3.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this story!

I love a good office romance between coworkers. The writing in this book was very good, but I personally didn’t love the FMC. The MMC was great.

Friends with benefits to lovers isn’t really my favourite trope, but the characters did have a lot of chemistry and I thought their romance was well written.

Thank you so much Lana Ferguson and Berkley for the opportunity to receive this arc in exchange for my honest opinion .

I absolutely devoured this book , I loved both characters so much . Lana Fergusons writing is incredible . The storyline was perfection and loved the forbidden aspect of two divorce lawyers always at each others throats in the court room . The banter between these two wa something else . Dani had me laughing like a hyena with her smart remarks and quick wit . I love how Ezra loved to get under her skin . The chemistry between these two was hot hot hot . Overall it was such a fantastic read .

If you love enemies to lovers and workplace romance , please give this one a go !!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

Love, love, LOVE this book from Lana Ferguson!

It really feels like she has hit her stride as an author. I've had mixed experiences with her in the past, but Under Loch and Key was one of my absolute favorite reads last year, so I was eagerly anticipating Overruled this year. And this book did not disappoint!

Ferguson has such a good hold on how to make a guy who can, admittedly, be a bit of an asshole into such a charismatic charmer. Ezra is 100% swoonworthy, despite his arrogance and surliness. He comes across as a bit full of himself, but he is so enamored with Dani and completely loyal to her that whatever arrogance he possesses really comes across as charming. Ferguson is so good at writing that kind of male lead in her books, which leads to top notch banter between her two leads. Dani absolutely takes no shit, especially from Ezra, and while she comes across as prickly and standoffish, Ezra soothes a lot of her jagged corners. She is not any less of a badass, but there were a lot of surprisingly tender moments between the two of them as they tried to navigate this potential quagmire of a relationship during their current situation.

Excellent prose, excellent dialogue, excellent relationship building. 1000 stars from me.

3 stars.

This book follows two divorce lawyers battle each other in court and battle their feelings for one another. Our FMC, Dani, is hesitant to let our MMC, Ezra, into her life as a permanent thing. I enjoyed Dani, I’m always down to read about a feisty female character, but at times, I felt it was almost too much. I just felt like at times, she could’ve expressed herself better or even just let some things go. (I know, I know, she’s allowed to feel that way, but it was soooo repetitive, girl just say something!!!) Both of the mcs were really childish at times. Our MMC, Ezra, I actually did not enjoy his presence AT ALL in the beginning of the book. Most of his dialogue in the beginning was just sexual innuendos, but I did really start to enjoy him half way through the book! He was down bad for Dani!!!!

The first half of this book was honestly a struggle to get through. The sexual chemistry between the main characters was great, but I felt like the romantic chemistry lacked a ton! I did enjoy the author’s writing as a first time reader of hers. Overall, it was an average book for me. Nothing mind-blowing, but nothing special unfortunately!

This book blew me away! I had so much fun reading it! The banter, the annoyed looks, the chemistry! Every bit had me kicking my feet and highlighting. Can’t wait for others to read this and have just as much fun as I did.

This new insanely romantic read had everything I love in a contemporary romance—funny and sweet banter, impeccable tension, amazing secondary characters, and an incredible love story at its core. Throw in tropes like grumpy and sunshine, rivals to lovers, and a love interest with golden retriever energy, and I’m utterly smitten.

When a new big case hits her desk and could lead to an upcoming promotion, divorce lawyer Dani will do everything it takes to win. But when she goes up against her rival, The Heartbreak Prince himself, Ezra Hart, she realizes she may have met her match, in and outside of the courtroom.

This instantly became my new favorite read from Lana Ferguson. You could just feel the warmth and emotion from the pages of this book! Dani and Ezra may have seemed on the surface two total opposites who had a little bit of a weakness for each other, but they really respected and cared for their “rival.” I also LOVE a love interest who is entirely Down Bad for their person, and *whew* Ezra was completely. I also fell for the secondary couple, who also had hands-down hilarious quips, banter, and “will they give into their feelings” moments.

I just loved this so much!! I can’t wait for another novel from Ferguson!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This was definitely the best book I've read from this author. Romance was front and center. I devoured this book. I was hooked from the prologue. Can't wait to read more!!

“𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆, 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒊.” 𝑬𝒛𝒓𝒂’𝒔 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉. “𝑶𝒓 𝑰’𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆, 𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

I am a HUGE fan of lawyer shows so the way I was eating up the jargon in this book was INSANE 😮‍💨💼 I loved this rivals-to-lovers trope and I just KNOW you would love it too. Oh and did I mention they basically already in a friends with benefits situation while also being rivals the whole time?! 🔥😏

Can we please take a moment and talk about how these two lawyers are on opposite counsel in a divorce case?! AND since they’ve already slept together multiple times before the case starts, the tension is literally THICKKK 😵‍💫 And the “your honor, objection” energy?? Idk why lawyers are so sexy to me (tbh I blame Suits) 🙂‍↕️

The banter between Danica Pierce and Ezra Hart, plus the ‘hate’ between them, had me laughing and hooked from the very first pages. The chemistry? Immaculate. The climb so worth it 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨✨

What I love about Lana is that she can make me laugh out loud and then hit me with emotional depth right after 😭💔 She always brings humor, but she never forgets to give her stories heart. Both lawyers have complicated families and are still dealing with past trauma, which really adds meaning to how their relationship unfolds. The emotional layers snuck up on me in the BEST way 🥹💕

AGH I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. If you’re into sizzling tension, whip-smart banter, and characters who fight in court and fall in love out of it… this one is a MUST-READ! ⚖️💘

tropes
⚖️ rivals to lovers
⚖️ he falls first
⚖️ forced proximity
⚖️ friends to benefits situation
⚖️ work romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | 3.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Lana Ferguson for the eARC!

When I saw Overruled was available, I screamed—a rival lawyer romance? YES PLEASE. As a long-time fangirl of Law & Order and Lana Ferguson, this book shot straight to the top of my TBR. And with a July 1st release? Perfect timing for your next vacation read!

Let’s start with the good: I was thoroughly entertained. Ezra? Obsessed. He was charming, swoony, and absolutely everything I wanted from a romance lead. Danica? Well… she had her moments, but there were times when I found her frustrating. I struggled to connect with her intense resentment over her parents’ amicable divorce. Girl, you’re in your 30s—it’s okay that your parents are besties now! That felt unnecessarily immature and a little overplayed.

Also, I typically love a good communication trope, but this one leaned hard into the lack of communication. It bordered on unhealthy at times and left me wanting just a bit more emotional maturity from both leads.

That said, I still had a great time reading this! The chemistry was there, the banter was fun, and Lana Ferguson’s signature spice did not disappoint.

If you love:
💼 Rivals-to-lovers
💼 Divorce lawyer drama
💼 Spicy, steamy romance
💼 A beach or poolside read

You’ll likely enjoy this one!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this in advance!

lana lana lana!!! this was so good!!! the banter??? the flirty vibes? the spice? obsessed. the fmc dani is a badass. she is a smartie and takes no shi* from anyone which i loveeeee. the mmc ezra is a cat daddy and he cooks! his nickname in his phone for dani made me giggle and blush. he is truly everything i love him so much and he falls FIRST!!!! these two are fun, flirty, and meant to be. this is definitely a spicy read 🤭

this story also contains a lot of personal growth for each of our main characters. ezra doesn’t have the greatest relationship with his toxic “father” (not his actual father) and dani is scared to commit to long term love.

summary: it actually starts in the middle of a spicy scene which was hot (normally i’d be nervous with a lack of chemistry but that was not the case). two divorced lawyers dani and ezra (rivals with benefits) not only are steamy in the bedroom but also steamy in the courtroom. the TENSIONNNNN between them. phew. despite their animosity towards one another, they can’t stay away no matter how many times dani says “this is the last time”. they are both representing a high stakes case on opposing sides which forces them to comfort the feelings they are burying away.

tropes featured: rivals lawyers, he falls first, grumpy/sunshine, dual pov, forbidden attraction, enemies with benefits, “this is the last time”!!!!!

thank you to the publisher for the e-arc!

Thank you Berkley for the ARC!

This was a fun, spicy read with some great workplace rivalry mixed with lusty feelings (my favorite). This was my first Lana Ferguson book, and it was well-written! I felt like the chemistry between Ezra and Danica was well-done, and I was actually super interested in the legal plot (I've likely never typed that before EVER). Ezra was a great MC. There was a hit of "this is the last time" and I wanted to rub my palms together like an evil villain cause I just love it.

My only real qualm was with Danica because I just feel like she really needed to chill. Like pls stop being so mean? Idk. There was a ton of emotional baggage. Please figure your shit out.

Lana does it again !!!
Overruled is a hate to love workplace romance if your dreams. I truly had fun throughout the entire book. The BANTER IS BANTERING , baby . And the spice is top tier. This is Lana once again at her best. Two strong independent lawyers who can’t stop having hate seggs what more do I need to say !!!

I have already preordered to stock in my store and will recommend this to people who want a good spicy time.

One of the things I like best about Lana Ferguson’s books is that it’s never the same story twice. From nannies to monsters to this latest, I always feel like I’m reading different stories.

Ezra Hart is life goals and you will never convince me otherwise. He is honestly such a GOOD person being put into an impossible situation with an absolute monster and he’s trying to do it with as much integrity as he can. And everything he SAYS. Dani continually tries to convince herself that she hates him, but literally every time they’re together he’s perfect to her.

Dani… sometimes I just wanted to punch her and make her figure out that maybe she’s blowing things out of proportion. Learning your parents actually never were romantically in love but faked it till they made it until you were an adult I understand could be traumatizing and hard to come to terms with. But it’s been years. They’re still best friends and happily remarried to other people. Her reluctance to have a relationship after her Ex and the endless divorced she sees? More understandable.

Also… watching her attempt to resist Ezra was kinda hilarious.

I really appreciate how Ferguson handled Eli and I REALLY hope Ferguson writes him his own book.

There’s all the usual spice you would expect from Ferguson and I loved watching the court case unfold next to Ezra and Dani’s relationship.

I loved this book. Like cancel-my-plans, ignore-the-world, fully locked-in loved it. I ate it up from the very first chapter and could not put it down. The banter was perfection. It was so sharp and fun and honestly carried a huge part of the story in the best possible way. It made me laugh, swoon, and fall even harder for the characters. The forbidden romance? The enemies to lovers? The conflict and all that delicious tension? So well done. You could feel every bit of chemistry building between them and watching them navigate all the push and pull had me fully invested. Right around the 70% mark, I was thinking that I was ready for something to happen, and Lana did not disappoint. What came next had me flipping pages so fast. The ending? Incredible. It was everything I wanted and more. I do wish it had a slightly longer epilogue. I just wanted a bit more of their happily ever after and a look at what happened after the fact. But honestly, that’s only because I didn’t want to leave their world. This book was smart, flirty, angsty in all the right ways, and full of heart. Definitely a cute, fun, angsty read!

Overruled started out with a spicy punch and did not let up with the tension between Dani and Ezra throughout the book. This will easily be one of my favorite Lana Ferguson books.

Dani and Ezra are both divorce lawyers at separate firms and have been opposing council in the courtroom multiple times. Ezra was forced into the role by his father to work for his firm, and Dani chose to focus on divorce because of the trauma from her parents break up after she graduated high school. Despite being enemies in front of a judge, they've been sleeping with each other, though Dani keeps saying that the last time is the final time.

This was perfection with the enemies to lovers trope. The banter between them was chef's kiss and it was also funny. I liked how they were able to get to the point of being vulnerable with each other and that Dani was there for Ezra when he shared his family secrets with her and why it made him act the way he did for his cases. Ezra definitely fell first for Dani and I enjoyed how he was always trying to show her that he cared and that she was more than just a hook up for him.

I've been a fan of Lana Ferguson since The Nanny and so it's always a delight when she releases something new. In Overruled we get the hilarious enemies to lovers story of Dani and Ezra. Their beginning scenes set the foundation of their snarky banter and impossible to ignore chemistry and as the story progressed, those things remained, but a work conundrum persisted when they were once again pitted against each other in court. Once we learn more about Dani and Ezra's family backgrounds and why they are the way that they are, it becomes clear that what once may have been a casual thing, was better as a real relationship. Unfortunately, past hurts and current employment conflicts would make it seem like it couldn't happen, but of course, they were running straight into their happily ever after...it would just take them some time, effort, and hardship to get there.

In addition to the general plot and romance of these two, I enjoyed getting to know these characters, especially Ezra. He's a prime example of snarky, bold exterior that hides his sensitive, vulnerable soft center. Dani, I enjoyed. I don't think I quite *got* her issue with her parents but I liked her tenaciousness and her focus. Her work besties? Hilarious and really rounded out the cast.

If you are looking for an easy, fun, and (very) spicy read, look no further. 

Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars, this was a good palate cleanser between books. I enjoyed the background stories of Bianca's divorce and Ezra's family drama more so than the relationship between Ezra and Dani. Ezra was a fun MMC with golden retriever energy to like, but Dani was a bit too prickly and self-centered for me. Her problems seemed so shallow and superficial compared to what was going on with Ezra's mom. I know her feelings are valid and it's her own trauma, but she's a divorce attorney, there are much worse fates than her parents who absolutely adore and love each other divorcing and staying best friends. That's just my personal opinion, I'm just happy that she finally worked through her hang ups.

*Enemies with benefits
*Workplace Romance
*Forced Proximity

The reader enters the story in the middle of their "relationship."

Both of them have families that have untraditional dynamics. In Dani's family, her parents are divorced and married to other people, but they are the best of friends. She feels like she ruins lives and messes up everything. At the same time, she's bitter, mean, and fiesty toward almost everyone so she can keep them at a distance... and that includes Ezra.

In Ezra's family, his parents are married, but his mom suffered an incident that causes her to have days when she is alert and lucid, and days when she is not herself. He blames his father for ruining their family. He's sweet and tender and acts the part of an arrogant asshole, but it is far from it.

Both of them have trust issues and have agreed not to get involved in a committed relationship with each other. Of course, in epic fashion, they begin to chip away at each other's exterior to reveal the hurt and truth underneath and fall for each other.

Overruled is intense, sexy, and intoxicating. This book is perfect for those who love to read about courtroom drama, messy family dynamics, emotional turmoil, and LOTS of spice.

4.5⭐️ DEVORED THIS BOOK

I was so hooked from the first chapter. I’ve read all of Lana’s books but I have especially loved her take on paranormal romance so I wasn’t sure what I would think of this one. I seriously loved it!

The tension and passion between Dani and Ezra both inside and outside of the courtroom was so intense! And the way that Ezra YEARNED, I’m so obsessed!!

The plot was engaging and interesting and even though I don’t know anything about lawyers (unless you count watching all the seasons of How To Get Away With Murder) but I was able to follow it with no trouble.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for this ARC!

Huge thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the Advance Copy!


Overruled by Lana Ferguson just worked for me! I was in the mood for a flirty little romance and this was exactly that! It was fun and sexy and full of banter. The MMC, Ezra, was especially a treat to read about. He was flirty and charming, and absolutely lethal in court. Ezra’s family drama was heartbreaking, but I loved reading about his relationship with his mom. 🥺 The FMC, Dani, was a bit prickly but I thought she was a great character. She carried a lot of blame about her parents ‘failed’ marriage and I loved getting to see her work through it.
The legal plot was super interesting to read and added a bit of a mystery to the story. There was also an ADORABLE side romance that I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of! The highlight of the show was definitely the chemistry between Ezra and Daniel though. Holy smokes! 😮‍💨 They are opposing counsels who can’t seem to keep their hands off each other outside of court and it just really worked for me 😅😂
I love how smooth Lana’s writing is; her books always feel easy and fun to read! This one is no different, it’s a quick read but so satisfying. 🩷