Jolene and Paxton never seen eye to eye ever since Paxton cut off Jolene's ponytail when they were 5 years old. They always argued about everything and super competitive with each other until they went to college.
Now Jolene is behind bars and needed Paxton's help to get her out. Jolene was rule follower until this moment. She couldn't call her parents since they worry too much and only person she could think of was her archenemy Paxton. Jolene was ready to pay when he got her out but he had something else on mind instead of money.
Paxton is back in Climax, North Carolina with big dream. But being single is not helping him to climbing up the ladder. There were opportunities for him to mingle with other partners but they want him to be settled and paired up. So he decided to take a chance on Jolene. Now will she play along before they bud heads again.
Small town gossips flying quickly and they are playing a loving couple. They always thought they were enemy but more time they spend together, they enjoy each other even more.
How long could they keep the ruse? or is it just a ruse for both or are they falling for each other.

It was cute story of two people who really knew each other yet they didn't realize what it was. Jolene's kind heart and her dedication to her students were great... I would love to read about other Cate's brothers.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lyrical Press for ARC in exchange for honest review.

YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE - Lee Kilraine

#5 in the Cates Brothers romance series

GREAT CHARACTERS! - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Paxton and Jolene have been enemies since they were 5 years old, although their attraction for each other has been there all along, buried deep. Now that Jolene has gotten into trouble, she needs Paxton's lawyer skills to help her out. And he asks her to pay him back by having a fake relationship for 6 months, although who would believe it?

Writing - 4 stars - She grabbed my attention from the first page, building the personalities of the characters from the beginning. The casual camaraderie made me smile throughout, with some LOL's thrown in once in a while. And the characters were charming and so well designed that I felt like I knew them right from the very first page.

Characters - 4 stars - Jolene is a small-town goody two shoes who has always tried to do the right thing, but somehow she has lost herself in the process. Now she wants to go a little crazy, but she's nervous and unsure about taking risks. Paxton, on the other hand, is single-minded and determined to get his way. He wants to further his career, but he also is warm and loving with his very close family. The romantic sparks fly between them, It's obvious they care about each other, but both are fighting the attraction. I loved their individual personalities--strong, attractive, driven, and warmly loving to their families and friends. Their friendly bickering was charming and very entertaining. But when they're together, they're hot!

Title - 3 stars - This was explained very late in the book. Even though Jolene and Paxton have known each other forever, their love has been subtly building for years. But there's no rush if it's right; it's worth waiting for.

Cover - 4 stars - A nice-looking couple in a romantic pose. And I like the colors, which makes it much more eye-catching. Their smiles and casual embrace perfectly capture the personalities of the main characters.

Overview - 4 stars - This is my first time reading Kilraine, but it definitely won't be the last. She captured my attention right away with her fun and attractive characters, caught in an entertaining plot that kept things very interesting. I haven't read any of the previous books in this series, but I had no problem understanding the relationships and interactions. As a matter of fact, all it did was whet my appetite for more in this series, so I will definitely go back and start from the beginning.

While reading You Can't Hurry Love, Paxton quickly became my favorite Cates brother!

He and Jolene have known each other since they were children, and more often than not they were advesaries. The whole town knows they are at odds, but the Grapevine is in for a big surprise.

Jolene never gets in trouble, but the one time it happens, she has to ask Paxton for help. This sets in motion a fake relationship to help him toward his goal of becoming a judge.

The banter and sweetness between Paxton and Jolene was so good! They both grow and learn a lot about themselves, too, and the plot centers on that almost as much as it does the romance.

Here is a book that I have been looking forward to for a long time! Can't wait to read more by this author!

I enjoyed this one! I like stories with attorneys and this one did not disappoint there.

You Can't Hurry Love is a sweet, sexy rivals to lovers romance. Jolene (JoJo) is the good girl, always the one who does the right thing, the complete antithesis of her twin sister, who was the wild child who has always lived her life rebelliously, the way she wants. But now Jolene, needs help because she stepped outside her good girl routine and got arrested. Granted it was for doing something good - rescuing her student's puppy that was about to be euthanized, but still, she needs help and she can only turn to Paxton, her rival for life, who's a lawyer angling to become a judge. When Paxton agrees to help her, he has an agenda, and he plans on Jo being the one to help him become a judge by agreeing to a fake, six-month relationship to help him get in good with the local legal community. Of course, we know that fake relationships always have bumps, especially in Paxton and Jo's case, where they've always been attracted to each other, albeit unknowingly or at least, not admittedly.

I liked seeing Jo come out of her shell and blossom into the woman she truly was on the inside. And seeing her and Paxton come to terms with the feelings that had always lay dormant inside of them was both sweet and sexy. I haven't read the other books in this series, but seeing as how I liked You Can't Hurry Love so much, I will have to check them out!

Review by Elizabeth for Love Romance Books Blog

The author is looking for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

If you love the we used to be friends, now I hate you, and then to I really need your help and we can be friends again book, this is it for you. The whole story line was fun, a little over the top but interesting because the characters made it that way, I will tell you, you need to read this book. Both Jolene and Paxton are great characters that have a lot going on in life but each want more. One is trying to get to a dream that is almost in his grasps, and the other is trying to find herself again. Both of them have a lot to learn from each other and it is fun to see them find out more than they thought was going on during the book. I was truly entertained the whole way through and the side characters made it so much more interesting because they knew the main characters so well.

Jolene has played the good girl all her life. She never upset the ranks, she kept her head down and did what her parents wanted her to do, her sister is the one that lived her life the way she wanted to live it. At the beginning when she is arrested for breaking and entering, she had no where to turn except for Paxton. She needs to keep her good girl reputation and she needs to get out of the mess she created. Paxton, a lawyer now wants to become judge, the problem is he never gets invites because he is not married. When Jolene calls and asks for help, he realizes he has an opportunity to get what he wants too. There will be resistance from Jolene, because she thinks its crazy, but realizes Paxton has come to fix her problems. Contract is determined and they have to pretend to boyfriend and girlfriend for six months. So how do you go from hating someone to falling in love instantly. I have to tell you, it was fun watching these two grow. You see Jolene start coming out of the shadow that she made for herself. She begins to live and it was so much fun seeing her come out of her comfort zone. Paxton will learn what is really important to him, what it is that actually makes him happy. Both of them will do crazy things, say stupid things, make mistakes, make up, and realize some things were really a lot different than they thought. Both will learn to trust and enjoy life a little more. The thing is, is better for them to be together or a part.

I enjoyed watching both of these characters grow in this book. The author had a fun way of showing what happens when life throws them a curve. You learn to run with it and see what you can make of it. Finding an author that you can read and enjoy the book and what it means reading it makes me extremely happy and I am so happy that I found this author.

REVIEW BY AMANDA FOR LOVE ROMANCE BOOKS BLOG
Rating: 3

I was asked by the author for an honest review.
This is the first book I've read by Lee Kilkraine, but I'm planning to read others. Even though it's part of the Cates Brothers series, You Can't Hurry Love can be read as a stand alone novel. Paxton's brothers appear in this story, but they weren't major players. You Cant't Hurry Love was a solid, but unsurprising, typical romance novel. I liked the characters and I'd recommend it to someone looking for a quick, light read.

Review by Amber
In the small town where Jo has lived all of her life, she has a reputation for following the rules. Everyone loves her, from her friends and family to her students at the high school...with the exception of Paxton Cates. Jo has known Paxton since she was 4, and they have been rivals ever since. Now that Paxton moved back to the small town from Washington, D.C., they run into each other more than ever. It’s hard to avoid each other in such a small town. Before she knows it, Jo is convinced by Paxton to be his fake girlfriend for six months to help his work reputation. The only problem is that the more time they spend together, the less fake the relationship feels.

I would give this book 3.5 stars. I really liked the characters, and though the story was sweet. You could tell this book was part of a series. I haven’t read any other books in the series, but for the most part it worked fine as a stand alone book.

I was asked by the author for an honest review.

I loved Paxton and Jolene's story! Great character development and build up between these characters. This story was well written and kept me interested from the start. I haven't read the other books in this series but I plan on it after how much I enjoyed this book.

You Can't Hurry Love is the fifth book in the Cates Brothers series written by author Lee Kilraine. Cute characters and storyline. Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advance copy.

I loved this book and the author! The story was easy to follow, characters were believable and easy to love. The way the story is written it almost feels like our there with them. The book is romantic, sexy and funny.

This is one of those books you don't want to put down...a MUST read!!

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Loved this story! It's filled with humor, lots of snarky banter between Paxton and Jolene, and a fun enemies to lovers romance. Great characters and great writing make it very enjoyable.

Paxton Cates is a lawyer in Climax, NC with plans to become a judge. To move up in the legal community of Climax he needs to mingle. Attending events alone doesn't seem to be working. He needs a girlfriend, With no prospects and no time to find one Paxton is at a loss. Then he gets a call from Jolene Joyner. It seems that little Miss Perfect has gotten herself into some legal trouble. So he strikes a bargain with her. He'll take her case and keep everything secret if she'll agree to pose as his girlfriend. Attend functions with him. Basically help him achieve his goals. Best laid plans.....

A delightful read that I recommend to everyone.

the final cates brother gets his match in you can't hurry love, even though i doubt this is the last we'll see of climax, north carolina. paxton cates and jolene joyner have been at war ever since paxton cut off one of jolene's pigtails in kindergarten.

when jolene is forced to ask paxton for help out of a legal quandary, he decides to ask for a fake relationship as payment. jolene has always been such a goody-two-shoes, and he needs to project stability and family values if he wants to make partner at his law firm.

the thing is that jolene has been feeling disatisfied with where she is in her life. she's been acting like the good girl for so long that she's completely repressed the wild child she used to be. the why and wherefores are easily explained by the messed up family dynamics. jolene has a twin sister who went to the troublemaking extreme, and the more darlene acted out the more jolene behaved. soon it became second nature for jolene to ignore her wild impulses, and when her mother asked her to give up a career in dance—jolene's true calling—she did it. but in doing so she denies a part of her soul.

deciding to fake date paxton is an act of rebellion. but paxton wants to date her for the steady, upstanding presence that no longer fits. and she's not sure what he'll think of the new jolene.

(spoiler alert: he likes new jolene. quite a lot.)

the thing is, being with jolene now, has made him look at their long-time rivalry through a new lens. and what he realizes is that he never actually hated jolene. he always liked her. he liked to argue with her because that's what boys do when they like girls they're not ready to be in relationships with.

one of the things that makes paxton a great hero is how emotionally honest he is. he realizes how he feels and he goes after what he wants. it takes jolene a while to understand what is happening, but it's easy to be sneaky when someone is avoiding you.

the epilogue on this one was so sweet and closed the story out for these two characters perfectly. they ended up exactly where they were supposed to.

I loved this book! The plot was great, the writing excellent and the characters (both main and supporting) were wonderful!!! I loved the humour and the romance. I am going back to enjoy the other books in this series.

Funny tale of childhood friend-enemies who find themselves thrown together to act as a couple.

This is the first book that I've read in the, Cates Brothers series. Also the first book by Lee Kilraine. I really enjoyed it and have no problem saying that it can be read as a stand alone novel.

You Can't Hurry Love is the first book by Lee Kilraine that I have read, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I am SO Happy that I took the chance on this author and read her book!

Not only does she draw you in with her characters Paxton and Jolene but she took a whole new approach! Jolene is a teacher, a goody goody but then she gets into trouble and has to turn to Attorney Paxton for help. Jolene seems to have hung up her goody, goody hat and taken a walk on the wild side, but can Paxton handle her? You're going to have to read the book to find out!

This was such a fun take on the frenemies to lovers plus pretend romance plot. Jolene Joyner is starting to transform herself from being Miss Prim and Proper Goody Two Shoes and Paxton Cates needs a pretend girlfriend in order to advance his career as a lawyer. Jo and Paxton have been at odds since he cut off one of her pigtails when they were five. They’ve argued ever since, but sometimes animosity can hide animal attraction.

Given how common both plotlines are, it’s a tribute to Lee Kilraine’s writing that this is such an enjoyable read. The dialogue is witty and the sex is hot. The side characters are likeable and even the bad guy isn’t all that bad. This is the fifth in her series about the five Cates brothers. I hadn’t read the first four books, but they’ll definitely be on my to-be-read list.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

great story, great chemistry equals fab read.

Boy do I ever wish I'd discovered this author much sooner rather than at the tail end of a series. I'm truly impressed with just how entertained I was throughout the story...actually dreading its ending, I wasn't ready to let go of Paxton and Jolene yet...from the opening paragraph, I was hooked by by the couple. Their distain for each other jumped right off the page, making me laugh so many times...knowing that their bickering was hiding true feeling. The journey they took to get to their HEA was one that was heartwarming, made so much more by many of the other players and the town and its residents, who also brought so much light to the couple's story.

Some of the most humorous moments in the story were those between Paxton and his brothers. The jabs, smack downs, wicked banter, and overall brothers being brothers were priceless. There were also some very poignant moments with Jolene and her rediscovery of her true self and going after that part of she left behind. Paxton's support of her journey was one that touched my heart.

Overall this is one of those stories that will stay with me long after I have finished reading it. And now having been introduced to the other Cates brothers, I find the need to catch up on their stories.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

I'll begin by saying that I haven't read any of the other books in this series (a mistake I plant to rectify!), however this did' stop me from thoroughly enjoying the story. I loved this book! The plot was great, the writing excellent and the characters (both main and supporting) were wonderful!!! I loved the humour and the romance which I thought complemented one another beautifully and the drama was realistic but added the necessary tension to keep the story flowing and really allow the main characters, Jolene and Paxton to show what they were made of! Highly recommended!!!

*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review*