Member Review

I'm a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, so I was excited to read this book, and it didn't disappoint. The trick to making this trope work is to ensure the animosity between the two characters feels justified and genuine from the start and then craftily creating the slow burn that thaws them in a way that doesn't feel contrived. That's precisely where this book shines: the hostility between the two feels real, not forced, and it makes sense within the context of their lives. I started out finding Duke Ashford just as insufferable as Jemma does, but the gradual revelation of his more endearing qualities warmed me up to him without it feeling as though I was betraying my first impression or he was made out to be someone he wasn't. Gemma, for her part, was utterly delightful as the coarse, don't-give-a-crap, makin-my-own-way heroine who offers no apologies for who she is, and it's her grit and then her growth that I loved most in the book. That said, the ending felt... something not quite right to me that I can't quite place. Maybe it was *too* realistic in terms of how things might play out? Or maybe I didn't believe that Gemma would be that proud for that long? Maybe I wanted more of a grand gesture from Ashford? I don't want to give any spoilers, but it just felt a little anticlimactic in the way it was written even though I didn't dislike the twist it took. (That twist was actually refreshing in a meet-cute-esque romance.) It's hard to explain -- I just felt something wanting in the way the ending played out, and it dragged a little during that period they were apart. But the ending wasn't enough to put me off, especially when the other characters in the book -- Gemma's parents, Harrington, Gemma's "odd" society friend -- are well drawn and bring plenty of comic relief to boot. I definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy this genre. I listened to the audio version of it, and I really enjoyed the narration as well.