always gets what he wants. Their relationship at times seemed volatile they’re both trying to maintain dominance and control. But I liked the way they fought for it.
This story shows you the struggle of growing up and learning to overcome your past to open yourself up to love. It’s about learning to open yourself to others and accepting what’s in front of you. It’s steamy and witty with a few punches thrown. Overall, it was a good read.